Discover Purpose | John 21:1-22

A long time ago there was this guy Billy Graham. Pretty famous dude: evangelist, preacher guy who would go around telling people about Jesus and he was good at it too. Thousands of people, mostly young people, would give their lives to Jesus at every event he spoke at. And one time, there was an event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the big headliner at the end of the event was Billy Graham. Now there were other speakers, but they were just like the warm up comedian. Their picture’s not on the poster, if you know what I mean. Billy Graham was the big name that drew the big crowd. But this time, Billy Graham came in early. There was a different speaker up front, guy by the name of Leighton Ford, and Graham decided to come a day early and sit on the grass at the back, in a hat and dark glasses so nobody would recognize him. Probably wasn’t much of a disguise, but hey - it works for Superman, right? And at the end of his talk, Leighton Ford gave an invitation to come forward if you want to accept Jesus Christ as your savior, and Graham tapped the shoulder of the elderly man sitting in front of him. He said, ‘I’ll walk down with you if you want to accept Jesus.” And the man looked over at Billy Graham, in disguise, and said, “Nah, I think I’ll just wait ‘till the big gun comes tomorrow night.” (laugh)

Do you ever look at someone who is doing something better than you, and it makes you want to give up? For me - I am not the greatest pastor in the world. In fact, almost every pastor I know is actually better than me at SOMETHING. Our church is a part of this network called the Zero Collective - we have four active churches, and we’re working on a fifth church over in Grandville someday. And every week I sit in a meeting with the lead pastors of the other churches, and genuinely - there are some days when I am just humbled to be in the room with those guys. Full transparency, don’t tell them I said this - but every single one of them is better than me at something. In a world where we have David from Frontline, and Brad from New Life and Kyle at Story Church - what’s God doing with someone like me? There are others who are better - so why do I bother? And this is not just about one pastor’s ego. Think about the way you live your life - what’s the thing you are known for? Maybe you’re a real estate agent - and you’re doing a good job, but that other agent is putting up all sorts of properties. Closing tons of sales. Or you’re working in an office, and things are going well, the boss seems to like you - get along with co-workers, but there’s always that guy who is younger, faster, smarter. Or maybe you work in the home - taking care of the kids, running the household, and you’re doing your best, but it always seems like those other parents seem to really have it together, while you - you’re barely hanging on by a thread. Come on, don’t leave me out here hanging - I know I’m not the only parent who feels like that. Especially in this church. Everywhere I look there’s all these amazing parents who are just absolutely crushing it - WAY better dads than me and my little chaos gremlins. And maybe you’re like me - sometimes the comparisons keep you from hearing the nice things people say. Someone will come and say, “you’re such a great mom”, “or you’re such a good dad” or “you’re such a good [whatever]” and then your mind does this horrible translation thing where you think, “I’ve got you fooled. I’m not actually a good mom, over there - that’s a good mom! She’s got it figured out. She’s actually got it all together. I’m just a poser who fooled one more person.” We play these games of purpose and passion - and I think it can be a little scary to take an honest look in the mirror. 

But here’s where I’m going with all of this - we’ve been in this series for the last couple of weeks about what it looks like to follow Jesus as a disciple. And we’ve already gone through steps one and two. Know Jesus and Find Freedom. Accept Jesus as your lord, and quit doing bad stuff. And can I just have a moment of honesty with you - this is where most churches stop. Most churches out there - it’s just fire insurance and behavior modification. That’s the whole goal - tell them about Jesus and get ‘em to knock it off when it comes to sin. Like - if your life is a ship sailing on the ocean, without Jesus the boat is on fire and it’s sinking. So we put the fire out, and we plugged up the holes - it’s not sinking anymore, but today - today is where we ask the question: where is the ship going? Is there more to this whole following Jesus thing than just “being a goody-two-shoes and staying out of hell?” And by the end of today, what we are going to discover together is that Jesus has a unique purpose for your life. If you lean in, follow me on this for the next twenty minutes - this step in the journey of following Jesus, (this step that most people never take) can flood your life with meaning. 

