2 Fires, 3 denials and 3 I love you’s!

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Just when you think you got it all figured out… then you blow it - big time. And you run from God in confusion… and he still blesses you, and he still provides for your…and he still instructs you.. and he still pursues you…

 

 

John 21

2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

12 “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. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

I like to call this Monday morning grace…

You started with a pretty good week that suddenly takes a huge turn for the worse - of course it’s your fault. And when you wake up a week later Monday morning… you would have never expected to be sitting with Jesus over breakfast, being blessed, loved and instructed….

 

You gotta love the disciples… they tried right? They gave 3 years to this Jesus dude, they trusted him… and now he gets crucified… We think he came back from the dead, but we are just confused… what is going on. So lets do what we do- go back to work. Got back to what  we know to do - FISH!

And God comes to them… HE COMES TO THEM! 

He does not chastise them, he does not preach to them, he does not ask “what happened? what about following me”. He does’t even question why they went back to fishing… in fact just the opposite.

And in a simple display of grace he not only shows them how to fish, how to be blessed, but has their needs taken care of all along - breakfast is served. Then he talks to Peter and addressed the elephant in the room… Do you love me. he asks this 3 times, not because Jesus didn’t believe it - but rather to reveal to Peter his own heart. 

Here Peter in front of a fire relives the scene just a few days earlier where he was in front of a fire in a courtyard outside the high priests house…and for the third time he denied Jesus. Now in this setting in front of a fire with Jesus he gets to experience Gods forgiveness and love for him. 

In the middle of giving up… Peter finds himself back at his old job… and Jesus tells him - this is not what I have for you - you are not to fish, you are to feed my Lambs, take care of my sheep and feed my sheep.

But notice Jesus doesn’t say this to Peter, set things right and then bless him, NO NO NO… Jesus pursues Peter, reveals himself to him through financial gain, wisdom, fellowship and breakfast… 

Remember Gods kindness leads us to repentance. 

Today if you are feeling like you are back to square one… Understand that God is still pursuing you…God is there asking you “do you still love me” Because he sure as heck still loves you