Sermon Tone Analysis

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:

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