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Amen. So the final chapter of the Gospel of John, I've really enjoyed going through this, I've enjoyed studying it, I've enjoyed preaching it, I hope you guys have got something out of it as well and enjoyed it as well. Yeah for me anyway it is my favourite gospel, one of the reasons that I wanted to go through it, but yeah it's so many great truths from it as well and you know you can read chapters, books of the Bible over and over again and it's kind of only when you slow down and break it down that you really see so many things in there that you might not when you read over it and that's why we do a Bible study, that's why we're going to continue doing a Bible study. Like I said before that will with the new building that is going to move to a midweek, we'll do a Wednesday evening Bible study and I'm not sure, maybe we'll do something similar on a Sunday, I'm not sure yet, we'll have a little think about that, but we're going to continue studying books of the Bible because I really enjoy going through it like that, going through verse by verse like we have been doing and we're on, like I said, we're on the final chapter of John, John 21, let's get going starting in verse 1 where it reads, after these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius and on this wise showed he himself. Let's go to the Lord in the word of prayer, Father I thank you for this great gospel, thank you, that we've been able to meet here and go through it every week now for the last 20 something weeks and I pray now that you just help me to preach this last chapter, you know, accurately and just fill me with your spirit, fill me with boldness and help me to just preach what you want me to preach, help us to all, everyone here to have attentive ears, attentive hearts to your word and just help us to apply it to our lives as well going forward and in Jesus' name we pray this, Amen. Okay so after these things he said in verse 1 and these things being the appearances to the disciples in the previous chapter, so I turn back to John chapter 19 and Mary had seen Jesus at the sepulcher and in John 19 41 it says now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden in the garden in New Sepulchre wherein was never man yet laid, just making the point here that the sepulcher is clearly right by where he was crucified, okay, it was which was Golgotha right outside the walls of Jerusalem, so it's right next to basically on the outskirts of the actual inner city of Jerusalem and John 20 here if we go forward to John 20 and verse 18 says so Mary seen him and it says Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her, then the same day evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews came Jesus stood in the midst and saith unto them peace be unto you, so for me they're clearly assembled together in Jerusalem yeah okay so clearly that the sepulcher was right right you know like I said just outside the walls of Jerusalem there then Mary seen him then come straight to them they're clearly in Jerusalem in Luke 24 33 you don't have to turn there but talking of the two disciples who saw him on the road to Emmaus it says and they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together and them that were with them okay that's talking about that same event there so they're in Jerusalem Jesus comes again to them eight days later so John chapter 20 verse 26 says that after eight days again his disciples were within and Thomas with them then came Jesus the doors being shut and stood in the midst and said peace be unto you so he comes again to the after eight days again his disciples were within so for me that's clearly in Jerusalem still he's already told them hasn't he that he's sending them to preach the gospel in Luke 24 47 he tells them and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem so Jesus clearly sent them forth to preach the gospel he's told them where to start at Jerusalem so jump forward to John 21 where we've just started in verse 1 where it says that the disciples are at the Sea of Tiberius now Tiberius if you're wondering where's well where's Tiberius it's basically a town on the on on the coast of the Sea of Galilee and if you've ever looked at a map of that area basically it's 60 miles from Jerusalem so the disciples have gone through Samaria you've got Jerusalem here you've got this Samaria and then you've got Galilee up here and and they've basically gone through Samaria to Galilee 60 miles and bear in mind they seem to be walking everywhere you know an average speed of four miles an hour you're talking about a 15-hour journey so they basically gone on a two-day minimum trek all the way up to Galilee having been told to do what to preach in Jerusalem now I know look Matthew's and Mark's Gospels you see that that he originally tells them that he will see them in Galilee but they then choose to hide out in Jerusalem so they're told I'll see you in Galilee they then hide out in Jerusalem then he comes to Jerusalem and says to him right you need to start preaching the gospel starting at Jerusalem so then they leg it up to Galilee okay and like I said it's a long journey it's not they've just kind of gone and it's just the local you know lake or whatever you want to call it the sea there well no they've they've gone off on a two-day minimum trek if not longer that's if you're walking all day every day and these guys obviously can walk but look they've gone off and for me they're just clearly just disobeying what God's telling them to do we're gonna see that in a minute as well and they've legged it to Galilee and look you can apply that to yourself we're often told many things that God wants us to do and we don't do them do we okay and a lot of the time we do the opposite and they seem to be doing the opposite here but verse 2 there were together Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus and Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two other of his disciples now James and John are the sons of Zebedee verse 3 Simon Peter saith unto them I go of 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 so not only are they now 60 miles from where they were told to preach but they're going back to their old lives aren't they so it looks like they're they're back to their old life they're back to back to the fishing where which they clearly they were taken from that weren't they and they could went into full-time ministry for you know over three years and now they're back to fishing having been told to go and preach the gospel clearly by Jesus so what's going on there well they're doing what sadly a lot of Christians do can do and everyone here is capable of doing and really they're backsliding aren't they they're backsliding they're going back to their old life they're going back to our ways they're disobeying God they're just saying I don't really care what you've commanded me to do they've almost done it done a you know Jonah and legged it as far away as they can in the other direction they've gone back to their old life and another thing with that as well who is it you saying to them I go of fishing Peter says unto them I go of fishing they say unto him we also go with thee notice Peter's influence Peter is telling them he's going back to to the fishing and they go with him and look when you backslide Christian it's not just you it affects when you backslide when you when you pull away from the things of God when you decide to go in the opposite direction of what God wants you to do you're going to probably take people with you there's going to be other people if it's not your family for those of you that have families it might be other Christians it might be it might be when you backslide and you decide that you're just you're not doing the things of God anymore you just