wherever you are. Yeah, we're in. We're going to be turning into the book of John this evening. But let's just introduce ourselves. For those who join us maybe first time, across the globe, wherever you are tonight whatever your timezone is whatever your situation is, across the world. We want to thank you so much for joining us here at Elam church in Swanee. We thank you so much all the builders, the builders that are working tirelessly here to help us to get everything put in place. And you know, we're in this new studio at the moment is still a lot of work going on. But to everybody that shares all this stuff that we do, we just want to say thank you. Thank you so much, wherever you are, you're joining myself, Reverend Ben Cooper here at Elam church as we just gather around the mic, you can find us on Apple Music, Amazon music, I Heart Radio, Spotify, Buzzsprout, and so many other social media platforms. We thank you so much for joining us for this hour, maybe 45 minutes tonight, we'll see how we go. But wherever you are across the world, please share everything that we do, please share it out. And we'd love to have some feedback. It's quite a stretch tonight on the reading side of things on my behalf. But if you were if you weren't if you could grab yourself a Bible and we're gonna go to John chapter 21. briefly touch this this morning. This was the scripture that I started off in this morning in coffee and prayer. And it's been sitting in my spirit for most of the day in and out and just turn it over and thinking about the let's just see what it says is, it's very interesting, in the way that it's presented. It's very powerful the way that comes across. So as we look at this scripture, as we, as we just unpack it, as God just reveals it to us tonight, I just pray that wherever you sit on the earth, wherever you sit in society, and wherever you sit in culture, that you will just feel the blessings of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and you are saved, and you are blessed. And you are a child of the living God. And God is with you. Everybody's jumping online tonight, thank you so much. We can see you're hopping online. And again and again. And again, you'll keep hear me saying this, I will keep repeating myself over there. So we are so blessed that you are with us tonight, wherever you are. And we thank you from the depths of our heart for sharing everything that we do here on your social networks. And we just give you thanks. Tonight, we must say thank you so much for everybody that stayed with us that's watching. And for those new people that are coming online, as we start to push a little bit further into the audio and into the visuals as we start to get there. But the Gospel of John the Gospel of John Chapter 21, John, chapter 21, the greatest thing that anyone will ever invest in, is in the Word of God, the paperback, the word of God, as I said the other week, mine is quite torn, quite battered, you know, that covers missing off it, we've got the index missing there, the spine of it, you know, he's in a bit of a bit of a bit of a mess there. But it feels right, it feels comfortable. You know, I feel comfortable with this. It feels part of me, and I thank God for the written word, the spoken word, it's great to have the gadgets that we have in front of us, you know, I would say there just just to get by there just to get by, but there's nothing finer than having, excuse me, a paperback version, there's something wonderful about having a paperback version. Now the text that we're in tonight is the first part of the text in verse three is really focusing on Simon Peter, it's really a clear focus on not on his attitude and the way that he is. But he just says a very simple and a very easy few lines. And it draws it draws attention to one thing there. The it just shows how we can walk with Christ, we can be with Christ, we can spend hours with Christ, through prayer through fellowship years and years of walking with him. And we got remember where Christ mentioned so very, very clearly, as he says to the audience and the disciples before him, it's okay for you because you're struggling to believe. And I'm in front of you in visual form, and in the format of a human being, as in the flesh and the blood Christ. I'm standing before you now. And it's hard enough for you to grasp but what about those that are far off? Now? Christ for knew, obviously, once he was taken into Christ ascended up into the heavens above, he knew that once he was off of this earth, everything would be seen and can only be gone by it and only go to is by faith. So that's why the scripture says The just shall live by faith. So that can be very, very difficult. When our world is all visual, and very materialistic, and tangible, touchable surfaces, sounds rhythms, the drumbeat of life, the circle of life, all that sort of stuff is all visual we can we see everything everything is graph revision for touch, for essential perception, but Christ said, It's okay for you. And you're struggling at the moment with your faith and aim right before you but what about those that are far off, not far off as in far off, as in being saved, but being far away from actually the 1000s of years, generation after generation, just going by the word, not having the privilege and not having that wonderful time that you've had with me where I walked this earth, and you minutes were ministered with me, you see me for 33 years, and for those that was with me, in that close knit family culture for 33 or more years around about there, and then the disciples that was with him for maybe three years, or whatever the scriptures or timeline actually says about that. But what's really, really, really important is that Christ made a very clear statement, you are going and you are struggling to believe me, by sight and faith. But what about those are the far off notes us? Now obviously, we are going by faith, faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That is that is told and that is written about in Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11, verse one, Now faith, what is faith? Faith is the vehicle faith is the instrument. Faith is the unseen vessel faith is the what is faith, we can't box it, we can't touch it. It's not tangible. But we know it exists. It's like the wind, the wind blows, wherever it pleases, you can't see it, you can't. You can feel the touch, you can see the the evidence once the wind has gone through, and you can see the