Resurrection & Restoration
Download MP3Invite you to open your bibles to John chapter 21. John chapter 21. I'll be looking at our this is our 3rd week looking at the resurrection and the implications of the resurrection. We'll look at a familiar story, the story of Peter's restoration. Verse 1, After this, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way, Simon, Peter, Thomas, called the twin, Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and 2 other of his disciples were together.
Joel Brooks:Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. They said to him, we will go with you. They went out and got into a boat, but that night, they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore. Yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Joel Brooks:Jesus said to them, children do you have any fish? They answered him, no. He said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. So, they cast it, and now, they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved, therefore, said to Peter, it is the lord.
Joel Brooks:When Simon Peter heard that it was the lord, he put on his outer garment for he was stripped for work, and he threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a 100 yards off. Then when they got on out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish that you have just caught. So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a 153 of them.
Joel Brooks:And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, who are you? They knew it was the lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
Joel Brooks:This was now the 3rd time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
Joel Brooks:He said to him, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. He said
Jeffrey Heine:to him, it's in my sheep.
Joel Brooks:He said to him the 3rd time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the 3rd time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep.
Joel Brooks:Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted. But when you were old, you're you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. And after saying this, he said to him, follow me. Pray with me.
Joel Brooks:Father God, I pray that through your spirit you would speak, That grace would be proclaimed and would go forth in the reading and the proclamation of your word. And that grace change us. God, I ask that you would open up our hearts, and you would open up our minds through your spirit. We cannot do it ourselves. Press on us the urgency of your word, That this is life and death.
Joel Brooks:Breathe life here. I pray that my words would fall to the ground, and that they would blow away, and nobody will remember my words because nobody needs to listen to me. But lord, let your words remain, and may they change us. And I pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
Joel Brooks:Follow me. Follow me. When Peter first meets Jesus, that's what he tells him. That's what Jesus tells Peter. Follow me.
Joel Brooks:And here we see Jesus' last words to Peter, and they're the same words. Follow me. So at the beginning of Peter, Peter's relationship with the Lord, and at the end before he ascends to heaven, it's the same phrase, follow me. But for Peter, the understanding could not be any more different than when he had heard them 3 years earlier. I mean 3 year 3 years earlier when he heard Jesus call to him and say, follow me, he's thinking parades, he's thinking feasts, he's thinking of celebrations and victorious battles.
Joel Brooks:That's what he's thinking of. And so he says, yes Jesus, I'll follow you. I'd be happy to become a fisher of men to to bring people into this cause. That was 3 years earlier, and I wonder if Peter can even remember who he was. He's so different now.
Joel Brooks:So different. Jesus was so different. Jesus was so much more than he had ever thought, and and Peter was so much less than he had thought. I I can remember standing in front of a sanctuary full, packed full of people, and here comes my bride, here comes Lauren. And she walks down, and she has spent an entire day or half of a day preparing for this moment.
Joel Brooks:She is gorgeous, she's in white, and she comes forward and she stands, and we exchange vows. We say things like, for for sicker, for I can't remember. For better, for worse, in sickness, and in health. And we exchange these vows, and I meant them. But I had no idea what I meant by them.
Joel Brooks:I was 23 years old. Now, when I look back, if I were to say those same vowels, they have so much more meaning. Because we've we've gone through pains together. We've experienced pains in one another's families together. We've had children who have kept their self late at night, and who have been sick, and and we've just gone through life together.
Joel Brooks:And now if you were to ask me to say those same things, I would still gladly do it. But you know what? They have a totally different meaning. When I say for better or for worse, sickness and health, because life has changed those. And it's the same thing for Jesus, when he tells Peter, follow me.
Joel Brooks:1st Peter's like, yes. After 3 years, he knows what Jesus means. He knows what follow me means. Same words, 2 very different things. What do you think of when you hear Jesus saying, follow me?
Joel Brooks:What what do you what do you understand that call to be? Peter is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. He's probably a lot of your favorite character in the character in the Bible. Certainly of all the disciples, we have the most information on Peter. He's the one who walked on water.
Joel Brooks:He was the first one to say, Jesus, you are the son of god. Peter was the one who was rebuked by Jesus for saying, no, no, you don't need to go the road of suffering and death. Peter was the one at the Mount of Transfiguration who said, let's build tents here so we could just stay here, Jesus. Peter was the one who said, hey, if everybody else denies you, I will never deny you. And then Peter was also the one who denied Jesus.
Joel Brooks:So how can a man who denied even knowing Jesus to a little girl become the rock, the leader of the church. I mean, why not John? I mean, after all, John is the one referred to in this this gospel as the one whom Jesus loved. John was the only disciple who stood at the cross by Jesus. It it was John whom Jesus said, behold your mother.
Joel Brooks:I mean, Jesus entrusted his mom to John. But the church, Peter. What qualifies Peter? And I actually think it's because of his denials. It's because of his failures.
Joel Brooks:It's because he has been humbled down, and he thinks nothing more about himself and his abilities. It's because of those failures that uniquely qualifies him to feed sheep. Jesus has risen from the dead and he's appeared 2 other times to the disciples. This is the 3rd time, but Peter has yet to have that a conversation with Jesus. He's yet to sit down and and really talk through him about some of those disappointing things he did.
Joel Brooks:Several of his the disciples are Peter, he takes him out fishing. Peter has apparently gone back to his old profession of fishing, and and I've read a lot of people who are very hard on Peter about this, and I don't think we should be too hard. For 1, you've gotta eat, he's gotta work, he's got to do something. 2, Pentecost hasn't happened, and so so although he has seen the risen Jesus, the Holy Spirit has not made that a power in his life. There's not the resurrection power yet.
Joel Brooks:Although he sees this, he believes that the power is not there. And then he's just gotta think he's disqualified from ministry. I mean, he denied Jesus. I mean, I I can't be a minister.
Jeffrey Heine:I'll go fishing. I'll go fishing.
Joel Brooks:And it's here that Jesus appears to Peter, and he recreates both his first encounter with Peter and his last encounter with Peter. He recreates both of those. That that first recreation, Peter's out there and he's fishing, he's been fishing all night, he hasn't caught anything. And just like in Luke 5, Jesus says, cast your nets out over there. And Peter does, and he catches in a huge haul of fish.
Joel Brooks:And then John says, it's the Lord. And then and then Peter, for some unknown reason, he puts on his clothes and he jumps in the water. Which is just one of those details that John includes several of that just scream eyewitness account. You know, why, you know, it happened. That's why John recorded it.
Joel Brooks:It happened. It doesn't really make sense, but he put on his clothes and he jumped in, Swam to Jesus. When he gets to shore, Jesus recreates another scene. He has a fire going. Now the last time that we see Peter around a fire was in the courtyard at Jesus's trial when he denied Jesus.
Joel Brooks:I don't know if you remember, but he was warming himself by the fire, and he was watching Jesus kind of go through his trial. You know, he'd already denied Jesus twice, and it was at that moment a little girl came and said, are are you one of the followers of Jesus? And he cursed and said, no. And the rooster crowed, and it says, at that moment, Jesus looked at him. I mean, can you imagine that?
Joel Brooks:There's Jesus standing up to to all these leaders, and here's Peter denying him to a little girl. And that look had to just go straight to his heart. And now once again, Jesus is looking at him over the fire. He's recreated this scene. It's got to be awkward.
Joel Brooks:And you're staring at Jesus' resurrected body. I'm sure all of the disciples were never more aware of their fallenness. They're in a body, you know, sin, a body of decay. Just even being around Jesus, you know, in all of his glory in that perfect resurrected body, and he looks so different, and and they just look so sinful and sick. And, like, you know, is that the Lord?
Joel Brooks:I'm not gonna ask exactly the Lord. I mean, yeah, it's gotta be the Lord, but he just looks so different. Yes, it's the Lord, and and nobody even asked anything. They but they just know it is him. And Peter is standing across, or sitting across the fire, and Jesus looks at him, and it gets painful.
Joel Brooks:Painful. Peter, do you love me? These questions had to pierce his soul. You know, we have that phrase, sticks and stones won't break our bones. It's a bunch, and your words cannot hurt me, which is a bunch of rubbish.
Joel Brooks:Think of the times you've been hurt most in life and it has come through words. Make no mistake, Jesus is demolishing Peter. He is reducing him to rubble here. He's not doing it for revenge. He's not doing it to be cruel.
Joel Brooks:What he's doing is surgery. If you have cancer, you don't go to the doctor, and he and he doesn't put a band aid on you and say, alright, you're better. If you go to the doctor, he's gonna have to get out a scalpel, he's gonna have to cut it out. It's gonna be painful. This is surgery to Peter.
Joel Brooks:And it's a public surgery. All of his friends are watching him. Jesus is doing this in public because Peter denied him in public. And now you need to understand that Peter's sin has been dealt with on the cross. Please understand that.
Joel Brooks:This isn't about forgiveness. Peter's not atoning for his sins here. Those have been dealt with on the cross, but this forgiveness and this restoration has got to work in. It's gotta work in. It's gotta be a reality to him, and that is a painful process.
Joel Brooks:Jesus looks at Peter, and his first question is, do you love me more than these? And now on first reading, most people assume that Jesus is asking Peter, do you love me more than the disciples that are gathered here? Something that I believe most of my life, but that changed a few years ago. I actually think Jesus is talking about the fish. I really do.
Joel Brooks:I think he's talking about the fish. Do you love me more than these? And let me explain why. You know, Jesus has risen from the dead. He's already appeared a couple of times, yet Peter is fishing.
Joel Brooks:He's not teaching, not telling people about Jesus. He's not making disciples. He's not doing he's not fulfilling his calling. He's fishing. He was supposed to be a fisher of men, but he is rejecting his call on his life because he thinks he's no longer worthy.
Joel Brooks:Another reason I think that Jesus is referring to the fish is that when Peter came to shore in verse 9, Jesus already had fish on the fire. He already had breakfast cooking. He didn't need the fish for that, but he still wanted the fish brought to him, and he still wanted the fish laid out before him. He wanted that visual there. John points out that there was a 153 fish.
Joel Brooks:If you have any good theory as to why there's a 153 fish, I I would love to hear it. I I read 17 commentaries, none in agreement on what the 153 could be. I think it's a 153 because there were a 153 fish, and, and they counted them. And I don't know if that's symbolism or not, but you kind of get the picture of that this huge net comes in, and the disciples like, oh my gosh, that's a ton of fish. How many do you think there are?
Joel Brooks:Let's count. 153 fish. And it stuck out in the riders mind, and he recorded it. It says eyewitness written all over it. And Jesus has his 153 fish brought to him, because he wants those fish present when he asked Peter his first question, Peter, do you love me more than these?
Joel Brooks:Actually, he doesn't say Peter. He says, Simon, do you love me more than these? Not Petros, not the name I gave you when you accepted my call, I'm calling you by the name you had before my call. Simon, do you love me more than these? Simon, do you want your old life, or do you want the new one that I've called you to?
Joel Brooks:Do you want to be just a fisherman or do you want to be a fisher of men? Simon, what do you want? I mean I've called you to be a rock. Do you love me more than you love your old life? I've just given you tremendous success.
Joel Brooks:Will you walk away from it now, and be my disciple? I mean, what about us? Do we love the resurrected Jesus more than the things that he offers? More than the gifts he gives us? Do we love Him more than a nice house, or you know, or a beautiful spouse, or or all those things, the good job?
Joel Brooks:Do we love Him more than those things? Can we walk away? And the only logical answer is absolutely if we believe in the resurrected Jesus. No comparison. Yes, Jesus.
Joel Brooks:You know I love you. Yes, Jesus. You know I love you. Yes. We'll gladly leave that behind.
Joel Brooks:Peter says, yes, yes, Yes. And after each yes, Jesus tells Peter to feed or to tend his sheep. Now this is this is incredible. Do not do not just rebuy this really quickly. Land here.
Joel Brooks:Feed my sheep. Peter never forgets this conversation for the rest of his life. These words are etched in his heart at this moment. He alludes to it over and over and over again for the rest of his life. Feed my sheep, Peter.
Joel Brooks:Yesterday, Natalie, our 3 year old, she wanted to learn how to feed our parakeets. And I thought, okay. And so, she got the little bird feeder thing, and she, you know, put the seed in, and of course, she dropped it and seed went everywhere. And, so I I said, Natalie, that that's okay. Don't worry about that.
Joel Brooks:And so I took the feeder from her, and, you know, and I put the seed in and put it in there, and and I could tell she was disappointed. I mean, she obviously, she wanted to please me, she failed, I had to do the task. So I said, Natalie, what how about you wanna water the birds? Do the do the water bottle? She's like, yes.
Joel Brooks:I wanna do that. This is Natalie we're talking about. And so those of you who know Natalie knows what happens next. She doesn't hold the water bottle together, it falls and water goes everywhere. And so now we have, you know, water all over the seed, all over our floor.
Joel Brooks:And once again, I say, don't worry about that, Natalie. It's okay. You didn't mean to. And she handed me the water bottle for me to to do it. And this story was fresh in my mind.
Joel Brooks:And I got the water bottle and I put it back in her hand. I said, no. Natalie, you can do it. You would not believe the amount of joy that gave her. Her face beamed.
Joel Brooks:I didn't take away that task because she failed and do it myself. Yeah, I didn't just say, oh, Natalie, it's so it's okay, it's okay now, I'm gonna do this. Okay? I'm gonna do this now. No.
Joel Brooks:She knew things were really right when I gave her the task again. I entrusted it to her again. And she was just radiant with joy. That's what Jesus is doing to Peter here. Now Peter understands he's forgiven.
Joel Brooks:He understands it, that's why he jumped in the water and he swam to Jesus. He's forgiven. But, for him it's purely a forensic sense. He knows I'm justified. I know my sins are not going to be held against me.
Joel Brooks:But, the task has been taken away from me. I'm not restored. Restoration is different from forgiveness, but Jesus restores Peter here by giving him the task of feeding his sheep. He doesn't say, Peter, do you love me? Peter says, yes, you know, I love you.
