A Love That Requires Your All

Good morning, it is so good to see you guys this morning, it is my prayer that you had a blessed Thanksgiving and that true thankfulness will mark the rest of your days as you walk with the Lord.

This morning, we will take a break from the study of Exodus and we will listen to the promptings of the Lord. God has this way about Him where he will hit you with a particular passage and it will so grip you that you just cant let it go.

That is the type of passage were looking at this morning, we will listen in on a conversation being had by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and if we are careful to pay attention, with a heart longing to receive the Word of God we will hear the Lord speaking to us.

Let’s pray:

Lord I thank you for another day I get to wake up, I thank you for your children who have decided to come to your house and worship, I pray Father that you will pirce our hearts with your truth and consume us with the reality of your living presence. Refresh those who need to be refreshed, and lead those who need to repent to turn to you today for your Glory and the building of your kingdom alone, its in Jesus name we pray AMEN.

turn with me this morning in John to chapter 21 John chapter 21. The entire passage is recorded in verses 15 through 19… but i want to focus your attention on verse 18-19.

Jesus is speaking here and he says:

John 21:18–19 ESV

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.”

I want to speak with you this morning on this subject. “ A Love that Requires Your All”

it is often said that Jesus is the answer to life’s problems. But as you read the gospels its hard not to notice that Jesus seems to have more questions than answers throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John You meet Jesus who is carfeul with His answers, but free with His questions...

Question after question, after question.. “What does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and lose His soul?”

“What can a man give in the world in exchange for his soul?”

“Who do people say that I the son of man am?”

“Who do you say that I am?”

“Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but will not do what i tell you?”

I could be here all day.. just listing the questions of Jesus that are littered throughout the gospels. But Ill focus your attention on the question of Jesus that is the foundation for the passage I want us to focus on today. It is one of the great deep, hard, questions of Jesus.

In Jesus asked Simon Peter one question 3 times.

“DO YOU LOVE ME?”

“DO YOU LOVE ME?”

“DO YOU LOVE ME?”

This question even though it is simple, made Simon Peter very uncomfortable first of all.. Peter didn’t do to well the last time he was asked questions around a campfire....

But thats another story

Specifically verse 17 tells us 2 reasons why this repeated question bothered Peter. First of all it bothered Peter because Jesus asked him the same question 3 times and it bothered Peter because He knew that Jesus already knew the answer to the question.

So Jesus is persistent with this question, Peter is reluctant about this question, in fact to get the sense of the conversation you got to get underneath the text in its translation. The New Testament was written not in English but in Koine Greek ( a common mans language)

It was later translated into English and while it is nice to have this Bible in our language it is limited language. For instance in English there is only one word for love. But in the Greek there are three words for love. Two of them are used here in the conversation being had by Simon Peter and Jesus.

The word Peter uses is the word:

Phileo- Brotherly Love

Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love the term refers to friendship, and fellowship. The word Jesus uses is:

Agape- it is selfless love, that moves one to give for the benefit of others even if they are not worthy of that love.

Agape is the word used for example in

To describe how God loves the world.

That might sound technical but its really not listen to the conversation again with those words....

Jesus says to Peter: “DO you AGAPE me?”

Peter says: “Yes Lord I PHILEO you.”

We cool

The second time Jesus says:

“DO YOU AGAPE ME?”

Peter says:

“YES LORD I PHILEO YOU”

Were friends....

The third question Jesus shifts terms and uses Peters terms:

“DO YOU EVEN PHILEO ME?”

ARE WE EVEN FRIENDS?

Peter then says:

“Lord you know all things and you know that I love you”

This interchange between Jesus and Peter is important because it gets down to the crucial issue of the Christian faith. The bottom line of the Christian faith is this question that Jesus asked Peter “DO YOU LOVE ME?”

Friends thats what Christianity is all about can you answer this question correctly “DO YOU LOVE JESUS?’

At the end of the day Christianity is NOT about corperate services, doctrinal statements, charitable deeds, religious activity, Generous giving. At the bottom line it aint about acting right, living right, morals or Theology.

