John 21:1-14 “Remember Your Calling”

1:09And while they were on a rescue mission one day, their bomber malfunctioned, they crashed into the sea, and everyone except for Louis and two other crewmates died. They drifted at sea for 47 days aboard a raft, fighting off thirst, starvation, And ravenous sharks that tried to eat them every single day. In the middle of their ordeal at sea, Zamparini looked up to the sky and he made a promise to God. He said, If you save me, I will serve you forever.

1:48But shortly after making that promise, he was picked up by the Japanese army. He was interned at four different prisoner of war camps for two and a half years, where he was beaten and tortured every single day. When he returned from the war, Louis was a mess. He tried to get back into normal life, but became an alcoholic. He was on the brink of losing his marriage when a young preacher named Billy Graham came to Los Angeles, where he and his family were living, holding a series of revival nights that were supposed to last for a couple of weeks but stretched into many months.

2:27And Cynthia Louis's wife decided to go one night, and she became a Christian. And she began to beg Louis to come with her to hear this young preacher and the message that he was sharing. But time after time, Louis said that he wouldn't go until finally she wore him out and he said that he would go just once. And so Louis went to the meeting, and at the end of the message, Billy Graham was giving an invitation for all to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

2:59And Louis stood. Up to storm out of the room, but the Lord arrested him in his tracks. And at that moment, everything around him disappeared, and he was back on that raft, making that promise to God: If you save me, I will serve you forever. That night, Louis Zamparini became a Christian, and he spent the rest of his life sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone who would listen. He remembered that promise that he had forgotten.

3:40Friends, over the past few weeks, we've read John's account of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection from the dead. We saw how Jesus first appeared to Mary and other women at the empty tomb, and then he appeared himself to the disciples. And on this Easter Sunday, we've come to the epilogue of John's Gospel, the end part of a book that ties up all the loose ends and answers remaining questions. And at this point, there are several questions that still remain from reading John's Gospel.

4:13What do the disciples do next? Did Peter ever reconcile with Jesus? Why does John outlive all the other apostles? Well, these are all great questions, and they're all answered. Here in chapter 21. And in our passage today on this Easter Sunday, we're going to answer that first question: what did the disciples do next? As we'll see today, most of them went back to Galilee. But they didn't just go back to Galilee. They went back to doing what they were doing before they met Jesus.

4:55They had forgotten their calling. And that can happen to every one of us. So, friends, what we're going to learn today is that Jesus is alive. And he has called us to share that news and make disciples of everyone else in our lives. So let's pick up here in verse 1 of chapter 21. We see here in this first verse that Jesus reveals himself a third time to the disciples. And he does so by a place known as the Sea of Tiberias. That's what the Gentiles called the Sea of Galilee.

5:32And you may remember that in the last week of Jesus' life, all of the disciples were in Jerusalem for the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover. But after Jesus rose, the disciples left Jerusalem and they went to Galilee in the far north. For one thing, that's where most of the disciples were from. If you remember back to when the disciples were first called, Jesus met Peter and Andrew. James and John, here called the sons of Zebede, Nathanael and others, while they were in Galilee fishing.

6:09But more importantly, these disciples went back to Galilee because that's what Jesus told them to do. Matthew and Mark record those commands. Take a look at the screen. Matthew 28 says, Then Jesus said to them, that is Mary and the other women who went to the tomb early Sunday morning, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. Take a look at Mark 16. The angel said to the women, But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.

6:51So the disciples went back to Galilee, in part because that's where most of them were from, but more importantly because that's where Jesus told them to go, promising to meet them there. And on this particular day, seven of the disciples are together, which is significant because in Hebrew culture, seven is the number of completion. So you have seven witnesses here who are going to see the resurrected Jesus Christ. Seven witnesses. And Peter says, I am going fishing.

7:25Now, this is a really interesting moment because throughout John's gospel, throughout all Four Gospels, you just don't have the disciples saying things like, I've decided I'm going to do this. I mean, think back in the rest of the Gospels, you just don't have these moments where one of the disciples is like, I think I'm going to do this right now. What you find is Jesus initiating. Come, follow me. Or, come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.

8:00Or, let's go to the other side of the sea. Or, we are going to Jerusalem. So, all throughout the Gospels, what you have is Jesus deciding, Jesus setting the agenda, Jesus saying, We're going to do this or that. For three years, he has been the decider and he's making all of those calls. And so, this is a very interesting moment because it's the first time John records any of the disciples saying, I've decided that I'm going to go do this.

