04-28-2019 – Jesus Appears to Some Fishermen.

Here is the bulletin insert. Full sermon is a click below.

4.28.19 ~ John 21:1-14,

Jesus Appears to Some Fishermen.

Read John 21:1-5... After the events of chapter 20, the
disciples traveled to Galilee (see Mark 14:28); Jesus also told the women, Sunday morning (see Mark 16:7).
There are seven apostles in this story: Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, John and James, and two others, possibly Philip and Andrew.
The disciples were told (Matthew 28:10, 16), “Go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” “The eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.”
Peter told the other six, “I am going fishing,” and they went with him, fishing all night, catching nothing.
John 16:32, “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home.” In 1Thessalonians 4:11, his own = “your own business.”
These men followed Jesus to become fishers of men (see Matthew 4:19-20; cf Luke 9:23), to preach the Good News of Jesus (Acts 1:8).
As they head in, the sun is coming up, and Jesus is standing on shore, but they don’t recognize Him, until He says, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” “No.” Read John 21:6-14... The Lord calls out to put their net on the right side of the boat, immediately their net is full. John says, “It is the Lord.” Peter jumps in the lake! The other six, dragging the net, finally reach shore and get out, Jesus has a fire with fish and bread cooking.
Jesus tells them to bring some of their fish, so He can add them to the meal; Peter pulls up net full of fish.
John tells us, this is the third time Jesus has revealed Himself to the disciples since He rose from the grave, as John’s gospel records (see John 20:19-20, 26-29).
These seven couldn’t catch their food, but the Lord demonstrated to that He was still taking care of them, providing, even when they couldn’t even catch fish, apart from His provision.
1Corinthians 1:26-31, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
1Timothy 1:12-1, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
Ephesians 2:3-5, “Among them [sinners] we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” 8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Although these guys were dull minded, weak and sinful, the Lord used them for His glory, just as He uses us, when we commit to pray, obey His Word, and share the message of Jesus Christ: Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming Again, to take us to be with Him in heaven.