FBCWest 612 | Do You Love the Lord
Recorded On: 06/23/2024
Bulletin
Hymn # 334 “Blessed Assurance”
SCRIPTURE READING – Hebrews 10:19 - 25
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Prudence Hungate
Praise and Worship
Hymn # 30 “O Worship the King”
Hymn # 1“Holy, Holy, Holy”
Hymn #33 “To God Be the Glory”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Do You Love the Lord?”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
Hymn #75 “I Love Thee”
Benediction “Praise You Anywhere”
Sermon Notes
John 21:15 Jesus asks Peter do you love Me and Peter answers Yes. Jesus tells him to “Tend MY lambs”
John 21:16 Jesus asks Peter a second time “Do you love Me”. Peter again responds Yes. Jesus tells him to “Shepherd My sheep”
John 21:17 Jesus aks Peter a third time, Peter is grieved and responds the same and Jesus tells him to “Tend My sheep”
1 John 3:13 - 18 Love is not words it is deeds
1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Jesus is going to ask Peter the same question three times. We're going to see that there's a lot of discussion about why Jesus did that, but very little discussion on why it was important for you and me. So let us see what Jesus asked Peter and the question we should ask ourselves.
Good morning.
Last time we took a look at Jesus making an appearance before His disciples after His resurrection for, as John records, the third time before the disciples, fourth time in His gospel, although Jesus appeared many other times than that.
At this particular appearance, Jesus met His disciples as they were fishing and had caught nothing and at His direction they caught 153 fish. However, He had provided four, cooked, and served breakfast for them.
And during this period of time, He had been with them and they were assured that He was
resurrected and He was in their presence. However, now we're looking at the continuation of that breakfast. And so if you have your Bibles, and you should, turn to the Gospel of John, Chapter 21, starting with verse 15. This time we're only going to take a look at three verses and then a couple other verses in 1 John, because I think these verses are exceptionally important for you and I to ask ourselves a question. So in the Gospel of John it says this, "So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"
Now right off the bat there's uncertainty as to what Jesus means because He says more than these. Now some assert that He may be talking about people in general or others assert that He's talking about whether He is, that Peter loves Jesus more than the rest of the disciples.
I have little difficulty with that because it would seem to me that He would say, if He's talking about the other disciples, that you love me more than them. That's more of a personal pronoun than whatever. The third possibility is that He's asking, "Do you love me more than these things?
The fish, the boats, the nets, the whole profession and vocation that He has determined?" And so whatever that is, and we don't know because a lot of times when people talk they might say like these or that or whatever. So because we don't have the indication of the physical direction that Jesus has, people come up with their own assertions what Jesus meant.
And Peter's going to respond, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You."
So Peter doesn't say just yes, but he goes, "Lord, You know the answer."
It's kind of like, "Why are You asking me this question because You know that I love You, so why are You asking?" However, those who are involved in the Greek notice that there is a change here. Jesus is asking, "Do you agapeo me? Do you have a God-like love for me?"
Peter's response of that he loves the Lord is the filetio love or brother love. In English language, we have one word for love and that's love, and then we have like. And most people misuse the word love because they'll say like, "Well, I love my dog." Well, in English that's improper. You can like your dog. It was meant for individuals, but in Greek they had at least three and I think four or five other words. They had eros which was erotic love, the love between spouses. Then there was filetio, the brotherly love, and then agape, the godly love. Jesus says, "Do you godly love me?" And Peter responds, "I brotherly love you."
And some people say that's a significant departure that Peter is not quite answering the same way that Jesus is asking the question. And others say no because the words are so similar and whatever that it still kind of means the same thing and it's okay.
Again, it's interesting to make the arguments what impact, but I don't think that's as important as what we're going to discuss later.
So it says this, "Lord, you know that I love you." He means Jesus said to him, "Tend my lamps."
He's saying, "I want you to take care of my lamps." Tending is something that you care for someone or something. And so Jesus is saying, "I want you to tend, take care of." Notice my. It's not Peter's lamps. It's not the disciples' lamps. It's not their problems. Jesus is saying, "They're still mine. I want you to tend, take care of my lamps." Now lamps are baby or immature sheep. So Jesus is saying, "I want you to take care of my disciples who are just now coming to faith and are still immature and weak and I want you to take care of them."
So it's important to Jesus that Peter take care of those young disciples.
And he said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" And he said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
He said to him, "Shepherd my sheep."
Then Jesus uses the love of Magape.
Peter uses the Filet-O love.
May be significant. May not be significant.
But again, he's responding, "Yes, Lord, you know it. I'm not sure why you're asking me." But the response Jesus gives after asking the question is the important factor.
"Shepherd my sheep." Again, they're his sheep. They're not Peter's sheep. He's not the disciples' sheep. They're his sheep. The people who are be disciples in the future and who are present are not ours. They're his.
And so he's saying, "I want you to shepherd my sheep." Shepherd means to be one who cares for, leads, protects, make sure that the sheep are cared for, protected, led in such a way that they are safe. So Jesus is saying, "If you love me, shepherd my sheep." Make sure that you're there to lead them and protect them and to guide them where they need to go, to guide them in the Word and those types of things.
Again, Jesus said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Now this time, Jesus does use the Philaeo word rather than the Agape word. And Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?"
Now Peter, I'm sure is hurt by this as it says because Jesus keeps asking the same question, "Do you love me?" And Peter, up to this point and continuing on, will continue to say, "Lord, you know that I love you."
But again, the question is to indicate that there is love and then there is a direction.
The question is, "If you love me, then you will tend my sheep.
If you love me, you will shepherd my sheep." And then this time, "Lord, you know all things.
