I Am Going Fishing - Part 2

Bryan Chapell: The Lord is given us neighbors to say the gospel to. And we want to disqualify ourselves. I'm not worthy. I don't know enough. I'm not ready. If he says, well, wait a second. Of course, you're not worthy. But I didn't call the perfect people. I called the sinners.
Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Brian Chapel. In today's episode, Pastor Brian shares the second half of a lesson from John 21. In this passage, Jesus reveals himself in miraculous ways that are reminiscent of the miracles the disciples experienced previously with Christ. This account is a reminder that Jesus calls imperfect, sinful people to do the work of the Lord. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com. And while you're there, look for Pastor Brian's book, The Multi-Generational Church Crisis. This compelling book asks the question of the church, what could be accomplished in the name of Christ if we could better understand each other? Let's hear now from Dr. Brian Chapel as he shares the second half of the lesson, I am going fishing.
Bryan Chapell: Let me ask that you would look now in your Bibles at John 21, the last chapter of the book of John, John 21, as we will be looking at verses one through 14. If you're a kid, if you're a parent, if you're a grandparent, and you're an aficionado of Shrek movies, you know that there's a particular convention that those movies began, and now lots of movies are following. It happens after the credits, after the trademark roll. What's the final thing that happens? One more scene. Usually a preview of the sequel that will be coming. Once you think it's all done, all finished, suddenly there's something more. Well, it's not really a modern convention. It actually happens in the Gospel of John, too. I mean, if you think of it, at the end of John chapter 20, you'd think it was all done. John says, Jesus did many more miracles, but I recorded these so that you would believe, and by believing would have eternal life. You think, well, that's the end. He said his peace. But then suddenly, we're often running again. There's another account that happens, and it's John chapter 21. Why? Well, maybe a hint is this. Over the last six or eight months, we've been working our way through the I am statements of the Gospel of John. And all of those statements to this point have been made by Jesus. Now in John 21, there is an I am statement, not by Jesus, but by one of his disciples. Jesus is still in the scene, but the spotlight has gently shifted from Christ himself to now the expectation of his disciples. See what you think the expectations are as we read John 21 verses one through 14. Let me ask that you stand as we read the Lord's word. John 21, after this, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, we will go with you. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, children, do you have any fish? They answered him, no. He said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, it is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the water. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far off from the land, but about 100 yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish that you have just caught. So Simon went aboard and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the words of scripture grand and plain. Sometimes so straightforward, so human in what they expressed to us that we can almost pass by the words and not recognize the great grace that is being revealed. Would you this day show us again plainly Christ's love for us, that we being equipped by his grace might be prepared to tell others of that love as well. Grant us the blessing of the word made clear. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen. Please be seated. One of my favorite speakers even yet is Dave Dravecky. Do you remember the former pitcher for the Giants? And do you remember when his pitching career was over? Pitching against the Montreal Expos, he was in a recuperation period because he had cancer in his pitching arm. And 1989 pitching against Tim Raines, he threw one too many pitches, and they said you could hear the snap of his arm throughout the whole stadium. It resulted in an amputation. Dave Dravecky is a very fine believer, and some of you may have heard him talk about his faith through a hard time and how the Lord sustained him and sustained his family and sustained his fishing. Because he says now whenever he goes fishing, he catches fish this big. But of course, the real measure of the grace of the gospel here isn't just the fish in the net. It's the fish on the fire. They get all these fish, and when they get all these fish, they remember an earlier event when they caught lots of fish. Remember that happened earlier in the ministry. And now when they're out in this twilight hour early morning and they catch all these fish again, John whispers to Peter, it's the Lord. And Peter has this wonderful reaction, right? He puts on his clothes and jumps in the water. Now we're going Now that doesn't make sense. Well, maybe he's just embarrassed if he thinks it's the Lord that he's going to go, you know, kind of strip down for work. Or maybe, some say he's got loose clothing, and so he's kind of tying it all up, girding him out his loin so he doesn't sink when he jumps in the water. Whatever the reason, the language is he throws himself in the water. I mean, it's just kind of like, you know, I'm going to make this happen. He's been given all these fish. He's been given the evidence of the Lord, and now suddenly he's just going to take matters into his own hands again. Peter dives in the water, throws himself in the water, gets to