Participants:
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH180421A
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00:30 I'd like to encourage you now
00:31 to go with me to the Lord in prayer. 00:34 And if you have your Bibles this morning, 00:37 which you do, we're going to first read the scripture, 00:43 we're going to have prayer, 00:45 and then we're going to open the Word. 00:50 Open to the Book of John 21. 01:00 And we're going to read together verse 7. 01:05 Notice I used the word together. 01:09 I'd like us to read the scripture together. 01:14 John 21:7. 01:16 It's on the screen to my right, 01:19 if you could see that, wonderful. 01:22 If not, use your Bibles. Let us read. 01:26 "Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 01:32 'It is the Lord!' 01:34 Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, 01:38 he put on his outer garment, for he had removed it, 01:43 and plunged into the sea." 01:48 Loving Father in heaven, this morning, 01:52 as we think of the call on our lives, 01:58 may the obstructions between You and us be removed. 02:04 And may with reckless abandon, 02:06 we do all in our power 02:10 to close the gap between us and You. 02:15 This morning, Lord, I invite Your Holy Spirit 02:18 to come and speak to our hearts, 02:21 take this message that is in written form 02:25 and add to it the power that will reach into the heart 02:29 and life of the ones 02:31 that you know most need to understand and hear it. 02:36 And because You will do this, I thank You now in Jesus' name. 02:41 Amen. 02:44 There's something about abandoning ships 02:47 that seem to be a difficult thing to do. 02:53 Whenever you scan the pages of American history, 02:57 you find that our country is not immune to stories 03:03 and timelines that refer to abandoning ships. 03:08 We all know that oftentimes the most famous one 03:11 we refer to is the Titanic. 03:16 When, in fact, only those that abandon ship 03:20 were listed among the survivors 03:23 because when the ship was going down, 03:25 they understood that at certain points in your experience 03:31 you've got to let go of those things 03:33 that were your former points of security 03:37 and then dive by faith into the waters of deliverance. 03:43 Another very famous story, the Andrea Doria, 03:48 a ship that was built 03:50 and it was a symbol of Italian pride. 03:54 It was a ship way ahead of its time. 03:56 It was intended to restore the economy of Italy. 03:59 It was a luxurious ship, 04:01 a very long and a very powerful one. 04:04 It was built with three stages of class for the passengers, 04:10 about 300 cabins for first class, 04:14 about 250 cabins for, 04:17 what they may refer to as middle class, 04:20 and for tourist class which is in fact low class, 04:24 they had more than 700 cabins. 04:27 This was one of the first ships ever built 04:29 with three swimming pools on it. 04:33 It was a very luxurious ship, 04:35 beautiful in its detail, meticulous woodwork. 04:40 And the cabin crew of more than 500 were taught 04:42 how to entertain the cabin passengers 04:45 and to give them 04:46 what they referred to as top-class service. 04:50 People were desirous to be on the Andrea Doria. 04:55 And her voyage from Italy 04:58 to the Northern coast of the United States 05:01 was one that people prided themselves 05:04 in being a part of until Andrea Doria 05:08 met her fate as another Scandinavian ship 05:14 hit her broadside close to Nantucket on the east coast. 05:19 And it's now listed as one of the largest tragedies 05:23 in maritime history. 05:26 But once again, only those that abandon ship 05:29 because when the ship was hit, it listed to one side 05:33 and half of the lifeboats were under water. 05:37 So they could not access them. 05:40 But because they were not far from land, 05:42 people decided it's time to abandon ship 05:45 and only those that abandoned ship 05:49 were among the survivors. 05:51 A sad story. 05:53 And when you begin to look at that 05:55 and begin to parallel that with the Christian journey, 05:57 you'll discover that the difference between 06:01 who we are and who we can be 06:04 is often in our reaction to the crisis of our lives. 06:10 But also the difference 06:11 between who we are and who we can be 06:13 is also in our reaction to the revelation of Jesus. 06:18 When Jesus reveals Himself, 06:20 our reaction to the revelation of Jesus 06:23 will determine the difference between 06:26 who we are and who we can be. 06:31 That's why today the story is so familiar 06:34 and so important to me. 06:35 I have taken on a character in the Bible 06:37 that in some degrees reminds me in many ways of me, Peter. 06:45 This impetuous, fast-talking, slow-thinking disciple 06:52 who when exposed to the power of Jesus, 06:55 one day the Lord synchronized his mind and his mouth 07:00 and he became a power in the work of the kingdom. 07:03 Can you say amen to that? 07:04 The Lord synchronized his thoughts. 07:08 And when you look at the life of Peter, 07:10 you realize until we come to the place 07:12 where we realize that the only one 07:15 in control of our success is Jesus. 07:18 We will wear ourselves out trying to produce results. 07:24 The only one that can bring us success is Jesus, 07:28 until we realize that, 07:32 we will wear ourselves out trying to produce results. 07:38 Come with me to the story in John 21, abandoned ship. 07:43 John 21 and we're going to walk through just 7 verses. 07:49 It's quite a long story, 07:51 quite a bit that's included in that. 07:53 And sometimes, my sermon thoughts 07:58 come out of my own personal devotion, 08:01 my own personal devotion. 