The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Plain 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: Then there's Nathanael who in chapter 1 and verse 46 told Philip. When Philip said, we have 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. But after this, John tells us that the Zebedee boys were there, James and John. According to Mark 3 and verse 17, they had the nickname of sons of thunder.

Explosive tempers, quick to get angry and quick to get mad. Or 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. Or 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 out of 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 and they sound just like a miniature us. Or and you always brag and boast say, 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 torture 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 and 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 2 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 was 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 were disobedient to the Lord. You said, 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 3. 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 it said, 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. Or I believe that he felt like a failure, that he fell 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 helpless, 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 co-workers.

When you say, you know, I am 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. And when you get frustrated and you quit a job, now your entire family will be affected by your choice.

And when you say, I am 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 am 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 am done. I am finished. I've had enough. And we don't realize 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 3. 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 I want you to notice the last part of verse 3 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 learned 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 is 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 am 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 the starts verse 4. But Oh, I got to stop right there. You as you know, but is the conjunction of contrast. In verse 3, it was dark. They caught nothing but notice when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore. Oh, I loved that. See in verse 3, 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 4. Notice how it says yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Why? Why is that? They spent 3 and 1/2 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 said 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're 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 we're 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 said like And some of you trying to look straight because you don't want to look next to you. You don't wait it. So, what did Jesus say? What did Jesus say to them? Look what it says there in verse 5. Jesus said to them, children, have you any food? Now 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 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 5. 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 needs a fresh start today.

I I I just love it. I I'm so thankful. That why it says in Lamentations, his mercies are renewed ev Mm. 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 5. 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 6. 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 you stuff under the table and not reported. Hey, let me tell you something. If Jesus told you to do it, it is right. And I And I know that some of you are thinking but but but what would happen if I if I obey? Look at the second part of verse 6.

So, they cast and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. They obeyed and were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Oh, this is a perfect example of Ephesians 3:20 that said that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or even think. Now, the disciples, they could have argued and said to the Lord, Lord, we've been out here all night and maybe you didn't hear me. We we didn't catch anything. We've been out here all night. Don't you think if we've been out here all night, we placed the net on the right side of the boat?

We've been out here all night. Did you Maybe you didn't hear that part. All all night. I don't know about you, but maybe you feel like, you know, that you're arguing with the Lord. And and you like, you know what? Lord, but what if I And what if this and what And what if that and what if they do this and what if they say that? If he's told you to do something difficult and you're giving him all of your reasons why you shouldn't obey just remember whatever Jesus tells you to do is right. It's right.

And there are blessings waiting on you in the form of a multitude of fish. Whatever that looks like for you. A multitude of fish could look like a financial blessing for you because if you're a fisherman and you caught a multitude of fish, you sell that at the market you're going to get paid. So, it could be in the form of a financial blessing. Or a multitude of fish could come in the form of just could be could be in the form of fruitfulness on your job. If you're a fisherman and you caught a multitude of fish, it could come in the blessing could come in the form of a promotion on your job.

If you're fisherman, you caught a whole bunch of fish oh, you're fruitful. It's like being a salesman. You got a lot of sales. You're fruitful. You may get moved up. So, your multitude of fish could be in the form of promotion on your job. Or a multitude of fish for you or could be in the form of blessings to your family in the form of multitude of children. You whether you believe it or not, there are many there are many couples that that's that's just trying to have children. And they're unable to. And it could come in the form of multitude of children from married couples.

Married couples. Couples that are married. Married couples. Some of you all fooling around playing house fooling around. I'm not talking about you. And it seems like the ones who fool around and play in house, they got a whole gaggle of kids running around. And the ones trying to do it right. Oh, can you keep us in prayer? We trying to have one. So, what kind of couples? Oh, okay. Oh, I just want to make sure you all pay pay attention. So, what happened next? Well, we got to wait till next week. I couldn't finish. I I wanted to go to verse 14 and I couldn't make it.

So, we'll pick it up in verse 7, God's will, and we'll take it down to verse 14 so we can pick up part 2 of I quit. Now, let me let me conclude with this. We talked about the negative effects of quitting and giving up and going back and we saw that it um it it leaves us empty and unfulfilled. We saw how it we end up taking other people with us. However, we saw that in our anger and frustration, Jesus comes to us waiting on the shores of our lives to give us instructions like he did with his disciples here.

The real question is will we obey these instructions no matter how hard or difficult it is. And as we have seen blessings in the form of a multitude of fish, that's what's waiting on us when we obey. And whatever that will look like for you, whatever that multitude of fish will look like, that's what's waiting on us when Jesus tells us to do the right thing by casting our net on the right side because Jesus what he tells us to do, it is right. And there're some of you here you're in a dark place. You're in a dark situation.

Jesus wants to bring light into your dark situation. And there's going to be some people available to pray with you about that and you can leave here and continue in your darkness. That choice is yours. Or you can leave here and allow Jesus to meet you to meet you in your dark situation because even though it's dark, Jesus is waiting on the shores. When was he waiting on the shores? In the morning. When it's light out. Jesus doesn't dwell in darkness. He dwells in the light. And he wants to give you direction for your lives.

And there's going to be some people available to pray with you about these things before you leave here. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for your word. Thank you for your loving kindness and tender mercies. Thank you for your grace that abounds toward us. Lord, I pray for your people here sitting in a dark place. God, I pray that you draw them to the light, draw them to you. Lord, I pray for those who've never uh repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. I pray that today will be the day of salvation that they will come and repent of their sin and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Lord, I pray draw people onto you today in Jesus' name. Amen.

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