 John 21 beginning at verse 1 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias and in this way he showed himself Simon Peter Thomas called didimus Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee the sons of Zebedee and two others of his disciples were together Simon Peter said to them. I'm going fishing. They said to him. We're going with you also They went out and immediately got into the boat that night. They caught nothing But when the morning had come had now come Jesus stood on the shore yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus Then Jesus said to them children. Have you any food? He answered him no He said to them cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some so they cast and Now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter. It's the Lord Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord He put on his outer garment for he had removed it and plunged into the sea But the other disciples came in the little boat for they were not far from land, but about 200 cubits dragging the net with fish and Then as soon as they had come to land they saw a fire of coals there and fish laid on it and bread Jesus said to them bring some of the fish which you have just caught Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land full of large fish 153 and although there were so many the net was not broken Jesus said to them come and eat breakfast yet. None of the disciples dared ask him Who are you knowing that it was the Lord? Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them and likewise the fish now This is now the third time Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead So what we have in chapter 21 is the restoration of the apostle Peter The restoration of the apostle Peter after the apostle Peter had denied that he had any relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and and as I mentioned a moment ago I'm going to take two weeks to look into this single event this act of restoration But I want to begin by laying a foundation and then obviously next time we get together I'm going to develop it further and go to the heart of the of the study which relates to restoration But in order for us to understand what is taking place I need to remind you of some of the things that had recently occurred in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ now Jesus had told his disciples on On the night that he was betrayed Jesus had told his disciples That he was about to be betrayed and that had provoked his disciples and they became very upset over what Jesus had just said You see the thought of one of them Betraying Jesus Christ was truly an unbelievable thing and to the apostle Peter. It was more than he could bear The apostle Peter as we remember vehemently boasted that he would never deny the Lord Jesus Christ Never Mark tells us in chapter 14 verse 29 Peter said to him even if all are made to stumble yet. I will not be Peter insisted that he loved Jesus perhaps even more than all of the other apostles and could not fathom It possible for him to ever ever Deny the Lord Yet in Luke chapter 22 verses 31 through 33 The Lord said Simon Simon Indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail and When you have returned to me Strengthen your brethren, but he said to him Lord. I am ready to go with you both the prison and to death The apostle Peter could not fathom that there'd ever be a moment ever be a situation Ever really be an opportunity that he would actually deny the Lord and he vehemently argued with the Lord That is not a possibility Even if everybody else were made to stumble yet. I never will stumble. I would even die for you I've said this before it bears repetition at this moment how the apostle Peter was basically saying I love you more than all of these All of these others. I love you so much. My love for you is so strong Jesus you've been with me for over three years. You've shown me so many tremendous things I've been with you and and done works with you I've I've seen you do things that nobody else has ever seen other than this small circle of Apostles I I've seen you when you have raised the dead. I have seen you when you have walked on water I have seen you when you have have cleansed the leper. I have seen you When you have done so many fantastic things. I've heard your messages. I've been there. You've even used me When you fed the 5,000 when you met when you fed the 4,000 I Was with you and in that time that you were transfigured and and I was with you when you raised Jairus's daughter from the dead. I have seen you do tremendous things I I have no doubt in my mind that I of all people Will remain faithful to you now. I realize that none of us in this room have ever said to the Lord I will never deny you I I understand that we're talking hypothetically here We're speaking about some other guy two thousand years ago who really thought that he was stronger than he is None of us have I've never felt that I've never in my life ever denied the Lord in any way shape or form I've always been perfect and if you believe that Talk to Marie fact is We need to get this context the Apostle Peter said I will go with you wherever you go. I'd go to prison for you, and I'd even die for you I'll do anything Well that night when Jesus was arrested the Apostle Peter was ready and willing to