Good morning. My name is Justin Pillsbury. It is a pleasure to be with you again. Thank you for the opportunity to preach, to open the Word of the Lord together. In a moment, we will stand as we read John 21. So if you have your Bibles in hand, you can go ahead and start turning there. And in a moment, we'll talk a little bit about the Book of John just to give a brief overview. But one, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support of RUF, not just with resources of money, but also I know Ryan has taught, has led Bible studies, but we also want to say the new RUF campus minister, John Gordy, and his family, he's got two younger girls, but a great guy had the opportunity, it was probably ten years ago, there was a similar to RUF training, there's RYM, Reformed Youth Ministries, We would take our students to camps there, and then they would also do training, and so I had the opportunity to get to know John there, and so when I saw his name, got to see him a couple months ago. It's always neat to see how the Lord provides for His church, and specifically for the ministry at UT Tyler and TJC through RUF, so we'll look forward to y'all getting to know them and your continued support of RUF. Well, a few things real quick about the Book of John. I love the book of John because it puts Jesus clearly before us. One of the ways in which I've talked about it before that's helpful to think about if you're familiar with that concept of a hall of fame. You know, whether it's a music hall of fame and as you go through that hall of fame they have, you know, a specific guitar that a musician used or it was this outfit that they wore. Sometimes I also love is they'll do these You know, they'll have different people that will narrate for you as you go through. You put the headphones on, and one of the things, sometimes it's, you know, Morgan Freeman and his great voice. Or you have Matthew McConaughey who even made beef sound interesting with those commercials years back. You know, as we lived in Birmingham, Atlanta was right down the road, the College Football Hall of Fame was there. And so we would take our boys, and as you did that, they'd have these different video footages showing, here's why these individuals were so great. Here's why they deserve to be here. And it would be these images over and over again. John's doing something similar. But what He's doing is He's taking us through these different scenes in Jesus' life. And He's saying, I want you to see Jesus. That He is the promised Messiah. That He is the Son of God. That He's the one who will turn our gaze which so naturally goes towards evil, He'll turn that gaze and stop our wild careers. And one of the things I also love about John is he tells us specifically why he writes this book. A lot of times students are taught, hey, find the thesis, find the main point. What is this about? John clearly states it when he says this in John 20, 30 and 31. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written. so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that by believing, you may have life in His name." So let us stand now, and then after reading John 21, we'll sing the Gloria Patri. Hear the Word of the Lord, John 21. After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas, called twin, Nathaniel from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples were together. I'm going fishing, Simon Peter said to them. We're coming with you, they told him. They went out and got into the boat. But that night they caught nothing. When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Friends, Jesus called to them, you don't have any fish, do you? No, they answered. Cast the net on the right side of the boat, he told them, and you'll find some. So they did. And they weren't able to haul it in because of the large number of fish. The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, it is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him, for he had taken it off, and plunged into the sea. Since they were not far from land, about 100 yards away. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. When they came out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish lying on it and bread. Bring some of the fish you just caught, Jesus told them. So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, 153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Come and have breakfast, Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? Because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, he said to him. You know that I love you. Feed my lambs, he told him. A second time, he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, Lord, he said to him. You know that I love you. Shepherd my sheep, he told him. He asked him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved. They had asked him a third time, do you love me? He said, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. Feed my sheep, Jesus said. Truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don't want to go. He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, follow me. So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following him, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, Lord, who is the one that's