"THE DISCIPLE'S FINAL EXAM"
JOHN 21:1-11
INTRO: I remember while in college the anxiety I always felt when it came time
for final exams! Our final exams were 50% of our grade so to pass the
course you had to do well on the final exam. Jesus, all throughout
His ministry, after the calling of the twelve, had been teaching them
and testing them. Much had the disciples learned those 3½ years of
walking and talking with Jesus. He had appeared to all of them
several times during those 40 days since the Resurrection.
I'm sure that it was a time of great anxiety and uneasiness for them;
not knowing exactly what was going to happen in their lives next,
except that Jesus was going away. He was leaving them so the
Comforter could come. All that they could hope in was the fact that
the LORD was to meet them in Galilee. Jesus told Peter in Matthew
26:32—“ButafterIamrisen again,Iwillgo beforeyouintoGalilee.”
The angels at the sepulchre told the women gathered there—“…go
quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and,
behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him..."
(Matthew 28:7). And in Mark 16:7 we read—“But go your way, tell
his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall
ye see him, as he said unto you."
In John 21, Peter and six of the other disciples had made their way to
Galilee to meet Jesus. Evidently, the wait for Jesus was longer than
Peter anticipated. And standing by the Sea of Tiberius, which is the
Sea of Galilee, Peter decided, "I go a fishing." Here Christ would
perform His last of 35 miracles recorded in the Gospels. In this
miracle, Christ gave His disciples a final examination. It consisted of
three questions, and the correct answer to those questions give to us
the way to revival!
THE WAY TO REVIVAL:
(1) WILL YOU OBEY ME?
JOHN 21:3-8—“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto
him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship
immediately: and that night they caught nothing. But when the
morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples
knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children,
haveyeanymeat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them,
Castthenetontherightsideoftheship,andyeshallfind. They
cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the
multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith
unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was
the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat untohim, (for he was naked,) and
did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little
ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred
cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.”
A. A CONFUSED OBEDIENCE. “A religious revival is nothing else than a new
beginning of obedience to God.” --Charles G. Finney (Albert M. Wells, Jr.
Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. p. 143). Peter had denied
His LORD. He felt at a great loss. He was at loose ends. At the most
critical moment of our LORD'S life; He and all the disciples had forsaken
Him! Now instead of waiting on the LORD patiently, he had made a spur of
the moment decision. Relying on his own wisdom instead of making a
God-directed choice! (Proverbs 3:5-6). “I go a fishing..."--In the Greek NT it
literally means, "I’m going back to fishing!” The disciples with him followed
him, Peter being the leader as he was! Friends, I want us to see tonight
that A CONFUSED OBEDIENCE leads to:
DISCOURAGEMENT. Peter said, “I go a fishing.” You can almost hear his discouragement as you read those words! We too become discouraged when God does not work on our timetable. When we have to wait on the Lord to move and His hand seems so slow on our behalf! The Lord had told them to wait and that’s what they should have done. Because seeking to move God’s hand or trying to accomplish God’s will apart from His direction will always lead us to discouragement. Tired, hungry, and frustrated, these discouraged disciples needed a lift. They lacked direction and they were uncertain of the Lord's presence and help. Jesus came to them, made his presence known, and gave them direction (Life Application Bible Commentary. WORDsearch 7.0. Copyright 2005. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved).
DEFEAT. They set out immediately, fished all night and caught nothing. Any time we let self dictate our actions we will have the same result! (John 15:5). There is nothing wrong with fishing. In fact, it can be a very relaxing pastime. But that's not what the LORD told them to do! He told them to wait for Him! Peter acted without orders in returning to his fishing. He had forsaken all to follow Christ (Luke 5:1-11), and now he was turning back to his old life. Everything in this scene speaks of defeat: (1) it is dark, indicating they were not walking in the light; (2) they had no direct word from the Lord; (3) their efforts met with failure; (4) they did not recognize Christ when He did appear, showing their spiritual vision was dim…We need to keep in mind that God blesses us only when we obey the Word…Too many Christians enter into well-meaning but unscriptural activities, only to waste time, money, and energy for nothing. Let us beware of impatience. It is better to wait on the Lord for directions, and then let him bless, than to involve ourselves in useless activities (Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on The New Testament. p. 269).