8:32Well, how do the other disciples respond? Take a look at verse 3. They said to him, We will go with you. Well, it's not that surprising, is it? Even if you're not that familiar with the Bible, you probably know that Peter was the de facto leader of the disciples. He is the one who most often speaks on behalf of the group, he's the one who most often takes initiative, he's the one that they look to. For leadership in the early days of the church.

9:05So, what do we make of this situation? Peter leading the disciples to go on this fishing trip. If that seems a little bit odd to you, I want you to hold that thought because we're going to come back to that. But what I want you to see right now is that Peter's words carried weight. Peter had influence. When he said, I'm going fishing, the other disciples said, We will go with you. According to one author, leadership is influence.

9:40If you influence others, whether it is one person or your family or your group of friends or millions of people on YouTube, if you influence others, you are a leader, whether you want to be or not. We hear a lot about influence these days, social media influence in particular. And for many kids today, that's the new dream job. When I was growing up, maybe when you were growing up, kids wanted to be president. They wanted to be president of the United States or president of a company. They wanted to be a professional athlete. But now, many kids, the dream job, is to be a social media influencer. And for many adults, they want to be influential. As well.

10:32Well, friends, we should be careful what we wish for. Look on the screen at Matthew chapter 18. Jesus says, whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Look at James chapter 3. Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

11:08Friends, God's word is clear. Those of us who teach others, those of us who influence others to do and say and value certain things, are going to be judged with greater strictness. That's what God's word says. Those of us who teach and influence children in particular have to be very careful because Jesus says it would be better for us to be drowned than to lead one of those little ones astray. So let's be very careful what we wish for. All of us are leaders to someone. All of us are influential to certain people, and we can influence them to obey or disobey Christ. And that is a sobering reality. Who is sufficient for these things?

11:57As a pastor, as a husband, as a father, Father, as a friend, I feel the weight of those things, and I trust that you feel the weight of those things in all of your roles as well. Thank God for his grace, which covers our careless words and all of our sin. So Peter suggests this fishing trip, and the guys agree to come with him, and they head out. The text says that they fish all night and yet they catch nothing, which is the exact same set of circumstances when Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him.

12:35It's very interesting. It's almost as if Jesus is setting them up. It's almost as if John is setting up his readers to notice that connection and remind us of a very important truth. Which brings us back to the question: should the disciples have gone fishing in the first place? Well, on the one hand, all Jesus told them to do was to go to Galilee and wait for him. He didn't say they had to stay in a room and pray all day.

13:08He hasn't given them the great commission to this point. He hasn't filled them with the Holy Spirit and empowered them for ministry. And on top of all that, they had to eat. But on the other hand, friends, Jesus had risen from the dead. He appeared to all of them at least twice, and some of them individually, according to 1 Corinthians 15. Their teacher, whom they believed was the Son of God, had risen from the grave, and they're going to go on a fishing trip.

13:42I think this is why most commentators and most Christians throughout history have concluded that the disciples should not have gone on this fishing trip. Instead, they should have gone back to Galilee and they should have shared the news that Jesus was alive, inviting other people to spend time with them so that when Jesus came and appeared again as he promised to do, many other people would have been present and waiting for that appearance. And that argument seems to gain more credibility when you see the similarities between this moment and the moment that Jesus called the disciples. We'll get there in a second. Let's pick up in verse 4.

14:25Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore. Yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, Children, do you have any fish? They answered him, No. 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. So the disciples don't recognize Jesus right away, but we learn later they're about 100 yards away. On the boat, and so that's understandable. It's early morning, it's still dark outside.

15:05But I think John intends for us to find some humor in this whole situation. The guys have been out all night fishing and catching nothing. They are tired, they're exhausted, no doubt they're frustrated. And you've got this dude on the shore asking for the scorecard. Morning, fellas, caught any fish. You can just picture their expressions, their tone. Like, nope. Thanks for asking. And then Jesus says, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you'll find some. They must have been like, Can you believe this guy? We are professional fishermen. We've been out here all night and caught nothing, and this guy on the shore is going to just show up and tell us where to find fish. Okay.

15:58But sure enough, they cast the net on the right side of the boat. I mean, maybe they're fishing from the wrong side of the boat, you know what I'm saying? And they can't even bring the net back in because it's filled with so many fish. Again, if this sounds familiar, it's because almost the same thing happens in Luke chapter 5. I think that passage is the key to understanding what's going on here. Take a look at the screen. Luke chapter 5, verse 1. On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing, but at your word, I will let down the nets.

17:06As you can see, it's virtually the same scenario. They fished all night. Peter says they toiled, they worked as hard as they could, and yet they took nothing. But look what he says: At your word, I will let down the nets. Again, we're professional fishermen. We tried this all night. We caught nothing, but because you say so, we'll do it. Now take a look at what happens next. Luke 5, verses 6 and 7. And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink.

