The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 21 verses 1 through 6.

Tony Clark: So let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 21. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 6. And Father, thank you so much for this opportunity to study your word and it's a great honor to teach your people. And Lord, we pray that your Holy Spirit would move in our midst and Lord, that you would give us a prophetic word, a time and season for our lives. And Lord, we need to hear from you in this day and time that we live in. So speak into our hearts today in Jesus' name.

Amen. John 21 looking at verses 1 through 6 a very appropriate title. The title is I quit. This is part one of the study. I quit. Now we normally say this when we have had enough. When we have had enough of a bad marriage, when we are tired of taking the mistreatment on a job, when we have had enough of a friendship that is always been one-sided. So in our frustration, in our anger, we say I quit. I am done. And I believe that Peter felt this way after he denied the Lord not once, but three times.

However, quitting causes a domino effect to take place. So when we quit, when we say I'm done, when we say it is enough, it causes a a domino effect to take place and we're going to see the things that it it it caused in Peter's life as we learned some lessons from Peter. And look what it says there in verse one. Says after these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And in this way, he showed himself. I want to draw your attention to the phrase after these things. This gives us a a time frame by which the events of chapter 21 takes place in.

So after these things refer to an unspecified time after the events of chapter 20. The disciples had left Jerusalem to make their way north to Galilee as Jesus commanded them to do in Matthew 28 and verse 10. Well, John goes on to tell us in this verse that Jesus showed himself notice again to his disciples. This is what I want us to see. Jesus shows up to us when we feel like quitting, when we feel like giving up. Jesus wants to show himself to you notice again. I don't know about you, but many of us when someone tells us I quit, I'm done, I've had enough.

We say so bye. Don't let the doorknob hit you. And we say get out. But I'm thankful Jesus isn't like that. That Jesus wants to show himself to us again. Show himself to us in our morning Bible study and prayer. He wants to show himself to us again. When you're at your wits' ends and you're like I can't take it anymore. No matter how frustrated you are, no matter how much you feel like quitting, Jesus is there to show himself to you again. Well, John tells us that Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. Then he gives us the location.

He says at the Sea of Tiberias, which is also known as the Sea of Galilee and the Lake of Gennesaret according to Luke 5 in verse one. The Sea of Tiberias got its name from the city of Tiberias that was on the western shore of the Sea, which was founded by Herod Antipas and he named it in honor of the emperor Tiberias according to Luke 3 in verse one. Now we're going to take a look at the disciples that John, the author, tells us that was in these verses here. We're going to take a look at them.

And I believe that when we look at these disciples, we're going to see ourselves in them. And just keep in mind, no matter which disciple you identify with, Jesus wants to show himself to you again. Look what it says there in verse two. Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples were together. Now John refers to Peter as Simon Peter more than any other gospel writer. Simon was his Jewish name and it can be translated as shifting sand or sand that is unstable.

And Peter is the name that was given to him by Jesus in John 1 in verse 42, which means rock. And maybe you're here and you can relate to Simon Peter. One minute, you're unstable as sand. And the next minute, you are as solid as as a rock, strong and stable. And maybe lately this week you've been acting like Simon. Or last week you were Peter. And your walk is going up and down. You're having a yo-yo effect in your walk with the Lord. One minute you Peter, the next minute you're Simon. One week you Peter, the next two weeks you're Simon.

And your walk is going like this. Jesus wants to show himself to you again. Because the Lord doesn't want us to experience a yo-yo in in our walk. He wants us to be as steady as a star. He wants us to be as steady and solid as a rock. But so often we find ourselves like Peter up and down, up and down, up and down. Even when we are up and down, Simon and Peter, Jesus still wants to show himself to us. I I love that about our Lord. Then there's Thomas called the twin. As I mentioned last week, we are never told the name of his twin brother or sister because all of us can and have been his twin.

We know that Thomas is commonly and historically known as doubting Thomas. And maybe lately you've been doubting God like Thomas did, doubting his love for you, his plan for your life, his provisions when the ends aren't meeting. And all of us have been his twin at one time or another. Then there's Nathanael who in chapter one in verse 46 told Philip when Philip said we found the Messiah. He said can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Oh, he was a skeptic at first. And maybe you're here today a skeptic like Nathanael. And you're saying can any good thing come out of me going to church?

And you're not sure why you even agreed to come. And Jesus wants to show himself to you today as well. After this, John tells us that the Zebedee boys were there, James and John. According to Mark 3 in verse 17, they had the nickname of sons of thunder, explosive tempers, quick to get angry and quick to get mad. Oh, it's obvious that they got this explosive temper from one of their parents because they're called sons of thunder. I mean one of those parents was thunder and they were the sons. Oh, I I just I think about that and I just wonder what characteristics are showing up in our children.

How they interact with their siblings how they interact with the kids in the neighborhood. Are they going around? Do they sound just like us with an explosive temper and quick to get angry and snatching their toys and I'm going home and or I 'm going to my room. That's mine. And they sound just like a miniature us. Or and you always brag and boast and oh, that's my mini me. I don't know if you should be bragging about that. That's your mini you all right. And I wonder are they sons and daughters of thunder? Just wonder.

