Welcome to Connect with Skip Heitzk Weekend Edition. Thanks for joining us for today's program. At Connect with Skip, our mission is to help you connect with God's Word in a deeper way and see how it applies to everyday life. That's why we make Bible teaching like today's available to you and people all around the world, on radio, online, and through resources that equip you to grow in your faith. One great way to do that is by taking the 30K 30-day challenge, a free daily email journey through the New Testament.
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Now, let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. The earliest memories of my boyhood include fishing, not because I was particularly good at it, I was not. but my father loved to fish.
So he would take his four boys. to a place called Jess Ranch in California. And tho those were ponds that were stocked with trout. I mean, they filled those babies up, and then you stand in front of them and throw whatever you want into them, and anybody can catch a fish, even me. That's how I learned the craft.
Then he took us up to southern Oregon. We spent most of our summers as boys up in.
Southern Oregon, Klamath Falls, the lakes and rivers around. Again, my dad would go fishing, and we would be with him. Then we graduated to deep sea fishing. Where he would take us out of Newport Beach, California, and we'd go out to the High seas, spend the night on the boat. And I discovered then as a boy that a full stomach and a boat ride don't really go well together.
We go barracuda fishing, that I remember.
Now, I wasn't. Very Interested in fishing, and I wasn't very good at fishing. And number two was true because number one was true. But I do remember what it felt like To catch something on the other end of the line, to have that. snag, that pole, that hook.
An exhilarating feeling, even if it was just a can or a rock, it's like, whoa. Another memory I have of fishing was much later on when a friend of mine, Randy Schneider, decided I needed to learn how to fly fish because he said it was the coolest thing ever.
So I went to the high Sierras with Randy Schneider. He was an expert at fly fishing. He had the art down, the whole casting thing. It was beautiful. And I went with him.
I had never done it before. And what really ticked him off is I caught the biggest fish that day. Beginner's luck. He hated me for that.
Now, I know when you hear a fish story, you're always suspect, right? Because they tend to grow as the story gets told over and over again. It's been said that there are more fish that come out of streams than are actually in the streams. But every now and then you come to an honest fish story. Like this one.
Jim Byrne. Who lived in Australia? Fishing off the coast of Australia. Marlin fishing one day hooked a giant marlin. It took him a long time, hours to fight with that struggling thing and bring it.
Into the boat, which he did. He finally got it on deck. But the fish wasn't done fighting. True story. The fish took its spear and poked it right into the chest of Jim Byrne, narrowly by a fraction of an inch, missing his heart and lungs.
And then The sword came out of the chest, and the fish happily flopped over back into the ocean. and swam away. A total bummer for Jim Byrne and anyone who had that experience. True story. We come in the Bible to another fishing story, a true one.
It is about fishing, but it's more about people than it is about fishing. John chapter 21, 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 the twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, James and John And Two others, we don't know whom, they're anonymous.
So, seven altogether 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, and that night they caught nothing. When the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, Children Equivalent would be fellas. Do you have any food? That is, have you caught anything? They answered, 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, we now know that's John, said to Peter. It's the Lord. 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 the land, but about two hundred cubits, that's three hundred feet. Dragging the net with fish. Then as soon as they had come to the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. And Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to the land full of large fish, 153.
So somebody's counting. 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, likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed himself. to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. I find something fascinating about John's writings. As I Read the Chapter 20, the chapter right before this.
It seemed like that was an appropriate ending. Because the last two verses of chapter 20 are like an epilogue. Those last two verses, it says, and truly, many other signs Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name. It sounds like a closing statement.
It's a perfect way to close a book. But John gives us a whole other chapter, 25 more verses, three more paragraphs. Why? Why, after that perfect ending, does he continue the story? Let me suggest to you two reasons.
Reason number one: because John was a good friend. And his buddy Peter had denied the Lord. And John wants us, his readers, to know how Jesus restored his buddy Peter back into useful ministry. Because otherwise, we would be reading the book of Acts. And discover how prominent Peter is in those first 12 chapters, and we'd be asking, how did that happen?
Where was I? How did Peter, who denied the Lord and just sort of fell off the map, Become so prominent in this early church. And John tells us how that happens. He gives us as a friend what happened to his friend, his buddy Peter. Here's another reason, I believe.
Because Peter is a great or John is a great teacher. John wants us, his readers, to know how to relate to A resurrected And soon returning Lord. And that really is what we're going to talk about today. How do we relate? to a Savior who's alive and is coming back.
Because here's the deal. After Jesus rose from the dead, you discover that he just sort of shows up. pops in. comes to a place and then disappears suddenly at At whim, it would seem.
