John 2021

On chapter 20, first 30. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the messiah, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Afterward, Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the sea of Galilee. It happened this way.

Simon Peter, Thomas, also known as Digimos, Nathaniel from Kayna in Gallelu, the sons of Zebbeni and 2 other disciples were together. I'm going out to fish. Simon Peter told them, and they said, we'll go with you. So they went out and got into the boat. But that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, friends, haven't you any fish? No, they answered. He said, throw your net on the right side of the boat. And you will find some.

And when they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish And then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. And as soon as Simon Peter heard him say, it is the Lord He wrapped his outer garment around him. He had taken it off, and he jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat towing the net full of fish. They were not far from shore about a hundred yards.

When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it. And some bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish you've just caught. So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore It was full of large fish, a hundred and 53. But even with so many, the net was not torn.

And Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast. None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? They knew it was the lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they'd finished eating, Jesus sent to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, Do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, he said, you know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my lungs. Again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And he answered, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

Jesus said, take care of my sheep. The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? He said, Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep.

Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he said to him, follow me. Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.

This was the 1 who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper. And it said Lord, who's going to betray you? And when Peter saw him, he asked Lord, what about him? Jesus answered. If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?

You must follow me. Because of this, The rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die. He only said, if I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? And this is the disciple who testifies to these things and to wrote them down.

We know that this that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every 1 of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. Thank you very much, Jane. Good evening.

Welcome from me. My name's Ben. I'm 1 of the pastors here at the church. And just public thank you to the church for the way that you've looked after me and carried the last month. We had a baby girl about a month ago, LSD, and I know they're watching at home.

So Hello? And we've just, you know, normally, we're the ones handing out meals doing all of that. And this time, we're on the receiving end of it. And it's just amazing. So Thank you so much.

Such a wonderful family, church family, really grateful. And it just works, isn't it? Isn't church amazing? Absolutely amazing. We've got an NCT group, and they just bold over constantly by the things we tell them about what you guys have done for us.

So just public, thank you. Really grateful for you all. Great. We're at the end. We're at the end of John's gospel.

We made it. We started in November 20 21. And here we are now in 20 23. So we've been in it for like a year and a half, but it's been a joy. Isn't it?

Isn't it been great? Someone said the other day, can't remember who it was, but they said every week we've seen Jesus every single week because we're here in an evening service and we see Jesus has been great. Has been brilliant. So let's just pray 1 more time and then we'll get into this last sermon. Father, thank you so much for John's gospel.

Thank you for your spirit who inspired him to to write it down that we would believe, that we would see the signs that Jesus performed, that we'd see the cross, that we'd see the bodyless tomb. And that when seeing all of these things, we'd have nothing else, but love for him in our hearts. Thank you that that's exactly what you've done as we've walked through this amazing gospel. You've caused us to love him more. Thank you for hearing our prayers for that.

And I pray that as we look at this last piece now, you would do the same. That when Jesus says, do you love me? We would say nothing else, but yes, Lord. We love you. And we ask this in his name, amen.

On then. So it struck me this week preparing this sermon that John's gospel has been a little bit like a Marvel movie. Feel like Marvel movies. There's the superhero movies. Often in those films, there are lots of little skirmishes that happen that are just 4 tastes of the big boss battle that's coming at the end.

And that's what we had in the beginning. The first half of John's gospel was 7 signs. His little skirmishes, just small pictures of what's gonna come later. And then the second half of John's gospel has been about the cross the road to the cross where Jesus pays for us and dies and washes us and cleanses us and pays for us in. And then there's the empty tomb, and it's just a spectacular, amazing set piece at the end of John's gospel.

And so in that sense, it's been like a marvel film. It's been little skirmishes and then the big bossy at the hip. But there's another way that it's like a marvel movie I realized this week. Because you see John chapter 20 is a perfectly good ending for John's gospel. We had the the the reading, and that was quite quick, and you guys were like trying to find where's John's gospel?

But but just look again at the end of John chapter 20 from verse 30. It says this Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, And that by believing, you may have life in his name. It's quite an amazing sign off that, I think. I feel like the gospel of John could have finished there.

He's given you the 7 signs. He's shown you the cross in the empty grave. Empty tube. And then he said, Jesus did many other things, they're not written, but these have been written that Jesus is the Messiah and son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name. And then it could finish there.