keep his word John tells us in chapter 18 verses 10 through 12 Simon Peter having a sword drew it and struck the high priest Servant and cut off his right ear The servants name was Melchus So Jesus sent to Peter Put your sword into the sheath Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him He was willing to go to prison and to death. He had said it earlier, and he was making good on his promise There's Melchus There's the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Peter picks up his sword and just takes a swing at the first person that he could Connect with and I often when I think of this I ought to bring this out though It's probably not pertinent to the story, but it gives you some insight during the time of Christ the normal hand that would be used for wielding a sword would be your right hand and That that was the hand that was for official business if you will to to wield a sword and things of that nature It's interesting how it says that that he struck Melchus and cut off a portion of his right ear And so all you need to do for just a moment is Envision if you're facing somebody and their face is looking towards you and you're looking in their eyes And you have a sword then if you take a swing with your sword and tell me which ear you're gonna cut off You're gonna up the left ear How are you gonna take off somebody's right ear? The guy's turned around Gives you some insight in Peter You know guys not even looking at him I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it is an insight nonetheless and John makes it very clear by the way. It was his right ear that gives you some insight into the apostle. Well, anyway when Jesus was taken he was taken to the home of Anas to be interrogated and Peter and John followed the officers as they took Jesus to his home And this was not a notice because John records in John 18 verse 17 that as he was there The the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter You are not also one of this this man's disciples are you and he said I am not and Then in John 18 25 Simon Peter stood warmed himself Therefore they said to him you are not also one of his disciples. Are you he denied it and said I am not and Then John 18 27 again the third time Peter denied it And at that moment a rooster began to crow now the Lord had said you will deny me and he said no I won't and yet the Bible is very clear that indeed the apostle Peter Denied the Lord even as Jesus said and Luke records what happened after the apostle had denied him It's found again in chapter 22 of Luke's gospel gospel verses 60 and 60 through 62 It said Peter said man, I do not know what you're saying and immediately while he was still speaking the rooster crowed and the Lord turned and looked at Peter and Peter remembered the word of the Lord How he had said to him before the rooster crows you will deny me three times Peter went out And he wept bitterly Jesus was being led past the apostle Peter. He'd already been brutalized. There's already spittle on his face His beard has already been plucked out his face is swollen. He's already been Mis-treated in the midst of this you have the apostle Peter warming himself at the enemy's fire The denials come quickly And he ultimately does exactly what Jesus has said he would do you will deny me And so I have often wondered what that look was that Jesus gave to the apostle Peter Of course the Bible doesn't say exactly How Jesus looked at him, but some would say oh he must have looked at him like yeah, I told you so punk Do you think so? I don't either you know, I don't want to Interpolate I don't want to put something into the passage that's not there But noticing the character of Christ from from where we first are introduced to him to the very end there doesn't seem to be within Jesus this ability to to Do that kind of thing if there's anything that I could particularly Envision him doing it would be looking at him as somebody who loved him and somebody who is still there for him I I do not see the Lord Jesus Christ in this passage doing anything other than looking at his beloved apostle He wasn't surprised It wasn't like a shock. You don't see Jesus with his mouth open saying whoa. I didn't expect you to do that He had already said you're gonna do that But he had also said to him I have prayed for you Because I know what you're going to do. Oh, no, I'm not. No, I'm not. I'd never do that. I'll go to prison I'll die for you these others around what you know You have a good reason to suspect them because let's face it And these are guys who are not as committed to you as I am you have to think back for just a moment Jesus who was it that walked on water towards you? It was me. So why would I deny you? I? would never do that I Am the person who gets revelation don't you remember I said thou art the Christ the son of the living God and you said blessed Are you Simon by Jonah? Don't you remember that? I haven't forgotten no Listen you can be doing solidly with the Lord going strongly with him and there can be Circumstances that begin to surround your life and before you know it without you even noticing it You begin to move down a path that isn't the correct one It's not that the Lord is ever surprised by the way by that because Human nature being what it is is prone to wandering But the Lord gives to us and I've