So you might be having an early morning walk, like the two guys on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus just shows up. Hi. Or you might be having an evening meal like the apostles in the upper room, and Jesus pops in, peace to you, and then he leaves. Or you might be having a heated discussion like Thomas. He said, I won't believe unless I can touch his side and his hands.
And Jesus just shows up and then he leaves. Or you might be like these guys here going to work. And there is Jesus standing on the shore. Can you imagine? Living that way.
Always having to be on the alert. Jesus might show up. Where's he going to be next? You know what? You know what?
You do live that way. Or I should say you should live that way. Because the truth of the matter is, this risen, resurrected Lord is returning, and the Bible says he can come at any moment. And we ought to also be. Be on the alert, knowing that he could come at any moment, as Jesus said.
Watch therefore. For your Lord comes at an hour you do not know.
So there's the question. How do we live? While we're waiting for the Lord to return, what things do we do? And I think the answers are all found in the paragraph we just read. There's four principles I want you to look at with me this morning.
Number one. We need to be together. We need to be together as we're waiting for the Lord to return. We need to frequently be. Get together.
We read in verse 2 that these disciples, and there were seven of them, were all. Together. This is Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. Before we return to today's teaching, let me ask. Are we living in the last days?
With uncertainty, conflict, and moral confusion dominating the headlines, it's a question many believers are asking. Pastor Skip wants to help you understand what God's Word says about the end times so you can face the future with confidence. That's why this month we're offering two timely resources: his 2 CD teaching from Daniel, Bible from 30,000 feet. and his booklet, Are We Living in the Last Days? These will give you a clear biblical perspective on what's happening in the world.
and how to be ready for what's ahead. Request your copies when you give a gift of $25 or more at connectwithgift.com/slash offer. or call 800-922.
Now let's get back to today's teaching.
Now here is a good example. A great pattern. that they will follow. the rest of their days together. You don't have to turn there, but it...
In the book of Acts, chapter 1. Verse 4, it says, and being assembled. Together. They kept the same pattern. Acts chapter 2, verse 4.
They were in the same place in one accord. They were assembled, Together.
So, as we're waiting for the Lord to return, one of the fundamental things, and every Christian ought to know this, is we ought to gather frequently. I always found it interesting the word that Jesus chose to describe us. He called us a church. He said, Upon this rock I will build. My church.
Now, we've heard that word for so many years. We think, well, here it is. This is the church. We're inside church. I'm going to church.
And it's become such a religious word, but you got to know that when Jesus said, my church. It meant something far different originally. It was actually a secular term. Of a group of citizens called out of their city or society to assemble together regularly. It comes from two Greek words, ekkaleo, and the word is ekklesia for church.
And the word ecclesia from the words. Ek kaleo means to be called out. and to meet together. That's the idea.
So think of it this way. If Jesus refers to us as an assembly, he must want us to. Assemble. And that's the idea.
So, here's what I think is a biblical definition of the church. A holy assembly. Called out separately. to meet regularly That worship Christ principally. That's a church.
He calls us out, and we gather frequently, and we meet together. He said, I will build my church. He didn't say, and upon this rock, I will build my monastery. Or upon this rock, I will build my private little meeting place where you can go all on your own and you never have to be with other people. Every now and then I meet people who say, I'm a Christian, I just don't like God's people.
I don't want to be around church people. I don't go to church. I'm not a church person. As you're waiting for the Lord, you need to be in church. You need to be with God's people.
And so they were meeting and they were together. And that's the way God designed us, folks. God designed us that we would be Integrated with each other, not isolated from each other.
Now we're facing a problem, you and I. It's called the Age of Technology. And this wonderful age in which we live, the technology, I see iPads and iPhones, and people are reading their Bibles. And hopefully, you're not socially networking right now, but. Let me just talk a little bit about that.
Because I bet a lot of you do socially network at Facebook and Twitter, and I do the same thing, but There's a facade that that gives to us. There's a veneer. It's a lie. You think you're really connected with people because you go online and you can email or you can Facebook, right? Studies prove That with our increase of technology, our society is becoming more isolated and lonelier.
Because nothing Nothing can take the place of being together in an eye-to-eye relationship. Being in each other's presence. You can't go out and buy fellowship 3.0. Acceptance 7.1. You have to be with people.
It's the way we're designed. And worldly groups or social networking or all of the technology cannot take the place of what God knows you and I need. We need to be Together. I want you to turn in your Bibles, keep a marker here, and turn with me to the book of Hebrews, chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, just for a couple verses.
Of course, if you don't have a Bible and you have a cool little iPhone or iPad, all you gotta do is do I'm there. But for the rest of us Hebrews chapter 10. Verse twenty four. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love. And good works.
