Peter's Restoration

Let's Go Fishing

John 21:15-19

Let’s go fishing! It was opening day yesterday, for all the lakes here in Washington. I love fishing but I especially love catching fish.

There is one type of fishing that I love the most: Fly fishing in a river. It is very challenging, but very satisfying, and there is something beautiful about the whole process.

To fish successfully, you have to have the right gear, (4 wt, 5 wt, 6 wt, floating sinking, intermediate) the right bait (nymphs, choronomids, dry flies, streamers, midges,), matching the fly to what the fish happen to be eating, and you have to be in the right place, at the right time, at the right depth. If you do everything right, or get lucky, you are going to succeed.

Jesus first followers Andrew, James, John and Peter were all fishermen and Jesus used their occupation as a metaphor for their calling and purpose: You’re now going to fish for people. Perhaps he chose fishermen because he knew they were hardworking, patient, and tenacious. Jesus was going to teach them how to introduce people to the the salvation of God. It is our mission to “Make Jesus Known”. - We are in the fishing business.

If you want to be successful at fishing, it helps to have a good guide! A professional guide is fun but very expensive. A friend who knows their stuff is the best kind of guide to have.

I have been blessed to know some good ones…Russ…Jerry…Roger…my family members.

You and I are called to be fishers of men. Jesus is our GUIDE, when it comes to fishing.

Be a fisher of people, and let Jesus be your guide.

We have to be teachable. We cannot be “know it alls” if we are going to be part of the process of growing.

Many Christians don’t share their faith. They are intimidated by the process. They don’t know what to say. They feel unqualified to share their story. They struggle with a fear of rejection and so they keep the Good News to themselves. They don’t even try to fish.

But some people try to fish and scare all the fish away. There is nothing worst than being in the right place where you’re catching fish, and then someone comes roaring in, driving a fast, loud boat, and they scare the fish away.

Others use the wrong bait and the fish never bite.

It is really fun to catch fish. Sharing one’s faith is meant to be a joyful, peaceful and powerful process. Today we can all learn something about reaching people, and effectively making Jesus known, from the Word of God. We are looking at a story that takes place right after the resurrection, where Jesus helps get Peter back from fishing for fish, to fishing for people.

For those who don’t know much about Peter, here is a quick review of some moments in his life.

Jesus called Peter to follow Him, as a disciple, and Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus was going to teach him how to fulfill this new purpose.

After a while, Peter came to BELIEVE that Jesus was more than a rabbi. He believed Jesus was the Savior and the Son of God. (Matthew 16)...This was his starting point. He had every intention to be a loyal, faithful follower of Jesus. But he struggled, time and again.

• Right after making his “great confession” he puts his foot in his mouth trying to tell Jesus what he should and shouldn’t do. In one short conversation he goes from being “the rock” to “Get behind me Satan” Matthew 16:23. We sometimes try to tell Jesus what to do as well.

• Jesus predicts Peter’s denial. Peter responds: “Even if I must die with you, I will NEVER deny you.” Matthew 26:35 “All the others said the same thing.”

Peter, in his mind and words, was 100% committed to Jesus.

Good intentions do not perfect us.

• What Peter wanted, and what Jesus wanted, were not always the same things. Peter demonstrated his devotion when Jesus was arrested, trying to fight for Jesus.

But Jesus wouldn’t have it. Peter had a plan that he assumed was best but God had a different plan. Jesus ends up being arrested. While on trial, in fear and disappointment, Peter denies Jesus three times. “And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

His feelings spiral into extreme remorse, shame, and sorrow.

He willed one thing…but did something else.

Let me remind you that even Jesus struggled with his will, (“Father, take this cup from me. Not my will, but yours be done”) and He was without sin.

Have you ever done that? We all have. I thought when I became a Christian…

Our struggle is with our will. We might even be good at controlling behavior, but God looks at the heart where our motives lie.

I was born with a conflicted heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

This is a problem with our “will”.

The heart is the most important part of a person.

Becoming a Christian first involves the surrender of our will to God. We recognize His supremacy, and pledge to follow Him, but parts of our will continue to resist. We quickly discover that our hearts are still divided.

Andrew Murray said, “We find the Christian life so difficult because we seek for God’s blessing while we live in our own will. We want to live the Christian life according to our own liking.”

This is the struggle that Peter had, and this is part of every person’s journey with Jesus.

We discover our own conflicted will, and we are called to progress from the entanglements of that conflicted will. (attraction, emotion of anger, the words of my mind and my mouth).

After Peter’s denial, Jesus is beaten, crucified, and killed. He dies, but three days later, He rises again. Jesus begins making some post-resurrection appearances - first to Peter according to 1 Cor. 15. BUT, Peter still is carrying unresolved guilt. And He doesn’t know where to go or what to do next. He has no idea.

