The Third Sunday of Easter
\nApril 10, 2016
\nJohn 21:1-14<\/p>\n
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.\u00a0 It happened this way:\u00a0 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.\u00a0 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”\u00a0 So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.\u00a0 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.\u00a0 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 “No,” they answered.\u00a0 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.\u00a0 Then the disciple, whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the LORD!”\u00a0 As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the LORD,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.\u00a0 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.\u00a0 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.\u00a0 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore.\u00a0 It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.\u00a0 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?”\u00a0 They knew it was the LORD.\u00a0 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.\u00a0 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear fellow worshipers of our living Lord and Savior,<\/p>\n He is risen!\u00a0 He is risen indeed!<\/p>\n Imagine this:\u00a0 You\u2019re walking through the store when you unexpectedly meet someone you have not seen in quite awhile.\u00a0 After you exchange the usual pleasantries you ask them what they have been up to.\u00a0 They respond by saying, \u201cOh, you know\u2014 the same \u2018ol same \u2018ol.\u201d\u00a0 Do you think they would say that with enthusiasm bubbling over in their voice?\u00a0 Probably not.\u00a0 The phrase \u201csame \u2018ol same \u2018ol\u201d usually indicates that there is not a whole lot \u201cnew\u201d or \u201cexciting\u201d taking place in a person\u2019s life.\u00a0 They are just dealing with the ordinary events of life as they shuffle along from one day to the next.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ordinary events of life.\u201d\u00a0 That sounds kind of, well, \u201cordinary\u201d doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 It does not seem to leave much room for \u201cexcitement,\u201d or, \u201centhusiasm,\u201d or \u201cenergy\u201d does it?\u00a0 That would be true, my friends\u2014 but only if we allow it to be true!\u00a0 As we look at our sermon text for today I would like us to study this portion of God\u2019s holy Word from the perspective that enables us to see that:\u00a0 Ordinary Events Bring Extraordinary Opportunities.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Our text for today finds seven of Jesus\u2019 disciples gathered by the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, or as it was also known, the Sea of Galilee.\u00a0 In obedience to what the risen Christ had said to the women on the morning of Easter Sunday (Matthew 28:10) these disciples left Jerusalem and went to Galilee where they waited for Jesus.\u00a0 It appears as though these men returned home to the place where three years earlier Jesus had called Peter, Andrew, James and John into full-time service as His disciples (Matthew 4:18-22).\u00a0 As they waited for Jesus Peter finally said, \u201cI\u2019m going out to fish.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 John tells us that the other men quickly responded, \u201cWe\u2019ll go with you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Since most of these men had at one time been professional fishermen on the Sea of Galilee it is certainly not surprising to find them returning to a familiar\u2014 shall we say \u201cordinary?\u201d\u2014 event of life as they waited for Jesus.<\/p>\n After spending the entire night fishing with no success whatsoever John tells us of yet another \u201cordinary event\u201d that took place.\u00a0 He says in our text, \u201cEarly in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.\u00a0 He called out to them, \u2018Friends, haven\u2019t you any fish?\u2019\u00a0 \u2018No,\u2019 they answered.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Anyone who has done much fishing has undoubtedly had this same \u201cordinary event\u201d take place in their life.\u00a0 You come in off the lake empty-handed and invariably someone will ask, \u201cDid you catch anything?\u201d\u00a0 With very little fanfare or enthusiasm you say, \u201cNo.\u00a0 Not today.\u201d<\/p>\n No sooner had this ordinary event taken place when John tells us that an extraordinary opportunity was given to these seven disciples.\u00a0 John continues in our text, \u201cHe <\/em>(Jesus) said, \u2018Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.\u2019\u00a0 When they did they were unable to haul the net in because of the huge number of fish.\u00a0 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, \u2018It is the Lord!\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 We do not know why the disciples did not automatically realize that the person standing on the shore was in fact Jesus.\u00a0 Perhaps it was still too dark outside.\u00a0 Perhaps they were just a little too far from shore.\u00a0 Perhaps they were too tired from a long, hard and fruitless night of fishing.\u00a0 But when they tossed their net on the right side of the boat and instantly got a huge catch of fish\u2014 John knew!\u00a0 John remembered the last time this exact same thing had happened to them and so he joyfully exclaimed, \u201cIt is the Lord!\u201d<\/em> (See Luke 5:1-11)<\/p>\n The risen Christ Himself saw to it that an ordinary event in the lives of His disciples, namely fishing, brought to these men an extraordinary opportunity, namely, a miraculous catch of 153 fish!\u00a0 But that was only the beginning!\u00a0 John tells us that once these men reached shore they were given yet another extraordinary opportunity.\u00a0 Listen to what John says, \u201cWhen they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.\u00a0 Jesus said to them, \u2018Bring some of the fish you have just caught.\u2019\u00a0 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore\u2026Jesus said to them, \u2018Come and have breakfast.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The very ordinary event of eating breakfast after a long hard night of work brought with it an extraordinary opportunity for these disciples.