quit on church it might be that other people see that and start to just start to get that idea as well maybe I'm going to stop going to church and that's that's what we see here Peter says I go of fishing they say unto him we also go with thee because people are easily influenced aren't they and the flesh doesn't want to be doing the things of God the flesh doesn't want to be in church the flesh doesn't want to be so when the flesh doesn't want to be out you're reading your Bible daily flesh doesn't want to pray all those things we talked about this morning those main areas the flesh doesn't want to do those things and all it takes a little influence and look when you're in when you're in a church when you're when you're when you're outspoken as a Christian when you're when you're clearly saved and you're telling other people you're saved you you're going to influence people okay and you got to make sure that that's a positive influence Simon Peter here is not a positive influence is he okay he says I go fishing they sound Tim we go also go with thee they went forth and entered into a ship immediately so it wasn't oh well we're not sure they just go straight away and it could be quick like that Connie those decisions can be quick and and the results are quick and that night they caught nothing that night they caught nothing they didn't catch a few and that's pretty I know these guys were were experienced fishermen and they caught nothing that's a pretty bad night for me it sounds like night fishing and you don't get it any catch at all they just catch a few they didn't oh well we didn't have the best catch we've got a few dodgy things and they you know and a couple of bits of plastic and everything else in the net they caught nothing and for me that that's the result when you backslide isn't it okay look it's not it's not the same and look even with it look before you were saved all this stuff is meaningless anyway but but when you're saved when you're trying to live for God when went to whom much is given much to be required yeah when you when you are being told by God what do you know what you're meant to be doing and you choose to go the other way it's not just it's not going to be that great it's going to be the opposite yeah you're going to end up just just in there in the pit somewhere you're going to end up catching nothing you're going to end up that old job that you've decided quit on church to go back to is not going to be a success for you you're not going to go back our lives gonna be better now I was going to be back to how I thought it was and we always trick ourselves you con yourself that life was better before you were saved before you're going through the trials of tribulations that you go through as a Christian but it wasn't and when you go back to that life you it's not going to get blessed it's going to be the opposite and it's going to be a curse and you're going to go back and and things aren't going to work out things going to go downhill you you you know any of you here that have even I don't know if you know if people have backslidden again we're not going to do a raise your hands for that but people that have maybe not backslidden but just chosen to willfully going into some sin they've done before it's not the same it's never the same it's not you don't it's not always that pleasure of sinful season all Satan's apples have worms don't they and look it's always gonna it's always going to end in tears really in some way or another isn't it okay backsliding is not the the rosy thing that that we're led to believe it will be in here again of course they they caught nothing that night they caught nothing verse 4 but when the morning was now come Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus even when we run though when we hide when we go back to the old life and I hope no one here does but when it does happen when Christians do that and I'm not trying to encourage you because you're still you're gonna catch nothing and it's gonna be wet and you will get chastisement and your life will will be ruined but even so Jesus is still waiting for us to come back he's waiting on the shore he's waiting for you you've even got the opposite way he still wait he still wants you to come back he still wants you back he still wants you back so you know have anyone here however far you might feel you've gone from God and you might even be from God right now you might only be here by hanging by a thread coming to church Jesus will still welcome you back he will welcome you back he's still there he still wants you back but we don't always recognize him do we when we're when people are behaving like that when people are backsliding when people are out of the will of God when people are in the sin they don't even necessarily believe that he could still be waiting for them sometimes you can feel pretty lousy about yourself and you're thinking Jesus would he really does he really want you know I've failed I'm good for nothing but look Jesus is still waiting for you he still wants you to come out he wants you to live for me wants you to work for him wants you to serve him like we talked about this morning then Jesus saith unto them children have ye any meat they answered him no and look yeah he's you know he asked he knows but he's asking them and I think here he's emphasizing the failure without him isn't he he's emphasizing it did you you had any success away from me running the other direction going back to your old life and but even here often we don't even recognize when he's speaking to us because I'd imagine they're people that are backslidden and the Lord is is trying you know they're they're hearing something hearing preaching they're hearing things and they don't even recognize it and here they're not even recognizing it's he's talking to them I want to make sure when we're listening to preaching when we're when we're reading our Bibles we want to make sure that we're that we are listening we're not just hard-hearted closing our ears not wanting to hear it because it doesn't fit with us here they're not they're not recognizing it's in verse 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 and that's the difference when you do things God's way isn't it when you do things God's way that's the multitude of fishes that that's the success that's when things are blessed that's when things go well and you might think well I wish that God would tell me you know exactly where to I wish he would make it as clear as that but he tells us exactly how how to do many things in life doesn't he doesn't he tell us clearly I mean if we can't listen to how he tells us to do many things well why do we think we're gonna listen when it's even more specific because there are many parts of our life where God tells us how to do things God tells how to live and we choose not to don't we we do the opposite we choose to our way we want to do it the world's way we want to do it what we consider to be the easier way and look there are many many things but that when we do it God's way they work out don't they they work out for example I don't know church when we do it God's way yeah when you look when when we set up a churches we think God wants it done we preach the Bible we preach the whole truth we preach through the Word of God we don't skirt things we don't avoid things we preach it when we as a church we you know people come to church and serve like we feel like God wants to the church thrives doesn't it and I for me I see a church thriving here I reckon a lot of people didn't think this would last a year right I mean look there are people around around this country that claim to be Baptists that claim to just be waiting for a good church still don't even manage to visit the church okay sadly there are and I think a lot of those people in this church