And so if you want to grab your bibles - we are going to be in the book of John, chapter 21. If this is your first time joining us, we might be in the middle of a series - but don’t worry about it, we’ll catch you up no problem. I always encourage people, we are a B.Y.O.B. church - bring your own bible. If you do not have a bible, please feel free to grab one off of the back shelf, and if you don’t have a bible at home - take the one off the shelf and bring it home! That is our gift to you - we love putting the word of God in people’s hands. John chapter 21, while you’re looking that up - let me do a little recap. In order to learn how to be a disciple of Jesus, we are following the story of one of the worst disciples - a guy by the name of Peter. And when I say “worst disciple” what I mean is that he made a lot of mistakes. He was a wonderful disciple, Jesus loved him a lot, but he was also a bit of a goof ball. He would mess up, and get it wrong, and then try again - and that’s why he is such a great example for us! Nobody learns from the guy who gets it right on the first try. No - it’s the guy who needs a second chance, THAT is the guy who is relatable. And so Peter was a fisherman, and two weeks ago we talked about how Jesus came along and told Peter - put down those nets, come and follow me - I will make you a fisher of men.” And then last week, we saw how Peter messed up in a big way by denying Jesus on the night that he was arrested, the day before he was crucified. That night, Peter was hanging out by these charcoal fires, and people kept asking him, “didn’t I see you with that Jesus guy?” And Peter denied it over and over. “No, I don’t know Jesus!” Three times, Peter denies Jesus, and that’s where we left it last week. 

And so we pick it up, John 21, Jesus has been killed, died on the cross, rose from the dead three days later, the tomb was empty - and Jesus is sort of going around appearing to people, and we start in verse 1 [read v.1-3]. Do you ever notice how without Jesus, Peter never seems to catch any fish? Like, he’s going back to his roots - back to his old stomping grounds, a fisherman - but it kind of seems like he’s bad at this. [read v.4-8]. First - this has nothing to do with anything, but I love it. We’re reading the book of John, written by a guy named John, who refers to himself as “the disciple Jesus loved.” So when you see “the disciple Jesus loved” - that’s John talking about himself. Which disciple are you? Um, I’m the one Jesus loved. And then I’m going to need someone smarter than me to explain this next part. Peter puts his tunic back on, because he was sweaty - so he was working shirtless, and he puts his clothes back on to jump in the water. Must have had different swim suits back then - I mean, who is putting clothes ON to jump in the water? So Peter puts his tunic on, jumps in the water and the rest of the disciples are still on the fishing boat with this massive haul of fish. “Oh, thanks Peter - I guess we will bring in this massive haul of fish by ourselves. No, no - don’t worry about us - you go on ahead with your clothes on, you big idiot.” 

But here’s where it gets really cool - this whole scene I’m about to describe is intentionally set up  with echoes of Peter’s time with Jesus. [read v.9-14]. Alright, now there’s so many pieces I’m going to put it on the screen so you can keep track. When Jesus first called Peter, what was he doing? Fishing. Echoes of the call story - boom. When Peter denies Jesus he was gathered around a fire when people recognized him. Gathered around a charcoal fire when he denied Jesus. In the gospels that word “charcoal” is only used in two places - Peter’s denial and John 21. Peter denies Jesus how many times? (three times) - Jesus is about to ask him about his love THREE times. You might remember last week Peter said “I would rather die than deny you Jesus” and then here in John 21, Jesus gives him a word about his actual death. What I’m trying to show you is that this scene is drenched in connections. There are parallels between Peter’s sin and his redemption. Now I know, some of you might be looking at me like I’m this guy [picture of charlie with the conspiracy theories] - but this is more than just clever coincidences! This is not just a bunch of cute connections for nerdy bible trivia. What I want you to catch is that Jesus uses our sin to prepare us for our purpose. The things that Peter went through are directly tied to the purpose that Jesus has for Peter for the rest of his life. 

Now think about your life - Jesus does not waste your struggle. Part of figuring out your purpose in this life is to look at what you have overcome and see how your healing can be used to change other people’s lives. Think about it this way - a man falls into a deep pit and he can’t climb out. Someone walks by and he calls up for help. A well-meaning passerby says, “I’m so sorry, I’ll be praying for you,” and keeps walking. Another says, “Let me toss you a rope,” but it’s too short. Then a third guy comes by, sees the man IN the pit - and jumps down into the pit with him. The man looks at the third man and says, “are you crazy? Now we’re both stuck down here!” And the friend says, “yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.” Part of the story of healing and redemption that Jesus gives us is that he will not waste our struggle. Jesus uses our sin to prepare us for our purpose. The most effective drug counselors are those who have dealt with addiction and substance abuse themselves. The best marriage counselors are those who have been on the front lines of marital struggles. The best parenting mentors are those who have raised troublesome children. The thing in your life that you consider the weakest part of your story - Jesus wants to reclaim it and make it one of your greatest strengths. 

