Rise Up 2019
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I’m excited about our theme for this year of Rise Up.
Our theme scripture for the year is
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
We aren’t going to shrink back or fade away, we are going to rise up, stand firm and trust in God who answers us when we call. We are going to need God help to fulfil this vision he has put on our hearts.
“To connect every generation of every community to Christ and to one another.”
We are Building communities; reaching communities
No matter what your 2018 looked like we all have been called by God to rise up. There are so many scriptures that talk about us rising up, and standing firm for god. There are so many in this room that for years and years have stood in the gap and met the needs and loved people. I’m excited that there are some brand new or future leaders in this room as well. We have a very diverse group in here. Diverse geography, Diverse backgrounds, diverse experiences, diverse thoughts, diverse incomes, educations, diverse politics and the list goes one. Yet we are brought together in community to reach communities. Not because we have it all together but because we are all sinners that have been saved by God’s grace. We have been brought here by the unifying love of Jesus and his redeeming work in our lives. God is so good to us, this group would have never come together with Jesus.
Do something for me. I want you to ponder for a moment about the people in this room and I want you to think about someone you are grateful for. Some relationship in here that has helped you this year. A person that has encouraged you. Maybe a person that cried with you. Maybe its a phone call that came at just the right time or hug that you didn’t even know you needed. I want you to picture that person that gave you some joy this past year and say a quick prayer thanking God for them.
Isn’t it good to remember all the good that God has done and all the ways that he has blessed us??
It makes me smile.
Something else that brings me so much joy is thinking about all of you who serve. It is amazing to see the way you have taken this call year after year to rise up and serve. To have people into your home and to spend time loving and caring for God’s church.
I think about the souls saved.
By Jeff Strite
The poor and needy served.
Summary: Why would Jesus have breakfast with Peter on the seashore? And why would He ask Peter 3 times if he loved Him?
The meals served, the chips and salsa devoured.
The campus students mentored.
OPEN: About 25 years ago I went my parents up to have a vacation in Canada at a place called Rice Lake.
The teens encouraged and raised up and Baptizing their friends.
The singles that have faithfully loved God and have helped many of their friends get closer to God.
It was a great place. Beautiful lake, rustic cabin, and there was the fishing.
Seeing the Church planted in Sante Fe an 4 disciples from Denver going there to help.
The special missions contribution. You gave $50,000 more in 2018 than in 2017. 2018: $348K
2018: $348K
(I showed a picture of myself baiting my hook with a very unexcited look on my face)
and all the hearts that have been drawn closer to God.
God has used you in amazing ways. We never want to miss seeing all the ways that God has used us. All the good things he has done.
This is me fishing.
And yet there is a harsh reality that we are in a war and there are people hurting and dying who Don’t know Jesus… I don’t see the battle raging around me sometimes. I can be focused good things, planning a meeting, have a discipleship time, writing a lesson.
And I forget that people are lost and dying around me, or I don’t see the person that is weak and this close to walking away from God. I can be like this guy.
cell phone during a robbery video.
Do I look excited?
The video is funny especially given his lack or awareness. It’s funny because it didn’t end poorly.
Nope, I don’t, do I?
The staff and elders spent sometime taking a hard look at the churches growth for the last few years. I wanted to show you some of these trends.
2010 70 23
2011 73 35
That’s because I’ve never really enjoyed fishing.
2012 64 48
You remember the part in the story of the disciples out fishing where they’ve been out on the lake all night long?
2013 82 47
2014 93 66
That’s me.
2015 81 48
2016 70 90
If anybody’s not gonna catch a fish… it’s me.
2017 73 57
2018 73 41
Frankly, it’s a lot more fun to fish if you’re actually catching fish.
679 Added
455 Left
I look at this and I feel like the guy standing there looking at his cell phone. Did I miss what God was trying to show me?
(Picture of a much happier me holding a fairly good size fish)
Now I know in some of these situations, you as a leader did all that you could do. I know you did a lot I know you tried, and yet people let. I know situations where I look and see you as a leader doing more and carrying more that person who is struggling, that isn’t going to work. I know some of you can speak like Paul with a clear conscience
26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
He did all he could do. He went after the lost sheep.
26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.
And At the same time there are situations that I know I could have done more to help people. And I could have done more to get others involved and engaged. Turn in your Bibles to .
I want to look at someone who was weak and struggling, who was really hurting and who needed to be brought back to God.
As you can see, I’m having a lot more fun now.
At the same time there are situations that I know we can do more. to help people.
Untitled Sermon
Untitled Sermon
Hans Rasmussen / General
A few days before, Jesus has had a Passover meal with His disciples and we’re told that “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. ()
NIV
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Well, maybe you remember the rest of that story.
Jesus was arrested.
Peter denied Jesus 3 times before the cock had crowed twice.
AND all the disciples scatter like sheep
It’s not their finest moment!
Three days later Peter hears the tomb is empty, and he hears about the angels and that Jesus has risen from the dead… and he runs to see if it’s true. And it is!!!
The tomb IS empty!
But then we're told that that Peter
NIV
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
He wondered what happened.
Have you ever wondered what happened? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go?
There’s a song by a famous singer named Don Francisco wrote a song called “He’s Alive” that tells the rest of the story this way:
“…something strange had happened there, but just what, I did not know.
John believed a miracle, but I just turned to go.
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high.
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him and then I saw Him die.
Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came.
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.
When at last it came to choices - I denied I knew His name.
And even if He was alive… it wouldn't be the same.”
There are many scholars who believe that that’s exactly how Peter responded to the resurrection.
So Peter was despondent and filled with anguish.
It wasn’t that He wasn’t excited to see Jesus risen from the dead.
It’s just that he KNEW he’d betrayed Christ.
He knew he’d failed.
He knew that he’d made a promise and did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do.
And when at last it came to choices - he denied he knew His name.
And even if Jesus were alive… it wouldn't be the same.
