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For the last several years, essentially every year that we have been here, which is 12, except for the pandemic year, Tracy and I have taken a summer trip to the U.S. We go down the East Coast and visit friends. Then we go west to Tennessee and visit our son David and his family in Nashville, usually Tracy or Jessica and her family fly out to meet us. We often go to Missouri and see our son John and then up to Chicago, visit my sister. Until a couple of years ago, my dad. Then we go across Michigan and see friends. A couple of years ago, as we were driving through Michigan, I called my uncle David, who I hadn't seen in a while, and we visited him and my aunt Beverly. They took us out to lunch, and then we came back to their home, and it happened to be their wedding anniversary. I don't remember which one, but it was more than 50. My uncle explained that one of the things that they do every year on their anniversary is they watch a video montage of photographs that he's put together, beginning from when they were little before they ever met, to when they were dating, engaged, after they got married, their children when they were little, all the way up until they got married, and the grandchildren. They do this every year. They do it to remember, to be grateful for all the blessings and memories that God has given them. Of course, memories by nature are in the past. And in this passage we're looking at this morning, Jesus brings to mind some important past events in the lives of the disciples, especially Peter. He also deals with the present pressing issue, and then he calls them, especially Peter, to a future. So if there's an outline, we can say it's the past, the present, and the future. So first, the past. God, throughout the Bible, uses things like memorials, celebration, feasts, and events to remind his people of blessings, past blessings and promises that he has given them. Some of them he doesn't command. For instance, Jacob in Genesis used a stone pillar to mark the place where God visited him in a dream. It says, so early in the morning Jacob took the stone and he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on it. He called the name of the place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at first. Then Jacob made a vow saying, if God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will bring me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I come again to my Father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God and this stone which I have set upon as a pillar shall be God's house. And all that you give me, I will give a full tenth to you. Now there's some celebrations that we engage in as well. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter. And we do so hopefully to remember, to be thankful for what God has done for us, to remember the birth of Christ and to remember the resurrection. But God has instituted some feast, for example Exodus 12, this day shall be for you a memorial day and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord. Throughout your generation, a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Leviticus 23, there are several feasts to remember, feasts of booze or tabernacles to remember that the Lord brought Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. In the New Testament, we have the Lord's Supper to remember. Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. As off as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me. We'll celebrate the Lord's Supper next week and when we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we should especially examine our own hearts to be sure that we are not holding on to any sin that we should repent of it and prepare our hearts to receive the sacrament. This morning, we baptized Chloe. Well, to be specific, I baptized Chloe. But during a baptism, what we're supposed to do, the rest of us, is remember our own baptism and the vows that we took as an adult if we were baptized as an adult or the vows that others made for us if we were baptized as a child and think about those and in a manner, re-promise the Lord those very things. You might be thinking, what does this have to do with the passage? Let me show you. Remember, the disciples have seen Jesus alive twice before this. Now they're fishing. We don't know why. Peter said, I'm going fishing and the others who are with him said, we'll go with you. We don't know if they were fishing so that they could sell the fish if they needed money. We don't know if Peter had decided to return to his former occupation, but they weren't successful. And when Jesus asked if they had any fish, they said no. And he told them to cast out on the right side of the boat so they cast out and they were not able to haul it in. And that disciple whom Jesus loved, therefore said to Peter, it is the Lord. So why did Jesus do this? I think it's a reminder of who they are. It brings to mind a memory of what they have been called to do. He takes them back to the beginning. Maybe you remember in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 5, it says, on one occasion while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, that's Peter. He asked him to put out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing, but at your word I'll let down the nets. When they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish and the nets were breaking and they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats so that they began to sink. And when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, depart from me, O Lord, for I'm a sinful man. