Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Simple Joy of Following Jesus

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk

about the Bible in fun in practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to

the Bible Guys. I'm Chris, this is Jeff, and we are glad

to be here with you. Man, it's just one of it's the highlight

of our day. Yeah, so far, the highlight of our day is

being here with you. And you guys send us so many great messages and

let us know that for some of you, the Bible Guys is a highlight

of your day too, one of them which I appreciate that very It's amazing

to me. So we have a social Honestly, if people didn't communicate that

to us, I'm not sure that I'd be motivated to come back in and

record stuff. Because he he quite honestly, deep down doesn't like talking about

the Bible fun and the ways like I do. But so good, but

since you guys like it so much, he keeps coming back. So today

we have a social media minute right of interacting with our listeners, and so

Desiree picked out a few comments from our social different social media places on you

know, people send in emails at info at Bible guys dot com. Uh,

people will leave comments on uh, you know, whatever platform you're listening

on on YouTube, those kinds of things. So here's a comment from Jambo

B Jambo Jambo B jumbo jo. It's probably Jumbo jumbo j a m b

oh, it's probably jumbo Okay. Chris always being angry, offended, defensive

for the world is something we share, not only in spirit, but in

the way we're jokingly picked on for it. But Pastor Chris, I feel

you. Uh, but Pastor Chris, I feel you. Keep fighting the

good fight, praise the Lord. So Jombo yep, yep, he feels

you. I feel you, yep yep. Yeah. So I just think

it's funny. This starts off Chris always being angry. That's uh, that's

the the funny phrase there. Yeah. Well, I mean, let's be

clear, okay, the uh the opinions that I have because I've always and

by the way, it was actually this segment that helped me discover that I'm

angry for the world. Right, So like when I when I when I

actually say it's it's it's a self enlightening thing. Yeah yeah, yeah,

because really because I'm just like I'm like, ah, I can't believe that,

but I can't believe that happened. And even my family, even my

family, because you know, not all of my entire family listens to the

Bible, guys, like my kids what like my daughter, one daughter does,

my other daughter doesn't. Anyway, the point is is that, uh

and by the way, she does periodically, just not consistently. But I

actually said, I said, do you realize I've discovered that whenever I go,

oh, I can't believe this. And sometimes my kids get mad at

me. Uh, you know, they'll say, oh, Dad, let

it be, Let it be. And I say, I said, I

think it's because I don't get mad for my experience. I get mad that

that exists for everybody. And then all of a sudden, Torri goes,

you are right, she goes, that is exactly why you get mad.

That's what you always say. So anyway, so thanks John bo. He's

my people, and thank you on behalf of all the rest of us little

people. Thank you for channeling your rage and your anger and your offense,

your defensiveness for the rest of us. All Right, So the number two

says this, I love starting my days with you guys. The perfect mix

mix of learning, devotions and daily application mixed with a little bit of fun

and silliness. I share it with all of my friends and family and even

people I just meet, says Cecilia G. That's nice. Nice, that's

nice. That's so cool. Thanks. Sharing with all of your friends and

family and even people you just meet. Yeah, wow, just having conversations

and saying, hey, let me let me share with you something you might

like. Yeah. Well, hey, let's let's just right now, let's

take a vote, an official vote, and make Cecilia G the number one

fan of the day. No for sure, right, I mean, man,

if she is telling friends and family and even people that she just meets,

I can't imagine anybody beating that today. Right, So, good job,

right today. Let it be known this is the official day, Cecilia

G. Day. Congratulations on that. Awesome. And then Joni P.

She writes in often so hey, she's welcome back. She's given us a

few comments, she said, I think both of you can sing. That's

something you don't seem to want all of us to know. Question my courch,

my question, my course, my course mark. Yeah, so she's

she's wanting us to acknowledge the fact that we can sing question mark, but

we can't. We don't want anybody to know I can't really sing sing.

You know. It's so interesting is that when I was at my first church,

it was a tiny, little church, right, so it is it

one hundred and eighty people, which actually isn't tiny tiny for some, but

you know, from what my experience is, it was smaller. And I

was there for eight years. It was a very long time, and I

was the worship leader for three years. I can't read music, I can't

play anything, but I can hold a tune kind of, and so I

was. But I was doing the choir, the band, the praise team.