So, what’s he gonna do about it?
Well, he’s going fishing.
And he’s not going fishing for a couple of hours… or a couple of days… or a couple of weeks. He’s going back to what he knows.
He’s failed at being a follower of Christ, BUT he knows how to fish.
And it’s at this turning point in his life that Jesus comes to pay him a visit.
It’s been a miserable night.
They’ve been out all night and they’ve caught nothing.
And then this stranger appears on the shore and asks how they’re doing.
"Friends, haven’t you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Now Jesus has done this exact thing once before.
Back when Jesus first met Peter and James and John he said to Simon Peter, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
()
NIV
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
Now… why would Jesus do this a 2nd time?
I mean, I can understand why Jesus would have done it the 1st time.
He was trying to get their attention.
Trying to convince them that He was the one they should follow.
Trying to get them to realize they needed to abandon their fishing and be His disciples.
What I found interesting about Peter’s response to that first miracle was:
NIV
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
(PAUSE)
(PAUSE)
Now, isn’t that interesting?
Jesus did His first miracle for Peter, and that made Peter realize he was a sinful man.
And now Jesus has done that same miracle all over again (pause) all because Peter ALREADY believes he’s a sinful man.
And not just a sinful man… but an empty, useless, worthless man.
So, Jesus comes looking for Peter, because PETER needs “looking for”.
Peter needs something that only Jesus can give.
Peter needs forgiveness.
You know, people deal with their sins in the strangest ways.
Some folks deal with their sin by trying to hide it behind good deeds.
We call that kind of thinking karma.
Karma is the belief that if you do enough good stuff in your life you can cover up the bad stuff.
Peter had been a big believer in Karma.
That’s how he’d lived his life.
You see, Peter worked at being more righteous than the ones around him.
When Jesus said he was going to be betrayed – disciples would run away, do you remember what Peter said?
“Even though THEY all fall away, I will not.”
Why would he say that?
Because he believed he was more righteous than they were!
He wanted to impress Jesus with his superior righteousness so Christ wouldn’t see the dark struggles and doubts that lay just beneath the surface.
He was hiding his sinfulness behind the fact that he could be more righteous than anyone else.
Now, we can expect that kind of behavior from no christians.
That’s the only hope those outside of Christ have to feel good about themselves.
If they can just be better than their neighbor or their boss, or their friends they can somehow feel justified.
But there’s a lot of people in our community groups that are like that too.
They live their Christianity trying to show how much better than others they are.
So, one way people deal with their sin, is to try to hide that sin behind good deeds.
Another way folks deal with their sins by trying to hide THEMSELVES.
That’s what Peter’s been trying to do.
He’s wanting to go back to his fishing.
That way he doesn’t have to face Jesus again.
That way he doesn’t have to see Him and remember how he failed Him.
So Peter’s trying to hide from Jesus.
That’s what two other people in Scripture tried doing.
Remember when Adam and Eve were in the garden? They ate of the tree they shouldn’t have eaten of and then they “heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they (pause) HID from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
Now, why on earth would they hide from Him?
Because if He didn’t SEE their nakedness maybe He wouldn’t KNOW they had sinned.
ILLUS: I’ve done that.
In the past, I’ve been praying and I get to the part where I’m confessing my sins to God… and suddenly I stop. And I think to myself - IF I tell Him about that sin, then He’ll KNOW what I’ve done and He’ll hold it against me at the judgment.
Now, what’s wrong with that picture?
Is there any sin you’ve EVER done that God doesn’t know about.
Of course not.
Even if you don’t confess your sins to God… He STILL KNOWS.
He knows your very thoughts as well as every word or deed you’ve ever done.
There’s nothing you could possibly do or think that He doesn’t know about.
The only way to fix the problem is to come to Jesus.
There’s a wonderful promise in that says “If we CONFESS our sins, he is faithful and just
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from (most of our) unrighteousness.”
Is that what it says?
NO. It says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from ALL of our unrighteousness.
But first I have to confess those sins.
First I have to come to Jesus.
But Peter won’t come to Jesus… so Jesus goes to Peter.
Jesus is the “Light of the World” and now Jesus has come to shine His light on Peter.
So, how did He shine that light on Peter?
Well, He sat down with Peter and he ate with him.
And they talked about it.
Are there things in your group that you are trying to sweep under the rug and hope they go away?
We are seeing the backlash of not getting real and honest about peoples shortcomings. We see denominations that try to hide sexual predators in their ranks, we see school districts refusing to deal with blatantly harmful practices and they just look the other way.
If we keep sweeping the problems under the rug eventually there will be bump in that rug and somebody is going to trip over it.
All that happens when you try to ignore sin… is that it just gets worse.
It gets worse in the church.
It gets worse in your home.
It gets worse in your life.
And Jesus wanted to confront Peter’s failure before it got worse.
When Jesus sat down with Peter, He didn’t condemn him or insult him or to reject him.
Jesus sat down with Peter to confront his sin, but He confronted Peter because wanted to win Peter back.
So He sits with him
and eats with him
and He TALKS with him.
And do you know what Jesus says:
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Peter, do you love me?”
THREE TIMES Jesus asks Peter that question.
Why would He do that?
Why ask Peter that question 3 times?
Well, for one thing… Peter’s a little on the slow side.
It takes Peter a little time to catch up.
We see that again in where God wants to send Peter to talk with the first Gentile converts. Three times God sends the same vision to Peter, because it takes a while for Peter to catch on.
But more even more that that, this is the most important question anyone can answer.
If you don’t love Jesus… nothing else matters.
Jesus once said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
NIV
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
Notice, Jesus didn’t say if you want to be holy, or righteous, or accepted you’ll keep my commandments. He said:
IF YOU LOVE ME
ILLUS: I once read the story of a woman who’d been married to a very mean man. He didn’t like the way she kept house. He didn’t like the way she did laundry or ironed his clothes. He didn’t like the way she dressed. He constantly criticized her for everything.