\u00a0 They were given the opportunity to enjoy a breakfast that was both prepared and served by none other than their risen Lord Himself!<\/p>\n What I am hoping you will see in these words of Scripture, my friends, what I am hoping you will take home with you today is that the ordinary events of your life very often bring to you extraordinary opportunities.\u00a0 These disciples did not know that the ordinary event of fishing would bring to them the extraordinary opportunity of not only having a miraculous catch of fish, but also the extraordinary opportunity to enjoy breakfast with the eternal Son of God.\u00a0 At the same time\u2014 Jesus knew!\u00a0 Jesus knew exactly how He was going to use these ordinary events in their lives to bring His disciples these extraordinary opportunities.\u00a0 I am convinced that what Jesus did for His disciples here in our text He also does for us, His disciples today.\u00a0 Let me share with you some real-life examples.<\/p>\n Many years ago I met a lady by the name of Rosina when she was 96 years old.\u00a0 She wanted to join our congregation.\u00a0 Due to her age it was not unusual for me to receive a telephone call informing me that Rosina was in the hospital.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take me long to find out that Rosina saw the \u201cordinary event\u201d of going to the hospital as an extraordinary opportunity to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Every time someone came into her room, before she allowed them to take her vitals, before she allowed them to draw any blood, before she allowed them to give her any medications Rosina insisted on taking a moment to share the Gospel with them.\u00a0 Once she had talked to them about Jesus then they could do whatever they needed to do.<\/p>\n When I was serving the Lord in Miami I had a homebound member who lived on Miami Beach.\u00a0 Whenever he went into the hospital I always made sure that my devotion with him centered on an Old Testament text with a New Testament application.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Since Miami Beach was predominately Jewish there was a very good chance that the other patient in his room was a physical descendant of father Abraham.\u00a0 Therefore I wanted to take the ordinary event of a hospital visit and use it as an extraordinary opportunity to possibly bring the message of the Lord\u2019s Messiah to someone who may have never heard that the Lord has fulfilled His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob\u2014 in Jesus of Nazareth.<\/p>\n I also had a member in Miami who rode the bus to work each and very day.\u00a0 Instead of using that time to sleep, instead of simply daydreaming along the way, instead of reading the newspaper this individual used that time on the bus as an opportunity to read and study his Bible.\u00a0 For at least one hour each day this individual used the \u201cordinary event\u201d of riding the bus to work as an extraordinary opportunity to concentrate on growing in his personal relationship with his Lord.<\/p>\n Not too long ago one of my members in my previous congregation told me about a conversation he had with some people at work.\u00a0 The conversation centered on how much this world has changed\u2014 and certainly not always for the better.\u00a0 After telling these individuals about some of the changes he has witnessed in his lifetime one of them said to my member, \u201cWell, I suppose an old goat like you would know.\u201d\u00a0 How could such an ordinary event bring an extraordinary opportunity?\u00a0 Easy!\u00a0 Using the Lord\u2019s own account of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) he explained to that individual that while it is true that at one time he was indeed an \u201cold goat,\u201d a \u201cgoat\u201d who deserved to be separated from God forever because of his sins, now through faith in Jesus as his Savior from sin he was no longer an \u201cold goat\u201d but rather he was a \u201cnew sheep,\u201d a \u201csheep\u201d who will enjoy living in God\u2019s heavenly Kingdom for ever and ever!<\/p>\n Do you see what I am trying to say, my friends?\u00a0 There are any number of \u201cordinary events\u201d that you and I experience in our lives that can indeed bring us the extraordinary opportunity to either grow into a deeper relationship with our risen Savior or to share the message of our risen Savior with someone else.\u00a0 The key is to keep your eyes open!\u00a0 Instead of shuffling through life with the same \u2018ol attitude toward the same \u2018ol ordinary events that you encounter day in and day out, stop for a moment and look around.\u00a0 Look to see if those ordinary events are God\u2019s way of bringing you an extraordinary opportunity!\u00a0 For example, could an ordinary visit to the doctor\u2019s office bring with it an extraordinary opportunity to confess your complete confidence in the One who is the Great Physician of both body and soul\u2014 whether it is with someone in the waiting room, a member of the staff or perhaps even the doctor?\u00a0 Could something as ordinary as a lunch break bring you an extraordinary opportunity to spend a little extra time reading God\u2019s Word or reading one of the devotional booklets we provide here at church\u2014 which in turn may lead one of your co-workers to ask what you are doing and why?\u00a0 Could an ordinary conversation with an unchurched neighbor or friend bring you the extraordinary opportunity to invite them to come to church with you?<\/p>\n Ordinary Events Bring Extraordinary Opportunities.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 My prayer this morning, my friends, is that you keep your eyes open so that by God\u2019s grace what was true for the Lord\u2019s disciples so many years ago will also be true for you, the Lord\u2019s disciples today.<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Third Sunday of Easter April 10, 2016 John 21:1-14 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.\u00a0 It happened this way:\u00a0 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.\u00a0 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-easter","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":663,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662\/revisions\/663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}