But then there's like a post credit scene. If you know Marvel movies, they're the only films I've ever been to where I've watched all of the credits go. Because at the end, you get another scene. You get another snippet. And it's like 30 seconds.

It's pathetic. Why do we do that? You can watch it on YouTube a few weeks later, but we do. We're all sat there. The whole thing was packed out waiting for the credits to finish because then you get another little seed and that's what we've got here.

It's like John's finished the gospel, but we get another little sea. Another little sign. You know, Jesus performed many other signs he wrote, well, he's 1 of them. Here's a bonus sign for us. So that's a joy.

Go over the next slide, please. Sorry. I've got the click out while I'll just let you know what we want the next slides. Okay. So my first point tonight is the eighth sign.

Yeah. The eighth sign. We've we've had 7 signs That's what John's gospel is kind of famous for. He it is an evangelistic letter. He's writing it that we would believe Jesus is the Messiah, and he's given us 7.

And 7 is the number for completion, perfection, wholeness. And so John has selected 7 of the signs and said, here you go. Here's the fullness of the signs that you need. But then we get like an eighth 1. An eighth in the bible marks the start of a new cycle.

It's like this it's like signifying a new cycle of something. So it's like the first day of the week is also the eighth day of the week. And so I think what John's doing here is he's saying this is a sign for the beginning of a new era. A new resurrected Christ living era. Here's the eighth sign.

And Jesus has already been doing little bits like this for us because he was raised from the grave on the first day of the week. And then a week later, on the first day of the week again, he appears to his disciples. So it's almost as if Jesus is saying 7 days have gone. The old year is gone. And I'm gonna rise and I'm gonna appear on the eighth day, the new day, the first day of the new creation in a sense.

And I think John is continuing that theme and he's giving us an eighth sign. He's a sign for the new age that you're in. And it's therefore, I think, still a sign for us today. I think this is prophetic of the church, this sign. That we are shown here.

So let's have a look at it. Look at verse 1 of chapter 21. Says afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the sea Galilee happened this way. It's the bonus scene, the end credits scene, Simon Peter, Thomas, also known as Didimus, Nathaniel from Cairn and Gallilee, the sons of Zebbeni, and 2 other disciples were together. I'm going out to fish.

Simon Peter told them, and they said, we'll go with you. So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught Nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. So here is Jesus appearing again, when? At the start of a new day.

Here's that eighth day, new age. Picture coming out again. And it's interesting, while the disciples are waiting for the holy spirit to come, We know from from other gospels that Jesus says, wait here until you are clothed with power from 1 high. While they're waiting for the spirit to come, they're not sitting around doing nothing. Peter says, I'm gonna go fishing.

I'm just gonna wait and sit on my sofa. Let's go fishing and then another side will say, yeah, okay. And so, you know, there's a lesson there for us. If anyone here is waiting on the Lord for something, a big decision in your life. God, are you gonna give me a way forward?

Don't just sit there waiting. Go fishing. Don't enjoy Tom and Pete. Get on with getting on in other words. And there you go.

So the disciples have gone out fishing and they've worked hard, obviously. Peter's there with his top off. He's been working all night. They've caught absolutely nothing, but they haven't given up. They've been slaving away.

They've been working really hard, but they're at verse 5. Jesus called out to them friends. Haven't you any fish? I don't know if that was if this moment was a bit hard for them to swallow. I mean, it's like, have you still not caught anything?

No, they answered. He said, throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. And when they did, they were unable to hold the netting because of the large number of fish. Now, I wonder, do you remember what Jesus said to Peter when he first called him? Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter?

He said, follow me and I will make you fishes of men or fish for men. Well, I think he is a parable for Peter that he's never ever ever going to forget without Jesus. He can fish all he likes. He can apply his strength and energy. He can take his top off.

He can apply everything he knows. Get all his mates. Spend all night fishing and he won't catch a single fish. He's not gonna catch a single man for Christ. But with Jesus, the net that he's gonna catch is gonna be so big that he himself won't even be able to haul it in because of the amount of people that he'll catch.

