The Ongoing Provision of Christ

Have you ever been on a trip where you had everything you needed…someone was taking care of you and they just thought of every little detail….or maybe you visited someone and stayed at someone’s house and they just took care of everything?

• They have extra toothbrushes….there are chocolates on your pillow….

• They borrowed some friends bikes so you all can go for a bike ride…

• They knew you had a food allergy so they got special breakfast things…they had extra swim suits, or extra hiking shoes…they even had eye glasses in your prescription…ok that may be a bit too far…😊

But Everything was provided for you to have an absolutely wonderful stay…

• Then when you got ready to leave, they drew you a hand drawn map to get back to the interstate in the most efficient way possible, they indicated where the best rest areas and gas stations are and how to be prepared for road construction issues…and they packed you a snack pack to nosh on as you travel.

Even though you are leaving their house…their care for you and their provision continues….and sets you up to have the very best trip possible…where you can focus on your mission of getting home.

• Some of the folks in our church show hospitality like that...maybe not exactly like that, but pretty close…and the heart of caring for others is often on display….and I think that displays Christlikeness….a care and provision for others.

Well I think as we get to the end of the book of John…we will see the amazing provision of Christ…to care for his disciples, to care for his flock in a way that resonates his love and compassion that was in place before the cross….was displayed amazingly at the cross…and continues on even by our resurrected Lord before and after he ascends to heaven.

This year our annual theme is Enjoying Life in His name

And we have been studying verse by verse through the Gospel of John…seeing that John write his Gospel so that he could testify to the person and work of Christ…and that people would believe he is the Christ, the Son of God and through believing they may have life in His name.

So today as we end our series in the Gospel of John we will focus on Enjoying Life in His name through

The ongoing provision of Christ

Please turn in your bibles to John chapter 21…as we read the last chapter in the gospel of John…if you need a bible, there is one under the seat in front of you…You can turn to page 90 in the back section…the new testament.

[Read John 21:1-25]

As we consider our Lord’s amazing provision…first let’s consider how…

Christ’s provision of revealing Himself (v1-14)

Christ revealing himself over and over again strengthens our faith…you see…

Christ appeared three times after the resurrection

We read…

John 21:1 — 1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.

John 21:14 — 14 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

John emphasized this is the third time, so there could have been more, but we know there were 3 different instances for sure..

… and I think this provision encourages the disciples…this was not a dream, this was not a hallucination...this is real…this is the resurrected Messiah appearing to us over and over and over…

[app] - This strengthens their Faith (and ours)…at the end of John we see Christ’s followers still struggle recognizing Jesus in person and believing he actually did what He said he would…

…ultimately when the Holy Spirit comes upon them at Pentecost they will be empowered to be His witnesses…but they are witnesses to the fact that he resurrected and appeared in the flesh repeatedly…

He did not provide them one instance to reference, but multiple, thereby strengthening their testimony.

In fact in the bible, we don’t just learn that he appeared to the disciples, but to many others…

1 Corinthians 15:3–6 — 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

If people had questions, they could go and speak to many of the people who had been eye witnesses of Jesus resurrection…and that is what John is testifying to…we saw him…not just once, but many times, and not just one of us…500 at one time…

Trusting in the Resurrected Messiah requires Faith, it requires belief…but it is a reasonable belief that is based on eyewitness testimony that did not just happen once.

The Lord has provided such a solid foundation for people to believe in Him.

The Lord also provided for his disciples through….

The provision of the bread and fish

We see here in John 21 he is meeting with 7 of the disciples who have gone fishing….and he makes them breakfast.

Now we know from the other gospels that Jesus had told them to go to Galilee

Mark 14:28 — 28 “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Matthew 28:16 — 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.

Some commentators point out that they were supposed to be at a mountain in galilee and in fact they were at the lake of galilee also know as Lake Tiberius…so this is not where they were supposed to be.

Also, When Peter says I am going fishing…is it him being impatient waiting for Christ and just passing the time…or is he saying he is going back to fishing as his profession.

Regardless of where Peter is at exactly, we see Jesus demonstrate to them again Who He is, and He miraculously has them catch fish after catching nothing all night long.

That is when they recognize Jesus….”After the fish, John says to Peter…It is the Lord” With that Peter is so excited the text says he threw himself into the sea.

• This imagery is powerful especially as you consider the other gospels where Jesus calls them initially to follow Him by telling them to put their nets on the other side….or When Peter jumps over the boat into the Sea to go to Jesus in a storm.

Don’t you just envision Peter as a man of action….I’m going fishing…now I’m going swimming….Peter has abandoned fishing just as quickly as he took it back up…but as we will see the Lord is going to task him with a mission that will need more faithfulness then impulsiveness.

I think we can also make the point that after a long night of catching no fish, and then catching a massive catch and having to drag that to shore…

Well, they would be hungry…and so we don’t want to miss the obvious point that Jesus is providing them with food, with nourishment…He is serving them…he has washed their feet, he has went to the cross to die for their sins, he revealed himself multiple times….and now He is feeding them…He is providing for them…as he is going to call them to feed His sheep…To provide for His ship in His name….The disciples are to be a conduit of His provision to others.