started thought no chance no chance they're gonna be they're gonna be nicked they're gonna be whatever else it's gonna fail no chance but and it's not mean everyone here we all trying to do things God's way aren't we okay we do things God's way look we're a year down the line and we're preaching the whole Bible and we're preaching we're out so winning through kovat as well who thought that would that would last through kovat three people you know thinking that we're through through attempts by the authorities and everything else but look God's protect us through it all hasn't he and when you do it God's way and we're trying to run a church God's way because I see all these other churches are on it's still got their doors shut and it's still doing online with maybe one person now tuning in and the rest are probably getting on with something else while it's on and look again it's not us it's just doing things God's way isn't it trying to do it God's way trying to preach the way we think God wants us to preach trying to trying to run a church where we think God wants us to run it what about soul winning when you do it God's way how many naff churches have we been to where they just post flyers through the door and they just can't work out why no one's getting saved how many churches have we all been to where they just are trying to invite people in oh if we get them in the church somehow then they'll get saved we'll just preach the gospel week in week out something will stick but no when you do it God's way when you go forth to preach the gospel when you go you into all the world and preach the gospel then then people get saved aren't they when we do it God's way do it God's way what about what about child rearing what about child rearing when you raise children our God wants you to raise them and look you're gonna go through hard times you're gonna have hard time look it's not all a bed of roses is it you'll have struggles and you'll have battle sometimes you have times where where you seem like you bang your head against the wall but you you stick to you do it God's way and and you see kids kids getting raised and we we see it with people we know and hopefully we're all seeing it with our kids kids you know growing up loving the things of garden and kids growing up that aren't going into all the wickedness that the rest of the world is because it is wicked isn't it and seeing our kids not you know getting into all this stuff from a young age is it's great I'm not gonna start going through it all right now but look again doing it God's way but what's God's way of child rearing God's way is not the world's way the world's way is all you know psycho analysis and you know how how the this child well they suffer from this and they suffer from that and and all the latest jargon and and and you know ways to to punish without punishing but what does the Bible say spare not the rod yeah the Bible says to trust oh the Bible says also though to also bring them up in a nurture and admonition of the Lord because it's not all just giving him a thrashing is it and when you do when you put it all together you do it God's way and you teach in the Word of God and you and you talk about the Word of God with them then hopefully we're seeing children grow up out of this church who are growing up and into the sorts of children that God wants them to be yeah what about what about marriage as well when we do things God's way and marriage should work out shouldn't it when we do things God's way and we'd again we can all call we can all just decide want to do it our way we all like to point fingers when it comes to our marriages and we can all do that but what's God's way and God's way it just comes down to two you know pretty simple instructions which people miss don't they number one wives submit unto your own husbands as unto the Lord and look again we as men can can jump on this too much but wives submit unto your husbands it's pretty simple isn't it submit submit unto your own husband you married him submit unto him but husbands love your wives love your wives when they go hand in hand you there can be some great happy marriages you know and I see some happy marriages here and you know praise God when you do it his way there are happy marriages but but so often we like to try and do it our way don't we well if he doesn't do this bit I'm not doing my bit or she doesn't do that bit I'm not doing much as look men love your wives doesn't matter men love your wives yeah it's simple love her love her give her honor love her yeah and and your your marriage will you be amazed how much it will improve how happy you'll be those of you that aren't married how happy you'll eventually have a marriage if you just love your wives no matter what yeah no condition but wives submitting to your husbands yeah it's simple you can't have two bosses that doesn't work okay it doesn't work in any in any area of life there has to be a hierarchy there has to be a final authority submit unto your own husbands okay the world's way is nonsense the world's way ends in divorce the world's way ends in in all sorts of problems and issues and adulteries and and terrible marriages just just do it God's way and when we do it God's way things work out don't they things work out and it's a way you can say for singles as well do it God's way that doesn't mean going and testing a lot of men that means that means trying to find someone that you think is a godly man that means men trying to find someone that you think is a godly woman okay and and that's what as you kids go out that's what you should be looking for not the world's way not not the guy he's just so smooth and oh but he's just you know he looks like a model and he's so cool and his skinny jeans that look so good on him that's not that's not God's way is it I find a man of God yeah and men find a godly lady not some sort of you know slut look-alike or even worse that's not what we should be looking for we should be looking for people that that are going to help us to live a godly life okay and when we do it God's way we do it God's way things work out don't they things work out and here when they did it God's way when when Jesus Christ told them where to cast that net suddenly they've got an abundant catch haven't they and things work out but it's not necessarily easy is it so doing it God's way doesn't mean well it's easy I talked about this this morning didn't I it's not oh well everything easy is it equals happiness no it's not always easy but you know what when you do it God's way sometimes it could be it could be a hard hard road of it sometimes you got to go through some battles and challenges sometimes you've got to dig deep at times but it always works out and here it was an easy verse 8 says here they were dragging the net with fishes weren't they and and I'm sure those 153 fishes were probably quite heavy dragging them to shore but God's blessed them it's an abundant catch and they're happier for doing it God's way God's way is the only way okay you're Christians God's way is the only way yeah you might see some people in the world that seem to be okay they seem to be happy they seem to be alright but they're gonna be burning in hell for eternity they're gonna be burning in hell for eternity unless they get saved you're saved you're saved but that doesn't mean you're gonna have an easy life but hey you're gonna have an easy eternity though you have an easy eternity work while you're here do it God's way and you'll be blessed as well in this life verse 7 therefore that disciple in Jesus loved saith under Peter it is the Lord now when Jesus sorry now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he girt his fishes coat unto him for he was naked and it cast himself into the sea okay let's get under that in a second but obviously John here