Greg Laurie - Do You Love Me? (07/08/2017)
- Watch
- Donate
- Become Partner
Pastor Greg Laurie shares a message from John 21 titled "Do You Love Me?" focusing on Jesus' post-resurrection breakfast with the disciples and His threefold question to Peter. He highlights Peter's restoration after denial, emphasizing that true love for Christ shows through obedience, longing for fellowship with God, loving what He loves, hating evil, loving other believers, and eagerly awaiting His return.
Opening Prayer and Personal Update
Well, good evening. Let's pray together.
Father, we are glad to be here tonight to worship You, to hear Your Word, and then to honor and remember all that Jesus did for us as we come to the communion table. So bless His service, we pray, and be glorified in it. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, good evening. Good to be back again. As Mike said, we got back from Israel recently. Yeah, had a great time. And my wife and I went a little ahead of time and celebrated our 40th anniversary over there as well. So that was fun. We went to England and we were able to visit the home of C.S. Lewis. That was one of the highlights of the trip. We were given like a personal tour and sat in the room where he would write and study. And this is the home known as the Kilns because they originally made brick there when he and his brother Warren, known as Warnie, bought it. And this is the home where C.S. Lewis wrote Mere Christianity and of course the Chronicles of Narnia. And he is one of my heroes. I quote him in so many sermons. And so what a great mind he was. And that was a lot of fun. And then we were in Italy for a little bit of time. And I put on 10 pounds. Pasta, pizza, pizza, pasta. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. And so a lot of that. Then our tour of Israel. And we have been back a few days. But it is good to be back again.
Upcoming Messages and Special Events
Hey, a couple of things I wanted to mention. Mike pointed out that I am speaking of Revelation on Sunday. Now we are going to get back into our series called God Came Nearer. But we are going to do a one-off message on the book of Revelation. I am calling it Revelation Rewind. It is the entire book of Revelation in 45 minutes. So it is a flyover needless to say. We are actually going through the book of Revelation on our radio broadcast, The New Beginning. This new book is out. So I have kind of got, I have got Revelation fever right now. So I will do this flyover this coming Sunday. And also next Thursday we continue in this series. We are calling The Greatest Stories Ever Told. And we are going to look at a day that launched the church into existence. A day that changed the world. The day of Pentecost in Acts chapters 1 and 2. So I will encourage you to read ahead.
Another thing I would mention, and Mike alluded to this. I do not know if you caught that. On Monday June 9th James Dobson is going to be here at Harvest Orange County. Now how many of you know who James Dobson is? Now how many of you do not know who James Dobson is? Some of you who are younger may not. This guy is a legend. He is one of those great men of God out there that has done so much for the faith. So much for the gospel. So much for the family. And he is doing a film series. And he asked me. We have become friends over the last few months. And he asked me if he could tape a film series at our church. And I said yes. And so he is going to be Sunday on June. Let us see. What is the date? June 8th he will be at Riverside. Harvest Riverside. And June 9th he will be here at Harvest Orange County. So this will be captured on film. They are going to use this to distribute around the world. But you will be able to be a part of a little bit of history as Dr. James Dobson and his son Ryan come and do a presentation. And I love his theme. He is going to talk about leaving a legacy. And this is going to be a night you will want to Mark on your calendar. This place will be quickly filled. So if you plan to be here you will need to get here earlier. So just Mark. Monday June 9th Dr. James Dobson will be here.
Introduction to John 21 – Breakfast with Jesus
Alright. Well let us turn in our Bibles now to John chapter 21. John chapter 21 and the title of my message is Do You Love Me? By the way that is not a personal question. It is something Jesus asked and we will look at it in a moment. I do not know about you but my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. That is right after lunch and dinner. No. I love breakfast. You know I love to wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon and toast and coffee. I just love breakfast. That will get me out of bed faster than anything I can think of.