B. A COMPLETE OBEDIENCE. The Lord told His disciples, “…Casttheneton
therightsideoftheship,andyeshallfind…” (John 21:6). The last part of
v6 tells us—“They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for
the multitude of fishes.” When they did as the Lord commanded their efforts
were met with success! But when they operated independently of the Lord’s
directions, all they experienced was failure!
We see a similar situation in 1 Samuel 15. Saul was to completely destroy
the Amalekites, but instead of obeying God in all; he left the best of the
sheep, oxen, lambs, and cattle alive. He even spared Agag, the wicked King.
Then he had the audacity to say to Samuel, "I have performed the
commandment of the LORD." (1 Samuel 15:13). God wants our complete
obedience, not half-hearted service. Saul made the excuse that he had
saved the best cattle as a sacrifice for the LORD, but Samuel replied, "To
obey is better than sacrifice...” (1 Samuel 15:22b).
Many believers are sincere and think they are doing God's Will, but their
labors are in vain. Why? They are not following the LORD'S direction, so
they miss the blessing. To be obedient we must be faithful! DO you
suppose Peter remembered that other night 3 years ago when the same
thing happened? Perhaps his own words went through his mind again and
again that night, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord!" (Luke
5:8b).
ILLUS: A converted cowboy is quoted as having a very sensible idea of what
it is to be faithful: "Lots of folks thinks bein' faithful means
shoutin' themselves hoarse, praisin' His name.
I'll tell you how I look at that. I'm working here for Mr. Jim. Now if
I sit around the house talkin' about what a good fellow Mr. Jim is,
and singin' songs to him, and gettin' up far into the night to
ser'nade him, I'd be doing what some Christians do.
But I wouldn't suit Mr. Jim. But when I buckle on my stirrups and
hustle among the hills and see that Mr. Jim's herd is alright and
not suffering for water and feed, or bein' branded by cattle thieves,
them I'm servin' him the way he wants to be served."
Friends, Our LORD desires to be served the same way! He desires that we serve Him not with A CONFUSED OBEDIENCE but with A COMPLETE OBEDIENCE. Revival can never come if we do not obey the commands of Christ FULLY from a heart of love and gratitude for what He has done for us!
(2) DO YOU LOVE ME?
JOHN 21:9-18—“As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire
of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bringofthefishwhichyehavenowcaught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Comeanddine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon,sonofJona,lovestthoumemorethanthese? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feedmylambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon,sonofJona,lovestthoume? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feedmysheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon,sonofJona,lovestthoume? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feedmysheep. Verily,verily,Isayuntothee,Whenthouwastyoung,thougirdedstthyself,andwalkedstwhitherthouwouldest:butwhenthoushaltbe old,thoushaltstretch forththyhands,andanothershallgirdthee,andcarrytheewhitherthouwouldestnot.”
A. THE REMEMBRANCE IN LOVE. Jesus met the disciples on the shore after
the miraculous catch of fish. He had breakfast ready for them and said,
"Come and dine." (v12). The fire of coals surely reminded Peter of the fire
where he denied the Lord! When breakfast was finished, Peter was given his
own exam. A very important question was asked, "Do you love me?" (vv. 15-
17). Peter had denied Jesus three times. Now three times he must affirm
his love for Him!The entire scene was designed to awaken Peter’s
conscience and open his eyes. The catch of fish reminded him of his past
decision to forsake all and follow Christ. The fire of coals would take him
back to his denial (John 18:18). The location—the Sea of Galilee—
reminded him of several past experiences with Christ: feeding the 5,000,
walking on the water, catching the fish with the coin, stilling the storm, etc.
(Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on The New Testament.
p. 270). All of these remembrances reminded Peter of Jesus’ great love for
him and the love Peter had for the Lord! When a person truly loves the Lord
his life will be devoted and dedicated.
B. THE REPENTANCE IN LOVE. Revival must always begin by going back to
the place where our fellowship began to be lost. (Lamentations 3:40).