evidence by the trees bending, and the grass swaying and all that sort of stuff. It's the same with faith. It's unseen, but you can see and you can feel, and it's just like, is it tangible? Yes, it is, in a roundabout way, because it's within us. And so we are going by faith, and it's such a deep word, isn't it? Faith, what actually is faith? So when Christ is speaking to this audience, I'm also drawing our attention to Simon Peter, this character that just said, Listen, I've seen the Messiah crucified, we worked with him for a number of years, you know, my dreams have gone, my hopes have gone, everything seems to have disappeared. I just feel like I've lost my focus. So I'm going to go back. So let's read the Scripture. Excuse me, let's go from verse one. Yes, I can see the timeline. Faith is very challenging, faith is challenging. Because what faith does, it stretches us out of our comfort zone, it stretches us out of the earth. So it stretches us out of the physical realm. And it puts us into the complete hands of faith. It puts us into the position of where we do not go by the physical contact, we do not go by the physical touch, we don't go by the physical hole, we don't go by the physical walk, we are going by faith, The just shall live by faith. I believe the timeline of today, and for now and forevermore until Christ calls us home. It is the hardest time for a believer to go by faith. And I'm not referring to the world and the persecuted church, I'm just talking to about anyone that is going by faith because what the world is offering is is completely opposite to what what the Bible is saying. So what what is offered there is completely different. And we are not going by what the world is saying and what by what the world is doing. But our eyes are on the world not that we're engaging and living in and by the world. But we can't help but see the activity and the physical destruction of what the world is doing. We can't help but hear hear the physical destruction almost of what's going on in the world. So our eyes and our ears are a very powerful instruments, very powerful parts of the body, where our eyes lock on our whatever is in front of our vision in our focus and everything before us. So it's really important that that I have to rise in my faith. Now, the Scripture says Now faith. Now faith, Hebrews chapter 11, verse one Now faith is being sure of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11 Verse one that is, but let's go. And let's start the reading as we're in very clearly, we are in right now to John chapter 21, verse one, and we'll go down to the end of around about verse 14, maybe just around about their 14 versus not enough time left. After Jesus appeared to them, to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee, it appeared this way sign on Peter Thomas, also known as did a must Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together. So there was a few of them together, verse three of John chapter 21. I am going out to fish Simon Peter told them and they said, we'll go with you. So they went out they got into the boat, and that that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning Jesus stood on the shoreline. And the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them friends, haven't you any fish? No, they answered, He said, Throw your nets on the right side of the boat. And you will find some, when they did this, they was unable to haul this net in because of the large number of fish they call, then the disciples whom, sorry, then the disciple, sorry, whom Jesus loved, looked and said to Peter, it is the Lord. As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, this is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him, for he had taken it off, and he jumped into the water. The disciples followed Him in the boats toe in the net full of fish, for there was there was not far from the shoreline, about 100 meters. When they landed, they saw a fire burning of coals, with the fish on that and some bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish that you have cold. So Simon pizza, climbed back into the boat, and dragged the whole net ashore. It was full of large fish 153. But even with so many, with the net, and on the net, it was not torn. Jesus said to them, Come have breakfast, none of the disciples doubt asked him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord Jesus came, took the bread, and he and he gave it to them. And when he did this, he done it the same as the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after he was raised from the dead. So the last line of that, let's look at that after he was raised from the dead. So to get a clearer understanding, and maybe a logical reason and an earthly understanding, and maybe a purpose of, of why would I want to go back fishing. Even though I'd been with a messiah, I've been walking, walking with Him, let's just say for three years or so, seeing miracles, he had called me on the shoreline, where I was fishing. He had spoken into my life, my drop my net. So it's very important to understand that these are the same guys that dropped their nets and went and follow Jesus. So there was something about Christ's word, there was something very powerful about his word that was drawing that you couldn't say no to Jesus. And I love that thought that you can't say no to Jesus. When when Jesus speaks over you when Jesus speaks into you, when Jesus speaks through you, you know, it's just like the Gino Jonah's scenario. You can run, you can run, you can run, you can exhaust yourself, you can throw yourself over the life of the boat, over the edge, you can destroy your life, you can do this you can do that. You can, you can run but you cannot hide you cannot run from Christ, and that is so powerful, that is so glorious to know that God is always with us. And if God is for us, who can be against us. So here we have ordinary people in ordinary lives fish in living in ordinary situations, could be living in poverty, could be struggling with their business could be struggling with family, struggling with the lifestyle that they was in, they'd been fishing out, they knew what it was like to fish. We understand that it was a very cutthroat business fishing. There was there was all fishermen, fishermen, the carpenters, a blacksmith and a different trade. So what is really interesting here as you look at Simon betta, as you look at the disciples, the church, I will say religion, puts them in the stone