The Story after the Greatest Story
After a really great act, it’s hard to follow. You are setup to fail!
Nobody wants to follow a great act! It makes you look twice as bad, right?
Easter just flew past - it made sort of a wooshing sound! Did you hear the wooshing sound?
So what’s next after easter? Thanksgiving? Christmas? Surely there’s more!
So What is Next?
So every time there’s some big event at church people always ask, what’s next?
A lot of times, the next big thing is just to keep going to church? Like don’t stop?
Does that seem Anti-climatic?
Sometimes, tho, when something bad happens we are left without hope!
When whole towns were destroyed during wwII don’t you know the people lost hope.
The night is always darkest before the sunrise.
Peter
At Jesus’s trial, Peter denied Christ three times
Christ looked at him and he wept bitterly!
If you denied Christ what would you think? Would you think you would lose your salvation?
Can you even do that? UNsave yourself?
Jesus had risen from the dead but there were still doubts and emotions and general unsureness about what to do.
Peter is thought to be the spokesperson of all the disciples
John 21:1-18
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus ), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 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.
Weird
Is this what a great preacher was supposed to do? Go back to fishing?
Why would he do that?
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”“No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
Cast the net on the other side.
We try to do it all by ourselves and nothing happens.
When we follow Jesus - it just works! (Steve Jobs - iPhone)
Without Jesus - nothing works! (Don’t say Android phones - I like Android phones)
Jesus told Peter to cast the net on the other side and he caught a net full.
If you want to accomplish anything for Jesus, you must do his will, not your own.
9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Fish meal - Forgiven
Peter must have had a sense of guilt after denying the Lord three times!
Jesus asked Peter to bring some fish for the fire - they would commune together.
The meal of fish by the fireside was to both show it was wrong and to show his forgiveness. FORGIVENESS!
Isn’t it interesting that even though Peter denied Christ three times he was still forgiven?
Did you think that was even possible? Ever wonder if peter thought it was possible?
Peter do you love me?
So driving it home Jesus asked Peter do you love me and told him to feed his sheep.
So every time there’s some big event at church people always ask, what’s next?
The next thing
Do you love Jesus - keep my commandments!
What happened next?
Peter became a great preacher!
He preached and 3000 men heard and believed in Christ (wow, counting women and children how many more would there have been? (6000?)
Later we find the church had grown to 5000 men so another 2000 were saved. Again, if you counted everyone, not just the men, that would have been an incredible number! (10,000?)
How about you?
After hearing the gospel, what’s next.
Are you obeying Jesus?
-----
Before you can be saved you must admit you are a sinner
The Bible tells us:
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
There is none righteous, no not one
All we like sheep have gone astray
Our righteousness is as filthy rags
1 John 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
We are all sinners.
However, the wages of Sin is death
Sin corrupts us mentally, physically, and spiritually
When sin is grown up it causes death
23 For the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23a)
Not only physical but spiritual death
It does not matter how good you are
We know that all have sinned so we are all sinners
Doing good deeds doesn’t erase the sins we have committed.
The Bible tells us: By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified before God
So everyone who has sinned would be doomed to a devil’s hell!
Hebrews 9:27
27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ‘
But there is a solution!
We know we can not get to heaven on our own accord because only God can forgive sins.
Take a moment and pray to Jesus
Tell Him you are sorry for your sins and ask him to take away your sins and save you.
The Bible tells us: Whosoever shall call on Jesus shall be saved! (Rom 10:13)
John 3:3
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
