Title: God-given 153 / John 21: 7-11
Content God-given 153 / John 21: 7-11 Rev. Seon-jung Kang
7 - The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is Lord." Simon Peter was naked, and when he heard the word "Lord," he put on his cloak and jumped into the sea.
8 - The other disciples got into a small boat and pulled a net full of fish, because they lived on land for only an hour and a half.
9 - When I got to the land, I saw a charcoal fire, and fish were placed on it, and there was bread.
10 - Jesus said to him, Bring some of the fish you have caught.
11 - Simon Peter went up and drew the net on land, full of great fish, a hundred and fifty-three. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
▽ ≪ Sermon ≫
⇒ “There was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Genesis 1:5). A day consists of morning and evening, day and night. When the sun is in the sky, it is day; when it is dark, it is night. To say that the evening has come means that the day that started with the morning is over, and that the morning has come means that the day has passed as yesterday and a new day has come. People spend their evenings and mornings on this earth. I remember what the past was like yesterday because I already lived. Even today, I know what it is like to see with my eyes and hear with my ears.
. However, the future of tomorrow has not yet arrived, so we do not know whether it will be good or bad. So people are anxious about the future and worry about living. But there is one thing that is clear and certain to those who believe in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus and the saints who became our children of God, God the Father is holding the past, present, and future. The God who made the blessed history has blessed the days of the past, and we are living in that grace today, and more glorious and splendid days of life will come in the future.
. The past is the days in which life has passed. Some people boast about the past and say it was great. Some say it hurts and tears come out and they don't even want to think about it. The past of Jesus' disciples has nothing to boast about. I have only memories of living a hard life with hardships. Peter, who is mentioned in today's verse, has been catching fish in the Sea of Galilee since his ancestors. So they are wild and impulsive, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and then make a mistake. You start doing something without thinking, and then you fail and get frustrated. 12 The disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat at night when they saw Jesus walking on the water. Even Peter, walking on the water like Jesus, saw the wind and almost fell into the water and died.
. One day Jesus said, "If I go up to Jerusalem, I will be caught and killed by the chief priests and elders and scribes, and on the third day I will rise again." But Peter stood in front of the Lord and said, "Don't do that, Lord, for it will never happen to you." The Lord rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. You do not consider the things of God, but the things of men." Before He died on the cross, on the night of the Passover, He said, "Tonight you will all forsake me." Peter said, "Even if all people forsake you, I will not forsake you. Even if I die, I will not forsake you." and made an oath. But Peter forsook the Lord and denied knowing the Lord three times.
. After Jesus died and rose from the dead, the disciples went to the Sea of Galilee to fish. They worked all night and caught none. But the Lord at the beach told his disciples to cast their nets on the right side of the boat, and a huge amount of fish caught in the nets. Seeing this, a certain disciple said that the one over there was the Lord. It was about 100m from the boat to the beach, and Peter jumped right into the water and swam. The other disciples eagerly dragged the fish from the nets to the shore of the Lord. To catch fish, the disciples worked hard all night together. The Lord spoke and caught many fish. Then, even if the Lord is pleased and you want to pray quickly, you have to pull the net until the end and go with others. If you are working together and one person leaves, the work will be disrupted.
. Even in the church these days, there are people who live without thinking like Peter. We work together at the church, and then we leave alone, saying that I am not a person to work here. Some people fall for it, thinking, 'What if I fall for just one?' Some fall into that they don't fit in with anyone, and some fall into the test that they don't feel like working. When this happens, the people who work together are relaxed and the atmosphere of the gracious church is broken. However, these images appear in choirs, church schools, women's evangelism groups, and districts, and make the Lord's heart sad. How can God trust such a person? How can a person with this kind of faith do great things for God in the future? Those whom God uses and who receive blessings are not those who stop working in the middle of their work. He is a man who works with the Lord from beginning to end, whether suffering or happy. The grace and anticipation of the Lord is in this person.
