John 21:1-19 Living the Promise (McLarty) – Bible study
Sermon John 21:1-19 Living The Promise
By Dr. Philip W. McLarty
The text last week ended with a promise: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Id like to pick up with that promise this morning and ask: What does it take to live in the company of Jesus? Whats required of us? The answer is found in the 21st chapter of Johns gospel. It has to do with living the promise.
Heres what happened: Following the resurrection, the disciples went back to Galilee. Thats where Jesus said hed meet them. He told the women whod come to the tomb,
“Don’t be afraid.
Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee,
and there they will see me.” (Matthew. 28:10)
So, they went. And they waited. And, while we dont know how long they waited, it couldve been a long time. All John tells us is, After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias”(John 21:1)
After these things. Thats pretty vague. My hunch is it was a long time long enough to get discouraged long enough to give up hope theyd ever see him again.
So, Peter told the others, Im going fishing, which can be taken to mean, Im going back to fishing back to my old way of life. The others were quick to respond, Well go with you. Where did it get them? John says,
They immediately went out, and entered into the boat.
That night, they caught nothing” (John 21:3)
When it comes to living the promise, this is LESSON NUMBER ONE: Seek Gods will for your life; otherwise, youre sure to come up empty-handed.
I got a call out of the blue this week. It was from a seminary classmate. I hadnt heard from him since the early 70s. We started seminary at the same time and both served as student pastors. Long story short, he left the ministry early on and went into business for himself. Now, after all these years, he called to tell me that he was serving a little country church and couldnt be happier that hed finally come back to where God had called him to be in the first place.
The Psalmist writes, Unless (God) builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. (Psalm 127:1) Heres the deal: You can spend a lot of time and money and effort chasing rainbows and doing your own thing, but its all for naught unless its what God is calling you to do.
It has to do with surrender. Surrender your will to Gods will for your life and youll discover your true destiny which may not be a life of riches and glory in fact, it may be a life of hardship and suffering but all thats secondary; whats important is that youll have the satisfaction of knowing that you accomplished what you were put on this earth to accomplish.
What is Gods will for your life? Whats the plan God had in store for you before you were ever conceived? Thats the question, and only you can say. Understand, the answer is not in the back of the book, but you can find it, if you ask. Pray about it. Listen for the voice of God. Follow the leading of the Spirit, and God will show you the way. Thats the first step in living the promise.
John goes on to say, But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus. (John 21:4) This is what we call grace: Jesus came to the disciples when they werent looking.
When my boys were young, I made a neat discovery. Whenever they asked me to get them somethingwhich was every time I turned aroundinstead of saying, No, Id say, Sure, Ill get that for you when you least expect it. In no time, theyd forget about what they wanted, and Id be off the hook.
Patrick was the first to catch on. One day he asked for something, and I told him Id get for him when he least expected it, and he said, But Dad, Im least expecting it right now!
Jesus appeared to the disciples when they were least expecting to see him. He asked them if theyd caught any fish, and, of course, they said no. He told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat as if that would do any good! and they did, and just like that their nets were filled with fish. (John 21:5-6)
When it comes to living the promise, heres LESSON NUMBER TWO: When the Lord tells you to do something, do it. Dont question, dont rationalize, dont procrastinate, and dont make excuses just do it. When you do, the most amazing things happen.
Craig and Susan adopted Caroline when she was one week old. That was almost twenty-two years ago. They met her birth mother last month. Heres her story: Melanie was a senior year in high school when she found out that she was pregnant. She weighed her options, ruled out abortion from the start, knew she wasnt mature enough to raise a child and didnt want to put the burden on her parents. Reluctantly, she looked into adoption. She and her mother took a tour of The Gladney Center in Fort Worth. It left her with a lot of indecision and mixed emotions.
As they got on the plane to go home, she said an attractive, 35-year old woman dressed in a business suit took the empty seat next to her. What brings you to the Dallas-Fort Worth area? she asked. Melanie really didnt want to talk, but what else could she do? She spilled the beans. She said the woman hung on her every word. When she finished, the woman said, This is amazing. I placed a baby for adoption at Gladney when I was your age. They bonded immediately.
She said she had no doubt but that God had sent this woman as a messenger to direct her path. She got home, applied to Gladney, and moved into the dorm for unwed mothers. She spent her senior year there going to school, making new friends and caring for herself and the baby in her womb.
She told Caroline, I rocked and cuddled you and sang to you before you were born. I loved you so much.
