How Shall We Then Live
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Intro
Last week we pulled from the first letter of John
Today We are going to see what Peter has to say.
Peter - Who was he?
He was a fisherman -He had a brother named Andrew
He is the only married disciple
He walked on water- He was also recorded as rebuking Jesus
He was part of the inner three with James and John
He asked a lot of questions
He was called the rock - long before Dwayne Johnson
He also denied Christ - Three times
He was filled with the Holy Spirit became a pillar in the church
Jesus had confidence in him
He gave his life for the Gospel, it is said he was crucified upside down , he wasn't worthy to be crucified like his Lord was.
1 Peter 1:8 (ESV)
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
Does jesus make you rejoice?
Jesus has to be our foremost love - He cannot be an add on.
He even comes before our family.
We love him more than our spouse or children or grandchildren. The scripture that says ....
Matthew 10:37
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
OK wait a minute God - Have you seen my grand kids lately - They are really cute.
What it means is
God is desired over everything
He cannot be apart of a weekly checklist or to do list
Do you say - I’ve got to pray, I’ve got to read my bible, I’ve got to go to church, I’ve got to go our group meeting.
It is almost like your wife's to do list. How much of it can I get done today.
Then you realize the world series is on or your favorite football team of favorite movie or show, so you just get comfortable in your chair
Love takes an effort - but we are motivated by Love - we want to do it.
I want to be here on Sunday, to worship the Lord corporately with my family.
I realize I am a blesssed man and God deserves all the glory for everything .
He is good- All the time - and all the time God is good
Love is a choice
The rich young ruler found that out when He was asked to sell all he had and give it to the poor and follow Jesus- He couldn’t do it.
I believe many who have left the church or who find it irrelevant for the most part simply do not love Jesus.
We are having an amazing number of people fall away
CBN News said in August 2019
Marty Sampson, a worship music writer, singer, and active member of Hillsong has publicly denounced his faith on social media.
His announcement comes just weeks after well-known Christian author Joshua Harris announced his departure from Christianity, both sharing their news over Instagram.
Joshua said he feels , alive, awake and hopeful
“I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus,” he wrote. “The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’ By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”
I am going to make a very strong statement They believe in Jesus but do not love Jesus. They love something else more.
These leaders will be accountable for placing stumbling blocks in front of people. They cause confusion, strife and division
We know what scripture says about it.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
6 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.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
Many struggle with Jesus because they have become there own theologians, writing there own religion .
2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
The real problem is they love the world more than they love Jesus. They then look at the people in the church or the institution of the church more than they look at Jesus.
Words like Hypocrisy, Legalism, come to the forefront. At the same time expectations rise to an unhealthy level.
Then people leave the church all together
They say it is Hypocrisy - Legalism or expectations. Or when it comes to Homosexuality or Marriage -they say who is God that we should live or believe according to scripture. Scripture is nothing more than a great suggestion
In other words if we can just package Christianity in a way that allows me to think and act anyway I want then I will accept it.
It attacks their peace - Then Hedonism has taken root (anything goes) The church becomes intolerant - Every issue is controlled by How one might feel about it.
Does Hypocrisy in the church effect my relationship with Jesus? - The answer is NO - I expect failed human beings to act as failed human beings at times. I understand that only Jesus is sinless.
Does Legalism effect my relationship with Jesus - the answer is no
Do expectations effect my relationship with Jesus - The answer is no.
These things trouble me - but being a sinner myself, I realize that Jesus is the only answer has always been the only answer and will always be the only to answer - to everything in life.
You are a Christian because of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. Because he deserves your love - and because he loves you - AMEN
Instead of Jesus people want to piecemeal a personal set of beliefs
Barna says
There has been a significant increase in what Barna refers to as the “Don’ts” (those who don’t believe, don’t know, or don’t care if God exists).
The increase in those with no religious affiliation suggests that assimilation into American culture increasingly means assimilation into secularism.
As Barna noted, “Frankly, the culture is impacting the Christian church and the Christian faith more than the Christian church or Christian faith are impacting the culture.” Notably, increasing belief in reincarnation, declining belief in a literal hell, and the pervading belief that people are basically good are other indicators that Christianity is losing influence in America.
When people feel they are basically good they stumble over grace and have to redefine it.
We have a false sense of grace. Detrick Bonhoeffer wrote about this in his book celebration of discipline. He called the chapter cheap grace.
He said, “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
They traded “GRACE” which is of immense quality and depth and accepted a cheap imitation.
This translates into a broken relationship.
It also translates into people leaving the church and as the church adopts the world it still fails
There was an article about the Presbyterian Church - Last year they lost 51,000 members and about 1400 congregations - they became WOKE to the core. A Pastor who has since moved to the conservative Presbyterians said something chilling and that was “ there lampstand has been removed.”
As people discard Christianity they pick up a new religion comprised of a couple of parts
according to Colson it is
Personal Peace
Just leave me a lone
I don’t want to be disturbed - My life is my life regardless of how it effects the next generation . Don’t tell me how to live but please allow me to tell you
I am the master of my house
Affluence
A life made up of things and more things
Our faith is built on love, it has a narrow entrance and its path is paved in holiness
8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
It is a walk of Love - Isaiah calls it the Way of Holiness - this way is a narrow way.
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
What does any of this have to do with Peter
Well who denied Jesus three times , who wants to go back fishing, who needs to really hear from Jesus - thats right it is Peter.
This is what he hears
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Jesus is crucified - He then appears to the disciples and a period of time goes by
Jesus says to them just before the verse we read , If you forgive the sins of any, there sins have been forgiven,
Its’ obvious that Jesus forgave Peter his shortcoming of denial.
There is an interval when you can feel the tension
They are asking the question, “ What do we do now?
The same question we are asking, How shall we then live.
We have tasted the goodness of God, what do we do about it.
He speaks directly to Peter
Do you love me? It is a question we have to answer
Depending on how you answer the question will dictate your future.
Peter is turned from Fisherman to Shepherd
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Twenty-Four: Transformed to Serve (John 21)
Jesus gave three admonitions to Peter: “Feed My lambs,” “Shepherd My sheep,” and “Feed My sheep.” Both the lambs and the more mature sheep need feeding and leading
CONCLUSION
The call that goes out to us is “Do You Love Me?
After we have failed, after we denied Christ, when we get so discouraged we don’t know what to do.
When we look around and people leave the church
When it seems Satan has won
Jesus calls us to love him
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Start by putting Him first
Then we worship him with everything within us
Even if you feel you have little love to give - Give it anyways -
You will grow in it. AMEN
12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
Though you do not see him you love him - AMEN
THEN do this........ Care for one another