Jesus first, leaves the other to take care of the work of getting the boat into shore, and then gets to the shore. And these remarkable words are they intended? We can't say for sure. Verse nine, when they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread. Now if you think 153 fish are a detail, think why mention charcoal fire now? I mean, there have been charcoal fires obviously every day of their existence. Why mention it now? Particularly with Simon Peter present. Because in the Gospel of John, if you were to piece your way back through, you would find the last time a charcoal fire is mentioned is when Peter is warming himself over it when he does what? Denies Christ. That charcoal fire denying Christ, this charcoal fire provided breakfast. And when he's provided breakfast, he has fish provided, but not only fish. Do you remember what else is there? Fish and bread. The last time Jesus provided fish and bread was what? Do you remember that? When he fed how many? 5,000. And now it's as though Jesus is saying, listen, I don't just provide the big things. Here is intimate care. For the one who's denied me, for those who've run away from me, here's some breakfast. I don't know what you see in all of this. It strikes me that what we're meant to see is that Jesus is willing to do miraculous things for messed up people. Surely that's on display. But beyond that, just to provide breakfast for the broken. Think how strange it was that when they get to the shore, Jesus already has the fish there. He's also providing the bread, and he says to Peter, go get some of your fish. And when Peter goes to get his fish, he knows something striking. Do you remember what it said? It's in verse 11 verse 11 toward the end. After the 153 fish are noted, and all there were there were so many, the net was what? Not torn. Hey, if if you catch a 12-lb bass on a 4-lb line, you expect it to break. If you catch 153 large fish on the nets of this time, you you just expect them to be shredded. Here's what's happened. Peter girds himself up. He's going to go meet Jesus. And Jesus, as he sees him, says, Peter, check your nets. They're not broken. What does Peter know? Whatever he has, whatever he eats, whatever provision is of Christ, not of his ability. Even the nets aren't broken. This is not my doing, not my wisdom, not my strength, not my skill. Those are neat things to know. Do you ever have one of those days when you had great blessing and you knew it had nothing to do with you whatsoever? My greatest fishing day ever. I went out to Idaho with a friend of mine who is a professional fisherman, and he invited me along, and we went fishing for steelhead. Steelhead are the the largest freshwater trout. They breed in the Some of you know they they grow and they breed in the freshwater. They grow in the ocean. They get to be really big. They get to be this big. They're known as the fish of 10,000 casts because it is so hard to catch even one. Had three days. Fished the first day. I caught none. Fished the second day. I caught none. Fished the third day. On that day, we only had two hours, and in those two hours, I caught five. It was amazing. It was wonderful. Listen, I stood in this one place in a stream, and I began to find out if I just stood on this one white rock, and I hit one place with my fly, I could catch fish. I caught five in those two hours. And what was even better is my professional pro fisherman friend didn't catch any. I even invited him to my white rock. I even gave him my rod. He couldn't catch them. I could. Do you know why? It was pure blessing. I didn't say luck. What was clear was he had far more skill than I. My catching fish was just what every fisherman knows. If you catch and you catch well, you can claim skill. It is blessing. If the nets don't break, if the boat fills with fish, and if your savior isn't depending on that but giving you food that he's prepared himself, you know that your blessing is of his hand and not yours.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Brian Chapel. It may seem hard for younger Christians to believe, but people over 50 were raised during an era when 90% of Americans identified as Christian. These older believers were once part of a majority group that understood the mission of the church was to take control of our culture, to halt its evils. At the same time, Christians under 50 have lived their entire lives perceiving themselves as a minority that needs to make credible their faith to a secular pluralistic culture. These distinct experiences and perceptions have a profound impact on the priorities different generations have for church ministry. It's no wonder that younger and older believers don't always see eye to eye. In his new book, The Multi-Generational Church Crisis, Dr. Brian Chapel asks the question, what could be accomplished in the name of Christ if we could better understand each other? This practical and hopeful book is backed by thorough research revealing how to open the lines of communication, appreciate the experiences that shaped each generation in your church, and unite in one mission to impact your community and the world. You can request your copy of the multi-generational church crisis when you donate online at unlimitedgrace.com or by calling 844-41-Grace. That's 844-41-47223. And now more from Brian Chapel on today's Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: Jesus said to these disciples, come and have breakfast. Now none of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Now I must tell you I and no commentator really understands what's going on here. What Why was it difficult to tell and identify him? Is it Is it still twilight so they can't