John remember we've talked about this throughout this gospel he had that close relationship didn't he and even at this point it's him who recognizes Jesus first isn't it John who was a closest one to Jesus Christ he recognizes him first he's the one who says it is the Lord but what is Simon Peter playing out here what is he playing out and you know I was looking at this I was thinking a few kind of possible explanations maybe he's traumatized by the events of the past few weeks he's kind of tipped him over the edge and you know it's been some some pretty traumatic events and obviously he's in the middle of backs of backslide you call it here wouldn't you maybe maybe he's having a wash after a night of work here I'll try to look on a positive here he's just in the middle of washing when Jesus turned up and I don't know maybe he's just a bit of a weird exhibitionist type yeah I mean maybe is he did say to Jesus didn't he look like depart from me I'm a sinful man maybe this is what he's talking about he just loves getting his kit off and just on that look just a reminder okay look everyone here is sinful to some degree and I hope we haven't got any exhibitionists here who would you know go on a naked fishing trip but just because someone does some weird stuff that you don't do it doesn't mean they're a reprobate okay and look the flesh is sinful and we can all do some some funny sins I'm sure everyone's capable of some bad sins everyone's capable of bad sins it doesn't mean that there's some sort of wicked rep rate or wicked pervert and I hope he's not but like I said maybe maybe is some weird stuff he's done there but look there are obvious clear signs of reprobation and doing weird and having like you know doing weird stuff and having some weird kind of you know battles with the flesh doesn't mean that you're some sort of vile reprobate okay and remember as well when you start suggesting or thinking people are that's him that's a big deal okay that's a big deal you start thinking that as someone and here obviously he's not this is Simon P he's obviously not a rep rate as we know and Simon but he did he was on a naked fishing trip and that is weird okay that is weird but he knows it's wrong doesn't he he does know it's wrong because as soon as he says it's the Lord he girt his fisher's coat unto him okay so he does cover himself up and look isn't God always watching though so whether or not Jesus Christ on the seashore there God's always watching us isn't he so whatever sin it is that you think that well maybe well as long as I don't do it at church as long as I don't act like that around either Chris God's watching you God's watching you every minute and look it doesn't matter you whatever you're doing whatever you're you know the sins that you battle with are that bear that in mind that God is watching you every minute of every day okay his eyes are everywhere beholding the evil and the good and look it's not just at church because obviously we have our church persona and then there are those sadly that will go away and be someone completely the opposite and and I hope we're not like that and just remember it's God that it's important isn't it it's not just who you're in front of here it's not just only God that's watching when you're in church it's watching him the whole time and here he obviously he says that it's the Lord he girt his fisher's coat unto him and did cast himself into the sea and that's why for me I want to go with that I think he's just gone a bit mad here okay he's gone a bit crazy he's had a bad time of it he's denied Jesus Christ three times he wept bitterly didn't he he's obviously had a hard time of it he's been told twice to go out soul winning and he's instead just decided to go off on a 60 mile trek and then encourage everyone to go back to his old life and I think he's having a pretty hard time of it might even be cracking up a bit and again that doesn't mean because he's having a bad time he's going a bit bit mad it doesn't mean that he's possessed because we love to go with that don't we are there must be possessed what it doesn't mean that does it okay look at the mind look you can have some hard times with your mind can't you okay it doesn't mean that he's unsaved does it okay this guy's naked then he's casting himself into the sea where he could easily just gone back in the boat like everyone else he's obviously going through some stuff right now but he's still saved isn't he he's still a man of God he is isn't he but I think he's got a I think he's having a bad time here he's having a bad moment throws himself into the sea first say and the other disciples came in a little ship for they were not far from land but as it were 200 cubits dragging the net with fishes as soon then as they were come to land they saw a fire of coals there and fish laid there on and bread so no he's already got some fish there anyway he's cooking for them Jesus is cooking for them the fish are already there Jesus saith unto them bring of the fish which ye have now called some Peter went up and drew to drew the net to land full of great fishes and hundred and fifty and three and for all there were so many yet was not the net broken and now this is where we count the blessings of Jesus anyone seen this stuff or the cubic roots of the individual numbers of 153 a lot of quick Google on this see what's out there and wow I mean they've got every other way of getting to 153 it's actually it's how many blessings Jesus actually did and then they're kind of adding in a couple if you add in this little bit which is a kind of blessing and you know everyone you know you ever watch any of this kind of seen anyone trying to decipher number codes in the Bible before it's always really dodgy isn't it and it generally is just people making stuff up and trying to find something you know if you I remember an old I was talking about some sort of number thing once with a with an old pastor and look thinking back now he kind of said something it she just said to me look if you play around with numbers enough yeah you can always find some kid some kind to it yeah and I'm a bit leery of that and he had a fair point to be honest he didn't have a good point about most other things we did have a good point about that and look with this I don't know maybe there is a maybe there is a reason for that and we'll find out in heaven why it was 153 but you know what I do know what it is that it's just another precise detail isn't it it's another precise detail in the Gospels a precise detail which John has recorded here and and look being being a fisherman or maybe Simon Peter counted them they're probably likely to want to count what they've got aren't they and and it's a precise detail that there were that many fish and the net didn't break and it says here full of great fishes so there's some big fish in there and and the net still didn't break and look as well as comparing fishing or doing things with or with and without Jesus which you can from this passage there is of the obvious picture of soul winning too isn't there okay and fishing is obviously a picture of soul winning turn in Luke chapter 5 in Matthew 4 19 Jesus speaking and he saith unto them follow me and I will make you fishers of men so that's that comparison with fishing and soul winning and in Luke 5 and verse 1 we see a really similar story here and it came to pass that as the people pressed upon him to hear the Word of God he stood by the lake of Gennesaret and saw two ships standing by the lake but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets and he entered into one of the ships which was Simon's and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land and he sat down and talked the people out of the ship now when he had left speaking he said unto Simon launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draft 