Peter had publicly denied the LORD, now he must publicly be restored!
V15—“Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" What was the
"these" Christ spoke of? The other disciples, the fish, or more than
anything? More than anything! If revival will come to us; it will come when
we love Him more than anything else! (Matthew 22:37-38). Peter repented
and reaffirmed his love for the Lord.
(3) WILL YOU SERVEME?
JOHN 21:19-25—“This spake he, signifying by what death he should
glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow
me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved
following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord,
which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus,
Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, IfIwill
thathetarrytillIcome,whatisthattothee?followthoume. Then
went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple
should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I
will that he tarry till I come, what isthat to thee? This is the disciple
which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we
know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other
things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every
one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books
that should be written. Amen.”
A. ACTIONS PROVE OUR LOVE.The Lord gave Peter a new commission.
He was now a shepherd (pastor) as well as a fisher of men. He is now to
shepherd the lambs and sheep and feed them with God’s Word. Actions
speak louder than words." The proof of our love is that we put it to
practice!Love serves and to serve is love! (John 14:15).HOW was Peter to
prove his love for the Lord?:
By Feeding His Lambs (v15). Lambs: children, young converts, the handicapped or special cases, believers who need special attention. (Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary. WORDsearch 7.0. Copyright 2005. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved). Teach them the basics of the Word of God so their faith can grow.
By Shepherding His Sheep(v16). Sheep: mature believers, believers who have walked and grown in the Lord for a long time. (Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary. WORDsearch 7.0. Copyright 2005. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved). Shepherding involves all work of the ministry.
By Feeding His Sheep(v17). The lambs and the sheep are to be fed with the same Word and fed in the same way. While the lambs need the milk of the Wordthe sheep need the meat also.
HOW DO WE SHOW OUR LOVE FOR JESUS? :
By Walking In the Spirit.
By Studying His Word.
By Witnessing to others of His Great Love
B. ABIDING PROVES OUR LOVE. Jesus had just spoke to Peter about what
his ministry would be. Now in vv. 18-19, He tells him of death! Tradition
says Peter was indeed crucified, but that he asked to be crucified upside
down because he was not worthy to die exactly as his Master had died.
(Warren W. Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Volume 1. Matthew-
Galatians. p. 399). If we are going to serve Christ we must also be crucified,
die if you will, to the old way of life, and live unto the LORD! Paul wrote in
Romans 6:6,11—“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin…
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Friends, abiding means we are faithful
unto death. Peter after his denial and restoration was faithful the Lord
the rest of his days. He surely received the promise—“…bethoufaithful
untodeath,andIwillgivetheeacrownoflife.” (Revelation 2:10b).
And also to serve Him, we must follow Him! Jesus told Peter“Follow me.”
(v19). Or as the Greek implies, "You keep on following Me." Earlier Jesus
said in John 12:26—“Ifany manserveme,lethimfollowme;andwhereI
am,thereshallalsomyservantbe:ifany manserveme,himwillmyFather
honor.”
To keep following the LORD we must keep our eyes on Him! When we get
our eyes off Him and on our circumstances. We are on dangerous ground!
(Hebrews 12:1-2).
Peter, hearing John walking up behind him asked, “Lord…What shall this
man do?” (v21). Jesus rebuked him by saying, "If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me." (v22). Our responsibility is to
follow Christ not worry and meddle in other's affairs! Not that we aren't to
be concerned with them, but that we follow Christ above all! (Matthew 7:5).
“Service is love made visible!” (Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-
Contemporary & Classical. p. 143).
Revival can come when we serve Him without any reservations!
CLOSING: THE DISCIPLE’S FINAL EXAM consisted of three questions:
WILL OBEY ME? DO YOU LOVE ME? WILL YOU SERVE ME?
Revival will come to each of us when we can answer, “yes" to all
three of these questions! But our "yes" must be from a pure heart
and from the purest motives!
But "there never has been a spiritual revival which didnot begin
with an acute sense of sin." W. Graham Scroggie (Albert M. Wells,
Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. p. 171).
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land!"
We NEED REVIVAL TONIGHT! Will you give yourself to the will of
God so revival can come?