Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. You see, it's always the same thing.
When it's all gone and I acknowledge my sin and I confess it to the Lord and I receive His forgiveness, He then always looks me in the eye and says the same thing. Follow me. Follow me.
Let's go. It's too late. No, it's not too late.
You see, it's not too late. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ and you're here, it's not too late. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt.
Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's word meets our world. Let me ask you this. Are you amazed by Jesus Christ? More importantly, are you amazed that He's touching your life? Amazed.
You see, it's a good question to ask, isn't it? Because so often we're not amazed. Peter is amazed by this. Well, whenever this happens, not too late for the Lord, and he's capable of doing things we could possibly couldn't possibly imagine.
Notice the aftermath. It says, And so were the James and John, the sons of Zebedee and the partners of Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not fear from now on. You'll be catching men.
He told him that before, by the way. He said, You'll be catching men. Yeah, you're going to be a fisherman, but you're going to fish for men.
The highest calling on Earth, catching people with the gospel net of Jesus Christ. Because that's what they're called to do. That's why you're born, Peter. That's why you're here.
You know what, though? So often, a one decision is not enough. How many times in your life have you said from now on, I'm going to be right with the Lord? Now I'm going to be right. I'm going to stop doing this. I'm going to start doing that. I'm going to do it.
I'm going to do it. How many times? You see, you start out well and you start doing it. And then what happens?
Sink right back. That's exactly what happens to Peter. Just a couple of years later, this man who confessed Jesus Christ in the water denies Jesus Christ by the fire. He denies him.
Not once, not twice, but three times. He doesn't deny him to the Romans or to necessarily the authorities, but to a servant girl. His last denial could have within it a context of cursing the Lord.
What happened? You see, what Jesus wanted from Peter in this incident is that Peter to go from a too late person to an all in now person. Look, Peter, don't say it's too late.
Let's go all in now. But I want you to be fishers of men. I want you to do what I'm asking you to do.
And then after he denied Jesus Christ, you know what Peter thought? It's too late. The Lord can't use me now. It's too late.
Went right back to a too late person. Turn with me now to John 21, the gospel of John 21, right near the end of the gospel. Now, remember that after Jesus Christ had appeared from the dead and through resurrection twice to them, he told them on the second occasion, he told them that I go to Galilee to a mountain and I will meet you there.
Well, they get the Galilee, but there's no mountain. Peter doesn't want to go to a mountain. He's doing what we often do.
He's preoccupied with feeling sorry for himself. So Peter decides to do what he knows he wants to go fishing. And after these things, Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius. And he manifested himself in this way, Simon, Peter and Thomas called Didymus and Nathaniel of Cana and Galilee and the two sons of Zebedee and two others. The disciples were there.
There were seven of them there. And Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. And they said to him, we also will come with you. And they went out and got into the boat. Oh, and it was night and that night they caught.
Zip. Nothing deja vu over again. You see, they're going to experience the same thing, by the way. Here's a principle you have to understand. If you on your own accord through your own willful actions don't learn an important lesson that the Lord has for you, he's likely to bring it about again. That's just my experience. You can experience it again and again and again.
He's very patient when it comes to us. Now. Verse four. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach and yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. And so Jesus said to them, children.
You do not have any fish, do you? And they answered, no, no. And he said to them, cast the net on the right hand side of the boat and you'll find a catch. Now, I would imagine many of the other guys, especially not James and John and Peter, you know what the other guys probably did at that moment? Roll their eyes.
Sugarhead. We've been in left side, right side, front side, back side. We've been on this side of the lake, that side of the lake. Nothing. But maybe Peter or James or Johnson, I think you had to cast it in.
I think I remember something like this happening before. And so they do. And so they cast and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. And therefore, he says that disciple whom Jesus loved, that's John, said to Peter. It's the Lord.
You got to love John. You know, Peter, I'm telling you, that's the Lord. And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on. And for he was stripped for work and he throws himself into the sea. He's like, that's the Lord. He just throws himself in. He always, always, always acts before he thinks with everything he does.
You might be that kind of person. Great emotion. Great zeal.
Not a lot of wisdom sometimes. But the other disciples came in a little boat, for they were not far from land, but about 100 yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So Peter went 100 yards after a night of fishing. And by the way, the kind of clothing they had when you're in the water, I have a hunch that's going to drag you down.
But Peter had the zeal. So when they got out of the boat, and they got on land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it and bred. There's already fish on the charcoal fire. Now, by the way, it's not their fish.
They're bringing their fish in. Where did he get the fish? Was he just lucky? Was it a coincidence? Did he know where the fish were? Or as Chuck Swindoll might say, did he create the fish on the charcoal fire?