 Do you guys know the story of John Newton? The amazing grace guy? John Newton was born in London. He had a devout mother who taught him the bible, but she died when he was 6 years old. His father was a sea captain, and so John went to sea at 11 years old. He grew up as a rebellious, profane sailor who mocked faith. He spent a lot of his life attacking Christianity. Standing against everything Jesus stood for. He was pressed into the Royal Navy, got caught trying to desert and was publicly flogged and demoted. He ended up as a slave trader, transporting human cargo - he wasn’t even good at it. He was mistreated and nearly starved - a second class sailor at the bottom of society. His father eventually sent a ship to find him and bring him home. He was so far away from God. But in 1748, on his way home, a violent storm sprang up and nearly sank the ship. John Newton hadn’t prayed in years - but in his fear he cried out to God for mercy. It wasn’t this epic transformation - it took years for him to come home to God. But he credits that storm as a turning point for him. He eventually left the slave trade, becoming a customs official in Liverpool, and became an ordained preacher. He wrote the hymn Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me -  and later became a pastor to William Wilberforce (who was a very famous abolitionist who worked to end the slave trade once and for all). In 1788 John Newton published a pamphlet publicly denouncing the slave trade and confessing his own part in it. He went from slave trader to slavery destroyer. Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807, the year Newton died. This is one of the coolest parts about redemption. Jesus takes the things that broke you, restores them and then uses them - not just to bring healing to you, but to give your life purpose and bring healing to OTHERS as well. This is what God can do for your life - just like he did for Peter. Your sin is not just forgiven, it is REDEEMED.

Verse 15, we’re back on the beach with Peter and Jesus and it says, [read v.15]. Three times Jesus asks him, “do you love me?” and three times Peter answers, “you know I love you.” And every time Jesus comes back to him with the same instructions: feed my lambs. Now, I’m sure this is obvious - but Jesus is not telling Peter he should actually take care of physical sheep. Jesus is not giving Peter career advice - go be a shepherd. Jesus is giving Peter a JOB. Feed my lambs - the sheep are people. Jesus is saying, “I’ve got all these people who follow me, who believe in me - Peter you’re going to take care of them.” And maybe you remember this whole scene - the name Peter means “rock” and Jesus told him a long time ago, “I’m going to build my church on this rock.” Like, Peter - on you, I’m going to build my church. And Peter becomes the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He stays right there and sets up the ministries and the work of the church. The Catholic church actually traces the lineage of their popes all the way back to Peter. They consider him the first pope of the Catholic church. “Feed my lambs” was not farming advice - it was a purpose that Jesus gave to Peter. This is the job I am giving you. Peter sits on a beach with Jesus, and they eat fish and bread and talk about love - and Jesus gives him a job. And this is what I want you to catch - Jesus will do the same thing in your life. Our purpose flows from our closeness to Jesus Christ. If you hang out with Jesus long enough, he’s going to give you a job in his kingdom. 

And he didn’t just do this with Peter - he did it with ALL his followers. He told Peter, my people in Jerusalem, you’re going to set up right here and take care of them. To Paul, he said, “You, get out of here. This message that Peter is giving to the Jewish followers in Jerusalem, you’re going to take this message and take it to all the non-Jewish people in every town you can get to.” To the twelve disciples, he gave them all sort of the same assignment - spread out and tell people about me. Philip went to Turkey, Andrew went to the Black sea region, Bartholomew went to Armenia, Thomas went to southern India, James was either in Egypt or Persia, Jude went to Syria, Simon the Zealot went to Egypt. Matthias went to Ethiopia. But here’s what I want you to catch - if you hang out with Jesus long enough, he will tell you who you are supposed to be loving. And remember how Jesus often ties our purpose to the sins we have left behind. I have a friend who went through a really nasty divorce. It was an abusive situation she finally got free of, and it was such a hardship for her - but Jesus redeemed her situation and put it on her heart, and now she helps women who feel like their lives are over as they try to climb out of those situations. I know men who have overcome pornography addictions who have then turned around and helped other men get free of those hooks in their heart. I know teenagers who have gone through seasons of doubt, and asking really hard questions - and then they turned around and tried to help their friends who are asking the same sorts of questions. When I was a kid in youth group, one of the youth leaders - he and his wife couldn’t have kids, but he really had a heart for teenagers in our community. It was this heartbreak in his marriage, we can’t have kids - and God turned it around and said, “I’m going to put more kids in your life than you know what to do with.” We literally called him Uncle Greg. And, side note, when God actually DID bless their family with a baby years later - they had SO many built in baby sitters. If you hang out with Jesus long enough - he will show you who he wants you to love. 

