A TWOFOLD MESSAGE
Jn 21:6 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.
Background:
Jesus has been crucified & resurrected, showing himself to Mary & the disciples including doubting Thomas.
In Jn Chptr 21:1 it tells us that Jesus appeared to the disciples again by the sea of Tiberias.
& it’s here that Jesus does another miracle but also it’s here Jesus says something very profound!
The bible tells us that the disciples are together hanging about then all of a sudden Peter says, “hey, I’m going fishing”
In essence he was going back to do what he used to do & that was fishing, & as you know, that was his profession, & the disciples said, “well, we’ll go with you!” (Jn 21:3
- Maybe they needed some money & so they all went back to their trade, fishing!
- But the truth is they went back to their old calling!!
-It’s interesting to note that in Luke 5:11, they forsook that old calling to follow Jesus, & become fishers of men but now we see them returning to it!!
- & this as a very powerful understanding to it because many have been saved & have left everything behind (old life) to follow Jesus, & yet in the span of time & disappointment or just plain apathy, you find yourself drifting back to that old calling!!
- Vrse 3 tells us that they went out all night & caught nothing!
John 21:3 "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (NIV)
- The bible tells us that on that morning Jesus was standing on the shore but the disciples didn’t realise that it was Him!!
-& as the disciples were returning getting closer to shore, Jesus shouted out to then, “did you catch any fish?”, & they replied, “No!”
- Jesus shouted out to them & said, “throw your nets out on the right side of the boat & you’ll find some fish!”
- Now many commentators believe that the right side of the boat was facing the shoreline, & every fisherman knows that there are no fish in the water closest to the shore!
- Maybe the norm was to cast the net out on the left side of the boat or into deeper water where the fish were! ( It did’nt make sense to throw the net out over the right = no fish)
- & so maybe they did what they always did & that was throw the net out over the left side of the boat!
- & yet they were obedient & cast their net out on the right side, & the bible says that they caught so much fish that they were unable to pull the fish into the boat!
I. FIRST MESSAGE.
1. Now, here we have a 2 fold understanding & I want concentrate on vrse 6.
Jn 21:6 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.
a.) Now, the bible tells us that the disciple were out all night fishing’ but they did’nt catch any fish!
1.They were out all night, & came back empty handed!
2. They’re discouraged, perhaps afraid, confused & they are tired!
b.) The first message we get from this vrse is that Faith & obedience go hand & hand, & these two together move the hand of God.
1. If we want to see God move in a miraculous way, then we need faith to believe & the obedience to follow it thru!
-The bible teaches us that faith can bring to pass those things that seem impossible!!
Matt 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (NIV)
- Jesus told the father of a boy who was possessed, to have faith & believe for his healing!
Mark 9:22-23 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." (NIV)
-Jesus says, that if you can have faith & believe in the power of God, then the realm of possibility is open to us!!
- Either Jesus is lying or He’s telling a great & awesome truth!!
b.) But also, God’s blessings are contingent on our obedience!
1. Bible teaches us that when we’re obedient, we open our lives to the blessings of God!!
- The bible teaches us that God desires obedience, even over sacrifice!
1 Sam 15:22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (NIV)
- The bible teaches us that obedience causes us to be God’s treasure!
Exod 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
(NIV)
- Thru obedience we find protection!
Exod 23:22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. (NIV)
- Thru obedience we find the total blessing of God on our lives!! Deut 28:1-14 gives us the total package!!
Quote: “The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom, but its master!”
c.) Disobedience has the opposite effect!
1. We see it in the lives of Adam & Eve, Lot, Lot’s wife, Moses (for striking the rock twice), Achan (accursed thing)!
We see it in people of Israel who did’nt enter promised land, we see it in King Saul & on & on!!
I’m not saying that if you disobey God once maybe twice that you’ll lose the blessing & Favor of God on your life!
- But I am saying that if you make it a habit of disobeying God, then you’re going to run into some serious problem!!
Num 14:22-23..not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times--not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No-one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. (NIV)
2. Faith & Obedience go hand in hand!
d.) The disciples tired & weary from fishing all night, had faith & obeyed Jesus & threw their nets over the right side, & they brought in a catch so great that they couldn’t even bring it into the boat!! (too heavy)
- I wonder if Peter had been taken back to another time when they had fish all night & caught nothing & Jesus told him to go back out into the deep & try it again
- & he tried to find excuses not to go, but went anyway & the bible says that he caught a great multitude of fish & their net broke!!
Luke 5:5-6 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 the net.
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. (KJV)
- After the catch John recognized right away that it was Jesus, because he had did it before in Luke 5!
- & he knew that only Jesus had the power to perform a miracle like this!!
- Only Jesus had the power to do the impossible!!!
- & bible says that John said, “It’s the Lord!!!” & Peter Jumped in the water & swam to Jesus!!!
- Faith & obedience go hand & hand!