Early on their marriage he handed her a list of 25 rules for her to follow.
She hated it… and she hated him.
You can imagine how frustrating it was to her to have to constantly check her list to see if she was pleasing him - and to staying out of trouble. She usually failed miserably and each time, he belittled her all over again and he made her feel miserable and small.
Then, one day much to her great joy… he died.
Soon, she fell in love with and married a wonderful loving man. They loved each other very much. She practically broke her neck to please him – and even brought him breakfast in bed.
One day, she ran across that old list, and the feelings of anger and inferiority returned.
But, suddenly she began to laugh! As she checked the list, she realized that she was now doing it all for her new husband.
Why? Because she loved him.
(Bill Bright)
Peter… do you love me?
Sing this song with me
“Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus.
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
Now, what’s interesting was that - after Jesus asked “Do you love me?” - He told Peter to do something.
"Feed my lambs."
"Take care of my sheep."
"Feed my sheep.”
Notice, Jesus didn’t say:
Go to Community group.
Is going to Community group a good thing? Of course it is. You gotta know the Bible in order to know what God’s will is for your life.
And Jesus didn’t say go to church or to Midweek.
Are those things important?
Of course they are! We know God wants us to be together to worship Him every week.
It’s not optional.
And Jesus didn’t say that if he loved Him that he should live a righteous life
Aren’t we supposed to live a righteous life?
Of course we are!
You can’t even begin to please God if you don’t strive to live a righteous life.
Those are all important things!
But if you do all THAT… and fail to do THIS… then you don’t understand Jesus.
If you love me:
feed my lambs
take care of my sheep
feed my sheep.
WHY?
Because my Christianity isn’t about ME.
Christianity isn’t a Lone Ranger proposition.
Christianity isn’t about your personal desires and wants.
Jesus saved you… so you could become like Him.
You remember “For God so loved the world…”
Well, there’s a and it says this:
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…”
Almost sound like doesn’t it?
But then it finishes off this way:
“… and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
In other words - if you want to be like Jesus, you need to love like He loved.
Feed His lambs.
Take care of His sheep.
Feed His sheep.
Do you love Him? Then that’s what you and I need to do.
We need to Rise UP,
Roll our sleeves Up and be willing to get messy.
THIS is what love for Jesus is all about. This what leadership looks like, this is what Rising up truly is.
(sing) “Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus
I think we all look at those numbers from the beginning of todays lesson and we see the faces and know the names and think. This could be better. If want this to be different we have to do things different. Because this is true.
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
If You Keep on Doing What You’ve Always Done, You’ll Keep on Getting What You’ve Always Got.
Peter knew he needed a change, but he thought it was going back to his old life and his old ways. He needed a leader, like Jesus to come into his life and help him.
Right now we are going to watch about 8 minutes of a ted talk from Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn ... then lead
SLIDE Video
Talk about some amazing 1 liners.
taught me that leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.
Jesus knew Peter failed, he predicted it, called him back… He failed, but he wasn’t a failure.
"Where were you on 9/11?"
Maybe we could ask where were you in 2003 when the letter came out… So many different experiences. Yet we have shared purpose and shared consciousness, and yet he has different experiences, vocab, and different skill set,
must have shared purpose and shared consciousness, and yet he has different experiences, vocab, and different skill set,
must have shared purpose and shared consciousness, and yet he has different experiences, vocab, and different skill set,
it forced me to become a lot more transparent, a lot more willing to listen, a lot more willing to be reverse-mentored from lower.
I probably learned the most about relationships.
I learned they are the sinew which hold the force together.
six-stanza Ranger creed.
"I'll never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy."
It's a promise.
"No matter what happens, no matter what it costs me, if you need me, I'm coming."
Think about it. It's extraordinarily powerful. How many of you would want a friend like that? Raise your hand if you would want someone who could look at you and say that and mean that? Raise your hand.
quote to Grant from Sherman. "I knew if I ever got in a tight spot, that you would come, if alive."
Do you have those kind of relationships? Currently? Not way back when, But today.
Jesus is saying to us today, feed my sheep. Help them be with them and walk with them.
We started out talking about some of those shocking numbers.
We Looked at Jesus heart to help Peter not drift away, we also looked at Jesus call to Peter to feed and take care of his sheep.
So what does that mean for us today. What are we asking you to do as you walk out of here today.
Our leadership group feels like one of the biggest areas we need to grow is one another relationships. That rolling up your sleeves, Rising Up kind of relationship that says, "No matter what happens, no matter what it costs me, if you need me, I'm coming."
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
And we understand what that is going to take and what that is going to cost. It means spending more time with each other. There are 100 times in 94 verses that he bible talks about one another. This is very clearly the heart of Jesus. And lets be honest for a lot of us we are a little rusty at this. We need to grow and change and imitate Jesus in this.
So we came up with an idea, now this is a starting point not the end vision. Because we want to be building communities to reach communities. But we need to start somewhere.
And we want to start with and the command to Love One Another. To live out those one another scripture will take time and effort and we need to start somewhere. So we want to ask each and every one of you to take this
ONE FIVE challenge slide.
Each day to take 5 minutes on one another relationships. Each day to be intentional, to lead, to Love and feed and care for the lambs in your life. So what would that look like?
“Confess your sins to each other.” ()
46. “Pray for each other.” ()
“Pray for each other.” ()
“Love one another deeply, from the heart.” ()
47. “Love one another deeply, from the heart.” ()
“Live in harmony with one another.” ()
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” ()
“Build each other up.” ()
“Encourage one another daily.” ()
41. “Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” ()
“Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” ()
“Encourage one another.” ()
“Teach … [one another].” ()
“Admonish one another.” ()
What would it look like if each member of this church spent 5 minutes each day, putting into practice a one another scripture. Well there would be a lot more encouragement, humility, spurring, building each other up and teaching each other. What a helpful starting point.