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 enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net break and they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship they should come and help them and they came and filled both the ships that they began to sink when Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus knees saying depart for me for I am a sinful man Oh Lord for he was astonished and all that were with him at the draft of the fishes which they had taken and so was also James and John the sons of Zebedee which were partners with Simon and Jesus said unto Simon fear not from henceforth thou shalt catch men and when they brought their ships down they forsook all who followed him so there's that comparison obviously between fishing and soul winning and obviously again about having to do it his way yeah doing it his way in the success coming from doing it his way he tells them where to cast it but also here notice that Jesus is is basically calling them in the full-time ministry there isn't he says fear not from henceforth thou shalt catch men so from now forward you're catching men and I would say really not fish and what they're doing they're back fishing they're back fishing and it's an interesting story because then in John it you know when you compare this a lot of similarities it's almost like he's reminding them isn't he he's kind of like the same things happen where he then tells me what to do it's like what are you doing are you doing going back and trying to do things your way do things my way and and I think you know he's probably reminded them of what happened here we're in John 21 verse 11 what we saw it said Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes in 150 and three and for all there were so many yet was not the net broken and I think he's just comparing that he's showing them that reminded them where they started verse 12 Jesus said unto them come and dine and none of the disciples does ask him who art thou knowing that it was the Lord oh look like I said if you saved however far you've drifted the invite is always there isn't it the invites there he wants you back he wants you he wants you back serving him he wants you back involved with him he wants you back dining with him Jesus then cometh and taketh bread and giveth them and fish likewise I bet that fish was cooked perfectly wasn't it you reckon I reckon that was probably just right nothing worse than when it's like dry old fish isn't it but I think that was cooked spot-on yeah Jesus has got to be the best chef out there isn't he as well and that's nice that Jesus cooking for them eh and okay verse 14 this is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead so the first two being behind the closed doors in the previous chapter then so when they had dined Jesus saith to Simon Peter Simon son of Jonas love is sound me more than these he saith unto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee he saith unto him feed my lambs he saith to him again the second time Simon son of Jonas love is sound me he saith unto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee he saith unto him feed my sheep he saith unto him the third time Simon son of Jonas love is sound me Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time love is sound me and he said unto him Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Jesus saith unto him feed my sheep and look this is a great dialogue here a few points I want to make from this um Simon Peter goes on to lead or pastor doesn't he okay you have to turn in 1st Peter 5 1 Peter says the elders which are among you I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partake of the glory that shall be revealed so elder is used interchangeably with Bishop he's what we would call a pastor okay he's asked in verse 15 if he loves Jesus more than his disciples isn't he he said Simon son of Jonas love is sound me more than these okay that's the only time he words it like that more than these and Jesus has commanded them all not long before to love each other hasn't he okay so why is this important what's the point he's making here because if he's going to lead he has to put Jesus first doesn't he if if you're going to lead men if you're going to you know go on a pastor to if you're going to lead a family you don't do anything like that you have to put Jesus first because he's saying do you love me more than these and then he says feed my lambs isn't he because it's not a cop it's not a popularity contest is it because if you're if you if you go on and especially you know you got people and you see this around all these you know these liberal churches everywhere these guys they're just trying to buddy up with everyone they just want to be popular they just want to preach stuff that's going to make people feel happy and come up and give them hugs off the service because they've just like reminded them what a great person they are because they're Christian or just told them how they're going to be so happy this next week and everything else again that's not loving Jesus more that's loving them more than Jesus isn't it that's loving the praise of men that's one of the praise men that's one that popularity more than Jesus Christ and if you're going to go on and feed his lambs you you have to put Jesus Christ first don't you okay that's what I believe there now notice how after this statement it's the only time he says feed my lambs instead of sheep isn't it so he says feed my lambs and the lambs are the young and and look you could apply that to both kids and new Christians okay the Bible will call them you know babes in Christ the new Christians being fed the spiritual milk of the word and look just on that there's no shame in that is there because we're going to have a big variety of people come into this church we don't look down on someone who's newly saved we don't look if you're a new Christian amen to that great and a lot of the time that could be easier because sometimes it's hard to come out of if you if you've been saved a long time but you've been just amongst bad teaching a bad teaching a bad teaching that could be hard to reset can it to rewind and and and to erase all that junk and look if you're newly saved great you know great because you got a chance you're in a church now preaching the Word of God preach the Word of God and not preaching a lot of false doctrine and everything else and and you got a chance to live for God and look we we want you Christians there's nothing wrong with being a new Christian because people can be put off thing oh I don't really want to come here because there's all these people they go soul-winning look new Christians could go so winning okay you Christians could go and be a silent partner but everyone's at different stages a good church will have people at every stage and we're going to continue hopefully to have that people at every stage nothing embarrassing about being newly saved and look but when you're newly saved or again when you're a child as well who you know by definition that is newly saved as well a lot of the time or at least younger in Christian years says here if he says sorry verse 15 aren't we he says lovers saw me more than he says under yay Lord I know so lovely says under him feed my lambs because if if Simon Peter loves Jesus more than his fellow disciples he are you could say he could also need to feed new Christians and feed those lambs and feed those children and obviously you know that means preaching spiritual milk as well because if you're just wanting if you're as a preacher and this can you can you can put this across the men's preaching nights as well and and not just if you're the person behind the pulpit week in week out is that look you don't want to be standing there thinking right how can I get