08:03 And during the week 08:04 when my wife and I were reading, 08:06 as I mentioned to you, you probably heard that 08:08 one of my favorite devotional books 08:11 outside of Ellen White's devotional books 08:14 is a man by the name of Oswald Chambers. 08:16 And Oswald Chambers has a very classic way 08:20 of approaching stories in the Bible. 08:21 Am I right, Karen? 08:23 He would sometimes take a portion of a scripture 08:25 and then unfold it in such an artichoke way 08:31 that by the time he gets to the heart 08:34 of the focal point, he carries you all the way 08:39 and when he gets to the heart of the focal point, 08:43 you say, "I've never seen it that way before." 08:48 Let's begin by looking at how Jesus can accomplish 08:53 the impossible with the improbable. 08:57 John 21, "After these things," 09:01 the Bible says, "Jesus showed Himself again 09:05 to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias," 09:09 after what things, 09:11 after He convinced Thomas that he was the risen Christ. 09:15 After Thomas' doubts were evaporated 09:18 with his encounter with Jesus, 09:19 after these things, Jesus showed Himself again 09:24 to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. 09:27 "And in this way He showed Himself." 09:30 In this way. 09:33 The setting of the story is the disciples decided 09:40 to go on a cruise without Jesus. 09:43 But when you study 09:44 the character of these disciples, 09:46 one thing I've decided to do in this particular message 09:49 is take a peek at the life 09:50 and the character of each of these disciples 09:52 that were listed in this narrative. 09:55 And what I've come up with 09:56 is when you study the characters 09:58 and the life of these disciples, 10:00 it actually encourages me 10:02 that God can accomplish anything with anybody. 10:07 Amen. 10:09 Look at the characters in verse 2, 10:12 "Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael," 10:18 who we also know as Bartolomeu, "of Cana in Galilee," 10:23 And Cana, the wedding of Cana, we were there, 10:26 "the sons of Zebedee," that's James and John, 10:29 "and two others of His disciples were together." 10:32 These in this particular passage remain unnamed. 10:36 But we have enough to go ahead and start 10:38 with understanding that who we are 10:41 and who we can be... 10:45 will be determined by our reaction 10:47 to a revelation of Jesus. 10:49 In other words, when Jesus reveals Himself, 10:52 our reaction to the revelation of Jesus 10:55 will determine that who we were, 10:58 we no longer have to be but who we can be, 11:01 we will desire to be like Jesus. 11:05 But consider Simon for a moment. 11:07 According to historians, Simon was impulsive, 11:11 spontaneous, and reckless. 11:14 Go to Matthew 14:28. 11:16 Look at one of the ways he was reckless, 11:19 reckless abandonment, impulsive, spontaneous. 11:21 In other words, 11:23 when all the other disciples are in a boat with Him, 11:25 Simon would be the one that would say something 11:27 that nobody else would say. 11:30 He would come up with an idea 11:31 that nobody else would come up with. 11:32 He would make a request that nobody else 11:34 in their right mind would come up with. 11:37 And notice this one which ended in trouble. 11:40 Matthew 14:28, 11:42 when Jesus was standing on the waves in an angry moment, 11:46 the Bible says, "And Simon and Peter answered Him 11:49 and said, 'Lord, if it is You," verse 28, 11:55 Matthew 14:28, "And Peter answered Him 11:58 and said, 'Lord, if it is You," do what? 12:02 "Command me to come to You on the water." 12:06 Can I make a point at this venture in the sermon? 12:11 When you are walking with Jesus, 12:13 don't allow the challenges of your faith 12:17 to add an if as it relates to Jesus. 12:21 If you are able, 12:23 the Lord sometimes does not respond 12:26 to our requests because He knows exactly 12:29 what is needed for us to get a deeper revelation 12:33 of who He is if you are impulsive Peter. 12:38 Peter was also cowardly, unreliable, and erratic. 12:43 Look at Matthew 26:74. 12:47 Matthew 26:74, impulsive, spontaneous, 12:51 and reckless on one side 12:52 but cowardly, unreliable, and erratic on the other side. 12:57 You remember when Peter was standing with Christ, 13:00 he says, "I'm willing to go all the way with You. 13:04 I'm willing to die for You." 13:07 But let me tell you something, be careful what you declare 13:10 because when you declare something, 13:12 the Lord will put you to the test to see 13:14 whether your declaration can be transferred into action. 13:19 Don't make a declaration 13:21 that you are not willing to live up to. 13:23 Because when they identified Peter 13:25 as being one of the disciples, 13:26 notice his reaction "This cowardly, unreliable man 13:30 who also is spontaneous, impulsive, and reckless," 13:33 At the moment when Jesus needed a witness 13:35 to stand in His behalf, 13:37 notice how Peter distances himself 13:40 from the one he claimed to love. 13:42 The Bible says, "Then he began to do," what? 13:45 Verse 74, he began to do what? 13:47 "Curse and swear, saying, 'I don't know the Man!'" 13:51 Now I want to pause here and just bring out something 13:53 that you may not have caught before 13:55 because I liked it, when I preach a message, 13:56 when I share a sermon in the Bible, 13:58 I like to learn something new. 14:02 Not new for the sake of new 14:04 but I like to learn something new. 14:05 And when you study the story, 14:07 when Jesus later asked Peter after Peter was restored, 14:10 after the resurrection when Jesus asked Peter, 14:14 "Do you love Me? Do you love Me? 14:18 Do you love Me?" He did it how many times? 14:21 Three. Three. 14:22 The reason why He did it three times 14:24 is because Peter was asked three times if he knew Jesus. 