going to betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about him? If I want him to remain until I come, Jesus answered, what is that to you? As for you, follow Me." So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that the disciples would not die. And Jesus did not tell them that He would not die. But if I want Him to remain until I come, what is that to you? This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. And we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Please be seated. Well, the first thing that we see from this passage that comes in the first eight verses, the day breaks and the shadows flee away. This was a portion of a benediction I heard many times while sitting under the teaching of our senior pastor in Jackson, Mississippi. And one of the things I always loved about this benediction is it was reminding us of that truth that dominates Scripture. The light makes the darkness run away. And in this passage, we have the disciples doing what comes so natural to many of them, fishing. As they make their journey back to shore with empty nets, John is kind enough to include this in verse four. Just as the day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore. What a picture. I mean, what a picture. The Son of God standing on the shore, they don't know it at that time, as the sun is rising. And I would venture to say there's not as many people who see the sun rise as see the sun set. They're both majestic, but there's something truly spectacular about watching the sun rise, watching that darkness flee away. And there was a time in my life where I got to see the sun rise five days a week. And it actually happened where it does for most people, in college, where you get up really early all the time. Just kidding. Usually that's the furthest thing from the truth. But I had practice five mornings a week. Four of those mornings is at 5.15 a.m., and then Sunday morning is at 7 a.m. So as we go out there for that short little eight to 10-mile run, I had the opportunity over that stinky, slimy Trinity River to get to see the sun rise, to see the darkness flee away. And every time I got to see that sun rise, it was a reminder of the one who chases away the darkness that plagues our souls. And so as the day breaks and the shadows flee away, the other thing we see in this passage is a childlike faith on display. We're told in verse 4, the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus on the shore. As they hear that voice from a distance and what any fisherman doesn't want to hear with the kind of expedition they had, hey, did you catch anything? And you got to love the humor of scripture here, because I mean, look at verse six with what Jesus says. Hey, cast the net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some. And surely as experienced fishermen and fishermen by trade, they've probably got to be muttering under their breath. Who does this bystander think he is? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just cast it on the other side. That's all you got to do. And you're going to catch all these fish. But then it would have been priceless to have seen their faces as they feel that overwhelming weight of that net as the fish begin to fill it up, 153 of them. And one of the things that I find fascinating about this passage is up until Jesus arrived, this was a fishing expedition that no one wanted to remember, especially experienced fishermen. But once Jesus arrived, It was that expedition that no one would ever forget. Because when Jesus arrives, everything changes. And that is why John, that disciple whom Jesus loved, yells with conviction in verse 7, it's the Lord! And then Peter follows that declaration by jumping into the sea and making that nearly hundred-yard trek back to Jesus. For some of you who are old enough to have seen Forrest Gump, you can think of images, you know, Forrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan, Lieutenant Dan, as he's jumping off the boat and the boat just keeps going. Peter is out of his mind excited. And the thing is we know as an adult man and as I know adult males, we are not easily excitable. A lot of times our wives are saying, can you show a little bit of emotion? Can you show a little bit of joy, just something? It takes something pretty spectacular to get men in a sense off the couch and in movement and especially to jump in the water with their clothes on. Maybe it's a wedding day that gets a guy excited. You know, maybe it's a job promotion. Maybe it's the honeymoon. Maybe it's when our team scores that touchdown to win the game at the end. But the idea is that it has to take something pretty spectacular to get us to move. But again, catch who it is that's jumping into the water. It's Peter, the same man who denied Jesus three times in his darkest hour. in a lot of ways thinking, how could a man who deserted his leader and friend in the moment he needed him the most even show his face again, let alone run toward him with such confidence and such enthusiasm? Because most men will do anything we can to avoid the individual we've wronged. You know, you can think back to those junior high or high school days if you were there. If you broke up with this girl or someone