Well let me ask you a question. If you could choose anyone in the world to personally make you breakfast who would you select? How about Jesus? Because that is what is happening in the story before us. It is a story of Jesus personally making and serving breakfast to His disciples after He Rose again from the dead. There is no doubt about it. Jesus Christ the Son of God loved to eat. We read about it constantly in His ministry. He loved to frequent the house of Mary and Martha. We know Martha was a great cook. And He loved to sit at her table and eat her food. We know that Jesus after He Rose again from the dead wanted to prove He was in a real physical body by asking for something to eat. Give me a piece of fish to eat He said. He even used the idea of eating to communicate what it was to have a relationship with God when He says in Revelation 3 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man will hear my voice and open the door I will sup with him. Now that is King James 4. Eat with you.
And you know back in the first century when they would have a meal it was different than it is today. They did not have fast food restaurants. They did not have McFalafels or something. I do not know what they would call it. McDavid's. Who knows. But you pull in your chariot. Yeah. No. It was not like that at all. The meal was the main event of the day. You would come home. You would wash. And then you would lay down or sit down and even recline. Around a table you would have various types of sauces that you would dip your food in. Think hummus and pita bread. You ever had that? Or for more of us. Chips and salsa. Right. Same idea. Where you would dip these little bits of unleavened bread in their various sauces. Eat different kinds of fish and so forth. And that was the big event. That was the meal. That is where you would let your hair down. In my case that would be singular. One hair. Here. It is back again.
But Jesus loved to eat. And so here we see him breaking bread with his disciples. But before we get to the story in John 21, let us pick up where we last left off on the greatest stories ever told. Jesus is on his way to the cross. From his birth he lived in the shadow of the cross. He knew what was coming. He spoke of it constantly. But the disciples missed that memo altogether. So when he rode into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey. And they laid the palm branches at his feet. And the people cried, Hosanna. Our Lord knew it was only a matter of hours until the same fickle multitudes would instead be chanting, Crucify him.
Peter's Fall – From Boasting to Bitter Weeping
Jesus of course was betrayed. He was arrested. He was beaten. And then he was murdered in cold blood. And needless to say his disciples were devastated. Though he spoke of this constantly, they never were really prepared for it. And so they scattered. So the last time we see Simon Peter in the Gospel narrative, he has clearly backslidden. He has publicly denied ever knowing Jesus Christ to the point of even taking an oath and effectively saying, I swear to God, I never knew Jesus. So he has crashed and burned. And this, by the way, was the result of a number of steps he took in the wrong direction. Reminding us that no one falls away overnight. I mean if you see someone who has turned their back on their faith, I can tell you there were a lot of steps that have led to that that you just may not be aware of. No one backslides overnight. You don't call up your Christian friend and say, Hey bro, you want to backslide with me tonight? You know, it is a series of steps.
And surely it was that case for Simon Peter as he began to boast in the upper room. And I think that was his first step down when Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples. And they were having the Last Supper together. And Jesus said, One of you is going to betray me. And Peter thought that would be a great opportunity to boast of his loyalty to Christ. And said, Hey, I don't know about that, but they will all deny you. I will never deny you. Jesus said, Well, since you brought it up, before the roosters crowed twice, you will deny three times that you ever knew me. And Peter effectively tells Jesus he is wrong. So Peter's first step down was pride and self-confidence and also making himself look good at the expense of others.
But here is the thing. Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. So now we see them making their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Lord asks Peter, James, and John to stay up with him. He just needed a little companionship, some friends, as he was contemplating the horrors of the cross. And Dr. Luke uniquely records that at this moment, Jesus' sweat is a word great drops of blood. Some believe that that may have been a medical condition that doctors today call hematidrosis, which is a condition that can happen when a person is under extreme stress. They will, in effect, sweat blood. Not pure blood, but there will be bits of blood mixed with your perspiration when you are under intense pressure. Maybe that is what Christ was experiencing. Having complete foreknowledge, He knew exactly what was about to happen.