Oh, in in Luke 9 in verse 54 it said that James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven and torch a city because they didn't receive Jesus Christ. And maybe lately you have been torching people with the fire of your anger. People walking on eggshells around you because you're just an angry person. They don't want to set you off. They don't want to light the short fuse in your life and you explode on everyone. The amazing thing is even in that condition, Jesus wants to show himself to you again. Well, Lord, can you show yourself to me?

You showed yourself to me last week. He wants to show himself to you again. Somebody needs to hear that today. Somebody need to be encouraged even in your yo-yoing in your walk with the Lord. Even with you being a skeptic, even when you're doubting like Thomas did. And maybe you got that explosive temper as well and you see it in your children. The Lord wants to show himself to you again. Then John ends in verse two with two other disciples were together. I believe that John didn't identify these other disciples because maybe maybe you you don't relate to Simon Peter.

Your walk hasn't been up and down. Maybe you don't relate to Nathanael who's a skeptic or Thomas who's a doubter. Maybe you don't relate to James and John who had explosive tempers. But maybe you relate to these two other disciples who were just there. Or I call this guilt by association. All of these disciples who are disobedient to the Lord. You say what do you mean by disobedient? Well, I I say disobedient because Jesus called them out of fishing for fish to become fishers of men according to Mark 1 in verse 17. Also the Lord told them to meet meet him in Galilee at a mountain that he told them about and they went back to regular fishing.

I don't know about you, but I have found myself doing the opposite of what the Lord has told me to do. So we can relate to all of these disciples in these verses. Oh, let's see what else happens. Look at verse three. Simon Peter said to them I am going fishing. And they said to him we're going with you also. Let's stop right there. Notice Simon Peter says he's going fishing and I say hey, we'll go with you also. I believe that Peter said in his heart I quit. I quit this disciple thing. I quit this, you know, following Jesus business.

I quit. Oh, I believe that he felt like a failure, that he failed miserably at fishing for men. So he felt like he had to go back to fishing for fish. Remember that Peter doesn't get restored back into ministry until verses 15 through 19. So feeling hopeless and feeling hopeless, he said I am going fishing and they said we're going with you also. And this is what we have to see. This is what will happen when we get frustrated and we quit. We end up going back to our old lives. And watch this. Here's the domino effect.

We end up taking other people with us. This is what quitting causes. This is what giving up. This is what saying I'm done. It causes us to go back and we take other people with us, our families. We take coworkers. When you say you know, I 'm tired of this job. I quit. And And then because we say we're quitting, they're saying you know what? I think I quit too. We always take other people back with us when we get frustrated and we say I am done. So when Peter said I am going fishing, the other disciples said well, we're going with you also.

And when you're done with your marriage, you take children with you. Sometimes the children have to choose who they want to live with, choices they should never have to make. When you get frustrated and you quit a job, now your entire family will be affected by your choice. And when you say I 'm done with the friendship, so often once again your children are affected because they were friends with their children and now they're confused as to why they can't see their friends anymore. So when we say I quit and I'm done, it has a domino effect.

And the domino effect is number one, we take other people with us. It's not just us. We think we're saying I'm done. I'm finished. I've had enough. And we don't realize we we're saying I, but it's really we because we take other people with us. No matter what it is, no matter what it is, we we quit. We're done. It's over. It's a wrap. We take other people with us. We're not alone. Somebody is watching. Somebody is looking. Then John gives us and identifies for us the time period that they went fishing. I want you to notice in the second part of verse three.

It says they went out and immediately got into the boat. And that night. Stop right there. Isn't this the truth? It's never fruitful when we get angry and frustrated and quit. We're questioning ourselves because see here's the thing. He said that it was at night when this took place. Meaning that it's always dark when we go back. When we quit, when we get frustrated, when we get angry, it is always dark. It is always at night. I I just I just wonder about this. Could it be that they said it was at night because the fish that they caught that night could be ready for the market the next morning?

Maybe. But spiritually it's always dark when we go back. It's always dark when we quit. It's always dark when we get frustrated and we say I am done. I've had enough. Not only so the domino effect. Not only do we quit and we take others with us, but it's dark as well. We take other people with us and it's dark. Oh, I want you to notice the last part of verse three and they caught nothing. Oh, this is the truth. It's never fruitful when we go back. When we get angry and frustrated and quit, we're questioning ourselves saying what did I just do?

It's never fruitful when we go back. So we take other people with us. It's dark and it's unfruitful. Oh, we learning some lessons today from Peter and these other disciples. And you need to realize what's going on in your life right now. It's not just you. It's not just me. I I wish we can compartmentalize things and just say I quit. I'm going back. I'm frustrated. I'm done. And it just it's just us. It's never just us. Somebody is watching. Somebody involved in our lives are going to go back with us. Somebody involved in our lives are going to say you going back?