The story finishes up in verse 20, where it says, [read v.20a]. The disciple Jesus loved, who was that? John! [read v.20-21]. Okay, so I love this so much - there is this weird, like almost jealousy and competition with Peter and John. Peter is the goofball, John is the beloved disciple - these are the two guys who raced one another to see who could get to the empty tomb faster (by the way John was faster than Peter, and you know who wrote that down? John!) - and so Peter is over here, after having this super intimate conversation with Jesus on the beach where Jesus has just given him his LIFE’s purpose…and just picture this with me… Peter looks over at John, and he’s like - what about him, Lord?” And Jesus is just so exasperated he responds, [read v.21-23]. There was literally a rumor started that one of the disciples will never die - because Peter was too busy comparing himself to John. Jesus says, “I’m talking about your purpose, don’t look at his purpose - look at your purpose.” You ever have that when you were a kid? Like, you and your brother were messing around and you get busted, and your mom’s scolding you and you look over at your brother, “what about him?” And what did every mom say? Don’t worry about him. You let me worry about him, you worry about you. I will deal with him, when I’m done with you. And this is really the last major teaching I want you to catch this morning - Your purpose is unique to you. There is NO value in comparing your purpose to that other disciple over there. Jesus had NO time for that, and neither do you. 

And I’ve got to say - this is one of those teachings that I shout into the mirror before I put it into a microphone. I think about the things that make me who I am - the words I use to describe myself. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a pastor. I’m a friend. But there are better fathers, better husbands. There are better pastors. And it’s really easy to get into this comparison mindset like Peter does - what about him? That guys better than me at everything - what am I even doing? I should just give up! And into that spiral of thought Jesus steps and asks, “what are you doing?” We’re not talking about him, we’re talking about you.” And I argue with Jesus - yeah, but that guy’s a better pastor than me. He’s a better husband than me. He’s a better [insert thing that makes me me]. If he was in charge of this church - we’d REALLY be thriving.” And Jesus rolls up a newspaper and swats me on the nose - “No! I put you where you are on purpose.” And I want these words to echo into your life this morning. Your purpose is unique to you. You are where you are, loving the people you are loving, on purpose. With purpose. Whatever words you use to describe your identity - father, mother, co-worker, neighbor, friend, aunt/uncle, your job title - whatever it is - God has placed you with purpose. It’s not a competition when we’re building the same kingdom. A competition mindset is one of those things the enemy uses to get you to give up. But Jesus tells Peter, “don’t worry about him. You worry about you.” Jesus gives you a unique purpose for your life. 

Over the last few weeks we have been talking about the process of becoming a disciple of Jesus. First you’ve got to know God, and then you need to find freedom from sin - and the next step after you find freedom is to discover your purpose. This is the moment when Christianity moves beyond fire insurance and the self-help section of the library. This is the moment when Christianity becomes about more than just you. When we first start following Jesus, he saves OUR life. And then the next step, we’ve got to find freedom from the shackles of our old life. We need to take all the sin that’s buried in our heart and throw it away. We let the Holy Spirit into our soul and give it a good scrubbing! And I think some people think that’s ALL church is! And if you stop there you MISS some of the best stuff he can do with your life. Jesus is not a car wash attendant trying to make sure you get all cleaned up. He’s got a job for you! He’s got a unique purpose for your life - a people he wants you to get out there and love. 

And so while the worship team comes up I want to close with a challenge for you all to work on this week. The next step in following Jesus after we know God and find freedom is to DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE. And if we’re looking at the life and story of Peter - there’s two questions to ask yourself. First - what has your sin prepared you for? Last week, we talked about the sin in our life, the things that are holding us back, things that are holding us captive - but this week I want you to look at your brokenness with eyes on your purpose. What has Jesus helped you overcome? What has life taught you, that you could teach to others? How could the redemption of the brokenness of your life actually bring PURPOSE to your pain? The second question to help you discover your purpose is simply, “who are you called to love?” Forget that competitive mindset. Forget all that nonsense about other people doing it better - there is someone out there that only you can love. And I don’t know if that’s your kids or your spouse - your neighbor or co-worker, or just some random person on the street that you notice and everybody else walks past. God has a unique purpose for your life, and it’s not a thing, it’s a person. Jesus did not tell Peter - I want you to be the first pope of the largest religion in the world. Jesus did not tell Peter, I want you to build me great big buildings and invent epic things and change the world - he said, “feed my sheep.” Take care of my people. This life you have lived, every high and every low, all of it culminates and has shaped you into the perfect person to fulfill your purpose. Who is it that you are called to love with this redeemed life you have been given?