Open up your Bible, if you would, to the gospel of John. The last chapter, John chapter 21, and we will read the first 14 verses. John chapter 21, beginning at verse One. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And on this wise, showed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, we also go with thee. And they went forth and entered into a ship immediately. And that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. And then Jesus saith unto them, children, have ye any meat? They answered him, no. And he said unto them, cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, it is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship, for they were not far from land, but as it were 200 cubits, dragging the net with the fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon and bred. Jesus saith unto them, bring of the fish which you have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, 153, and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? Knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead. Title of the message this afternoon is Sea Change on the Sea of Galilee. Sea Change on the Sea of Galilee. That term, sea change, Perhaps we know it in its common vernacular rather than from Shakespeare where it finds its origin. But a sea change is a significant transformation in the corporate world, in the business world, in the finance world. This is the new buzzword that has replaced paradigm shift. Now they call it a sea change. But again, this phrase means a significant change, an alteration, a metamorphosis. And I believe on the Sea of Galilee, in those events that immediately led up to them being on the lake, perhaps even during that night of fruitless toil, certainly in the morning when they recognized the Lord, I think certainly for those disciples in the boat a sea change occurred for them. The Lord using this miracle, this appearance of himself to solidify several things in their life, to remind them, to teach them and there was this culminating sea change. for the disciples. You know, the Lord is changing your life as well. It is God who is working in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. Not all the changes in your life wrought by the Lord will necessarily be sea changes, that is dramatic life altering Some will be because it's infinite, sovereign, omnipotent God who is working in you. That could be a scary thought. It could be a welcome thought. Maybe both of those at the same time. Nevertheless, God is working in us. But to understand and appreciate the sea change in these disciples, I would like to consider with you, and I believe you have the outline in your bulletin. First of all, the fact that the disciples do not recognize Jesus from verse four. And then from verse seven, where they do recognize him and they say, it is the Lord. And then finally, we're going to look at the sea change, changes that occurred in the life of the disciples. So, first of all, the disciples do not recognize Jesus. Verse 4 says, When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. The word for know is the word that means to discover or discern by any by any of the senses and that word not is an absolute negative. In other words, they absolutely did not know it was the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not know him. Now I believe, humanly speaking, there's several things that we could think about that would suggest to us that they should have known Jesus Christ. I think there should have been an immediate recognition in these events that led up to finally realizing who it was. I think there's these flags or warnings that would have told them that it was in fact Jesus. Now, verse 2 reminds us that some of these were apostles, there were some that did not have a name, we don't know who they were. There were seven there, there should have been 11, but there were seven there. But in thinking of terms of the apostles, why should they have known that it was the Lord? Well, I think they should have known it was Christ because they lived with him for three and a half years. They heard the teaching. They saw the miracles. They heard him pray. They saw how he interacted with others. They knew the tone of his voice. You cannot live with someone for three and a half years and not recognize them. He was only 200 cubits away, 100 yards from the pulpit here to the red curb in the parking lot. If I were to see any of you that far away, I would know who it is. They did not recognize him. Secondly, they should have known him because he had already appeared to them. We read in verse 14, this was now the third time he had appeared to them. He had appeared twice before. Thirdly, don't you find it odd this question that the master asked them? Children, do you have any meat? This word for children does in fact mean little child or young child or simply child. These were robust fishermen that knew what it meant to make a living out on the rough seas, catching fish, hauling them in a net, hauling them to shore and dealing with them as a product to sell. Children, do you have any meat? I don't know if he would go down to any of the fishing docks in the Bay Area and see those rough and tough fishermen and say, children. And why did he say, do you have any meat? You would think he would say, have you caught anything? How's the fishing? What are you using for bait? Although I guess they were using nets. Again, this word meat is a word that actually signifies fish as a condiment to bread. It's fish that's usually salted or dried. I think this very question should have triggered something in the minds of the apostles and disciples who were out on the lake. Especially if you look through the Gospels, how the Lord spoke as he asked questions. Remember that verse where it says, never a man spoke like this man. And