“Fish Or Cut Bait”
TEXT: John 21:1-14
INTRODUCTION: We continue in our series on the Post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus.
This is the 3rd appearance that Jesus makes to His 11 Disciples after His resurrection (21:14) … not counting the appearance to the 2 on the Road to Emmaus (not 2 of the 12):
1st – Sunday Night, Resurrection Day, in the Upper Room WITHOUT Thomas.
2nd – Sunday Night, a week later, in the Upper Room WITH Thomas.
3rd – HERE … sometime later … in response to the message from the angel to the 2 Mary’s – Mt. 28:7
The Disciples went to Galilee … and waited, and waited, and waited … no Jesus!
21:1-2
Waiting is HARD, isn’t it?
Here we find 7 of the Disciples gathered together in a little group.
The other 4 were probably there … but gathered together in another group.
It’s hard to wait for Jesus to do something … when it seems like He’s not doing anything.
o Have you ever prayed for a loved one’s salvation … and still waiting?
o Have you ever prayed for a job … and still unemployed?
o Have you ever prayed for a situation to improve … and it hasn’t gotten any better?
You might ask: “Where’s Jesus?”
That’s what they were saying here.
21:3
Peter just HAD to do something … he couldn’t sit still.
Do you know some people like that? They can’t just DO NOTHING … they have to be DOING SOMETHING … that’s Peter!
Peter decides to go fishing … WHY FISHING?
I’ve read several different THEORIES on that.
1.- FIRST – Peter may have wanted to go back to the beginning, where he first met Jesus – Mark 1:16-17
Where did you first meet the Lord?
For some of you, it was in a Sunday Morning Worship Service.
For others, it was in a Bible Study … while talking with a friend … V.B.S. (that’s where I met Jesus) … a counseling session …
WHEREVER it was, sometimes we need to go back to that experience and get our salvation experience REFRESHED.
We need to evaluate it … was it REAL?
If it WAS, then we might need to RE-FOCUS on the BEGINNING of our walk with Jesus … RE-CONFIRM our assurance of salvation … and RE-COMMIT ourselves to a living and real relationship with Jesus.
Maybe that’s what Peter was doing … he was wanting to get off by himself to RE-FOCUS on what Jesus wanted to do in his life.
2.- SECOND – Peter may have wanted to QUIT … go back to his fishing trade.
Things hadn’t worked out the way he had it all planned out.
TRUE … Jesus had risen from the dead … Peter saw that first-hand.
BUT … Rome was still in power … Tiberius was still the Emperor … Pontius Pilate was still the Governor … the Pharisees & Sadducees & Scribes were still corrupt.
What difference had the resurrection of Jesus really made?
Peter might as well go back to fishing.
At least, in the fishing business, he had some control … some expertise … some past success.
His whole world had fallen apart … and even the resurrected Jesus hadn’t corrected all the wrongs and made them right.
Do you ever feel this way?
Have you ever asked yourself the question: “What difference has Jesus really made in my life … Am I really better off because I’m a Christian?”
I’m sure all of us have had our doubts as we’ve journeyed down the road of life.
BUT – You can’t QUIT!
There’s no such thing as resigning as a Christian … or returning your Church Membership for a refund … or going back to the way you were before you were saved.
Jesus never promised you that He would give you a smooth flight … just a safe landing!
He never promised you smooth sailing or calm seas … just a safe harbor.
If you are truly Born-Again, you can’t just quit … and give back your salvation.
In the first place, if you are truly saved, you wouldn’t WANT to.
In the second place, if you are truly saved, you don’t NEED to.
Maybe Peter wanted to go back to a less complicated life of fishing … like he was doing before he met Jesus.
BUT … he wouldn’t ever be happy.
He had met Jesus! AND … nothing could ever fill the void, if he left Jesus out of his life.
Sometimes, Christians revert back to “life before Jesus” … we call it BACK-SLIDING.
What happens when you BACK-SLIDE? You go back to the old life … a life of AVOIDING Church attendance … Bible reading … prayer time … quiet time with God.
BUT … you’ll never be happy … BECAUSE … once you have experienced the resurrected Jesus … nothing can fill the void when you leave Jesus out of your life.
You’re miserable … frustrated … defeated … lonely … angry …
You’ll never be satisfied until you get back in fellowship with Jesus … AMEN?
Peter may have wanted to QUIT … but Jesus won’t let him.
ILL.: A couple of years ago … Pastor’s Meeting … “I write out my resignation every Monday AM.” … Another Pastor: “I don’t have to write mine out … I just pull it up on my computer!” … BUT … by Wed. Night, we throw it away!
3.- THIRD – “We also go with thee.”
Maybe that’s what Jesus wanted them to do all along.
After all, Jesus never chastised them for going fishing … did He?
Jesus didn’t want them to just sit around and DO NOTHING until He came.
The same holds true for us today.
Jesus doesn’t want us to just sit around until He returns at the Rapture.
In our study of 1 Thessalonians on Sun. PM, we have been studying what Jesus wants us to do while we wait for Him to return (1 Thess. 5:14-22).
The Disciples could have just sat around … but they wanted to be BUSY.
Here was the Sea of Galilee … they had time on their hands … there was a boat nearby … and they knew how to fish.
LOGICAL CONCLUSION: “Let’s go fishing!”