14:31 "You look like one of His disciples." 14:33 "I'm not him. 14:36 Your speech betrays you, I'm not him. 14:40 I don't know the..." 14:41 But you look just like... 14:42 "I'm not him," and that's when he began to curse 14:44 and swear that he did not know who Jesus is. 14:49 The Lord will take you through your failures. 14:54 And show you your need. 14:58 The Lord in the presence of the other disciples 15:01 questioned Peter's determination to be faithful. 15:05 And when Peter failed the Lord publicly, 15:08 the Lord wanted Peter 15:10 to profess his dedication to God publicly. 15:13 So in the presence of the other disciples, 15:16 Jesus is questioning Peter, 15:18 "Do you love Me more than these?" 15:21 In other words, these guys you always hangout with. 15:24 Do you love Me more than you love these?" 15:27 And he asked him three times and you know 15:31 Lord, he got to the place, Lord, you know I love You. 15:34 Let me tell You something, 15:36 God will take you back to the failures of your life 15:40 until your love for Jesus is genuine. 15:43 Amen. 15:45 Because it's easy to say we love Him 15:49 but when the trials and the challenges come, 15:52 what we profess 15:54 and what we are willing to perform in our lives... 15:59 There's a difference between what we profess 16:01 and what we actually perform in our lives. 16:04 The good news is although he was cowardly, unreliable, 16:07 erratic, impulsive, spontaneous, and reckless, 16:09 when the Lord got a hold of Peter, 16:12 the same theologian said, 16:13 "Peter became courageous in the face of scrutiny, 16:17 unyielding to popular opinion 16:19 and faithful despite the dangers." 16:21 Can you say amen? 16:23 He was the man 16:24 that Jesus chose to preach on the day of Pentecost. 16:28 This man who knew what repentance was, 16:30 was the first one to say, "Repent and be baptized. 16:33 Repent and be converted." You know why? 16:36 For the first time he could proclaim repentance 16:38 because he repented. 16:41 For the first time he could proclaim 16:43 the need to be converted, 16:46 for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives. 16:49 And let me make a point here. 16:51 When you are converted, when you do repent, 16:56 you make room for the working of the Holy Spirit. 17:00 But until we get to the place where we repent, 17:02 there is no room for the Holy Spirit 17:05 to work in our lives. 17:06 We are working based on sheer emotion, 17:08 sheer ability, and sheer skill. 17:10 But when we put skill, and emotion, and ability aside, 17:14 and make room for the Holy Spirit to work, 17:16 there is no limit... 17:22 of the usefulness when putting self aside, 17:26 we make room for the working of the Holy Spirit. 17:28 There is no limit to what we can do 17:30 when we make room for the Holy Spirit. 17:32 Amen? Amen. 17:33 And let's go back to the story, verse 3. 17:36 Verse 3. 17:37 That was just fodder for the beginning. 17:41 Verse 3 of John 21. 17:46 Jesus is on the shore, the evening is coming in, 17:50 the sun is setting, 17:52 and Simon who always has something to say, 17:56 notice what he says. 17:57 Verse 3. 17:58 "Simon Peter said to them, 'I'm going fishing.' 18:04 And they said to him, 'We are going with you also.' 18:09 And they went out 18:10 and immediately got into the boat 18:14 and that night they caught," what? 18:23 As fishermen they understood the craft of fishing, 18:28 but they did not understand the commander of the sea. 18:32 What I've learned when I read that particular chapter, 18:35 I've learned that the actions, our work, 18:38 and our efforts, any action, any work, 18:41 or any effort that does not include Jesus 18:44 always results in nothing. 18:47 And how much? Nothing. 18:52 Whatever happened... Nothing. 18:54 I thought you... Nothing. 18:56 Everything we do, 18:58 the prerequisite to any success that we can ever experience 19:02 is Jesus has to be 19:04 in the center of everything we do. 19:09 These men knew the sea, 19:11 but they did not know the commander of the sea. 19:13 They had the experience with the sea, 19:15 but what they needed was experience with Jesus. 19:18 They understood the craft, 19:20 but they did not understand 19:22 how the God of all possibilities 19:26 was about to work in their lives. 19:28 That's why you have to keep in mind experience 19:30 is the poor substitute for God's providence. 19:34 Experience is a poor substitute for God's providence. 19:39 Sometime you will discover that the greatest barrier 19:41 between you and being effective 19:43 in the work of God is experience. 19:46 Let me develop that very quickly. 19:47 You see, that's the reason why the Lord didn't come, 19:49 that's the reason why He didn't choose the men 19:51 that knew so much, that's why He didn't go, 19:55 that's why the men in the church, 19:56 the Pharisees, the Sadducees the Scribes, 19:58 the Essenes, the leaders, 19:59 the men that were well qualified, 20:01 the Lord couldn't do hardly 20:02 anything with them because they knew too much. 20:07 He had to choose men 20:09 that didn't know anything about theology, 20:11 that never preached a sermon, 20:13 did not even understand what the torah was. 20:16 He had to choose men that were at the base of society, 20:19 men that were cussing, drinking, smoking... 20:24 And you thought, Lord, can't you do better than that? 20:27 Well, let me tell you something, 20:28 the Lord looks at the heart, not just at the exterior. 20:34 He doesn't look at the qualifications on paper. 20:36 He looks at the possibilities in the life. 20:39 He doesn't just get us 20:41 because we have qualified ourselves. 