By Hook or By Crook!
John 21:1-19
“Every day is Resurrection Day for a Christian.” Every day we should celebrate the fact of the resurrected Savior. We must be challenged to rise above apathy & mediocrity & to soar to greater heights with our great God. Do we really love Jesus? Really? Has Jesus made a difference in your life, or is it the same old stuff on a different day? At the time of this Scripture passage, as far as the world was concerned, nothing had changed. Tiberius was still the emperor in Rome. Pontius Pilate was still the governor of Judea. The Sadducees & the Pharisees were still fighting among themselves. Jerusalem was still Jerusalem. As far as the world knew, nothing had changed, everything was exactly the same.
But the world was wrong, because the resurrection of Jesus made a difference. It made a difference in the lives of the disciples of Jesus. The men & women who followed the resurrected Christ were never the same again. To them every morning was an Easter sunrise! The world might have looked the same, but the way in which they lived in that world would never be the same again, for Jesus was alive! Every day was Easter! He had won the victory over sin & death. Thus, Paul could write, "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ, our Lord." Looking at the early church it had a spirit of excitement & joy in serving the Lord & advancing the Kingdom of God throughout the world. The Holy Spirit used them & sent them throughout the known world spreading the gospel. They were ready & willing to serve wherever & go to any area the Lord chose to send them. Language posed no barrier. How many of you are bilingual? I often wish I would have learned another language. I remember my Dad & grandparents speaking Italian. My mom would get upset b/c she had no idea what they were talking about. I often have trouble with English. There are times when I am somewhat grammatically challenged. I may use the wrong tense or phraseology, so I make up my own! It is a fact that the English language is one of the most difficult to learn. The English language, especially the Americanized version has many idioms & figures of speech which are difficult to understand. They can confound and confuse both English and non-English speakers. For instance: “How can a “slim” chance and a “fat” chance be the same? How come a wise “man” and a wise “guy” are opposites? Why is it that when a house burns “up,” it burns “down?” How is it that you fill “in” a form by filling it “out” and that an alarm clock goes “off” by going “on?” There is an old figure of speech in English that says “by hook or by crook.” How many have heard or used that particular phrase? “By hook or by crook” means, “By whatever means possible” or “whatever it takes to get the job done.” It has been suggested that this figure of speech had its origin from a custom in medieval England. Peasants were permitted to take any deadwood from the royal forest that they could reach with a shepherd’s crook or a reaper’s billhook. Others suggest that this phrase came into usage with the translation of the NT into English in 1380 by John Wycliffe. It’s said that this phrase was derived from our Scripture today. John 21 uses both images, the hook (fishhook) & the crook (shepherd’s staff) to symbolize 2 important ministries the church is to be passionate about: evangelism & nurturing. From this passage of Scripture we see the restoration of Peter, & we also the essential mission of the Church. We, the church, are called to “shepherd” the flock of God & to be “fishers” of people, giving them opportunity to find a relationship with Jesus Christ through the gospel. This is our task. It’s not just a job for super pastor, but it is the job of every person who calls themselves Christian.