I was doing everything right. Well, you were the everything else pastor

was everything else pastor, and we had other part time people. They left.

I got stuck in the rut, you know. Anyway, the point

is is that I used to sing all the time. Well, then after

I left that church, I went to a large church, right, it

was like two thousand on a weekend or something, and so that my old

people would say, hey, do you sing on stage? And so my

answer was always I don't have to, because everybody who's on stage is better

than me. So why would I Why would I ever sing? Right?

And it's sort of been that way for the rest of my entire career.

Yeah, I was worship leader for fifteen years. I do read music.

I do have a music background music degree. But yeah, everybody on our

stage things better than I do. Now. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

yeah, But I every once in a while break out in a little bit

of tune like a little diddy. You do, but you don't, I

don't know. Yeah, why why not? Does Jesus not put a song

on your heart? Jeff? I do have a song in my heart.

I just don't have to break about it all the time. Uh, show

I don't have to show off. You think anybody who sings worship and showing

off not anybody. You're ladies and gentlemen. Jeff is just announced. Jeff

has just announced that our worship leader. It's on stage most of the time

when you show off. Most of the time when you sing, it sounds

like good morning, good morning. So most of the time you're not singing

worship songs on here and singing to the la you're singing show tunes. There's

a big difference. Yeah, that's definitely true. That's true. Okay,

a little diddy. Yeah, so, uh well thanks. If you thought

we were trying to be sneaky and hide it, then why did you just

expose us? Johny right right, yeah, way to go, John.

Well, she's not fan of the day, I'll tell you that, right

right. She ruined it. It's like she just pulled the mask up on

Batman. So so the real answer is we can kind of sing, kind

of sing, yeah, compared to I made a living doing it. But

yeah, you know, my brothers sing. My brother Mark and his family,

they travel full time. He owns a recording studio. My brother Steven,

he travels full time, sings, he owns a recording studio. So

yeah, there's a lot of music in our family. But now I pretty

much just preach and lead. Yeah, I don't do as much singing.

Yeah, and you need to stick with your day job. I do.

I really do. I really do. Okay, Well, thank you for

that. That was fun. So we are in John chapter twenty one.

John's starting to wrap things up here and Jesus appears again yep, to some

more disciples, not all of them, but to some more disciples. In

John twenty one one through fourteen, it says later Jesus appeared again to the

disciples beside the sea Galilee, and this is how it happened. Several of

the disciples were there, Simon Peter Thomas nicknamed the twin Nathaniel from cana and

Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said,

I'm going fishing. We'll come too, they all said, and so

they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At

dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who

he was, and he called out, fellows, have you caught any fish?

No, they replied, and then he said, throw out your net

on the right side of the boat and you'll get some. So they did,

and they couldn't haul in the net because there was so many fish in

it. Then the disciple Jesus Loved said to Peter, it's the Lord.

And when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his

tunic, for he'd stripped for work, and he jumped into the water and

headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net

to shore, for there were only for they were only about one hundred yards

from shore. When they got there, they found a breakfast waiting for them,

fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. Bring some of

the fish you've just caught, Jesus said, So Simon Peter went aboard and

dragged the net to shore, and there were one hundred and fifty three large

fish, and yet the net hadn't torn. Now, come and have some

breakfast, Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, who

are you. They knew it was the Lord, and then Jesus served them

the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to

his disciples since he'd been raised from the dead, which is extremely cool.

I love it. You know, Jesus had prepared the breakfast before he revealed

himself to them. Yes, he had shown up on the shore for a

while while he was preparing. What do you mean he revealed himself while he

was preparing breakfast? Well, I suppose so. But it says wait,

wait, doesn't it say? Okay? It says the others stayed with the

boat and pulled the loaded net into the shore. They were only one hundred

yards from the shore, so they couldn't have taken long. And when they

got there they found breakfast waiting for them, which means it's already prepared.