I 'm going back too. And then when we go back and we see that it's dark and we see that it's unfruitful, it will be dark and unfruitful in their lives as well. Oh. I wish we can understand what's really happening when we decide to get frustrated and angry and quit and and say I'm done or I'm I'm ready to give up. I I wish we understood that. Oh, but see there is always hope. Look at the conjunction but that starts verse four. But oh, I got to stop right there. You as you know, but is the conjunction of contrast.

In verse three it was dark. They caught nothing. But notice when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore. Oh, I love that. See in verse three it was dark. They caught nothing. But when the morning had now come it was a dark time in the disciples' lives and it may be in your life right now. But the morning had now come. What happened? Notice it says Jesus stood on the shore. Jesus is standing on the shore of your life as well ready to meet you right where you are in your dark days, in your frustration, in your anger, ready to bring light into your dark situation.

I don't know about you, but somebody needs to hear that today. Somebody's in a dark place. And Jesus wants to meet you on the shore of your life to bring light into your dark situation. I I I love how he says this here. Here's the point. Here's the point. Never give up when it's dark because the morning is coming. And when the light comes, you will see Jesus waiting on the shores of your life ready to bring light into your dark situation just like we see in these verses here. But I want you to notice the last part of verse four.

Notice how it says yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Why? Why is that? They spent three and a half years with him. Why is it that they didn't know that it was Jesus? Because it shows us that when we are angry and frustrated and feeling hopeless and hopeless, we lose some discernment in determining what is the Lord and what is not the Lord. In other words, never make any major decisions in your life when you're in this condition. While you're in a dark place, we can't see things clearly in the dark.

If I were to turn off the lights in here then we we we we would have a hard time determining where the exit is. We would trip on each other. We would trip over the chairs. We trying to reach out and poke each other in the eye. We lose some discernment when we're in the dark. That's why I say never make major decisions when you're in a dark place. And I guarantee you some of the worst decisions we've ever made in our lives has been when we're in a dark place and we made some major decision.

And we look back on it and said I wish I hadn't done that. I wish I hadn't done that because we lose some discernment in the dark. We can't see things clearly even though you can say okay, I got in my mind that okay, there's two exits there and there's an exit in the back. Okay. And And But see you can't see the person in front of you, behind you. You You don't know who trying to run out, who trying to crawl out by way on all fours, trying to crawl. You tripping all over them and you you lose something in the dark.

Somebody's in the dark right now and you about to make a major decision. I'm here to tell you better not. You better not make it because you don't you can't determine what is the Lord and what isn't the Lord because you're in the dark. Jesus dwells in the light. And he wants to bring light into your dark situation. So you need to wait on him. Oh, somebody needs to hear that today. Somebody need to wait because you're about to make some dumb decision because you're frustrated and you're angry and I'm tired. I just had enough.

I just I've had enough. Okay. You make that decision and see what happens. You will be later on kicking yourself and saying why in the world did I do that? I should have waited. Oh, for those of you who are my age and older, you understand. You look back. You got some years to look back. There's more years behind you than before you. And you just like And some of you trying to look straight cuz you don't want to look next to you. You waited. So what did Jesus say? What did Jesus say to them?

Look what it says there in verse five. Jesus said to them children, have you any food? Look at how Jesus addressed them as his children. I don't know about you, but I would have said you disobedient little brats. I bet you that you're hungry. I know you are. You wouldn't be if you had disobeyed what I told you to do. Oh, but that's not the Lord. That's not the Lord. That's not how the Lord operates. That's not what the Lord does. That's not He's not like us. There's a verse that said God is not a man that he should lie.

So God is meaning that God is not like us. Even though he put on human flesh, he's not like us. And I'm glad he's not like us. No, he called them his children. See he sees us as his children as well, disobedient, angry, frustrated. This is why he is waiting on the shores of your life to bring light into your dark circumstances. He sees what you're going through. Oh, this is why we love Psalm 30 in verse five. It says weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. See this is why we love that verse.

The morning time speaks of a new beginning. It speaks of a fresh start. And when your morning comes, Jesus will be waiting on the shores of your life to minister to you. Oh, somebody need a new beginning. Somebody need a fresh start today. I I I just love it. I I'm so thankful. That's why it says in Lamentations his mercies are renewed great is his Yes, it is. Great is his faithfulness. His mercies are renewed every single morning. Oh. What a great verse. So what did they say when Jesus asked them have you any food?

What did they say? They answered the last part of verse five. They answered him no. No. See Satan always makes quitting and giving up and going back as the only option. And all it does is leaves us hungry and it leaves us empty. And this shows us that quitting and giving up and going back is not satisfying, it's not fulfilling. So when they said no, they didn't have any food, what did Jesus tell them to do? Look at verse six. And he said to them cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.

Now why did Jesus tell them to cast the net on the right side of the boat? Because whatever Jesus tells us to do is right. That's why he said that. Oh, what has Jesus told you to do? Oh, somebody's excited about that. What has Jesus told you to do? No matter how hard it is, it is right if Jesus told you to do it. Whether that is moving out from living with someone you aren't married to or quitting a job that has you doing unethical things for the company, slipping stuff under the table and not report it.

Hey, let me tell you something. If Jesus told you to do it, it is right.

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