that was in the context where soldiers were going to take him and arrest him early on in the ministry. And even they could not approach him to take him. He had a way of answering questions. He had a way of asking questions. He had a divine authority. He had a tone in his voice. Never a man spoke like this man. And here these fishermen are out fishing all night, catching nothing. Children, do you have any meat? And it appears they do not even stop to think about the question. They do not stop to evaluate their situation from a spiritual standpoint. His inflection, his tone. Would you not like to hear Christ speaking audibly? What do you suppose his voice sounded like? The God-man speaking a language that you could understand. It had to be accompanied with pathos and love and discernment and all those qualities of the Godhead as he spoke a word. They should have known him because his appearance was not that much different than before the resurrection. When he appeared in Luke 24, And they first thought they saw a ghost. He said, handle me, touch me, behold my hands and my feet, see that it's me. And then again he said, do you have any meat? Although that's a different word in the Greek. But he was showing that he was in fact the same Jesus Christ that they had known. So though there was an alteration in his physical appearance, It was the same Jesus Christ, though risen. So, the disciples, the apostles do not recognize the Lord. I think it's a remarkable fact. I thought to myself, I wonder how many times I, how many times we have failed to recognize the Lord. intersecting our life with his providence or speaking to us through his word. They did not know that it was Jesus. Next, under this heading, we have to ask the obvious question. When you read that verse four, I hope some question immediately comes to your mind. Why didn't they recognize the Savior? Let me give you just a couple of reasons from the human standpoint. First of all, they were not entirely obedient to the Lord. What in the world were they doing out there fishing on the lake all night long when in fact Jesus had given them specific instructions repeatedly to meet him on a mountain in Galilee not on the lake. When the Lord instituted the Lord's Supper in the upper room where every word that he spoke seems to have had a double weight to it he said, after I am risen I will go before you into Galilee. The angels at the sepulcher told his disciples, said, go quickly tell his disciples that he goeth before you into Galilee as he has said. And that angelic message to that woman on the road reminding them that though he had appeared already in Jerusalem on the first two days that he was going to meet them. in Galilee on that mountain that he would show them. And as I mentioned, of the 11 apostles, there are only seven here. So they may not have recognized him because they were not entirely obedient to the Lord's word, to what the Lord said. And they might not have been able to recognize him just through human perplexity or despondency. Maybe their minds were taken up with their future, their troubles, their uncertainty, their distress. How would you feel if the Messiah who you had lived with for three and a half years was now gone away? That would be distressing. I mean, what do you do? It might have been that they were not looking for him. Do you look for Christ in every providence, in every preached word, in every prayer that you say, in every meditation that you scripturally try to call God's word to you? Do you think that Christ will actually meet with you there or is it sometimes just duty, sometimes just to assuage a conscience? Maybe they were in fact not looking for him. I believe there's other reasons but let me just mention one more that will lead to our second point and I think the ultimate reason is that Jesus chose to reveal himself to them through a particular event in a predetermined pattern according to his perfect will. There are other instances in the Bible where God is in the midst and people do not understand or realize it. How about the patriarch Jacob in the book of Genesis? It wasn't until after God opened up heaven he saw the ladder and God spoke to him that Jacob said, surely the Lord Jehovah is in this place and I did not even know it. Or on the road to Emmaus. Those two disciples walking with Christ himself and they asked Christ the most absurd question, are you a stranger in Jerusalem? I guess spiritually he was a stranger in Jerusalem, was he not? But the scripture then develops for us. It says, their eyes were holden so they would not know him. And then later in the breaking of bread, then their eyes were opened so they would know him. Ultimately, this is why the disciples and the apostles did not recognize Jesus Christ on the shore. Jesus wanted to reveal himself in a certain way at a certain time to drive home to culminate his earthly ministry of teaching to them. Secondly, Jesus does reveal himself to his disciples. I'd like to say a brief word about revelation just by way, I'm sure, of reminder. Jesus Christ, as he reveals himself, does so in a way where he has to manifest his power or his glory. It's not simply that the disciples saw a physical representation of Jesus Christ, but he manifested himself. He opened their eyes. He revealed himself to them. This is what happened when John said, it is the Lord. His eyes were opened by God himself. And verse one, if you noticed what verse one said, after these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. And on this wise, he showed himself. God must reveal himself to us. Revelation is a divine activity. Jesus had, in his earthly ministry, showed many different ways through revelation that he was God. He forgave sins. He showed himself on the Mount of Transfiguration. Plain words, he said, I am. He was known in