Its about DEVOTION… the fact that you are here at church today does not matter if you dont have a heart that loves Jesus and his word. Christianity is Christ and Christ is god and to be a Christian is to love this christ who IS GOD.

The bottom line of the Christian faith is DO YOU LOVE JESUS?

I wanna be clear Im not suggesting that by some level of earnestnessor morality that you earn favor with God, thats not what Im saying. You are only justified by faith alone, but the question throughout history has been… “what qualifies as saving faith?”

IN the 16th century the protestant reformers made it clear that we are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone, and what they mean is this...

THE EVIDENCE OF TRUE SAVING FAITH IS A LIFE OF LOVING DEVOTION TO JESUS… BEING SAVED IS ABOUT MORE THAN INTELLECTUAL AGREEMENT WITH TRUTH, ITS ABOUT PERSONAL DEVOTION TO A PERSON CALLED JESUS.

Christianity is not about a creed, a code of conduct or a ceremony, the question is not: “DO YOU AGREE ENOUGH TO AFFIRM”

ITS DO YA LOVE ENOUGH TO FOLLOW...

DO YOU LOVE JESUS?

YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY IS DETERMINED FRIEND BY HOW YOU ANSWER THAT QUESTION

DO YOU LOVE JESUS?

And if you do… you wont use love for Jesus as a ticket to Heaven only, while you do your own thing on Earth. If you have destiny shaping love for Jesus it will show upin how you live your life on a day to day basis...

YOu shouldnt think your love for Jesus is evidence you going to Heaven if your love for Jesus doesnt change the way you act on Monday...

How you treat people on tuesday, how you obey on Wednesday..

As you see in the text love for Jesus comes with duty. In verses 15-17 there is a question and an answer then a command.

DO YOU LOVE ME?

YES I LOVE YOU

FEED MY LAMBS

Verse 16

DO YOU LOVE ME?

YES I LOVE YOU

TEND MY SHEEP

VERSE 17

DO YOU LOVE ME?

YES I LOVE YOU

FEED MY SHEEP.

Love for Jesus brings duty… brings responsibility… brings obligation. You cant just claim to love Jesus and thendetermine to do your own thing...

It is to give your life in service for Him, in fact Jesus says you wanna do something for me, dont do it for me do it for my sheep...

IN a real sense you cant have a high view of Jesus and a low view of His church at the same time. To love the shepherd is to love the flock...

But not only are there duties associated with loving Jesus what i want you to see is there are dangers associated with loving Jesus. This is the part of this text we dont pay attention to often.

DO YOU LOVE ME?

ANSWER

COMMAND FEED MY SHEEP

Then after that Jesus moves from the duty of loving Him, to the DANGERS OF LOVING HIM

IN verse 18 He describes this in a mini parable.

He says to Peter:

WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG, YOU USED TO DRESS YOURSELF AND WALK AROUND WHEREVER YOU WANTED TO GO, BUT WHEN YOU GET OLD YOULL JUST STRETCH OUT YOUR HANDS… SOMEONE ELSE WILL DRESS YOU AND THEYLL TAKE YOU WHERE YOU DONT WANNA GO.

In Verse 19 John inserts that Jesus was telling Peter the kind of Death he would die to glorify God..

then in the last sentance in verse 19 even though John tells us Jesus is talking about death he says to Peter… follow me anyway...

Love for Jesus requires your all.

Let me tighten that up for you

First we see in the text that devotion to Jesus requires:

Personal Conversion

John 21:18 ESV

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.”

Heres the big contrast you need to get, it aint nothing deep its simple.

Listen to Jesus saying to Peter: “I know what you were, and I know what you will be.”

I know your past…and I know your future.. i know your history… but i also know your destiny.

The first thing you need to see he confronts Peter with is I want to tell you Peter… we’ll get to the details of what you;ll be but lets just be clear Peter that if you stick with Me… WHAT YOU’VE BEEN IS NOT WHAT YOU WILL BE.