And when the spirit comes soon at pentecost, Peter's gonna stand up and he's gonna preach And on that first day with Jesus, the spirit of Christ in Him, he's gonna convert more than 3000 people in 1 day. 3000 people in 1 day. Jesus said, on this rock, I will build my church and he meant Peter. On the witness and testimony of the apostle Peter, I'm gonna build my church. I'm gonna lay the foundation of my church on this man and his apostolic witness and testimony.

And so this is how the church is gonna be built. In the new resurrection age that we're in, in this eighth day that we're in, the fishermen are gonna cast their nets. And Jesus is gonna fill those nets with men and women for him and it's gonna be full to the brim. And did you notice in verse 11 these nets are not gonna break. They they commented, they said that even though the the nets were so full, they still didn't break.

What a picture of that is for for for Peter? Christ is not gonna lose a single fish that he catches. Every single sheep that Jesus calls he's not gonna lose. And so why does this 8 sign carry on to today? Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?

Because we, today, you and I, If you're a Christian, we are the net of fish that has been 1 for Christ through the preaching of the word through the Holy Spirit. So whenever we see anyone come to Jesus, by the way, that's another fish in the net, and that's this parable, this little signs fulfilled for us today. So that's the eighth sign, little bonus scene that we get. At the end of John's gospel. It's great, isn't it?

But here's a question. What is the result of this big Catcherfish? What's the point in it? What is God doing by bringing people to himself? Where is it all going?

What's the point? Well my next point, if you can move the slide across, is breakfast on the beach. Look at verse 7. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the lord. As soon as Simon Peter heard him say it is the lord he wrapped his outer garment around him for he had taken it off and he jumped into the water.

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish for they were far from the shore about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire burning coals there with fish on it and some bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish you have just caught. So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the NetAssort. It was full of large fish a hundred and 53, but even with so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. None of the disciples dead ask him who were you. They knew it was the lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them and he did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Now how do you imagine arriving in the new creation? Do you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about what's gonna happen when you close your eyes for the last time in this life and you open them for the first time in the next life? You ever wondered that? And what's that gonna be like?

How's that gonna happen? Well, I think here we've got a picture of us, the church arriving in the new creation. I think that's what this is a picture of. If you have the next slide, please, there's there's a guy called James Russell Miller who's a nineteenth century American pastor. He wrote this about death.

He said, the tokens of its approach, death's approach. In other words, old age and sicknesses and different ailments, your mind going, your body failing. He says, the tokens of its approach are but the land birds lighting on the shrouds. Telling the weary mariner that is nearing the haven. Yeah.

You're not about to fall off the edge of a cliff into nothingness. You're not slowly decaying and fizzling out into irrelevancy. The end is but the touching of the weather beaten keel on the shore of glory. How lovely is that? And what is the church gonna find when we're bought to the shore of glory safe in that net of the holy spirit preaching of the apostles.

What are we gonna find when we're dragged ashore to onto the shore of glory. Well, 3 things. Next slide, please. The first 1 is we'll hear the Lord calling out to us as friends. Look at those 5.

He called out to them friends, haven't you any fish? Remember who this is speaking. This is the voice of the holy 1 of Israel. This is the voice of the judge of the whole earth. This is the voice of the creator who we have syndicates and offended, and when he calls out to us as we approach the shore of glory, What's the first thing he says to us?

Friends. Friends. Friends. That's what the Cross of Jesus Christ has accomplished. The the set piece in John's gospel that that we've been building up to, the death of the lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for us and to wash us clean, to get rid of the the the enemy status that we had with God.

Has brought us into friendship with God. And here's the proof when Jesus saw his disciples after he was raised from the dead, he's his friends. Actually, more than that, the word here for friends in the Greek is actually little children. It's little that's actually the word. Little children.

It's the same word as when Jesus said, let the little children come to me. You didn't say let the let the friends come to me. Said let the little children come to me. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. We're here with the little children entering the kingdom of God.

It's actually it's a loving, caring, intimate word for for like beloved children in your family. So, Melody, my little baby girl is my little child. That's the word Jesus uses when he sees his friends. He says little children. So it's not just Jesus welcoming his friends, it's much more than that.

He's welcoming his children, his little brothers and sisters. That's who we are. He's our perfect older brother. And he says, little brother, little sister, little children come in to the families like the international rivals get a Heathrow. You ever been there, the joy of coming out of a of an airport and seeing your family and they say, hey, little brother, little sister, Come home.