17:54Again, the same exact situation. They caught nothing. Jesus shouted. Up, speaks to them, tells them where to find the fish. They catch so many, they can't even contain them all. The boat starts sinking. Friends, this is because Jesus is Lord of all creation, Lord of heaven and earth. Every single thing in this universe is under the word of his power. So when he speaks, things happen. They enclose so many fish that the nets begin to break, which is an important detail to remember for our passage in John 21. Now here's the catch, pun fully intended. Look at verses 8 through 10 on the screen.

18:38But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken. And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

19:14How does Peter respond to Jesus at this miraculous catch of fish? He says, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. That's another. very important detail. Peter's initial response to Jesus is to push him away. And I want you to pay attention to Jesus' reply here. Look what he says. Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men. From now on, Peter, you have a different calling. You are a fisherman, probably because your dad was a fisherman, and your grandfather was a fisherman, and your great-grandfather was a fisherman, too. You've been a fisherman your entire life. That's who you were, a fisherman. But Peter, from this moment forward, you are no longer a fisherman. From now on, you are a fisher of men.

20:29You have a new calling. Church, the whole point of Luke chapter 5 is that Jesus is the Lord, which he proves through this miraculous catch of fish. And as the Lord, he has the authority to give Peter and the first disciples a new calling to become fishers of men. So whether the disciples were right or wrong to go fishing, it seems abundantly clear that Jesus is using this. Moment to remind them of that very first encounter they had with him when he called them, when he transformed them and changed them, when he gave them a new calling. From now on, you will be catching men from this point forward.

21:22And friends, on this Easter Sunday, it's appropriate for us to remember our calling as well. You may have become a Christian when you were a child, a teenager, many decades ago. But if you became a Christian, if you began following Jesus at some point in your life, he gave you a new calling. And that calling was to go and make disciples, to become a fisher of men and women, boys and girls. That is your calling, and that is every Christian's calling: to follow Jesus and to make more followers of Jesus.

22:09But, friends, I think for all of us, the temptation and the reality is that we get distracted and we get sidetracked by the things of life. We get sidetracked and distracted by friends and girlfriends, boyfriends. We get sidetracked and distracted by. School and careers and children and mortgages and cars and all of the things that we have to deal with as people living in this world. We get distracted and sidetracked, and many of us forget our initial calling.

22:48We're just like the disciples. And so, friends, if that's you, if you became a Christian last month or last year or decades ago, and you have forgotten your calling to follow Jesus and to make more followers of Jesus, then perhaps God brought you here today to remind you of that calling. There is no need for you to feel guilty. There's no need for you to wallow in shame. As David reminds us in Psalm 51, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

23:28If you have forgotten your calling to follow Jesus and to make more followers of Jesus, then you can pray something simple like, Lord, forgive me. Forgive me for losing sight of my calling to follow you and to make more followers of you. He will receive your prayer. He will receive you because he is not ashamed of you. He died for you, that you would become his beloved child. And so, friends, if the Lord is Speaking to you this morning, I pray that you would return to him. Return to that calling that he's given you to follow Jesus and to make more followers of Jesus.

24:12The attitude and the heart posture that we see Peter display here, I think, is right in line with that. And we see that in the text going forward. Let's pick up in verse 7. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, It is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about 100 yards off.

24:54I want you to think back to Luke chapter 5 when the disciples pull in that enormous catch of fish. Do you remember what happened? Peter saw that catch of fish, and he looked at Jesus and he said, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. He pushed Jesus away because he recognized his own sinfulness in light of Jesus' holiness. And then, as we know, a few years later, when Jesus was betrayed and arrested, Peter not only ran away like the rest of the disciples, he denied even knowing him three times.

25:46And so, friends, what would you expect Peter to do in this scenario? John says, it is the Lord. And what I expect Peter to do is hide at the bottom of the boat. And when they finally row up to shore and Peter looks into Jesus' face, I expect him to say, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. But what actually happens here? John says, It is the Lord. Peter puts on his outer garment, and the text says he throws himself into the sea.

26:37It doesn't say that he let out an exclamation of some kind, a cry. It doesn't say that he was glad. It doesn't say he grabbed an oar and started rowing. Friends, he threw himself into the sea and he swam as fast as he could the hundred yards to Jesus. I would drown. Can't make it that far. But Peter was so excited to see the Lord that he swam the whole way there as fast as he could.