I don't know. Jesus knows things no one else knows, and he can do things no one else does. But notice what he's doing. He's giving them breakfast. Now, please understand, there's a little background to this. He told them that for as long as they lived, I will provide for you. And so here they are at post-resurrection, and he says, how would you like breakfast? I told you I would provide for you. Tells us the same thing, by the way.
You see, he tells us exactly the same thing. Well, Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish which you have caught. And Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of large fish, 153. Although there were so many, the net was not torn. When you have fish of that size, that many, and their size nets, they usually tear the net up. But the net's not torn. Now, think of this. Just on the basis of what's happened so far, it's never too late for the Lord.
They caught the fish over the one side of the boat. Two, he's capable of doing more than they could imagine. It's the same message, the same thing. And Jesus said, come and have breakfast. None of the disciples ventured to question him, who are you, knowing it was the Lord. One thing by now in their ministry, they know through all the gospel accounts, please don't open your mouth and prove that you don't understand anything.
Don't be embarrassed by what it is you're going to say. And Jesus came and took bread and gave it to them, the fish likewise. And this is now the third time that Jesus has manifested the disciples after he raised them from the dead. And now he wants to go back to the lesson. And so when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?
By the way, there's something very important here. What's the motivation of ministry for Jesus Christ? You see, why do I live my life in a certain way? It's not because I'm afraid.
It's not out of someone making me feel guilty. It's not fear. That's the motivation of religion. My motivation is love.
That's the motivation. Jesus wants to say to Peter, Peter, are you motivated? Do you love me? Now he uses the word agape or agapao.
Do you agape me, Peter? It's the willful choice you make to love. It's not conditional.
It's unconditional. It's I will love you forever no matter what. For God so loved the world, he gave his son.
It's the hesed of the Old Testament in Hebrew. He says, do you agape me, Peter? Now think of how Peter felt. He's already saying it's too late. The Lord's never going to use me. I don't want to meet the Lord on the mountain.
I know I'm going back to fishing. Peter had to feel so much personal guilt at that time. And notice, he said to Jesus, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said, you know that I phileo you. He changes the word.
Jesus says, Peter, do you agape me? He says, Lord, you know I phileo you. Now phileo is different. Phileo is great affection. Phileo is friendship. Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, has phileo.
Phileo is much more common kind of love. Jesus says, do you agape me? He says, Lord, you know I phileo you. Jesus is undeterred by that. He says, tend my lambs.
What do you mean? All in now. Now Peter's thinking, too late. It's too late.
Too late for me. Jesus says, look, all in now. Tend my lambs.
Wow. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you agape me? He said, yes, Lord, you know that I phileo you. He said to him, shepherd my sheep.
All in now. He said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, do you phileo me? Wow. How do you think Peter felt now? Simon, do you agape me? Lord, you know I phileo you. Simon, do you agape me? Lord, you know I phileo you. He said, Simon, do you phileo me?
Wow. Just think of how Simon felt. The Lord's questioning whether he even phileos him. You see, it's a different word. The Lord's even questioning that. And Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, notice Peter has grief over this.
Do you phileo me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. See, what Simon can't do is he can't say to the Lord, Lord, you know I love you. I agape you.
I phileo you. And you know why? Look at my life. You see, look at what I've done. Peter can't say that. Peter says, look, Lord, you know because you know everything. You see, because you're omniscient and you know my heart, you know I love you. But you can't look at my life.
How many of us are the same way as that? How many of us can come in here and sing, oh, how I love Jesus? But our life doesn't show it. People would never look at the life and say, boy, she or he loves Jesus.
I sing it on Sundays. See, I think for some of us, if the Lord looked me right in the eye and said, Bill, do you love me? Maybe I'd be tempted just to do what Peter did. Lord, you know everything.
You know I love you. Peter said, look, my heart's right, but my life has not been. Jesus is like, Peter, you don't understand it.
You still don't get it. You keep thinking it's too late. Jesus said to him, tend my sheep. Jesus is saying, Peter, it's not too late.
Let's get about doing it. You see, for the believer in Jesus Christ, it's never too late. For the unbeliever, it's never too late to come. For the believer, it's never too late to be used by the Lord, never. Well, you don't know my past. You don't know where I've been. You don't know what I've done. If it's the Lord's will, it's never too late.
For example, when you take something like marriage, I think I know what the Lord's will is. It's never too late. Now, you can roll your eyes and shake your head and say, yeah, you're wrong. It is in my case.
But you'd be wrong. It's never too late for the Lord. You see, that's the point that he's trying to make. Now, what's what he says to back it up? He said, truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself up and walk wherever you wished.
But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone will gird you and bring you where you do not want to go. I believe Peter's heart melted when he heard those words. He was so happy to hear those words.
