Resurrection Grace

We are into the final week of our series called Alive. And in this series, we've been tracing Jesus as he's headed towards the cross and then to resurrection that we saw last week. And today we're actually going to step out of Luke's gospel. So we've been there for the last four weeks, and we're going to finish this series in the book of John. Because this morning, what I really want to do is I want to move from seeing the resurrection as this profoundly significant moment for all of humanity, to seeing the resurrection, the result of it in one life, to seeing it as a deeply personal thing in John 21.

It takes us there. John 21 takes us to what I think is one of the most recent redemptive stories in the whole gospel. It invites us to consider something, I think, that many of us wrestle with, many of us struggle with, and that is, what do we do with our failures? What do we do with our failures? What do we do when we feel like we've let God down, when we feel like we've maybe failed the expectations that we had for ourself, when we feel like we've let others down or we've missed the mark?

Now, our culture has tried to answer that question in a really interesting way, and the way that it's tried to answer it is with this phrase that I'm sure you've heard no Regrets. Who's heard that phrase? I'm sure you've seen it on T shirts, it's tattooed on people's bodies, it's attached to the end of motivational quotes. The Internet is full of memes on it. There are songs even called no Regrets.

And it's this idea. It's almost like we've decided that the ultimate sign of being enlightened, being modern, and being progressive is that we could look back over our life and we could examine everything that we've done, and we could say, I don't regret a thing. I wouldn't change a thing. It's a nice idea, but I think if we were honest, we would all say that there are things that if we were given our time over again, we would do differently, that there are words that we've said that we wish we could unsay, that there are actions that we've taken that we wish we didn't do. And I think the reason why this idea of no regrets has become so popular in our world is that for those who don't know Jesus, it's really scary to admit that you've been wrong.

Like what do you do with admitting you got it wrong when there's no one to put it right? What do you do with failure if there's no forgiveness? What do you do with regrets if there's no one to heal what has been broken? I think that's why our world has really caught onto this idea of no regrets. We find it perhaps empowering or encouraging to say, I'm who I am because of the way the things that have happened to me.

I wouldn't change a thing. But John 21 speaks directly to this issue in our lives. John 21 really matters because here we see a picture of someone who really messed up. We see a picture of someone who I have no doubt is struggling with shame and deep, deep regret. Before we jump into John 21, which will take us to the story of Peter this morning.

You could turn there if you'd like. We'll be there in just a moment. But we read of Peter, But Peter's had quite a journey through the Gospels. He's cropped up quite often as one of the disciples. Over in Matthew 16, it's actually Peter who is the first of the disciples to boldly declare that you are Jesus, the Messiah.

When Jesus gathers them together and says, who do people say I am? Now? Who do you say I am? Peter says, you are Jesus. You are the Messiah.

He's one of the three disciples that Jesus takes up onto the mountain in Matthew 17, one of the three that sit, sees the glory of Jesus and hears the voice of God. We also see Peter passionate repeatedly in declaring his loyalty to Christ. In John 13, Peter says, Jesus, I'm ready to die for you. In Matthew 26, we have it recorded. He says that if, even if everybody else falls away, I'll never desert you, Jesus.

And when Jesus challenges Peter, Peter doubles down like you think, take the hint, Peter. But he doesn't. He says, no, even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. You know, I think Peter had a healthy, or maybe unhealthy, I should say, dose of pride. He was pretty up himself.

I think we see this picture of him across the Gospels, but I actually think he really believed it. He really believed that when push came to shove that he would die with Christ. He really believed that Jesus was the Messiah, that he was worth laying down your life for. But then we see, don't we, this famous story that when theory becomes practice, it quickly changes. Because in Luke 22, we see this moment that Jesus has predicted here in the courtyard of the high priest, just after Jesus's arrest.

Peter's asked three times. Not by soldiers, mind you, but by a servant girl and some other bystanders. He's asked three times. You're one of Jesus disciples. You were with him, weren't you?

You're one of them, aren't you? And each time Peter says no. And the last time he actually says, I don't know him. I swear I. I swear to you, I don't know Jesus. And we see there in Luke's Gospel that as Peter declares that Jesus looks probably through the crowd, Jesus looks over to him.

And we read that Peter leaves weeping bitterly, full of regret. Now I suspect that as much as he rejoiced in the resurrected Christ, I have no doubt that he was elated by the fact that Jesus. Jesus had risen from the dead. I suspect that deep down in Peter's heart there was a deep shame sitting there. There was deep regret that what he had said, that he really believed that he was willing to die for Jesus.

That when the moment had come that Peter had denied Christ, that he rejected Christ in Jesus moment of need, that Peter had turned his back and like so many of the others, he had run and fled. Fled from Jesus. And the incredible thing is that John 21 in this passage, Jesus speaks to this directly. Jesus speaks to this moment. And so let's open our bibles to John 21:1 where we're going to start reading this morning.

