5-1-22 Grace-Tucson Sermon

Pastor Tim Patoka Sight Marches Victorious Over Blindness

May 1, 2022

Breakfast With Jesus John 21:1-14 1) Clearly See Jesus as the Lord 2) Joyfully Come to Jesus It’s a Saturday morning and your alarm is turned your alarm because you can sleep in. As you slowly wake up beneath your comfy covers, but before you open your eyes, you can tell something’s different. There’s the smell of roasted coffee and something else you can’t quite pick out. There’s the sound of hushed voices and silverware clinking on a plate. Wondering what it could be, you finally open your eyes and what do you see? Breakfast coming to you in bed. Is that your idea of a dream breakfast? Maybe you prefer a different kind of breakfast, perhaps one at your favorite restaurant or what we enjoyed 2 weeks ago at Easter breakfast.

No matter what your dream breakfast is, I’m guessing it wouldn’t have any of these: sleepy after working all night, fish and bread cooked over a charcoal fire, or sitting on a lake’s shore. But could I change your mind if I told you this breakfast had Jesus as its host? I’m guessing I could. Because breakfast with Jesus would be a wonderful thing, no matter what the menu is or its location.

As our verses from John chapter 21 tell us, this is the breakfast that Jesus put on for his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. As we look at its host, we’ll clearly see with the disciples that Jesus is the Lord himself. And as we look at what Jesus offers us, we’ll join with the disciples in joyfully coming to Jesus for his blessings. And because we have the privilege of confirming two youths this morning, I’ll also be giving special attention to our confirmands so that you, along with all of us all, may consider how we can have breakfast with Jesus long after today.

Clearly See Jesus as the Lord When the disciples saw Jesus on the early morning, they didn’t recognize him. And they had good reason. Their mind was on other things after spending all night fishing on the Sea of Galilee and having nothing to show for it. When they got about a football field’s distance away from shore, an unrecognized man asked what you ask any fisherman coming back from work, “Did you catch anything?” And the disciples answered him, “No, we caught nothing” unable to make out who was asking them this question due to the long distance.

1

Pastor Tim Patoka Sight Marches Victorious Over Blindness

May 1, 2022

But then something strange happened. The unrecognized man gave them some fishing advice, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” (John 21:6) How could he know there was a school of fish right there from such a distance? How could so confidently say, “you will find some”? The disciples didn’t stop to ask those questions. Instead, they got their net out one more time, cast it out on the right side of the boat, and caught a miraculous amount of fish so large they couldn’t pull it up into the boat. It was then that John, one of the disciples on that boat, was the first to clearly see who that distant man was. It was Jesus! The Lord himself! Although the disciples knew who Jesus was, they had trouble clearly seeing him from such a distance.

Those disciples aren’t the only ones who struggle to clearly see Jesus. We do too even though it’s for different reasons. For us, the reason is that spiritual blindness that always threatens to darken the eyes of our faith. When I was in elementary school, I regularly went to the eye doctor to get a stronger prescription because my eyes kept getting worse. I could tell when it was time to update my prescription when I became effectively blind. Yes I could see that my teacher wrote things on the board, but I couldn’t clearly see what it was. And there’s only so many times you can get your homework excused.

For we who already know about Jesus, we can become effectively blind in this same way when we do not clearly see Jesus as the Lord. If we only see Jesus as a friend in need, aren’t we blind to him when our life is put together? If we see Jesus as a tool for us help ourselves, aren’t we blind to him as being much more than a mere tool in our self-help toolbox? If we simply see Jesus as a role model for life, aren’t we blind to him as the Lord almighty? Yes we are, whether we’ve known Jesus our entire life or have yet to be confirmed in our Christian faith.

You see, Jesus is more than a friend in need, helpful tool, or role model for life.

Jesus is the Lord himself. We know that from our verses before us this morning.

Listen to how the disciples call him, “the Lord.” View him beside the Sea of Galilee proving yet again that he has risen from the dead. See his almighty power that provided for a miraculous catch of 153 fish. Only the Lord can do those things.

When we look at Jesus, we’re looking at the Lord himself. And as we clearly see Jesus as the Lord, we are in turn comforted by him because he is the Lord. Jesus is the God of free and faithful grace who continually loves us despite us not deserving it at all. Jesus is our Savior who, with his power as the Lord almighty, has taken our sins away through the gift of forgiveness. No longer are they counted against us or remembered by God. And that’s as sure as Jesus is alive once again.