20:42 He likes to go to those who are pretty empty, 20:44 so He can fill them up. 20:46 Because oftentimes, when we are filled with ourselves, 20:51 the Lord can do very little with lives 20:54 that are filled with themselves. 20:58 These men understood the sea, 20:59 but they did not know the commander. 21:01 They had the experience, 21:02 but they did not have the experience with Jesus. 21:05 So up until this point, 21:06 they just had a half-hearted devotion. 21:09 They knew what to do, 21:11 but they did not know that the key to any success 21:14 is not what to do 21:16 but who is involved of accomplishing it. 21:19 And they had what I call half-hearted devotion, 21:22 which is, in fact, the same as no devotion at all. 21:24 Consider the words of Christ, three very quick scriptures, 21:27 go with me to Matthew 12:30. 21:29 This is why half-hearted devotion 21:31 never accomplishes anything. 21:34 Half-hearted devotion never accomplishes anything. 21:38 Notice how Jesus says that... 21:40 Jesus is the all or nothing master, 21:44 it's not some but it's all or nothing. 21:48 Notice these very powerful words. 21:50 Matthew 12:30, the Bible says, 21:53 "He who is not with Me is," where? 21:56 "Against Me, and he who does not gather with Me," 21:59 does what? 22:01 "Scatters abroad." It is all or nothing. 22:04 Amen, Louis? It is all or nothing. 22:07 There is no gathering, a little with, 22:09 there is no being with Me partially. 22:11 "He who is not with Me is against Me." 22:13 Notice that when you talk about discipleship, 22:16 there is no third category. 22:19 Let's go to another one, Luke 9:62. 22:21 Luke 9:62, turn there with me. Luke 9... 22:28 I like to hear the Bible pages turning. 22:30 Luke 9:62. 22:33 "But Jesus said to him," 22:35 talking about complete devotion, 22:37 "no one," how many, church? 22:40 "No one, having put his hand to the plow, 22:43 and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 22:48 No one. 22:49 So when the Lord calls you just like Lot's wife, 22:52 don't look back 22:54 because when you begin to look back 22:56 you are not fit for the kingdom of God. 22:58 And we know that at certain points in our lives, 23:01 not only have we looked back... 23:05 But we began to live like we did in the past. 23:10 And finally one more, Matthew 10:37. 23:13 Now this is a powerful scripture, 23:17 not that they all are not 23:18 but this one goes to the cellular position 23:22 of why relationships, 23:24 parental relationships, temporary relationships, 23:28 family relationships don't allow any of them 23:30 to get in the way 23:32 of complete dedication to Jesus. 23:35 Matthew 10:37, the Bible says, 23:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is," what? 23:41 "Not worthy of Me. 23:42 And he who loves son or daughter 23:45 more than Me is," what? 23:48 "Not worthy of Me." 23:51 Commitment to Jesus cannot be limited 23:54 by personal preferences. 23:57 That would mean that we are Lord 23:59 and He is following us. 24:01 But it says in Luke 6:46, "Why call Me Lord, Lord 24:04 and do not do the things which I say?" 24:06 And I've learned and I have discovered more and more 24:10 that the more we put aside self, 24:12 the more room Christ has to work in our lives. 24:16 The more we begin to cut-off 24:17 the things that got our attention, 24:20 the things that we put our energies in, 24:22 and our faith, and our trust in, 24:24 when we get to the place 24:26 where we are willing to give our all, 24:27 He even makes it even clearer 24:29 because some people when they think about Jesus, 24:32 and I've heard people ask me this. 24:33 They said, "Pastor, 24:34 what do I have to give up to join your church?" 24:37 You've heard me say that before. 24:39 And I said, "Brother, you don't give up anything. 24:40 Matter of fact, you get everything 24:42 when you follow Jesus." 24:44 Look at Matthew 19:29. 24:47 Some people think of Jesus as a taker 24:50 but Jesus is a giver. 24:52 He is not a taker. 24:53 Amen, somebody? Amen. 24:55 You know that Jesus has been blessing your life, 24:57 He is not a taker. 24:58 If He takes anything, 25:00 He only takes what's not good for us. 25:03 But He gives us something far greater 25:06 than what we are used to have. 25:08 Matthew 19:29, the Bible says, "And everyone," and how many? 25:13 "Everyone who has," notice this, 25:15 look at all the connections, 25:17 "left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers 25:23 or mother or wife or children or lands, 25:29 for My name's sake, shall receive," what? 25:35 "A hundredfold, and inherit eternal life." 25:40 That's some serious connections. 25:43 Some people are tied to their house, 25:46 some people are tied to their brothers and sisters, 25:48 their family. 25:49 My wife and I used to be like that. 25:51 We didn't have a house, we still don't own a house 25:54 but when we made our decision to be in the ministry, 25:55 we were tied to family. 25:57 We said, "Lord, we'll go anywhere but California." 25:59 You know why? Because we were tied to family. 26:02 But the Lord had to separate us from family. 26:06 He had to separate us from the people that knew us, 26:09 so that we could get to know Him. 26:12 Brothers, mothers, 26:15 children, wife, any lands, 26:19 possessions, if you are not willing 26:22 to get rid of any of those things, 26:24 you'll never inherit eternal life 26:26 and the other thing about it, 26:27 you will never be able to get more than what you have. 26:30 And in particular, this was to the rich young ruler 26:33 because when Jesus had laid down the perimeters 26:35 for the rich young ruler, 26:36 He says, "Sell all that you have and follow Me." 26:39 And Peter said, "Lord, that's a hard saying." 