Jesus: Follow Me

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The Gospel of John  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  34:49
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All right. Well, we're going to be finishing the Gospel of John this morning John chapter 21. This world will be if you have your Bibles you'd like to follow along John 21. We're going to be reading versus 15 or 17 verses 15 through 25.

This is as we talked about last week. This is John's epilogue. This is his conclusion. This is him. Just going to wrapping things up in his gospel that he's walked us through that. We've had the privilege to walk through the last couple years and just some closing thoughts some clothes and things last week we talked about are we saw how to the inspiration of the spirit of God John wrote how Jesus revealed himself to the disciples one more time and it's in the same way that he first called his disciples and that was when they were fishing not catching anything. He called out to them to throw their Nets on the right side and it brought in tons of fish demonstrating what Jesus said Todd about without him without abiding in him right is impossible to be fruitful and such a great lesson there for a for us as well and just relying on God the spirits to do a work in this and for us and for his Lori as we attempted to reach a world that desperately needs Jesus and then we have these next few verses here. That just gives us a little more closing cost John just kind of tying things up. We see the restoration of Peter here or the interaction of the reconciliation that has happened between Jesus and Peter at this point and I heard him correctly install false rumor about himself and then ultimately just concluding how good Jesus is Love that have a good Jesus is so let's go ahead and read the passage of scripture in the last load to meet with us over Universe 15. The word of the Lord says this when they had eaten breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord. He said to him you know that I love you. Feed my Lambs. He told them a second time. He asked him Simon son of John do you love me? Yes, Lord. He said to him you know that I love you. Shepherd my sheep. He told him and he asked him the third time Simon son of John. Do you love me and Peter was dreamed that he had asked him the third time. Do you love me? He said Lord, you know everything you know that I love you. Jesus response feed my sheep Verse 18 goes on true that tell you when you were younger. You would tie your belt in a walk wherever you want it, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else with Ty you and carry you where you do not want to go. He said this to indicate by what kind of Death Peter would glorify God and after saying this he told him follow me. So Peter turned around and said he saw the disciple. Jesus loved following them the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked Lord. Who is the one that's going to betray you and when Peter saw him he said that Jesus Lord, what about him? If I want him to remain until I come Jesus answered. What is that to you asked for you? You follow me. So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that the disciple would not die yet. Jesus did not tell him that he would not die. But if I want him to remain until I come what is that to you? And this is the disciple who testifies do these things. He's wrapping it up. This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did which of if every one of them were written down. I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books. That would be written. Let's go to learn father God we come before your throne of grace and mercy Lord. So thankful that we can boldly come before you not standing in our own righteousness not because of the religion that we wear are proclaimed if to have orbit because of what Jesus has done for us on our behalf. He is our great high priest who stands at your right hand forever making intercession for us since we come to you in his name. We come to you in his righteousness. What a gift God when we come this morning Lord, and we ask father that you would work in our mitts that your spirit. God would would just work in every one of us here Lord. But this might be an opportunity God to to drop close to you to be reminded of your love to to be reminded of what Jesus has done for us on the cross that that love that he's demonstrated would be our motivation father week. We can do it in our own overall of ourselves before we know it's the spirit of God who you can Empower us this for this life that you called us too. And so we just asked that would be made manifest in our lives today that you would illuminate us to those Troost. And that you would strengthen us and I'm old enough to be able to walk in the truth that you can call us to God. We just asked it all that is said be pleasing an honor into you. Would you guard my lips? Father that's only truth would come for your Honor's sake we have to do in Jesus name. Amen. All right, so we have this passage of scripture. I can't believe we're going to finish the gospel John amazing. So we're probably going to we're going to do the book of Galatians starting next week. And so that's a good book for us to I think build off of what John is taught us and our journey with him and how it's so easy for us as humans to just kind of relying the even started drifting back towards performance-based Works based Walk With Jesus so we can easily become ensnared of what we have to do these things. And we see here. This is the perfect example of it this reconciliation with Peter more than likely the reconciliation between Jesus and Peter after Jesus denied or Jesus Peter denied Jesus three times.

