The End of the Beginning - Part 2

John chapter 21.

John 21 · chapter mention

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 Canaan Gallery,

the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.

Simon Peter said to them,

I'm going fishing.

And they said to him,

We'll go with you.

They went out and got into the 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.

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'll 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.

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,

he put on his outer garment,

for he was stripped for work,

and 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 hundred yards off.

When they got out on 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,

one hundred and fifty-three of them.

And although there were so many,

the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them,

Come, have breakfast.

Now none of the disciples dared 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.

This was now the third 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?

He said to him,

Yes, Lord,

you know that I love you.

He said to him,

Tend my sheep.

He said to him the third time,

Simon,

son of John,

do you love me?

Peter was grieved,

because he said to him the third 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.

Truly,

truly,

I say to you,

when you were young,

you used to dress yourself

and walk wherever you wanted.

But when you are old,

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.

Peter turned and saw the disciple

whom Jesus loved following them,

the one who had also leaned back against him

during the supper and had said,

Lord,

who is that is going to betray you?

When Peter saw him,

he said to Jesus,

What about this man?

Jesus said to him,

If it is my will that he remain until I come,

what is that to you?

You follow me.

So the saying spread abroad among the brothers

that this disciple was not to die.

Yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die.

But if it is my will that he remain until I come,

what is that to you?

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things

and who has written these things.

And we know that his testimony is true.

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.

Were every one of them to be written,

I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books

that would be written.

Well,

good morning,

everyone.

I don't know what all the talk about cold weather is.

I've been waiting for this for months.

So let's no more talk about cold weather.

This is ideal weather.

Well,

at least for me anyway.

Okay,

let's turn to God's word this morning.

And I want to introduce it by connecting the gospel

with Operation Overlord,

which was the code name for the Allied operation

to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation.

And it had several phases.

There was years of preparation.

Then D-Day was the landing in Normandy

in which a beachhead was established.

And then the third phase,

the final phase,

was a push to Berlin,

resulting in victory in Europe

about 10 months later.

I want to suggest that in the same way,

the gospel,

in a sense,

is Jesus' code name for Operation Lord Over Everything

to the End of the Earth.

It was an operation to liberate God's people

from the darkness of sin

and bring them into light and life in Jesus.

And the thing I want you to understand this morning

is that it also had several phases.

There were many,

many years of preparation.

I guess that's what we would call the Old Testament.

And then Jesus had his own personal D-Day,

as it were.

It was launched.

And that established the beachhead of salvation

through the brutal, bloody events

of his life, death, and resurrection.

And then,

as we move into chapter 20 and 21 in John,

the push begins to take the good news

of liberation and renewal in Jesus

to the ends of the earth.

Phases in this work of God's salvation.

And friends,

I suggested last Sunday

that John 21

is the end of the beginning.

The beachhead has been established.

And Jesus affirmed that

when he greeted his disciples

on the day of his resurrection

with the words,

Peace be with you,

and breathed his Holy Spirit into them.

Turn back to chapter 20,

verses 19 to 22.

I'm going to read them to you now.

They're important words to remember

in the context of chapter 21.

On the evening of that day,

the first day of the week,

that's the day of his resurrection,

the doors being locked

where the disciples were

for fear of the Jews.

Jesus came and stood among them

and said to them,

Peace be with you.

When he had said this,

he showed them his hands

and his side.

Then his disciples were glad

when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again,

emphasis,

Jesus said to them again,

Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me,

even so I am sending you.

And when he had said this,

he breathed on them

and said to them,

Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had acted on their behalf

to secure a new state of peace with God.

He had dealt with God's wrath,

dealt with a penalty for their sins,

had secured forgiveness.

And in the picture language of Ezekiel,

he had breathed new life

into those dead in sin

through his Holy Spirit.

That's peace with God.

They also experienced

the peace of God.

Jesus came to them

in that moment

in warmth

and friendship,

though they had abandoned him

and may well

have expected his reprimand.