When Caroline was born she said she held her in her arms and wanted more than anything to keep her and raise her as her own, but she knew that wouldnt be fair to either of them. So, with every ounce of courage she could muster, she said she kissed her goodbye and handed her to the caseworker, then sobbed her heart out.
Within minutes, Craig and Susan got the call they had been praying for, for so long. Within hours, they arrived at Gladney to shower their new little daughter with love and kisses of their own.
When you listen for the voice of God and let the Spirit direct your path no matter how difficult or painful it may be blessings abound not only for you, but for everyone involved.
John goes on to say that when the disciples came to shore Jesus was cooking fish over a charcoal fire. He offered them fish and bread. Sound familiar? Five loaves and two fish? He was all about feeding hungry people. He said, “Come and eat breakfast.” (John 21:12)
Now, you know that the word, breakfast, is the combination of two words break and fast and thats literally what it means to break the fast. To fast is to go without food, and to break the fast is, well, to eat. Literally, you break the fast every time you get up from a good nights sleep and have your morning coffee and cereal or toast and jam.
But fasting can also be taken figuratively. In this case, the disciples had gone a long time without spiritual nourishment. Theyd been living on the junk food of everyday life. Their bellies may have been full, but their spirits were running on empty.
We all know what thats like, dont we? We get so caught up in the busy-ness of life that we lose sight of what its all about. We find ourselves going in circles, but not getting anywhere. Thats what Isaiah was talking about when he said,
Why do you spend money for that which is not bread?
And your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat you that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness (Isaiah 55:2)
Harry Emerson Fosdick hit the nail on the head when he prayed:
Cure Thy childrens warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control;
Shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
When it comes to living the promise, heres LESSON NUMBER THREE: Watch what you eat. Dont fill up on junk food, such as the mindless drivel you see on TV. Have a discriminating palate. Choose your music and art and books and movies wisely. Be careful what you put into your system. By all means, feast on the Word of God. Read a few verses of scripture every day. And let Christ reign in your heart. Remember how he said,
I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger,
and he who believes in me will never thirst. (John 6:35)
Watch what you eat. Thats Lesson Number Three, and LESSON NUMBER FOUR is this: Live out your faith; dont just talk about it.
After Jesus fed the disciples, he turned to Peter and asked him a pointed question: “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15) Three times he asked, and three times Peter responded, Yes, Lord, you know that I have affection for you. Each time, Jesus said, (Then) feed my lambs, tend my sheep. Dont just say you love me, in other words, show that you love me by loving others in my name.
This is spelled out time and again in the New Testament. For example,
1 John 3:18 let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers.
Matthew 5:16 let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Words of endearment dont mean much unless theyre reinforced by deeds of loving kindness.
Ive had the privilege of knowing a lot of saints over the years. None of them wore halos. Many had calloused hands. All had generous hearts.
One in particular was a woman in Odessa. Id guess she was in her 70s at the time, though she was anything but retiring. She drove an old Mercedes, and Id see it parked all over town. If there was an illness in the congregation, shed take over a bouquet of flowers fresh picked from her garden. If thered been a death, shed bring a casserole or fresh-baked pie. If there wasnt a special need, shed call on someone she thought might be lonely and in need of a visit.
When it came to befriending those less fortunate, she was color blind. For example, her yard man got laid up with gout. She paid him just the same, week after week, until he got back on his feet. Her cleaning ladys son graduated from high school, and she made it possible for him to go to college. When there was a special offering at the church or mission effort, she was among the first to contribute.
In the six years I served as her pastor, she never boasted or complained. But when it came to bearing witness to Jesus Christ, she spoke volumesnot in words, but in deeds of self-sacrifice and service to others.
Truth to tell, she reminds me of many of you. Saints, you are, and I commend you for that. Keep it up. Let your voice be heard. Practice the rule of St. Francis, who said, Preach always; if necessary, use words.
Lets wrap it up. Jesus promised to be with us to the close of the age. Living the promise is up to us. So, can you remember the four steps? If so, take them home with you:
ONE, seek Gods will for your life, rather than trying to chart your own course;
TWO, listen for the voice of God and trust the Spirit to direct your path;
THREE, watch what you eat. Dont let the junk food of this world spoil your appetite for whats wholesome and good; and
FOUR, live out your faith, dont just talk about it; let your good deeds speak of your love and devotion to Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Philip McLarty. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible.