{"id":15275,"date":"2021-04-12T22:00:21","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T05:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john_20_19-31-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-04-11T16:44:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T23:44:27","slug":"john_21_1-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john_21_1-14\/","title":{"rendered":"When You\u2019ve Given Up On Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

John 21:1-14 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 21:1-14.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

John 21:1-3 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way:
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-3:\u00a0\u00a0By \u201cgoing out to fish\u201d (v3), Peter may have been saying, \u201cI tried and failed at this spiritual leadership thing.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m going back to my old life, my old job as a fisherman.\u00a0\u00a0How else am I going to eat and live now that I\u2019ve denied Jesus and made a fool of myself?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Going out to fish with Peter were James and John (\u201cthe sons of Zebedee\u201d \u2013 v2), who were Peter\u2019s old fishing partners and fellow disciples, as well as Thomas, Nathanael and two other disciples.<\/p>\n

Whereas Peter had given up on himself, Jesus had not given up on Peter.\u00a0\u00a0In the sequence that follows, Jesus shows Peter that he has not given up on him by subtly recalling specific miracles Jesus had done in the lives of Peter and his disciples.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s a great reminder that when we have failed, or think we have failed, in major ways, we may be inclined to give up on any dreams we had concerning God using our lives and going back to our old way of living.\u00a0\u00a0But even after we have failed in major ways, Jesus still does not give up on us.<\/p>\n

John 21:4-6 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.<\/p>\n

On verses 4-6:\u00a0\u00a0These verses recall an earlier miracle Jesus did in Luke 5:4-11 when Jesus told Peter to put out into deep water and lay down his nets, after which Peter experienced a miraculous catch of fish.\u00a0\u00a0That moment was significant in Peter\u2019s life, because it was then that time that Peter said to Jesus, \u201cGo away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man\u201d, in response to which Jesus said, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid; from now on you will catch men\u201d, enlisting Peter as a disciple.\u00a0\u00a0By leading Peter to yet another miraculous catch of fish here in John 21, it\u2019s as if Jesus is saying, \u201cRemember how I called you, Peter?\u00a0Your call from me had nothing to do with your own goodness or merit.\u00a0\u00a0It was all because of my grace.\u00a0\u00a0It still is.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0`<\/p>\n

John 21:7 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 7:\u00a0\u00a0Upon hearing John say, \u201cIt\u2019s the Lord!\u201d, passionate and impetuous Peter jumps into the water and swims to shore.\u00a0\u00a0Why didn\u2019t Peter just take the boat?\u00a0\u00a0Wouldn\u2019t the boat have been faster?\u00a0Couldn\u2019t the other disciples have benefited from Peter\u2019s help hauling the fish back to shore?\u00a0\u00a0In any event Peter jumping into the water reminds me of another time Peter got out of the boat and headed toward Jesus on the basis that \u201cIt is the Lord\u201d: that was when Peter, even for a moment, walked on water with Jesus before sinking and needing to be pulled back up by Jesus (Matthew 14:23-33).\u00a0\u00a0As Peter is swimming here in John 21, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Peter thought to himself, \u201cThe last time my head was under water this way, Jesus pulled me out.\u00a0\u00a0Maybe Jesus will do that again for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

John 21:8-12a (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-12:\u00a0\u00a0Here Jesus serves the disciples a meal of bread and fish.\u00a0\u00a0Does that sound familiar?\u00a0\u00a0Of course it does.\u00a0\u00a0For one of Jesus\u2019 most famous miracles was when he fed a crowd of over 5,000 with just a few loaves of bread and fish that the disciples found and gave to Jesus. That miracle taught the disciples an important lesson, which is that Jesus can take the little that we think we have and feed a multitude.\u00a0\u00a0By serving a meal of bread and fish here in John 21, Jesus was reminding Peter and the other disciples of that same important lesson.<\/p>\n

Also, notice that it was these disciples who had left and abandoned Jesus, and yet Jesus comes to them not with judgment but rather comes to serve them.\u00a0\u00a0Who does that?\u00a0\u00a0Here we see the incredible love of Jesus, how he would humbly serve those who denied him and left him for dead.\u00a0 Jesus would do the same for us.\u00a0 Even when we had hurt him, denied him, and abandoned him, Jesus served us by dying on the cross for our sins to bring us back to God.\u00a0 That’s the incredible love of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Finally, notice that though Peter, James and John were formerly professional fishermen, they caught nothing by themselves, but with Jesus\u2019 help they caught so many large fish.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s a reminder that our ability to gain wealth comes from the Lord, not from ourselves.\u00a0\u00a0Ultimately God is the source of our provision, not ourselves, our ability, our profession, or our business.\u00a0\u00a0You can have the business, the connections, the capital, but if you don\u2019t have God\u2019s help, you won\u2019t succeed.<\/p>\n

John 21:12b-14 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n12<\/sup>\u2026None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 12-14:\u00a0\u00a0Not only does this moment recall the time when Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it to feed the 5,000 (John 6:11), even more it recalls the last supper, when Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said, \u201cThis is my body, which is for you\u201d and for your forgiveness.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps the disciples were reminded in that moment of the reason Jesus was betrayed, arrested, crucified and killed in the first place: for the forgiveness of our sins.<\/p>\n

To me it is touching and powerful that everything Jesus was doing here in John 21:1-14 pointed the disciples back to previous miracles Jesus had done, and even more importantly pointed them back to God\u2019s grace and forgiveness which are not based on our performance but simply based on God\u2019s unconditional love and mercy for us.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you have failed God, or think you have failed God, in some major ways.\u00a0\u00a0Remember this:\u00a0\u00a0God\u2019s mercy is greater your mistakes.\u00a0\u00a0Though you may have given up on yourself, Jesus has not given up on you.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, like He did with Peter here, He\u2019s gently pointing you back to His grace and mercy and saying, \u201cI still love you and I still want you\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jesus, thank You that You have not given up on me, no matter how many mistakes I have made.\u00a0\u00a0Thank You that You are always leading me to Your grace and mercy, reminding me that not even my biggest mistakes need to separate me from Your love.\u00a0\u00a0Thank You that Your call on my life is not based on my own merit as if I earned it; rather Your call on my life is a gift of Your undeserved grace.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 21:1-14.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

John 21:1-3 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way:\u00a0
\n2\u00a0\u00a0Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.\u00a0
\n3\u00a0\u00a0“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.<\/p>\n

On verses 1-3:\u00a0\u00a0By \u201cgoing out to fish\u201d (v3), Peter may have been saying, \u201cI tried and failed at this spiritual leadership thing.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m going back to my old life, my old job as a fisherman.\u00a0\u00a0How else am I going to eat and live now that I\u2019ve denied Jesus and made a fool of myself?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Going out to fish with Peter were James and John (\u201cthe sons of Zebedee\u201d \u2013 v2), who were Peter\u2019s old fishing partners and fellow disciples, as well as Thomas, Nathanael and two other disciples.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whereas Peter had given up on himself, Jesus had not given up on Peter.\u00a0\u00a0In the sequence that follows, Jesus shows Peter that he has not given up on him by subtly recalling specific miracles Jesus had done in the lives of Peter and his disciples.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s a great reminder that when we have failed, or think we have failed, in major ways, we may be inclined to give up on any dreams we had concerning God using our lives and going back to our old way of living.\u00a0\u00a0But even after we have failed in major ways, Jesus still does not give up on us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15277,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15275"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15276,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15275\/revisions\/15276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}