glass window of the church and, and it makes them look like these to be such saintly, such godlike figures such pure, so beautiful, untouchable, isn't it interesting that religion dresses something up into something it isn't. And when the sun shines through the stained glass window, you look at that, and the brightness and the brilliance of it. And you'll look at that, and I don't know about you guys, but you you ponder, sometimes I ponder a thing. How great was those saints when actually what the church and religion portrays and lifts them up to be? That isn't the true character that you see in a stained glass window of the church, because the true character is in the Word of God. And the one that we are looking at very, very clearly here is a very interesting character, Simon Peter, it says, afterwards, Jesus appeared to them to the disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. And it happened this way. Simon Peter Thomas, also known as Dibben dilemmas, and the FanDuel from catering Gallery, and the sons of Zebedee, the sons of thunder, you know that the guys that their their language their vocabulary was Very strong, that was powerful men, they were fishermen they was, they was rough, they was tough did I mean they'd been out in all the elements, you know. So when you look at these characters to the stained glass window, characters, there's such a difference between the religious painting of the brush, and what Christ's spoken word is about the character. So that's really interesting to know that, that the characters that I read about are real human beings that lived in real life scenarios that really had trouble that really had situations breaking out in our lives. And when we see how Simon Peter reacts to what was going on, I can get an understanding because this is not that same up in the stained glass window. This is the fishermen that walk with Christ. This is the man that walked with them. This is the brothers the sons of fun, the Zebedee, this is the characters that we are looking at. These are real life characters. This is me, this is you. This is family, this is life. This is real life scenarios. This is not the stained glass window of religion, that you look up and everyone looked up there and thought that's untouchable. You know, I can't get near that that is so big and so powerful religion paints them in such a way where you think, Oh, my goodness, they got crowns on. They got light everywhere. They're so godly. They're so saintly, when actually when you look at this text, so clearly, this is where doubt comes in. Now. How do you no doubt comes in it doesn't say anything about doubt. It doesn't anything it say anything of the such in the text. But what it does do, it makes a clear definition of what he's gonna do says I'm going out to fish. Peter told them and they said, we'll go with you. So they went out they got in a boat, and at that night, they caught nothing. So for him to go back. Now remember, let's let's remember this character, this character, fish, it was his livelihood. It was his profession. It was his business. It was everything it put bread on the table it put food in their bellies, it put shoes on the kids feet, it paid the gas, it paid the electric, it paid the Wi Fi, I know what you're saying they didn't have Wi Fi, they didn't have electric, but you know what I am saying it paid the household bills. They were fishermen. It was their business. It was their lifestyle. They was characters, they was hardened to the weather. They knew the weather, they knew everything about the system of life, you know, when you think about these characters, so now, why why would this character suddenly say I'm going out to fish? Because he wanted to go back? He wanted to go back because maybe he felt that he was let down maybe when he looked at the cross of Calvary. And he thought What is this Messiah this, this Messiah has spoken to us which sin miracle after miracle. Why? Why is Jesus on this cross? He's supposed to be the Son of God, he he's the miracle man. He's the he's the king. He came into Jerusalem riding on the donkey. And he spoke on his prophetic word in. And I've seen miracle after miracle. And I've watched this, this Jesus, I spent time with this Jesus and then suddenly, Jesus is on the cross and almost to the human eye. It looks like we've lost him. What is all this about? I think I will put it a bit raw like this. Have you ever been so close to Jesus? And then suddenly you feel like there's a there's been a disappearing act? God, where are you? I've just had a miracle. And I just felt you're close to my heart. And it was almost like I was walking with you. And I could feel your love and your glory and your presence and God are you with us here. But Lord, suddenly you're gone and I'm left in my life. God, where are you? Where are you? God? Where are you? Jesus, I'm, I'm still walking this earth god. I'm going back to fish. Because I see. Now, an interesting scripture is is in verse 14, verse 14 of John 21. I'm gonna answer a question before I'm gonna I'm gonna say this before I'm asked the question. Why do you say every time you preach or teach? This is an interesting question. The reason I say that is I understand that from Genesis to Revelation, everything is interesting and powerful. But when God is speaking, it becomes interesting in just that dialogue, just in that context, just in that because God is speaking just to us here. So yes, I'm aware that the platform and the fall Word of God, Old to New Testament, it is all interesting. It's all supernatural. But what is relevant is not all of it at this moment in time, it is only this piece. So it is only these few words that become relevant and become powerful, and become a revelation. So this is why I say this. This text is really interesting. Yes, the whole Bible is interesting. Yes, the whole word of God is powerful. Sorry, yes, the whole word of God is spoken. And life is, is rhema word is written word. Yes, it is the word of God. So yes, it is all interesting. But when I'm in one text when you're in one text, suddenly that text becomes more alive than anywhere else in the Water God, have you ever had a moment when you've been looking and reading the word and it becomes like a river, suddenly it seems to flow like, like glittering like glittering jewels in, in the sunlight, it becomes like a crystal, it seems to move and just glimmers with greatness and power, it seems to come alive off the page. That's because the Holy