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken. So also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men. And when they brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. In almost the same fashion, Jesus repeats the event of the large catch of fish. When he called them into ministry and told them, from now on you'll be catching men. That's when they left everything and followed him. And now three years later, after the resurrection, he brings back to their memory that event. One thing I want to point out as an aside is they counted the fish. There's 153 of them. Why would John mention this? It didn't advance the story. The story is the same with or without counting the fish. So why would he mention it? Because it happened. If you were making up a story, you wouldn't put this in. It wouldn't be there. But it's there because it happened. And somebody actually counted the fish and there were 153 of them. Jesus is reminding them that they are called to follow him to be fishers of men. And that's how these things work. When we have the Lord's Supper, it's a remembrance of what God has done for us in his Son. That his body and blood have been sacrificed for our salvation. When children are baptized, it's a sign that they are part of the covenant community, the Church. When we see a baptism, we're reminded that we are baptized. And we are part of the covenant community, the Church. Martin Luther, who is credited with being the leader of the Reformation of the Church. When somebody asked him, how do you know you're a Christian, he said, because I was baptized. It doesn't mean that baptism saved him. It means that he is calling upon the memory of his baptism and all that it means to assure him that he is a Christian. So when we see somebody baptized, it causes us to remember Christ in all his benefits. Part of the reason that we regularly worship with other believers is to remember who God is and all that he has done for us. And to the extent that you don't come to worship regularly, the fire, the spirit in you to believe grows cold. Remember in the Luke passage, when Peter realized that it was the Lord, it says, depart from me, for I am a sinful man. But here he puts on his outer garment and throws himself into the sea. This is another example of authenticity. Usually, if someone were to jump into the water, the sea, they would take off their outer garments. Because if you leave your outer garments on, they're heavy once they're wet, once they're soaked. It makes it harder to swim. And even if the water is shallow, it makes it harder to walk. The water weighs down the clothes. So if someone was making this up again, they wouldn't write that because it really doesn't seem to make sense. Maybe it was out of modesty that Peter wanted to be covered up when he saw the Lord. Whatever the reason, he puts on his outer garment and he throws himself into the sea. And when they get there, they see Jesus is cooking breakfast. He already has some fish on the grill and some bread, the charcoal fire. And he invites them to join. So Jesus, having brought to mind their past calling, he now addresses the present situation. When is the last time that Peter was sitting by a charcoal grill? Maybe you remember. John 18 records it. Now the servants and the officers had made a charcoal grill. This was outside of where Jesus was before the chief priests and the Pharisees, before he was to be turned over to the Roman government and crucified. He says, now the servants and the officers made a charcoal fire because it was cold. They were standing and warming themselves. Peter was also with him standing and warming himself. And you remember what happened that day, that night. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before the cockrode, which Jesus had told him what happened. So Jesus creates the same atmosphere of that denial, of that betrayal. One of the most powerful senses is smell. And when we smell things that we've, aromas that we've smelled before, it brings back memories. When I smell lilacs, I am, as it were, transported into my parents' backyard. Even though I haven't been there, it's not their yard anymore in 40 years. 40 years. They had their backyard lined with lilacs. And the aroma is just heavenly. To me, it's that and roses, real roses, are two of the most wonderful aromas that a garden can have. So when I smell lilacs, I remember my parents' backyard. Now when I smell hot dogs, or cigar smoke, I'm at Tiger Stadium. Because when I first started going to baseball games, you were allowed to smoke cigars in the stadium. I remember walking up the ramp the first time and seeing the field. It was like I was in heaven. I was only eight years old. But the smell of the hot dog vendor and the cigar smoke wafting was immediately in my senses. And now when I smell things like that, I'm at Tiger Stadium. So when Jesus has them come and sit by the charcoal fire, the aroma alone would bring to Peter's mind the denial of Jesus. And I wonder, is that why Peter has gone fishing? Does it feel like he's no longer qualified