But, maybe you are looking at this, one Five, come on. Well maybe for you decide to spend 5 minutes each day with more than one person. You go Rise on Up and crank this.
So we are calling each one you as community group leaders, or future leaders or I heard there was a free luncher, will you spend 5 minutes a day working one another relationship?
When I asked who wanted friends that would respond and say if you need me I’ll be there hands went up all over the place. But, here is the rubber meets the road question.
Let’s look at one last scripture in
As leaders we have been knocked down, we have scars, we have hurts, but we have God that we can count on and we have people we can count on the will help us up.
Will you rise up and say to others in your life "No matter what happens, no matter what it costs me, if you need me, I'm coming." Maybe you can’t say that today, maybe you just aren’t there yet. And you know what, that is OK. But will you try to get there? Will you spend 5 minutes a day on one another relationships to grow into this?
Some of you hear that and you perk up, your hear that and your hear tingles, you hear that and you say, that’s right, not only do I want that, but by the power of God that lives in me, I will be that. I will be a man, I will a woman that says "No matter what happens, no matter what it costs me, if you need me, I'm coming." If that is you today, would you stand up? Amen. We need you, our church needs, and our communities need you.
Let’s Pray!
As a leader the people who count on you need you on your feet.
What’s it to you. Take responsibility.
Until you realize you need Jesus more than He needs you, you’re not going to love Him like you should. You see that’s what Peter’s problem had been all along – he thought Jesus needed him. Peter viewed himself as Jesus’ muscle. His protector. No one was going to touch Jesus as long as Peter was around. Jesus “needed” him. Peter figured he was OK… just the way he was because Jesus needed him.
But it was only when he realized he’d failed… sinned… he’d really messed up… that he knew how much he really needed Jesus. And that’s where this meal down on the shore helped him realize that truth.
From that day on, that was Peter’s message: you’ve sinned, you’ve failed – you need Jesus.
Everywhere Peter preached he made sure his audience knew they’d sinned. At one point the Sanhedrin complained “… you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Were they?
Were they guilty of Jesus’ blood?
Of course they were.
They had sinned and failed.
And so have you.
And so have I.
We need Jesus.
In one of his most famous sermons in Peter tells the crowd
“God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ."
He wanted to bring them to the point where they NEEDED Jesus. To the point where they wanted to LOVE Jesus. And when you love Jesus – you’ll keep His commandments
When they heard this (they had sinned) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
If you love Jesus, you’ll come to Him on His terms.
Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:27 PM January 25, 2019.
But it was only when Peter realized he’d failed… sinned… he’d really messed up… that he knew how much he really needed Jesus. And that’s where this meal down on the shore helped him realize that truth.
From that day on, that was Peter’s message: you’ve sinned, you’ve failed – you need Jesus.
Everywhere Peter preached he made sure his audience knew they’d sinned. At one point the Sanhedrin complained “… you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Were they?
Were they guilty of Jesus’ blood?
Of course they were.
They had sinned and failed.
And so have you.
And so have I.
We need Jesus.
In one of his most famous sermons in
Peter tells the crowd
“God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ."
He wanted to bring them to the point where they NEEDED Jesus. To the point where they wanted to LOVE Jesus. And when you love Jesus – you’ll keep His commandments
When they heard this (they had sinned) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Do You Love Me?
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Apr 10, 2016 Sermon Central
NIV31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Well, maybe you remember the rest of that story.Jesus was arrested.Peter denied Jesus 3 times before the cock had crowed twice.AND all the disciples scatter like sheepIt’s not their finest moment!Three days later Peter hears the tomb is empty, and he hears about the angels and that Jesus has risen from the dead… and he runs to see if it’s true. And it is!!!The tomb IS empty!But then we're told that that Peter
NIV12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
He wondered what happened. Have you ever wondered what happened? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go?There’s a song by a famous singer named Don Francisco wrote a song called “He’s Alive” that tells the rest of the story this way:“…something strange had happened there, but just what, I did not know.John believed a miracle, but I just turned to go.Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high.'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him and then I saw Him die.Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came.Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.When at last it came to choices - I denied I knew His name.And even if He was alive… it wouldn't be the same.”There are many scholars who believe that that’s exactly how Peter responded to the resurrection.So Peter was despondent and filled with anguish.It wasn’t that He wasn’t excited to see Jesus risen from the dead.It’s just that he KNEW he’d betrayed Christ.He knew he’d failed.He knew that he’d made a promise and did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do.And when at last it came to choices - he denied he knew His name.And even if Jesus were alive… it wouldn't be the same.So, what’s he gonna do about it?Well, he’s going fishing.And he’s not going fishing for a couple of hours… or a couple of days… or a couple of weeks. He’s going back to what he knows.He’s failed at being a follower of Christ, BUT he knows how to fish.And it’s at this turning point in his life that Jesus comes to pay him a visit.It’s been a miserable night.They’ve been out all night and they’ve caught nothing.And then this stranger appears on the shore and asks how they’re doing."Friends, haven’t you any fish?""No," they answered.He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.Now Jesus has done this exact thing once before.Back when Jesus first met Peter and James and John he said to Simon Peter, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
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NIV4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
Now… why would Jesus do this a 2nd time?I mean, I can understand why Jesus would have done it the 1st time.He was trying to get their attention.Trying to convince them that He was the one they should follow.Trying to get them to realize they needed to abandon their fishing and be His disciples.What I found interesting about Peter’s response to that first miracle was:
NIV8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
(PAUSE)Now, isn’t that interesting?Jesus did His first miracle for Peter, and that made Peter realize he was a sinful man.And now Jesus has done that same miracle all over again (pause) all because Peter ALREADY believes he’s a sinful man.And not just a sinful man… but an empty, useless, worthless man.So, Jesus comes looking for Peter, because PETER needs “looking for”.Peter needs something that only Jesus can give.Peter needs forgiveness.You know, people deal with their sins in the strangest ways.Some folks deal with their sin by trying to hide it behind good deeds.We call that kind of thinking karma.Karma is the belief that if you do enough good stuff in your life you can cover up the bad stuff.Peter had been a big believer in Karma.That’s how he’d lived his life.You see, Peter worked at being more righteous than the ones around him.When Jesus said he was going to be betrayed – disciples would run away, do you remember what Peter said?“Even though THEY all fall away, I will not.”Why would he say that?Because he believed he was more righteous than they were!He wanted to impress Jesus with his superior righteousness so Christ wouldn’t see the dark struggles and doubts that lay just beneath the surface.He was hiding his sinfulness behind the fact that he could be more righteous than anyone else.Now, we can expect that kind of behavior from pagans.That’s the only hope those outside of Christ have to feel good about themselves.If they can just be better than their neighbor or their boss, or their friends they can somehow feel justified.But there’s a lot of people in churches that are like that too.They live their Christianity trying to show how much better than others they are.So, one way people deal with their sin, is to try to hide that sin behind good deeds.Another way folks deal with their sins by trying to hide THEMSELVES.That’s what Peter’s been trying to do.He’s wanting to go back to his fishing.That way he doesn’t have to face Jesus again.That way he doesn’t have to see Him and remember how he failed Him.So Peter’s trying to hide from Jesus.That’s what two other people in Scripture tried doing.Remember when Adam and Eve were in the garden? They ate of the tree they shouldn’t have eaten of and then they “heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they (pause) HID from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” :8Now, why on earth would they hide from Him?Because if He didn’t SEE their nakedness maybe He wouldn’t KNOW they had sinned.ILLUS: I’ve done that.
