“After the Resurrection, Now What?” Text: John 21:15–17 Introduction The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just the climax of the Gospel—it is the beginning of a new assignment for every believer. Many celebrate that He got up, but the real question is: What do we do after He gets up? In John 21, we find the disciples after the resurrection. Jesus has risen, yet Peter has gone back to fishing—returning to what is familiar after failure. But Jesus meets him there, not to condemn him, but to restore and recommission him. Background Context Peter had denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54–62). Now, after the resurrection, Jesus intentionally confronts Peter—not publicly to shame him, but personally to restore him. The setting is powerful: - A fire is burning (John 21:9), reminding Peter of the fire where he denied Jesus. - Jesus asks Peter three times, mirroring his three denials. - Each question is not about Peter’s failure—but about his love and future assignment. Key Point 1: Jesus Restores Before He Reassigns Text Focus: John 21:15 “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Exposition Jesus does not begin with Peter’s sin—He begins with Peter’s heart. Before giving Peter another assignment, Jesus addresses his love. Notice: - Jesus calls him “Simon” (his old name), showing Peter where he fell. - He asks, “Do you love me more than these?” This could refer to: The fish (his old livelihood) The other disciples (comparison) His former confidence Jesus is essentially asking: “Is your love for Me greater than your past, your comfort, and your pride?” Restoration is not about ignoring failure—it’s about realigning the heart. Supporting Scriptures - Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God…” - 1 John 1:9 – He is faithful to forgive and cleanse Application Before God uses us again, He restores us internally: - He heals our guilt - He rebuilds our love - He renews our identity You are not disqualified—just in need of restoration.

As we continue to look in the mirror, another issue has revealed itself. This issue is the feeling that we are never good enough or not worth it. This feeling can come upon us when a numerous of things didn’t go your way like; multiple rejections from job offers or even laid off or fired, your marriage or relationship falling apart, the fear that something might fail under your leadership can make anyone feel that they are not worth being in that position, (I know this feeling all too well). Your day can literally feel like crashing when nothing goes right, and you start to think that you’re not worth being in that position anyway, it makes it hard to continue on with the day, let alone the rest of the week. At this point, once we realize that we are feeling this way we need to pray, seek proper help, and turn to the Word of God. In this moment, you may not feel like you’re worth anything good, but God the Father says differ: 1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Romans 5:8 NIV “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Genesis 2:7 NIV “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” From the scriptures, you can see that in every way, shape, and form that God the Father loves you so much (John 3:16) that you were redeemed not with gold or silver, but by the precious blood of His begotten Son. And, the fact that while you were in the world, before you knew Christ, or had a care of who God is, Christ went to the cross to die for you, knowing all the mistakes you’ve made, and even the mistakes you made after being saved, Christ still chose to die for you, and all who believe. That’s how much God thinks about you and cares about you, you are worthy to be saved. The same breath that God breathed into Adam to form man, that same breath sustains you while you sleep, and each day that you are gifted to wake up to see another day, the breath that God breathed into you means that you still have a purpose in His will.