2

Pastor Tim Patoka Sight Marches Victorious Over Blindness

May 1, 2022

As the Lord, Jesus is by our side wherever we go and however long our life will last.

Clearly seeing Jesus as the Lord himself, we therefore joyfully come to him for what he offers us.

Joyfully Come to Jesus When Peter and the disciples saw that it was Jesus on the shore, they made their way to him. Peter wasn’t going to waste any time. Knowing that he could swim faster than a fish-laden boat, he jumped into water and swam that football field distance. The six other disciples remained in the boat and brought their catch of 153 fish with them. When the disciples all stepped foot on ground, they saw the breakfast that Jesus had prepared for them – fish and bread cooked over a charcoal fire. And with 153 fish at their disposal, they could eat as long as they wanted, joyfully spending time together this third time seeing Jesus since Easter Sunday.

Would you have this much joy in seeing Jesus a third time? Would you eagerly come to him just so you could be with Jesus? Did you have the disciples’ same joy when you came to church this morning? Probably not. Our joy for something tends to diminish as we get used to it and the novelty wears off. Or perhaps the reason is because you’ve taken his blessings for granted. Our feeling of awe that the Lord himself is our Savior is replaced with a shrug of appreciation. The gift of forgiveness and peace that the Lord graciously gives us has now become an entitled expectation. Our constant walk with the Lord is something we wish we could turn off when wanted.

There’s no less reason now to joyfully come to our Lord than at first. And that’s because our Lord Jesus showers us with his blessings. As Jesus provided for the disciples’ bodily needs with a breakfast of fish and bread, so also the Lord provides for our every need. We will receive our daily bread and everything else necessary for life through our God-given ability to work and earn a living and through the generosity of others. As Jesus comforted the disciples with his close presence by the Sea of Galilee, so also the Lord is with us. We are never alone, forgotten by him, or simply a number. The Lord knows you by name and had you in mind when he died for your sins on the cross and rose victorious from the grave. As Jesus’ third appearance assured the disciples that he has power over death itself, so the Lord assures us that he will fulfill his every promise with the power he has as the Lord almighty. Because this is what gives us joy to come to our Savior and receive what he so eagerly desires to give us.

3

Pastor Tim Patoka Sight Marches Victorious Over Blindness

May 1, 2022

Closing Encouragements That’s what we do when we come to have breakfast with Jesus. We clearly see our host is as the Lord himself and receive what he has to give to us. But when I talk about having breakfast with Jesus, you’re probably picturing a person who gets up in the quiet of the morning, pulls out their Bible, and has it open alongside their coffee and favorite breakfast pastry. If that’s your custom, then you know how great it is to begin your day in God’s Word.

But that’s not the only way to have breakfast with Jesus. In fact, you can do it whenever you open up God’s Word and spend time in it. Maybe it’ll be at a midweek Bible study with your friends/family or at church. Perhaps it’ll be a private moment with your current daily devotional or Bible reading plan. We certainly have this opportunity on Sunday morning around God’s Word, with God’s people, in God’s house.

No matter how it is that you have breakfast with Jesus, I know this will happen.

You’ll keep your prescription updated so that you continue to clearly see Jesus as the Lord. Jesus is many things. But he’s most importantly the Lord almighty. It is the Lord who is your Savior of your every sin. It is the Lord who is your helper in every time of need. With clear sight of who Jesus is, you’ll then keep your joy renewed when you come to the Lord. His blessings never change and they never get old because we need them just as much now as we first did. And because his blessings never get old, we shouldn’t give up opportunities to come to Jesus when he’s near.

This is especially true for our youth confirmands. Not to sound old, but you have a lot of life ahead of you! And a lot can happen. Don’t let your confession of faith waver from what you’ll say today in your essay and vows. Hold to what the Bible teaches as we’ve learned in class together these past three years. Find time to have breakfast with Jesus as you mature into teenagers, young adults, and everything else God has in mind for you afterwards.

But also be sure to take after the disciples this morning by clearly seeing Jesus as the Lord. His almighty power not only had him rise from the dead, but to take away your sins and give you the promise of life in heaven! With clear sight of Jesus, joyfully come to him as you receive his blessings day after day and thank him for all he’s done for you. Amen.

4