Spirit is is revealing. So it is interesting here, because we are in this text, we're not in the rest of it. So every time we switch from text to text, it comes alive in its own way. So each text is as interesting as the other part of the text. Because that text is relevant for us at this moment. So verse 14 is powerful, because it's relevant to what we are reading now. John, chapter 21, verse 14, this was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples, after he was raised from the dead. So when I, when I just succinctly and scripturally, and methodically and in an ideal thinking and thought processing, even if I was to go along the psychological process, and and if I was to go through the cognitive mapping of my mind and just think about this logically, the Scripture says in verse 14, this was now the third time, the third time interesting, the three, the third time that Christ was revealed, the Messiah was revealed. He appeared three times and that can be confusing. Suddenly, Jesus is on the cross to Calvary, we see darkness, Enter. And for the Scripture, we see the other the other week they have a Sunday morning, when Christ said, let darkness have its moment, darkness will have it's our world where darkness will rain. So we've got to understand that these guys have come through a spiritual turbulence. Because when you look at the cross and crucifixion, darkness just covered the temple, curtain was torn into fun, the lightning, the dead came out of the graves in certain areas, you can imagine the spiritual atmosphere. So you can imagine the human being, seeing this Messiah, going, watching the crucifixion, in the brutality, of that execution, in which it was just the brutal ness of a crucifixion, let alone seen, that the King, the King of kings, the King of the Jews, crucified, and then suddenly you hear this voice coming over, it is finished, and then suddenly silence and the spiritual atmosphere is stirred, and an almost the devils in hell think that they're rejoicing. But that was only the hour that God that Christ that the Holy Spirit gave them, because darkness fell at that point. But well, I got to remind myself that Jesus is still in complete control, because he said, It is finished. So suddenly, I can understand why these human beings are feeling and understanding. Where is this Messiah, I thought it was going to live forever. I thought he was going to do more miracles, I thought that he was going to climb off the cross of Calvary and walk with us again. But suddenly, he's died. Suddenly they've taken him off the tree at Calvary, suddenly they've come along, and they've wrapped him up in linen. And they've taken him to that Borah term, and suddenly they've rolled the stone over, and suddenly he's dead. For three days, this Jesus, this Messiah, so you can understand in the thinking, and the natural ability of the human mind, these characters must have been thrown off point so much, because the spiritual atmosphere was so strong that the crucifixion, you know, and then all of a sudden, and when Christ said it is finished, and it was finished, and the silence Just came back, the silence after Christ said, It is finished, gone. The sun rose again. The wind began Ghanta blow, they took Christ off the cross of Calvary. And then suddenly life is beating again the heart is running in life, we understand that even the tight time does not stop. So all the time this is happening without anyone in the audience fully understanding of what is happening, that this Messiah this king, the king of the Jews, the King of the Jews is is on the cross of Calvary and he said it is finished and we thought he was going to live forever. We thought he was the savior of the world and, and the soldiers and the church and religion and the now's and the beating and the slapping and everything. It is taken his life, I don't think the audience around could understand that when Christ said, It is finished, this was for our benefit, not so much the audience before him, because they knew the brutality of the crucifixion would literally just wipe anyone out in a few hours. But suddenly, the soldiers pierced his side, blood and water flow from his side that is very powerful alone. That is scripture on its own blood and water running together on a scripture says not one of his bones will be broken. So we got prophecy happening right up to the cross up to the tree of Calvary, right up to the cross, we got prophecy being fulfilled. And then this Messiah has died, he has gone on the cross of Calvary, they take his body off, they take him to a tomb. So now I get a bit of an understanding a glimmer of why Simon Peter said, you know, what, do you know what you know what, you know what, I've had enough, I've had enough. I can't cope with a spiritual atmosphere. I can't cope. And I can't perceive this, that this Messiah that I thought was going to save me and help me as as suddenly died, death has taken him. But they didn't. And they couldn't understand. And they would never see where we are. We are looking back down the historical timeline. And we can see all these events and, and we got this cassette crescendo of, of stuff that happened up to the cross of Calvary. But all they were seeing what was happening before their eyes. Now, does this sound familiar to me and to you? When you look back down at history, you can go I can see Christ moving, we look down at the chronological timeline of the Scripture. And I'm not referring to as we were, they was told lots like Lot's wife was don't put your hands to the plow. And look back, I'm not referring to that. But what I'm referring back to at the moment is when you look back down the timeline of Scripture, when you study when you do some Christ ology, and you do some expository study, and then you do some x, some reading, where the Holy Spirit takes you deeper, and the Spirit of God takes you in the old and the new. But when you go back, and you look back chronologically, and you go all the way back through, you can see very clearly that these events were unfolding. But what we've got around the stand is that Simon Peter, John, and everyone in the audience of this couldn't see any further on the other side of the cross, but we're on the other side of the cross. So we can look back, they could not look forward, they could not see what we could see now because we can look back they could not see any further than every second millimeter of life in in front of them because the human being doesn't have