mentioned this to you recently the Lord gives to us so much hope when he says But I have prayed for you that your strength fails not he's not surprised at my weakness But with the Apostle Paul I'm coming to discover yet when I am weak then I am made strong Because it's in my weakness that he lifts me up and empowers me with his spirit when I say God be merciful to me a sinner and so what we're looking at here in John chapter 21 is a two-part teaching on the restoration of this fallen Apostle and So beginning in verses 1 and 2 verses 1 and 2 in chapter 21 began they began with with the remaining 11 Apostles in the Galilee in northern Israel Now an angel had given a command to them through Mary Magdalene in mark 16 verses 6 and 7 Reads there he speaking of the angel. He said to them do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified He's risen. He's not here See the place where they laid him But go tell his disciples and Peter That he's going before you into Galilee there. You will see him as he said to you so in obedience They are now in Galilee at the Sea of Tiberius the Sea of Tiberius is also what we know as the Sea of Galilee That's where they are now in this particular passage seven of the disciples are referred to but the Apostle Peter is the chief character and This passage will give us insight into his influence the influence that he wielded on the other disciples I want you to notice how it says in verse 3 Simon Peter said to them I am going fishing They said to him we are going with you They went out and immediately got into the boat that night. They caught nothing so it would seem that Simon Peter is returning to his old life Remember with me that before he had been called by Christ to be a disciple and an apostle His profession was fishing. He was a fisherman Matthew tells us in chapter 4 verses 18 through 20 Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee Saw two brothers Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea. They were fishermen He said to them follow me. I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed him Now what would provoke him to return to his old way of life? There are various things that you could begin to think and wonder and Perhaps there are various answers to that one question. What would provoke him to return to fishing? Some say it's a case of simple impatience Jesus hadn't shown up and he got restless Some will say he forgot his commission Very quickly the Lord had said to him that they were going to go out and they were going to do ministry in chapter 20 verses 19 through 23 and It seems that some would say he perhaps he forgot what his first calling was As some would say that he had practical concerns. He needed to make a living. He needed to care for his family Well, you see before Jesus had been crucified The Apostle Peter's practical needs were cared for by the offerings that people gave to support the Lord Luke chapter 8 verse 3 tells us that Jesus's practical needs were supplied by the giving of his followers and When Jesus had sent his disciples out in Matthew chapter 10 verses 7 through 10 He had said as you go preach this message the kingdom of heaven is near Healed the sick raised the dead cleansed those who have leprosy drive out demons Freely you have received really give Do not take in along any gold or silver or copper in your belts Take no bag for your journey or extra tunic or sandals or a staff for the worker is worth his keep So he had been cared for Well at this point the disciples Didn't know how they were going to be employed and perhaps that they're just going to work. I Want to develop a couple things with you though in this Peter's fallen But he retains his incredible influence over these men We use the word influence quite often, but sometimes the word needs to be defined a Definition of influence is the invisible force in one's personality that causes other people to act You're using your influence. You're influencing somebody to do something and so we know that influence is not something that is necessarily Without any impact or effect on other people. It's not neutral Influence can be used for good or for bad Everyone in this room every single one of us and you may some of you might at this moment even argued to the contrary and say No, I wouldn't agree with you on that but the fact is Everyone in this room has influence to some degree every one of us Not a single one of us is without impact on somebody else. You may not realize it But you do have influence and it can be used for good. See as Christians. God has called us to influence this world for good in Philippians chapter 3 verse 17 the apostle Paul said it like this He said join in following my example note those who so walk as you have us for a pattern May my influence influence you so that you influence others is what Paul is basically saying in First Timothy chapter 4 verse 12. He said let no one despise your youth But be an example to the believers in word conduct love spirit faith purity you have influence and it really Doesn't matter if you're young or if you're old you have influence use it for good I was 23 My wife's phone is ringing. I'm gonna wait for a minute here. I hope that was Jesus. I know baby. It's okay It's okay I'm using my influence for good right now Better not be your boyfriend. That's all I'm saying