But Peter, James, and John, they fell asleep. And now here come the temple guards to apprehend Jesus. Now Peter may not have done a great job in the prayer department, but here is something he can handle. He pulls out his sword, and off comes the ear of the high priest's servant. And Jesus says, put that thing away. Don't you know that I can call right now for twelve legions of angels to come to my aid? Well, Peter looked pretty brave at that moment, but that so-called courage did not last long. They took the Lord away. We read that he followed at a distance. And his short-lived bravery quickly gave way to raw fear, leading to that open denial. And of course, right after he denied Jesus for the third time, the Bible says he made eye contact with the Lord. So the Lord was brought out of this little trial he was facing. And as they passed in the night, in the glow of the fire, Peter saw Jesus. And then we read, Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Peter's Restoration – From Failure to Recommissioning
Then our Lord is taken to the cross. He is beaten beyond human recognition. The last night Simon Peter, ahead of his Lord, was hanging on a cross, and his whole world came crumbling around him. And he never was able to say to Jesus he was sorry, but the resurrection of Christ changed all of that. It changed Peter and a group of disillusioned, discouraged, and frightened followers, and the bold and courageous disciples who changed the world. Imagine Peter's shock and surprise when he hears the message of the angels, go tell the disciples and Peter he is risen. I love that. Tell the disciples and Peter. Not tell the disciples and Peter, James, and John. No. Tell Peter specifically he is risen. Why was that said? Because Peter needed a word of encouragement.
So Peter and John run to the tomb. They find it empty. John looks in, sees the sort of cocoon like shape, the bandages that have been wrapped around the body of Christ laying there. But the body was gone, of course. John looks in, sees it, and believes. Peter comes in, sees the same scene, and the word that is used to describe his reaction is, could be translated, he didn't quite understand it. He was still questioning it. Well, we don't know when this happened, but sometime after the Lord Rose, and before the event we're reading about now, Jesus and Peter met together. And that is where our Lord forgave Peter.
So now as we come to John chapter 21, we find Peter really not knowing what to do. I mean, what did he do for a living? He was a fisherman. And Jesus is risen, and that's fantastic, but he doesn't know what to do, so he goes back to his trade, and he starts fishing. He probably figured, I mean, surely God isn't going to use me anymore. I know he called me to be a Fisher of men earlier on, but that must be null and void. So I'll go back to what I used to do. One thing at least I am an expert on.
Deja Vu at the Sea – Another Miraculous Catch
And so he is out fishing, and just like before, he catches nothing. So let's read now John 21. Quite a few verses. I am going to read verses 1-17. And by the way, I am reading from the New Living Translation. Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there. Simon Peter, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, that would be James and John, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, I am going fishing. Well, come too, they all said. So they went out into the boat, and they caught nothing all night. At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach. But they couldn't see who he was. He called out, Friends? Or boys? Have you caught any fish? No, they replied. Then he said, Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will catch plenty of fish. So they did. And they couldn't draw on the net, because there were so many fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved, this would be John the Apostle, said to Peter, It is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he put on his tunic, for he was stripped for work, jumped into the water, and swam ashore. The others stayed with the boat, pulled the loaded net to the shore, because they were only 300 feet out. When they got there, they saw a charcoal fire was burning, and fish were frying over it. And there was bread. Bring some of the fish you've caught, Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to shore. There were 150 large fish, and the net hadn't torn. Jesus said, Come now and have some breakfast. No one dared ask if he really was the Lord, because they were sure of it. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples, since he had been raised from the dead. After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Underline the phrase, more than these. Yes, Lord, Peter replied. You know I love you. Jesus said, Then feed my lambs. Jesus repeated the question. This is the second time he asked it. Simon, son of John, do you love me? Notice he doesn't ask more than these this time. Yes, Lord, Peter says. You know I love you. Well then take care of my sheep, Jesus said. Once more he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, Lord, you know everything. You know I love you. Jesus said, Then feed my sheep. We will stop there.
