I Am Going Fishing - Part 1

Bryan Chapell: I came to call not the righteous but sinners. If you're perfect, you're disqualified. Don't apply. But if you know that that you struggle, if you know that there are reasons the Lord ought to deny his grace to you, those are the very ones you're saying I'm coming for you to make my grace my pardon my mercy most apparent.
Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Brian Chapel. In today's episode, pastor Brian shares a lesson from John 21. Dr. Chapel highlights an account of Jesus revealing himself to some of the disciples after his resurrection. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com. And while you're there, look for pastor Brian's book, The Multi-generational Church Crisis. This compelling book asks the question of the church, what could be accomplished in the name of Christ if we could better understand each other? Let's hear now from Dr. Brian Chapel as he shares the lesson, I am going fishing.
Bryan Chapell: This last week, Kathy and I were not here because we were actually visiting the Czech Republic. And there we worked with Josiah Venture. And that in itself was inspiring. Josiah Venture is a mission organization primarily ministering to the youth of formerly communist countries. That means we had missionaries from 15 nations who were gathering, mostly young families, all dealing with the young people of formerly atheistic countries and seeing tremendous blessing often against tremendous odds and great hardship. We were inspired by being with those people. Among them are Mel and Amy Ellenwood who are actually out of this church. And so we were just at that moment again felt the privilege of being part of a church with such a mission emphasis and then serving with some of those missionaries on the field. When the conference was over, the Ellenwoods took us to the pretty sites near them. We went to Prague and enjoyed the beauty of that city. And then they took us to another site that was near them, Auschwitz, the restored Nazi concentration camp where 1.2 million Jews, Poles, and Gypsies were murdered in World War II. Sobering, difficult to walk through, and a reminder of the importance of the gospel that when people simply turn their hearts to evil, the evil is almost incomprehensible in its greatness and force. As we thought of of that great evil, we had it come home to us not just by seeing the magnitude of the slaughter, but by hearing some of the individual stories of what happened to families. One particular man, Solomon Rosenberg, was taken not only with his wife and children, but with his mother and his father to the hard labor camp. The rules were clear. You work, you live, you weaken, you die. His parents were taken for extermination almost immediately upon getting off the train. His wife and two children taken to the women's side of the camp beyond barbed wire from where the men were kept. But he could keep some track of them because the men and women would be marched out to labor every day to an orchestra of other prisoners who would play. And if you could keep the beat and the march, you could live. If you fell off the march, you would die. Solomon Rosenberg was particularly concerned for his youngest son, David, because David was frail and it did not appear that he would last long. One day as the people came back from labor and they marched past the orchestra, Solomon noticed that only his oldest son was still there. And he worked his way over to where he could speak to his son and said, what's happened? And the older son said, David could not keep up today. So they came for him. Yes, it's Solomon, but where's your mother? Said the son. When they came for David, he got scared and he began to cry. So mother said, David, you don't need to be afraid. I will go with you. And she did. Why did that mother give herself to comfort her child? So that others would think highly of her. Because it says that you must in the manual of good mothering. Why did she give herself entirely for her child? Because she loved him. It was the power of love which not to be sentimental, not to be schmaltzy, but just to be plain. There is no more powerful human motivation than love. And it may explain something what's happening in this portion of John's gospel. For those of you who've given Kathy and me the privilege of being with you this past year, I think you probably recognize that it may be a little bit strange that somebody who's been working with seminarians for almost three decades has nonetheless I hope almost every week emphasized the grace of God in the scriptures. Wherever we have turned, and you might think, shouldn't we be going a little bit deeper into doctrine and duty? I mean, you know, that that should be what you're doing. But is that really so? Why the grace of God over and over again made plain? Here's the reason. Because we serve best when we love the most. And what causes us to love deeply and profoundly the Savior and to be called and fulfill the duties to which he calls us is an understanding of how great is his grace toward us. When that grace penetrates our hearts, our hearts respond in love and that love is the fuel of gospel obedience. It's actually what is happening in this familiar passage of John 2. I know it 's just about fishing and having breakfast. But grace is on display in virtually every feature. Where do you see it? You see the grace of God first displayed simply in the presence of Christ with these disciples. After all, if you just look at the first verse, you remember it says there, after this, that is after his first resurrection appearances, Jesus revealed himself again. And then in the 14th verse, similar words, this was now the third time that Jesus was revealed. He just keeps making himself present and revealing himself to his disciples. That's obvious. What we may have to analyze is to whom is he revealing himself and how is that an expression of God's grace? Look at verse two and you may begin to get a sense of things. It's quite a cast of characters to whom Jesus is revealing himself. First, we are told he revealed himself to Simon Peter. Now we've heard about him before, right? Before his crucifixion, Simon denied Jesus how many times? Three times. And now Jesus has revealed himself to Simon how many times? Three times. The grace sufficient for the sin. But that's not the only