Subject: Meeting Jesus at His Table - Come and Dine
Text: John 21:1-23
Introduction: What do expect to accomplish in your ministry assignment? What will capture your attention? Who will direct your path? What has God called you to do? How will you maintain your focus? When I am talking about focus, I am referring to vision. What adjustments and strategies will help you clarify your vision. How will you keep the vision in clear view with so much going on around you? Many of us start out well but tend to lose our focus. Goals are simply abandoned, and dreams are forgotten. They seem to spend all their time responding to crisis rather than preparing for the future. We work hard to recover from what we should have been prepared for. Many allow others to set the direction of their sail, make the decision for their life, and blindly go along to get along.
If you and I are to obtain our goals in life, we must choose the direction of our life. Your life is too valuable to allow anyone to choose your direction and make your choices for you. Your call is important, and you must keep focus on your assignment. In extraordinary times, when few things seem normal, common, or average, our choices are important. Every decision has brought and me to this day. As we look major events of life were so amazing! Remember those special events, occasions, and projects were special. Those conferences, crusades, revivals, book releases, and the like, seem to dominate our thoughts. Even though those days were special and blessed, we experienced many more small decisions, ordinary events, and practical steps that brought us to this place. In life, we experience more ordinary days than special days. If you really want to know where your life is headed, pay close attention to what you are doing on your ordinary days. If you want to know where you are spiritually, simply ask yourself, how much sin am I tolerating in your life? Check out your prayer life on ordinary days. There are ordinary days when there are no great problems, no major worries, no sleepless nights. Days when you received no new revelations, see no new vision or experienced no miracles. Can you stay focus in ordinary days? Yet during this season, how do we maintain kingdom focus in these Covid -19 Infested days? It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed in the chaos, weighed down with family responsibilities, and even abort goals of life. When we are overwhelmed, it is tempting to forget about the vision. It’s easy put our dreams on hold, and play follow the leader. Postponing your dreams can cause you to lose focus. Things that were so dear to your heart get lost. This can happen to almost anyone.
I have found that it's helpful to keeping asking myself, "What's really important?" Reminding myself of what's important helps me keep my priorities straight. We can quickly loose focus and get lost in the busyness of life. Keeping focus everyday, helps me keep my actions in line with my goals. Admittedly, this proves to be a challenge to almost everyone. If I don’t make the choices leading to my goals, I may find myself following someone else’s choice, follow some else’s direction, and never reach my goal.
The faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus found themselves faced with the same problem. These disciples in our lesson are experiencing an ordinary day. The turbulence of the last few weeks were a distant memory. The arrest of Jesus in the garden, the mocked trial, the guilty verdict, the betrayal by Judas and his suicide were fading in their minds. Peter’s denial had been put behind them, and they found themselves without direction. Even their special meeting with Jesus, the risen Lord, behind closed doors could not help them figure out their next move. What do you do during a season of silence? For more than a week, the disciples had received no word from Jesus. They had seen no signs or wonders. No one had come with a report of a sighting of Jesus. Ten days before, they were all excited. Jesus had breathed on them, and they had received the Holy Spirit. But now things had settled down. The disciples were waiting and wandering, not sure of their next move. They lost focus on their goals and were confused about their next actions.
This message is important because the Christian walk is filled with ordinary days. Days when we have not received a great revelation, or a great sign from Heaven. Days when we do not feel anything, not a chill, not a shake or a shimmy. Days when you may feel like your ministry is at a standstill. Somehow, we are challenged to maintain our focus and fulfill our given task. How do we keep from being sidetracked in our walk with God. The disciples were clear about their call. They were called to be fishers of men. Mt. 4:19 “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
They had a great Commandment of love to follow; a Great Commission to go and proclaim the good news, and a great collaboration to go out as teams together, supporting one another in implementing the vision.
These disciples had been so convinced of their call, they willingly forsook all and followed Jesus who had made them a promise, I will make you "Fishers of Men". Jesus was saying, “You have the patience and the desire to be fisherman, and I promise to make them become fishers of men.” Their natural ability to catch fish had fed the community physically, now their spiritual ability would feed men spiritually, giving new life, productive and fruitfulness to all who believe! How could these disciples lose their focus? What causes men to become sidetracked? Sometimes it is a pandemic; sometimes men get bored; frustrated; become doubtful or fearful; at other times, they simple desire the familiar, or the controllable. Sometimes they follow the crowd. Walking by faith can be lonely and even scary, yet you must decide the direction for your life.