the capabilities and doesn't have that that that way of looking into the future with your eyes. You know, I understand visions and dreams. I understand prophecy have been foretold and unforced spoken. I understand that. I grasp all that but but now we are 2000 years. And so at the light timeline and the criminal nature will scripture of the Word of God. But then when when I look back, it's easy to look back and go oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But where they was, I gotta put myself where they was looking at this cross. Looking at this Jesus of Nazareth, looking at the one that had the plaque above his head, with the crown or phones on him with the nouns in his hands, that said, King of the Jews. This is supposed to be the king, the Savior of the world. And he's gone. And silence. The soldiers, the chief priests, the Levitical priesthood, the, the organization, Herod Pilar, the soldiers, a combination of wording and language and action and strength and power, and authority, the authority has taken the King of the Jews. So when I look at this character in verse three, I'm going out to fish. Now this has a bit more of a foundation upon me, because also the scripture says in verse 14, it was the third time that Christ appeared to the disciples. Have you heard? They've sent Jesus, Mary, Martha, we seen Jesus, the ones that was on the Emmaus road where their hearts were beating, and they knew that there was something different about this man walking with them. But the scripture says, Christ, the Word of God, God, stop them from having their eyes open to see that the one that they was walking with was with was Christ, that they wasn't able to see him even though they was walking with him. I find that spiritually challenging, that you can walk with Him and you know that you're walking with him, but you can't actually see him because it was kept he was kept from the understanding of who he was. They know that At this, this visit this physical character, this character was walking with them, they knew that this man who was this person, because the scripture says their hearts were beating. But then suddenly they was it was revealed to him. That was Jesus. So suddenly all around the town all around the villages all around the surrounding area, Christ is being revealed and Christ is, is revealing himself to, to ones to twos to five hundreds to Christ is being revealed. So the word is getting round. Jesus. What do you mean, Jesus? How can this be? He he was on the cross of Calvary? Yeah, but haven't you heard the stone had been rolled away? Mary and Martha and John they, they ran down to the tomb, and he's not there, where he, where is he? And then those that see him, heard the voice see, the angelic been sitting there saying, Why are you looking for the living among the dead, that is what religion is doing. Now, that's what religion is looking for. It's gone to the old place when Jesus is gone, Christ has removed himself from the tomb, but religion wants to stay in the tomb worshiping, where he did lay, worshipping the mortuary bed worshipping his clothes, worshiping the symbolism of where he was when the angel said, he's not here, he has risen. See, the believers know that he's risen. The religious organization stays in the tomb. And it looks at the grandeur of the tomb, and says and makes more reference to the stone bed that he laid on. Here's his clothes, this is where he laid, look at this, look at the fine art. And it's always drawing from where Christ was. And they can't keep up with him because he has moved. Christ is I'm going to use the word fluid. Just to get this across maybe a little bit easier. Christ is always moving Christ is is always continually moving ahead. He's in our Yes, we can say he's in our history is in our present and he's in. He's in our future is in our destiny. So Christ is omnipresent, He's omnipotent. He's in all he created. Always. He's about time. He's before time, he's in time, his time itself. But religion is staying in the tomb, and looking at where he was, where has he gone. So suddenly, I get a bit of an understanding in the human side of me, and I can quite say, I understand why Simon Peter, and the crowd was disturbed. You cannot be at such a spiritual encounter, and not have your natural mind thrown all over the place, to ask us to be with him for three years or so or more, to walk with them, to eat with him to rest with him, to drink, to sit to be still to be in the olive grove with him to to watch him break bread to tell us that I have come that I am the bread of life. I am I am I am. And then suddenly the I Am is on the cross of Calvary. This has thrown me Lord. And then suddenly, the heavens are erupting. The spiritual atmosphere is so strong and so powerful. It is moving the Earth, the Sun darkness, everything seems to happen. The spiritual demonic forces would have heightened up because they thought that we've got the we've got the one that says he is Look, he has died. He has gone on the cross of Calvary, he is flesh he is not the Son of God. He is just a man. But after three days, on the third day, on the third day, when God breathed into the lungs of his son, when the angelic heavenly hosts were commanded to go to sit, one at the head on one at the foot. This is really important for me to understand is where he laid. We serve a reason God, a risen King, a risen Messiah, our God is alive. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever more. Our Christ our Messiah, our Lord, our God, our King is alive. The grave the grave is empty. There is no mark and no more. Yes, I understand it. Israel, there are certain places where we can go and go, this is where he laid. We are so good at worshiping historical stuff, and paying more attention to historical than what God is doing now. Because God says in the Old Testament, I'm doing a new thing. Where are you doing it? I'm doing it now. I'm the God of yesterday, today and forever more. But don't keep looking back in my history. Look into what is before, because the best is yet to come. So what we have is Simon Peter was looking into historical events, rather than drawing on the strength that he is the Messiah. He told us that he must go he told us that he will ascend, he told us that he will come back, they didn't hang on to that. They just went fishing. And the church has gone fishing. A mass percentage of religion has gone fishing, and is cast in its nets. A very interesting part of this text. Again, the word