[app] - I think as progress through this text it is good for us to ask ourselves…in your daily life are you a conduit of provision for others…Do we appreciate what Christ has done so much, that I want to Love God in response and then Love others in His name.

[app] - Do people walk away from an interaction with you built up, nourished, encouraged…or does your complaining, your critical spirit what you talk about do the opposite. Christ provides, and he uses His people as conduits of His provision.

I think this breakfast is also providing us with a reminder….

The breakfast of bread and fish reminds us of the miracles Jesus did revealing Himself as the Messiah.

John 6:9–14 — 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

A few verses later it says…

John 6:26–29 — 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Jesus wants His disciples to come to Him for provision…and the ultimate provision is that you believe in Him whom He has sent….That you believe Jesus is the Messiah sent to bring us eternal life.

[Share Gospel] – We can’t work our way to heaven…the only “work” we can do, is to believe in the work someone else has done in our place. If you have never trusted Christ, I would hope the whole gospel of John has led you to see Christ with new eyes,…eyes of faith that believe in Him as your personal Lord and savior he died on the cross, was buried and resurrected again…

Through the whole book of John, Jesus has been revealing himself to the people over and over again….this is captured in the….

1. The seven “I am” statements

1. The Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 38, 51)

1. The Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5)

1. The Door of the sheep (John 10:7, 9)

1. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

1. The Resurrection and the Life (John 14:6)

1. The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

1. The True Vine (John 15:1-5)

When we add all this up, we see that Jesus is the only one who can truly provide…salvation, eternal life, and of course our everyday needs for life.

[app] – Is your view of Christ such that He provides for you abundantly, or are you constantly looking for more from others sources…

I think whether we are talking about the baskets of food where there is more than enough for everyone, or this massive catch of fish where the nets don’t break…we see that Jesus provides abundantly…He is entirely satisfying.

…and so there is plenty for all…..and so He is inviting men and women and children to come to Him and enjoy life in His name, because of His abundant provision…provision that no one else can provide.

In fact Jesus revealed himself from the beginning of John to be like no other…because He is God taken on human flesh…you see

Jesus’ displayed the glory of God and the way of salvation.

John 1:14 — 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:4–9 — 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

He is the Light...He reveals what is true about God, about Man, and about how sinful man can have a relationship with the holy God.

Not only does Christ reveal what is true, He has authority to save, to rescue…to provide a reconciled relationship with God to those who believe in Him.

John 1:12–13 — 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jesus reveals what is true…He is the Light…he exposes sin, but her also exposes the way of salvation….and after people believe in Him…He is not going to abandon them…He is going to continue to provide for them even when he leaves.

In the text we also see…

Christ’s provision of shepherding for His flock (v15-17)

When Jesus talks to Peter, notice the emphasis on MY Sheep….this reminds us of…

The care of the good shepherd

John 10:11 — 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

John 10:14–15 — 14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Not only did Jesus lay down His life for His sheep…He is going to care for His sheep even after he ascends to heaven…he has called under shepherds to care for His flock…but as part of this process, Peter must be restored.

Peter is often leading…He is incredibly strong, a man of action, and people follow Him…the others followed him fishing, He cut the ear off a guy, he hauled the catch of 153 fish to shore by himself….he also often boasted about how he would never turn away from Christ…

…but in fact he did before the rooster crowed Peter denied Christ 3 times…and so now Jesus is taking time to address this and restore Peter….

We see that Jesus provides through…

The restoration of Peter

The text states

John 21:15–17 — 15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

Jesus nicknamed him Peter (Rock)…but when Jesus is correcting him he often uses his family name Simon.

Initially Jesus asks if Peter loves Jesus more than “these”…people question whether he is asking if Peter loves him more than he loves the other men…or if He is asking if Peter loves Jesus more than the other men love Jesus….as Peter often boasted his fidelity was of a different order than others….of perhaps Jesus is asking if Peter loves him more than these…the items around that point to Peter’s fishing profession….this makes sense contextually as Peter was just fishing.

But the point is to get to Peter’s heart….We finally see Peter grieve when Jesus asks Him a 3^rd time….I believe this points back to the 3x Peter denied Christ….

Peter does not boast…there is no impetuous declaration of how strong Peter is…Just the affirmation that Jesus is the one who knows all things.

There is no boasting, no bravado, no fooling the Lord…all that is left is humble faithful service in His name…that is born out of a real genuine love for Christ because of Who He is and what He has done on the cross.

The restoration focuses his vocation…not fishmen, but fishers of men…not shepherds, but Shepherds of the Flock of God….

God restores Peter, but with a focus on providing for His people…the People the Lord is calling to Himself through His death, burial and resurrection.

And so Christ provides once again…He provides through….

The instruction for shepherds

The two greatest commands are Love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul and all your mind…and love your neighbor as yourself…if Peter and the other disciples are going to feed the sheep…care for others…they must do so out of a love for God.