So how long could it have taken? And you know, they had to

catch fish? So he was standing on shore first. Okay, listen,

there's no way that Jesus was in the middle of cooking breakfast. And then

shouted and then they all they had to do was pull up the net.

No, no, no, no, they had to throw their net on

the other side. So at dawn, Jesus was standing at the beach,

but the disciples couldn't see who he was. He called out, fellows of

cotting fish, no, throw out your net on the other side of the

boat, and so they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because

there's so many fish. Then they realized it's Peter, Peter. They realized

that Jesus Peter jumps in the water, right, and then they have to

come in. When they get in after having thrown their net full no fish.

You know how hard it is to pull in that great big net.

Yeah, it takes probably ten minutes. Throw it over on the other side,

and then now they're struggling trying to get it out. And then they

have to drag this full net that they cannot pull into the boat, They

have to pull it behind the boat, they had to get at the shore,

all that kind of stuff. This could have been thirty minutes. Jesus

could have made a fire and made breakfast in the time. I just don't

be difficult. Yeah, it doesn't matter though, But you know what,

maybe I need to think more about all that it takes than to go fishing.

But I will say this, This is the this is the only time

in scripture that it tells us, for whatever reason, there was one hundred

and fifty three large fish. And they weren't just meeting fish. They were

large, large fish. And have you ever held up and I don't go

fishing often at all, but have you ever held up a string of fish?

And let's just say there's a dozen small fishing there right that is hard

to lift up, right? And so yeah, you're right in that one

hundred and fifty three large fish, you know, And obviously it's it's it

seems like the net should have torn, which is why the scripture says,

and yet the net didn't tear, that's right. So yeah, you're right.

You know what, I bet you it was three hours. That's not

what I was saying. They rode with one hundred and fifty three large fish

and it took them through. He could have been just there fixing breakfast,

yes, when he calls out. In fact, Jesus went home and took

a nap. Yes, and then it came back and then started the fire.

But you know, I love this past. It love this I love

this story. And then it's going to go just a little further in just

a moment right tomorrow, Yes, because he has breakfast and then challenges Peter.

But if you think about it, let's go back the last interaction Jesus,

Jesus and Peter had directly Peter, well besides him appearing twice. Yeah,

but it doesn't say that they like talked directly in that moment. Jesus

talked directly to Thomas, right, we talked directly with Gray Magdalen. But

Peter still is carrying I believe he's still carrying his shame of denying Christ.

I think he's struggling with what is his role now among the disciples. He's

seen the resurrected Lord, which is amazing, but he doesn't seem to have

his call on him. He doesn't feel like he does because he says,

I'm going to go back to the old job by head, right, I'm

going to go back fishing. Literally, that's his phrase. Right, I'm

going fishing, and a bunch of the rest go me too. They didn't.

They didn't know what to do. Now. Now, didn't Jesus just

say two days ago, as the Father sent me, now I'm sending you.

Didn't he just tell them again, I've got a mission for you.

And now Peter doesn't understand what he's supposed to do next, and so he's

going to go back to what he knows. I know, fishing. I'm

going to go back fishing, and six of the others go us. Two,

we're going back. We're going to go fishing with you. And so

we know that Thomas does. We know Nathaniel does. We know that James

and John do. And then there's two others that go go with Peter.

So, you know, a lot of times we're tempted when things get bad,

or when we make a mistake, when we fail, when we sin,

we get tempted to go, Well, it's over for me. I

ruined it. I might as well just go back to doing what I was

doing before. We're tempted to go back with the old friends, a tempted

to go back to the old job, or tempt to go back to the

old lifestyle. And he gave up as if God had given up on him.

And Jesus shows up specifically on shore, and he doesn't bring judgment on

Peter and the rest. He doesn't say, what the heck are you guys

doing out here? Didn't I just say as the Father sent me, so

send ayu? Didn't I just give you those spear He doesn't do any of

that stuff. He's out there fixing breakfast because they've been fishing in the night

time, because this is at dawn, right, they fished all night,

So you know they're thinking, right, So you know they're thinking, oh,

let's right up and get this wrapped up, use him breakfast. I

know whenever I'm coming to the end of a shift, I come to the

end of a day and I'm like, I wonder what we're having for dinner.