In the past, I’ve been praying and I get to the part where I’m confessing my sins to God… and suddenly I stop. And I think to myself - IF I tell Him about that sin, then He’ll KNOW what I’ve done and He’ll hold it against me at the judgment.
Now, what’s wrong with that picture?
Is there any sin you’ve EVER done that God doesn’t know about.
Of course not.
Even if you don’t confess your sins to God… He STILL KNOWS.
He knows your very thoughts as well as every word or deed you’ve ever done.
There’s nothing you could possibly do or think that He doesn’t know about.
The only way to fix the problem is to come to Jesus.
There’s a wonderful promise in that says “If we CONFESS our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from (most of our) unrighteousness.”
Is that what it says?
NO. It says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from ALL of our unrighteousness.
But first I have to confess those sins.
First I have to come to Jesus.
But Peter won’t come to Jesus… so Jesus goes to Peter.
Jesus is the “Light of the World” and now Jesus has come to shine His light on Peter.
So, how did He shine that light on Peter?
Well, He sat down with Peter and he ate with him.
And they talked about it.We are seeing the backlash of not getting real and honest about peoples shortcomings. We see denominations that try to hide sexual predators in their ranks, we see school districts refusing to deal with blatantly harmful practices and they just look the other way. If we keep sweeping the problems under the rug eventually there will be bump in that rug and somebody is going to trip over it.All that happens when you try to ignore sin… is that it just gets worse.It gets worse in the church.It gets worse in your home.It gets worse in your life.And Jesus wanted to confront Peter’s failure before it got worse.When Jesus sat down with Peter, He didn’t condemn him or insult him or to reject him.Jesus sat down with Peter to confront his sin, but He confronted Peter because wanted to win Peter back.So He sits with himand eats with himand He TALKS with him.And do you know what Jesus says:“Peter, do you love me?”“Peter, do you love me?”“Peter, do you love me?”THREE TIMES Jesus asks Peter that question.Why would He do that?Why ask Peter that question 3 times?Well, for one thing… Peter’s a little on the slow side.It takes Peter a little time to catch up.We see that again in where God wants to send Peter to talk with the first Gentile converts. Three times God sends the same vision to Peter, because it takes a while for Peter to catch on.But more even more that that, this is the most important question anyone can answer.If you don’t love Jesus… nothing else matters.Jesus once said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
ILLUS: I once read the story of a woman who’d been married to a very mean man. He didn’t like the way she kept house. He didn’t like the way she did laundry or ironed his clothes. He didn’t like the way she dressed. He constantly criticized her for everything.Early on their marriage he handed her a list of 25 rules for her to follow.
Notice, Jesus didn’t say if you want to be holy, or righteous, or accepted you’ll keep my commandments. He said:IF YOU LOVE MEILLUS: I once read the story of a woman who’d been married to a very mean man. He didn’t like the way she kept house. He didn’t like the way she did laundry or ironed his clothes. He didn’t like the way she dressed. He constantly criticized her for everything.Early on their marriage he handed her a list of 25 rules for her to follow.She hated it… and she hated him.You can imagine how frustrating it was to her to have to constantly check her list to see if she was pleasing him - and to staying out of trouble. She usually failed miserably and each time, he belittled her all over again and he made her feel miserable and small.Then, one day much to her great joy… he died.Soon, she fell in love with and married a wonderful loving man. They loved each other very much. She practically broke her neck to please him – and even brought him breakfast in bed.One day, she ran across that old list, and the feelings of anger and inferiority returned.But, suddenly she began to laugh! As she checked the list, she realized that she was now doing it all for her new husband.Why? Because she loved him.(Bill Bright)Peter… do you love me?Sing this song with me“Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus.Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”Now, what’s interesting was that - after Jesus asked “Do you love me?” - He told Peter to do something."Feed my lambs.""Take care of my sheep.""Feed my sheep.”Notice, Jesus didn’t say:Go to Bible study.Is going to Bible Study a good thing? Of course it is. You gotta know the Bible in order to know what God’s will is for your life.And Jesus didn’t say go to church or to Midweek.Are those things important?Of course they are! We know God wants us to be together to worship Him every week.It’s not optional.And Jesus didn’t say that if he loved Him that he should live a righteous lifeAren’t we supposed to live a righteous life?Of course we are!You can’t even begin to please God if you don’t strive to live a righteous life.Those are all important things!But if you do all THAT… and fail to do THIS… then you don’t understand Jesus.If you love me:feed my lambstake care of my sheepfeed my sheep.WHY?Because your Christianity isn’t about YOU.Christianity isn’t a Lone Ranger proposition.Christianity isn’t about your personal desires and wants.Jesus saved you… so you could become like Him.You remember “For God so loved the world…”Well, there’s a and it says this:“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…”Almost sound like doesn’t it?But then it finishes off this way:“… and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”In other words - if you want to be like Jesus, you need to love like He loved.Feed His lambs.Take care of His sheep.Feed His sheep.Do you love Him? Then that’s what you and I need to do.We need to Rise UP, Roll our sleeves Up and be willing to get messy. THIS is what love for Christ is all about.
