John 21:1-14

1. We should observe the poverty of the first disciples of Christ.
2. We should observe the different characters of different disciples of Christ.
3. We should observe the abundant evidence which Scripture supplies of our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

"These very men who toiled all night in a boat, dragging about a cold wet net and eating nothing, found it necessary to work hard in order that they could eat—these very men were some of the first founders of the mighty church of Christ which has now spread so far. They went from an obscure corner of the earth and turned the world upside down."

"The one thing needed is to have the grace of the Spirit and to love Christ. Let us love all of whom this can be said, though they may not see with our eyes in everything. The church of Christ needs servants of all kinds and instruments of every sort; penknives as well as swords, axes as well as hammers, chisels as well as saws, Marthas as well as Marys, Peters as well as Johns."

"The resurrection of Christ is the crowning glory of the work of redemption. It proved that He finished the work He came to do and as our Substitute, had overcome the grave. The resurrection of Christ is a miracle that no unbeliever can explain away. Above all, the resurrection of Christ is the pledge of our own. As the grave could not keep the Head, so it shall not keep the members."

Questions:

1. We see the disciples of Jesus hard at work fishing. Ryle points out that these poor, uneducated men are one of the many pieces of evidence that Christianity has come from God, for there is no other explanation for how the name of Christ has reached the far edges of the earth and turned it upside down. Take a moment to praise God for his working in history. What book on church history or biography has helped you appreciate this point?
2. We again see, of all the disciples, John and Peter highlighted once again. Ryle again highlights the differences between these two disciples who loved Jesus Christ as one sees and the other acts. Jesus Christ, the head of the church, is the one who places his people in His body and then gives them gifts for the common good. Ryle says that the church needs servants of all kinds and instruments of every sort; penknives as well as swords, axes as well as hammers, chisels as well as saws, Marthas as well as Marys, Peters as well as Johns. Yet, the one thing that matters is that all have the Spirit and love Christ. Can we say that we love all who love Christ? Can we say with Sinclair Furguson, "if Christ is not ashamed to indwell them, I will not be slow to embrace them?"
3. We see Jesus spending time with his disciples on the shore of Galilee. Ryle again draws from this irrefutable proof that Jesus rose from the dead as these men, who lived with him for 3 years, and one of whom saw him die on the cross, now see him eating fish and talking with them. The truth is: what greater evidence could be provided to prove Jesus rose from the dead? This is the great truth that no unbeliever can explain away, though some try. When is the last time we thanked God that our faith is not blind, but is based on those who saw and testified and staked their lives on this fact?