Love on Display
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary
Preliminary
What is the basic element of Christianity?
What is the driving force of being a Christian?
One under the Old Testament law asked it this way - What is the greatest commandment in the law?
A third century Jewish Rabbi noted that Moses gave us 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commands
David in Psalm 15 reduced them to eleven
Isaiah 33:14-15 made them six
Micah 6:8 binds them into three
Jesus in our reading today is going to condense them to two
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
Love Commanded
Love Commanded
We cannot escape the fact that Love is the fulfillment of the law. We are commanded of God to love God
and not just a superficial and sentimental love but a love that comes from every part of our being.
A love that is willing to live for Him - whatever that all entails
A love that is willing to suffer for Him however or whenever that may be
A love that is willing to die for Him if we are ever called on to do that.
But maybe we are asking what is it to love God?
That is an excellent question -
Richard S. Taylor in his book Understanding Ourselves defines what it is to Love God like this:
"To love God is to attach ourselves to Him as the central and supreme Presence in our lives. It is to enter into a personal relationship with Him, through His Son Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, which becomes a literal day-by-day walk with God. This becomes the primary, all-encompassing reality of life.
This walk means
--Uninhibited communication
--Unshadowed communion
--Unswerving loyalty
--Unconditional trust
--Unlimited Subjection to His will, as revealed in the Bible.
To love God is to love His ways, His work, and His Word. This means that the person who supremely loves God does not quarrel with His ways, is not bored by His work, and seeks to know and obey His Word. This one-on-one relationship is profoundly and wonderfully satisfying. There is no emotional satisfaction which can equal it. So powerful is an intense and growing love for God that those who enjoy it would rather lose all else than to lose the close, intimate relationship with their Father-God." (p25-26)
In his little booklet "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" John Wesley tells of a conference on Entire Sanctification or what he termed "Christian Perfection" On Monday, June 25, 1744 the question was asked -
"What is implied in being a perfect Christian?
"The loving God with all our heart, and mind, and soul. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
12 years prior to that...
John Wesley a year or so before his trip to America preached a message titled "On Love" Feb. 20th 1732. Actually several years before his confessed conversion May 24th 1738. In this sermon Wesley gives us a definition of what it is to love God.
Listen to this:
"what is it to love God, but to delight in him, to rejoice in his will, to desire continually to please him, to seek and find our happiness in him, and to thirst day and night for a fuller enjoyment of him"
He gives us several things of what he believed it is to love God.
To delight in Him
To rejoice in His will
To Desire continually to please Him
To seek and find our happiness in Him
To thirst day and night for a fuller enjoyment of Him.
Peter has from a child no doubt daily quoted the Shema - that is where this commandment comes from. Every good Jewish boy would have done this at least daily sometimes two or three times daily
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
So he knew this type of love was commanded and demanded - but Peter had messed up.
He had denied that he ever knew Jesus not once but three times - how could he love the Lord?
Aren’t you glad that love to God doesn’t originate with us - but it is initiated with God.
I mean Peter had tried -
He boasted while the others had grown quiet on the night of Jesus betrayal “I will lay down my life for you” Not we or us or our but “MY” “I WILL”
It was Peter who slashed off Malchus’ ear
But this demanded love is more than physical courage
Peter had a willing spirit but a weak flesh - and went a publicly disowned The Lord
Luke tells the story like this
They arrested Jesus and brought him to the high priest’s house and Peter followed afar off
they kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and sat down together and Peter sat down among them
A maid kept staring at him making him nervous and finally she spoke up and said - “This man was also with him”
And Peter denied it - “Woman I know him not”
Later someone else said “Thou art also of them” and Peter flatly denies it, “Man I am not”
about an hour later someone else said “Of a truth this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilaean”
Peter says, “Man I know not what thou sayest”
Other Gospels say that Peter cursed and lost his temper - he was by the fire but that wasn’t what was making his seat the hot seat
he was under the pressure
but when Peter says for the third time “I don’t even know what you are saying”
he heard the rooster crow which would have been bad enough but
61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
And like an inflated balloon bursting Peter’s soul just imploded
and Peter went out and wept bitterly
How could he love the Lord? He couldn’t even stand up under a few questions
I love how one of the first things Jesus says after the resurrection is directed to Peter
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
Somewhere along the way Peter and Jesus meet and we are not privy to that conversation - but I know it must have been something like the prodigal son scene where Peter falling to his knees and in his vocal and boisterous manner never lack for words had a speech of how sorry he was, and how repentant, and it would never happen again
but Jesus just dropped to the ground next to him and threw his arms around his neck and welcomed him back in
Love Examined
Love Examined
A few days later we see them out on the waters all night fishing. And all they did was fish - no nibble - no bite, no nothing
Now I realize they were probably fishing with a net - but there was nothing - not even a seaweed it was just empty.
As the sun began to creep up a man on the shore whom they did not recognize asked them if they had caught anything.
No not a thing
And the stranger says, “Try the right side of the ship, and ye shall find”
I don’t know if there was any grumbling or not - but they tried it - they cast their net on the right side and suddenly they were not able to draw the net in because of how many fish.
John immediately knew who was on the shore and says - “Peter! Its the Lord”
Peter grabs his fishing coat and jumped into the sea and swam to the shore and just left the others to deal with the fish.
Jesus had already done some fishing - in fact he had probably grabbed some from the school he sent to the right side of the boat - however he had them he had already had a fire of coals - that means it had been burning a while and he also had fish and bread
now this wasn’t the fish the disciples caught because after they see the fire and the bread and the fish then Peter brings the net full of 153 fish up.
This was the third time Jesus had shown himself to the disciples after his resurrection which might explain some of their excitement at seeing him.
But after they had had breakfast by the sea with Jesus
Jesus looks at Peter and says, “Peter, lovest me more than these?”
The last time Peter was asked a question about Jesus around a fire he had denied Jesus three times - it is only fitting that around this fire Peter is asked a question about Jesus three times. But this time its a different context a different agenda
this is not from accusers but from the one who was the foremost accused
What does he mean by “more than these?”
Some have suggested maybe Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him more than he loved the disciples
Some have thought maybe Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him more than he loved fishing ?
Some propose that perhaps Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Him more than all the other disciples do?
Some expositors and scholars think it has something to do with the different verbs for “love”
Peter always responds with more of a “brotherly love” than the stronger “agape” love that Jesus asks - but Jesus himself uses the “philieo” brotherly love
Again Peter denies Jesus three times and is asked three times if he Love Jesus and finally he is grieved and says “thou knowest I love thee”
Each time Peter’s love is examined - Jesus responds with a calling
Love Displayed
Love Displayed
Its one thing for Peter to declare his love and for Jesus to see that Peter loves him - Jesus calls Peter and us to not only declare but to display our love
And Peter’s way of displaying his love to God was to feed the sheep of God - and he has done that for over two thousand years with his writings and stories
but he was also called to give his life for Christ which would glorify God
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
This morning we are not on a sea shore next to Jesus but Jesus is here
and He’s calling to each one of us
DO you love me more than these - more than anything else - do you love me with all that you are?
Declare it and display it
Display it in obedience
Display it in service to others
Display it in love to one another
Display it in devotion and prayer
Display it in all that you do
Love the Lord your God with all of you!!!
Bernard of Clairvaux put it this way:
What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dearest Friend
For this, thy dying sorrow
Thy pity without end?
Oh, make me thine forever
And should I fainting be
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to thee