(sing) “Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
Until you realize you need Jesus more than He needs you, you’re not going to love Him like you should. You see that’s what Peter’s problem had been all along – he thought Jesus needed him. Peter viewed himself as Jesus’ muscle. His protector. No one was going to touch Jesus as long as Peter was around. Jesus “needed” him. Peter figured he was OK… just the way he was because Jesus needed him.
But it was only when he realized he’d failed… sinned… he’d really messed up… that he knew how much he really needed Jesus. And that’s where this meal down on the shore helped him realize that truth.
From that day on, that was Peter’s message: you’ve sinned, you’ve failed – you need Jesus.
Everywhere Peter preached he made sure his audience knew they’d sinned. At one point the Sanhedrin complained “… you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Were they?
Were they guilty of Jesus’ blood?
Of course they were.
They had sinned and failed.
And so have you.
And so have I.
We need Jesus.
In one of his most famous sermons in Peter tells the crowd
“God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ."
He wanted to bring them to the point where they NEEDED Jesus. To the point where they wanted to LOVE Jesus. And when you love Jesus – you’ll keep His commandments
When they heard this (they had sinned) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
If you love Jesus, you’ll come to Him on His terms
She hated it… and she hated him.You can imagine how frustrating it was to her to have to constantly check her list to see if she was pleasing him - and to staying out of trouble. She usually failed miserably and each time, he belittled her all over again and he made her feel miserable and small.Then, one day much to her great joy… he died.Soon, she fell in love with and married a wonderful loving man. They loved each other very much. She practically broke her neck to please him – and even brought him breakfast in bed.One day, she ran across that old list, and the feelings of anger and inferiority returned.But, suddenly she began to laugh! As she checked the list, she realized that she was now doing it all for her new husband.Why? Because she loved him.(Bill Bright)Peter… do you love me?Sing this song with me“Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus.Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”Now, what’s interesting was that - after Jesus asked “Do you love me?” - He told Peter to do something."Feed my lambs.""Take care of my sheep.""Feed my sheep.”Notice, Jesus didn’t say:Go to Bible study.Is going to Bible Study a good thing? Of course it is. You gotta know the Bible in order to know what God’s will is for your life.And Jesus didn’t say go to church or to Midweek.Are those things important?Of course they are! We know God wants us to be together to worship Him every week.It’s not optional.And Jesus didn’t say that if he loved Him that he should live a righteous lifeAren’t we supposed to live a righteous life?Of course we are!You can’t even begin to please God if you don’t strive to live a righteous life.Those are all important things!But if you do all THAT… and fail to do THIS… then you don’t understand Jesus.If you love me:feed my lambstake care of my sheepfeed my sheep.WHY?Because your Christianity isn’t about YOU.Christianity isn’t a Lone Ranger proposition.Christianity isn’t about your personal desires and wants.Jesus saved you… so you could become like Him.You remember “For God so loved the world…”Well, there’s a and it says this:“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…”Almost sound like doesn’t it?But then it finishes off this way:“… and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”In other words - if you want to be like Jesus, you need to love like He loved.Feed His lambs.Take care of His sheep.Feed His sheep.Do you love Him? Then that’s what you and I need to do.We need to Rise UP, Roll our sleeves Up and be willing to get messy. THIS is what love for Christ is all about.
(sing) “Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
Until you realize you need Jesus more than He needs you, you’re not going to love Him like you should. You see that’s what Peter’s problem had been all along – he thought Jesus needed him. Peter viewed himself as Jesus’ muscle. His protector. No one was going to touch Jesus as long as Peter was around. Jesus “needed” him. Peter figured he was OK… just the way he was because Jesus needed him.
But it was only when he realized he’d failed… sinned… he’d really messed up… that he knew how much he really needed Jesus. And that’s where this meal down on the shore helped him realize that truth.
From that day on, that was Peter’s message: you’ve sinned, you’ve failed – you need Jesus.
Everywhere Peter preached he made sure his audience knew they’d sinned. At one point the Sanhedrin complained “… you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Were they?
Were they guilty of Jesus’ blood?
Of course they were.
They had sinned and failed.
And so have you.
And so have I.
We need Jesus.
In one of his most famous sermons in Peter tells the crowd
“God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ."
He wanted to bring them to the point where they NEEDED Jesus. To the point where they wanted to LOVE Jesus. And when you love Jesus – you’ll keep His commandments
When they heard this (they had sinned) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
If you love Jesus, you’ll come to Him on His terms
In fact, every time I threw my line in the water… I caught a fish.
(Picture of myself standing at the helm of an old sailing ship with a look of command on my face)
In fact, I caught so many fish that I gave some thought to buying my own fishing boat.
But that’s a whole different story.
The story we’re looking at this morning talks about another fishing story…
But the story actually began a few days before this.
A few days before, Jesus has had a Passover meal with His disciples and we’re told that “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. (Mark 14:26-31)
Well, we all know the rest of that story.
Jesus was arrested.