26:41 Who then can be saved 26:43 and the Lord had to let Peter know he is not losing anything, 26:47 the little he has will be replaced 26:50 with the abundance that I have. 26:54 Be willing to give it all. 26:56 Anything or anyone that's preferred 26:58 above Christ is selfish. 27:01 Matter of fact, a man by the name of Luis Morris wrote, 27:03 "You can always tell when a person 27:06 is selfish and well-informed 27:08 because his views are pretty much your own." 27:11 When a person agrees with you, 27:14 we often say, "He is well-informed." 27:16 What I want to be able to do is agree with Jesus, 27:18 what do you say? 27:20 This self-centered world. 27:24 A selfish man died 27:25 and on his tombstone was the epitaph, 27:30 "Be yourself is about the worst advice 27:33 you can give to some people" 27:37 when he wants us to be like Jesus, 27:39 be yourself in the self-centered world. 27:42 Let me insult your sensibilities 27:44 for a brief moment. 27:46 You know, Christians are rightfully offended 27:47 that there is so much profanity in society. 27:49 Amen, somebody? 27:51 But what Christians fail to realize is the first, 27:54 the worst four letter word is self 28:00 'cause self will do more to condemn us 28:04 than anything else. 28:07 And what Christ was trying to do 28:08 was get self out of the way. 28:11 But the disciples were fighting with parameters of worship, 28:15 fighting with the parameters of dedication to Christ. 28:18 The parameters were not the parameters 28:20 that Jesus was establishing. 28:22 You see, you can be a member 28:23 but a member means we belong to each other. 28:26 A disciple means we belong to Christ. 28:29 And when you decide to be a disciple, 28:32 it's a step higher than just being a member. 28:35 Discipleship is following somebody 28:37 beyond your point of comfort. 28:39 But membership simply means you are part of the group. 28:44 When the Lord gets a hold of your life, 28:46 He takes you from membership to discipleship. 28:48 Look at Mark, look at Matthew 16:24. 28:52 Matthew 16:24. 28:55 Talking about total dedication, total dedication. 29:02 The Bible says, "Then Jesus said to His disciples," 29:04 what did He say? 29:06 "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him," do what? 29:10 Let him do what? 29:11 "Deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." 29:17 Denial of self means the cross is ahead of us 29:22 but after the cross comes the crown. 29:29 When I work on my sermons, 29:30 a lot of times, my wife is reading. 29:33 And there was a quotation she read last night 29:35 which I just took a portion of it 29:37 from the book Desire of Ages. 29:38 And it was an amazing quotation. 29:40 The reason why discipleship is so widely important 29:43 as Jesus says, "Follow Me." 29:45 Tell me again, "Follow Me." 29:47 Following Jesus is widely important. 29:50 Understand carefully 29:52 because when we run ahead of Jesus, 29:54 servant of the Lord says, "When we run ahead of Jesus," 29:57 This is powerful, "When we run ahead of Him, 30:00 we face Satan before He does. 30:04 But when we follow Him, He faces Satan before we do." 30:11 If we run ahead of Him, we'll come in contact 30:13 with Satan before He gets there. 30:17 But if He is the one leading and we're following Him, 30:19 He faces Satan before us. 30:22 I want to keep in step with Jesus, what about you? 30:25 Amen. 30:26 It makes a difference between what our experience is 30:31 and what it can be, keeping in step with Jesus. 30:35 Now let's get to the story and wind it up. 30:39 John 21:4-5, 30:41 they were fishing all night 30:43 and they came up with absolutely nothing. 30:47 But at the intersection of our failures, 30:50 then Jesus shows up. 30:53 Look at John 21:4-5, 30:56 at the intersection of failure, 30:59 Jesus shows up. 31:02 "But when the morning had now come, 31:06 Jesus stood on the shore, 31:09 yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 31:13 Then Jesus said to them, 31:16 'Children, do you have any food?' 31:18 And they answered," what? 31:20 "No." 31:22 At the intersection of our failures, 31:25 Jesus shows up. 31:26 But when did He show up, 31:28 He showed up at the night or in the morning? 31:30 The morning is synonymous to Jesus 31:32 replacing our darkness with His light. 31:34 Jesus is shedding light on our circumstances, 31:37 on our situation. 31:38 And the gap between our failure and our blessing 31:41 is quite narrow 31:42 because what Jesus tells them to do next 31:45 you'd think that they could have figured it out themselves. 31:47 Look at verse 6. Look at verse 6. 31:52 And He said to them and by this way, 31:54 by now they still don't know it's Jesus. 32:00 "And He said to them, 32:02 'Cast the net on the,'" what side? 32:05 "'On the right side of the boat, 32:07 and you will find some.' 32:10 So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in 32:14 because of the multitude of fish." 32:18 Now I want to take you back, are you ready? 32:22 I want to take you back 32:23 to show you what just happened there. 32:26 We read in few verses earlier, just in case you missed it, 32:32 Peter's failure began with the word 32:35 or with the statement "I am going fishing." 32:39 Who's going? Who's going? 32:41 "I am going. 32:43 I am in charge of my destination. 32:44 I'm in charge of my journey." 32:46 The disciple's failure began with the phrase, 32:49 "We are going with you." 32:54 They both decided without asking Jesus 32:56 where to go fishing and how to go fishing. 33:01 They went on their own recognizance. 33:03 They made up their own minds. 33:06 They decided their own journey, 33:08 "I'm going," "We are going." 33:11 But I want you to understand 33:13 the success that they experienced 33:17 was preceded with the salutation "he said." 33:22 Now I got to say that again. 