He came to them

as one with power

to overcome sin,

death,

to overcome the world

in rebellion against God.

And he came to them

speaking peace

to fearful,

doubting,

troubled hearts.

Peace with God

and peace of God.

The beachhead

has been established.

But at the same time,

John 21

is also the beginning

of the end

as the next phase

of God's operation

and salvation begins.

Jesus is,

in effect,

saying to them,

I think,

this is who you now are

in me,

the resurrection man.

This is the new

resurrection community

I've made you

and which you have

the privilege to help

in extending

to the ends of the earth

so that all my people

will be saved

just like you've been saved.

And ultimately then,

God will be glorified

as he has always planned

to be glorified.

And so this interaction

with Peter,

in a sense,

is Jesus joining the dots

for Peter.

And the question is,

is it restoration,

is it a challenge,

or is it a commission?

Well,

most commonly,

verses 15 to 19

are presented

as the restoration

of Peter

to the ranks

of the disciples

soon to become apostles

because they see

Jesus' three questions

corresponding to Peter's

three denials

of Jesus.

But I believe

something much bigger

is on show

in the way

John constructs

this narrative.

Now,

have a look at

verse 15 there

to start with.

When they had finished

breakfast,

Jesus said to Simon Peter,

Simon,

son of John,

do you love me

more than these?

They'd been enjoying

breakfast with Jesus,

a time of fellowship

in which he manifested

more of himself

as the resurrection man

to them.

He displayed his commitment

to and love of

and concern for

their needs.

Then,

out of the blue,

Jesus asked Peter

this confronting question

and he asked it

in a very formal,

business-like way.

The fact that Jesus

uses the term,

uses the name

Simon,

son of John,

is interesting.

And it takes me back

to chapter 1,

verse 42.

And I'm going to turn back

and read that,

chapter 1,

verse 40,

through to 42,

actually,

where it's the very first time

Jesus meets Simon

and it's in the context

of Jesus calling

his disciples.

It says this,

one of the two

who heard John speak,

that's John the Baptist,

that is,

one of the two

who heard John speak

and followed Jesus

was Andrew,

Simon Peter's brother.

He first found

his own brother,

Simon,

and said to him,

we have found

the Messiah,

which means Christ.

He brought him

to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him

and said,

so,

you are Simon,

the son of John?

You shall be called

Cephas,

which means Peter.

Now,

it's interesting

that John,

I think,

again,

takes us back

to chapter 1,

as the fishing story

in verses 1 to 3

also took us back

to chapter 1.

So it goes like this,

I think,

when Peter first met,

sorry,

when Jesus first met Peter,

it was as God's Messiah.

We have found the Messiah,

God's long-awaited

Savior and King.

And it was in that context

and in that role

that Jesus called Peter

to be a disciple

or follower

and renamed him.

Now,

in those days,

names were really significant.

They described

the whole personality.

So therefore,

changing someone's name

was a really big deal.

In fact,

it was an assertion

of authority

or ownership

by the one

changing the name.

So I think

Jesus is saying

that Peter

was his person.

Peter,

you are now

my person.

You are now

to live under me

as Messiah.

And one day,

I will make you

to become

as solid

and dependable

as a rock.

So here's the point.

I believe

their first conversation

was all about

identity

and commitment.

First of all,

Jesus to him

in calling him

to be a disciple

and then his to Jesus

living up to,

as it were,

his new name,

his new status

conferred on him

by Messiah.

Now,

back in John chapter 21,

John 21 · chapter mention

their last recorded conversation

is also about

identity

and commitment.

Peter,

says Jesus,

having enjoyed

my fellowship

over breakfast,

my display

of identity

and commitment

to you,

the big question

now is

how much

do I shape

your identity

and your affection?

Peter,

who or what

is your affection

and treasure?

More than these,

is it your fishing buddies

and the fishing

and the current lifestyle

you've always known,

the one you've loved,

the one you're comfortable in,

is that what will

shape your future

or is it me?