interest in a very powerful spiritual part of this text that we are being drawn to now is where they went fishing all night. And they caught nothing. The church, certain parts of religion, certain ministries are capturing nothing, because they're fishing in darkness. And they're fishing all night. And they are doing something that Christ said to correct fish on the right side, cast your nets on the right side of the boat. So if we was just to take these characters that was in this boat for a moment, these characters were hardened fishermen. They grew up they was taught they, they knew nature, they knew how the wind would blow. They knew how the waves would, would react to the weather, the structure they, they knew that boats, they knew their nets, they This was their, this was their stomping ground. This was them. They were fishermen, they were skilled. They was professional, they were scored in this game. So when they fished, they knew what they was doing. It's a bit like the church. It thinks it knows what it's doing. But it's fishing on the right side, wrong side sorry, of the vessel that it's in. It's fishing where they think it should be fishing. It's looking at what they know in their skill set. And what they think is going to catch fish. What a Christ say he said, I will make you fishers of men. You will you will see salvation. He used. He used the analogy he used the story form is really great, though he's really powerful the way Christ would use agriculture, he would use the landscape he would use the environment, he would use the Sea of Galilee he would use the shoreline, he would use the boat he would use the the nets he would he would use what they had in front of them in their life, he would use that to bring and I say this very carefully and very respectfully, in a story form. Because when he when he spoke to the farmers, when he spoke to those that was working the land, he would speak in arable language he would speak in farming language, he would speak about plowing he would speak about the seed falling on ground soft ground hard ground when he spoken and when he got through to the, to the to the fishermen he would he would speak about the waves he would speak about fishing on so he would use their lifestyle, he would use their skill sets to teach them how to walk correctly with him. So here we have a very interesting part that we have right before our very eyes. These hardened skilled professional fisherman went out to fish. They went out to fish, I would say probably in confusion. They went out to fish improperly been their minds. disturbed, they went out to fish being confused in in the understanding of life because coming back to what we've been looking at, their Messiah was on the cross of Calvary. Sunni is in is in the tomb. Suddenly the tomb is empty. We've heard rumors we've heard fact that we have seen angelic heavenly hosts. What do you mean, you've seen angels? Where have you seen angels that there was there was in the tomb where he was? And the angel said he was dead? But he's alive. He holds the keys. He's not here. He has risen. I think the church and religion and what we see today is gotta get a grasp on the understanding that this Messiah, this God, this king, this Jesus, he's alive. So why am I looking for him? In stone buildings? Why am I looking for him? In the grave of yesterday? Where he had moved where he had done a miracle? Why am I looking at what he had done? And not what looking at? What faith is saying. Now faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen, what can this be? How can this be? How can faith be the evidence of things not seen? What is faith? Faith in Romans says, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the message through the word of God? Faith comes through here in the world? Why is the cheap? What's the why is that shaped? Sorry? What can I can I be a bit, maybe a bit bit close to the edge at the moment? I, I'm going to try and say this very politely and very carefully. I wouldn't like to say how much or what percentage I could put on this. But when I look across the platform of all denominations, I believe there's a lot of biblical illiteracy, I believe that the church is very, is very weak in the Bible. I really, I really believe that it's illiterate. It doesn't read. Now, I'm not saying this about any human being that I'm talking to speaking with at this moment, but I'm referring to denominations, I'm referring to the wider brushstroke. And you might say, Well, why are you saying that? It's the church. But what church is it? That is the question, what church? What church? Are you? What do you represent? What are you? What are you believing in? What is the doctrine that you're standing on? What? Where's your foundation? What are you building on? What is the fundamental points are you referring to, because anyone can call themselves a church, anyone can call themselves a Christian, anyone can use the language because language is easy to use. But when I want to live, the language I speak, then it changes all and it changes everything. So I can speak about I am a believer, I can say, I am in a church, but what church Am I in? What am I listening to? Who am I listening to? What denomination Am I coming under? So I would I will say again, I do believe there's a as a massive percentage of religion, church movements, whatever way you want to look at it of a biblical illiteracy. I do believe that. And the reason I say that is because when I look at the bigger thumbprint of denominations, they're off, they're off, they're off and they're on the wrong curve. They're off on the on the wrong, sweet round. But if there is biblical, clear, biblical doctrine, clear, biblical teaching, that changes everything. Strong, biblical, foundational principles of Christ. Now, I am looking at lifestyle choices, my lifestyle choices, don't match my thoughts, my thinking, don't match what the Scripture says, but I'm working process, my life. I'm on a journey of walking very differently with Christ of, of allowing Christ to shape me to mold me, to bend me to shape me into the vessel vessel that he's chosen, chosen for me to be. But for me to be that vessel that he's chosen me to be is that he needs to remove from me. All those areas of my life that are that are dead pieces of wood that are that are just that I'm hanging on to that you are the vinedresser you are the gardener stripped back everything from me that is not producing fruit. So lifestyle choices. I really