And as we do that, let's pray as we open God's word. Oh God, we thank you for your word. Now we pray that it would do a good work in us. That it would transform our lives, Lord. That it would give us everything we need for this week, for this day to live lives that are holy and pleasing to you.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen. So we read this. Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened.

Several of the disciples were there. Simon Peter, Thomas, nicknamed the twin. Isn't it funny that times don't change? Like a lot of time goes by. I've got twin nephews.

We call them the twins. But here we go. Thomas, nicknamed the twin. Nathaniel from Cana and Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples. Simon Peter says, I'm going fishing.

We'll come too. They all said so. They went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach. But the disciples couldn't see who he was.

He called out, fellows, have you caught any fish? No, they replied. Then he said, throw out your net on the right hand side of the boat and you'll get some. So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Now John 21 takes us to the Sea of Galilee, back home.

For Peter, it's after the resurrection. It's after the women at the tomb. It's after the guys on the road to Emmaus that we looked at last week. It's after Jesus has appeared to his disciples. Now we read that the disciples have gone back home.

And some have read this as if they've given up, that they've fled, that they've kind of gone back to their old life. But Jesus has actually said to them, go back to Galilee and I will meet you there. And so they've done that. They've gone back and they're waiting. Now, Peter, I like Peter in a lot of ways because Peter's a man of action.

Peter's not going to sit on the beach resting or relaxing or catching some sun rays. Peter says, let's go fishing. And so they go fishing. He's a man of action. And I suspect he wanted to go back to what he knew.

In a time of turmoil, in a time where kind of expectations had all of a sudden changed, Peter decides to go back to what he knows. Now, I'm not much of a fisherman. I'm really actually terrible at it. The best thing I've ever caught was a $50 note. I'm not even joking.

It was literally the best thing I've ever caught, best fish. But I do know, probably because I'm so poor at fishing, that the frustration of fishing and not catching anything, it's like every time I go fishing, that's my story. I fish and I don't catch anything. And we read the disciples, they fish all night. These are professional fishermen, a number of them, and they catch nothing.

Now, I don't think it's unreasonable for us to then picture them on this boat as worn out. They've been working all night. It's a physically taxing job. But they're also tired, emotionally and spiritually, because they're carrying a lot of disappointment that they're back here. This isn't how the story was supposed to go.

They were supposed to be with Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, as he ruled and he reigned, and he overthrew the Romans and he restored them to their rightful place. That's where they were supposed to be. And yet here they are, back on their old lake in their old boats. I also suspect for many of them, there was a deep sense of regret that they had failed him, that they'd fled when the pressure was on. And so John tells us that as they're fishing, and probably just as the sun is breaking over the horizon, Jesus joins them on the edge of the water.

And he calls out, they don't know it's him. He says, have you caught any fish? Now, I love that. Because again, it's another example of, like, a lot of times gone past, but not much changes because I can't walk past someone who's fishing and not ask them that question. I don't know about you.

If I'm walking on the beach and there's people fishing, I just have this compulsion are saying, have you caught much? Are the fish biting? It's like when you get in a taxi and you say, you know, busy night or whatever it is. It's just one of these things that you say. And Jesus says to them, hey, guys, have you caught any fish?

And then he says something to them that kind of sounds crazy. He says, hey, throw the net over the other side and you'll catch them. Now, this boat was probably about 3 meters wide, and it's the same lake on either side of the boat. And so they. They do what he says.

I mean, what have they got to lose? They've caught nothing. And so they throw it over. And we read that the result is immediate, that suddenly the net is so full they can't haul it in. Then we see Peter's response in verse seven.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic, for he had stripped for work, jumped into the water and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about 100 yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them, fish cooking over a charcoal fire and some bread. Bring some of the fish you've just caught, Jesus said.

So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn. Now come and have some breakfast, Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask, who are you? They knew it was the Lord.

Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead. And so we read that as soon as the nets are bulging, John recognizes this must be Jesus. Only Jesus could have orchestrated the this miracle. And so Peter's response is, typical Peter.

He leaves the hard work for the other guy still in the boat. He throws on his outer garment and he swims for shore. And there on the shore is Jesus standing over a charcoal fire cooking fish. It's a scene that is full of symbolism, and we're going to touch on that in a moment. So just remember charcoal fire.

But I also want to make sure that we don't miss the practical implications of this today because the disciples are worn out. What does Jesus do? He meets with them and he feeds them. And just the same response we see over in 1 Kings 19 to the prophet Elijah. We've spoken about that before.

Elijah has seen God do amazing things, but then in fear, he's run and he ends up in the wilderness. He's exhausted, and he ends up in this deep depression. And if you read 1 Kings 19, what does God do? He provides him some food and he says, have a sleep. And so Jesus already has some fish there.