the breaking of bread. He revealed himself in the miracles that he did. But in all of these ways and many other ways, he is taking the initiative to reveal himself to the disciples rather than they discovering him. Jesus said this, all things are delivered to me of my father and no man knoweth the son who the son is but the father, and who the father is but the son, and to whom the son will reveal him." So the Lord can be 200 cubits, 100 yards away, and they cannot discern him. He can then speak, transmitting with his voice something of himself to them out on the lake, They can hear the words, they can understand the words, they still do not know it's him. But then the miracle, and they put two and two together, and Christ has revealed himself in this multifaceted way. Then we have the question, children, do you have any meat? We already looked at the uniqueness of that question. Here Christ is, I believe, showing pity on these fishermen who have toiled all night out on the lake, throwing that net out, hauling it in with nothing in the net, hauling it on this side, casting it on that side, perhaps moving the boat here, moving the boat there, dealing with the elements, the water, Perhaps the cold, certainly the darkness. This night scene of fruitless toil is disappointing at best. Multiple sites for fishing, wakefulness, net always coming up empty, not a single fish. And so he addresses them as children. I think commiserating with their predicament, showing some tenderness, perhaps awakening their response with this love that he is communicating. After the question, a command, cast the net on the right side with the promise and you shall find. Again, I believe there was something of divine authority that accompanied those words. The fisherman did not know who he was. He could have been a meddling bystander. What does he know about fishing? But there was something in his voice where they did it. And of course, as you know from the narrative, they find a catch of fish. They are in the middle firsthand of this tremendous miracle. of a catch of fish, a miracle with spiritual significance, a miracle that is displaying his sovereignty and his omnipotence, a miracle that is going to in fact culminate in this sea change for the disciples. It is the Lord. It is God working. So what is the sea changes that occur in the lives of these disciples? I'd like to ask you to turn to one of the passages this afternoon in Luke chapter five and this will help us understand what the Lord is doing in the lives of these disciples. This was a similar account. that happened at a different time in the ministry of the Lord in Luke chapter 5 beginning at verse 4. And as I read it I would like you to notice the differences and the similarities and notice the comparisons and the contrast. Luke chapter 5 beginning at verse 4. Now when he had left speaking he said to Simon, launch out into the deep. and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down thy nets. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and the net broke. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both ships so that they began to sink. And when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus's knees saying, depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished and all that were with him at the draught of the fishes which were taken. And so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed him. We don't have time to highlight all of the similarities, all of the differences, each one with a significant truth. Both of these took place at the Sea of Galilee. In that first verse of chapter John, it's called the Sea of Tiberias. That was the Roman name for the Sea of Galilee. Both of the miracles were preceded by a night of fruitless toil. Both evidenced the supernatural power of Christ. Both were followed by a commission to Peter. In one case, the net broke. In the other case, it did not. One was at the beginning of Christ's public ministry, the other one was at the end of his earthly ministries. When we see John 21 in the context of the disciples not recognizing Jesus, Jesus revealing himself to his disciples, And we understand this similar event from Luke chapter 4 that went on before. I think the changes now in the lives of the disciples are important enough or significant enough to say that, in fact, it's a sea change. It is a new beginning. It is a turning point in their life. Sea change number one, Jesus Christ will no longer be with them in the flesh. In the Luke passage, Jesus was with them in the boat. In the John passage, he's on the shore, he's removed, he's at a distance. Throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ, he was always there to protect them, to encourage them, to teach them, to shepherd them, to provide for them, to intercede for them. How would you like to live with Christ in the flesh for three and a half years? What safety, what assurance, what blessedness. But as he was there in the boat, In Luke chapter 5, now in John chapter 21, he's on the shore. He's directing their efforts from afar. He is somewhat removed from them. I think this change is a big deal. The disciples who had known his actual presence, for those three and a half years, but now he is gone, quote unquote. There had to be some level of discouragement, despondency, maybe they were faithless, peaceless, and joyless. I wonder if the disciples ever thought in John 21 where they're out there laboring in the night, if they ever thought about Christ, if they ever, had any pity parties, if they ever sensed abandonment by the Lord. What's about to become of their ministry? They were to be fishers of men, which I think is infinitely harder than being a fisher of fish. They were supposed to be in the business of catching men, infinitely harder and here as fishermen they can't even catch