Life Following the Resurrection

John 21:1-6, 9-10, 18-24 May 7, 2023 preached by Pastor Doug Cooper Download Time of Reflection Quotations “If Jesus is not raised from the dead, nothing matters. But if He is raised, everything matters.” ~ Steve Lawson (1951-present), American pastor and professor “The point of the resurrection…is that the present bodily life is not valueless […]

John 21:1-6, 9-10, 18-24

May 7, 2023

preached by Pastor Doug Cooper

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“If Jesus is not raised from the dead, nothing matters. But if He is raised, everything matters.”

~ Steve Lawson (1951-present), American pastor and professor

“The point of the resurrection…is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die…What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it… What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether… They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.”

~ N.T. Wright (1948-present), leading New Testament scholar

“Some of the most faithful, effective Christians I know are those who are living out their quiet calling to the few in their home, to their fledgling church, or to the homeless under a bridge in their city. Nothing is meager or insignificant about that.”

~ Priscilla Shirer ( 1974-present), American author and actress

“Never in the gospels do the disciples catch a single fish without help from Jesus.”

~ Reynolds Price (1933-2011), Writer, English professor at Duke

“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, ‘Feed

my lambs.’ He said to him 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, ‘Tend my sheep.’”

~ John 21:15-16 (ESV)

John 21:1-6, 9-10, 18-24 (ESV)

1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish….

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”…

18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.