43: Preaching/Teaching: John 21
Notes
Transcript
What’s Love Got to do with it!
What’s Love Got to do with it!
Confession of a hopeless Romantic
I have a confession. When I was a high school student I listened to Delilah.
If you don’t know who Delilah is she is the love song expert.
I knew all the love songs:
Endless Love
Whitney Houston
I could go on.
But I really was pretty hopeless
I asked one girl out in HS-Pete Schierman Game Plan
But aren’t we all looking for love-
Not just romantic love either, from a young age we yearn for unconditional love from our parent.
God calls us to live on mission.
As believers we have the privilege to love God.
How is your love for God?
How much do you love God?
We have a mission at RCC to make disciples who make disciples. But if I just tell you to go and make disciples you will eventually burn out.
Our mission has to be fueled by the love that God has for us.
Who loves God?
rev 2:4 “‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
What separates those who believe in God and those who do not is those who believe in Jesus have the capacity to love God. They also have the capacity to not walk with him.
As a believer in Jesus we have the privlege to love God back. Now let’s be clear just because we can does not mean that we do.
Do you remember when your were the most in love with God.
We can love God because he first loved us.
Today I want us to give us three ways that we can love God.
1. We can love God by dining at his table (1-14).
1. We can love God by dining at his table (1-14).
Is it not an amazing thought that God invites us to his dining room table.
Exposition
Exposition
After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.
Throughout the gospels God is continually revealing, manifesting himself to his disciples, his people the world.
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 2:11 “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”
Now he reveals himself to us after he has risen from the dead.
Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.
They don’t know what to do!
They don’t know what to do!
There were seven disciples. This could be to verify the resurrection, to have enough evidence. In the Bible 7 is often a number of completeness. But look Jesus is here they don’t recognize him and they don’t know what to do. So what do they do, they go back to what they are comfortable with.
Some people think the disciples were going away from Jesus selling back out, I think they just had no idea what to do.
God wants to reveal himself to us: But we are not always ready to see him.
God wants to reveal himself to us: But we are not always ready to see him.
But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
I want you to picture this. God is revealing himself to his disciples and they completely miss him.
Now I know this seems crazy but how many times do we miss God.
The Bible is clear that God is still revealing himself to us today and how many people are missing him completely.
So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”
Jesus uses real life situations to remind us that apart from him we can do nothing!
Jesus uses real life situations to remind us that apart from him we can do nothing!
Just think about this for a second these were real life fisherman. This is what they did for a living and they could not catch a fish.
“They are coming to grips with the resurrection, but they still have not learned the profound truth that apart from Christ they can do nothing (15:5) …”
I can be a good father without Jesus but I can’t be a Godly father without him.
I can be a good husband without Jesus but I can’t be a Godly father without him.
I can be a good pastor without Jesus but I can’t be a Godly father without him.
We have to dine with Jesus.
If you think fishing is hard without me wait until you bring this message to people who do not want to hear from me.
We can do good things without God but we cannot do God things without him.
So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”
And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
Are you walking closely with him right now?
Be before we do!
Be before we do!
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.
John knew he was Beloved.
Great time with Jesus!
Great time with Jesus!
But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.
This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.
2. We can love God by living out our calling(15-17).
2. We can love God by living out our calling(15-17).
When we encounter Jesus being proceeds doing but once we dine with him he calls us out of our comfort zone to something greater. He calls us into his mission.
So 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, “Tend My lambs.”
Whenever the disciples ate with Jesus something serious was coming.
Now Jesus only called Simon this on their most serious conversations. Peter knew that something very serious was coming up.
It would be a like a parent using your whole name. This is serious.
Jesus asks him this question-
Peter do you love me? But the word he used here was agape. Agape love is the strongest type of love you can have for someone. It is the marriage love you have for someone where you lay your life down for them.
Peter had denied Jesus 3x’a
“His [Peter’s] actions had shown that Peter had not wanted a crucified Lord. But Jesus was crucified. How did Peter’s devotion stand in the light of this? Was he ready to love Jesus as he was, and not as Peter wished him to be?”
Remember Peter had confessed that he loved Jesus as much as you could love him and more than anyone else could love him but at the same time he denied Jesus 3x’s.
But Peter responds to Jesus by saying I love you but he uses not the agape form but the (Phileo) Brother love the city of Philadelphia.
Had Peter learned a lesson from his failure. I love you lord but you know right now I got nothing.
Don’t you love that Jesus does not guilt him he does not manipulate him he just calls him up. Peter here is what I have called you to do. Feed my sheep.
You see Peter had a calling and his calling from God was greater than any failure he had ever had.
Isn’t that amazing that even our greatest failure is not to great to keep us from what God has for us.
This is so huge because your worst moment does not keep your from the calling that God has on your life.
Instead of giving Peter a criticism, he gives him a command.
Our church has a vision that we would make disciples but in this big calling of God he has an important role for you to play.
Peter had a big role to play in this, he was literally going to be one of the leaders of the church.
But here is the reality you have a big role to play in the mission of God.
You know where it starts with your walk with God, with your family, with those around you.
We all have a role to play.
You have a role to play in this.
He said to him again 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, “Shepherd My sheep.”
“In His first question the Lord challenged the superiority of Peter’s love. In His second question the Lord challenged whether Peter had any love at all. Here,
Remember Jesus the master teacher: Peter had denied Jesus three times and now he was asking him three times do you love me.
What is the greatest quality for ministry: Love
It’s the first in the fruit of the spirit.
Paul tells us that Faith, love and hope are all important but love is the greatest.
As believers we can love God back.
Do we love Christ? That is the great question. Without this there is no vitality about our Christianity. We are no better than painted wax-figures: there is no life where there is no love.”
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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
We cannot help but see that Jesus had completely restored Peter to ministry.
If I am going to be the pastor that God has called me to: How do I do this well. Love Christ.
If you are going to be faithful to what God has called you to, how do you do this.
Love Jesus.
Peter had a calling but so do you.
My uncle Charlie and Aunt Mary are here. He came down for my dad’s retirement celebration on Friday. We have had a great time catching up this weekend and he has been reminding me of some stories when I was a youngster. One thing I was reminded about is that he would let me drive when I was 4 years old when our family used to live in California.
On Friday Charlie was telling us that he was a part of a start up church just like this and now one of his favorite thing their church does a ministry called feed my starving children and this year they packed 4000 meals and sent them out.
john 14:21 ““He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.””
3. We can love God by following him wholeheartedly (18-25).
3. We can love God by following him wholeheartedly (18-25).
Peter learned not to compare the hard way, but it is still so hard.
We love Jesus when we follow him.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.
Have you lost your first love?
How are you loving Jesus right now?
As a young high school student I was looking for love. I mean I listened to Delilah.
Gospel-
The gospel is so beautiful, because it tells us that we are loved even when we are unlovable.
Isn’t this beautiful
There is nothing I can add to the work of what Jesus did.
Peter was even loved when he was denying his savior.
At his worst moment.
Church history has it that when they were about to crucify Peter and his wife said we are not worthy to die like our master.
This week I want to encourage us to love him back as we live on mission.
Do you need to dine at his table this week
-31 day challenge
Do you need to embrace your calling
Do you need to follow him.
Let’s love God this week.