fish. And Christ is not with them. And this is a change for them. He will no longer be with them in the flesh. But are they ultimately and finally alone? Are they really alone? The Sea of Galilee has 33 miles of shoreline and Jesus Christ is right there in front of them. Of all that 33 miles around that periphery, Jesus could have been. Thirty-three miles is quite a distance. It's 30 miles from here to San Jose. It's 30 miles from here to Tracy. It's a long distance, and yet Christ is right there in front of them. And now the reality of what Christ told them, though they didn't understand it at the time. Nevertheless, I am telling you a truth. It is expedient that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. This great alteration, this metamorphosis was not unplanned. This new dispensation would be characterized not by the physical presence of Christ, of the Lord Jesus in the midst of his people, but the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in a new way, in a more outward way. And now the Holy Spirit would be there to shepherd, intercede, teach, provide, protect. And I believe the disciples up to this point perhaps had no idea what ministry was going to really involve. They were going to go to jail. They were going to be ostracized. They would have to be giving accounts to synagogues and on and on and on. But I believe now, as in the culminating account of John 21, they begin to understand what's about to happen when Jesus is going to ascend on high. Jesus Christ is the only one who can ascend into heaven and yet keep his promise when he said, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. It's a spiritual mystery, but he has kept that promise. Though he ascended on high, though his earthly presence is no longer here upon the world, nevertheless, he said, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. The power of the resurrected Christ has not been diminished. His desire to be in the midst of his people has not waned. But at this point in John 21, a transition has come. Spiritually speaking, he would no longer be in the boat with them. Now he's on the heavenly shore. Nevertheless, ultimately and finally, his presence has not left. His mediating power has not gone away. Perhaps this is one reason why they did not recognize Christ on the shore. I'm speculating if he was in the boat with them, if they could have touched him, maybe they would have recognized him. But Jesus purposefully, remotely instructed them. So, this is one reason I believe why the Lord did it that way. So, this is a big sea change for the disciples. Jesus had said on another account, speaking of ingathering of souls, greater works than these will you see. He was intimating when the Holy Spirit was poured out in the book of Acts that there would be an in-gathering of souls. And do you think that his presence in the midst of his people would be any less effective, any less real, any less apparent? We have not had to make this transition that the disciples had to make from living with the physical Christ to him going away. Nevertheless, he is with us, he is not far from every one of us, his Holy Spirit indwells us. A sea change, a major alteration in the life of disciples. Secondly, sea change number two, there is no hindrance for fellowship with the Lord for the one who loves the Lord in sincerity and truth." No hindrance for fellowship. Notice the stark contrast in the life of Peter. In the miraculous catch in Luke, when he saw this miracle, what does he do? He falls down at Jesus' knees and says, depart from me. I'm a sinful man. He wanted a separation. He wanted a distance because he understood something of the divinity of the son of man and he understood something of his absolute undoneness, his sinfulness. What happens in John? In the Gospel of John, as soon as he finds out it's the Lord, he jumps into the water to get to Christ. And this is a man who not too many days earlier had succumbed to carnal fighting and abandonment and denial of the Lord Jesus Christ. On one account he realizes he is entirely unfit to be in the presence of the Lord and now despite his denials, his abandonment, his resorting to carnal fighting on behalf of the Lord he jumps into the water to swim to be with Christ. This is a sea change, this is an alteration, he understands he can get to Christ and to be with him. He had a desire to be with the Lord, which is far better. In the Luke account, Jesus tried to assuage his fears. He said, Simon, do not fear. Henceforth thou shalt catch men. In the John account, there is something of a reconfirming of Peter's ministry, which we did not read, but he would continue to be a fisher of men and feeding God's sheep. And in reconfirming Peter's ministry, Christ is telling Peter that he has nothing against him. And Peter, I think for the first time, understands what sins forgiven actually mean. They actually have been atoned for and cast into the depths of the sea, put behind God's back, blotted out as a thick cloud. But I can hear someone saying, but what about my sins? My sins are a barrier. But he did pay the price for those, did he not? He says, your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more. And he gave us the prescription for dealing with those day-to-day sins and shortcomings, inviting us to come to him to cast those at his feet, to ask for forgiveness and to manifest repentance. I don't think this is a newsflash, but Christ does not want you to carry those around with you any more than you do. As a matter of fact, Christ has a greater burden that you would be freed from the reality of those. Someone might say, what about the old man? What about the new man? Why don't we focus on the new man? which is after God created in righteousness and true holiness. And he gave you a new heart and he put a new song in your