33:24 Peter said, "I'm going," 33:25 the disciple says, "We're going." 33:28 But when Jesus said, when Jesus came to them 33:31 and spoke and they heard the words, "he said." 33:35 It is only then that they experienced success 33:39 in their lives. 33:41 Do I need to unpack that? 33:43 Whenever we follow a "he said", 33:45 come on, whenever we follow a "he said", 33:48 it is the precursor to our success 33:50 not "I am" or "we are" 33:53 but what does he want us to do when we follow a "he said." 33:57 Amen. 33:58 It's a precursor to success. 34:00 Amen, somebody? Did you get it? 34:01 We could do whatever we want to do 34:03 but oftentimes we find ourselves 34:05 at the point of nothing, no results, failure 34:09 because it's what we want to do. 34:12 "I am", "we are", 34:14 but Jesus comes at the intersection 34:16 of their failure and says, "He said." 34:18 And when he said, 34:20 they cast their net on the right side. 34:23 Understand this carefully, 34:25 the right side is not only the opposite of the left side 34:28 but the right side is the contrast to the wrong side. 34:34 Sometimes people think they are doing the right thing... 34:41 When success is that far away. 34:45 They were not in a ship, I used the word "abandon ship" 34:48 because it sounded good, they were not in a ship, 34:52 they were in a boat, a fisherman's boat, 34:56 which at best could have been about 12-feet or 9-feet wide 35:02 for the number of men that they had on that ship 35:03 or that boat. 35:05 And the difference between failure... 35:07 They cast on the left side, the side of failure. 35:12 That's why in the scriptures you find, always, 35:14 the sheep are on the right side, 35:16 the goat on the left. 35:18 He set the saved on the right, the lost on the left. 35:21 When they cast their net on the right side, 35:24 they experienced the success that the Lord always knew 35:28 that they could have but He was the difference. 35:30 They had to do it the way that Jesus said to do it. 35:33 Amen. Do it the right way. 35:39 That's why David the psalmist said in Psalms 33:4, 35:43 "The Word of the Lord is right 35:46 and all His work is done in truth." 35:48 "The Word of the Lord is right 35:51 and all His word is done in truth." 35:54 When we do it the right way, 35:56 when we do it according to God's Word, 35:59 there will be a change in our personal devotion to Jesus. 36:03 Amen? 36:04 Now you know the reason 36:05 why there is not often change in our personal devotion, 36:07 let me wind it up with this. 36:09 You know why there is no change in our devotion to Jesus? 36:12 It's because just like the disciples, 36:16 we listen to the words of Jesus, 36:20 but it doesn't prompt any action in our lives. 36:28 The story said when Jesus gave the command, 36:32 the Bible said, "They cast." 36:35 What did it say? "They cast." 36:41 Success was on the right side, 36:42 but there was something that they had to do, 36:44 they had to respond to the directive of Jesus. 36:47 When the Lord says, 36:48 "Put the net on the right side," 36:50 what did they have to do, they cast. 36:52 They had to cast something forward 36:54 in order to experience the successes 36:57 that Jesus had said they could experience 37:00 they cast. 37:02 The Word of God always requires an action. 37:07 Always an action. 37:08 You never get to the place of reading God's Word 37:10 that He does not challenge you to do something. 37:12 In the Bible, you always find three things, 37:14 every scripture you read 37:16 will say something about the devil, 37:17 it will say something about Jesus, 37:19 and it will always leave a requirement for you. 37:24 "They cast." 37:25 They couldn't just listen, they had to make a decision. 37:28 That's why as we wind up, 37:29 we go to the decision that they made. 37:31 Let's go down to the last part of the verse, 37:33 John 21:7. 37:36 John 21. 37:38 I'm going to go right to that, 37:39 John 21:7 because the title is... 37:44 What's the title of the message? 37:47 What's the title of the message? 37:49 Abandoned Ship. 37:51 The question is what prompted Peter to abandon ship. 37:53 Verse 7. Verse 7. 38:00 To this point, they still don't know it's Jesus 38:04 but notice who discovers it. 38:07 "Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter," 38:14 what did he say? 38:15 "It is the Lord!" Now this is powerful. 38:18 I mean, I've learned to understand that the words 38:20 are there with power in each one of them. 38:22 You know why he knew it was Lord? 38:25 Because he loved Jesus. Because what? 38:30 He loved Jesus. 38:32 When you love Jesus... Did you get that? 38:35 When you love Jesus, 38:37 you are familiar with His voice. 38:48 But here is the pivotal point. 38:50 "Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, 38:56 he put on his outer garment, for he had removed it," 39:00 the actual Greek said, "For he was naked." 39:03 "And plunged into the sea." 39:05 He put his clothing on, 39:07 so that when he had an encounter with Jesus, 39:09 he would not be unclothed. 39:12 He put on his garment and what did he do? 39:15 He plunged into the sea. 39:20 The Christian journey is anything but logical. 39:25 But who in their right mind would plunge into the sea? 39:29 Why did Peter plunge and not the other disciples? 39:33 This is where the message winds up, 39:34 why did he plunge? 39:36 You see, Peter finally reached the place 39:38 where he was willing to do 39:39 whatever it took to get to Jesus. 