a really complicated new you know there's some new angle that they haven't seen and and give something look look then you're really it's more that you're caring about your peers are you caring about being being lift up by by those people and you're not loving Jesus Christ more cuz he said feed my lambs okay and yet when you're behind a pulpit you got to understand that really that those those you you know those babes in Christ those kids here everyone needs feeding with the Word of God and if you're just trying to go to like really complicated subject matters then a lot of the time you're not feeding the the spiritual babes here and everyone here needs to remind you of that stuff anyway don't they but it's easy you could easily start to pull that way thing well I've got to really go I've got to find a new angle here preach them something new but I think you're not loving loving the Lord they're more than these because really you're wanting that adoration wanting them to lift you up you're wanting them to go wow that was just what a great new truth you discovered okay and that like I said that could be in a 10-minute men's preaching that could be you know myself an hour behind a pulpit here and anyone else that preaches in the future here as well we've got to make sure that that we're not being we're not when we're thinking about what to write and praying on what to preach thinking about well how can I impress my fellow man because then really we're not loving the Lord more than these yeah that's why that's what I'd get from that myself and because I can it could be a temptation can't they're trying to impress just preaching spiritual meat all the time we don't want to do that now all three verses seem to be making the point that to feed his sheep or his lambs here he he has to love the Lord doesn't he okay he has to love the Lord because again it's so important isn't it it's so important for people when they're when they're leading when they're pastoring and and again we've just seen failed churches all over this nation and and there were saved people we went out myself brother Gary we're out just up the road here on the other side of Sainsbury's in a little close there and two elderly people were saved and that's like two only people within a stone's flow of each other's house were saved and look one was a little bit sketchy at the beginning but she I mean I would go away and say they were both saved brother Gary yeah like we both came away going yeah they were both saved you know sometimes people don't giving the exact same reply as you would yourself but once you start digging deeper they're like no I believe it's belief alone no I can't lose it and look to save people to to save people in it in South End in a place that I don't think I could because I remember you saying I think I'd not there before I don't think I did that side of the road it was on the right hand side this little kind of cul-de-sac of kind of these little I think no flats or little small houses there and yeah that you know these people were saved and I'm trying to remember why I was going to say that but I think my point was is that look you know that could be surprising for us sometimes can't it it could be surprising in there in pretty bad churches and pretty wicked churches and these people say but I think my point was is that this country has had I believe more saved people and there were churches there were Baptist Church had the gospel right and it's not oh well there's just been nothing since until the NIFB no look the old IFB had some great churches before yeah they might have been off on some stuff that we that we're right on now but look that's some great they've been to great churches over the years there's always been great churches over the years and there's been great leaders and they've been great soul winners and there's there's been all of that and his country's had that and there are still elderly people in this country that are saved whose spirits are probably vexed in whatever church they're left in sadly but there has been that here and look how's it got to this point to this state of play where there doesn't seem to be another church out soul winning in the whole of the country and again it's because the leaders there the pastors haven't fed their sheep have they okay they haven't they haven't loved God they haven't loved the Lord more than the people in there they've got weak they've got soft they've cared too much about what people think they've cared too much about the reaction to how they preach they haven't tested them they haven't preached the hard the difficult stuff they haven't challenged them to go out and live for God and go and preach the gospel they've got lazy they've got slack they got weak they got soft didn't they and that's what's happened in this nation but here he's saying look if you love me saying if you love me feed my sheep and if those men of God really loved and I used the word men of God loosely there but if they are many God they should love the Lord no God they put put Jesus above everyone else then they're gonna do things his way aren't they okay no matter what the reaction is not loving the fame the praise of men or whatever it is whatever it is these people seem to love in it another point here is it obviously Peter denied Jesus three times didn't they Peter denies Jesus three times now he's being asked to confirm his love for him three times and I don't think that's a coincidence I think he's given that that he's giving him that chance there as well and again he's giving that chance to to set the record straight yeah I love you yeah look we all get things wrong and some people here might deny the Lord and I'm not encouraging that but look we've all made mistakes we'll continue to make mistakes we'll continue to get things wrong we'll continue to have bad times in our life times when we're not living for God we should be living for God yes we should we we must we're commanded to serve him but we'll all get things wrong won't we okay we will get things wrong we'll have bad times but you know what he does give us that chance to make make make amends with that doesn't he and and just in case one thing that's got nothing to do with heaven nothing to do with heaven because we're saved by grace through faith okay you're saved the second you put your faith in Jesus Christ but but to be able to be back in the will of God to be able to be back close to God to be able to have that relationship with God after salvation Jesus wants us back there Jesus gives you that chance and here he has he says it three times he confirms his love for him three times and and followed by Peter stating that Jesus knows all things doesn't he says that he says in verse 17 he says he says Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Jesus saith unto him feed my sheep and and like I said Jesus told him that he would deny him three times as well didn't he I mean Peter I don't think he's in any doubt there is he because then he thinks on those words and he wept bitterly didn't he Jesus knows all things he told him he was going to deny him he did deny him now he's giving him that chance and he's and he's saying like you know all things you know all the things but he also knows that he loves him and we can do we can get things wrong it doesn't mean you don't love the Lord John John 13 38 says Jesus answered him wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake verily verily I sound to thee the cock shall not crow till thou has denied me thrice Jesus knew didn't he Jesus knows all things and look that means it he knows when we're sincere too doesn't he he knows when we're sincere he knows when we really want to serve him he knows when we really want to do things for him he knows when when it's just when it's just to to impress others when it's just