On a regular basis, I'll talk to my wife and say, hey,

I'm almost done with work. What are we having for dinner? Right?

I'm so you know that's what they're thinking. Is I wonder what we're

gonna have for breakfast. And so Jesus is anticipating what they're going to be

wanting and needing, and he's prepping for them in a way that is going

to bring satisfaction. And then he calls out to them and says, have

you caught any fish? No? Hey, why don't you throw that on

the other side? Doesn't that feel familiar? Yeah? Right, He's taking

Peter back to where he got Peter's attention the first time, right, right,

He's taking him back to that because in that moment, John, Oh,

wait a minute, I remember that happening before. Send chills down your

spine kind of thing. Wait a minute, that's Jesus, right, because

it says the disciple Jesus loved again John, This, John says to Peter,

And so Peter puts his clothes on, jumps in the water, swims

to shore. In that moment, just the pure joy of that moment,

the eupho you that moment is really incredible. I just love how Jesus decided

to set this issue up. Now tomorrow we're gonna talk about the incredible words

Jesus said, But even just setting up this story is precious to me because

Peter gave up on himself. And Jesus reminded Peter, dude, I called

you the first time, and I might I never changed my mind. And

he calls him back the same way he called in the first time, cast

your net on the other side. Yeah, and think about how many years

ago that was. That was over three years ago. Yeah, and that

was Peter's very first you know, mountain to experience, you know, so

you know, think about how personal this was in every single way Jesus had

first met Peter. Peter was a fisherman, that's what he did. He

was the expert fisherman. He couldn't catch anything. And then when Jesus said

the first time, cast your net over, Jesus or Peter had a rebuttal

in that moment, and Peter said, we just did that an hour ago,

and so I know there's going to be none. But nevertheless, Lord,

since you say so, I'll try it. So he throws it over,

and then of course it almost sinks the boats. It almost thinks the

boats, and that's when it says that he exclaims, my Lord, my

God. Right, So that's that's his that's Peter's very personal you know,

Jesus had met Peter, in connected with Peter and done a miracle in Peter's

world, you know, on such a personal way. And so that was

Peter's big mountaintop experience. And then Jesus called him and said, follow me

and I'll make you fishers. Amen. Right, I've got a mission for

you. Yeah, then just a couple days ago, so he says,

the Father sent me. No, I'm sending you. I'm sending you on

this mission. And Peter didn't feel like he qualified for that mission anymore.

You know, I betrayed. Jesus didn't betray him, but I denied denied

him, And yeah, so I just think it's it's just there's a beauty

in here where when he shouts out from the shore and says, cast it

over on the right side, it is. It is a callback for every

great thing. And you're right. I do believe that the reason probably why

Jesus did this is because he was sending a message to Peter. Even though

you fail, I still love you. I remember, I remember who you

are. I know that you remember who I am. And so let's go

back to that original relationship that we had. Even though that you know you've

strayed, even though that you failed, even though that it was a rough

time, and yeah you weren't proud and you're ashamed and all those things,

which is a great reason why Peter would have been so excited that he's like,

hey, I'm not gonna take I'm not going to wait the seven hours

is going to take to row one hundred yards you know where Jesus, you

know, cooked breakfast and then lunch and dinner, then reckless again, right,

Peter's like, no, I'm swimming in now. You go now.

And by the way, one hundred yards is a lot to swim, it

is. Yeah. So you know, sometimes people will feel like, you

know, you've been on this amazing spiritual journey and then life comes crashing down

around you, either because of your own choices or because the circumstances that were

out of your control. Life collapses around you. You have some massive disappointments.