I was 23 years old I Started teaching a Bible study. It was September of 1973 My father is 46 years old at the time my mother Would have been 43 How does a 23 year old man? Influence their father. How's that happen any young men in here? Can you teach your father? Can you teach your father? Can you the answer is yes, no, I can't he's my dad. You don't know my dad No But I influenced mine How how did you do that? By being sober-minded at 23 By seeing something greater than the latest game I could play Or the latest silly thing I could do My father began to respect me By being an example of a believer Somebody who had become sober-minded somebody who no longer was drinking no longer doing drugs no longer acting like a kid Begetting to mature Taking things seriously my father began to respect me not only as a man But he began to respect me as his pastor When I was 23 You can be an influence You're an example in word in conduct in spirit in faith in love with all purity you are so use your influence for good and remember that When you come into that that house and you say Jesus Christ is Lord and he's transformed my life your parents if you're young your parents They're just kind of looking at you like you goofy kid. You know right by what? And you come in and dust there's the Lord But mom's thinking yeah, God is saying go make your bed Or your dad's out there my dad used to mow the lawn. He called it massaging the lawn He's out there massaging line your dad's out there mowing the lawn Why don't you go help him do that instead of coming in here preaching to me? Because my life had a change they had to see a sobriety They had to see that that I had changed and I wasn't that lazy kid That's not he knows punk that my life had been different and that's that's how it works Because you you begin to earn the respect and when you earn the respect You're also earning the right if you will to speak into their life you use your influence for good you can't or We can be influenced for evil influence can be used for evil. It's true. I make up my own mind But very often my mind is made up with somebody else's help That's why Proverbs 1226 says the righteous should choose his friends carefully for the way of the wicked leads them astray and You can lead someone for good or you can lead them astray That's why again first Corinthians 1533 says do not be misled bad company corrupts good character Influence Peter decides to go back to work and his friends follow his lead Someone said in doing a good thing They forget the most important thing which is fulfilling the commission and So as they say in verse 3 here It says they went out and immediately got into the boat, but notice that night they caught nothing Here's your application when you're not Obeying Jesus in your life. All of your pursuits will bear no fruit and It doesn't simply affect you It affects others it affects your friends and affects your families You will produce nothing, but when morning came Jesus is there on the shore Now it says to us The disciples in verse 4 did not know that it was Jesus and Jesus said to them children. Have you any food? They answered him no He said to them cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some They cast and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish Well as there he is and they're not really recognizing it. It could be recognizing him It could be that they couldn't see him in the darkness or it could be that they were so preoccupied with what they were doing Yet Jesus is there any shows up to examine their progress and notice in verse 5 how we asked them a question. Have you any food? You've been busy laboring all night. Do you have any fruit from your labors? No Laboring here's a practical application for you laboring in the flesh results in no fruit My pastor chock taught us that a long time ago When he would speak to us as pastors He said you know you can labor in the flesh or labor in the spirit make up your mind what you're going to do But always remember this your labor in the flesh will produce no fruit It never does these men had been laboring all night and they caught absolutely nothing because they were laboring in their and their flesh They were just doing things in their own energy and So laboring in the flesh Especially when you spiritually apply that will always result with no fruit That's why in first Peter 411 it says if anyone speaks let him speak as the oracles of God If anyone ministers let him do it with the ability which God supplies that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen If you're going to serve the Lord you don't do it in your own Genius in your own eloquence in your own physical abilities in your own energies When you're young when you're young and you're wanting to serve the Lord very often You think you're filled with all kinds of ideas and good things and you'll labor and labor and labor and you attempt to produce some fruit for God and And your your labors may produce something, but it doesn't really remain very often and if if you do produce something It's really not of high quality One of the things and I'll just move into a different area for a minute I didn't put this in my notes, but it's a very practical application One of the things you learn to do when it comes to comes to laboring for the Lord in the spirit is Learned