That is best done when you're actually with somebody else. Stir up love and good works. Not forsaking, here it is, not forsaking. The assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some. but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day.
Approaching. You might ask, well, how often do I have to get together? Wrong question. It should be how often do I get to do this? When my wife Lenya was first saved, she discovered there were church services every night, and you know what?
She went every night. Because she wanted to learn and grow as much as she could. It wasn't like, do I have to go? It's like, do I get to go? But notice what the writer says.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some. Why is that the manner of some? Why is it that the manner of some is Church consists of Christmas, Easter, and maybe a wedding or funeral from time to time. Why is it the manner of some that you have to drag them to church? I'll buy you lunch and dinner for a week if you come.
Okay. And others, you have to drag from church. They love it so much. Why is it the manner of some? I don't need to go through the Bible with the rest of the group Wednesday night.
I'll just get my sporadic fixed from time to time. Why is that the manner of some? Because they don't get this need. We need to be together and much more as the day is approaching. There's an old Jewish proverb.
That says A man without friends, a friendless man, is like the left hand. BEREFT OF THE RIGHT HAND And I would say an isolated Christian is like the left hand. Be ref from the right hand. Listen to this. This is right out of the Bible.
Proverbs 18, verse 1. A man who isolates himself. seeks his own desire. He rages against all wise judgment. When we gather together, we get the collective judgment of God's people, especially when we base our meeting together on the Word of God.
We need this. We need to be together. Let's go back to John. Twenty-one. The second thing we need, according to our text, is we need to be active.
We read in verse 3: Simon Peter said, I'm going fishing, and the other guy said, I'm going fishing with you. They were fishermen.
Now I want to just dispel something. Because I've read it in some commentaries and I've heard some sermons and I've heard Christians talk. And this is how It goes. Peter and these disciples had no business going fishing. Because that's what Jesus called them out of and said, I'm going to make you fishers of man.
So they shouldn't have gone back, they were backsliding. going to Galilee. No, they weren't. You know why they were in Galilee? Because Jesus said Go to Galilee.
And wait for me there.
So they're being obedient to him, and they're going to Galilee. And while they're waiting for him to return, they don't know when he's going to come. Peter goes, I'm going fishing. Ah! Oh no!
Really? You gonna say that to a fisherman? You see, Peter needs to eat. And there's a lake in front of them. And he knows how to work the lake.
So he and the other guys. Go get a meal. Or maybe their thought was we have some bills to pay off. But the point is they were. actively waiting.
That's the point. You know, you can wait passively. Or you can wait actively. And I suggest until the Lord returns, we stay busy, we wait actively. We don't put our feet up and our hands back.
We go, I'm just waiting for the Lord. No, as you're waiting for the Lord, stay. Busy, stay active. Luke 19 is a parable. The bottom line, Jesus says, therefore occupy.
or do business, occupy until I come. Stay busy. Move Be active, live your life, pay your bills until the Lord. comes back. I've always discovered it's easier to direct a moving object than an object at rest.
If you want to learn how to ride a bicycle, don't just park the bicycle and go watch a video on how to ride a bicycle. Book, How to Ride a Bicycle. I'm going to study this book. Get on that, baby. and let somebody push you.
Because once that gets speed going and it's moving, it's going to be a lot easier to direct it once it's moving than when it's standing still. And so it is with us. We move. We live our lives. We pay our bills.
We make our decisions, trusting that the Lord's gonna direct us as we're moving. And I think that's the way to do it: wait on the Lord. actively. It's a great Text of scripture that has this principle. Let me tell it to you.
And um Genesis 24, I believe. The servant of Abraham by the name of Eleazar, Is being sent out by Abraham to find a wife for his son Isaac, right? And so He describes the process. This is what he says. LEAs are speaking, and I quote.
And I Being in the way. The Lord led me. I being in the way, the Lord led me. Get in the way. Get in God's way.
Get in the flow of where find out where God is moving and get in the way. And I Being in the way. The Lord led me, and the Lord will lead you as you and I are in the way. And so the key is: stay busy, stay active. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skiff Heitzig Weekend Edition.
Before you go, don't miss your chance to request this month's featured resources from Pastor Skip. The Bible from 30,000 feet 2 CD teaching from Daniel, and his booklet, Are We Living in the Last Days? Together, they'll help you understand what the Bible says about the future and how to be ready for it. These resources are our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to help share God's Word with more people. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwisgift.com/slash offer.
And while you're there, sign up for the free 30K 30-day challenge to grow in your knowledge of God's Word. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect the Skip-Heitzig Weekend Edition. Make it connect. Shout out. Make a connection at the foot of the crossing.
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