Breakfast by the Sea

Breakfast by the Sea- This is the last of our At the Lake Series, and we are going to explore the third time Jesus appeared to a group of disciples after His resurrection. We are back at Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee because Jesus had instructed the disciples to go north of Jerusalem and wait for Him there. The title of my message is Breakfast by the Sea.

Family Story

John 21:1-14

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.[a] This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows,[c] have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards[d] from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish having breakfast by the sea. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

In this encounter, Jesus is going to deal with two problems that plagued the disciples at this point, and truthfully plague all of us today. 

1. The disciples are easily distracted. We are easily distracted.
2. The disciples are challenged by the space between tension and trust. We are challenged by the space between tension and trust.

7 Disciples on the Boating Trip

Peter, James and John, Thomas, Nathaniel, two other disciples we assume to be Andrew and Phillip.

The Lord deals with the first challenge that the disciples faced of being distracted. When you are distracted from what God has called you to do, you will be fruitless in your ministry. SO-What distracts you today? Are you listening to voices that are not the Lord? Are you involved with ideas that take your focus off the Lord? Our world is filled with distractions. 

Jesus is going to use this encounter for the specific reason of teaching this group of seven to TRUST HIM, OBEY HIM, STAYING DEVOTED TO HIM.

The disciples are challenged by the space between tension and trust. They are drifting back into their old way of life where Jesus originally found them. I am sure Peter is still struggling with his recent failures and inadequacies. Undoubtedly, he is remembering the way he denied the Lord, but there is restoration coming. The other six disciples with him are struggling as well with the same recent failures and inadequacies. These guys are tense and they are no where close to trusting like they had been taught and how they had learned to walk.

Spiritual failure tends to drive us to areas of our own competency and safety rather than driving us to repentance and renewed dependency on the Holy Spirit.

Recognizing Jesus as their Lord and Savior brought peace to their souls. Why? Because peace comes from knowing who THE ONE IS who is in charge. Peace comes from knowing who THE ONE IS who holds our future. Peace comes from THE ONE WHO holds you in every moment between the tension and the trust.

Here are just a few ways remembering who God is can shift your perspective:

• When you feel out of ideas and options…He is the Creator, who makes something out of nothing.
• When we feel trapped by deadlines or pressure…He is our Ever-Present Help in time of need.
• When the needs feel bigger than your resources…He is the Provider, who owns it all.
• When you feel unseen or overlooked…He is El Roi, the God who sees.
• When you are weary and uncertain…He is your Shepherd, gently leading you beside quiet waters.