to simply be rooted and grounded in Christ and the love of God and the power of his Holy Spirit Learned to produce fruit by dropping your roots deeply into Christ Now I have some fruit trees in my backyard. I have a few of them I've got I've got a tangerine tree and I I have an apple two apple trees and I have an orange tree They're they're great trees. They've survived for years Because I could be prosecuted for malpractice when it comes to raising trees But you know the interesting thing about it. I'll go into the backyard and and I have never seen the tree shaking Trying to produce an orange. I've just never seen it. Have you ever seen that? You ever go and see an apple tree? I have never seen that I just haven't They knew they do it naturally how it's part of the nature to do that you plant it you water it add some fertilizer once in a while bang You got a tangerine You got an orange because it's part of the nature of the tree to produce fruit a bite in Christ and He abides in you and you produce fruit But if you're busy trying to have fruit You can't produce what is called an artificial fruit And I've tasted it some of you perhaps have where you've seen something that apple looks good And it turns out to be wax You know it looked real Are grapes? They look real that's that's wax It can look real listen There are people to this day, and I'm not judging them so me so you judge well. No, I'm not I am observing There are some to this day who have artificial fruit It looks real on the outside, but it isn't genuine. It hasn't been produced by the spirit You're never going to do anything other than observe it maybe for a moment But you'll never really see if it's real because you'll never know them well enough to know whether it can be tested or not Lot of that you see on TV If you try and produce fruit in and of yourself You're never going to be able to do it You need to be rooted deeply in Christ and so don't labor in the flesh learn to rely on Christ So as this has taken place again verse 6 he said to them cast the net on the right side of the boat And you'll find some now again. Does that make sense to anybody in this room? You're in a boat. It's not that large And it's like yeah all the fish are hide in on the right side of the boat. Oh Check it out. You know dropping it over here on the left side. He doesn't even see us. I you know, it makes no sense Does it it didn't make any sense and and to me it wouldn't make any sense I mean, it's not as if that boat is a mile wide. It's just it's not that wide at all I'm on this side and Jesus is yelling and he says drop it on the other side Drop it on the other side Well, what's that? What's it? What's he saying obey me? Even if it doesn't make sense at the moment obey me Obey me and you will bear fruit Again John 15 verse 5. I am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me I and him bears much fruit for without me you can do nothing So by obeying his word even when not totally understanding him or his reasons blessings do result blessings do Result His ways will always seem to be mysterious to us because his ways are not our ways That's why we trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not into our own understanding in all our ways We acknowledge him and he what he will direct our paths The steps of a righteous man are ordained of the Lord and we walk by the spirit We walk by faith and not by sight And so the Lord may put into your heart that you should attach yourself speak to somebody And you don't even realize why he wants you to do that when all along He intends to use you as his voice to reach somebody that he's trying to reach and he's going to use you to do That he wants to use you Well as this is taking place verse 7 the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter it's the Lord Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he put on his outer garment He had removed it and plunged into the sea But the other disciples came in the little boat for they were not far from land But about 200 cubits 200 cubits is about 300 feet There are 100 yards offshore Drag in the net with fish and then as soon as they had come to land They saw a fire of coals there fish laid on it and bread and Jesus said bring some of the fish Which you have just caught Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land full of large fish 153 and although there were so many the net was not broken So it's interesting to me just an aside here in verse 11. They had a church administrator with them How do I know that he counted the fish? 153 you wanted us to know there were a hundred and fifty three fish that gives you a couple of insights one it gives you insight into How powerful the apostle Peter was You're talking about him dragging large fish a hundred and fifty three So you'll hear people say that burly fisherman Peter and we say where'd you get the idea that he was he was built Like that because he was strong enough by himself to drag these fish to shore He was very powerful that gives us some insight 153 during the time of Christ represented the amount of nations on the planet earth at least those who believe there were 153 nations this gives us insight into The fact that when Peter is dragging these fish to shore 153 of them that gives us a little bit of a spiritual insight into what fishing is all about