Peter denied Jesus 3 times before the cock had crowed twice.
AND all the disciples scatter like sheep.
It’s not their finest moment!
Three days later Peter hears the tomb is empty, and he hears about the angels and that Jesus has risen from the dead… and he runs to see if it’s true. And it is!!!
The tomb IS empty!
But then we're told that that Peter "went away, wondering to himself what had happened." (Luke 24:12)
There’s a song by a famous singer named Don Francisco wrote a song called “He’s Alive” that tells the rest of the story this way:
“…something strange had happened there, but just what, I did not know.
John believed a miracle, but I just turned to go.
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high.
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him and then I saw Him die.
Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came.
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.
When at last it came to choices - I denied I knew His name.
And even if He was alive… it wouldn't be the same.”
There are many scholars who believe that that’s exactly how Peter responded to the resurrection.
He was despondent and filled with anguish.
It wasn’t that He wasn’t excited to see Jesus risen from the dead.
It’s just that he KNEW he’d betrayed Christ.
He knew he’d failed.
He knew that he’d made a promise and did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do.
And when at last it came to choices - he denied he knew His name.
And even if Jesus were alive… it wouldn't be the same.
So, what’s he gonna do about it?
Well, he’s going fishing.
And he’s not going fishing for a couple of hours… or a couple of days… or a couple of weeks. He’s going back to what he knows.
He’s failed at being a follower of Christ, BUT he knows how to fish.
And it’s at this turning point in his life that Jesus comes to pay him a visit.
It’s been a miserable night.
They’ve been out all night and they’ve caught nothing.
And then this stranger appears on the shore and asks how they’re doing.
"Friends, haven’t you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Now Jesus has done this exact thing once before.
Back when Jesus first met Peter and James and John he said to Simon Peter, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
(Luke 5:4-6)
Now… why would Jesus do this a 2nd time?
I mean, I can understand why Jesus would have done it the 1st time.
He was trying to get their attention.
Trying to convince them that He was the one they should follow.
Trying to get them to realize they needed to abandon their fishing and be His disciples.
What I found interesting about Peter’s response to that first miracle was:
“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said,
‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8)
(PAUSE)
Now, isn’t that interesting?
Jesus did His first miracle for Peter, and that made Peter realize he was a sinful man.
And now Jesus has done that same miracle all over again (pause) all because Peter ALREADY believes he’s a sinful man.
And not just a sinful man… but an empty, useless, worthless man.
So, Jesus comes looking for Peter, because PETER needs “looking for”.
Peter needs something that only Jesus can give.
Peter needs forgiveness.
You know, people deal with their sins in the strangest ways.
Some folks deal with their sin by trying to hide it behind good deeds.
We call that kind of thinking karma.
Karma is the belief that if you do enough good stuff in your life you can cover up the bad stuff.
Peter had been a big believer in Karma.
That’s how he’d lived his life.
You see, Peter worked at being more righteous than the ones around him.
When Jesus said he was going to be betrayed – disciples would run away, do you remember what Peter said?
“Even though THEY all fall away, I will not.”
Why would he say that?
Because he believed he was more righteous than they were!
He wanted to impress Jesus with his superior righteousness so Christ wouldn’t see the dark struggles and doubts that lay just beneath the surface.
He was hiding his sinfulness behind the fact that he could be more righteous than anyone else.
Now, we can expect that kind of behavior from pagans.
That’s the only hope those outside of Christ have to feel good about themselves.
If they can just be better than their neighbor or their boss, or their friends they can somehow feel justified.
But there’s a lot of people in churches that are like that too.
They live their Christianity trying to show how much better than others they are.
They compare their giving to that of others.
They compare their superior attendance.
They compare their position and influence.
They are impressed by their own religious activity - because as long as they can be better than you are - then they can forget their sinfulness.
The Bible talks about that kind of mindset in II Corinthians 10:12b
“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”
In other words, if you go to comparing yourself with others in the church you show that you’re not very smart!
ILLUS: People like that remind of the story of the two men who were out in the woods one day. You remember the story? They see a bear, and the bear sees them and chases them. They’re running for their lives when all of a sudden one of them stops, sits on a stump and starts to put on running shoes.
“Are you crazy?” says the 2nd man. “You can’t outrun that bear?”
“Don’t have to outrun the bear,” said the 1st man. “All I have to do is outrun you.”
Folks like that think that if you can “out-righteous” the next guy (religiously out-run them) then God will pay more attention to the other guy’s sin instead of their own.
The only problem is you can’t out run that bear!!!
Unless your sinfulness is removed you can out-run/out-righteous anyone you want to… but the bear is still there.
Your sin WILL catch up with you.
So, one way people deal with their sin, is to try to hide that sin behind good deeds.
Another way folks deal with their sins by trying to hide THEMSELVES.
That’s what Peter’s been trying to do.
He’s wanting to go back to his fishing.
That way he doesn’t have to face Jesus again.
That way he doesn’t have to see Him and remember how he failed Him.
So Peter’s trying to hide from Jesus.
That’s what two other people in Scripture tried doing.
Remember when Adam and Eve were in the garden? They ate of the tree they shouldn’t have eaten of and then they “heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they (pause) HID from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8
Now, why on earth would they hide from Him?
Because if He didn’t SEE their nakedness maybe He wouldn’t KNOW they had sinned.
ILLUS: I’ve done that.
In the past, I’ve been praying and I get to the part where I’m confessing my sins to God… and suddenly I stop. And I think to myself - IF I tell Him about that sin, then He’ll KNOW what I’ve done and He’ll hold it against me at the judgment.
Now, what’s wrong with that picture?
Is there any sin you’ve EVER done that God doesn’t know about.
Of course not.
Even if you don’t confess your sins to God… He STILL KNOWS.
He knows your very thoughts as well as every word or deed you’ve ever done.
There’s nothing you could possibly do or think that He doesn’t know about.