Jesus appeared to Peter before this this last on third time and told the reconciliation probably happen, but but John's allowing us into the story here and he's seeing what this reconciliation looks like and it's just beautiful picture at least to me that wow, it truly is does not this relationship is reconciliation that Jesus has purchased is not based on our performance is not based on our how good we we follow the rules of being a Christian. It's truly based on Jesus giving us unmerited love unearned. Jesus takes this time this opportunity John recorded in the impression this pair to show us that Peter screws up. You deny the Lord three times. It says the Lord predicted. That's encouraging to me. Does ice grow up? And I know that if my relationship with Jesus was based on how well I feel like I'm doing.

it would just be like on a treadmill that ever forever gets steeper and steeper and faster and faster of trying to labor to enter into the rest that Jesus has purchased purchased for me and I hope that is for you that we see that it's truly is the hardest time to buy Faith to leave the promises of Jesus is when we stumble when we fall down and this story Jesus John gives to us about Peter shows that That we can stumble but if we're in Christ if we believe and receive him God's not through with us God is going to use those opportunities of stumped. I'll be able to grow closer to him. Draw near to him to become mature to the circumstance of the trial of The Stumbling it we have occurred and we see that here. So we see the title of Arts my side here is love. It should be our motivation. We see Jesus coming to Peter and saying this is your motivation write three different times. It says he more than likely this is because he denied Jesus three times. He's reiterating the point where is 15 when they had eaten breakfast Jesus as Simon Peter Simon, son of John. Do you love me more than these and more than these commentators? The Bible is not clear as to exactly what he was referencing most most would either agree that it's the big the amount of fish that were caught in the before that or maybe it was the disciples. Do you love me more than these disciples love me? It's not exactly sure but probably one of those two different things that Jesus is referring to someone but the point is what's cash. Forest is that Jesus is driving home a point about what our affections and what our love is set on.

So if you love me more than these, yes, Lord, he said to him you know that. I love you. And his response to him was feed my Lambs. The second time he has some Simon son of John. Do you love me? Yes Lord. He said to him, you know that I love you. And so Jesus response to him was Shepherd my sheep. And then third time he asked them that their time Simon son of John. Do you love me and Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time. Do you love me? He said Lord, you know everything you know that I love you. And here we are again again John sliding in this attribute this non communicable attribute that only God has it only God knows all things and is ascribing this to the Sun. God the son Jesus Christ Lord, you know everything because like I know, you know everything you know that I love you.

Ms. Response feed my sheep. And so we see this picture of really the Christian walk when Jesus calls us into new life and to follow after him to do and gives us the new heart. He's calling us to a life that that begins the journey to glorify God in our lives and not acquiesce to the things in the desires that we may want personally, but it's about living for Jesus and and also Jesus is pointing Peter to this look if you love me if that is your motivation. If you truly love me then this is what I expect from you. The motivation is Peter's love for Jesus. And Jesus is asking Peter specifically to what? fetus people the feed the Lambs the feed the Young maybe that's the children that are downstairs and Sunday school or new Believers. The gospel comes the Great Commission is is a call to to go out and baptize people in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and then to disciple them. And there's been a tendency in the west if they have a big emphasis on calling people and asking them to believe in the Lord Jesus and and then Gathering the numbers is this that's a successful Mark of a of a church, but then letting those disciples just Wither on the vine and not taking the time to disciple them. And that's what Jesus is referring to I believe in though in the feed my Lambs feed their young and Christ. Make sure you disciple my church. My people feed my sheep Shepherd. My sheep was the second one, right? The shepherd Motif is to all throughout scripture and we see that look in the cover that as we go. but the first thing I want to focus on at least for us something that we can take away from this interaction between Peter and Jesus is that love should be our motivation that if we are doing it for serving God out of just a sense of obligation or sense of Duty Our sense of well, that's what people expect of me. So therefore I'm going to do it. It's the wrong motivation. Our motivation should be our love for Jesus and we see this this that idea Bill Terry Wright. The people came and John 13. He's up in the upper room. And he says I give you a new command love one another just as I have loved you. You are also to love one another. This is the new command writes where everything should be done with the basis as Jim mentioned in his scripture reading this morning. Everything should be done based on This Love This sacrificial love that's painted to us how Jesus demonstrated his love by sacrificing himself for us. We too should sacrifice ourselves for others. That's the idea. We going to burst 35 but this by this everyone will know that you are my disciples. If you love one another if we truly want to be an example a light in this world. These are the things that the scriptures call is to. To love one another to be put others needs before ourselves. And this love is again our motivation that should compel us to live for Christ to live for the glory of God.

