Fellowship with Jesus (John 21:9-14)

John 21:9-14

 

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.” 11     So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12     Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13     Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14     This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

 

            After Jesus’ resurrection, he meets his disciples on a beach early one morning. The disciples had spent all night fishing with no success, but then experienced a miracle as Jesus helped them to haul in 153 fish. Once the disciples understood that it was Jesus standing on the shore, they joined Jesus by the campfire for breakfast.

 

The disciples all know that, though it seems impossible, they are having a morning meal with the risen Lord Jesus.  Though life has been hard, and the last few weeks have totally stretched these men to their emotional limits, for this moment on this morning, everything seems right.

 

            What a privilege these disciples had.  They shared a meal with the risen Lord Jesus, back from the dead.  And, as they had come to realize, they were not merely eating with a man.  They were eating with the man who was God.  They were sharing a meal with their Creator, their Lord, their Master, their Teacher, their Savior.

 

            What would you give for the opportunity to share in that meal?  What would you give for the chance to sit down around the fire with the Lord Himself and simply be in his presence?  How glorious would that be? 

 

You      know what?  You have that chance.  Jesus has promised his followers that he would be with us always.  He also commanded his followers to celebrate him in a meal.  IN the Lord’s Supper, we remember Jesus and what he has done for us.  We remember his body and blood as we take of the bread and the wine.  As we eat, we remember, and we look forward to the day when we join him, face-to-face, in his kingdom forever.  And as we eat, we are in his presence.  His Spirit is present, and we are with him as truly as his disciples were with him on that beach in Galilee.

 

 

            Christians, it is a joy to be in Jesus’ presence.  Peter leapt overboard out of his eagerness to be in Jesus’ presence.  He could not wait to be with his Lord.  Is your life marked with that kind of desire?  Do you rush to the Savior every chance you get?  Do you pray in such a way, with such eagerness, that it truly shows that you want to be in the Lord’s presence?  Do you run to God’s word with hunger, longing to hear the voice of your Lord?  Do you come to worship with anticipation, knowing that the Lord’s Spirit will be among his people?  Do you look forward to Sundays when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper as special days in which we enter in a unique way into the company of Jesus? 

 

            I urge you, Christians, learn to long for the presence of Jesus.  Treasure the time that we spend with him.  Do not act as though it is nothing special.  It is a privilege that God gives us to worship him, to read his word, to pray to him, to receive the Lord’s Supper. 

 

            Perhaps you should ask yourself right now what things stand between you and enjoying the presence of God.  Ask God to show you what keeps you from loving him and enjoying him as you ought.  Turn from that stuff, and run to Jesus.  HE will receive you and fellowship with you if you will come to him eagerly, humbly.  But you can only come if you have received his grace.  So, cry out to Jesus for forgiveness, turn from your sin, and run to Jesus, loving to be with your Lord.