broke up with her, the thing that the guy does is he turns and walks away or he ducks into the bathroom real quick so he doesn't even have to see that individual. But here you have Peter acting like a giddy junior high girl, hyperventilating as the boy she's crushing on, texts her, follows her on Instagram, likes her post. On the span of a minute, Peter's that excited. He ran to Jesus because he grasped the gospel in his bones. Peter knew that with every breath he took, he deserved the wrath of God. But what he also knew is that Jesus removed that wrath by loving his heart to death and removing his sin as far as the East is from the West. And for us, it brings that question, have we realized that? Do we get it in our bones that we deserve the wrath of God with every breath? But that wrath will never touch us. In fact, it won't even singe the hairs on our body because Jesus loved our hearts like Peter's to death. Peter had every reason to walk around with failure tattooed across his forehead. And in a sense, you can almost even hear Satan whispering in his ear, you're not good enough, man. Jesus, he even told you that you were going to deny me and just still did it. There's no way. There's no way he could forgive something like that in his darkest hour. And the thing is, there's many of us who walk through life listening to the enemy's lies. You're not good enough. No one's going to love someone like you. If they really saw everything that we did, they'd be running for the hills. And yes, the gospel tells us that we are terrible. Go to Romans. It tells very clearly how terrible we really are. But the gospel doesn't leave us there. It tells us that there's been something done about our wretched condition. And one of the things that we would tell students for 15 years is we would say every time we got up, we would say, we believe you're never so bad that you're beyond the reach of God's grace and never so good that you don't stand in utter need of God's grace. Peter knew that better than he ever had, that he and no one else was beyond the reach of God's grace. when we know it, when we feel it in our bones that we aren't beyond the reach of God's grace, the heart begins to change in ways that it's never changed before. It sings a new song because it knows that there's this deep and abiding joy that wasn't there. And then the one thing that that also begins to happen is we begin to extend that long-reaching arm of God's grace to those we encounter. Because one of the things that we know The world in which we live is in desperate need of what the church of Jesus Christ offers. Love, hope, peace. Because as sure as the sun will rise to chase away the night, His mercy will never end. And we are more loved than we could ever know. And that is why sinners, sinners like us, We can dine with the Savior. And that's the second thing we see in verses 9 through 14, breakfast with Jesus. Does it get any better than this? Breakfast with Jesus by a campfire on the beach overlooking the sea. I would imagine at some point we've probably all been asked, hey, throughout history, who are the top three individuals that you would like to sit and have a meal with? And there's probably all sorts of names that we have given and folks that would be fascinating to sit down with. But I have to think this right here would be the best. I mean, just imagine that. Sitting around the warmth of the fire as it crackles, the fish are cooking, people are relaxed as they visit with one another, and the host, is the resurrected Jesus. And notice there too in verse 9 that Jesus is the host. He already has the meal prepared. Verse 9 tells the charcoal fire was in place with the bread there and the fish that the disciples did not catch without Jesus cooking. Jesus didn't need them for the food. But He was there using it as a subtle reminder to the disciples. Jesus doesn't need our efforts for us to come to Him. And verse 12 says this, come and have breakfast. This invitation is Jesus reminding the disciples, I will feed you. I will sustain you. Your efforts alone will not do. You can't do this on your own. You are fishermen by trade. I mean, you think about this. They are fishermen by trade, and if they had trusted in their skills that day, they would not be eating in this moment. The only reason they are enjoying that meal in that setting and at that time is because Jesus supplied everything. And as Christians, the only way we're able to be sustained as we talk in a minute about feeding the sheep is by Christ sustaining us. is by trusting in Christ accomplished work for us. This passage, it's a reminder. No amount of expertise, strength, or human wisdom is enough. We need Jesus, and we need Jesus' humility to clothe us. And that brings us to the third and final thing. Love me and feed my sheep, as we see from the rest of the passage, verses 15 through 25. You know, if, if you say if this were a movie, this is the part of the movie where it's been showing the whole campfire scene, but now that camera begins to zero in on a conversation between Jesus and Peter. And I'm sure there were plenty of conversations, you know, at this beachside breakfast, but this is the one that John zeroes in on. because He wants us to see that Jesus is