Welcome back. I've missed you. That's the sense that we get when Jesus is standing on the shore. That's what Jesus is gonna say. That's the that's what you're gonna hear as you open your eyes into the new creation.

That's the first thing. The second thing they will see Jesus face to face. Look at verse 7. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the Lord As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, it is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him for he'd taken off, he jumped into the water. Peter's a bit mad, isn't he?

I love Peter. I feel like I'm a bit like Peter. I'm a bit of a loud mouth. I'm a bit of a jumper. He jumps into the water.

Now, why did he do that? It was so he could as quickly as possible go and see Jesus, wasn't it? He doesn't care about the shore. He's not interested in getting just onto dry ground. He's not swimming back as quickly as he can because he misses the ground and he wants to kiss the sweet ground.

He's not even seen the fish boiling on the on the barbecue and smelter and going, hey, I want some breakfast. Let me swim quickly. He doesn't care about that. Everything around Jesus is insignificant compared to him. He jumps into the water because he wants to see Jesus face to face.

And that's gonna be the joy of the church forevermore. We just sang, oh, to see you Jesus, I can hardly wait. That's the joy of the church. To see the the the lamb face to face, and he's gonna greet us face to face. The third thing, they will sit and eat with him.

So from the first page of the bible to the last, God uses food. Love this. God uses food. And eating as a kind of intimate picture of living in his presence. So in Eden, he makes food and he says you can make eat from any of the trees.

Except that 1. But you may eat. And then at the end, we see the wedding supper the lamb. So from the first page to the last, and here is Jesus. It doesn't just invite us simply to live in his land.

It's not like when we get to heaven, he's like, right, you're in heaven. Go and enjoy it. We're not just there to enjoy the shore, but he invites us to come and eat with him. That's the joy of glory, the shore of glory. Jesus says, look at verse 12, Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast.

None of the disciples did ask him who knew they knew it was the lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish, come and have breakfast. That is the destiny of the church, breakfast with Jesus. And if you're not a Christian, that's the invitation to you come and have breakfast. Come and eat with the Lord.

Come and sit with Jesus. And listen to how intimate it is to eat with Jesus from passage in Revelation chapter 3. Jesus says, here I am. I stand at the door and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person.

And they, with me, Jesus wants to eat with us. You know, the reason the Pharisees was so upset that Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, they didn't mind that he was talking with them or sort of like debating with them, but they had a massive problem that Jesus was eating with them. Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners they would say? Why is he eating with them? Now why did they have a problem with eating?

What's because to eat with someone was to be in intimate relationship with them. It was to be connected to them. It was to associate yourself with them. And that's exactly what the church is heading towards. Breakfast with Jesus, eating with Jesus, being intimately in relationship with Jesus.

And the wonder of this simple meal, apart from the fact that it's with Jesus at all, is that not only do the disciples get to eat with Jesus, but their served by him. Wow. Look at verse 13, Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them. And did the same with the fish. In Luke chapter 12, Jesus said this, blessed are the servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns.

Truly, I tell you, he, the master, will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table and he himself will come and wait on them. What? Jesus is gonna dress himself to serve and bring you the food. Isn't that thing backwards? That seemed just totally outrageous to you.

But that's what Jesus does here. He take Jesus came to a bread and gave it to the men you did the same with the fish. Jesus has dressed himself to serve, he says come in our breakfast. No. No.

Don't you get it? You sit down. And he went and got the bread and handed it out. No. Don't grab the fish, Peter.

Let me get the fish and hand it over to you. What an amazing picture this is on the shore of glory of the church arriving after a hard night of fishing in this world. Breakfast on the shores of glory. I also want to say the future is not just generic as well. It's not just that the church will come and have breakfast with Jesus.

It's people. It's you. It's personal. You We'll see Jesus. If you're a Christian.

And actually, what we see next in the passage, my my third point, is personal restoration. You have the next slide, personal. Personal restoration. 1 of the details we're told about this show, there are a lot of details here. 1 of them is that there's a fire of burning coals.

And that exact expression fire of burning coals it occurs only 1 other time in John's gospel. Can you guess where? In John chapter 18, it says this, You aren't 1 of this man's disciples too, are you? She asked Peter. He replied, I'm not.

It was cold. And the Sermons and officials stood around a fire burning coals. They had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. K?