At least when Jesus returned, He would find them BUSY.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY WENT FISHING?
“they caught nothing.”
I can identify with them on this.
For the past year and a half, I’ve gone fishing.
I’ve learned something … I CAN’T CATCH FISH!
I haven’t caught a single “keeper” in a year and a half.
People tell me WHERE to fish … I go there … still can’t catch fish.
I have gone out with people who catch fish … they always say: “We’ve always caught fish BEFORE!”
Several years ago, I even went out on a charter fishing boat … didn’t catch a thing!
I’ve come to the conclusion … I just can’t catch fish … I can identify with them!
Someone asked me: “What kind of bait do you use?” I said “Bait? You’re supposed to use BAIT?” (Just kidding!)
WHY DIDN’T THEY CATCH ANY FISH? (I keep asking myself the same question!)
MAYBE BECAUSE … that was God’s will for them. (That’s what I keep telling myself!)
Jesus didn’t want them to catch any fish … YET … because He had a lesson to teach them. (I’m still waiting for the lesson Jesus has for me!)
21:4-5
When I’m fishing, I’ll have people come by and ask me the same thing … “Have you caught anything?” My answer is always the same as the Disciples!
They didn’t recognize Jesus … morning fog … distance … shouting …
They were tired … frustrated … discouraged … irritable … hungry …
They were open to any new fishing techniques.
In essence, Jesus was saying: “Is what you’re doing, working?”
Let me ask you this morning …. Christian, is what you’re doing, WORKING?
Is the Christian life you’re living, WORKING for you?
If it’s not, then you might need to re-evaluate it.
If you’re frustrated, discouraged, spiritually starving … if you lack peace, joy, hope … then you might be open to some suggestions from Jesus.
21:6
NOW … they didn’t know it was Jesus … YET, they obeyed.
Look what happened: … their nets overflowed … they were successful … fulfilled … victorious!
They were desperate, and were willing to try anything … listen to any advice … even from a stranger … who might know something they don’t.
MAYBE … that’s where Jesus has you this AM.
Your Christianity just hasn’t been working for you.
You’ve tried it your way … and you’ve come up empty.
Are you DESPERATE enough to try something else?
It didn’t make much sense to them … “Try the other side of the boat!”
“What have we got to lose?”
When you your life falls down around you … when your troubles sweep over you like the waves of the sea … when you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work …
… DO IT HIS WAY!
WHAT IS JESUS’ WAY? OBEDIENCE!
Just do it! You know what to do: Repent of any sin in your life … get into His Word (S.S., Worship Services, L.A.M.P.S., etc.) … get on your knees in prayer … put your trust in Jesus, and lean on Him … surrender your life to Jesus.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t fully understand everything that’s going on in your life.
Jesus does (He knew where the fish were!)!
Just do what you know He wants you to do … and you will find out that Jesus knows what He’s doing.
Jesus will ABUNDANTLY bless you … if you just OBEY Him.
21:7
John was the first to recognize that it was Jesus.
When Peter heard this, he couldn’t wait for the boat (dragging the heavy net) to come to shore.
Peter was wearing only his “bathing suit “ (“naked”), so he put on his shirt and dove in … he didn’t want to stand before Jesus ½ dressed.
If I’m in the house with my shirt off, I don’t want to answer the door ½ dressed.
It will embarrass me … and the person at the door.
When I stand before Jesus some day, I don’t want to be embarrassed … ashamed of my Christian life.
I don’t want to stand before Him “naked” and ashamed … I want to be dressed, not only in the garments of His righteousness, but in the clothes of obedience and works of faith.
21:8 – The other disciples were about 300’ from shore … and began to paddle in.
MEANWHILE, Peter is dog-paddling toward Jesus.
Jesus was on shore, with breakfast ready for them – 21:9
Jesus wanted them to bring some of their own fish, too – 21:10
LESSON: We want Jesus to take care of us … to make all of our problems go away … to make our life easier, and better.
BUT … Jesus says: “I’ve got the fire going … I’ve got breakfast started … BUT … YOU have to come to Me and give back to Me what I have given you.”
WHAT DID THEY HAVE? A heavy net full of fish.
MAYBE Jesus has given you a heavy burden to bear – 21:11
He’s not going to make it all just go away … He wants you to bring your burden to Him.
What He wants to do is EXCHANGE it for a lighter one.
Mt. 11:28-30
NOTICE … that when you give Jesus your HEAVY burden … He doesn’t take it away … He EXCHANGES it for His “yoke” … a lighter burden … one that is easier to bear.
Are you under a heavy burden this AM? Jesus may not make the problem go away … but He will make it bearable.
You just have to give it to Him.
21:12a – “Come and dine.”
More than anything else, Jesus wants to have fellowship with you.
Have you been missing out at eating at Jesus’ table lately?
Are you tired, hungry, lonely, and defeated (like the Disciples)?
Jesus says to you this AM … “Come and dine.”
Don’t miss out on God’s best for your life.
Jesus knows where the blessings (fish) are … you’ve just got to cast your net on the right side of the boat … the side of obedience, faith, and trust.
Get busy … don’t stagnate … don’t hide or run from Jesus …
Don’t just DO NOTHING … “Fish, or cut bait”.
If you want the peace and joy of Jesus in your life … He’s on shore waiting for you to jump in and fellowship with Him.
STAND - PRAYER