II. SECOND MESSAGE CHANGE.
1. Now, the bible tells us that the disciple were out all night fishing’ but they did’nt catch any fish!
1.They were out all night, & came back empty handed!
2. They’re discouraged, perhaps afraid, confused & they are tired!
a.) Prior to this the bible tells us that they were just hanging about, idle, doing nothing, probably getting over the effects of Jesus dying & then reappearing & then disappearing again!
-They really did’nt know what to do, & so, Peter says, “I guess I just go back to fishing” back to the same old thing I used to do, they were in a sort of rut!
1. How many of you have ever been in a rut!
-A rut is actually a furrow, or a groove caused by something going over it again & again & again! (wheel or plow)
- It’s fixed or established mode of procedure or course of life, usually dull or unpromising!
- It’s basically getting stuck in the same thing or going over the same thing gain & again & again!
2. That’s the position we were in before we were saved, before we were Christians we were in a major “rut”!!
The 5 Signs That You’re Stuck In A Rut.
1. Absolutely everything seems harder than it should be. Nothing is easy.
2. You feel like your constantly ending up in the same situation.
3. You lack joy, you lack enthusiasm
4. You worry about everything.
5. Life feels like it’s constant struggle.
-That was us before we came to Christ!!
- Then Jesus came into our lives & caused a profound change & gave us purpose, reason, destiny, a future & A POINT TO ALL THIS!!
-& so there’s no point going back to that, that old life, that old calling!
2. & SO, the second thing this vrse teaches us is about change!!
b.) Now, the bible tells us that the disciple were out all night fishing’ but they did’nt catch any fish!
1. Jesus shouts out to them, “do you have any fish?,” they say, “no”
- & then Jesus shouts out, “why don’t you try something different, why don’t you try throwing your net out on the right side of the boat this time”
- Maybe Jesus was thinking, “hey you’ve been beating a dead horse all night, why not change the way you’re doing things!”
c.) I think as a church we need to find new ways of doing things in terms of outreaching, winning souls & impacting our community!!
1. How many of you want to see this church grow?
- How many of you want to see our church impact our community?
- How many of you want to see our church instrumental in winning souls?
If you do then it’s going to take your participation, your involvement in the new & fresh things that we plan to do as a church!
2. Old outreach = we were beating a dead horse, outreach is good but we found new & fresh ways to get people into church!!
- But we need to continue to find new ways in reaching people or else we’re going to find ourselves stuck in a rut!
2. Spiritual Rut.
a.) Did you know that you can find yourself in a spiritual rut.
-Doing the same thing over & over but not expecting anything great to happen!
- I believe one of the reasons for this is because we’ve lost the heart to risk, to go beyond, go past, go further, to venture out & undertake by faith!!
2. Many times our walk with God can become dull & lifeless because we lost the heart to take a risk by faith!
- God is telling us to throw our nets on the right side of the boat, but we’re scared because we don’t like change, besides we’ve always thrown our nets out on the left side of the boat!!
b.) We need to follow Peter’s example = He actually got out of a boat & walked on water!!
1. Peter got tired of hearing about faith & decided to practice faith!!
2. Matt 14 the bible tells us that the disciples are on a boat & Jesus comes walking to them on the water!!! (now that’s got to stir your heart)
- The disciples think it’s a ghost, & Jesus tells them “don’t be afraid it me, Jesus!”
- & so Peter wants to try something different & says, “Lord if it’s you command be to come to you!
Matt 14:28-29 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. (NIV)
- I know you’ve heard this story a million times, but maybe it’s time to stop hearing & start doing!!
- Are there any water-walkers in here this morning?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Because we need some water-walkers who are not afraid of doing something different, some thing risky, something wild like getting out of the boat!!!
c.) Sometimes we find ourselves in a spiritual rut when we stop praying & talking to God, and reading our bibles!
- In that place you find yourself slipping back into your old ways!
1. Absolutely everything seems harder than it should be. Nothing is easy.
2. You feel like your constantly ending up in the same situation.
3. You lack joy, you lack enthusiasm
4. You worry about everything.
5. Life feels like it’s constant struggle.
- You need to go back to the beginning, remember where you come from & what God brought you out of!!
- & start searching & serving God with a greater zeal & you’ll start to be refreshed!
3. Ruts.
a.) There are many ruts we get stuck in.
1. We get stuck in the relational rut.
- That’s when we have conflict with the same person over & over again.
- You’re ok with every one else except this one person or persons!
3. The sin rut.
- That’s when you keep doing things that you know you shouldn’t be doing!
b.) How do I get out of the rut I’m in.
1. By faith & obedience to God, in other words you know what God wants you to do, so do it!
- Jesus told the disciples to throw their net out on the right side of the boat & that’s exactly what they did!
- For some of you God wants you to get involve in a greater way, then do it, take a step of faith & get involved in ministry in church!
-For some of you God wants you to do a specific thing, but your afraid, but don’t be afraid, take a risk, do something different, be a water-walker!!
- Listen, if you’ll respond in faith & obedience, God will bless your life!
