TVCC Students,
It is always a blessing to be with you all on Wednesday nights to study God's Word and worship Him through song. Last night was a wonderful message of the restoration that Jesus offers as the disciples had left Him and returned to their former ways of life. How many time do we try and return to those things that never satisfy only to find the Lord calling us faithfully back to Him. What a patient and faithful God we serve. Here is a recap!
~John 21:1-3: The disciples decided to "go fishing." This was not just them deciding to do some recreational fishing- it was the fulfillment of the Words Jesus had told them in John 16 (verse 32). Jesus had told them that they would all fall away and return to their former ways of life and this is exactly what they were doing. Peter had been a fisherman before called by Jesus and now in his impatience he returned to that former life that was literally empty.
~Verse 3 lets us know that they caught nothing. This is an amazing thing. Jesus, who ordains all things, allowed them to catch nothing in order that they might soon see that trying to sustain their lives apart from Him would leave them empty on more than one level. John 15 reminds us that apart from Him we can do nothing. Oh how true this is. 1 Corinthians 6:19 also gives us great wisdom in teaching us that believers are not called to live for themselves. If we profess that Christ is our Lord, we are called to live for Him. Our life is His! He paid for us with His blood on the Cross!
Q: How many times do we get discouraged like these disciples and try to turn back to our old ways of life thinking that they might offer us fulfillment? What is the last time you caught yourself trying to do this? How did the Lord convict you and remind you of the emptiness of that old life?
~John 21:4-5: When Jesus talks with the disciples from the shore they do not recognize Him. This is huge. Jesus HAS to be the one who allows people to really know who He really is. Romans 9:16 reminds us that salvation does not depend on the man who runs or wills but on God who has mercy. If Jesus does not open a person's eyes to see that He is the Risen Lord, they will not be able to believe in Him. Jesus asks them about their night of fishing and lets them again see how fruitless it was.
Q: Do you see Jesus for who He really is? If you are unsure about your salvation we encourage you to get alone with the Word and spend time praying and reading- asking Him to open your eyes to see Jesus for who He really is.
~John 21:6: This is the second time that Jesus used fishing to show Peter how wonderful He is. In Luke 5, Jesus helped Peter go from catching nothing to being overwhelmed by the amount of fish caught. This caused Peter to fall down in worship of the Lord. His eyes were opened to see the majesty of Christ and this led to him and the other disciples leaving everything to follow Jesus. Now in John 21, Jesus is bringing Peter back to that first time where Peter was brought to bow in awe of the Lord. Jesus tells the disciples to cast their nets out again and they are again overwhelmed by the great catch the Lord provides. This caused Peter to again see Jesus greatness and he actually dove into the water to go and meet His Lord.
Q: Have you lately been brought back to the first time that you recognized the greatness of Jesus? It's so healthy for us to remember where we were before Him and to realize how empty and lifeless we were before He revealed Himself to us.
~John 21:9-14: It is refreshing for us to see in these verses the patience of the Lord. He did not yell or scold the disciples here for returning to things that didn't satisfy. He came to them where they were and purposed to let them see that life without Him is empty. He came to them and even served them breakfast!
~John 21:15- Jesus called Peter by his old name- Simon. This was reminding Peter that he was going back to his old ways. Jesus asks Peter two times if Peter has unconditional, intimate"agape" love for Him and Peter responds with saying that he just has brotherly "phileo" love towards Jesus. Finally Jesus asks Peter if he even has brotherly, "phileo" love for Him and Peter responds in saying that yes, he does have at least brotherly love for Jesus. This whole ordeal was for Jesus to offer complete restoration to Peter. Earlier Peter had rejected Jesus three times and Jesus was restoring Him three times. Jesus paid it all! On the cross all of our shortcomings and sins were completely paid for. We can rest in that complete restoration. No matter how far we are from the Lord and how much we feel that we have disappointed Him, we can cling to the cross and find rest in His restoration!
Dear Students,
We are so thankful to see you all every week and love getting to worship with you. We pray that you will meditate this week on the faithfulness and patience of the Lord and really see how much He desires intimacy with you despite your faults. Find rest in Him and what He has done for you on the Cross. This is our hope and our joy. We pray you will meditate on that this week. We love you!
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
No comments:
Post a Comment