2nd Corinthians Paul writes to the church and says this for the love of Christ compels us the love that we have for Christ compels us to live for him. As we meditate on what God has truly done what is truly saved us from and what Jesus has dimming. How did Jesus has demonstrated his love to us? That is the love that should compel us to live for him. And he goes on to save this is why the love of Christ should compel us since we have reached this conclusion that one died for all Jesus died for all and therefore all died that second death of spiritual separation. Everyone's born into that. And he died for all so that those who live those who receive and believe Jesus will be beige born again will live Eternal have eternal life that is found in the presence of God for all of eternity. And he died for all those who live so so that all those who live should no longer live for themselves.

But for the one who died for them. and was raised I'm So This Love Of Christ is what should compel us to be our motivation. And so I often Council people that are

Burnt out or fill over works. You know what you need to take some time and just Instead of work work work just be with the Lord. Call out to him. renew your relationship with him take the time to take what we need to do to to make sure that our Focus individually stays on Christ and that it is our love for him that compels us to do these things. David Wright in his first epistle right wheel of Christ because are we love God because God first loved us. We love God because we've seen God's love demonstrated in Jesus.

in the Book of Revelation John again Has this vision from the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus tells John to write these things down for the churches in Chapter 2 in the in the Church of Ephesus. This is what Jesus told John to write that says the one who holds the Seven Stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your Works your labor and your endurance and that you cannot tolerate even people so he's saying look, I see you. I see that you're working. You're you're doing all these things that everyone says you should be doing. I see him you have tested those who call themselves Apostles and are not until they're having discernment and you have found them to be Liars. I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name and you have not grown weary, but then he says this but I have this against you. You have abandoned the love you had at first. important that we have the right motivation to live for Jesus the father after Jesus You're doing all these wonderful things, but you've abandoned that first love.

Remember them how far you have fallen repents and do the works you did at first. He's telling the church to go back. Turn back to what truly started you off in this journey. Go back to the first love the love of Christ actually from pelas. And then the warning to the church is otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand. We can't be a lights. a spiritual light in this world unless were operating under. The guys are the things that God has laid out for us. I remove your last name from this place unless you were pants. And so I solved Love Again should be our motivation. If we don't take anything away from this sermon today that should be our motivation for us and and take the time. Please step away from serving. If you need to take to regenerate your Serta rest into this focus on the Lord. These are all things that I would encourage you to do in a small church. We have to wear many hats and I can be labor some sometimes. If we don't have our Focus On Christ, and the love that we have for him as a motivation, those are the times we need to step back and say wait I need to realign myself. What God desires I need to focus on my first love the love I have for Christ. And then there's this Motif that is being laid out here that Jesus references again. He says feed my Lambs feed my sheep right Shepherd my sheep and this is the shepherd Motif all throughout scripture. And we remember that the Book of Revelation or the gospel the Gospel of John was written the later of later than the other three synoptic gospels and John really wrote it in a time. When when the Jewish leaders were begin to start instituting laws to those who follow the Nazarene those who claim Jesus to be the Messiah. They weren't allowed to go into the synagogues anymore and these things begin to happen until people begin to question whether or not following Jesus was was the right thing to do. And so it's John uses this opportunity to demonstrate layout why people should believe and receive Jesus as the Messiah the Son of God that he was God In the Flesh and he makes that beautiful argument and then in his gospel. But these are the people that he's riding to and so more than likely as their reading how Jesus is Calling Peter to feed his sheep. They're their resting back to the Old Testament Latif as well. Can we find hearing Ezekiel Ezekiel? How did God send his Ezekiel to the leaders the Shepherds of Israel and just basically said look you are feeding yourselves and not my sheep, and I'm going to lay out judgement against you. Ezekiel 34 verses 8 through 10