The only way to fix the problem is to come to Jesus.
There’s a wonderful promise in 1 John 1:9 that says “If we CONFESS our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from (most of our) unrighteousness.”
Is that what it says?
NO. It says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from ALL of our unrighteousness.
But first I have to confess those sins.
First I have to come to Jesus.
But Peter won’t come to Jesus… so Jesus goes to Peter.
As I was thinking about this, a passage from Ephesians came to my mind
“everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’”
(Ephesians 5:13-14)
Jesus is the “Light of the World” and now Jesus has come to shine His light on Peter.
So, how did He shine that light on Peter?
Well, He sat down with Peter and he ate with him.
And they talked about it.
ILLUS: I’ve served in churches where there was sin the pews… and the leadership tried ignoring it. The leadership here doesn’t do that, but those churches did. They figured the problem would just go away if they didn’t pay it any mind. And I kept telling them if they kept sweeping the problems under the rug eventually there’d be bump in that rug and somebody was going to trip over it.
All that happens when you try to ignore sin… is that it just gets worse.
It gets worse in the church.
It gets worse in your home.
It gets worse in your life.
And Jesus wanted to confront Peter’s failure before it got worse.
When Jesus sat down with Peter, He didn’t condemn him or insult him or to reject him.
Jesus sat down with Peter to confront his sin, but He confronted Peter because wanted to win Peter back.
So He sits with him
and eats with him
and He TALKS with him.
And do you know what Jesus says:
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Peter, do you love me?”
THREE TIMES Jesus asks Peter that question.
Why would He do that?
Why ask Peter that question 3 times?
Well, for one thing… Peter’s a little on the slow side.
It takes Peter a little time to catch up.
We see that again in Acts 10 where God wants to send Peter to talk with the first Gentile converts. Three times God sends the same vision to Peter, because it takes a while for Peter to catch on.
But more even more that that, this is the most important question anyone can answer.
If you don’t love Jesus… nothing else matters.
Jesus once said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15
Notice, Jesus didn’t say if you want to be holy, or righteous, or accepted you’ll keep my commandments. He said:
IF YOU LOVE ME
ILLUS: I once read the story of a woman who’d been married to a very mean man. He didn’t like the way she kept house. He didn’t like the way she did laundry or ironed his clothes. He didn’t like the way she dressed. He constantly criticized her for everything.
Early on their marriage he handed her a list of 25 rules for her to follow.
She hated it… and she hated him.
You can imagine how frustrating it was to her to have to constantly check her list to see if she was pleasing him - and to staying out of trouble. She usually failed miserably and each time, he belittled her all over again and he made her feel miserable and small.
Then, one day much to her great joy… he died.
Soon, she fell in love with and married a wonderful loving man. They loved each other very much. She practically broke her neck to please him – and even brought him breakfast in bed.
One day, she ran across that old list, and the feelings of anger and inferiority returned.
But, suddenly she began to laugh! As she checked the list, she realized that she was now doing it all for her new husband.
Why? Because she loved him.
(Bill Bright)
Peter… do you love me?
Sing this song with me
“Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus.
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
Now, what’s interesting was that - after Jesus asked “Do you love me?” - He told Peter to do something.
"Feed my lambs."
"Take care of my sheep."
"Feed my sheep.”
Notice, Jesus didn’t say:
Go to Bible study.
Is going to Bible Study a good thing? Of course it is. You gotta know the Bible in order to know what God’s will is for your life.
And Jesus didn’t say go to church or to Sunday School.
Are those things important?
Of course they are! We know God wants us to be together to worship Him every week.
It’s not optional.
And Jesus didn’t say that if he loved Him that he should live a righteous life.
Aren’t we supposed to live a righteous life?
Of course we are!
You can’t even begin to please God if you don’t strive to live a righteous life.
Those are all important things!
But if you do all THAT… and fail to do THIS… then you don’t understand Jesus.
If you love me:
feed my lambs
take care of my sheep
feed my sheep.
WHY?
Because your Christianity isn’t about YOU.
Christianity isn’t a Lone Ranger proposition.
Christianity isn’t about your personal desires and wants.
Jesus saved you… so you could become like Him.
You remember John 3:16 “For God so loved the world…”
Well, there’s a 1st John 3:16 and it says this:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…”
Almost sound like JOHN 3:16 doesn’t it?
But then it finishes off this way:
“… and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
In other words - if you want to be like Jesus, you need to love like He loved.
Feed His lambs.
Take care of His sheep.
Feed His sheep.
Do you love Him? Then that’s what you and I need to do.
THIS is what love for Christ is all about.
(sing) “Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
One last thing.
Until you realize you are a sinner in need of forgiveness you’re never really going to love Jesus.
Until you realize you need Jesus more than He needs you, you’re not going to love Him like you should. You see that’s what Peter’s problem had been all along – he thought Jesus needed him. Peter viewed himself as Jesus’ muscle. His protector. No one was going to touch Jesus as long as Peter was around. Jesus “needed” him. Peter figured he was OK… just the way he was because Jesus needed him.
But it was only when he realized he’d failed… sinned… he’d really messed up… that he knew how much he really needed Jesus. And that’s where this meal down on the shore helped him realize that truth.
From that day on, that was Peter’s message: you’ve sinned, you’ve failed – you need Jesus.
Everywhere Peter preached he made sure his audience knew they’d sinned. At one point the Sanhedrin complained “… you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Were they?
Were they guilty of Jesus’ blood?
Of course they were.
They had sinned and failed.
And so have you.
And so have I.
We need Jesus.
In one of his most famous sermons in Acts 2 Peter tells the crowd
“God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36
He wanted to bring them to the point where they NEEDED Jesus. To the point where they wanted to LOVE Jesus. And when you love Jesus – you’ll keep His commandments
When they heard this (they had sinned) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
If you love Jesus, you’ll come to Him on His terms
INVITATION
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