I think as we grow and as we move and as we quickened in our faith and when and as we walk more in a word, I believe. God reveals the lifestyle choices that we have and what we're taking. He reveals that to us, and even Though we've walked in that lifestyle choice, and we've made a decision, it might be okay in our life, but it might look different to someone else's life. What we got to make sure is that we don't be too brutal on ourselves. Because when the Holy Spirit speaks, the Holy Spirit opens our heart up. And this is where the power of redemption, and the power of forgiveness, and the power of repentance comes in. See, as I walk more with Christ, as I walk more in His Word, suddenly I find that choices that I make, that I've made that I've looked at, that I've lived in, that I'm living in, and I'm walking in, are not quite in line with God's word. But that is the journey and that is the circle of life. That is the circle of life. Because every one of us on on this earth, every one of us that walks, the terra firma of life, every one of us that, that treads the boards of life, every one of us that lives and works and breathes. There are always decisions that we make in haste or decisions we make on the flip of a coin or, or worldly thoughts, or we are making decisions on on a quick thought process. Suddenly, we find out hang on God, I didn't realize that by doing that, that's done that that's opened up that that has made that worse that. So I think we need to be very, very careful when we look at ourselves and say, God help me, God help me, why am I walking like this? As we walk closer with him, and the Holy Spirit reveals Himself to us. And he opens our heart up and the Scripture is revealed to us. Then suddenly we go, Lord, I'm sorry that I've said that, Lord, I'm sorry, I treated that person like that, Lord, I'm sorry that I made that lifestyle choice. I wasn't thinking right. But you know what, he's so beautiful about our lives and everything that's going on in my life now. And everything going on in your life. Now, Christ knew these things would go on before we decided to live and to move in those things. Because he said before you even spoke before you even came into, before you even lived your life before you you walked everything that you said, I saved you before all that. So we are saved before we even pressed the boards of life before we walked down the wide road, the narrow path, the wide road, does anybody ever walk the narrow path and then suddenly find I'm back on a broad path. Suddenly, I'm on the Las Vegas Strip again, God help me repentance, Lord, bring you back to the narrow path. And then when you come back to the narrow path, if you notice that that narrow path gets tighter, and tighter and tighter, because all of us all of us have sinned and fallen short of His glory, what we find is that when we find ourselves on the, on the on the road lit up by glitz and glamour again, and oh Lord, I've made a decision that's put me back on the on the road, the worldly road helped me Jesus, as we come back on the narrow path as we come back time and time and time again. And as Christ uses the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit works for us, and as the Holy Word of God works through us, and as the Holy Word of God strips us and brings us to that place, we suddenly realize that the narrow path is really narrow. That is really narrow. So as we mature, and as we walk, we suddenly start to find the narrow path becomes narrower and narrower and narrower. And suddenly, that is because the Holy Spirit is revealing more revealing more revealing more revealing more revealing more, and we want to please Christ, and we want to walk right with Christ. And suddenly we got conviction of sin of words that we have said, I'm not forgiven that person, but I haven't forgiven them 15 years ago, but now why is it come up? That is because Christ is is saying, so root, and there is so much stuff that is rooted that wasn't dealt with back then not because Christ did not deal with it. But because very interestingly, our characters have to go through an enduring stage. And suddenly when Christ gives us the soul, so why do you persecute me moment when I'm talking about that Damascus road, when suddenly God is revealed to us? Suddenly, we got all this baggage, and all this stuff in the trunk of a car of life and in the boot, and everything going God, I didn't realize this was all here. Help me Help me Help me, Lord, you know, so I understand and I can see the the human side in this character why he said, I'm going back fishing. I'm going back. But then Jesus knows that they didn't catch anything. We gotta gotta press in this because the time is just escalating out of control. Now, this is what Jesus says to them. He says in verse five, he said he called out to them friends, haven't you any fish? Lord, I just want to say Sainty unnatural Jesus. I know you said that to them. But I also know that you know, they didn't catch anything. That's, you know the way Christ now we we can, we can see some, some beautiful scriptures and some beautiful dialogue and some beautiful conversations that Christ has had the disciples that we can only laugh at that in a moment ago. Do you know what, Lord, you knew that there wasn't gonna catch anything because you're by? So it's interesting when we read it from where we are, because they didn't know who he was, but they thought they might have known who he was. So that makes me that makes me smile a little bit that does. He shouts out phrases, haven't you any fish? No, they answered. He said, Throw your nets on the right side of the boat. And you will find some hang on Jesus. Hang on a minute, Lord. How can I be on the right side of the boat? Because Simon Peter is there. Thomas cold did a must is facing me. So his left and right are completely the opposite to my left and right. The two sons of Zebedee are over there, ones laying out stretched out, he's looking up to the stars. He's reading the newspaper, he's not really interested. He's fed up and he's angry. So everybody's rights and less side is different to the character before them. So as Christ is speaking to them, the right side of the boat, that is a very interesting part of this text, throw your nets on the right side. What an interesting, powerful Scripture that is. But Lord, I have did immerse called Thomas standing in front of me. I'm Simon Peter, suddenly did him assign it suddenly Thomas's there. So as I look at him, his