because remember Jesus said I will make you to become fishers of men and so that gives us a little bit of an insight here that The commission is intended to go outside of Israel to the entire world Now in verse 9 it says that they came and saw fire of coals and fish fish and bread Could that have reminded them of the feed-in of the five thousand and of the four thousand? Perhaps that may have triggered their memories of Eating meals with Jesus and so in verse 10 Jesus said to them bring some of the fish which you just caught Now Jesus provided for them But they added to what he had given them They were adding to it from his increase because we only give back what we have received And so they add to what the Lord already had prepared for them now when it says in verse 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net there were 153 he dragged that net up But it's interesting in his fleshly effort. He was strong enough to drag a heavy net but spiritually He had become unable to fish for even one man and Jesus said to them come and eat breakfast I'm going to give you a couple of things because really this again is just an introduction to what I really want to share with you Next time we get together, but I want to give you a couple of things here In verse 12 again come and eat breakfast that none of this disciples dared ask him Who are you knowing that it was the Lord? Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them and likewise the fish Notice that Jesus then came took the bread gave it to them and the fish Jesus is still giving them an example Here's something for the church today that perhaps we need to remember I could talk about this for a long time I won't I'll just make an observation Who's the greatest in the kingdom? Jesus said The servant of all the servant of all when Jesus was speaking about John the Baptist And people had come in and we're speaking to him concerning John the Baptist Jesus said Amongst those who've been born of women there is none greater than John the Baptist Yet John the Baptist was recognized as a person who was God's servant when Jesus is speaking to his disciples and his disciples are beginning to To vie for position I want one to be seated at the right hand and the other to be seated at the left in your kingdom and Jesus has to begin to speak to James and John's mom who was trying to use her her Relationship to Christ to influence him to place her sons into positions of honor power and authority You don't know what you're asking for. Can you drink of the cup that I'm about to drink? Can you do that? Can you suffer? Can you go through the thing and they say yes, we can? No, you can't you will indeed drink of my cup, but Giving this position in the kingdom is really something that is left in the hands of my father My father makes a determination who's going to have these positions of authority in his kingdom But by the way the son of man came not to be served But to serve and to give his life a ransom for many Even in the night when Jesus was finally betrayed It's recorded in John 13 and knowing that it was time for him to go to the father He the scripture says he loved his own even until the end and and Suffer being ended and the devil having placed in the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray him Jesus rose from the table Girded himself like a servant took a basin of water took a towel and began to wash the feet of his disciples And it caused his beloved disciple Peter such a problem that he said you will you're washing my feet You will never wash my feet and Jesus said if I do not wash you you have no part of me He says then give me a complete bath Remember that story You call me master and you call me Lord and you say well because that's what I am Jesus said to them if I then being your Lord and master Have washed your feet You ought to wash the feet of one another So what are you doing Jesus? Are you incorporating a new sacrament the sacrament of foot washing? So that one day I'll say oh by the way have basins and towels up here next week We're going to be doing some foot washing and The next week you won't show up and if you do show up your feet will be so clean and so manicured Because you don't want to anybody to see I understand what I'm saying You don't want anybody to see your feet. They're not clean if they're smelly right So no was Jesus initiating something ordaining a new sacrament the sacrament of foot washing Or was it something deeper than that was it deeper than the exterior the external where people can get together and can wash Feet not to say that they shouldn't because some churches do that and it's a very spiritual thing No, what I'm saying is but Jesus was saying the heart of a servant you call me Lord You call me master and that is good because that's what I am if I then be in your Lord and master have washed your feet You ought to wash the feet of one another. I have done this as an example unto you Who is the greatest in the kingdom the servant of all? Jesus has been betrayed. He has been crucified He has been buried and he has been resurrected and he is still ministering to his disciples He is still serving them Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them and likewise the fish greatest in the kingdom Jesus is there at a supper and he's watching how the people are Basically