John 21:1-17  

Introduction:
	Through this message my prayer is that you receive the same revelation that God 
showed me.  First, How Jesus showed himself;  Secondly, Jesus' love and compassion for 
us, and thirdly Jesus' call for us to minister.

	I.	How Jesus Showed Himself

One thing we must understand is that after His resurrection no one could see Jesus 
through mere curiosity or by accident.  Neither Mary nor the two men who walked with 
Him on the way to Emmaus knew Him till He revealed Himself to them.  None but 
disciples ever saw Him in His resurrection body.  The vision now is a spiritual one;  only 
those who believe shall see the glory of God in the Person of the risen Christ.

		A.	The Time.  It was-

			1.	After A Night of Failure.  "and that night they caught 
nothing." (v.3).
	
				a.	In those days of quiet testing, Peter got somewhat 
restless and said, "I go a-							fishing.  They 
said unto him, We also go with thee."

				b.	They labored together all night but caught nothing.

					1.	To labor without God's presence or blessing 
is futile.

					2.	Sometimes failure may be a good 
preparation for spiritual success.

			2.	At The Breaking Of The Day.  "But when the morning was 
now come, Jesus stood on the shore:" (v 4)

				a.	Sorrow may endure for the night, but joy cometh in 
the morning when He appears.

				b.	He was there the entire time they were fishing, but 
they knew Him not.




		B.	The Manner.	He had and still has His own unique way of 
showing both Himself and 									
	His doctrine.

			1.	Leading Them To Confession.  "Children, have ye aught to 
eat?  They answered Him, No!"  (Vs 5).

				a.	This was an honest confession of failure.

				b.	By being honest by admitting our failure because 
we tried to do something without 						God's 
blessing, we put ourselves in a position to be blessed by the Lord.

				c.	Beware of misrepresentation and exaggeration.  
Christ is interested in our reports.

			2.	Testing Their Faith.  "Cast the net on the right side of the 
ship, and ye shall find.." (v 6).

				a.	There is always a ring of certainty about the Word 
of the Lord Jesus.  To Hear it 						is to have our hearts 
tested by it.

			3.	Turning Failure Into Success.  "They cast therefore, and 
now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes"  (v 6).


	II.	Jesus' Love and Compassion For Us

			A.	Providing For Their Wants.  "As soon as they came to land 
they saw a fire of coals, a fish, and a loaf.."  (v 9).

				1.	If and only if we are doing His work, He will supply 
all your needs.

			B.	Having Fellowship With Them.  "Jesus said unto them, 
Come and break your fast...Jesus then cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish 
likewise.." (v 12,13)

III.	Jesus' Call For Us To Minister.  (Do You Love Me?)

(Verses 15-17)  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, 
lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love 
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.  16  He saith to him again the second time, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I 
love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.  17  He saith unto him the third time, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the 
third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou 
knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

		Before we can effectively understand His call, we need to truly understand 
this situation.  I 			believe there are four important points we need to 
see:

			1.	It had not even been one week since they had been with the 
resurrected Christ and they 					were back doing what they 
had done before they had met Him.

				a.	Jesus does not scold them when He appears, rather, 
He blesses them!

			2.	They recognized Him and immediately obeyed Him.

				b.  He communicated to them in a familiar way.

			3.	They came to Him.

				c.  Pride did not keep them away from the shore.

			4.	Jesus teaching how we should minister.

				a.	Notice that He did not ask the question, "Do you 
love Me", until He had blessed 						them and fed 
them.


Conclusion:

		Sometimes we lose our focus and go fishing.  The message this morning is 
really two fold.  

		1.	We need to understand that we must minister in a way that shows 
the love and 					compassion that Christ is really about.

		2.	If we have gone fishing and not focused on what God has for us, 
this is how He is 					reaching out to you:

			a.	See how He invited the disciples into the campsite with a 
warm fire and meal.  Letting 					them see that even though He 
could be upset, all He wanted them to understand is that 				
	they needed to do His work and that He loved them.  Just start over today Peter, 	
				Feed my sheep.  Today He desires the same.

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the 
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Do You Love Me?


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Prepared by:  Rev. A. Dale Carter, Jr.

Do You Love Me?
John 21: 1-17