But they're not happy words, by the way. What is he saying to Peter? Peter, you have a future. You have a future. You're going to grow old. You see, Peter, you have a future here. And oh, by the way, it's going to end with crucifixion. What?
Yes. Notice how he says it. You're going to go where you don't wish, and he says, and stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you. He said, Peter, that's what's going to happen to you. And Peter, you know what Peter had to think right then? He's going to use me.
He's going to use me. And by the way, why don't you go from Pentecost on? Peter's one of the great leaders of the church. I think, by the way, Jesus did this all this publicly for everyone to hear, because if Peter is going to be the lead apostle as of Pentecost until Paul shows up on the scene, everyone else had to hear it. Peter, I'm going to use you.
Peter, you're reinstated. You see, that's what happened. And by the way, I know what it was, because look what John writes in verse 19. Now this he said, signifying about what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he looks to Peter one more time and says, follow me.
That's how it started. Follow me. You see, I don't know about you, but I love that about the Lord. No matter how many failures I have, it's always the same thing.
You see, it's always the same thing. When it's all gone and I acknowledge my sin and I confess it to the Lord and I receive His forgiveness, He then always looks me in the eye and says the same thing, follow me. Follow me. Let's go. It's too late. No, it's not too late. You see, it's not too late.
If you're a believer in Jesus Christ and you're here, it's not too late. You see, that's what he is saying. And Peter gets it. He understands it. By the way, Peter never fished for fish again.
He was done fishing. He spent the rest of his life casting out the gospel net for souls, for people. And he said to all those people, I'm sure, it's not too late to try again. It's not too late. Try again.
He shepherds the sheep. You see, one of the most important things you do as an under shepherd for Jesus Christ is to say that to people. It's not too late to try again. It's not too late to try again. It's not too late to try again. It's not too late to try again. But it's not easy, because you have to do it against the backdrop of rolling eyes and shaking heads.
It's not a lesson that's easily learned for us. So, let me ask you just a couple things. One, have you given Christ your boat? You know, when Jesus said, could I have your boat? Have you given him your boat?
By the way, what I mean by that, your struggle, your dilemma, your heartache. Give it to him. Just give it to him. Are you willing to let him take you out to the deep water in the middle of the day? You see, I know that we love nighttime shallow water solutions. We love those.
Well, we tried almost everything and it doesn't work. Jesus said, let me take a deep water. And I'll tell you to cast your net while you cast it. You see, the deep water solution of Jesus is simple. You see, it's simple.
Let me give you an example about so much angst that's in so many lives. So many people have relational pain because they will not forgive. Is Jesus clear about forgiveness or not?
You see, he's as clear as could be. Cast your net. Forgive.
Oh, is there any condition on it? Yes, as you were forgiven. Ah, Lord, but when's it going to be too late? How many times? Seventy times seven. There's no limit. You mean I just keep forgiving?
Yes. I think it's too late. It's never too late with Jesus. You see, we've got to cast your net into the water.
Once he says what he wants you to do, you've got to do that. You see, there's so many things when you think about it. In the context of marriage counseling, I'm always amazed of so many things Jesus has said about it. Yes, he's talked about the respect that a wife has for her husband and the kind of sacrificial love that a husband has for his wife.
But how about this? Consider everybody else is more important than you are. That's out of Philippians. That includes your wife. You see, that includes your husband. Just consider each other as more important than you. Follow his instructions completely. Stop rolling your eyes and shaking your head. The next time you're thinking, you're saying, or you're non-verbally communicating, it's too late.
It's just too late. I want you to learn a lesson from Peter. You see, what did Peter see when he brought that net in? He didn't see the fish. He left the fish. He saw the Lord.
He saw how great the Lord is. So the next time you're thinking it's too late, I want you to think about this. I want you to think about the Lord just whispering to you, it's never too late.
Just let me in the boat. Let's pray. Father, we're so easily discouraged. And when something doesn't go our way, and we usually give it some effort on our own part to see what our flesh can really do.
And we don't get any solutions. In our discouragement, we think or say it's too late, too late to start over, too late to make it right, too late. Father, I pray we learn this lesson, the lesson of Peter. It's never too late for the Lord.
And Father, when you intervene into our lives, you are capable of doing anything in the context of your will. Father, I pray that the next time that we're tempted to say or think it's too late, we're reminded of the story of Peter. We pray this in Christ's name.
Amen. And you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online. At that website, you will find not only today's broadcast, but also many of our previous audio programs as well. At Fellowship in the Word, we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help this radio ministry continue its broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly or with just a one-time gift. Support for our ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word 4600 Clearview Parkway, Metairie, Louisiana 7006. If you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format, that is as a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church, then you should visit our website, fbcnola.org.
That's fbcnola.org. At our website, you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.
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