Do you see what John is doing here? John has not done this accidentally. John hasn't oh, I accidentally used the same expression as I did in chapter 18. He's giving us an impression. And the impression is that on this shore, Jesus has brought Peter back to the very moment he's denied him 3 times.

Around the fire of burning coals. And around this fire of burning coals, he's going to ask Peter 3 times whether he loves him. Look at verse 15. When they had finished eating, It's a great pastoral principle there, by the way. If you're gonna deal with someone, feed them first.

Get them ready to hear what you gotta say. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, Simon's son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, he said. You know that I love you. Jesus said feed my lambs.

Again, Jesus said, Simon's son of John, do you love me? He answered, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said take care of my sheep. The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him a third time, do you love me?

He said, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said feed my sheep. Amazing that Peter was hurt on the third time of asking. Can you imagine how Jesus felt on the third denial?

But Jesus isn't trying to hurt Peter here. It's not his game. With each question, Jesus is restoring Peter. It's like each confession around this fire of burning coals is wiping away every single denial around the previous fire burning calls. And this really struck me this week.

What what is the greatest commandment? What's the greatest commandment? Love the Lord your God. Yeah? Love the Lord your God.

That's the greatest commandment. And so what Jesus doesn't ask him here is have you repented? Are you sorry? Have you grown in maturity since you denied me? He's not asking those things.

He says, do you love me? Because that if you love Jesus, you will repent of your sin when you If you love Jesus, you will be sorry for denying him those times that you do. If you love Jesus, you will grow in maturity. I e I you can bet on it. You can count on it.

And so Jesus asked him really the only question that matters in the end. Throw out, throw out every other question. If God could ask you 1 question, this is it. Do you love me? That's what God desperately wants to know.

Do you love me? And as the English language does this, isn't it? Again, I've talked a lot about the original words, but the original words is so good. So The word love here kind of smooths over the some subtleties that are going on here. It's really interesting.

Because Jesus says, do you agitate me? Now agape is this sort of unconditional, dutiful love. So Jesus says, do you anger pay me? But Peter replies, yes, Lord, you know that I feelos you? Feelos is like an affectionate warm fuzzy, brotherly, loving, caring love.

Jesus says, do you agitate me? Do you have a dutiful love to me? Peter says, I feel us you, Lord. And then the second time, Jesus says when verse 16, again, Jesus said Simon, son of John, do you anger pay me? He answered yes, Lord, you know that I fell off you.

But then the third time, Jesus switches words. He says, in verse 17, the third time he said to him, Simon's son of John, do you feel lost me? Do you really? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? He said, Lord, you know all things.

You know that I feel lost you. And so around this fire of burning coals, Jesus is drawing out this loving confession from Peter. And he's showing him sin is forgiven. Kind of reminds me of Isaiah, who says this, Woe to me, I cried. I'm ruined.

I've I'm a man of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the lord almighty. I bet Peter felt a bit like that. Woe to me, I'm ruined. I'm a man of unclean lips.

I've denied the Lord and I've seen Jesus, but then this happens to Isaiah. Then 1 of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal, a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar. And with it, he touched my mouth and he said, see this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away. Your sin is a toned fool.

And so back to the beach, we're around another altar of burning coals. It's as if Jesus is saying to Peter, your guilt is taken away. Your sin atoned for. And I wonder whether you're like me. Us be honest, with ourselves.

Have you ever bottled it? If someone's asked you, what are you up to this weekend? You talk about Saturday. Talk about Sunday afternoon. You skirt around church.

Or if someone says, yeah, what'd you do last weekend? Or, you know, aren't you a Christian? You know, when you go to church? Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Sometimes. Maybe you try and remain cool and don't stand out in certain situations You know what I mean? We've all been there, haven't we? We've all been a bit like Peter.

Well, I want to ask you, Where is the place Jesus would take you back to? Jesus took Peter back to a fire? Where he denied him? Where is the place that you Be a bit embarrassed by him, maybe not stood up for him, spoken on behalf of him. Where is it that Jesus would take you back to right now?

Is it the water cooler at work? Or is it Uni? Or is it the supermarket? Or where did you have that opportunity? Well, let me ask you around that Fire burning coals.