. A day is the same 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world. Whether Eastern or Western, people eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At night, it is a rest time to sleep to relieve the fatigue of the day. If you work at night without sleeping, you have to eat again at 2 or 3 in the morning. Otherwise, you will become hungry and your body will become weak. In general, production companies that work overtime provide late-night snacks around 3 am. The disciples of the Lord went out to sea and threw their nets here and there all night long. The wind blows and I do not sleep, but cast nets, so my body is cold and I am hungry. It's an experience we've lived through, but when we're hungry, our stomach trembles and it gets colder.
. Jesus is such a Lord to us today. When I am good and good, the Lord is cumbersome. When I was happy to live in the world, the Lord was bothersome and disgusting. So, didn't he deliberately keep away from the Lord and come to church as if he was being arrested? After that time comes the hardship. Life becomes shabby and miserable like a tree left bare with cold winter branches. The Lord is looking for me like that. Like a mother, she hugs you in a warm embrace and gives you a rest from your arduous life. At breakfast with the Lord, love overflows. In the church life, where we meet and talk with the Lord and eat, we forget yesterday's troubles and immerse ourselves in happiness. What people buy is not money and food they earn by going out and toiling. Money and food do not make you happy. Believers in Jesus are happy because of the love the Lord gives them. The warm words of grace that the Lord gives every day are the food of life that melts the cold in the world and allows him to live forever.
. The disciples went through a lot in one night. I went to the sea and trembled all night to catch fish, but I failed every time, and I was frustrated, sad, disappointed, and miserable. Then I met the Lord and saw the miracle of catching a lot of fish. It was there that I learned that not all human affairs are according to the will of man, but in God's hands. And while eating breakfast prepared by the Lord on the beach, I was touched by the wide and great love, so I couldn't say anything. During that time, human failures, countless moments of frustration, and moments of hardship that passed were unsettling, fearful, and worrying at that time. However, as I saw the results, God, who made all things work together for good, turned those misfortunes into blessings.
. What is left before the disciples now? It is the blessed fruit of God who drove the fish from the Sea of Galilee and filled the net. With 153 large fish alone, it was a very certain and clear blessing from God, and it was an amazing work full of abundance. But what is even more grateful is that they collected all the large fish that had entered the net without losing a single one. God, who drove a huge amount of fish and put them in a net, took responsibility for even collecting them and made them fully possess them. That's why today's verse 11 says, "The net was full of 153 large fish. Although there were so many, the net was not torn." What happens when the net is torn? All the hard-caught fish are gone.
. As we go through life, there are many people whose nets in life have been torn. He made a lot of money, but the net is torn and the money goes out for hospital bills. After an accident, you pay compensation for damage. Thieves come in, and they are deceived by scammers, and the money goes out, leaving nothing. Where is that? There was only one thing left to harvest as a bountiful harvest, but a heavy rain came and swept it all away. All the livestock that would make money died from foot-and-mouth disease. All of the fruit with good crops fell off due to the typhoon. The children raised up dearly get sick and die in an accident, and their lives are ruined by meeting the wrong friends. All of this is a life with a torn net that started well but never bore fruit. It is important to earn and to be successful, but God must prevent you from going out in vain. You have to hold on to what's collapsing.
. God's blessings are certain. and warm God gives blessings, but does not bring sorrow and worry, sorrow and pain at the same time. Proverbs 10:22 says, "The Lord blesses a person, and makes a person rich, and does not add sorrow with it." How can this God-given be continued with more, richer, and more fulfilling lives? The disciples brought the fish they caught to the Lord, roasted them over charcoal, and had a pleasant breakfast. The life you give to the Lord is happy. The blessing we receive from God must be eating together with Jesus who saved us. It should be eating and meeting with the members of the church, and it should be a life shared with neighbors. God protects what the saints who live like this have and fills the empty net. God prepares the necessary things for each field where he lives so that he can enjoy it as a blessing. Hallelujah