27:06This is such a different scenario. Because back in Luke 5, when he looked at Jesus, all he could see was his own sinfulness in light of Jesus' holiness. But something has changed in Peter. And it's his understanding of who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do. And so this time, he doesn't hide in shame. He doesn't push Jesus away and say, depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. He throws himself to the sea and he swims as fast as he can to Jesus.

27:43Friends, when we sin, when we fail, when we let God down, how we respond to that shows whether we understand the gospel rightly or not. When we sin and when we fail, which we all do many times a day, if our response is to hide from Jesus and to tell him, depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man, I am a sinful woman, I am a sinful child, it shows that we think that Jesus came here to beat us over the head, to shame us with our sin, to make us feel guilty instead of the fact that Jesus came for sinners. He came to seek And to save the lost, he welcomes all who come to him in repentance.

28:39Something changed in Peter, and it was his understanding of Jesus, his character, and his mission. So, this time, when he failed more greatly than any of the other disciples failed, not only running away from Jesus, not only denying him three times, but failing him in countless other ways, this time Peter goes as fast as he can to Jesus. Friends, I want to encourage you to run to Jesus. Run to Jesus at all times, but especially run to Jesus when you are most aware of your sin and failure. Where else are you going to go?

29:30Will you go back to your resolutions? Will you go back to the law? Will you go back to some place where you can beat yourself up over your failure? Or will you run to the one who said, Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. Me, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. That is the Savior that we have in Jesus. That is the grace and the mercy that is available to you and to all people.

30:16But, friends, it is only offered to those who go to Jesus. You cannot find forgiveness, mercy, or grace anywhere else. Peter swam as fast as he could to Jesus because he understood that although his sin was great, Jesus' grace was greater than all of his sin. Verse 9. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread. Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish that you have just caught. 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. Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast.

31:13It's important to note here that Jesus is a charcoal man. If you are cooking with gas, I just would encourage you to read the scripture. Ask yourself, what would Jesus do? Change. Your ways. Again, we cannot say whether the disciples were right or wrong to go fishing, but we can say that Jesus met them exactly where they were. Out on this lake, tired, frustrated, hungry, after catching nothing all night. And hilariously, Jesus has already caught some fish, already has them cooking as the disciples pull up, and surely with a wink, he says, Why don't you go ahead and bring some of those fish you just caught? You know, that he caught for them. John notes they caught 153 large fish. Now, friends, if those are just three to four pounds each, which is a pretty good size fish, that's over 500 pounds of fish.

32:17This interesting detail serves absolutely no purpose except to highlight that this story is true. Because why else would you write something like that down? I want you to look at Jesus' invitation, verse 12. Come and have breakfast. What a compassionate Lord and Savior that we have who is concerned with all of our well-being. He's concerned with our spiritual health, and he's also concerned with our physical health. He provides for both. So many religions, in fact, the vast majority of religions in This world teaches that our bodies do not matter, and that in fact they are evil, and that the goal of our eternal lives is to shed our physical bodies so that we can exist only spiritually.

33:18But, friends, Jesus shows that our bodies do matter and that they are good. He took on flesh and lived among us. He rose from the grave in the same body that was crucified and buried. He ate, and he encouraged the disciples to eat with him. You see, death is unnatural because it separates the body and the soul. Resurrection reunites what should never be separated, the body and the soul. And what we learn from the scriptures is that when Jesus returns, we will all live in new resurrected bodies forever.

34:01And we learn that when Jesus returns, we are going with him to the wedding supper of the Lamb. We are going to a feast where we get to eat of the finest food and drink of the finest drink with Jesus our Lord and Savior as host. We will dine with him just as Adam and Eve did before they fell into sin, just like the disciples do here on the shore. Jesus, friends, we will feast with him for eternity. That's what we have to look forward to. And that kind of communion and fellowship with each other and with God is pictured every time we take the Lord's Supper together. It's pictured every time we sit down to feast with family and friends. It's a picture of what is to come.

34:53Let's pick up in the second half of verse 12. Now, none of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so would the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. Last week we talked about the nature of faith. And we defined faith as evidence-based belief in something you cannot prove.

35:32Evidence-based belief in something you cannot prove. We talked about the fact that all people on earth exercise faith, even those who would consider themselves atheists, because we all have evidence-based beliefs in things that we cannot prove. Based on all of the evidence that we have in the eyewitness accounts, Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead. But remember, the disciples did not believe that. They knew it. That's what John is highlighting here in this verse. He says, none of them asked him, who are you? Why?