Maybe he brought a rod with him. Or maybe it's, you know, when you make the fish, it's easy to say, hey, fish, jump up onto the coals. But he tells the disciples to bring some of theirs over as well. I love the fact that it says Here they caught 153 fish. Some people say that.

Oh, you know, it's a really significant number and, you know, they'll put a whole lot of meaning into it. I actually think 153fish just means 153fish. This is the breadth of the miracle. It's so many fish. But I also love the idea that while Jesus is cooking and meeting with the disciples, we.

One of the disciples is over there trying to count them. Like, I'm trying to work out, who is that? That's kind of cool. He's flopping around. He's.

Hang on a minute. I have a cool. But I want us just to. Just to see this, that for some of us in our exhaustion, what we need is rest and to eat. What you need is to have a good, good lunch and a nap.

And that that's actually something about that that we see through scripture. Like, I've always tried to tell Cindy that, you know, having naps is biblical. I love a nap. I'm a master at taking a nap. But there is, for some of us, that is literally what you need.

You need to have something to eat, have a nap and spend some time with Jesus because it's restorative, it brings energy. But Jesus knows that for Peter, he actually needs something else. As well. And we see this exchange over in verse 15. And so we'll read that it says, after breakfast.

Jesus said to Simon Peter, simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, Peter replied, you know I love you. Then feed my lambs. Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question.

Simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, Lord, Peter said, you know I love you. Then take care of my sheep. Jesus said a third time. He asked, simon, son of John, do you love me?

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. Jesus said, then feed my sheep. I tell you the truth.

When you were young, you were able to go, able to do as you liked. You dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and others will dress you and take you where you don't want to go. Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, follow me.

Now. Jesus speaks to Peter in the presence of the disciples as they gathered around. And he says to him, simon, son of John. Now, isn't it funny that Jesus refers to Peter by his original name? This is the name he's had when he first met Jesus.

Now, I think it's a pretty good name. I think there's nothing wrong with the name Simon. And you know, I argue, they should have kept it, but that's all right. Jesus renames him Peter, meaning the rock. And I think there's something subtle here in what Jesus is saying.

He's calling him Simon, son of John. It's almost like, hey, Simon, you haven't kind of lived up to that name of the rock. But in tenderness, Jesus says to him, do you love me more than these? Now, I think it's not unreasonable to think that this first question that Jesus asks him, when he says more than these, he's not talking about the fish. He's not talking about fishing.

I suspect he's referring to the other disciples as they gathered around. He says, hey, Simon, do you love me more than these? He's saying, do you love me more than the others do? He's scratching beneath the surface of Peter's pride. Remember, we said at the start that Peter had once declared, jesus, even if everybody else deserts you, I never will.

So Jesus is asking him to reflect on these statements. After all that has happened, Simon, Jesus, can you claim that you have a greater love for me than all of these others? And notice here that Peter doesn't compare himself anymore. He just says, yes, Lord, you know I love you. And then Jesus responds to him, feed my lambs.

And then we see the question repeated a second time. And Peter answers the same again. And Jesus says to him, take care of my sheep. And then a third time, so, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And Peter is upset.

This time we read, lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. And Peter, Jesus replies, then feed my sheep. Now, I don't think this moment or the significance of it was lost on the disciples. It certainly wasn't lost on John as he records this moment sometime later.

Just as Peter had denied Christ three times, Jesus gives him the opportunity to declare his love three times. Now, if you're like me and you've heard this passage preached on before, you've probably heard much made of the words for love, the different Greek words that we find in our New Testament, for the love that Jesus is using and Peter's using. And you can find sermons online if that's of interest to you. But I think sometimes it can distract us from the simplicity of the question, which is, peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me?

And Peter's response, yes, Lord. And Jesus says to him, well, now put it into practice. Serve my flock, care for my followers. Even as Jesus says in the last part that we read, he says, follow me all of your days, even when it takes you to death. What an incredible moment it is as Jesus speaks with Peter here.

It's the outworking of the resurrection, because this story here is all about what the resurrection does because Jesus is alive. There is grace. There's grace that finds Peter, there's grace that restores Peter. There's. There's grace that sends Peter back into purpose.

And so this morning as we close, I want us just to reflect on three really simple things. There's nothing sophisticated here today, but we read here three things. Firstly, that resurrection, grace renews. Resurrection, grace renews. If we wound back the clock three and a half years, there's something striking about this moment because this isn't the first time that Peter has fished all night and caught nothing.

Back in Luke 5, if you know the story, as Peter meets Jesus, he's been out on this very sea, the Sea of Galilee. He's been working all night and he's got nothing to show for it. And so Peter, sorry, Jesus, steps into his boat and tells him, throw your nets over the other side. And suddenly the nets are overflowing. That was the moment that Peter, for the first time he falls to his knees and he says, go away from me, Lord.