alboying one another out of the way so they could get the chief place at the feast The one that is closest To the head of the table and he says no What you need to do is you need to take the lower seat You see if you take the higher seat and someone greater than you shows up and The chief of the feast sees this greater one than you in turns you and says can you move and give place to this other one? Who just showed up you he said with great shame will get up and take the lower seat in front of everybody Now make a habit of just taking that lower seat not so that you can be seen by the way look at me I'm at the lower seat. I'm really humble But get used to being in that lower seat Listen if you get into the habit of taking a lower seat If you get into that habit you'll find that the lower seat is very comfortable You don't need attention You don't need to be acknowledged You don't need your name mentioned Do you know that there are churches that if you give a certain amount of money? They'll put your name on a pane of glass or they'll put your name on a pew or they'll put your name on the sidewalk when people Are walking they say oh look he donated this much money. There are churches like that some of you are familiar with that It's fact. It's true It's true. There are places where you actually buy the pew and that's yours and I say pew That stinks the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all God help us Have you ever heard of a church split? That occurred because people were angry that somebody was serving Jesus more than them Have you ever heard of that? That people got angry because somebody else was really serving Jesus more than that so the church splits No, church is usually split because people are not acknowledged as being great Amongst others and they get upset and then they drop people to themselves and they say oh this church isn't fair Look at all I've done to them. That isn't the heart of a servant Your left hand and your right hand aren't supposed to know what the other ones are doing You're supposed to be doing it as unto the Lord right and Jesus Christ is the servant of all all of this is going to go Into a very powerful moment. We're going to be looking at next summer together Where Jesus is setting the stage So that he can address something that the Apostle Peter needs to have spoken about You see It's interesting how and I'm going to make another point here. I read it again How it says Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them and likewise the fish This left a great impression on the Apostle Peter because in Acts chapter 10 verses 40 and 41 He says him speaking of Jesus him God raised up on the third day Showed him openly not to all the people but to witnesses chosen before by God Even to us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead He never forgot this symbol that Jesus Was basically living out in front may the Lord work in us to such a degree That we this fellowship Become known For our heart and love for him and our service to God. No, I'm not going to take signups tonight for people to serve here So don't worry. I was sharing recently though about a lady that I was spoken. I was spoken to about Who had come to one of our? one of our women's retreats and I was speaking to someone later on at the women's retreat and they said that they had brought a friend who during the retreat began to cry and This lady who was crying was not a member of our fellowship And so the one who had invited her who was a member of our fellowship spoke to her and said what's wrong? Why are you crying and the lady who was crying said to the member of our church? I'm crying because the church I attend has never been able to have a woman's retreat that lasts from Friday Saturday and into Sunday Because the women in the church cannot take three days in a row to be set apart for Christ Because if they're gone on Sunday our church Will not we can't have church services because the men will not show up To minister. It's the women who run the church that broke my heart because the church is to be filled with people who love Christ and Serve Jesus and one another. How do I show God? I love him. He's invisible How do you show the invisible God and the world your love for this invisible God? He by loving those whom you can see That's why John said he says the one who says I love God whom I I Can't see and yet hates his brother whom he can see He isn't telling the truth Because how can a man say I love God who's invisible when I hate the one I see? because in Christianity My love for the invisible God will always be manifested By my love for people Because that's what Jesus said isn't it didn't he say that by this all men shall know you're my disciples if you have love one another that's the mark again of the believer and if I love Then I serve God and I serve those whom God loves and if my savior Jesus Even after he was resurrected is there still feeding his disciples Well, maybe that's what I'm called to do too to serve him to serve him Because one day he I hope can say to me well done my good and my faithful what? servant My good and my faithful pastor My good and my faithful servant. He's setting up the stage Ministry into his disciples So he can take some special time with one who really needs attention We'll look at that next time we get together