39:42 And all he needed to hear, 39:44 listen carefully, is that it is the Lord. 39:47 When he knew that it was the Lord, 39:49 Peter recalls because this was the not the first encounter 39:51 Peter had in a boat. 39:53 If you go back and look at the chronicle of Peter, 39:55 Peter recalled that in the midst 39:56 of one of the most ferocious storms 39:58 in Mark chapter 4, when the storm had come up 40:01 and it was beating against the boat, 40:03 and the waves were filling in, and the winds were blowing, 40:06 and the sea was boisterous all around them, 40:09 in the middle of one of Peter's worst storms 40:12 when he was trying to save himself, 40:15 he found Jesus sleeping in the boat. 40:18 And when he recalled the Savior's act, 40:22 in the part of his salvation, 40:24 the Lord he found in the past said, 40:26 "Peace be still" and the Bible says, 40:28 "There was a great calm." 40:29 So in the moment, 40:31 the Lord brings us back to those familiar moments. 40:33 Peter remembered, "Wait a minute, 40:35 I was in a situation like this before." 40:37 And the Lord stilled the waves, 40:38 He calmed the sea, He hushed the winds. 40:42 But that's not the only thing he remembered. 40:43 This fisherman that was familiar with the ocean, 40:46 he goes back to another occasion 40:48 when the angry sea was around him 40:49 and he called the Lord and said, 40:51 "If it is You, call me out to the waves" 40:54 and he went out and walked on the water. 40:56 And when he began to lose sight of Jesus 40:58 and began to sink, his simple prayer, 41:00 "Lord, save me" resulted in his salvation. 41:04 He recalls these moments on the sea. 41:07 I've begun to learn that the Lord takes us back 41:10 to the experiences of our past 41:12 to know that in the new experiences, 41:14 we can have a different attitude 41:17 about the way that God can deliver us. 41:19 Amen, somebody? Amen. 41:20 Why take this man to the sea? So get this now. 41:25 The Lord delivered him before in the storm. 41:28 The Lord saved him again from drowning in a storm. 41:33 This time, this new Peter, 41:37 this converted Peter, this redeemed Peter, 41:42 if there is one thing Peter learned 41:45 from all his failures and his past 41:48 is that you don't have to be afraid of Jesus 41:52 in your future trials. 41:58 I'll be back tomorrow. 42:01 If there is one thing, brethren, 42:02 you can learn in your future 42:04 through the trials of your past, 42:06 when the Lord... 42:11 See, Louis... If there is one thing... 42:16 If there is one thing you could learn... 42:19 If there is one thing you could learn 42:21 about the trials of your past 42:23 that the Lord delivered you from 42:27 is you don't have to worry about 42:28 the trials of your future. 42:30 Amen. 42:31 You see, this is the reason for the plunge. 42:33 You see, this time, 42:35 the sea wasn't a factor between Peter and Jesus. 42:38 But it had been on two other occasions. 42:40 This time its unpredictable nature 42:42 was no longer the heightening of his fear. 42:45 This time Peter didn't care about the depths of the sea, 42:47 he just plunged. 42:49 This time he didn't wait for the Lord to call him, 42:51 he just plunged. 42:53 This time he didn't ask for anybody to go with him, 42:56 he just plunged. 42:58 It was a personal experience between him and Jesus. 43:03 He plunged. 43:05 He abandoned ship, the safety of his precincts. 43:09 He no longer needed a conformation 43:11 that the future is going to be bright, 43:12 he trusted the Lord in whose presence he stood. 43:15 Amen, somebody? Amen. 43:18 You see, often, we live in the safety of our boat. 43:21 When sometimes we got to get out of it 43:24 to meet Jesus in the unstable places of life. 43:30 The fishermen, the fishermen, 43:34 Peter, the fisherman represents those 43:36 who have spent their lives in the safety of their ship 43:40 and made their own surroundings, 43:44 the accoutrements of their lives, 43:46 the reason for their safety. 43:47 And the Lord comes along 43:49 and finally the very things that brought fear in your past, 43:53 no longer brings fear in your present. 43:55 And when you hear and you know that it is God 43:57 that's calling you, you plunge. 44:00 You plunge. You abandon ship. 44:05 You see, it is in the unstable moments of life 44:08 that we finally get to know Jesus. 44:12 It is when the ship of our life 44:14 is breaking apart that we can abandon ship 44:19 and still know that we'll be safe in Jesus. 44:22 Amen. 44:24 Amen? Amen. 44:25 Abandon ship. 44:27 This morning, somebody's ship is tossing, 44:34 somebody is in the middle of angry waves, 44:38 somebody doesn't know how to handle 44:40 the increasing of the wind and the rising of the ocean, 44:43 and they have built their own ship, 44:46 their own place of safety, their own place of security. 44:50 But I want to tell you, this morning, 44:51 God is saying to you by faith, 44:53 Jesus is saying to you by faith, 44:55 "You don't have to be fearful of the angry waves. 44:58 You don't have to be fearful of the angry sea. 44:59 You don't have to be worried about the future 45:01 and how it's going to workout." 45:02 If you know it is the Lord, you got to sometimes plunge. 45:08 You got to do what? You got to plunge. 45:12 Now the other disciples got to Jesus 45:14 but they got there after Peter. 45:17 He went to make sure that this time 45:19 there was no doubt in the heart of his Lord 45:21 that there was anything between him and Jesus. 45:27 If there is somebody here today, 45:30 there maybe more than one, 45:31 if there is somebody here today 45:33 that God has for some reason 45:35 taken you to the unstable places of your life 45:38 and the waves are unpredictable 45:42 and you're in the night of your fishing, 45:44 you're coming up with nothing. 45:46 And today, 45:50 you are willing to abandon the place of your own safety 45:53 and dive into the moment with Jesus. 45:56 As I sing this song, 45:58 I want you to just simply stand where you are. 46:00 I want to pray for you today. 