Is that what will

shape your affection

or is it me?

Peter,

what will shape

your future in life?

Will it be me,

the resurrection man

and the identity,

privilege

and responsibility

of being my person

in my new resurrection

community?

And so,

Jesus pushes him

again

and again.

Do you love me,

Peter?

That is,

he leaves out

the comparative bit

this time.

It's,

do you love me

absolutely,

not comparatively,

but with total

all-in identity

and commitment

from the inside out?

Peter,

do you love me?

Now,

it does seem like

Jesus was reminding

Peter of his cheap words

just a couple of weeks

earlier.

And again,

those words were expressed

in the context

of fellowship

over a meal,

remember,

in the upper room.

And remember,

the situation,

it's a very tragic situation.

Peter,

Peter boasted

such absolute

love for,

identity with

and commitment

to Jesus

that says,

Peter,

I will sacrifice

my life for you,

Jesus,

any time.

And that was

back in chapter 13.

And of course,

we know now

that just hours later,

hours later,

he had repeatedly

disowned Jesus

completely

and was cowering

in the shadows

in fear.

Against that,

back in chapter 1,

chapter 21,

against that,

Peter still appears

to be the natural

leader of the disciples.

For instance,

in chapter 21,

the previous night,

it was Peter

who set the lead

in going fishing

and the rest

of the disciples

had gone with him.

So here's the issue.

The disciples

would follow Peter,

but would Peter

follow Jesus?

Now,

into that mix,

we've got to remember

that Peter

had not wanted

a crucified

Lord.

He really

wanted a military

saviour

who would deliver

them from the Romans

and make Israel

great again.

And remember,

when Jesus

was arrested,

it was Peter

who had a sword.

It was Peter

who unsheathed it

and was prepared

to fight.

He was thinking

very much

in terms of

a physical

Messiah deliverer.

And the question

now put to him

by Jesus

was,

Peter,

are you now

ready to commit

to me

as I have

manifested myself

to you?

The sacrificial

lamb,

the crucified

Messiah,

the king

of love

and peace,

rather than

as Peter wanted

or even demanded

Jesus should be.

Would Peter

lead his fellow

disciples down

this pathway

of identity

and commitment

to the one

who delivers

spiritually

and death

into life

and life

with God?

But there's

an even

bigger context

yet

for this

discussion.

Look back

to John

20,

21,

the verses

I read

to you

just at the

start.

I'll read

one of the

verses again,

verse 21

and 22.

So Jesus

said to them

again,

peace be

with you.

As the

Father

has sent

me,

even so

I am

sending

you.

Those two

phrases

very,

very closely

connected.

And I want

to highlight

this morning

that connection,

the second

of those

connections,

as so.

As the

Father

has sent

me,

so I

am

sending

you.

Friends,

here's the

context of

this conversation

with Peter

and Jesus

in chapter

21.

The

disciples,

who after

all were

the first

fruits of

the resurrection

community,

are to be

patterned on

the resurrection

man.

Here,

from Jesus'

own lips,

is our

identity,

shape,

and commitment

going forward.

As for

Jesus,

so for you

who have

experienced

the gospel

of peace

in Jesus.

As Jesus

demonstrated

all-in

identity

with broken,

dysfunctional,

rebellious,

lost people

by being in

the world

as a

human,

so we

have been

called out

of the

world,

renewed,

brought into

the new

resurrection

community

or church,

then sent

back into

the world

by Jesus

to pass

on the

gospel of

peace

to equally

needy people.

Sorry,

to pass on

the gospel

of peace

to equally

needy people.

And as

Jesus'

success was

patterned

through

absolute

love,

unswerving

obedience

towards his

father,

and total

commitment

to following

his father's

salvation

purpose,

so we

are to be

shaped by

loving,

obeying,

and following

Jesus.

