24-May-2026 - Wilson Flavius- Can you smell what the Lord is cooking up?

John 21 pulls everyone to the shoreline where Jesus is already up early, fire going, bread and fish ready. The night has been long and empty. The net is light, the hearts are tired. Then a voice from shore says, throw the net on the right side. It sounds unreasonable. They have already tried everything. But the net bends, and the boat lists, and the count climbs to 153. The text lets the smell of breakfast meet the weight of fish, and Simon Peter does not stare at the miracle. He jumps in. Fellowship outruns success. He swims toward Jesus.

The charcoal fire holds a quiet sermon of its own. Jesus is not serving lamb or hotdogs. He serves fish and bread to fishermen. He meets them where they live. He does not take their work away. He adds to it. Obedience becomes partnership. The catch is a gift, but the meal is an invitation. The blessing is good, but the Blesser is better. The aroma on the shore pulls a man past the numbers in the boat.

The text remembers another day on another lake when the same voice filled the same nets. Jesus shows up when lack has done its work. He shows up with a plan, not a performance. The table is fellowship. Over food, failures and victories get named. Over food, restoration is served. Three times the question lands: Simon, do you love me? Three times the commission follows: feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep. Love for Jesus turns into care for his people. The meal becomes a mandate.

The image shifts to a kitchen. An ingredient can be missing and the whole dish is off. Simon Peter is that needed ingredient in the work Jesus is cooking up. The salt goes in and the chef says, bam. The mission needs particular spices, and each disciple carries one. The point is not to hoard the fish. The point is to carry the smell. Good soul food lingers. When a life eats with Jesus, that aroma stays on the skin and travels through the streets. The fire on the beach becomes a fire in the bones. Can anyone smell what the Lord is cooking?

Key Takeaways

• 1. Leave the miracle for fellowship Fellowship is the greater gift, and Simon Peter knows it. He refuses to fixate on the 153 and runs toward the Cook, not the catch. Blessings are signs, not destinations, and the soul starves when it treats them as a main course. Joy deepens when the blesser becomes the focus. [68:29]
• 2. Obedience joins the work of God The command sounds unreasonable, but obedience still lowers the nets. That simple yes places tired hands inside divine action. Miracles are not wages; they are invitations to partner presence. Faith listens, even when the shoreline voice is not yet recognized. [70:10]
• 3. Jesus meets people where they are Fish and bread greet fishermen. Vocation is not scrapped, it is transfigured. Grace does not erase a person’s wiring; it seasons it and sends it. Calling often grows out of what is already in the boat. [71:43]
• 4. Holy hunger outruns comfort and success Desperation can be holy when it sprints past full nets toward a charcoal fire and a face. Comfort and accomplishment are poor anchors when Jesus is near. Desire becomes discipline when it chooses presence over prizes. Love moves first and fast. [73:45]
• 5. Let Christ’s aroma mark your life Soul food lingers, and so does fellowship with Jesus. A life that eats with him carries his scent into rooms that forgot hope. The church’s credibility is not volume but fragrance, the lived evidence of time at his table. Smell before speech opens doors. [89:39]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [60:59] - Holiday weekend and faithful ones
• [62:15] - Can you smell what the Lord is cooking?
• [64:36] - John 21: empty nets
• [65:20] - Cast on the right side
• [66:39] - Fire of coals, bread and fish
• [68:29] - Leaving the miracle for fellowship
• [70:10] - Obedience that seems unreasonable
• [71:43] - Meeting people where they are
• [73:45] - Holy desperation to be with Jesus
• [77:38] - Partnership beats self-reliance
• [85:18] - Do you love me? Feed my sheep
• [88:31] - Soul food and lasting aroma
• [90:51] - Closing charge to carry the smell

1. In John 21:6, the disciples caught 153 fish after obeying Jesus’ instruction. What did Simon Peter choose to prioritize over the miraculous catch, and how did he respond physically? [01:08:29]
2. Jesus prepared fish and bread for the disciples (John 21:9). Why is it significant that He served them food related to their vocation as fishermen? [01:11:43]
3. What threefold commission did Jesus give Peter after asking him, “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17)? [01:25:18]
4. How does the sermon connect the smell of Jesus’ cooking to the idea of carrying His presence into daily life? [01:29:39]

1. Why might Jesus have intentionally used fish and bread (John 21:9) instead of a different meal when appearing to the disciples? What does this reveal about how God engages with people’s daily lives?
2. The sermon describes the charcoal fire as holding “a quiet sermon of its own” (referring to John 21:9). What might this fire symbolize, especially considering Peter’s earlier denial of Jesus beside a similar fire (John 18:18)?
3. Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep” three times (John 21:15-17). How does this repeated command address both Peter’s past failures and his future purpose?
4. The sermon contrasts “hoarding fish” with “carrying the smell” of fellowship with Jesus. What does this metaphor suggest about the difference between pursuing blessings and pursuing the Blesser?

1. Simon Peter left a massive catch of fish to swim to Jesus. What “nets full of fish” (success, achievements, or blessings) might you need to step away from to prioritize time with Christ this week? [01:09:03]
2. Jesus met the disciples where they were—cooking fish for fishermen. Where in your daily life (work, hobbies, relationships) could you start looking for God’s presence in the “ordinary” parts of your routine? [01:12:08]
3. The sermon warns that “comfort and accomplishment are poor anchors when Jesus is near.” What practical step could you take to cultivate “holy desperation” for Christ over comfort in your current season? [01:13:45]
4. If loving Jesus is directly tied to caring for His people (John 21:15-17), how could you tangibly “feed” or “tend” someone in your community this month—even in a small way?
5. The smell of soul food lingers on those who eat it. What habits or rhythms could help you “carry the aroma” of time spent with Jesus into your workplace, family, or friendships? [01:30:51]
6. Simon Peter was called an essential “ingredient” in God’s work. What unique skills, experiences, or passions has God given you that might be the missing “spice” in someone else’s life right now? [01:22:00]