[app] - Our love for one another, our love for our neighbors, must flow out of our love for God. Notice the commands…if you love me…

Vs 15 – …Tend my Lambs

Vs 16 - …Shepherd my Sheep

Vs17 – …Tend my sheep

John likes to vary his words and use synonyms…and what he is saying is feed and protect my people.

The book of acts says it like this…

Acts 20:28 — 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Peter himself writes….

1 Peter 5:1–4 — 1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

So Peter was a leader for sure….but this was not just for Peter, but for all the apostles, and we see in the new testament how Pastors are called to shepherd the flock God has entrusted to them.

Peter does not go back to fishing, he has been restored, and he has clear direction for what the Lord wants Him to do with His life…and even His death….but as we will see he still gets a bit distracted…

But even in that we see…..

Christ’s provision of a clear and focused mission (v18-25)

This helps all of us not be distracted…in fact it…

Prepares us for trials, persecution and even death

The bible talks about how followers of Christ will endure trials and suffering, that is part of following the suffering servant and knowing a small taste of what Jesus went through for you…it is about knowing Christ better and valuing Him above the comforts of this world, it is sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings as Philippians 3 says…

But we also see it stated very succinctly in….

2 Timothy 3:12 — 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

After Jesus restores Peter and gives him his apostolic and pastoral marching orders…He also speaks about How Peter is going to glorify God at the end of His life…Being led around seems to indicate Peter will be a prisoner, and being stretched out is known as another way of describing crucifixion.

Peter who has the physical strength to do a lot of things…and in the past has generally done what he felt like doing and gone where he wanted to go will not be able to do that later in life…and interestingly he is going to be constrained and his will is constrained, and yet His death is going to glorify God as his will and desires are ultimately focused not on what he wants, but on following Christ.

John 21:19–22 — 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” 20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

Christ is preparing Peter to not just run the race well for a bit…but to finish strong at the end of His life…Glorify God through his life of shepherding the flock of God, and glorify God in his death…following Christ.

Christ’s clear directive to peter of follow me….

Focuses us on the person of Christ instead of comparing our circumstances to others

Peter after hearing about His death, looks to John and says…what about him….Jesus firmly refocuses him….even at the very end of this Gospel, Peter needs to keep growing…

It also seems as though John is also addressing a misconception that Jesus said John would not die until Christ returns…but he clarified what Jesus actually said in refocusing Peter.

[app] - how easy it is to focus on the circumstances of others, and think oh at least I don’t have it as bad as them, or why do they seem to have it easy.

[app] - I think the Lord’s response is instructive for all of us…Don’t compare yourself to others….and instead focus on the mission each of us has to follow Christ and trust Him with whatever responsibilities he has for us, whatever trials he has for us, and even the way he chooses to usher us into His presence.

It is similar to what the author of Hebrews says….keep your eyes fixed on Christ…the author and perfect of Faith…

Jesus is repeating what He has said many times before…

John 10:27 — 27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

John 8:12 — 12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Mark 8:34 — 34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

[app] - Whatever you do in your life…whatever you think or say…as you seek to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind…you must ask yourself…does what I am doing meet the criteria of following Christ?

Is this in line with the path Christ walked, His provision for me…does what I am doing right now indicate I love and trust the Lord and I am following Him….does what I am doing help others see the one I am following…does this thought, or these words exalt the person and work of Christ.

If not I have lost focus on Christ….I hope you ask yourself multiple times a day…am I following Christ right now….whether it is amazing blessing or deep, deep trial…is your commitment to follow Christ the same…because of What Christ has done for you.

As we follow Christ and don’t compare ourselves to others we are able to testify well….

You see, Christ’s provision….

Compels His disciples to testify to the amazing work of Christ

1. Consider John the Baptist’s testimony at the beginning

John 1:15–17 — 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

1. Consider John’s testimony at the end

John 21:24–25 — 24 This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

Christ’s fullness is on display…His amazing provision of grace upon grace….there is not enough paper or space in the whole world to write of all that Christ has done since He is God in the flesh……And so are we amazed and excited to share that good news with others.

I want to close with our key verse and I pray that as you reflect on the Gospel of John…your faith in Christ has been strengthened so that you want to follow Him each day, and your heart is excited to testify about Christ and help others come to believe in Him as well.

John 20:30–31 — 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

Let’s pray

• Thank you for Provision of revealing Himself multiple times to strengthen our faith
• Thank you for revealing your great plan of salvation through the messiah being our suffering servant
• Thankyou for your provision of Shepherding even after your ascension
• Thankyou for your provision of a clear and focused mission to help us preserve through trials, not compare ourselves to others, and testify to the Good news of Jesus Christ.
• Thankyou for those who have testified about your great works, and thankyou the testimony was written down so that we may read it and believe.
• Thankyou for those who have given their life to follow you and given up their lives as martyrs following you no matter the cost.
• Help us Lord to trust you, to believe in your name…and then to grow in our faith day by day as we deny ourselves and follow you.