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Pastor Wade Burleson



The Savior From Shame

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John 21:1-12 (KJV)
  1. After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
  2. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
  3. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
  4. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
  5. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
  6. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
  7. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
  8. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
  9. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
  10. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
  11. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
  12. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

"The Savior from Shame"

John 21:1-12

Churches and pastors are often masters of shame. Church leaders place standards in front of their members and expect everyone to measure up (the standard of holiness, the deeper life, or an all out commitment, etc . . .), and when people don't measure up the preacher gives a tongue lashing (Easter sometimes makes for a good shame Sunday). As a result of shame, people get tired of trying to measure up and will either cover up or give up.

Peter is an example of a person filled with shame. Early on in Peter's life Christ had commissioned him for service (Matthew 16:17-19), he had walked with Christ throughout His ministry (Matthew 17:1), and he even harbored thoughts of his own spiritual greatness and legacy (Matthew 18:1). But when Christ was arrested we find Peter in the courtyard of Caiaphas denying that he even knew Christ (three times), cursing God (to prove he didn't know Christ), and leaving the courtyard weeping because of his failure (John 18). Yet after all this Peter overcame his shame and served Christ courageously to the point of even being crucified upside down for his refusal to deny Jesus Christ. What happened?

  1. Christ met Peter at the place of his shame . . .
    There are only two places in the Bible where the phrase "fire of coals" is used. In John 18:18 (Caiaphas' courtyard) and John 21:9, Jesus is recreating the scene of where Peter denied him. The smell of coal is unique. Everything reminds Peter of his denial.
    1. Christ only uses those who are aware of their personal deficiencies.
      There is no room for pretension in real Christianity. There is no reason to pretend you are someone you aren't. Christ uses only the weak and the humble. "But we have this treasure (Christ Jesus) in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (II Corinthians 4:7 NIV).
    2. Christ will place you in circumstances that remind you of your inabilities.
      Are you called to serve Christ? Do you feel the prompting of God to lead your family spiritually? Do you have an inward longing to worship God regularly? The trick of the deceiver is to convince you that God only approves the worthy. The reality is that God chooses to use only the unworthy. But if a person really does sense his utter unworthiness will he not "check out" (as in "I go fishing!")
  2. Christ separated Peter from the pain of his shame . . .
    Christ recommissioned Peter at the Sea of Galilee and Peter goes out in power. How?
    1. Christ revealed to Peter His sufficiency . . . "You can't, I can."
      The nets cast at the command of Christ came back full of fish. Christ does it all.
    2. Christ revealed to Peter His sovereignty . . . "I can do all things perfectly."
      The fish pulled into the net were 153 and the net was not broken (v.11). This account is similar to the first meeting the disciples had with Christ (Luke 5) except the nets broke and fish were not numbered. Why 153 fish? The letters in Hebrew for the number 153 form the acronym "I AM GOD." He does it well.
    3. Christ revealed to Peter His satisfaction . . . "I love my people as they are."
      Christ agapes you, but you will never fully love Him; yet serve Him! (John 21:17).


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Pastor Wade