Do you love me?
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 22 viewsNotes
Transcript
We are coming out of the Season of Easter,
Jesus is risen from the dead
We have been forgiven by his blood
The disciples have now all seen him and believe
But last week I mentioned that I wonder what is going on with Peter.
and I want to look at what happens with Peter, following Jesus’s Resurrection.
Peter Had denied Jesus! Three times, in Public:
And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Jesus had foretold that Peter would deny him, and Said that the rooster would crow not crow a second time before Peter denied him three times.
And Peter heard the first crow of the rooster after his first denial, he could of taken that as a warning, and stopped
But he didn’t
And Peter must have felt like a failure.
He was supposed to be the Rock of the church, the foundation upon which the church would be built
That’s what Jesus called him,
And he had denied Jesus, out of fear.
Now Jesus is alive, and Peter has seen him,
Jesus confronted Thomas about his lack of faith.
what is he going to do to Peter?
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, 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 go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
The disciples return to Galilee as Jesus had told them to do, and while they are waiting for something to happen, Peter decides to go fishing.
Peter hasn’t fished since he became a disciple of Jesus, at least not like he used to.
He goes back to his home, back to his old job, back to where things were simplier,
And I wonder, was his failure hanging over his head, did he think it was over for him? All that was left was to go home and fish.
Jesus had called him to be a fisher of men, but now he was back to fishing fish.
and several of the other disciples to their credit, go with him, as though they were trying to tell him that he is still part of the group.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
Jesus appears on the shore and after a full night of no fish, does something incredible. He repeats the very miracle that brought Peter to him in the first place.
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
So Jesus appears on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee, and calls out to Peter and the other disciples to let down their nets, and they catch an enormous amount of fish, almost exactly like before, and of Course John immediately recognizes that it is the work of Jesus, and Peter doesn’t Hesitate, he dives into the water and swims to shore to throw himself at Jesus’s feet just like before.
See Church, Peter was still called to lead the church, his failure did not cause Jesus to reject him, but Peter had convinced himself that it was over, until he hears the call again.
After some breakfast, Jesus take Peter aside.
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.” 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.” 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
This conversation has so many layers.
Jesus calls him Simon - he doesn’t use the name Peter - Rock - at all during this conversation
He is acknowledging that Peter messed up and doesn’t deserve that title at the moment.
But in God’s Grace we receive that which we do not deserve.
Jesus asks peter if he truly loves him, three times, one for each time that Peter denied him.
The first couple times Jesus uses the Greek Word Agape - True unconditional love, like a Parent to a child, or Like God loves us, This is how Jesus said we were to love one another, it is a self sacrificing love.
And Peter responds using the word Phileo, brotherly love, or the love between friends.
Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me more than anything or anyone else, do you love me enough to give your life for me?”
and Peter responds “I love you like a close friend or brother.”
Which is still a deep love for someone, but its not to the same level of Agape.
To Peter’s credit, he is being brutally honest with himself here.
The Third time Jesus uses Phileo he asks him “Simon do you even love me like a brother?”
And Peter, responds, “You know that i Love you”
Each time Peter answers that He loves Jesus, Jesus commands him to take on more responsibility with the Church,
Feed my lambs
That is make sure the next generation has what they need, or see to the new believers
Tend my sheep
Literally Shepherd my sheep - That is be a pastor, and teach and guide the Church,
Feed my Sheep
Make sure the needs of the Church are met.
Three different aspects of pastoral ministry
Training, Teaching, and Ministering
Jesus brings Peter back to the place where he first called him,
then he acknowledges Peter’s failure
and offers him a way back into his calling.
then lets him know it wont be easy.
It will cost Peter his life.
and by the time it does, I am sure peter learned to truly, unashamedly love God with everything.
And then Peter does something interesting:
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
Peter turns to John
John who did not run away when Jesus was arrested
John who was by Mary - jesus’s mother’s side while Jesus was on the Cross
John the only disciple at the crucifixion
Everywhere Peter failed John came through
and he asks Jesus “What about Him?”
Jesus just told Peter that he would die for his faith in Jesus.
and Peter wants to know what will happen to John
And Jesus says that doesn’t matter - You are to follow me
Church we are to follow Jesus ourselves, we are not to compare our failures with another’s successes or vice versa.
So What can we learn from Peter’s experience:
Your Failures do not define you
God does
Your screw ups and failures cannot get in the way of God’s love for you.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Peter Thought God’s plan for him was over, he was trying to retreat back to his life before Christ, but the other disciples and Jesus were there to remind him that Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
God is bigger than our mistakes, and they drive us to him.
Paul wrote about this:
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
When Jesus came to Peter, Peter was the first to jump out of the boat, because his only hope was in Jesus.
And Jesus worked with Peter despite his denial.
God forgives us much, even our biggest mistakes are forgiven in Jesus.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Jesus forgave Peter, the man who publically denied him in his moment of Crisis,
How much more will our Gracious and Merciful God forgive us,
He has separated our sins as far as the east is from the west.
And now he calls us to follow him
And we are to follow him, each on our own walk with Jesus.