the Messiah. This is the one God sent to save us. He really is the Son of God. And isn't it usually post-meal when the really good conversations happen? It may be going from the dining room table to the living room and the hot coffee is poured and the desserts are shared. And it seems like a lot of times in those moments that that's where the conversations deepen. The conversations get even better. And as they finish breakfast, Jesus turns to the man who jumped into the water to greet him. And it's a conversation that highlights the unmerited favor and kindness of our God. In this conversation, one of the things it also displays is repetition is important. You know, I think I said it when we were going through First John, you get a lot of repetition for those of you that are in school now or about to take finals or just taking them. When the teacher says something over and over and over again, that's where you're like, I need to know that. I'm going to see that again. And here, with Jesus, he repeats two things three times in a span of three verses, between verses 15 and 17, where he says, do you love me? And says something along the lines, depending on your translations, feed my sheep, shepherd my sheep, tend my sheep. And that first thing that Jesus asks, he says, Peter, do you love me? And kind of for us, first glance with human eyes, we're thinking, hey, Jesus, the man just jumped in the water for you. You know, it's kind of one of those things like, you know, if you have your daughter and, you know, she's the one on the shore and the guy jumps in the water, swims to her, embraces her, you're kind of thinking, okay, yeah, he's probably digging her. He probably likes her. And so with our human eyes, we're thinking, yeah, Jesus, I think he loves you. But the thing is, Jesus knows Peter's heart. And his heart is a lot like our hearts. It talks a big game. We're saying, yes, Lord. Yes, Lord, I do love you. I love you. But when suffering and when pain and when possible persecution comes, we can have a tendency to run for the hills. So Jesus is asking this because he's not unsure if Peter loves him. He's asking this for Peter's benefit. Entirely for Peter's benefit. He's building Peter up because the last time and if you want you can flip back real quick John 18 18 The last time that Peter was near a charcoal fire It's when he denied Jesus three times And now Peter is sitting near a charcoal fire with the resurrected Jesus and He's repeating his love for Jesus He's not denying him Do we see how gracious our God is in this passage? He even redeems a moment for Peter because before Jesus ascends into heaven, Peter's last memory of a charcoal fire with Jesus is with him declaring his love and not denying him in his darkest hour. But just imagine what that is doing for Peter's heart, mind, and soul as God was preparing him to build a church that the gates of hell will never prevail against. And then Jesus proceeds to tell Peter, hey, here's how your earthly life's going to end in verses 18 and 19. You know and then I love afterwards he tells him here's how it's going to end and then hey follow me. Essentially saying your death is going to be gruesome. You're not going to die peacefully in your sleep at a ripe old age. What Jesus is doing is he's preparing him for the road ahead because at times it is going to feel like God is slaying Peter. as his life gets brutal. And Jesus is the only one who will be able to sustain him. God is saying, Peter, you need to remember you love me. But even more important than that, you need to remember my love for you. Because that will see you through the darkest of days as I build my church through you. The second thing we see repeated in those three verses is that feed, tend or shepherd my sheep. And the only way we can feed the sheep as Christians is by the sustaining love of Christ. And it's knowing how sweet the name of Jesus sounds. Because when as a Christian, we know how sweet the name of Jesus sounds. It will move us to feed, tend, and shepherd the sheep. Because the Christian will have manna and rest for their weary soul. They'll have a shield and a hiding place as the days get difficult and dark at times. They will enjoy boundless stores of grace. And God will enable us to proclaim His love with every fleeting breath as one day our souls will be refreshed in death. So until the day breaks and the shadows flee away for all time, let us be sustained by his loving and gracious hand as we proclaim Christ crucified to a lost, dying, and hurting world. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that in your kindness you give it to us. And Lord God, that we see the depths to which you love your children. And we see that on display with Peter. Thank you, Lord God, that you are a God who will even redeem moments as you have completely redeemed our hearts. And Lord God, I pray that you would remind us, Lord God, of the boundless stores of grace that are there for us. And Lord God, pray that you would sustain and carry us. Lord God, with every fleeting breath, so that Lord God, this world that you've placed us in, Lord God, we know the depths and the heights of your love. It is in your name that we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.