I’m not gonna let you stay the way you were..

I’m not gonna let things in your life be the way they have always been. To love me will require CHANGE. REQUIRE TRANSFORMATION, in yor life

HERE ME FRIENDS JESUS LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE, BUT HE LOVES YOU TO MUCH TO LET YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE.. IF YOU TRULY MEET JESUS THERE WILL BE A SPIRITUAL CHANGE, A PERSONAL REVOLOUTION WILL TAKE PLACE IN YOUR LIFE.

HE SAYS I KNOW WHAT YOUVE BEEN AND I KNOW WHAT YOU WILL BE, AND TO LOVE ME REQUIRES THAT THERESA CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE!!!

What Jesus says is significant here all the more because of when HE says it.

This text is the restoration of Peter.

For those of you who don’t know this story is the culmination of events that take place back in .

Its the upper room its the last supper Jesus has with his disciples and He tells them.. “One of you will betray me”

All the boys are saying is itI Lord? Is it I?

They’re all asking is it me Lord?

Except Peter because Peter is saying Lord i know it aint me, these other boys may betray you but I will not betray you,

Peter says I WILL DIE FOR YOU, I dont know about these other fellas but ill die with you Lord, and Peter is told by Jesus “before the rooster crows you will deny me 3 times as if you dont even know me.”

and the prediction came to pass...

When they arrested Jesus and put him on trial Peter stood far off, way back in the back, as he warmed himself by the campfire he was identified by those in the crowd and on AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS HE DENIES THAT HE EVE MET JESUS AND THE BIBLE SAYS

When the rooster crowed he remebered the words of Jesus he ran away in great sorrow. Jesus after that mock trial was put to deathon a roman cross, He was buried in a borrowed tomb, but God raised Himfrom the dead on Easter sunday morning, and when the women came to the tomb of Jesus to make sure He had a proper burial, the Bible says

That the Angel told them in mark 16:7

THAT YOU SHOULD GO TELL HIS DISCIPLES AND PETER.....

That He’s alive and He’ll meet ya in Galilee

here in we see ONE OF THESE POST RESURRECTION MEETINGS BETWEEN JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES. AND I LIKE THIS CAUSE YOU know when you mess up people have a way of never letting you forget it.

But here Jesus DIDNT EVEN BRING UP THE MISTAKE, HE JUST SAYS YOU DENIED ME THREE TIMES LET ME ASK YOU THREE TIMES

DO YOU LOVE ME?

DO YOU LOVE ME?

He didnt beat him down with his mistake He restored him but after the restoration of Peter HE WANTS TO MAKE IT CLEAR I KNOW HOW YOU GOT IN THIS SITUATION THE LAST TIME… EVEN THOUGH IM GIVING YOU ANOTHER CHANCE I’m NOT GONE LET YA STAY WHERE YOU WERE I KNOW WHAT YOU BEEN BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU WILL BE...

The good news of the text is

God wont give up on you, and He wont call you to something to leave you out there high and dry.

People say em … Im with you until you mess up, but before the journey even starts Jesus says “I know you gone mess up, but I’m not gone give up on ya.”

Thats the kind of God we serve,

He wont give up on you, some of you needed to hear that this morning.

The Lord wont give up on you HE IS FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN YOU ARE UNFAITHFUL!! EVEN WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN TOMORROW, YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT GOD WILL NOT QUIT ON YOU, SO DONT QUIT ON HIM...

Josephs brothers threw him in a pit, The Lord didnt give up

When Abraham lied about his wife and said shes my sister not my wife, the Lord did not give up on him.

When Moses said here I am send Aaron… the Lord did not give up

When Aaron is making a golden calf while Moses is talking to the living God He still did not give up

When the delivered children of israel desired Egyptian fish over GODS promised milk and honey, he did not give up.