name. There's also Thomas called the twin. What do you remember about Thomas after the resurrection? While Simon denied before the crucifixion, what did Thomas do after the resurrection? What did he do? He doubted. We have one who denies, the next one doubts. The next one may be a little harder for you. Also is Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee. We haven't heard of Nathaniel so much in the Gospel of John. His earlier appearance was way back at the beginning in the very first chapter. Jesus is beginning to draw disciples to himself and Philip goes to Nathaniel and says, we have found the one prophesied by Moses. His name is Jesus of Nazareth. And Nathaniel responds, can anything good come out of Nazareth? It's detraction from Jesus. And you may remember that Philip and Nathaniel then go to Jesus. And when they get there, Jesus says to Nathaniel, I saw you under the fig tree. Remember? I'm not even around, but I saw when you said that about me. And Nathaniel responds, you are the son of God. And Jesus says, you call me the son of God because I saw you under the fig tree? I tell you, you shall see the angels ascending and descending on the son of man. Greater things than these you will witness. Now Nathaniel witnesses Jesus after the resurrection, the same one who detracted from him before the public ministry even began. And two more are listed that we can identify, the sons of Zebedee. Do you remember who those were? That's James and John. And in another gospel, we are told Jesus called them the sons of thunder. I don't know who Zebedee was, but he must have been a terror. The sons of thunder. And they must have been terrorized more than once. And we gained some understanding of that when you look not here, but in the Gospel of Luke. Here is a great catch of fish that occurs after Jesus' resurrection. But this is actually happened much earlier in Jesus' in ministry. In Jesus' ministry early on, remember there was that time when he wanted to preach to a multitude of people. And so he's on the Sea of Galilee. And to create kind of a natural pulpit, he he gets into a boat and he backs away from the shore, has Simon James and John in the boat with him. And he says back away a little bit and he preaches to the crowd in this kind of little amphitheater made by the boat moved away from the shore. And when he's through preaching, now this is a good thing that all preachers should know. When he's through preaching, he decides to go fishing. Now the disciples try to discourage him. They say, we've been fishing what? All night. We haven't caught a thing. He says, go out in the deeper water. And they go out in the deeper water and they catch so many fish that the nets begin to break and the boats begin to sink. And at this point, the disciples identified as Simon and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, they are amazed. And Jesus says to them, do not be afraid. Actually the same words that the angels said to the shepherds when they announced the coming of Jesus, do not be afraid. You know the words actually mean don't run away. They're amazed. They now say this is the son of God. They have this great catch of fish. And Jesus says, don't run away, don't be afraid. And now what happens again? Here late in the ministry, who's present again? The sons of Zebedee. They're fishing again, another great catch of fish. Oh no, are they going to be afraid again? What you began to recognize is if you look at the cast of characters is Jesus is appearing to those who ought to be disqualified. They have denied, they have detracted, they have doubted, they have dreaded him. And he comes to them. Why is that important for us? Because we are the ones ready to disqualify ourselves.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Brian Chapel. It may seem hard for younger Christians to believe, but people over 50 were raised during an era when 90% of Americans identified as Christian. These older believers were once part of a majority group that understood the mission of the church was to take control of our culture, to halt its evils. At the same time, Christians under 50 have lived their entire lives perceiving themselves as a minority that needs to make credible their faith to a secular pluralistic culture. These distinct experiences and perceptions have a profound impact on the priorities different generations have for church ministry. It's no wonder that younger and older believers don't always see eye to eye. In his new book, The Multi-generational Church Crisis, Dr. Brian Chapel asks the question, what could be accomplished in the name of Christ if we could better understand each other? This practical and hopeful book is backed by thorough research revealing how to open the lines of communication, appreciate the experiences that shaped each generation in your church, and unite in one mission to impact your community and the world. You can request your copy of the Multi-generational Church Crisis when you donate online at unlimitedgrace.com or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now more from Brian Chapel on today's Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: Here Jesus is clearly saying that his grace is to those who are disqualified. It's really what he has said earlier in his ministry. I came to call not the righteous but sinners. If you're perfect, you're disqualified. Don't apply. But if you know that that you struggle, if you know that there are reasons the Lord ought to deny his grace to you, those are the very ones you're saying I'm coming for you to make my grace my pardon my mercy most apparent. I think of who needs to hear that. Early in my ministry, I think of a particular mother who in a period of estrangement from her husband had an association with another man that resulted in a child. She and her husband ultimately got back together. But whenever she would look at this child, the one that her husband adopted but still was not home, she said whenever she looked at her own child, she felt guilt. I can remember talking to her and trying to assure of the grace of God. And she finally said one day, listen, the point is not that I think that God's grace will still cover me. You must know I think that God grace should not cover me. Some of you may be there this morning not just wondering did God's grace cover you. You're actually saying I don't