John 21:3 “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.”
Now left to themselves only a short while, their old lifestyle comes back with old desires. Maybe it was the smell of the sea, the sound of the gulls, or maybe the environment simply engulfed them. They want to try fishing once more. So, it is with many, when they are first saved and begin their journey with excitement and joy, but soon they cool off. Others become excited about their call, to be a deaconess, a local preacher, or a pastor only to find out that the excitement wanes and disappointments come. Sometimes, like with Jesus, our praise turns to criticism, and we wonder if it is worth it? We soon discover the hosannas of yesterday’s praise have faded, and the same mouths are filled with criticism. After awhile our flames dies down, our excitement fades and our old interest become awful appealing again.
In ordinary days, we must be careful to follow our dreams, make our own decisions and keep focus on our God given goals. We must be careful not to just occupy ourselves with busy-ness. When we are in the wrong place and doing the wrong thing no amount of hard work or zealous determination can cause us to experience success. Busy-ness without productive leads to frustration. John 21:5 “Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, no.”
They toiled all night but did not catch anything good, suitable, or beneficial. Christ question was “Did you do any good?” Have ye any meat? Was your trip worthwhile? Are you any closer to your goal? Generally, fishermen 'ask, “Did you do any good? Or Catching anything?” When we are working hard, sacrificing resources and time without any good results, we must ask ourselves, “Are we doing any good? We spread ourselves thin, and become members of all kinds of good clubs and organizations, but the question is, are we doing any Good? The Church has one assignment to make Christian Disciples, Jesus is still asking, Are we doing any good? Maybe the pandemic came to reveal how well we are doing. “Children, do you have any meat?”
John 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.”
Two things are very clear in this text, first, Jesus demonstrates to the disciples, “If I called you to be fishers of fish, I could have made them the best.” Jesus used this vivid demonstration to the disciples to bring them back to Kingdom focus. Jesus gives some simple advice to the disciples and all who have been toiling without success, He said, "Come and Dine." The instructions are still the same, when we cannot hear his audible voice, or see a visible sign of His presence and experiencing little success, just come and feed at his table. Three things will happen at the table of the Lord:
1. At the table of the Lord We will receive a measure of inner satisfaction. After a long night of fruitless labor, cold and wet working conditions, a warm fire and a hot meal will do a world of good. Bring your disappointments, frustration, weariness to his table. (1) you will be blessed by His presence (2) warmed by His fire (3) filled by His meal. God will give us what we need, a measure of inner satisfaction. At His table, we all can come and dine! We need a measure of inner satisfaction to bless others. We cannot encourage others until we are encouraged. His word will not return void, it will accomplish everything God intended.
2. At the table of the Lord, we will confront our call and renew our commitment. Joh 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
The question asked three times was simply, “Do you really love me?” Do you love more than your past occupation? Do you love me enough to serve without accolades? Do you love me more than your occupation? Do you love more than the tools of your trade? Ultimately, everything hinges on how much you love him. His message will cause us to be confronted by our call again and the reason we are doing what we do. We do it not because we have to but because we get to! We cannot see ourselves doing anything else. He chose me, called me, anointed me and appointed me. Woe is me If I preach not the gospel. My sheep still need to be fed!
3. At the table of the Lord, we will find new directions for our lives. John 21:19-22 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following;…Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what [shall] this man [do]? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee? follow thou me.”
Lastly, one of the things that causes us to lose our focus in life is being overly concern about someone else’s call. Our call is personal, individual, and without repentance. We must keep focus in ordinary days because we have a never dying soul to save, and we have a calling to fulfill. Charles Wesley, that great songwriter said it like this,
A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify; A never dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill, O may it all my powers engage, to do my master's will. Arm me with jealous care, as in thy sight to live, And oh, thy servant, Lord, Prepare a strict account to give. Help me to watch and pray, and on thyself rely, Assured if I my trust betray, I shall forever die. Amen.
The writer of book of Hebrews said it like,
Hebrews 12:1, 2 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Lay aside every weight and sin, pace yourself to run with patience and keep your eyes on Jesus! Go back and serve him because you love him!