Is that not a great story? Really one of the greatest ever told. As our story begins, it is deja vu time for the disciples. They fished all night and caught nothing. Now in their defense, as I said earlier, they didn't know what to do at this point. The Lord was risen, but they were uncertain about their future, so they went fishing. This reminds us of the first time Jesus called Peter. There's a lot of similarities. Both of those occasions happened at the Sea of Galilee. Both times Peter couldn't catch a single fish. On the first occasion Jesus asked Peter if he could borrow his boat for an impromptu sermon. Because the crowds were always pressing on him. So they pushed out a little from the land. The Lord stood on Peter's boat. Spoke to the multitudes. And Peter is just sort of sitting there taking it all in. Kind of a captive audience. And after they are done, Jesus turns to Peter and says, well, let's go out fishing. Because if you throw out your nets, you'll catch many fish. Peter said, now, Master, we've toiled all night and we've caught nothing. Nevertheless said, your word will do it. Now we wonder how Peter said that. Because it's interesting. The phrase he uses there for Master is a nautical term that means Captain of this ship. So did Peter say it this way, well, Lord, we've told all night and we've caught nothing. Nevertheless, Captain of this ship, at your word will do it. But did he say it with sarcasm? We've told all night and we've caught nothing. Nevertheless, Captain, at your word will do it. I think it was probably the former, We are not the latter. But effectively Peter was suggesting, Hey Lord, with all due respect, when it comes to rabbis and teachers, you are the top. But you are kind of a landlubber. You know, you are from Nazareth. We have been raised on the shore of Galilee. We are fishermen. Our skin is tanned from the sun. We know this lake. I don't think we are going to catch anything. But we will give it a go.
Well of course they pulled in so many fish they couldn't handle them all. And that is when Peter falls down before Jesus and says, Depart from me. I am a sinful man. In other words, Lord, don't waste your time with me. I am going to disappoint you. I am going to let you down. Then Jesus says to Peter, From this point on, If you follow me, I will make you a Fisher of men.
Jesus' Probing Question – Do You Love Me More Than These?
So now here we are. Back to square one. Peter is out fishing. Catching nothing. Sounds familiar. You know, sometimes when you have fallen, it is good to go back to where it all began. Let us say your marriage is starting to unravel. You say, Where did it go wrong? What has happened? Well maybe you need to get back to the romance department. Remember when you first started going out with your wife or your husband-to-be and how you would actually take a shower before you went out with them. And actually try to have some manners and make a good impression on them. Maybe you even brought them a little gift to show your affection for them. And now, of course, you bring a little gift. It is dirty laundry or, you know. You don't do the basic things anymore. That is why I actually think it is a good idea when I hear of married couples having a date night. Where it is just them going out and keeping that romance alive in a marriage. That is something you need to work at. So go back to where you were before. Actually when Jesus is talking to the church of Ephesus and had left their first love, He gave them the three R's of getting right with God. He said, Remember from where you have fallen. Repent and do the first works quickly. So the three R's of getting right with God are remember, repent, and repeat. First, remember. Remember how it used to be. Now, repent. Change your direction. Thirdly, repeat. It is good to go back to where you were. You know, if you get lost, retrace your steps. Go back to where you were in the beginning. And then you can find your way. And that is effectively what the disciples do here.
And in the same way, God wants us all to be fishers of men. And so here they are, out fishing. It is early morning. The sun is still rising. They see a silhouette on the shore. They cannot quite make out who it is. And a voice calls out, Children, do you have any food? Now the word that is used here can be translated children or boys. Now, that can be a condescending term. If used by someone you don't know. You know, if someone says to you, they are a little bit older, Well, son, come here. Children, let me ask you a question. Boys? It can be condescending. But then if you are close, it can be a friendly term. You go up and see your buddies. Hey boys, what's up? So of course this was friendly. This was affectionate. But they did not know it was Jesus yet.