to minister in the name of Jesus? Because he's denying three times. We can feel that way. We can believe because of a sin we've committed, because of sins we've committed, or a habit that we've gotten into, that we can no longer be qualified. So Jesus deals with this present problem, with Peter's present problem. And he asked him, do you love me more than these? Is it the fish? Do you love me more than fishing? Or is it the other disciples? Do you love me more than these? Remember Peter had said, even if all of these deny you, I will never deny you. I will die for you. And so there's a little sting in the question, do you love me more than these? Peter doesn't say he does, but he does say, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. No bravado, no boasting, no superiority. Simply a humble response. Three times, Jesus asks him. I'm sure it hurt Peter, but this is a kindness of Jesus, to give Peter the opportunity to declare his love for Jesus as many times as he denied him. And Peter does declare his love. Do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Feed my lambs. Do you love me? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Tend to my lambs. Do you love me? And Peter was grieved because the Lord asked him the third time, do you love me? He said, yes, Lord, you know all things you know that I love you. Feed my sheep. Jesus tenderly, but firmly, deals with the heart of Peter. The sin that had surely weighed on him. By telling him to feed his sheep, he was letting him know that his calling was still valid, that he was not disqualified. Jesus deals with sin like this. He does it tenderly, but he doesn't shy away from it. Remember Nicodemus in John chapter 3, Jesus tells him that unless you see, you won't enter the kingdom of God unless you see, unless you'll be born again. And then in John chapter 4, the woman at the well, Jesus says, go call your husband. And the woman says, I'm not married. And he says, you're right, you had five husbands and the one you're with now isn't your husband. He wants her to deal with her sin in order to come into a relationship with him. And that's the case whether you've never believed in Jesus or you have believed in Jesus. If you've never believed, then Jesus is asking you and I'm asking you on his behalf to turn from your sin and to come to Christ to believe in him, that he is your Lord, that he's your savior, that he died the death you deserve to die because of your sin. And that he lived the life that you should live because of his righteousness and that he's been raised from the dead and he is seated at the right hand of God the father, praying for you, making intercession for you. But if you are a Christian and you have fallen into a bad habit, a sinful habit, it's the same thing. You turn from it and you believe again. Remember in Revelation at the church of Laodicea, he says, return to your first love. Return to your first love. You have grown cold, lukewarm actually. Return to your first love. When Tracy and I were on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, it's now called CRU, it's called Power to Change in Canada. We used to go to national staff training every other year. And Dr. Bright, the man who started the ministry, would always give a talk on leaving your first love. And he would talk about all the ways that we leave our first love and how we shouldn't leave our first love. He loved acronyms and he would have like a word that was nine letters long and he would have a point for every letter. But he would always tell us how we left our first love. And I remember one of the last times that we went to this national staff training, I wrote Dr. Bright a letter and I don't know if he ever got it or not. But I said, Dr. Bright, you know Jesus better than any of us, probably. Instead of telling us how we've left our first love, show us our first love. Again, I don't know if he ever got the letter or not, but that national staff training, that's what he did. He talked about Jesus, talked about his beauty, his glory, his love, his mercy, his sacrifice for us. And I think that's the way to woo somebody back, is to show them their first love, to let them see Jesus and who he is and what he's done. Jesus is reinforcing his mandate to be the rock on which Jesus will build his church. Now he deals with the future. And he says, you were young, you used to dress yourself, walk wherever you want. But when you're old, you will stretch out your hands, another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. History and tradition tells us that when Peter was killed for his faith, he was crucified upside down because he said he wasn't worthy to be crucified in the same way as his Lord. And after he told him this, he said, follow me. You are to tend my sheep, he says to Peter, you will be my witness and it will cost you your life. Follow me. This goes for all of us. Jesus saying, whatever fears you have, follow me. Whatever trouble may arise, follow me. Whatever sin you have committed, repent and follow me. It might cost you your life. Follow me anyway. And in doing so, you will glorify God and receive the glory of heaven yourself. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in him. When no eye is seen, when no ear is heard, what has not entered into the mind of man, all this God has prepared for those who love him.