Love that sends us
I love that video because You know, we so often. Read the stories in the scriptures and we read the words, but sometimes I think we forget the emotion. you know, it would be nice sometimes if there were more descriptors and that that told us the emotion behind it, but we don't hear that, you know, if the forms it was expressed in in the original Greek or Hebrew, probably Express that, but when it gets translated, sometimes that emotion of, the moment gets lost,
And I think we see there that, you know the love of Christ has for each of us is a love that restores. You know, Peter story is a powerful reminder that our failures do not the finest. Jesus Does.
you know, by all human standards, Peter had failed Christ miserably The Christ shows him. That he is not holding that against him. I mean, you know, after his denial, it would have been pretty easier easy for Peter to think I'm done. I'm out. And obviously, he did kind of think that cuz he had to return to his original. Location. He had went back to fishing. You know the story before this passage that we have today is Jesus appears on the shore to them. Sees them out there fishing and he waved at him as he said they're you know, I don't think he quite said it, you know, it is what it is. I the Lord, you know, he might have said that. But as we see that portrayed, But you know, Peter had to be thinking, he was never going to be worthy to be called a disciple again.
You know, he was probably being very critical of himself and what he had done in his failure. And Jesus meet them in that place a failure though and he doesn't condemn him for it. Instead he restores him.
Our scripture for today is John chapter 21 verses 15 through 19 but I'll start out with the 15 through 17. Cuz when they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon, Peter Simon, son of John. Do you love me more than these? Yes Lord he said you know that I love you. Jesus said feed my Lambs Again Jesus said, Simon. Son of John? Do you love me? He answered, yes. Lord, you know that? I love you. Jesus said, take care of my sheep. The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John. Do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? He said Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Jesus said feed my sheep.
You know, Jesus shows up on the shore, he makes them breakfast with some of the fish that they had caught and then he starts into this questioning. Of Peter.
And I think Peter like most of us would have thought of Ono. Here it comes. I'm going to catch it now. For denying him.
but in asking him those three times Jesus, Wasn't just testing his devotion by repeating the same question again. You know, he was marrying, the three denials of Peter when Peter had denied him 3 times. And I believe he was doing that showing him that he was forgiven for each and every one of those instances when he denied Christ.
you know, Christ was showing him that
He was giving him the chance to step out of the shame, he felt for that to step out of his denial.
and, you know, this is exactly what Grace looks like. Your Grace is not just forgiveness but it is full restoration. You know, the official definition of Grace is the unmerited favor of God. But as we see it portrayed, it's so much more than just forgiveness.
In what we need to understand is that Christ does the same thing for each of us. You know, Christ offers us forgiveness for each and every time that we have sinned against him send against others, we can know that the blood of Christ is capable of covering all of those things. So, no matter how many times we've stumbled in this life, no matter how unworthy we might feel, His love meet us where we are and invites us forward.
Yeah, it's one thing. You'll notice as you read through the gospels and you see, Jesus have encounters with people is that when he encounters someone, when he engages with them, he never leaves them the same. there is always something that changes sometimes it's a miracle sometimes it's just in the way the person is thinking which Be reality. You know, we all as human beings are stubborn enough to change the way we're thinking is probably just as big of a miracle as giving us our sight back or giving us the ability to walk or to hear
but you know, Jesus never encounter someone and cast them aside because of what their past was, he doesn't say up, sorry, you are too far gone. We never see that you do instead we see Christ engage with the person and speak. Truth to them.
And just like he did to Mary in the garden or to Peter in this you know he calls us by name and he reaffirms what our purpose is.
Yo.
Jesus entrusted, Peter with the care of his flock and you know, that goes back to the scripture where he first calls him Peter and he says, Upon This Rock, I will build my church. The church is his flock and he's entrusting it to Peter. So he gives Peter his mission once again. But for all of us, that should be a reminder of Christ's love that our failures don't eliminate us.
Because he isn't done with us yet. And that is important. Reminder we get from the story of Peter that we are reading today. But, you know, restoration is never the end of the story. The good news is that for many of us, it's just the beginning. You know, really, it was just the beginning for Peter, if you think about it, you know, he had been a disciple, he had been told, you know, Upon This Rock. I will build my church but He really hadn't stepped out and major ways like we see him do after these events. So Jesus doesn't just forgive Peter, he calls him into action, you know, with those commands of feed my sheep. And He commands him, you know, not once but three times.
And then all of that he's just reaffirming that Jesus is Love, Is Love. Is one that sends. It's a love. That moves us Beyond ourselves. You're so often we can get stuck on. What's happening in our world that we forget Christ greater mission in the world out there. You know, throughout the series I've been talking about Jesus is Love and that, you know, that was God's motivation behind all of this was his deep love for all of us.
And the love that Christ. Demonstrated is so different from any other sort of love that we know. In one important detail about that love, is that it is always active. It sacrifices, it serves it steps forward and faith. And that same love that restores us is also the love that calls us into action to show that love to others. On Easter Sunday morning, I said that we have the love that we received. From God is Not Meant to stay with us. It's something we are meant to pass on to others that the love we show. Other should be an overflow of the love that we've received from God. That we should be sharing that as we live out our lives. But you know what does it look like in practice? How do we live out this love and real tangible ways?