Both jobs: fishermen/shepherds are good, honest occupations, but light years apart. Logic tells us that you cannot be a good fisherman if you spend all your time with a herd of sheep; & you cannot be a good shepherd if you spend all your time on the water. The same kind of tension is often found within the church. Some say the main mission, the #1 priority of the church is that of evangelism, reaching lost people w/good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are others who adamantly believe the main mission of the church is that of shepherding, caring for & tending to those already in the fold; nurturing, discipling & loving the sheep. Which one do you believe is our mission? Which one should take priority, the fisherman’s hook or the shepherd’s crook? Answer according to God’s Word is BOTH. We DO NOT get to choose. Our mission as represented in Jesus’ commissioning of Peter, includes both. We, the church, are called to be fishermen & shepherds. In which of these two callings do you see yourself? Are you a fisherman, or a shepherd? Some are more gifted in reaching others for Christ, while others are more gifted to nurture. There are those gifted & passionate about fishing & those who are gifted & passionate about shepherding. So ask yourself:
1. Am I a Fisherman? vv4-6 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said* to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
v.15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said* to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said* to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said* to him, "Tend My lambs." Effective Evangelism has 4 components
A. Must Love Christ first & foremost. Any attempts at service must have as its prerequisite love: deep, passionate love for Jesus. Where there is no love, there is no life. Without love for Christ, our service will be perfunctory, selfish, faulty, and fleshly. Love is unequivocally the prime prerequisite for serving Christ in any capacity. Did you notice Jesus didn’t ask Peter if he loved fishing, or sheep? Jesus asked him if he loved Him, b/c love for Christ is the prime prerequisite of service for Christ. God wants an intimate, daily relationship with us. He compares it again and again to a marriage. He doesn't want to be a part of our lives; He wants to be our lives. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30) Not some. Not part. All. Not $3.00 worth. Not one day a week’s worth. Not inside the church building worth. God wants all of us, every day. That's what it is to be a disciple. That's what it is to be a Christian. Someone said that instead of focusing on being the right church, we should focus on being the right kind of Christ followers. If we are going to be effective at fishing/evangelizing for Christ we must first get our affections on Christ. All the education/programming while proper & good, are fruitless & futile if we neglect cultivating love in our hearts for Christ.
B. Must have the right passion. What are you passionate about? Whatever captures your heart and interest most is what you are passionate about. All of us have our passions in life whether we want to admit it or not. Sports/hobbies, etc. Don’t view the church as a parking lot to doze in, but as a launching pad to reach out to those who are lost in sin. JW & Mormons put us to shame in their enthusiasm for reaching out. They have the wrong message, but we have the right one. What are we doing w/it? We seem to just sit on it. We need to wake up to the needs of the hour! The apostle Paul was one who was passionate about witnessing & soul winning. You cannot have too much passion for Jesus & winning others to Him. Let’s ask God to shake us, wake us up out of our spiritual stupor & uncaring attitudes towards our lost world. An essential to effective evangelism is passion. C. Must have the right priority. We are tasked by almighty God to win souls & keep people out of hell. Jesus came to die for man’s sin, rose again, & paid the price for our redemption. We were His priority. C.H. Spurgeon once said, “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap into hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish w/ our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let not one go there unwarned and un-prayed for.”
If ever there was a person who could have offered Jesus an excuse, Robert Reed would be that person. His hands are twisted and His feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair or put on his clothes by himself. His shirts are held together by Velcro. He has cerebral palsy. This disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike or simply going for a walk. But it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school and then from college with a degree in Latin. It didn’t keep him from eventually teaching at the college level. And it didn’t keep him from going on 5 overseas mission trips. And it didn’t keep him from becoming a missionary to the country of Portugal. He moved there, rented a hotel room and began to study Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the crowd was gone and he found someone who would tutor him in the language there. Then he stationed himself daily in a park where he gave out brochures about Jesus. Within 6 years he led 70 people to the Lord. Why? Because he chose not to offer any excuses. In kindness I would ask you, what’s your excuse today?
D. Must have the Right Presentation. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ill.—Fanny Crosby was a blind hymn writer who wrote many hymns we love to sing. When she was up in years she visited the Macaulay Rescue Mission in NYC. She stood before a crowd of homeless, drug-addicted, alcoholic men. She said, “is there a young man here who doesn’t have a mother?” One young man timidly raised his hand. He explained she died when he was very young. She asked him to come to the front. She gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. It touched her heart so much that she went home that night and wrote these words, “rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave, weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the Mighty to save.” Years later Ira Sankey was singing for D.L. Moody in St. Louis. He rose to sing that song, but before he sang he told that story. As he told the story a middle-aged man jumped up and shouted, “It was me! I’m the young man she wrote about. She kissed me. I could never get away from that moment.” He explained that as a result he became a Christian and straightened out his life.