He asked a fascinating question. Do you have any food? Did you catch anything? Did you know that God likes to ask questions? Back in the Garden of Eden, after Adam had eaten of the forbidden fruit, God comes in the cool of the day, walking in the garden, and He says, Adam, where are you? Why did God ask where Adam was? Do you think God was oblivious to the whereabouts of Adam? Adam, that's like playing hide-and-seek with a one-year-old. You know exactly where they are. It's a problem with playing hide-and-seek with my grandkids. They find a good hiding place, and after I find them, they go back to the same place again. God knew where Adam was. Where are you? Really what He was asking is, Adam, are you ready to come clean? Are you ready to admit what you've done? It was not looking for Adam's location. It was asking for Adam's confession. And then He asked them the question, Did you eat of the tree I commanded you not to eat of? And then He asked the woman, What is this that you have done? God wanted acknowledgement.
In the same way, we have the story of Elijah, who after his great contest with the prophets of Baal up in Mount Carmel, heard that Jezebel wanted him dead, and he freaked out. And so he went into hiding. And he was in some little cave. And the Lord comes and speaks to him and says, Elijah, what are you doing here? See, these are questions to sort of identify the problem. The answer would be, I'm hiding because I'm afraid, Lord. And so in the same way, Hey guys, did you catch anything? How did that work out for you? Have you been successful? Do you like the course your life is taking? Are you willing to admit your failure? See, before we can find God's forgiveness and His restoration, we must admit our need. No excuses. We must acknowledge what we have done. He doesn't ask a question to humiliate us, but to show us our failure and potentially turn it into a success.
So Jesus says, Why don't you throw the net on the other side of the boat? So here's the point. When God tells us to do something, we need to do it. And there are times when I am certain that God speaks to your heart to throw the net, and I think we fail to see those opportunities. Jesus said, Check this out. The fields are white to harvest. Just look around. There's non-believers everywhere, but the laborers are few. And I think if we would get up in the morning and say, Alright, Lord. If you want me to share the gospel with someone, I'll do it. If you want me to engage someone in conversation, I'll do it. If you want me to ask a person if they want to accept you, I'll do it, Lord. Lord, I'm willing to do what you want me to do. We need to do God's work and God's way and God's timing.
You know, sometimes we're tempted to cut corners. Maybe a great business deal comes your way. The only problem is to get the deal, you maybe have to fabricate the truth a little or exaggerate a little or misrepresent yourself. And if you do this, you'll make a lot of money. Well, that's not the way God would want you to go because He wants us to have personal integrity. He wants us to be honest. James says that we should be men and women of integrity with no weak spots. Sometimes we will lower our standards in order to extend our reach. Even in some churches today, there's a temptation to maybe water things down in such a way that it will make it more appealing to people. And that way more people will come. Listen, I'd rather not do that. I'd rather just give it to you as it's presented in Scripture. And as many people as want to come, can come. And if they don't want to come, they don't have to come. But I recognize that one day I'll stand before God and I'll be held accountable for what I have said as His representative. And so I think that we want to be very careful and do what God says in the way He tells us to do it.
Maybe you're single. How many of you are single? Raise your hand up. How many of you are happy you're single? Raise your hand up. How many of you would rather be married who are single? Raise your hand up. How many of you who are married? Raise your hand up. How many of you who are married are happy being married? Raise your hand up. How many of you who are married wish you were single again? Raise your hand up. Don't! Do not do it. But it gets hard when you are single. You know you are lonely. And you might think about compromising a little. Well you know I haven't met anyone in church. And I am going to go out with this non-believing guy or this non-believing girl and I am going to lead them to Christ. It has happened. But I have also seen non-believers lead believers away from Christ. And to be quite honest I have seen a lot more people fall away as they entered into relationships with non-believers and I have seen the non-believer come to Christ. That is why the Bible says don't be unequally yoked together with non-believers for what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness or light with darkness. So do God's will in God's way.