mouth and your mind. The old man has been crucified. Pastor Joe dealt with that when he preached through the book of Romans. But think of the reality. If you could have Peter's reality, understanding there is no hindrance for fellowship with Christ as illustrated by Peter who denied the Lord, who realizes it's the Lord and shows that nothing will stop him. He will go as fast as he can to get into the presence of the Lord. Thirdly and final, the final sea change in the life of the disciples. I believe by the virtue of the resurrection of Christ and the soon coronation of the Holy Spirit being poured out, I think the change is now the disciples were in fact actually fishers of men. In other words, they had graduated from the school of Christ and they were qualified to be evangelists. qualified to be fishers of men. In the Gospel of Matthew, when these apostles were called, Jesus had said in Matthew 4, I will make you fishers of men. And then in the Luke passage, hereafter this you will become fishers of men, you will catch men. And now this third time in a very real yet symbolic way, I believe they are finally equipped to fulfill their ministry as evangelists. The word Galilee means circle or full circuit. They had come back to the beginning in a sense, but they had done so completing the circuit. The divine investment that Christ had made into their lives was now ready to be realized. At the end of Christ's earthly ministry, we understand that everything that he had invested in them, personally showed them, modeled for them, was complete. It was done. It was over. The master teacher had finally finished what he had set out to do. They had been taught true theology. They had continued with him through his trials. They had learned how to pray. They learned how to live out faith, hope, and love. They understood his mission to seek and to save that which was lost. They entered into the ship. They caught nothing. They learned that without Christ, they can do nothing. When the morning was come and Jesus was on the shore, they did not know him. They learned the paradox of being a Christian, yet at times not recognizing the resurrected Christ in his power and glory and purpose. Children, do you have any meat? No. They had learned humility. Cast your net on the right side. They learned obedience. They were not able to draw for the multitude of fishes. They learned something of God's sovereignty and omnipotence in a personal way that affected their personal lives. It is the Lord. They learned to be able to recognize the Lord. And they displayed a true love for the Savior as they show their desire to be with him. Many of us hand out tracks, a good thing. Many of us invite people to church, a good thing. But there is something special, there is an added dimension, there is a Christ-likeness when we are able to actually come alongside an individual and help them into the heavenly kingdom and help them along the way of this Christian pilgrimage. A sea change takes time. But like the unending rhythmic waves of the ocean, Like the power of the sea, like the relentless tide, God is working in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. And it has gospel success written all over it. Gospel success in your life written all over it because it's God who's working in you to will and to do. This miracle was clearly a symbol of gospel success, not only for these disciples toiling out there, but for the church at large. Henceforth, Christ will stand on the heavenly shore. We'll spend many a night in what seems like fruitless toil without profit. But then he will command and the net will become full. On that final day, that net which will not break, that net will be drawn to shore and the success of his kingdom will be complete and glorious beyond all expression. And his faithful servants will in fact see the fruit of their labors and enter into their rest. And as it says in Revelation on that final resurrection morning, sit down with Christ to meet in his everlasting kingdom. I think to some degree or another these three sea changes that are now occurring in the life of these disciples to some degree will happen in the life of the believer. Though Christ, some of those things that we lean on, we put confidence in, in the same way that Christ would no longer be present with them in the flesh. Nevertheless, we now move out in faith, trusting, knowing that his presence is with us by the power of the Holy Spirit. will understand someday, friends, I pray it is soon, someday the reality that Peter understood, nothing can keep you from Christ. Fellowship with Christ is that jewel or that gem that Christ's own should long for and know by experience what it means to enjoy it with no hindrance. And thirdly, Those changes in our life where we realize though we are not perfect, we have not arrived per se, yet now it's this day of new beginning where he has equipped us, he's put us into this field or that field. And God's work in our life, again, has gospel success written all over it because he's doing it. Well, friends, I trust this has been encouraging and edifying and has brought glory to the Lord, this tremendous work that he's doing. Let us pray. Father, we thank you once again for your word. Thank you for this account in the Gospel of John and as it is somewhat mirrored in Luke 5. Oh, might the truths be written upon our hearts, might we reflect upon them. And Father, we pray for each one of us when those dramatic changes occur in our life. even in our Christian experience, our Christian realm, as it were, that Father, we would have the realization that it is you that is working, you completing, directing, orchestrating, instructing. And we, as children of yours, would be obedient, trusting, not faithless but believing. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.