Yeah, kind of some broad categories here. One of them is caring for those in need Yeah, just like Jesus called Peter to Shepherd, his flock in to help take care of his flock. We are called to do the same thing. We are called to look after those who are most vulnerable in our community, and our church family in our own families and that can happen in a variety of ways. You know? Dude, we try to help feed the hungry. Do we provide for those who have needs or it could simply be just spending the time. With a person just being there, when they need someone being there to listen to someone who's struggling to let them know that, someone hears them, that someone cares can be significant.
But Love Takes action. When we see a need, we step in and we made it. That is the whole idea. Another way is just through encouraging and strengthening others and Faith. Like I said, you know, Peter was not only called to physically care for people. You're looking after their needs, he was called to be a shepherd of them spiritually. You know, we are called to do the same with those who maybe younger in their face than we are. Do we help them? Do we guide them? Do we help to push them along the path of a little bit? You know, continue to call them forward, to continue to call them deeper into their relationship with Christ. And that leads us into the third one, which is sharing the gospel boldly. You know is sweet call others, deeply or deeper into their faith. We do that by continuing to share the gospel but not just sharing the gospel and what we say, but in how we live You know, we continue to tell people what God has done in our lives and what he can do in their lives. And, you know, it doesn't just mean what I do on Sunday mornings of preaching from a stage, it's how we live out our life in the real world. You know, when we encounter those things in life, that
Okay, how am I going to handle this situation? It's not fair, but how do I handle it? You know, two people see Christ and us in the way that we live out our life. Yep, means having conversations about faith. It means being open and vulnerable some time sharing, where you struggle? It means inviting others to be a part of the Community of Faith to be a part of the church family.
It means just basically being unafraid. To testify about your love for Jesus and what he's done for you.
Fourth ways, simply living a life that reflects Christ love. you know, so often in our society anymore,
Well, we just don't get involved in other people's business, right?
You don't post all their business on social media for everyone to read, but no one's supposed to get involved. You know, ultimately Jesus calls us to be a living example of his love. So what does that mean? It means choosing forgiveness over bitterness. It means choosing Grace over judgement. It means Choosing humility over Pride. You know, it means loving people who are difficult, it means serving people who are never going to be able to repay you in any way. It means showing kindness in a world that most likely is not going to show you that kindness back. But so desperately needs it.
You know, when Jesus restored Peter he didn't just reassure him, he commissioned him.
The same is true for us, as I said earlier, Jesus meets us in our failures. He looks us up by his grace and then sends us out with a purpose.
Young. Jesus love is not just something that we receive. It's something we live out and practice every day as we follow Christ into eternity.
You're in the verse John 21:19, the last part of it, it says, then he said to him, he said to Peter, follow me.
So, you know, after the asking him, do you love me three times after restoring him, you know, Jesus gives him that fought final command of Follow Me.
And, you know, Peter had to wonder what that was all about. Okay, I have been following you. I've been a disciple. I've been following you around for three years. What do you mean? But really you know, Christ was foreshadowing. A lot of what would happened to Peter and his final days, you know, in verse 18. In fact, right before that, he described to him how that would be
So in following him, he means not only in the way that he loves, but in the way that he is willing to sacrifice for the church.
And, you know, this all ties into what we've been talking about, prior to Easter of discipleship, cuz really that willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads at the heart of discipleship. And Jesus calls us not only to believe in him but to walk in his footsteps to disciple others to live as he live to love others, as he loved us, and to serve as he served.
You know, following Jesus is not a one-time decision, you know, pray about it and forget it. That's not doesn't apply in the following Jesus. It's a Daily Commitment to align our lives with him daily to make the choices. That it may not be the easiest way for me to do this, but I'm going to do it in a way, that honors God. You know, when Jesus called his first disciples back in Matthew 4:19, he said to them, follow me. And I will make you Fishers of Men.
kind of interesting that at the beginning of that call, he used follow me and he used follow me again when he re commissions Peter and it's that same call that still echoes in our life to follow Christ and to seek to share what he's done for us. But you know, that often means that to fully embrace the way that Christ live the way that Christ, loved the way that Christ LED means that we kind of have to surrender our own way. Of doing things. And we have to embrace his mission that he's giving each of us to love others with a love that can only come from Christ and often. That means we have to set aside some of our selfish Ambitions that might be there. Often. It means we have to take up our cross daily and seek first, the kingdom of God, not our own kingdom in building it up, but seeking to build up his kingdom. Because ultimately, the resurrection is not about what Jesus has done for us. That's a big part of it but it's also about what he is calling us to do in response and that is the part of the story that we see today when he commissions Peter to go out and take care of his sheep.
We've been forgiven and redeemed. And we weren't forgiven and redeemed, you know, Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we could stay the same. He died on the cross so that we could be changed that we could be forgiven that we could be restored that we could be transformed. Into who God created us to be. Who got intended for us to be before sin entered this world before sin entered our own lives.
You know, after we receive Christ we are now his ambassador's to go and reflect his love, his grace and his truth to the world around us.
So my challenge to us as we go out from this place is that we will remember that. We're not just recipients of God's love. We are also ambassadors. We are meant to carry it with us. Everywhere we go in the way that we love our neighbors. The way that we love our co-workers, the way that we serve the least of these And we're called to live our lives in such a way that we proclaim the gospel to others, not just with our words, but by the way, that they see us live and love others.
And I pray that God will help all of us to answer that call in our lives. By simply saying yes, Lord, we will follow you. Please bear with me in prayer.