Peter’s status:

Guilt: I made a mistake.

Shame: I am a mistake.

Disappointment in himself.

His relationship with Jesus has been damaged by his own decisions, but he is still drawn to Jesus.

For all he knows, He has been “let go” from Team Jesus. Kicked off the team of disciples. Maybe he has been retired from the ministry and going back to fishing for fish.

John 21: We have a post resurrection story - the perfect story for the week after Easter. The disciples have been fishing all night and catch nothing. Then Jesus tells them to try the other side of the boat…they get a miraculous catch.

Jesus shows them that they can work hard all night fishing and get nothing but if He says throw the net in a certain place in a certain way, it will come back full.

Fishing tip #1: “Throw the net where and when Jesus tells you.”

Peter swims for shore, where Jesus has some fish he has caught and is cooking. I wish I had his recipe. He invites them to breakfast.

To understand the nuance of their next conversation, we have to study. The New Testament was written in the Greek language. The English New Testament is a translation of the Greek New Testament.

In the English language we have the word “Love”.

In the Greek language there 4 different words that are translated as love in the English language.

We are going to look at two of those right now.

Phileo: Common love. Mutual affection. Friendship. Love between people. Warm and fuzzy. The love that makes life rich.

Agape: A gift to another, without need or expectation. A decision. Deliberate, not “warm and fuzzy”. Unbidden, unsought and undeserved. Love is not blind. An attribute or characteristic of God. God is agape. Seeks the highest good of another, no matter what. Unbreakable.

Let’s open our Bibles to John 21.

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love (agape) me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love (phileo) you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Notice first that Jesus calls him “Simon son of John” instead of “Peter” or “Simon Peter”. Jesus is using his name, as it was when Jesus first called him. Why? Simon hadn’t lived up the to name “Peter” during recent days, and so Jesus addresses him with his “old name”. It is a gentle rebuke. ALSO, it would have been human to just write Peter off, and give up on him. He is a liability to the mission. He is too emotional and disloyal…But Jesus goes to him…

After failure or disappointment, God asks, “Will you step back into your true identity as Simon Peter, or will you remain as you were before we met?” It isn’t meant to shame him, but rather to challenge him. Did you know that God has a new name for you as well? You will find out what it is in heaven (see Revelation 2:17).

First question: Pointing him towards agape. A restoring love. A forgiving love. A saving loving love. A sacrificial love. A love that is a must of the Christian life.

Jesus asks us, “Do you agape me?”

Peter’s response: “Yes Lord, you know I love (phileo) you.” He doesn’t claim the same love that Jesus is asking for.

Then Jesus tells him what to do: If you love me, you will feed my lambs. Not some of them. Not the ones you like. All people are His lambs. Feed them. Don’t poison them.

Fishing Tip #2: Don’t kill fish. Feed them. What are people hungry for? Friendship. They want to be valued. They want to be heard. Feed them.

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love (agape) me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (phileo) you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

2nd question:

“Simon son of John”

Peter’s response (the same). “You know that I phileo you.”

Notice Jesus’ command: “Take care of my sheep”. This is what love will look like.

Fishing Tip #3: Instead of slaying fish, take care of people. (I catch and release). What people? All people, including those you enjoy offending.

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love (phileo) me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love (phileo) me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love (phileo) you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

3rd question: This one is different.

Jesus asks Peter if he loves him with phileo love.

Peter’s response: Now he is “hurt” because Jesus is asking him if he is telling the truth.

Again, Jesus implies, “If you love me, you’re going to love people”. You’re going to put down the sword…

3 questions, each one meant to bridge the gap of shame created by Peter’s THREE denials.

Jesus is opening the door for Peter: Will you learn? Will you change? Will you grow?

He does the same for us. He does not condemn me. He does not condemn you.

“Therefore, there is no condemnation…” (Romans 8:1).

He also does not pretend like our actions didn’t happen.

Being restored to Jesus means facing our failures, which are many. Until we own our stuff, we will never really grow. The door of restoration to God is always open. Our past may have permanent consequences, but God is there, even within those difficulties.

Teachers of God’s word have often used this passage as an argument for the superiority of agape over phileo love. They would say that to agape is to love and phileo is to like, and Peter only likes Jesus when he should love Jesus.

But I don’t see it as such. I have a different theory. Jesus, in his questioning, asks Peter if he loves him with agape, and with phileo love. Peter offers him phileo, but I don’t think we are being encouraged to love with one or the other, or that this is Jesus making an appeal for the superiority of agape love. It isn’t one or the other, but instead it is both. Unconditional agape love make friendship love stable. They combine to create a love that is dynamic, powerful, and wonderful, like God’s love.