As Jesus

taught,

modeled,

challenged,

prayed,

cared,

nurtured,

showed compassion,

sacrificed himself,

so we

are to

display all

those characteristics.

So we are to

display,

in summary,

the mind of

Christ

in every

way,

at every

point in

life.

That is

our identity.

That is

our task,

our commitment.

Of course,

that's a

huge task.

What's our

confidence in

being able to

deliver in

such a

task?

Well,

again,

chapter 20,

that like

these

disciples,

like these

first fruits

of the

new

resurrection

community,

Jesus has

also breathed

the power

of the

Holy Spirit

into us,

so that

the mind

of Christ

grows in

our heart

and overflows

into our

actions.

Now,

back into

chapter 21,

in this

conversation

between Peter

and Jesus,

and we see

here that

Jesus uses

the same

language,

loving,

following,

and obeying.

So,

friends,

my suggestion

to this

morning is

that Jesus

is giving

Peter a

reminder

or a

challenge

to express

his ownership

by the

resurrection

man,

rather than

some new

commission

that's laid

on Peter

as an

extra task.

It's as if

Jesus is

saying,

Peter,

I have

made you

my person

from the

very start.

now you

need to

demonstrate

what it

is to

live under

the lordship

of resurrection

man in

the new

resurrection

community.

Peter,

as you

enjoy

fellowship

in the

gospel of

peace,

so you

should be

unstoppable

in your

desire to

extend this

same privilege

to others.

How will

that be

expressed?

Well,

primarily in

this conversation

with Peter,

who now I'm

saying is

representative

of the

disciples and

representative

then of

all

Christians,

the first

fruits and

those

following

them.

Primarily,

this will

be expressed

in feeding,

tending,

or shepherding,

those words

are all

sort of

interchangeable,

feeding,

tending,

or shepherding

others in

the resurrection

community in

a way that

reflects Jesus

and Jesus'

ministry

commitment.

On the

ground,

that will

look like

gently pushing

people to

live

under the

lordship of

Jesus,

the source

of life

and every

need.

That's not

natural to

us.

We have to

gently push

people and

remind them

to do

that.

We've got

to nurture

clear expression

of the mind

of Christ

or life

shaped by

God's Holy

Spirit at

every point.

We've got to

teach people

and help

people to

say yes

to righteousness

and no

to sin.

We've got to

promote unity

as the key

evidence of

Spirit renewed

and controlled

community as

per the

teaching and

prayer of

Jesus on

the night

before he

died.

If you go

back through

the chapters

in that meal

and the

evening of

Christ's

death and

then Christ's

prayer,

unity appears

over and

over and

over.

Love and

unity,

love and

unity,

unity and

love.

Promoting

unity is the

key evidence

of Spirit

renewed and

controlled

community.

So Jesus

is joining

the dots.

But there's

another thing

I want to

draw your

attention to

as I move

to a

conclusion

here.

That is

Jesus is

pointing out

to Peter

that all

in commitment

will make

the impossible

possible

and the

possible

impossible.

Now that's

a bit of a

complicated

heading as

I'm reading

that.

I'm just

thinking,

my goodness.

Anyway,

I'll try and

explain it to

you.

Peter is

still having

the dots

connected to

him by

Jesus in

two very

practical

points of

commitment

here as

we wind

up these

verses.

The first

is this,

in respect

of Peter's

desire to

show total

commitment to

Jesus,

I'm taking

you back

now to

what Peter

said on

the night

of Jesus'

crucifixion.

That is,

I am

prepared to

sacrifice my

life for

you,

Jesus.

But of

course,

fear had

caused

him to

hold

back from

sacrificing

his own

life for

the sake

of Jesus.

Now,

interestingly,

verse 18

and 19,

Jesus informs

Peter that

such a

display remains

not only

possible for

Peter,

but will

actually happen

as it were

the second

time round.

So the

question is,

what will

make the

difference to

his commitment

second time

round?