right is the left my right, is it? It's it's not the same? Because it's the Lord what what, what, what God, how how? How can this be because we're all at different angles, we're all at different places on the vessel. The King James says on the ship, on the boat, it says where we are. So they're all at different angles. So the rights and the left's are just different. But that is what is so powerful about Christ. What he's saying there is don't fish, how you used to fish, you got to change. If you listen to clear instruction, you're doing the same. But you're doing it differently, because I'm telling you how to do it. It's your skill set has now been taken out of your hands, you're coming under instruction. So I'm working with you and through you. So now you're not going in your own strength, you're going under instruction, but you're doing what you are and what you was familiar with. But now you're doing it for me. Throw your nets on the right side of the boat. And you will find some when they did so they was unable to hold the name because of the large number of fish Oh, my Lord. All Oh, my Lord Jesus. Instruction is so critical for the church. Instruction brings salvation. Not because very simply. And interestingly, because the church has the power to save. But what the church starts to see is, is the power of God, working through the instrument that he chose to watch and to see the body of Christ grow. So, as a human being unsaved I'm blood washed. But now I'm fishing for Jesus. I'm living with Jesus. Now. They didn't change their jobs. They just fished differently. It was still the human on the vessel. It was still Simon Peter, it was still the sons of Zebedee. It was still Thomas it was still the disciples. It was still them. They were still fishing. They were still living. They were still doing. They were still performing. They were still going. They were still acting, but now it has Christ's word over it in that and through that. It's just so powerful. When I do what I do, and the instruction from whom I listened to, suddenly, the mundane things of life and the general press of life suddenly becomes a miracle net suddenly becomes a net. That is the same net, but it looks very different. And it's brimming over with what the net was brimming over with miracles. What was that net? And how did that net change their lives, that net changed their life because that net, made their business grow that net that, that, that that that large miracle, bless them, their families to community. Isn't that interesting, they were still fishermen. They were still fishing. But they fished with Jesus, not on their own massive text. I pray that wherever you are, as we come to a close tonight, that we just say, Lord, show me how to fish differently. Show me Lord how to come under instruction. Because we are living in a very high spiritual environment. Our faith gets not our thinking gets the DIS dislodged, our cultural presses, broke, policies are failing. Cultures are slipping, denominations are sliding, you know, it feels like we're on on a on a on a vessel that's been knocked about in a storm, or is almost a seasick seasick sensation, you know, there's this turbulence, we're being blown to this way. And that way, we're not this way, that way. We're almost feeling that we're unstable on our feet. Life will be life, but life is very different. Life will be life and life will be the same, but not the same, but it will look the same. Because now when I come to Christ, I have the supernatural Gods speaking in to my same process. When God speaks into the same process, the same physical realm. When God says, give me that net, listen to me, you're going to do business the same as you think that you are doing it the same. But listen to me, and I will tell you how to do what you do. Watch, live your life. But listen to how I tell you to live your life. Walk, but walk how I tell you to walk. Everything was the same on the boat. They just came under instruction. The power of Christ instruction. What am I? Who am I? Where do you want me to be? As the Scripture says? The eye is needed. The arm is needed the leg is needed the air is needed? What part in the body of Christ? Am I? Am I the right part in the right position? What is your calling on my life? Lord? What church should I be in? What denomination should I be in? Should I or should I be a minister? Are you calling me to the to the pulpit? Are you calling? Where are you? What are you? What are you doing? Lord? Show me speak to me. Deal with me. Fishing was still fishing. But the fishing changed because the supernatural God spoke into their nets and they could not carry the blessing. The blessing was too big. They needed help to get the blessing in May God bless you and strengthen you. Wherever you are across the world tonight. May the Holy Spirit bring you to a place of peace. May the joy of the Lord for your strength. May His word take you father into your destiny. Christ is for us who can be against us. Let's be spirit led. Let's be led by the word of God. Let's say Lord, take my life and use my life. Lord, I want to be an instrument for your glory. Lord, use me keep me in the Garden of Gethsemane. Strip me back. See their fishing was still fishing. Their boat was still the boat. They were still the characters they was but they fish different. They listened and they acted. So Father tonight, I pray that we will listen. That we will act to your word. Drive out all fear and doubt Lord, Come Holy Spirit. refresh us we pray. Lord, in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you so much. Thank you so so much for staying with us through lockdown. You can find this on Apple Music Amazon music I Heart Radio, Spotify us sprout just type in Reverend Ben Cooper is podcast and you will find everything that we've been doing. Please share everything out, go through the podcast, ransack them. Listen to them, challenge me on what I say, and what the others are saying and what they're bringing to the table and bring it to the mics. Let's come as the scripture says, Come let us reason together. Let us talk about the word. We're not meant to be arguing. You know, we've got to be very careful about the word apologetics. You know, it is not meant to be arguing and to be frosting upon anyone. Come let us reason together. They got strength for you tonight. For this day and forevermore. I thank you for the power the Holy Spirit that's with you. Me his words strengthen you. In Jesus name, amen. God bless