We are being invited to experience and share BOTH kinds of love.

In fact, God’s love, the love that we are invited into, is indescribable, and no singular word, or two words, or even 1000 words in any language, can fully or even adequately describe the love that God has for you (elaborate - it is a love that surpasses knowledge…He is for us…).

Ephesians 3:17-19

17... And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Be restored to God by that love. Knowing God’s love will align our fractured will and heal our sinful heart.

Fishing Tip #4: The net is God’s love. It is what caught you and it is what will catch others.

Love others with the love that God has given you! Make Jesus known through your actions.

Jesus is showing us how to fish. Love is the best bait. Some people say, “I cannot love people.”

We have a greater capacity for love than the one we know right now. (Illustrate…when I met my wife…when my child was born…when my grandkids were born…capacity to love increases)

When we sin, Jesus looks at our failures and says, “Do you really love me?” Our denials of Jesus are inseparable from the way we have treated other people. Jesus challenges us: Don’t just say “I love you” to God. Feed His sheep. Care for His lambs.

18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

How do we deal with the unruly “will”, that is part of our heart? According to Dallas Willard, the day can come for you to move from abandonment of your will, to contentment with God’s will. This is where gratitude and joy become abiding realities. At this point, incongruence and duplicity look like foolishness. Finally, one can move from contentment with God’s will to intelligent, energetic participation in God’s will in our world, with His power working through us.

Jesus takes our hearts from surrender to abandonment to contentment to participation.

This is the process of our will being transformed. It is the restoration and renovation of our hearts.

Having restored Peter, notice the last words Jesus speaks to him: “Follow me”. Does this sound familiar? What is the rest of this sentence?

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

To Make Jesus Known effectively, I must first go through a restoration process.

Illustrate? (16 yrs old…car wreck).

You can be restored to Jesus today. He loves you. Confess. Repent. Reconcile. Return to your calling.

LOVE GOD more. How?
CARE FOR HIS SHEEP (the lost and the found). Love is to be the atmosphere of the Christian life, what we are to express to our friends, neighbors, and enemies.

FOLLOW JESUS

Let’s Go Fishing: Restoration

Life Group Questions

Matt Messner

April 23, 2025

It helps to have a fishing guide, if you can afford one: Someone who knows where and how to catch fish. They will set you up for success!

Jesus volunteers to be our guide when He says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” When He spoke those words to his fishermen followers, He was inviting them into a progressive journey that result in a radical transformation of their character, will, and view of others. Peter was one of those who hit some big obstacles along the way.

What’s your fishing story?
What’s your most memorable experience (even if you didn’t catch anything)?

Read John 21:15–19 together. Reflect on this post-resurrection moment between Jesus and Peter.

1. Restoration and Regret

• Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus gently restores him with three questions.
  ➤ Have you ever needed restoration after failing or falling short? What did that process look like for you?

2. Agape vs. Phileo

Phileo: Common love. Mutual affection. Friendship. Love between people. Warm and fuzzy. The love that makes life rich.

Agape: A gift to another, without need or expectation. A decision. Deliberate, not “warm and fuzzy”. Unbidden, unsought and undeserved. Love is not blind. An attribute or characteristic of God. God is agape. Seeks the highest good of another, no matter what. Unbreakable.

• Jesus uses different Greek words for “love” in His conversation with Peter.
  ➤ Why do you think Peter expressed phileo love instead of saying that he has agape love for Jesus?
  ➤ How do you relate to this distinction in your love for God or others?

3. Fishing Tips from Jesus

• Tip #1: “Throw the net where and when Jesus tells you.”
  ➤ Where might Jesus be leading you to share your faith today?

• Tip #2: “Don’t kill fish. Feed them.”
  ➤ What does it look like to care for people instead of trying to "catch" or “convince” them?

• Tip #3: “Take care of all people, not just the ones you like.”
  ➤ Who are the "sheep" in your life you find hardest to love? How can you practically serve them this week?

• Tip #4: “Fish with love.”
  ➤ How can you blend agape and phileo love to make Jesus known more effectively?

4. Make Jesus Known
➤ What holds you back from “fishing for people”? (Fear? Insecurity? Not knowing what to say?)
➤ What’s one step you can take this week to “make Jesus known” in your circles of influence?

5. Follow Me
➤ How has Jesus called you to follow Him recently? Are there areas where your will still resists His?

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Close in Prayer

Ask God to restore broken places in your heart and renew your calling to follow Him, love Him deeply, and Make Jesus Known.