Joel Brooks:And he goes, there there now, Peter. That's great. All is well. You're forgiven. No.
Joel Brooks:He says, you love me? Here's your task. Feed my sheep. Follow me. And Peter's heart is probably going up and down.
Joel Brooks:It's too painful as Jesus is doing this, and yet it's also too good. Pain, joy. Pain, joy, as this restoration happens. And that's what Jesus works in our hearts still today. He brings in this incredible pain, and through it he brings us joy.
Joel Brooks:It's what restoration looks like. Peter's singing this is too good to be true. This is the highest task one could ever receive. Then Jesus tells Peter in verse 18, Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted. But when you were old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you do not want to go.
Joel Brooks:This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. And after saying this, he said to him, follow me. Peter, part of this task is suffering. Do do you understand what it means to follow me now? Do you understand that?
Joel Brooks:It's it's the path of the cross. You're no longer your master. You're no longer gonna get to go where you want to go. If you choose to follow me, and these words hung over Peter's head for 3 decades before he was finally killed. There's words just hovering over knowing at any moment he was finally gonna be led to his crucifixion.
Joel Brooks:And when Jesus, or when Peter heard these words, he never ever ever got over them. They changed them to his core, and I was thinking of how I could how I could share this with you because I can't go through all of Peter's life, and so I just take 1st Peter. Let me read you parts of Peter's first letter and see if you can hear this conversation permeating through it. First Peter 1 verse 6, it says, in this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials. So that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Joel Brooks:Chapter 2 verse 20. For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps. Verse 25, for you were straying like sheep, but you now have returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. Chapter 3, but even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Chapter 4, beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Joel Brooks:But rejoice, and so far as you share in Christ's sufferings. First Peter 5, and after you have suffered a little while, the God of grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. All throughout the letter, Peter talks about suffering, about being restored, about going astray, and Jesus pulling him back. He talks about being like a sheep. This conversation changed him to his core.
Joel Brooks:He never got over it. The joy that God would call him back to feeding sheep, to preaching. Now this is the re what the reality of the resurrection does for us. If the resurrection is a reality, this is what it does. It galvanizes us to do the task that God has given us in this life.
Joel Brooks:We now have the strength to do this task if we believe in the resurrection. I mean, who really cares about persecution? Who cares about suffering? Who cares about death? If you are serving the risen king who will someday raise you up from the grave, and and you will live forever with him.
Joel Brooks:Who really cares about those things? You keep to the task. And Peter, thinking of that last day when Peter would see him again, was this fuel that ignited him to follow and serve Jesus with reckless abandonment. I've got to read this. The last part in 1st Peter 5, and, this is really special to me because he's talking to pastors.
Joel Brooks:He's He's talking about the task of shepherding. Let me just read to you the first few verses. So I exhort the elders among you as fellow elders, and as a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker, and the glory that is going to be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as god would have you. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly.
Joel Brooks:Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Peter is thinking ahead to that glorious day. God has given him this this task. He's not worthy of it.
Joel Brooks:He's taking up, and he keeps this glorious day in mind when someday, he's gonna receive this unfading crown of glory. I mean, an unfading crown of glory. We're gonna stand before Jesus, the one who spoke the universe into existence. The, the one, the, the creator, the, the Lord over all of the universe. The one who died for you, and he is gonna place on your head a crown of unfading glory.
Joel Brooks:Do you have any idea how awkward that is going to be? That's what it's going to be is awkward. Terribly awkward. I mean, Peter, he's got to be thinking, I denied you to a servant girl, and You're gonna put that on me? And as Jesus is looking at his eyes and he's he's coming Peter's gotta be thinking, no.
Joel Brooks:No. No. You're not gonna put that on me. Jesus places on him a crown of unfading glory, and all he could do is is the same thing that 24 elders do is take it off and say, I I don't think so. Not for me.
Joel Brooks:To you be praised. Thank you for giving me the task. That is what the resurrection of Jesus has secured. Secured for those who believe in him. And I want you to think of that this week when you hear Jesus beckoning and calling, follow me.
Joel Brooks:Follow me.
Connor Coskery:Pray with me.
Joel Brooks:Spend a moment just in silence before the Lord asking him to examine you, and to press the reality of his resurrection on your heart. Do you live like one who believes that? Lord, all of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to their own way. Thank you that you are the good shepherd.
Joel Brooks:You brought us back, gave your life for your sheep. In light of your death, and your glorious resurrection, May we be utterly changed to our core. May we never ever get over the wonder, and the majesty and the glory that awaits us. Forgive us when we cease to be awestruck by that. Forgive us when we cease to see all of life in view of that moment.
Joel Brooks:Holy Spirit, press that on us. Pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