Maybe you feel like you've disappointed God. What do you do? And

almost every time I recommend to people go back to where you got started with

Jesus. You know, maybe not physically, but get back there. What

were you thinking and doing then? What were the steps that you took Then,

so Peter goes back to where he met Jesus. He's out fishing,

he doesn't really know what to do. And Jesus met him where they first

met each other. And a lot of times, you know, we make

things really complicated. Over those three or four five years, ten years that

you've been walking with the Lord, you've added all these things, all these

Bible studies and these ministries and these friends and all these things. Then the

world comes crashing down and this complicated Christian life isn't manageable for you, and

so you don't know what to do. Go back to the simple part when

when you first met Jesus, you know, you were excited to tell other

people. You wanted your friends to know you, just you wanted to know

everything Jesus said. You want to spend time in the Word. You Most

of the time, most brand new Christians are relatively comfortable talking to God just

you know, in simple, simple terms. And then we complicate it with

big, fancy prayers and deep Bible studies and we do all these things,

and then it sometimes can begin to fade. Go back to where you met

Jesus and he'll meet you there. Yeah, that's good. And then also

there's another lesson too. We're in here, we're as we're talking about peter

evolving relationship with God, and we're talking about the mountaintop experience when he first

met Jesus Versus. Now, this interaction that he's having and about to have

with Jesus, it reminds me also that marriage the institution of marriage, God

tells us, and Paul actually says it that and other places where marriage was

designed as an institution by God to be a reflection of our relationship with our

heavenly Father. Right and so, And we may not be an expert,

we don't think in our relationship with our heavenly Father. But the one thing

that we do know a lot about if we've been married for thirty years,

like you and I have been, right, is that not to each other,

not to each other, we have been married to our own individual wives.

Yes, that's correct. Here's what I'm trying to say. I'm trying

to say that love matures and gets deeper and better, That's what I'm saying.

I'm saying that the longer you're married, you cannot ever replicate those first

two years when you were dating Bonnie. Right, that whole like you know.

Even C. S. Lewis talks about this when he talks about it

in his book The Main One, The Big One Christianity, Yes, mere

Christianity. When he talks about he says, he says, how could a

couple ever uh be expected to live in the fire and passion of when they

were dating? He said, how in the world can a couple ever experience

that, you know, all their entire marriage, of the relationship. He

says, the bottom line is is you can't. Right, So love then

becomes a choice, it becomes deeper, it becomes you know, And so

he talks about being in love versus uh, choosing love, and he says,

being in love is the is merely the explosion that started the relationship of

choosing love, which is awesome. And so anyway, all that to say,

so think about Peter. He may not necessarily when he goes back to

the beginnings and the fun metals, he may not necessarily experience that mountaintop feeling

of euphoria that he first had with Jesus. And a lot of times,

you know, that's what we want to do. We want to say,

oh I just I seem to have lost the joy of my salvation or you

know, I wish I could go back and feel the way I was when

I very first you know, came to know Christ. Well, if you

think about it, marriage is a reflection of a relationship with everything Father.

Yeah, it may not be that way, but it's better now. It's

more mature, right, there's more pain, there's more struggle, it's deeper,

it's richer, there's more commitment, there's more choice. You know,

you've learned more, there's more wisdom, you know, and so it's it's

just better, it's richer, and that's what Peter's going to have for the

rest of his life, until he gives up his life. Yes, so

go back and do what you did. If you want what you had there,

you go, right, so that explosion might not come back. But

there are times when you just don't feel like doing a thing. But then

when you start doing the thing, then next thing, you know, you

enjoy doing that thing. And so you know, go back, spend time

with you know, if you're talking about spouses, go back and spend time

with them on the go on dates again, go for walks again, go

to the movies again, go to the restaurant again, go learn to laugh

again, tell stories again, give each other gifts again. If you want

what you had, you have to do what you did. And it's the

same thing spiritually. I believe that if you want what you used to have,

that fire, that enthusiasm. Sometimes you don't feel like it, but

your feelings will follow your actions most of the time. So if you decide

that you're going to lean back in and do the things you used to do,

You're going to learn to pray again, You're going to learn to read

the Bible again, You're going to learn to hang out with new Christian friends

that are talking about the Bible with enthusiasm. You begin doing those things and

next thing you know, you want to do those things again and it'll relight

that fire for you. That's great. Ye. Well, hey, that's

a great place to end. That's our time and so we'll see you next

time on the Bible guys,