You know that I love you."
And Jesus said, "Tend my sheep." Again, he's talking to them and saying that I want you to take care of even the mature ones, the ones who are my sheep, the ones who need to be shepherded and guided and led and protected. I want you to care for them as well. But again, they're not yours, they're mine.
But he says these things because we are to do these things because we and he loves the Lord. It is, "Do you love me? Then do this. Do you love me? Then do that. Do you love me? Then do the other thing."
The commentators and other people get so wrapped up into the various possibilities, like one possibility is, "Well, Jesus asked three times." Well, maybe the reason he asked three times is because Peter denied Jesus three times. And that's possible. But I tend to think, even if that's a possibility, that Jesus is saying something that's very, very important, that is, his sheep.
And that he wants to make sure that Peter cares for his sheep, but does so not be out of obligation, not sense of duty, not even a sense of, "Well, that's what I'm supposed to do." But he does these things because he loves Jesus.
Now, if you've been a pastor or a leader of any group of people, especially Christians, sometimes it can be very, very difficult.
Because people can be very, very difficult, and Jesus uses the term for believers as sheep, and sometimes as an apropos word.
If we were to do this, if pastors were to do this, or you were to lead your Sunday school or a small group, or whatever it is you do in ministry, if you were to do it because you get something out of it only, then you're going to be frustrated.
We are to do these things not because we're obligated, not because we're supposed to, not because no one else is there to do it, but because we love the Lord.
So which comes down to why I think these three verses are so important.
No one seems to ask this question. They read these things and they talk about, "Well, did Jesus talk about things or people?
Did He say three times, "Love to restore Peter?"
Why did He say these things?
And again, as I said, my position is because what direction He is giving Peter is what is important, that Peter take care of his sheep.
But to do that, we, He must love. So my question that I think comes from this, "Do you love the Lord?"
We sing songs about Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so. We have lots of songs about what Jesus does for me and how He loves me, and there are songs about His reckless love, and all these different things that talk about how Jesus loves us and He does.
But the question here is, "Do you love Him?"
Ask Peter, "Do you love Him more than maybe other people?
Do you love Him more than things? Do you love Him more than your job, your profession, your standing in the community?"
Whatever it is that might prevent you from expressing that, do you love Him more than that? Are you willing to give up all of those things, your promotion, your status, your wealth, whatever it may be, are those things more important than your relationship with the Lord?
And that's a tough question, a question that's why I think most people don't ask it, because we are not comfortable with the answer, because sometimes it's, "Yes, Lord, I love You sometimes.
I don't necessarily love You all the time, because there are sometimes things that get in my way that separate me."
But we are to love Him, so we should be asking ourselves, as Jesus asked Peter three times, we should ask ourselves multiple times, "Do we love the Lord?"
Now there is a sense of the old expression, "What do you give somebody that has everything?"
How is it that I can express my love for Jesus?
Because He's God.
Anything that He needs or desires, He can accomplish. So what is it that I can do to show that I love Him? Well, in 1 John chapter 3, starting with verse 13, it says this, "Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you." There's a distinction right there. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren.
He who does not love abides in death. So John is telling us, one of the ways we know that we are believers, that we have gone from death into eternal life, is that we love one another, because that was what Jesus told us to do, to love each other as He has loved us and gave Himself up for us. So He says, "If you don't love, then you're not abiding."
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.
Boy, we thought that simply murder was a taking to life. Hating someone qualifies you as violating the Ten Commandments.
And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for each other.
But whoever has a world's goods and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? So He's saying, "Love is not a word, love is an action." And He's going to make that very plain in the next verse.
"Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but indeed and in truth."
We can tell Jesus we love Him.
But if our actions deny it, then we're lying.
If we're not demonstrating that love by caring for one another, or tending His sheep, or tending His lambs, or shepherding His sheep, we deny the fact because simply saying we love Him is not sufficient. We must demonstrate it.
We will know by this that we are of the truth and will assure our hearts before Him. So when you are questioned, "Well, am I a believer?" Take a look at your life. What are you doing? Are you demonstrating His love by your actions with others? Or are you simply keeping that love secret and doing nothing? You're saying you love, but you're not acting in love.
And then the verse that we'll conclude is in 1 John chapter 4, verse 19.
We love because He first loved us.
You see, any love that we demonstrate is a reaction to what God has done for us and demonstrated to us. Chapter says that God demonstrated His own love towards us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He didn't wait for us to turn over a new leaf. He didn't wait for us to change. He demonstrated His love for us while we were yet sinners. And we are to be like Him and demonstrate His love even when people are unlovable, even when people don't return that love.
Because I can risk loving you even though you don't love me because He first loved me, and I can be secure in that love.
But again, the question is, do you love Jesus?
Do you love the Lord?
And we so quickly want to say, "Amen."
But the truth is, our actions will speak far louder whether we love Him or not, by what we do for His people, whether they appreciate it or not.
So just as Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?"
I think He's also asking you and me, "Do you love me?"
Then minister to my sheep as a demonstration of your love for me.
I don't need your money or your wealth.
I want you to give of yourself.
If you give yourself, then the money and time will follow because you have shown that you do, in fact, love Him.
And the problem is, one of the reasons why I think that Jesus asked Peter multiple times is because there are times when we need to ask ourselves not only multiple times during a day, but multiple times throughout our lives, because sometimes we can get off track and be more concerned about us, more concerned about what people do for us rather than serving Him.
I want you to understand, serving other people while they may be benefited by your service.
If you're doing it for the service, you're doing it wrong.
If you do it because you love Him, because He loves you, you will demonstrate your love.