WHEN SAMSON WHISPERED IN DELILAHS EAR

WHEN DAVID KILLED A MAN AND TOOK HIS WIFE

WHEN SOLOMON LET WOMEN TURN HIS HEART FROM GOD HE STILL DID NOT GIVE UP

WHEN ISRAEL CHASED AFTER IDOLS INSTEAD OF TRUSTING THE LIVIGN GOD HE STILL DIDNT GIVE UP

I’ve got even better news WHEN HEROD TRIED TO ASSASINATE JESUS BEFORE HE WAS 2 YEARS OLD HE STILL DID NOT GIVE UP

WHEN HIS OWN HOMETOWN NEIGHBORS TRIED TO THROW JESUS OFF A CLIFF, HE DID NOT GIVE UP

WHEN HIS FAMILY THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY AND TRIED TO LOCK HIM UP JESUS DID NOT GIVE UP

WHEN THE SOLDIERS SPIT ON HIM, AND BEAT HIM AND NAILED HIM TO THE CROSS HE STILL DID NOT GIVE UP

JUST CAUSE YOU LIED DONT MEAN HE WILL GIVE UP ON YA, JUST CAUSE YOU MESSED UP DONT MEAN HE WILL GIVE UP ON YA

JUST BECAUSE YOU WENT WHERE YOU HAD NO BUSINESS GOING THE LORD WILL NOT GIVE UP ON YOU!!!!

If that wont make you shout hallelujiah, and praise his name but you lost your voice shouting at a football game you need to come to the alter something is wrong.

He’ll give you another chance

The God who will forgive your sin, requires this that if you want me to forgive your sin you gotta also let me change your life...

Watch now

you see too many of us want what Detrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace”

Cheao grace is forgiveness without repentance, we want the Lord to save us… we just dont want Him to change us. But God says if you love Me and you follow me, I m not just going to clear your past and conquer your problems.

I’M GONNA CHANGE YOUR PERSONALITY

This is where I struggle, i am often asking God to change circumstances, and people and issues in my life, and I wrestle with the fact that god most often doesnt answer that prayer when i want Him to. Because He is too busy using the issues peopleand difficulties I want Him to change , He’s using that stuff to change me.

He is gonna change you if you want him to.

The fact that you MUST change, means that you CAN change.

You dont have to be dogged by your mistakes.

You dont have to be haunted by your history

You dont have to be tormented by your past

You dont have to be pursued by your failures

It doesnt matter who you are or what youve done

WHAT YOUR DOING OR NOT DOING RIGHT NOW:

YOU CAN CHANGE

Christians are never bound in reality Christian is are only bound in mentality.

When a circus or a zoo wants to train a baby elephant they chain the leg of the baby elephant a few hundred pounds and then put a stake in the ground to teach it to stay in its place, but if you go to the zoo, youll see this animal that is no longer a few hundred pounds but a few tons...

Still chained by the chain and stake in the ground

Its cause Elephants really do have good memories and by the experience in their childhood of being unable to break free they refuse to try though they could snap that chain with no effort at all.

This is how the devil works against the believer he wants you to think that your past defeats automatically means a present defeat, but the text is trying to tell us that the next time the devil tries to remind you of your past you remind him of his future and remember THAT IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE IS A NEW CREATION THE OLD HAS PAST AND BEHOLD THE NEW HAS COME.

Devotion to Jesus requires personal conversion but secondly devotion to Jesus requires

Unconditional Surrender

You love me Peter? You wanna serve me Peter? You wanna care for my flock Peter?

Let me tell you how this is gonna go down, let me give you a picture of what life is gone be.

When you were young, you dressed yourself and walked around and did whatever you wanted to do,you went wherever you wanted to go…when your old you’ll strecth out your hands and another will dress you and carry you places you dont wanna go.

The first major idea I had was just about the reality of change.

You will not be what you have been..

But think about the nature of the change...

He draws a picture of what you were and what you will be Peter.

He says uh when you were young, you had control over to major areas of your life… your wardrobe and your whereabouts. You could get up and put on what you wanted to put on and then after you dressed yourself, you could go wherever you wanted to go.