quite see? Is Is he wearing some kind of cloak? Is he in some resurrection body form that it's not clear? I don't know. But what I read is none dared to ask him. The word dared there is the word for abject embarrassment. It's It's the same word earlier described of the scribes when they were trying to test Jesus, and instead he turns questions back on them and he says, listen, why does David say about the Messiah that he will be David's son? How can he be David's Lord and David's son at the same time? And the scribes embarrassed because they don't know the answer said none dared ask him a question anymore. They're embarrassed. And now here are the disciples, and they are looking at Jesus, the resurrected Lord who's providing breakfast for them, and they are hanging their heads. Maybe that's the reason they don't see him, they don't recognize They are in in embarrassed shame. We're supposed to be catching men. We are catching fish. We're supposed to be announcing the destiny of the Lord of all creation. Instead, we are down here wondering if he's still coming again. None dared ask him. But he gave them fish and bread and a warm fire and his presence. And what they had to know was how great was his grace toward them. They didn't deserve it. They couldn't gain it. And he gave it. Why? Because of the sequel. If you look at verse 15, which I did not read to you, it will be what we will cover next week. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs. I've got a mission for you. I've got a purpose for you. And now that you know how much I care for you, be about it. Why do I mention this to you? Why grace over and over again? Because people of Grace Church, we've got a mission, too. We got a job ahead. The Lord has put wind in our sails. The Lord has given us a community to reach. The Lord has given us a heart for the gospel. The Lord has given us missionaries to support. The Lord has given us neighbors to say the gospel to. And we want to disqualify ourselves. I am not worthy. I don't know enough. I'm not ready. If he says, well, wait a second. Of course, you're not worthy. But I didn't call the perfect people. I called the sinners. Of course, you're not capable. But my grace makes you capable. After all, I'm the one who makes miracles for messed up people and gives breakfast to broken people. Now tell somebody that. Because we were ministering to so many missionaries this past week, I just kind of re-read some things that I had in the past, the biography of David Livingstone. Do you remember the missionary who went into Africa when it was such a hard place to be when missionaries took their coffins expecting to die? And he went and shared the gospel in a way that multiplied the message of God's love to millions. I read his biography again, these words. When he was a teen, he began to reflect on his state as a sinner. He became anxious and frightened about his eternal destiny. But he was not willing to embrace the mercy of God offered in the gospel. Because of a sense of unworthiness, made him sense that he could not receive the blessing of God. I'm not worthy. But then as he began to study over and over again the grace of God toward the unworthy, he wrote this later. I saw the great privilege of accepting the salvation offered by Christ and humbly believing that through his sovereign mercy and grace I may be enabled to receive him. And having felt in some measure its effect of blessing upon my own deceitful heart, it became my desire to serve the cause of him who died for me. You hear that? Love moved him. If his grace is so great for me who doubted him, whose whose own deceitful heart said he he can't be merciful to me, when he finally recognized how great was the grace of God for him, he says, I want to serve his cause. It's the way it works. We will serve him best when we know we are most loved. And that's what grace is doing, so much so that his biographer would later write, acts of self-denial are very hard to do under the law of command. But those same acts we willingly give under the glow of divine love. When we know we are loved, then we willingly serve. And on Mother's Day, maybe it's important to say how Livingstone ultimately knew that grace. His biographer writes this. In his humble home, five sons and two daughters were born to his mother. Two of the sons died in infancy to the great sorrow of the mother. But her attention to her children never lapsed. Her love had no crust to penetrate. But she continued to beam like the light of the sun, the grace of God. Her son, David Livingstone, loved her and in many ways followed her. And it was her genial and gentle influence that ultimately moved him to understand the gospel and to take it to millions in Africa. Isn't that amazing? That it was a mother's heart for the gospel who taught her son how great was the grace of God that made him such an instrument of the mission of Jesus Christ. Why do I say that? My wife Kathy sometimes says that when mothers in that stage of life are overwhelmed by diapers and drool, she has to remind them, you're caring for an eternal soul. This is your mission field. This is your blessing that God has given you this one for eternity. And perhaps even as that one knows grace through you to become an instrument of the grace to millions. All you say, I'm not worthy of that. Well, of course you're not. But Jesus came to show miracles to the messed up and to give breakfast to the broken. And when you know that, you can say, how great is his grace. He loved me so. Let me tell you that.
Guest (Male): That's Pastor Brian Chapel, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by his Unlimited Grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.