Wanders Welcomed

14 July 2013 PM – John 21:1-14 – Scott Childs

Introduction: There was a certain man who had faithfully attended church for many years. Then he became lax and stopped coming to the services.  The pastor was burdened for his spiritual welfare, so one day he called in his home.  The man invited him in and offered him a chair by the fire.  The Pastor mentioned to the man how much he missed seeing him in church.  The man replied that he was saved and saw no need to go to church.  He felt that he could worship just fine at home.

For several long moments they sat in silence and watched the burning embers.  Then, taking the tongs, the pastor removed a hot coal and laid it by itself on the hearthstone.  As it began to cool, its red glow soon faded. The man, who had been expecting a verbal rebuke, quickly caught the message.  Like the coal, a Christian will become spiritually cold when away from church fellowship. He was at church for the next service!

Though we do not know for certain why Peter and the other disciples went back to fishing, it appears that they may have been cooling off spiritually.

Transition: This evening as we look at John 21:1-14, I want us to see how Jesus welcomed the wanderers back.

I.              Peter Wandered

The opening verse of this chapter tells us that Jesus and the disciples were at the sea of Tiberias. John 6:1  After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

A.     Peter decided to go fishing (3)

1.      Possibly Peter needed money and food for his family. Perhaps he got impatient waiting on Jesus to come to Galilee. Maybe he got discouraged and decided to return to his old life of fishing. We do not know, but it appears that Peter was having second thoughts about serving the Lord and fishing for men. He announced to his friends, “I am going out to fish.”

2.      What is it like when you wander from the will of God? You seldom witness. You sometimes skip our Bible reading. Your prayers shorten. Church attendance becomes a boring. You are not as close to the Lord as you once were. When that happens, you hang a sign on your heart that says, “Gone fishing!”

B.     Peter’s choice influenced others (3)

1.      The six disciples that were with Peter said, “We also are going with you.” (Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, two others)

1 Corinthians 15:33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

2.      They did not pray about it. They just got up and immediately climbed in a ship to go fishing.

3.      When we wander away from the Lord, even a little, we also influence others. By wandering from God, we deprive our marriage of spiritual harmony, our home of a godly focus, our children of biblical instruction, our friends of a godly influence, and our neighbours of a Christian witness. Wandering is dangerous!

Galatians 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

C.     Their wandering was unfruitful

1.      The disciples fished all night and caught nothing.

2.      Wandering from God is always unfruitful. Sin has some pleasures, but they last only for a season.

3.      The most miserable person in the world is a Christian who has wandered from God. It happens slowly.

The story is told of a foolish old farmer who concluded one day that the oats he had fed his mule for years were simply costing him too much. So he hatched a plan: He mixed a little sawdust in with the feed, and then a little more the next day, and even more the next, each time reducing the amount of oats in the mix.

The mule didn’t seem to notice the gradual change, so the farmer thought things were fine and kept decreasing the proportion of oats. But weeks later, on the day he finally fed the poor beast nothing but sawdust, the mule finished the meal … and fell over dead.

Wandering from God is also a gradual process, with terrible consequences.

II.            Jesus Waited

A.     Jesus promised to meet them in Galilee

Matthew 28:10  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

B.     Jesus patiently cared about their lives

1.      Jesus could have yelled out to the fishermen a scolding rebuke, but He did not. Instead He caringly called, “Children, have ye any meat?” or “Lads, have you caught any fish?” They answered “No.”

2.      Perhaps Jesus’ heart was saddened to see His closest disciples out in the boat fishing instead of focussing on preaching the gospel. If so, He was very patient with them. He began asking them questions.

3.      Accusations harden the heart but questions prick the conscience. Oh how we need to learn this when dealing with our children or wayward Christians. Instead of reacting in the flesh and saying, “Your attitude stinks,” or “You did wrong,” we ought to ask “What is troubling you that made you act this way?”

C.     Jesus tenderly showed Himself strong

1.      The man on shore told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat to find fish (6).

2.      They did not know who the man was Jesus, but they took his advice. When they obeyed, so many fish entered the net that they could not draw it in.

3.      John is the first to recognise that the man on shore was Jesus (7).

4.      When Peter knew that it was Jesus, he impulsively grabbed his fisherman’s shirt and jumped into the water to swim to shore. Peter was naked, but that does not mean he was totally unclothed. He did not have on his fisherman’s shirt.

5.      The other disciples came to shore in a small boat dragging the net full of fish. John tells us that they were about 100m from shore.

6.      Why did Jesus do this miracle? I believe it was:

a)      To remind them of His power over nature

b)      To remind them that He could meet their needs if they would trust Him

c)      To return their wandering focus back to fishing for men

d)      Perhaps to assure them of His love

III.           Jesus Welcomed

A.     He warmly received them by the fire

1.      The warm fire and smell of food was a welcome to these tired fishermen.

2.      When you wander from the Lord’s closeness, if you will return, he will warmly receive you.

Psalm 86:5  For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

B.     He abundantly provided for their needs

1.      He had food cooking on the coals ready for them to eat.

2.      He also asked them to bring of the fish He had sent into their net. Peter counted the fish and found 153 great fish. It was also a miracle that the nets did not break.

C.     He generously showed them hospitality

1.      Jesus invited them to dine or eat of the fish and bread he had prepared.

2.      Jesus then served them fish and bread.

a)      Jesus was acting the part of a servant again.

b)      Jesus loved them.

c)      We too ought to serve one another. The Christian life is a life of serving God and others.

Others Lord, yes others, let this my motto be. Let me live for others that I might live like thee. – Author Unknown

Conclusion: Perhaps you are not as close to the Lord as you once were. Your excitement about the things of God has grown cold. You find Bible reading boring and your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. You have lost your passion for witnessing. If this is true, you have wandered from the Lord.

The good news is that the Lord is waiting for you to come back to His side. If you will humble yourself, confess your sin, and return, He will welcome you home. Come to the Saviour. Make no delay!

Song: Lord, I’m Coming Home – 253