think it should. You must recognize Jesus came not to call the righteous but sinners. He came to call those who were disqualified. And his appearance again and again, even to disciples who are doubting and denying and even dreading his presence is the evidence of the grace. The trajectory is this, that those who are least capable are the ones he is calling to the greatest task. Now you know if that's the case, they're going to need some help. And that's why Jesus is not just showing by his grace, by his presence, but by his power that is so demonstrated in this particular account. How is the power on display? Well, you know that. It's on display by the fish in the net. Look at verse six. Jesus said to these disciples, cast the net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some fish. So they cast it. Now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish. Do you remember how many fish? Look at verse 11. So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Now all the details are important. And if you'll forgive me, give a fisherman opportunity to tell fish stories. Just the fact that we get the quantity is important, right? It's it's evidence of the grace of God. They've been fishing and they haven't caught fish. And now Jesus had cast the net on the other side on my very first trip to the Holy Land years ago now. We went to a particular place where they wanted to demonstrate to us what it would look like for ancient fishermen to be fishing. And so they had a a recreation of an older boat and you know, the fishermen dressed up in older clothes with the cell phones hidden in the folds. And and then they cast their net out to show us what it mean to cast the net and pulled it back in. No fish. And one of the smart alecks in our group said, throw it on the other side. They did. No fish there either. But anyway, the whole point is, of course, that Christ was the one who is working beyond their wisdom, beyond their energies and efforts. They're fishermen. They know what to do. They've been fishing all night. It hasn't brought any success. And Jesus helps them. And the degree of help is that they catch both big fish and lots of them, 153. Why the number? Now I must tell you, there are lots of commentaries both ancient and new on this. There's one ancient commentator who says that in this time in the ancient world, there were presumed to be 153 different species of known fish. And the fact that 153 fish are listed is the evidence that the gospel is to go out to all species of people. Do you buy that? I I didn't either. Um somebody else has said this that 153 is the triangulation of 17. By that they mean the triangulation sum, 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 all the way up to 17. If you add all those numbers up, you get 153. So why 17? Well, let's see. There were 10 commandments. And then there were seven spirits that went out from God to establish the church. So 17. Do you buy that? I don't buy it either. You know why I think it's 153? Listen, some of you have already been out fishing this spring. And And I asked you at the door, you been fishing? Yeah. How many did you catch? Oh, I don't know. Lies. You know exactly how many you caught. We know how much we catch, right? And we know how big they are. They're I mean, you know it's that note of reality where the Bible is saying there were 153. These are fishermen. They They recognize the count is important. I mean, even the fact that they identified as they were large fish. I mean, even that carries impact for us. It's just this this sweetness of the gospel being real with us, being human. We want a count. We want to know why they're big. But of course, the real measure of the grace of the gospel here isn't just the fish in the net. It's the fish on the fire. They get all these fish. And when they get all these fish, they remember an earlier event when they caught lots of fish. Remember? That happened earlier in the ministry. And now when they're out in this twilight hour early morning and they catch all these fish again, John whispers to Peter, it's the Lord. And Peter has this wonderful reaction, right? He puts on his clothes and jumps in the water. Now we're going now that doesn't make sense. Well, maybe he's just embarrassed if he thinks it's the Lord that he's going to go, you know, kind of strip down for work. Or maybe, some say, he's got loose clothing and so he's kind of tying it all up, girding about his loin so he doesn't sink when he jumps in the water. Whatever the reason, the language is he throws himself in the water. I mean, it's just kind of like, you know, I'm going to make this happen. He's been given all these fish. He's been given the evidence of the Lord. And now suddenly he's just going to take matters into his own hands again. Peter dives in the water, throws himself in the water, gets to Jesus first, leaves the other to take care of the work, getting the boat in the shore and then gets to the shore. And these remarkable words are they intended? We can't say for sure. Verse nine, when they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread. Now if you think 153 fish are a detail, think why mention charcoal fire now? I mean, there have been charcoal fires obviously every day of their existence. Why mention it now? Particularly with Simon Peter present. Because in the Gospel of John, if you were to piece your way back through, you would find the last time a charcoal fire is mentioned is when Peter is warming himself over it when he does what? Denies Christ. That charcoal fire denying Christ, this charcoal fire provided breakfast. And when he's provided breakfast, he has fish provided, but not only fish. Do you remember what else is there? Fish and bread. The last time Jesus provided fish and bread was what? Do you remember that? When he fed how many? 5,000. And now it's as though Jesus is saying, listen, I don't just provide the big things. Here is intimate care. For the one who's denied me for those who've run away from me, here's some breakfast.
Guest (Male): That's pastor Brian Chapel, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If this message has been an encouragement to you, you can find a collection of more valuable resources at unlimitedgrace.com. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by his Unlimited Grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.