Stay in the Boat

STAY IN THE BOAT
Week Four – Cast Your NETS!

Today we will be the last sermon in this series
 John 21:1-5 NKJV
1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?”
They answered Him, “No.”
6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
PRAY
If I had to name this last sermon of the series, it would be “Cast Your Nets”
I want to set up this scripture in context… 
So Jesus had been crucified…Peter denied Christ three times.  (expound)
THE DENIAL
Matthew 26:72  But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”
When Peter swore an oath, the Greek is the Greek word anathema. 
Anathema is a very strong word. 

1 Corinthians 16:22 King James Version 
22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. 

Anathema is called the curse of excommunication. 

You will curse yourself from the house of Israel. You curse yourself from the synagogue. And also he cursed himself and excommunicated himself from the other eleven disciples.  

So here's what he said. If I know this man, this is what he was saying now. “Let me be banished from the presence of God forever.”  

The only person that can get you out from under that curse is the head of the synagogue or a head rabbi. You cannot get yourself out from under that once you speak it. 
His Rabbi, that he sat under for three and a half years was the only person that has the authority to reverse the self-curse he puts on himself. 

So let’s go and pick up the story where we left off…

John 21:6-19 NKJV
6 And 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.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is 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. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 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. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.
This is the third time that Jesus had shown himself to disciples and yet Peter still felt unworthy, cursed. He had said too much, done too much…
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
See, he's saying, hear or listen, I'm going to tell you something. 
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 
19  …And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
Jesus always has a purpose for what He does. 
Now, it's interesting that the first two times Jesus uses the Greek word agape for love, which is the love that you have toward God and God has for you.  

But then Jesus asks Peter a third time, and he uses the Greek word: 
phileo (fa-lay-ō)
fondness, emotional attachment for, intimate, relational. 

What Jesus was saying is, “Peter, it's very easy for you to say in front of these guys, I love you, but I want to know, what do you really feel about me? 

He asked him once, do you love me? Yes, he asked him twice. Do you love me? Yes He asked him a third time. Do you love me? Yes, and Then he said now go feed my sheep.

May I say “STAY IN THE BOAT”
This is so rich, and amazing, Jesus once again told Him Peter his purpose…that he would “cast his nets” to be “fisherman of Men.”
DO you remember how Jesus called Peter? 

CLIP

“Follow me.” 

See it’s really easy to confess Jesus is God…especially in South Georgia…it’s easy to confess Jesus in church…but Jesus is looking beyond that and asking you today. 
“Do you love me enough to call me LORD? To seek Me? To follow Me? 

Maybe you have been living a life that says, “Let me be banished from the presence of God forever.”  

Here is the truth….
Romans 6:23 New King James Version
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
One day we will all stand before a Holy God…and He will be asking the same question…
Do you love me? 
1 Corinthians 16:22 King James Version 
22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. 

Jesus used that same Greek word… phileo .
John 14:15 New Living Translation
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
Here’s the good news…
John 3:16 King James Version
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

“Cast Your Nets”
Romans 10:11-17 The Message
11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
14-17 But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,
A sight to take your breath away!
Grand processions of people
    telling all the good things of God!
“Cast Your Nets”