to look the part he knows that he knows when it's just to well because that's what someone wants me to say it'll make me sound all right or yell think I'm a I'm a better Christian I am but he knows where your heart is he knows if you really really want to follow him verse 18 verily verily I sound to thee when thou was young thou girdest thyself and walkest whither thou wouldest but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not this spake he signified by what death he should glorify God and when he had spoken this he saith unto him follow me and look you may have heard story you heard those stories that Peter was crucified upside down yeah a few people have heard that the Bible doesn't say and neither do these verses for me either what verse 18 does say clearly is that when he was young he relied on himself and did as he pleased okay that's what that verse does say and and how many people could probably say the same here and sadly you know for youngsters they can be a lot more like that as well when they're saved or not but especially those that were unsaved but when he's old it will be the opposite and although here he's he's talking about his death he does say that it's spake he signified by what death he should glorify God but still notice the contrast between the young self-reliant Peter and the old Peter who glorifies God and by ultimately relying on God really I mean it says here that that he when he should be old he should stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whether thou wouldest not and maybe he was crucified with a kind of fit there but I don't know but what I do know is that he's highlighting there the difference between when he was young and when he's old and we want a difference don't we you want to strive to be dead don't just sit here well like that's just the way I am I'm just that person that's just my sin that's just that's the way I was made or anything look you can change everyone here can change everyone else everyone here can improve everyone here can become better people can be become better Christians can be become better sons of God we all have the ability to do that it's whether or not you want to do you want to do you want to strive do you want to work hard do you want to make that difference or do you just want to go well I'm just I'm just like that that's why and then it goes on verse 20 then Peter Tony about seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following which also leaned in his breast at supper and said Lord which is he that betrayeth thee Peter seeing him saith to Jesus the Lord and what shall this man do and Jesus saith unto him if I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee follow thou me and it seems like a bit of envy or competitiveness here from Peter doesn't it that's what it comes across as here maybe is maybe isn't but either way Jesus makes it clear that Peter needs to just focus on following him doesn't he he's saying what is that to thee follow that me okay and look most Christians could probably do with spending more time on serving God and less time on focusing what others are doing I think we could all probably learn from that can we because it is easy as a Christian to just start looking at other people and criticizing and feeling maybe better about yourself feeling worse about yourself or whatever else it but it's not a comparison there is you know the Bible gives us plenty of people that we can compare to in the Bible and ultimately the number one the person we should be comparing to most is Jesus Christ isn't it that's a benchmark that's how we should be striving to live like so why do we spend so long looking at other Christians and trying to try to compare with them and see whether they're getting this or blessed with that or well it's okay for them or how come they get to do it look it it's just envy isn't it and we can can get out of control and that can be wicked and oh it can be the other way where you're just getting self-righteous and you're thinking that you're better than other people but we shouldn't compare ourselves with others we should just be focusing on what we're doing focus on our own walk with God focus on living for God verse 23 then when it's saying abroad among the brethren that that disciple should not die but Jesus said not unto him he shall not die but if I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee and there's a good example of what you call Chinese whispers isn't it there taking something Jesus said in creating a doctrine of it and we used to anyone used to play that game when they were young where you'd whisper someone into something into someone's ear and then in a group and it whisper around when it came back it was just the complete opposite to what you said in the beginning and there was always that dodgy friend that would change it to something really dodgy so no just we just have fun completely changing it but yeah it was quite a fun game when you were bored wasn't it and here it's kind of like the same thing isn't it because again it's like he says here then went this saying abroad among the brethren that that disciple should not die but he didn't say that did he he said if I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee and look taking something Jesus said in creating a doctrine of it and how often do we see that hey so taking it skewering it a little bit take it out of context changing it adding a word taking away a word completely changing it with a false Bible version if you like and cults have been doing this with Scripture ever since haven't they? Cults have been constantly doing this with Scripture but here it's the brethren it's not the cult is it here it's the brethren and then went that saying abroad among the brethren and I was thinking about just off the top of my head you know some examples of this got Matthew 24 36 I was thinking of where it says but of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my father only took that Jesus Christ return and you know they will look at that as a rapture you know that point sort of that that half a return and and then they'll look at that of that day and hour knoweth no man oh see he could come back at any time but said the day or the hour okay they didn't say no one's got any idea what period of time or anything else just that exact day and hour oh well that's it there see you go Jesus Christ could come could come he could come this minute and what a load of not and again just just completely skewed isn't it and you you taking a verse and and that's the one a lot of time they'll come back to won't they and say look see yeah well what about you know that no man knoweth the you know of that day and hour knoweth no man well sure they don't know the day and the hour but we do know that it's after the tribulation of those days it's before the wrath okay but we don't know the day and the hour and look there are many many places and it's funny that they say that don't they always love love that one in Matthew 24 even though a few verses earlier in verse 29 he says immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkened and the moon shall not give a light the stars shall fall from heaven and powers of heaven shall be shaken and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and then they'll say oh yeah well that's that's talking to the Jews you know it's just frustrating isn't it but again it's just taking a verse taking something Jesus said and and then just creating your own doctrine out of it and we see that obviously with a judge not one don't we judge not that ye be not judged Matthew 7 1 and Q millions of Christians going around or so-called Christians saying you can't judge and a lot of real Christians will say that you know judge not judge not because Jesus said judge not but they kind of miss a bit after Matthew 7 5 