Do you do you love Jesus? If you've ever let Jesus down, do you love Jesus? If you've ever taken his name in vain, do you love Jesus? And if you said yes, then your guilt is taken away because of the cross. And your sin is a tone for because he died for you.

Personal restoration. In Jesus. But it's not just personal restoration. There's an amazing thing that happens here. Peter is also restored as being the rock that the church is gonna be built on because it's interesting.

Jesus calls him Simon here He calls in Simon. You know, he's been calling in Peter up till now. So why has he gone back to calling in Simon? Why has he done that? Well, again, I think Jesus is taking Peter back I think the last time Jesus called him Simon was when he commissioned him as Peter.

That's what happened. The last time he called him Simon. So Matthew 16, Jesus says, but what about you? Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, you're the messiah, the son of the living God.

Jesus replied, blessed are you, Simon? Son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but my father in heaven, and I tell you that you are Peter. And on this rock, I will build my church. And the gates of Hades will not overcome it. And so what is it that Jesus tells Peter to do every time after he says he loves him here?

What does he tell him to do? It's feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep. It's as if Jesus is recommissioning him He's he's saying, Simon, remember the last time I called you that.

And then I said, you're now Peter, and I'm gonna build my church on you. That's what he's doing here again. Simon, I'm gonna call you Peter, go and feed my sheep. Go and take care of my lambs. Go and build my church.

Simon son of John, you are Peter and on this rock, I will still build my church. That's how the church is gonna be built. That's how the church is gonna be built. On the personally restored, recommissioned Peter, how wonderful is that? And so finally, the final word, my last point, The final word.

Here we are. We've arrived at the end, the end of the end. And there's an interesting exchange that happens here between Peter and G's this because Jesus tells Peter what kind of death he's gonna have. It's interesting, isn't it? But Peter asks about John.

He says, but what about him? How's he gonna die? Can I have the inside scoop on how everyone's gonna die? That'd be good, isn't it? I don't know how Pete Woodcock's gonna die.

Can you tell me that? I don't actually. We'll look at what Jesus says in verse 22. Jesus answered. If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?

You must follow me. And those are the last words that Jesus says in John's gospel. That's the final word. And I actually think that's immensely helpful Because when it comes to our own individual faith, we bring so much baggage with us. Don't we?

You know, I'm doing much better at Christianity thing than some people over there. So I must be doing alright at this. Right? Jesus? Well, Jesus says, maybe you are, but what is that to you?

You must follow me. Or maybe you think I'm nowhere near as godly as some people in this church. I've never even heard of some of this stuff before. I don't know the bible as much as them. I can't pray as well as them or Jesus says to you or maybe they are.

But what is that to you? You must follow me. But I come from a different faith and background. All my friends, all my family, I've got a different religion or or aren't Christian. Well, Jesus says, but what is that to you?

You must follow me. So when it comes to you, Jesus is concerned about you and nobody else. But what about the What is that to you? You must follow me. That's the final word.

After all of this gospel, after the 7 signs, the fullness of signs, after the cross and the resurrection, This is the final word. This is what it's all about. Look at verse 25. Jesus did many other things as well. If every 1 of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world not have room for the books that would be written, but these things have be that have been written are written that you would believe that you might follow Jesus.

And so as we finish, just hear the word of Jesus. Friends, Little child, little brother, little sister, you must follow me. You must follow me. You must follow me. And so let's pray that we as a church and as individuals.

Would do exactly that. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this gospel of John. We thank you for everything that we've seen in it, for the glory that it reveals about the Lord Jesus, for the hope that it gives us, and for the future that it shows us. Thank you for breakfast on the beach.

Thank you for the invitation to come and eat. With the lord Jesus. Thank you that 1 day we'll hear his voice welcoming us. Thank you that we'll see him face to face. Thank you that we'll get to eat with him and he will serve us.

What a what a unfathomable, unspeakable privilege that is lord? Who are we that you would do that to us? But we thank you, Lord, that it is true because we see it in Jesus right here. Thank you for this eighth sign that we see right now that as people come to believe in Jesus, it's another fish in the net of preaching. That will be dragged to the shore of glory safely 1 day.

And Lord help us to take your call at the end seriously to follow you with all of our lives and to love you all of our heart, all of our mind and our strength, our soul, everything that we have. Thank you. Jesus for what you've shown us here. Amen.