Does this eyes I live this is the Declaration of the Lord God because my glock locking a Shepherd has become prey and food for every wild animal because my shepherd do not search for my flock and because the shepherd's feed themselves rather than my flock there for you Shepherd's hear the word of the Lord Eric Thomas write a mad. This is what the Lord God says. Look I'm against the Shepherds. I would demand my flock from them and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherd's will no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths and so they will not be food for them. I'm so we see the shepherd multi being played out in Ezekiel where God saying, look I've sent Shepherd's the Shepherds have Bill in their own bellies and not feed in my flock and he openly says I'm going to rescue my sheet from you. and then Jesus arrives on the scene and then Jon Tenney declares himself to be I am the Good Shepherd. And the Good Shepherd is the one who lays down his life for his sheep. And so no doubt the readers of John's time would read that and say wow.

Jesus is Calling Peter to Shepherd to be the shepherd. that Shepherds over Israel failed to be And here in the New Testament context of the New Testament Church, right God has called another term for pastor is is a bishop or a shepherd and the truly under separate until I'm called to feed God's people to give them spiritual nourishment. It shouldn't be about me to be about pointing you to Jesus.

And that's the call that summoned in the Church of in called choose to to be the undershepherd of the Good Shepherd. He is your ultimate Shepherd, but it's truly a responsibility for people that are claimed to be pastors or shepherds are under shepherds are Bishops to be in it for the right motivation again, right that their love for Jesus first and foremost. I'm taking on that responsibility. And so I say that because there's so many different people who claim to be a Christian church or out there. Doing everything they can to get into people's pockets to reclaim health wealth and prosperity in the name of Jesus and it sickens me. And it's the same context that is equal speaking to. And so we should all have discernment as to what the motivation of a undershepherd is. And be able to call them out when we see them being deliberately working against what they've been called to be. No going back here are texture and John 21 verses 18 through 22.

You see this beautiful picture of Jesus and Peter having to reconcile relationship all is well and Jesus calling him to serve his sheep to minister to a sheep to Shepherd them to feed them. Let me see that the love for our for our savior is the motivation. And then ultimately what Jesus is Calling every believer to not just Peter and John. What is a life from the moment you receive Jesus is a life that you begin to abandon. Your own desires and your own things and you begin to live your life for Jesus to follow after him. Truly I tell you when you were younger. You would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don't want to go. And so he's saying look when you're young you get to go wherever you want, but they're coming the time when someone's going to tie you and Carrie where you don't want to go and we know Church tradition says that Peter was crucified just as a savior some would say upside down.

And so we see here in verse 19 that John is telling us this because this is the way Jesus was telling Peter how he was going to die to glorify God. He said that the indicated by what kind of Death Peter would glorify God with follow me. Yeah, right.

The disciples didn't follow Jesus because they thought it was a get-rich-quick scheme. They could write they followed Jesus because of their love for him and the promises he's given them. And so after this you told them follow me. Follow me.

And that's another multi that sin scripture right while you back in Deuteronomy chapter 6 God tells his people do not follow other gods. The gods of the peoples around you for the Lord. Your God was in Ramon you is a jealous God.

He goes on in Deuteronomy 13. You must follow the lord your God and fear Him. That is what we are created for us to follow or God. You must keep his commands and listen to him. You must worship Him and remain faithful to him. And so this idea of following our God is again repeated in the New Testament context of Jesus that all who Proclaim is Neymar to follow him. and seek him

First 20 so Peter turn around and saw the disciple. Jesus loved following them. This is John. This is how you always refer them to herself. Right the disciple whom Jesus loved Esau Peter. Saw him saw John the one you had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked Lord. Who is the one that's going to betray you back in John 13 in the upper room just before Judas was to betray Jesus, right? And it was John that lean back and asked you that question. So John just telling me explaining who this person that Peters looking at is John when Peter saw him he said to Jesus Lord, what about him?

And this is Jesus responsible 22 and if if I want to remain until I come if I want him to remain until I come Jesus answered. What is that to you as for you you follow me. I want another great lesson that we have here how it's so easy for us to compare ourselves with other people. They will I'm doing more than this person. So I might be doing pretty good job here. And you know, what about this person? I can't believe this person is doing that. You have a tendency to be that at least I do to be that type of person and so Jesus the Same look this this this request to follow me requires a an intense Focus to focus after after Jesus alone. And not be worried about other people. We can only control our own actions.