36:13They knew it was the Lord. John doesn't say they believed it was the Lord. They didn't believe it was Jesus. They knew it was Jesus. They could see him. They could touch him. They could talk to him. They ate a meal with him. They knew it was the Lord. And from this point forward, after the events recorded here in John 21, the disciples live out the calling that Jesus had given them to do. They did not go back to fishing. Instead, they devoted the rest of their lives to fishing for men and women, boys and girls. That's what they did. The rest of their lives were devoted to sharing the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The rest of their lives were devoted to calling people to repent of their sin and to trust in Jesus, just as Jesus did all throughout his earthly ministry.

37:14And so, Christians, this morning we've been reminded of our own calling. Jesus has called us to follow him and to make more followers of him. He didn't call us because we were perfect before or after. After we started following him. Like Peter, we have failed before we believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and we failed after we believed that Jesus was the Son of God. But, friends, the good news is that Jesus is a merciful and gracious Savior who provides for all of our needs, physical and spiritual. He calls us to come and eat with him and to enjoy fellowship with him forever. What amazing grace that is.

38:05And that message of grace needs to be shared with others. But a lot of us have forgotten that calling. Just like Louis Zamparini, at some point we made that promise to the Lord to serve him forever, but we've gotten off track. And so this morning is a reminder of that calling that we have received from Christ to go and be fishers of men and women, boys and girls. Through this passage, God is reminding us of our calling today. And so, Christians, I encourage you to embrace that calling.

38:40To open your eyes to see that the harvest is plentiful, the fields are white unto harvest. There are people in our families, people in our neighborhoods, people in our workplaces and on our campus that need to know the good news of Jesus Christ. And he has not placed someone else in their lives. He has placed you and me in their lives to share that good news with them. What great news it is. Let's embrace that calling.

39:18If you're not yet a Christian, or if you're not sure if you're a Christian, one reason that Christians gather on Sundays is to share the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. So, maybe for you, your experience of church has been one of dead religion. Just people going through the motions, half asleep, doing what they've always done every Sunday of their life because they feel like they have to or they should, just so they can get on with the rest of their week.

39:57Maybe that's your experience. Or maybe your experience of church is that it's all about self-improvement. And maybe you've been to churches that highlight self-improvement as the reason that we gather together. And so each week you get a message about having a better marriage or being a better parent or getting your finances in order so you can enjoy the blessing of God. Well, friends, we're not offering you dead religion. We're not offering you advice on how to live a better life.

40:34What we're offering to you this morning is the person and work of Jesus Christ. We're offering to you this good news that he claimed and proved to be the Son of God through His sinless and miraculous life. We're offering to you this message of hope that He willingly laid down His life. No one took it from Him. He willingly laid down His life in your place for your sins on the cross. He said that whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame, but will have everlasting life.

41:13So, friends, what we're offering you is hope. What we're offering you through the person and work of Jesus Christ is not just freedom from the penalty of sin in eternity, we are offering you freedom from the power of sin in your life today, that you no longer have to be a slave to sin because Christ sets free all who come to Him in repentant faith. So, if you find yourself hopeless today, if you find yourself drifting through life, if you find yourself asking what is the meaning, what is the purpose, you don't have to look any further because Jesus has come to answer all of those questions. In fact, He Himself is the answer to all of those questions.

42:00He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And so we call upon you today, not to a dead religion, not to a lifestyle of self-improvement, but to a living person who exists and lives eternally to make intercession for us as our perfect high priest. We hope that on this Easter Sunday, you will receive Jesus by faith. Let's pray. Father, we are so thankful that you sent Jesus, your only begotten Son, to do for us what we could not and would not do for ourselves.

43:14And that is atone for our sin by dying and rising from the dead so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. An eternal, abundant life that starts today. God, I pray for every person here today, and I pray for every person in churches across our country and across the world that are hearing the message of Jesus Christ and the hope that he offers this morning. I pray for the men and women, the boys and girls in this room and in rooms across the world who, just like Louis Zampurini, are sitting here angry or upset and all they want to do is stand up and leave. I pray that, like Louis, you would arrest them, that you would reveal yourself to them, and that they would become Christians today, that they would turn from their sin and turn to Jesus Christ in faith.

44:26Father, we pray for every believer here today and gathered across the world. Would you remind us of our calling to follow you and to make more followers of you? God, forgive us for the ways that we have forgotten that calling. Forgive us for how we've become distracted, pursuing many other things, perhaps many good things. But not pursuing the ultimate thing. I pray that you would help us to embrace that calling and to live as you've called us to live as joyful, hopeful ambassadors of Jesus.

45:19Thank you, Father, for hearing our prayer because our Savior, our brother, our friend Jesus is alive. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.