Loving Jesus More Than These

Last week in John 21, we looked at The Undeniable Resurrection.

The Disciples were Together (not separated)

Jesus showed up, bodily (Disciples died horrible deaths)

God provides (the resources needed to carryout His plan)

Today, we are picking up where we left Jesus and the Disciples: on the beach at the Sea of Galilee.

Read John 21:15-19

Jesus asks Peter a heart searching question that is applicable for all of us: do you love me more than these?

these = fish?

Peter: “I’m going fishing”

Career and personal pursuits

these = the disciples?

Matthew 26:33 Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”

Self-exaltation

Recap: Peter’s Denials

Jesus betrayed in Gethsemane (Judas)

Jesus abandoned in Gethsemane (all but 2)

Peter denies knowing Jesus 3 times (wept bitterly)

Jesus, in John 21, mimics the three questions Peter was asked.

“Do you know Jesus?”

“Do you love Me?”

Jesus is ready to forgive when we have denied and abandoned Him [Great news!]

How do we show that we do, indeed, love [Jesus] more than these?

Loving Through Obedience

3 commands

Feed the lambs

Shepherd the sheep

Feed the sheep

No wallowing allowed in failure!

No need to “escape”

No need to “find yourself”

Get back to obedience!

Jesus knew that Peter would have a falling away and He prayed about it.

Luke 22:31–32 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have returned, strengthen your brothers.

Even though Peter would fail, the expectation was that he would get back to work.

strengthen your brothers is a command

John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

We show that we love Jesus more than these by Loving Through Obedience.

Loving Through Service

Matthew 22:36–38 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.”

No greater commandment than to love God.

We love God through our obedience.

We want to be obedient to God not because we love Him, but because we are His

Romans 6:17–18 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Our love for God is only because He first loved us.

He died for us.

And now we can live in such a way (obediently) that shows love to Him.

Matthew 22:39–40 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

The commands Jesus gives Peter in John 21 are others focused.

Lambs - new believers

Sheep - all believers, young or old in the faith

Peter is to feed and lead, which is the only hope for a healthy flock.

The most important ministries of the local church:

Are not compassion ministries

Are not outreach ministries

Are the teaching ministries; chiefly the pulpit ministry

A church that has good expositional teaching & preaching ministries will see compassion and outreach flow from a life of obedience.

We show that we love Jesus more than these by Loving Through Service (to God and Others).

Loving Through Sacrifice

Literal: Death

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus showed His love for His friend, Peter, at the Cross.

Peter would reciprocate that love when he would die for the cause of the gospel on a cross.

Illustration:

On January 8, 1956, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian were brutally killed by 6 Waorani tribesmen with spears.

(“Waorani” a.k.a. “Aucas” = savages)

Not long before, Jim Elliot had said to Elizabeth: “If that’s the way God wants it to be, I’m ready to die for the salvation of the Aucas.”

In the fall of 1958 Rachel Saint and Elizabeth Elliot and her toddler, Valerie, hung their hammocks among the Waorani. While Valerie played with the children of her father’s murderers, Rachel and Betty became acquainted with the murderers themselves: Gikita, Kimo, Nimonga, Dyuwi, Minkayi, and Tona.

Nine years later, the first copies of the Gospel of Mark in Waorani were dedicated at “God’s Speaking House.” Kimo prayed, “Father God, You are alive. This is Your day and all of us have come to worship You. They brought us copies of Your Carving, enough for everybody. We accept it, saying, ‘This is the truth.’ We want all of your carving.”

Figurative: Dying Daily

Mark 8:34–35 If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Romans 12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

We show that we love Jesus more than these by Loving Through Sacrifice.

CONCLUSION

We all must answer the question for ourselves: do you love me more than these?

The One who gave His life to redeem us from slavery to sin, is the One who commands all people everywhere to repent.

He is the One deserving of all that we can give.

So let’s love Him more than these.

Let’s Love Through Obedience, Love Through Service, and Love Through Sacrifice.