46:02 I want to pray that God will take you away 46:03 from the atmosphere of your own security 46:07 to let you know that He is the one 46:08 that commands the sea. 46:11 You maybe a fisherman but He made the sea. 46:14 You may have been catching things in the past 46:18 but this time the Lord wants to catch you. 46:21 If that's your desire, this morning, 46:23 to change the course of events in your life, 46:26 as I sing this song, this morning, just plunge. 46:29 Just stand where you are, 46:31 if you want to come down for prayer, 46:32 I invite you to do that. 46:34 But today, God is calling you to plunge, 46:38 put your life where He can change you, 46:40 put your life where He can deliver you. 46:42 This morning, He's calling you. Listen to this song. 47:11 If the ship of your life 47:15 Is tossing on the sea of strife 47:20 You need someone 47:26 If you feel so all alone 47:30 And your house is not a home 47:35 You need someone 47:42 If you feel life isn't fair 47:46 And there's no one left to share 47:49 All those lonely day and nights 47:55 When things just won't turn out right 47:59 And you want someone to share 48:03 And someone to just be there 48:07 You need someone 48:14 So I give you Jesus 48:20 He's the peace 48:22 That passes all understanding 48:30 I give you Jesus 48:35 He's that perfect love 48:37 That casteth out all fear 48:45 I give you Jesus 48:50 He's the water that you drink 48:54 And never thirst again 49:00 I give you Jesus 49:05 My friend 49:09 I give you Jesus 49:15 Listen... 49:18 If the pressures all around 49:22 Have your spirits to the ground 49:25 You need someone 49:32 If your body is in pain 49:36 And your health you can't regain 49:40 You need someone 49:47 If at times that you have tried 49:50 With all the strength you had inside 49:54 And it seems that you have failed 49:58 Remember on the cross He's nailed 50:01 All that bitterness and grief 50:05 To give you peace and sweet relief 50:10 He is that someone that you need 50:15 So I give you Jesus 50:22 He's the peace 50:23 That passes all understanding 50:31 I give you Jesus 50:36 He's that perfect love 50:38 That casteth out all 50:43 Fear 50:47 I give you Jesus 50:51 He's the water that you drink 50:55 And never thirst again 51:01 I give you Jesus, my friends 51:08 Yes, I give you Jesus 51:12 He's everything, He's the one you need 51:17 I give you Jesus, my friend 51:24 Yes, I give you Jesus 51:46 You know, this morning the Lord is calling someone. 51:51 He says, "You've tried it so many ways 51:56 and your nets are empty, unfulfilled, 52:00 your plans have not worked out the way you desired them to, 52:05 your investments, whatever they maybe, 52:09 just don't produce any results. 52:14 Whatever you've confronted just comes up empty every time 52:16 and there is no great distance 52:18 between your failure and My success. 52:20 But if you just do it My way, 52:23 if you just do it My way, 52:28 if you come to this side of My plan, 52:32 it's going to work out. 52:34 It's going to be all right." 52:37 There may be a void in your life today... 52:42 The place of your security is no longer there. 52:47 The person on whom your trust 52:50 was so established is no longer there. 52:57 But it's in this trying moment that somebody sent, 53:00 I hear his voice, 53:02 I think that's the voice of Jesus. 53:04 It is the Lord. 53:07 And if you know it's the Lord, 53:09 this is your moment to just plunge in. 53:13 Don't worry about anybody else. 53:15 It's not about what they can do for you. 53:17 It's those moments when all you need is a garment 53:22 and a desire to close the gap between you and Jesus. 53:25 So today, 53:30 if there's a special prayer that's in your heart, 53:34 just raise your hand where you are. 53:36 I'm going to pray this morning. 53:41 Gracious heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Jesus. 53:45 He is the peace that passes all of our understanding. 53:51 Sometimes we begin journeys 53:54 that bring us to a wall in our lives, 53:57 and we can't go over it and we are frustrated. 54:01 Sometimes we make choices that bring us zero results. 54:06 And once again we wonder, is it the Lord. 54:13 But today, Father, on the ship of our unstable journey, 54:19 on the waters of our unstable experience, 54:22 in the depths of the unknown we pray that today by faith 54:26 we can plunge 54:28 and close the distance between us and Jesus. 54:31 We could abandon. 54:34 With reckless abandon, we could just dive in and say, 54:37 "This time I'm not worried about the waves. 54:40 This time I'm not concerned about the sea. 54:42 This time I don't even really care who is with me, 54:45 I'm just going to plunge in because I know it is the Lord." 54:51 And so, Father, deliver us 54:53 from those challenges in our lives, 54:55 deliver us from the faithless places, 54:58 the places that seem to be so reliable, 55:00 deliver us from them. 55:03 And may we find hope, and courage, and strength, 55:05 and just the knowledge of being absorbed 55:09 how wonderful it is that Peter dove in to the water, 55:12 experience the complete surrounding 55:15 of the promise of Christ. 55:17 May we leave this place today, 55:18 Lord, knowing that Your Word is sufficient for us. 55:22 We can be surrounded in the knowledge 55:24 that everything is going to be just fine. 55:26 We are plunging in today, we're abandoning ship, 55:30 and we're swimming to You. 55:33 Thank You, Father, for identifying us. 55:37 Thank You for being patient with us 55:39 through the failures of our past experiences. 55:42 Thank You for the moments that we were just like Peter. 55:48 May You be glorified. 55:49 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. |
Revised 2018-05-30