I'm a sinful man. And it was at that moment that Jesus says to him, do not be afraid. From now on, you'll fish for people. And so here we are, three and a half years later, same sea, probably the same boat, and the exact same situation. It's another night of empty nets, but here we have another command from Jesus and another miraculous catch.

It's not a coincidence. It's intentional grace.

And Jesus is repeating the miracle here because he's reminding Peter of his calling. He's taking him back to where it all began, not to shame him, but to show him that nothing about his failure has cancelled Jesus plans for his life. The calling still stands, Peter. Jesus is saying to him, and I think some of us perhaps need to hear that today, maybe somewhere along the way, somewhere during your journey, you've stepped back, you've let shame or disappointment or maybe just plain weariness pull you away from that calling. Maybe you've returned to what's familiar to the old rhythms, the safe spaces, the same boats.

But Jesus here is saying, I know where you are. I know what you've walked through, and I haven't changed my mind about you. And so grace renews the call and says, follow me again. Secondly, we see that resurrection, grace restores. I want us to notice something here because John includes a detail that takes us right back to Peter's lowest moment.

Remember I said that when Peter gets to the shore, he finds Jesus standing there over a charcoal fire. Now, charcoal fire is only mentioned one other time in the Gospels, and it's mentioned back in John 18 as Peter is there in the courtyard, denying Jesus. Now, I have no doubt that as Peter arrives, that this moment, the significance of this moment would have hit him. A charcoal fire has a distinct smell, and it would have taken him straight back to that moment. But here's what I find so incredible.

Jesus doesn't avoid the memory. He doesn't avoid the memory. He doesn't say, well, we're eating sushi today, there's no fish being cooked, because I don't want to remind you, he actually brings Peter right back to it. And it's not to punish him, it's not to make him feel worse. It's actually to make it a moment of healing.

Because here, in front of the others, he gives Peter the chance to respond. And I love the fact that Jesus doesn't say to him, peter, are you sorry? Do you understand how badly you messed up? How badly you Let me down, Peter. Of all of them, why did you do it?

Jesus doesn't ask that. He simply says, peter, do you love me? Because what Jesus wants is Peter's heart back. He wants Peter's heart back. And maybe you've had moments as well where you feel like you've let God down and you wonder, if that's it, am I now disqualified?

But what this moment shows us is that Jesus doesn't write people off. He doesn't bring shame. He brings restoration, because that's what resurrection grace does. And then thirdly, resurrection grace releases. I want us to notice here that Jesus says, if you love me, then if you love me, then feed my sheep.

He's making a really clear point to Peter and to you and me. That love for Jesus turns into a life that follows him and and serves others. Because resurrection grace doesn't just patch up our wounds and heal our hurt. It does more than that. It sends us out.

You see, Peter was about to become the pillar, a pillar of the early church, not because he was perfect, but because he was loved, because he was forgiven, and because he was willing to follow Jesus. And that's my challenge to you today, is that resurrection grace, the grace that you and I have received as we come to know Christ, releases us to a life of serving Jesus. It releases us. It calls us and releases us to a life of ministry as we serve Jesus. Now, that might look different for each of us.

For some of us here, it might be leading a team or discipling others. For others, it's showing up faithfully where God has placed you. It's raising kids. It's encouraging someone who's struggling. It's serving in the quiet and unseen moments.

But whatever it is for you, your love for Jesus finds its expression in how you live.

And so the question that Jesus asked Peter and he would ask each one of us is, do you love me? Do you love me?

And the message is clear to each one of us today that if your answer to that is, yes, Jesus, you know I love you, then he'd say, well, I've called you now live that out. I've called you now live it out. Let's pray. Our God, we thank you for this passage. Lord, we thank you for the depth of scripture, Father, that it has so many moments that represent and depict people who are far from perfect, Lord.

And that's our walk today as well. Lord, there are so many times where we've messed up, where we've let you down, where we've failed, where we feel like maybe our words or our actions or the desires of our hearts have disqualified us from your calling. But Lord, we thank you for resurrection grace. We thank you that we've seen now the fact that resurrection grace, the truth of the resurrection is this pivotal moment for all of humanity. It's this invitation into a new life with you.

But we thank you that it's also a personal moment for each one of us that the resurrection brings with it grace for each one of us.

Lord, we thank you that as we look back over our lives, Lord, maybe there are moments for some of us that still carry deep regret. Lord, we thank you that you say, do you love me? That you renew us, you restore us and you release us into the calling that you have on our lives. And so now, Father, we pray that you would help us to walk in it, that we would be faithful as we live out the love that we have for you. And so we ask you this in Jesus name, amen.