When we take the right message and couple it w/ love, people will be saved. We have to have the right passion…it’s time to wake up. We have to have the right priority…it’s time to put first things first. We have to have the right presentation, the right message. The early Christians went everywhere preaching/teaching the Word; and most did it with the right attitude: humbly, gently, respectfully, and lovingly.
2. Am I a Shepherd? vv15-17 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said* to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said* to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said* to him, "Tend My lambs." He said* to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said* to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said* to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said* to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said* to him, "Tend My sheep.
Are you one who nurtures, cares for, loves those w/I & w/o the Body? Or are you one who offers excuses? Busyness, self-sufficiency, shyness, insecurities?
“I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
Real service is what I desire.
I’ll sing you a solo any time, dear Lord,
Just don’t ask me to sing in the choir.
I’ll do what you want me to do, dear Lord,
I like to see things come to pass.
But don’t ask me to teach boys and girls, O Lord.
I’d rather just stay in my class.
I’ll do what you want me to do, dear Lord,
I yearn for Thy kingdom to thrive.
I’ll give you my nickels and dimes, dear Lord.
But please don’t ask me to tithe.
I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
I’ll say what you want me to say;
I’m busy just now with myself, dear Lord,
I’ll help you some other day.”
If Jesus taught and modeled anything that we should be doing it would be serving & nurturing others. When you and I live our lives and focus on ourselves we become self-serving. We become stagnant and self-centered which leads to unhealthy behavior on our part.
A. Love Others Sincerely Through Christ. Rom. 12:9 “Love must be sincere.”
God loves others and He expects His children to do the same.
I Pet. 4:7-8 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
ABOVE ALL, love people deeply. This is what all people need. God wants us to love all people the best we can: the attractive and unattractive, the compassionate & the uncompassionate, the sensitive & the insensitive, the spiritual & the non-spiritual. Christ didn’t die on the cross for good people only, He died for everyone, the good, the bad & the ugly. Why? B/C all human beings are God's priceless treasure, & we must demonstrate love to all as best we can. Jesus did that very thing. He demonstrated love to the blind, the lame, the infirm, the dirty, the leprous, the outcast, the adulterous, the greedy, etc. Oh, how we need His heart & Holy Spirit to be like Him.
ILL.- A young boy was overheard asking his playmate, "Wouldn’t you hate to wear glasses all the time?" "No," came the answer, "not if I had some like my grandma’s. She always sees when people are tired or sad, and she knows just what to do to make them feel better. One day I asked her how she could see that way all the time. She told me it was the way she learned to look at things as she grew older." After thinking for a minute, the first boy concluded, "Yeah, I guess you’re right; it must be her glasses."...
We know it wasn’t grandma’s glasses that made her love people, it was a heart like Jesus’ heart. And we all need a heart like that. Above all, love people deeply. Why?
B. B/C God can be seen in those who “love one another.” Must see others as God sees them. God sees them as valuable, as a somebody, never as a nobody. God wants to have a relationship w/every man, woman, boy & girl on this planet. We are to love all, friends, family, enemies, yes ALL. Ray Stedman said, “As long as we are nice only to our friends or to those who are nice to us, no one has any idea that God is around. But when we start being nice to those who are nasty to us, when we start returning good for evil, when we start being patient, thoughtful, & considerate of those who are stubborn & selfish & say difficult things to us; the people get the sense that God is somewhere around, close at hand, that He is in the situation. Than God’s dwelling in us becomes visible to them.”
C. If we love one another, we reveal God’s love to a world in need & God’s love accomplishes it full purpose.
“Dana Walling, the a youth pastor, joined the excitement at a Special Olympics track meet. The athletes compete against their own physical handicaps as much as against each other. Only 2 runners in 400 meter race. Joey was leading by 10 meters at 1st turn. Last final 30 meters, Joey was ahead & his coach was encouraging him on when Joey turned around and grinned at this competitor chugging along like the little train that could. Joey started yelling and waving, “Come on! You can do it! Attaboy!” The other boy’s face broke into a huge smile, and he ran a little faster. As the gap narrowed between them, Joey reached out his hand. Silence hung over the track momentarily as Joey and his friend trotted to the finish line hand in hand. In the early part of the race, seeing Joey struggle, Dana Walling said inwardly, “O God, thank You that I am not like him.” As Joey crossed the finish line, Dana’s prayer changed: “O God, please help me to be more like him!”