where he says our hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye then shout thou see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brother's eye because obviously we are commanded to judge aren't we it's just not hypocritical judgment yeah how on earth could you get through a day of life without judging things you have to judge everything in life don't you it's all about judge judge it's just ridiculous isn't it Matthew sorry John 7 24 he said judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment there's Jesus Christ telling us to judge so just another one knows and look you could probably come out with a hundred of these couldn't you and there are just ones I thought of and look but but don't we see that everywhere don't we just people just taking verses take you so that they just hate when you get people that don't even claim to be Christians trying to do it well didn't Jesus say and then like for example that one they love judge not you got no idea okay but maybe it's even worse than Christians do um verse 24 back to where we were John 21 this is a disciple which testifies of these things and wrote these things and we know that his testimony is true talk about himself here John and there were also many other things which Jesus did the which if they should be written everyone I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written our men and Jesus must have done a lot of things I I was thinking about this as well you know he wasn't having me time was he Jesus he had time with the father but he wasn't having just yeah well I just need need a bit of time to myself in fact he was working on the Sabbath as well you know he said he you know his father working in the two and I work yeah and he was here to work wasn't he he grafted Jesus did for the whole of his ministry and look it wasn't sightseeing he wasn't getting on with some hobbies or anything else he was in full-time ministry wasn't he but think about this as well full time ministry and a lot of people in full-time ministry part of that time is spent writing sermons a lot of the time studying the Bible to write sermons but Jesus Christ didn't need to study the Bible and Jesus Christ I'm sure he didn't write any of his sermons Jesus Christ has preached in me so that was three and a half years we're preaching of which we've got just a snippet haven't we in here think three and a half years borrowed when he was asleep and the rest of the time miracles preaching just just so much stuff he must have done of which we just have this small amount that's the amount that God wants to give us the amount that he wants us to know the amount that we obviously need to be able to preach and get people saved and the amount that we need to be able to grow as Christians and to be able to live how God wants us to live and the amount that we need in this Bible to be able to just be nourished by the Word of God and to have it as a you know lamp unto our feet a light unto our path and and but Jesus must have done a lot in those three and a half years see what you could do in three and a half years of just full time and especially when you're the Lord Jesus Christ and look he did say I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books it should be written so you know I'm not saying that's an actual literal thing that the world cannot contain the book but he obviously did a lot didn't he he did a lot and you know we're here for longer though we're here for longer and we can get a lot done he said greater works that we're able to do didn't he in terms of more more soul winning and that because they're the they're the ultimate works we could do stuff if we want to serve him like I said this morning but yeah what what yeah what a great gospel what a great great chapter to end on as well and just more and more truths coming out of there and and so you know so much truth comes out of the Word of God and you know if you're sitting here and I don't know you sit here thinking well yeah there's some good stuff in there but I don't know is that really is that really the Word of God look you no one can write that no one can write no one could write that and have it marry up how it does and how you can just cross you could just study that compare with other books it look for those idiots that go oh it's fairy tales or it's it's you know someone wrote a book no one person wrote that okay there is no doubt at all that there is multiple multiple you're looking at 40 authors 66 books 40 authors over over 1,500 plus years in different regions of the world wrote this Bible and it and when you study it properly it marries up from start to finish and it's absolutely amazing isn't it absolutely amazing you could just go through chatter like you can't go through some worldly literature and go through chapter after chapter and just find so much truth so much so many lessons so much in every verse not that they'll be split into verses every handful of what it's impossible I mean we should you should try it just for a laugh one day just get out like the greatest literature get out on those Shakespeare or something like that and try and just dissect it it's impossible yeah what you're gonna get out of it a lot of fairies dancing around in dresses most the time isn't it because it is it's just a load of actors and weirdos but what you're gonna get you're not gonna get anything like and they try and do it the world tries to study it anyone try anyone have to study it when they're at school in English it's nothing like it is it nothing like it they try and study it and try and dissect it but there is absolutely no comparison and anyone that's even worldly under say people that try to study the Bible have admitted the same haven't they that there is nothing like it nothing like this King James Bible and how groundbreaking it it was and still is to this day and look that's why these Bible studies are so great as well because you could just go through and just just and that's just what I've pulled out you could get ten preachers go through that chapter and pull out ten ten different sermons couldn't they and and they will and they still do to this day and look there's so much in there there's so much truth in there there's so much in the Word of God and aren't we blessed to have the Word of God and isn't it great to go through it and the Word of God is evidence of itself isn't it that it's written by God it's written by God through men and no one no one else let alone 40 different people could write something like this what you know what a great truth that is and on that let's pray father I thank you for the Gospel of John I thank you I thank you for the Word of God thank you for for just everything that's in the Word of God just all the difference you know different styles of writing in there in terms of the from history to the Lord to to poetry to to the Gospels to the epistles just all all the all the many different types of books we have in there how rich they are how much lessons we can get from there how much wisdom we can get how much enjoyment we can get from it how much knowledge we can get and but ultimately how much we can get from it to apply to our lives please help us to do that from this Gospel of John all the lessons we've learned over the last few months in this just help us to apply it to our lives to not just be hearers of the Word but to be doers too please help me to choose a book that's going to be edifying for the church that's going to glorify you but also it's going to help help everyone in here including myself to just to just live more for you and yeah please help us all this week as well just to just to you know put you first this week to put serving you at the forefront of our minds and and to all be able to return back here next week for another day in your house Jesus name we pray Amen