But theres coming a day when you will no longer be free to choose what you want to wear, youll just be able to stretch out ya hands and another will dress you. Worse than that after they dress you, they are gonna take you where you dont wanna go.

Do you feel the tension?

Jesus says the change I am going to make in you will cause you to relinquish control. YOU HAD CONTROL BUT IF YOU STICK WITH ME IM GONNA TAKE THAT FROM YOU.

Heres another observation that will blow away modern Christianity.

YOU THINK YOUR FREE TO CHOOSE HOW YOU GONE LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE… BUT IF YOU WALK WITH ME YOU WONT HAVE NO MORE CHOICES.

Your just gonna have to go where you dont wanna go.

He is saying here that to love Jesus requires UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

Christianity is not about using the Lord to accomplish YOUR agenda… Listen to me, faith doesn’t get real until you trust Jesus enough to take you where you don’t wanna go.

Thats what Job said to his wife aint it?

He’s lost everything in chapter one and the only two things left to lose in chapter 2 is his health and his wife. God told satan dont take his life but you can take his health. When she sees that he has lost everything he can lose she says I dont know what youve done to make God so angry that He is tormenting you like this, but I cant stand to see you suffer like this… If you are going through this because you have offended God you might as well go all the way so He can put you out of your misery, curse God and die.

He says to his wife, your talking like foolish women talk listen to the question Job asks:

Do you mean tot tell me that we can take good from God but not receive trouble?

That is the problem with the church in America today… we just want good from God. But not trouble, Job says thats the way foolish people talk. REAL FAITH IS AMBIDEXTROUS, I CAN TAKE TROUBLE IN ONE HAND, AND BLESSING IN THE OTHER AND HOLD THEM BOTH AND SAY ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THEM WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

God says if you love me, I’m going to get you to a place where you don’t wanna go to get you to surrender to ME.

You see you can’t get close to Jesus until you get away from yourself.

This is how Christianity works:

You cant be saved until you are lost

You cant be forgiven until you confess

You cant receive strength until you admit you are weak

You cant get a burden bearer if you keep trying to carry the burden by yourself and you cant let God lead you if you are determined to go your own way!

SO GOD SAYS I KNOW HOW TO BEAT YOU DOWN! SO THAT INSTEAD OF YOU CHARTING THE COURSE, INSTEAD OF YOU PLANNING YOUR FUTURE, INSTEAD OF YOU DRIVING THE CAR ALL YOU CAN DO IS LIFT UP YOUR HANDS!

I swear there are some problems in your life right now that you blame on the devil, and hes sitting back saying I don’t know what you talking about I ain’t had nothing to do with that...

Some of the things you complain about maybe ORDAINED BY THE LORD, IT MAY BE THE LORD TAKING YOU WHERE YOU DON’T WANNA GO! TO TEACH YOU HOW TO SURRENDER TO HIM!

There was a beautician that one day decided to quit doing hair and become an artist instead when her friends asked why she would do such a thing, her answer was simple:

“BECAUSE AN EMPTY CANVAS DOESN’T TELL ME HOW TO MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL”

God is not a cosmic beautician He is a sovering artist and if you come to Jesus Hes not gone let YOU tell HIM how to make you beautiful.

HE KNOWS WHAT HES DOING!

Devotion to Jesus requires Personal DEVOTION, devotion to JEsus requires UNCONDTIONAL SURRENDER ,

Devotion to Jesus requires:

Stubborn Trust

Now imagine you are Peter that day. You have already been confronted with a question you dont wanna deal with..

Do you love me?

you have already been given the weight of a big assignment feed my sheep tend my lambs feed my flock. If all of that is not bad enough then Jesus dumps a riddle on you.

When you were young you went where you wanted to go, but when you are old youll strethc out your hands and another will dress you and take you where youd dont wanna go.

Now think with me Peter must have been thinking what is Jesus talking about?

Nothing says that he explained to Peter what He means

Verse 19 is a comment from the writer John.

John 21:19 ESV

(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.”