D. Must become like the early church Acts 2:44 “all the believers were together and had everything in common” Early Christians demonstrated genuine concern for others & were devoted to each other. They did not sit inconspicuously in church, then slip out the back door during the altar call or closing prayer. They gathered not only to worship & learn, but also to be with one another, to care for, & share with one another. They came for fellowship & devoted themselves to it. Early church was a close, sharing group. That’s the idea behind v.44. (Illustration: Marbles/grapes) Difference between marbles and grapes? Marbles are single units that don’t affect each other except in collision. Grapes on the other hand, mingle juices; each one is a “part of the fragrance of the church body. The early Christians didn’t bounce off each other, ricocheting off in Their fellowship was a genuine and free sharing of their lives as members joined together as one. Sadly many (most?) Christians today are missing that kind of closeness. Sermons & songs, provide only one part of a vital church encounter. We need INVOLVMENT with others too, & Facebook & texting is not involvement!
1. An act of sharing something tangible to meet a NEED. sacrificial giving.
2. Fellowship includes sharing one’s self with someone else. Involves expenditure of emotions, compassion, time, etc. Weeping with those who weep. Rejoicing with those who rejoice. Grieving with those who grieve. True fellowship displays the best thing we can give: OURSELVES. Who can assign a $ value to the tears we shed for someone else’s loss? Or the time we give to listen to a friend? Or our applause upon learning of someone’s joy and promotion?
C. The early church loved one another. They cared for people more than things. They responded to crises in each other’s lives. They put away all divisions. They were all in one accord. No wonder the early church exploded in growth.
D. Fellowship means getting involved. Why?
1. God commands it. Rom 12:9-16 (NLT)Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! How can we be devoted to others if we’re not involved with them? How can we contribute to others if we hold them at arm’s length? How can we open our homes and our hearts if we never get to know each other? True fellowship is more than slapping others on the back on Sunday morning and shaking their hands; it requires an investment in the lives of others. And it also means accepting them with open arms, just as Christ accepted us. (Rom. 15:7) 2. The body needs it. It takes involvement to build a healthy body of believers (1 Cor 12)A Christ follower will be a servant to others inside/outside. Ways to be involved. 1. Encourage others. Gal 5:13-15 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 2. Find somebody you don't know, or don’t know very well & talk to them after or before the service starts. 3. Think of ways you can serve, love & nurture others. Think of the people you work with and think about how you can serve them as a witness for Christ.
Not everyone can preach or teach, but everyone can do something to serve Christ in the church and outside the services of the church. If we are passionate for Christ we should always be looking for opportunities to serve, to bless, to help, etc. Whatever you are interested in can be used for Christ.
People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. The only way to preach Christ to people is by showing first of all that we truly care about them. We must befriend people, care for people, love people and then when the timing seems right, present Christ to them. Do you see people who are lonely, lost and hurting? There are people who will never know the joy of knowing Jesus and sins forgiven unless somebody takes the time to tell them; to show them by example that Easter does make a difference. Too many people make excuses as to why they can't serve. Can you bake a cake? Can you cook some food item? Can you cut someone's grass? Can you call people and give them an encouraging word? Can you do housework? Can you do handy work? Can you donate anything of value? Can you stop along your way and give a smile? Can you take an interest in someone else's life?
The big thing is that you have to be ready to serve. You have to open your eyes and your ears to the needs of others. 1 Pet. 4:10 -- "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
Our challenge on this Sunday after Easter is: "Go out into the world & tell the world about the risen Christ so that they, too, will know."
1. Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes (Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN, 1998) pp. 516-517.
Other sources: Jerry Shirley