What will

enable Peter

to stay

faithful to

Jesus,

collapse and

fear and

retreat?

Well,

look at the

end of the

verse there.

Follow

me.

Following

Jesus

will be the

difference.

That is,

Peter,

keep your

eyes firmly

fixed on

me,

says Jesus.

Keep your

eyes firmly

fixed on me

as the

resurrection

man and

as part of

the new

resurrection

community,

which will

convince you

there is

something

better than

this life,

something bigger

than this

life, and

that is life

with the

resurrection

man in

heaven.

Friends,

Peter was

learning that

the lordship

of Jesus is

not just

something to

live under,

it's something

to die

under if

required.

And in

his death,

Jesus says,

you will

glorify the

father.

You brought

shame on

Messiah when

you first

stood in

retreat and

fear and

denial,

but following

Jesus,

now as a

member of

the new

resurrection

community,

having

experienced

the gospel

of peace,

the renewal

that comes

with it,

Peter,

you will

bring glory

to the

Lord.

And the

second

practical

point in

verse 20,

23,

is all

in

commitment

to Jesus

will stop

a wrong

sort of

competitiveness

in this

new

resurrection

community.

Now,

it's not

clear from

the text,

but it

would appear

that when

Peter inquired

about John's

future,

that Jesus

heard something

more than

just curiosity

in Peter's

inquiry.

So the

question then

is,

did Jesus

hear competition

based in

fear that

Jesus loved

the beloved

disciple?

That's who

John was

constantly

referred to,

the beloved

disciple,

the one that

Jesus loved

most.

Did Jesus

hear competition

based in

fear that

Jesus would

love the

beloved

John more

than him?

Did Jesus

hear resentment

because Peter

thought Jesus

might not ask

his beloved

disciple to

sacrifice as

much as he

just said he

would be asking

Peter to

sacrifice?

Jesus'

answer to

Peter is

very,

very clear.

Verse 22,

you,

and it's

a present

tense,

you,

keep on

following

me.

Jesus

apparently

hears

pretty blunt

with Peter.

He said,

Peter,

this really

isn't your

concern.

Even stronger,

Peter,

this isn't

even your

business.

What you

need to

do is

keep on

following

me.

You

keep your

eyes on

me.

Take your

lead and

shape from

me and

not comparatively

what I'm

asking others

to do or

not do and

not competitively

I'm asking

you to do

more than

them.

Don't do

that,

Peter.

Keep your

eyes on

me.

So do you

see how that

makes the

impossible

possible that

Peter would

step up

eventually and

sacrifice his

life for

Jesus.

And it

then also

makes it

possible,

this thing

that we

normally

devolve to,

competition and

comparison,

it makes it

impossible because

if we're just

keeping our

eyes on

Jesus,

then there's

just Jesus

and me,

regardless of

what Jesus

does with

others.

My friends,

if only we

would hate

these words

of Jesus.

if only we

would so

identify with

Jesus and

be so

shaped by

him and

so committed

to loving,

obeying and

following him,

then we

will see

incredible

displays of

self-sacrifice

and trust in

our church

family or

otherwise known

now as a

resurrection

community.

if only we

would so

identify with

Jesus and

be so

shaped by

him,

so committed

to loving,

obeying and

following him,

then we

will never

see competition

or resentment

in ministry

matters within

our church

family.

And how

refreshing would

that be?

All would

be tending

and feeding

the sheep.

All of that

would be done

for the good

of the sheep

and ultimately

for the glory

of the shepherd.

Friends,

very simple

question as

we finish

John and

as we move

into this,

as we sense

our part in

this final

phase of

God's

operation

salvation.

What are

you waiting

for?

What could

hold you

back?

Be the

shepherd Jesus

urges you

to be.

Feed his

sheep with

selflessness,

tenderness,

and with

the

commitment

of

Jesus

himself.

And do

it all

for the

glory of

God.

Thank you

very much

for listening

to me this

morning.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.