And so we can spend time and energy judging and comparing one another as Paul warned against in his letters to to the Corinthian Church. But Jesus is saying Peter don't worry about John that's for you. Follow me. And I think that we can take that teaching in applied to our own selves this morning. What about you? best for you You need to follow Jesus.

Jesus salute recordings of Jesus, expounding upon this command to follow him and Luke chapter 9 Luke chapter 9 verse 23 says this then he said to them all if anyone wants to follow after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily. And follow me. I'm so this is the tricky part of Christianity right there. The call is to follow Jesus to call isn't just have received Jesus as your sleep and then going living however you want. The call is to follow after Jesus to deny your own self and to take up your cross daily. We know Jesus had to carry his cross to gotha right in the place of judgment. He couldn't quite make it cuz he has been wave so bad until some guy named Simon helped them out, but it was a common tradition for people in that time that they were executed to judgment or to death that they would have to carry at least they're at the crossbeam of the of the cross that they were going to go to that place of execution and they would have to carry it to that place from that place of judgment. As a token of humiliation and Scorn and and all those things. But what's interesting about that Journey for any convicted felon felon or person that was going to be crucified was that we all know it was a then they knew it was a one way Journey. Right there were going to a place to die. They weren't coming back. Their Journey was a place to die in so I believe that's what John is inspiration. The spirit has its painting to us what it looks like for us to follow after Jesus. It's a one way Journey. We're pursuing Jesus. We're not going to turn back to our former ways in a former life and and keep some of the stuff. We really liked and still it's about following after Jesus to take up our cross daily. I don't believe this means that we need to deny ourselves of all pleasures and all those things that I don't believe that's what Jesus wants from us. But it's just say I believe I thought of look I have decided to follow Jesus. There's no turning back. Wherever the Lord takes me.

I'm going to give it to him I desire our hearts and be our desires to be delivered lives for the glory of God.

Take up your cross. Daily, right doesn't just happen once every day. It's a challenge for us to put the death the desires that we have and seek after Jesus to follow up for him to glorify him and then getting back to her texts and John 21 verses 23 through 25 This is the End folks. last two verses of John and I've been titled it so that you may believe I saw this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that disciple would not die. So when Jesus tells Peter look if I want him to be around when I come back what is that to you? And so the rumor begin to be spread that John wasn't going to die until Jesus second return until John's taking this opportunity that in his conclusion to just satisfy and harsh the rumor that he was going to live until Jesus return because he has he says yes, Jesus did not tell him that he would not die. But if I want him to remain until I come Jesus had the power to do it. It didn't mean Jesus said he was going to do it is ultimately what he's saying. What is that to you?

And the number is 24. This is the disciple who testifies to these things was testifying about himself you saying I wrote them down and we know that his testimony is true again demonstrating to his readers. Of his desire to communicate the truth of who Jesus is and why we should receive them believe him as the Messiah the Son of God. It goes on and verse 25 to conclude this way and there are also many other things that Jesus did which of every one of them were written down. I suppose not even the world is self contained the books. That would be Johnson point of the use of hyperbole hear you saying? He's Jesus did so many other things. This is just a small fraction of what Jesus did in his Earthly Ministry. I thought you liked me your kind of like how I wonder what else he did. You know, what else we're going to find out. And that's the good news. I'm going to have all of eternity. to be with Jesus learning C in witness how good he truly is? All because what he's done for us. so the command I think the takeaway for me and I hope for you this morning is don't worry about other people ask for you. You follow Jesus.

He would also say those who lose their life for my sake will find it following. Jesus is The means in which we can have a truly satisfied life a life of contentment because we're not pursuing and chasing the things of this world were pursuing what we originally designed for not slip for the glory of God. And then that we walk in the fruit of the spirit. We have the spirit that he promises to give us as we attempted to walk and follow after him. So the command to follow Jesus is not some arbitrary thing. Where would I call we just got to do it. And that you will find life and find it. Abundantly. Jesus said not as my prayer for us this morning. Dogs, we just come before your throne and just want to say thank you for your goodness and thank you for the opportunity Lord to be able to walk through the Gospel of John B. Thank you for preserving it for us that we

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