Restored to Jesus
Hope Chapel, Easter 4-4-10
by Geno Hildebrandt
Notes by Joe & Neisha Hootman
Lesson:
In our periods of unbelief, Jesus meets us sympathetically and restores us to a living relationship with him by a personal encounter which re-enlivens our deepest dreams about who we could be in His eyes.
Text:
John 21:1-19 (also: Luke 5:1-11, John 1:40-42)
Icebreaker:
The Talking Heads penned a song called “Once in a Lifetime” (.mp3 Amazon) that NPR named one of the most 100 important musical works of the 20th Century (RealAudio). In it, Byrne and Eno paint a picture of a man ratcheting down his unrealized dreams by resigning himself to the pointless flow of daily events:
And you may ask yourself, “How do I work this?”
And you may ask yourself, “Where is that large automobile?”
And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful house!”
And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful wife!”
Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Have you ever stepped into an opportunity with high hopes and found out that the reality was something much different? A job? A relationship? A financial opportunity? A congregation? What did you end up telling yourself inside your head to lower your expectations to what was really there? Share what you can with the group. Do you think this is how the disciples felt following Jesus’ death?
Background:
Luke 5:1 and John 1:40 show Jesus calling Peter (and the other disciples) to "catch men" and follow Him, and they leave their familiar jobs and homes to do so. Jesus also names Peter, calling him the Rock (Cephas). Fast-forwarding to John 21:1-19, we see Peter and the others fishing (for fish) a couple of weeks after the Resurrection. Jesus appears on shore and, similar to Luke 5, tells them to re-cast their nets. Again, they bring in a miraculous catch. Peter recognizes Jesus, and they have a conversation in which Peter declares his love for Jesus three times, and Jesus calls Peter three times to feed and tend his sheep. This is the restoration offered to each of us this Easter. We who have sinned, we who have walked away, are called again by Jesus, named by Him according to the character He sees in us, and connected to Him so that we might fulfill this calling.
Digging Deeper:
1. Words of wisdom in the kingdom of this world go like this:
- "The proof is in the pudding."
- "Beauty is as beauty does."
- “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."
How do these square up with Geno's words about the kingdom of God: "Believe what Jesus says, not your own behavior"?
Which one of these do you believe? Which is more true for you?
- Have you lately smelled the distinctive aroma of a charcoal fire? (See Peter in John 21:9 following John 18:18.) Has something reminded you of your great failing, your moment of disgrace, your inability to live up to your calling? Whether or not you've experienced this, imagine the different ways someone might respond to such a reminder. Geno suggested that these moments might be a call to restoration. Does this change your imagined responses?
- 3. Geno talked about restoration offered through calling, character, and connection. The first two, however, can sometimes be seen in worldly ways that tempt us to take credit ourselves for positive change in our lives. Others may see us as benefitting from some Christian self-help kick, finding focus and direction and learning to show the “better part” of ourselves. And we may even drift into thinking this, too. (i.e. “It’s a good thing I found Jesus so I could get my life together.”) The connection piece is harder to describe to the world. Read John 15:4-8 and practice describing this connection.
Application:
- God does not just mow over his hapless disciples in disgust at our lapses in faith. Instead, like the vine and the branches, he knows that our faith needs regular encounters with His resurrected life to keep us alive. At this point in your walk, do you need to place your finger in the mark of the nails and your hand into his side? Just ask him. Just as he appeared through locked doors, so he can appear through the barriers of any locked heart. Just ask him.
- Just as Peter denied Jesus three times, so Jesus personally restores him three times by casting him as someone worthy of steady trust (John 21:15-19, in his follow-ups to Peter’s answer to the question “do you love me?”: “feed my lambs,” “tend my sheep,” “feed my sheep.”) Think of a particular area of sinful unbelief in your life (e.g., anxiety, fear) and give it to the Christ who loves you in the midst of your double-mindedness. If appropriate, name your unbelief to the group, and have the group speak back to you Christ’s own character that he gives to you in exchange. Otherwise, ask the Holy Spirit to speak those words to you personally now and in the week to come. Your job is to receive them and believe them as true because the One who spoke it to you is True.
Outreach/Mission:
Do you know a friend, someone in your family, or someone you share work with who has given up on a dream? Like a well-intended picnicker who loads too much food on the flimsy paper plate, no earthly dream can bear the weight of true hope weighted with eternity. Begin praying for this person, that Christ would heal the wounded places deep inside him or her and reveal Himself as the living, resurrected One who is the full and only-satisfying hope revealed to all mankind. What newer, better dreams could Christ offer him or her? |
