Fishing For Men 101

Sunday Service

John 21:1-14

In this passage, there are THREE LESSONS we must learn in order to avoid a frustrating, fruitless life and ministry.

1. CAREFULLY FOLLOW CHRIST’S LEAD (vv. 1-3)
Jesus’ rendevoux with His disciples was aimed at officially commissioning them for evangelism. Jesus also intended to meet specifically with Peter to restore and re-commission him as leader of the apostolic band (Acts 1 and 2). The fact that the disciples required the help of Jesus in order to catch fish is indicative of the fact that they should have been following His lead (Psalm 127:1).

2. COMPLETELY DEPEND ON CHRIST (vv. 4-8)
Just as Jesus wanted to teach His disciples that they could not catch fish without His help, He also wanted them to understand that without His power, they would also not be able to carry out the great commission of fishing for men (John 15:1). This was demonstrated symbolically by the large number of fish that they had caught through the miraculous work and direction of Jesus. Successful soul winning depends of following the Lord’s direction and placing our dependence on Him.

3. CONSISTENTLY COMMUNE WITH CHRIST (vv. 9-14)
When Jesus served His disciples breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, it was an opportunity for them to commune together. Christ wants to commune with us, and it is when we commune with Christ that we become useful to Him (Isaiah 6; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 1; 1 Timothy 1). Moreover, when we live and serve in our own strength, we are doomed to fail. The power we rely on to serve Christ comes from communing with Him often and consistently.

Thank God for inviting you to commune with Him despite all your sins and failures. Ask Him to help you learn to follow His lead and rely on Him so that you will be able to enjoy a fruitful life and ministry.