Hey Jesus says verse 6, cast them out on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish. Well of course they found a lot of fish. And John always the perceptive one says it is the Lord. Peter, you have got to love Peter, impulsively flings himself into the water and swims in. They are 300 feet out. That is a pretty long swim. And verse 9, and as soon as they had come to land they saw a fire of coals there and fish laid on it and bread. And Jesus said bring some of the fish which you have just caught. And Jesus said come and eat breakfast. Isn't this an inviting scene? Can you see it right now? Jesus making breakfast. I mean think about this. He made breakfast. He could have just spoken it into existence. He could have given them stuff they had never had before. Captain Crunch. Boom. What is this yellow? Is this manna Lord? No it is Captain Crunch. Or bacon and eggs. Well good Jewish boys wouldn't eat bacon. But. in the New Covenant we can. Hallelujah.
What I love about this. He is the creator of the universe and human form. He has been crucified and resurrected. And He takes the time to make breakfast for His disciples. I want you to notice something else. He says bring me the fish you have caught. Did He need the fish they have caught? No. No. Bring me the fish you have caught. He says. What does that show us? He wants to use what we have so we can participate in His working. And this is a principle we see constantly in Scripture. That God takes what we have and uses it. Does God need what we have? No He doesn't. When God asks us to invest financially in His kingdom. Is this because God needs our money? Poor God. I need a loan man. No. This has nothing to do with the need of God. This is about your need. Not God's need. This is about your need to demonstrate your faith in a tangible way by having skin in the game and investing financially. And if you are not willing to do that. Oh I won't give any of my resources to God. It is all for me. What does that say about your faith? Because Jesus says where a man's treasure is there will his heart be also. You want to know what a person is passionate about? Check out their checkbook. Check out where their money goes and you will find it what their focus on life is. And if I have no place for God's kingdom that is not about helping out poor God or even helping out the poor church. That is about giving me an opportunity to be blessed and lay up for myself treasure in heaven. And if that statement makes you tense there is something wrong with you spiritually. You should be saying amen. That is right. You should be saying oh no he is talking about money. Oh no. That is your problem. Your very reaction shows there is a problem. Why? Because that is often the last thing we turn over to God.
Six Litmus Tests – How Do You Know You Love the Lord?
Now you may come to God with very little ability. You are not the most talented person. You are not the most gifted person. God can do a lot with a little. If you do not believe me ask the little boy with the loaves and the fishes. Jesus has 5,000 people plus women and children to feed. What does he do? He takes the lunch of a little boy. Probably in a little metal lunch box you know. And blesses it and multiplies it and feeds all those people. We see this principle often in Scripture. Not because God needs us but because God wants us and we partner with him.
It is worth noting that human labor was involved in almost all of the miracles of Jesus. By that I mean he had participation on the part of the person that the miracle was happening in. By the way this is the last miracle Jesus ever performed on this earth. And what is significant is how simple yet how profound it was. His first miracle was turning water into wine. So think about the first and last miracle of Jesus. The first He turns water into wine. The second He materializes fish. They both happened in Galilee. In both miracles they had more than they could handle as a result. And in both miracles people played a role. With the miracle of the turning of water into wine He said fill the water pots full. He didn't have to have that happen. He could have snapped his fingers and they would have been full. Now here is your part now. You do your part and I will do my part. And in the case of the multiplying the fish He says throw the net on the other side of the boat.
Now here is where the problem is. Is we start thinking we are more important than we really are. We think it is all about us. That is a mistake. But when we think there is nothing for us to do that is a mistake as well. I mean think about this. God wants to reach a lost world. What does He need me for? Why does He need you? Why doesn't He just open up the heavens and poke His face through and say, Hi earth. I am God and you are not. And I think you all should believe in me right now. That would be pretty convincing. Or how about an army of angels flying to the heavens proclaiming the gospel. No. The primary way that God chooses to reach people is through people. Romans 10.14 says, How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? How can they believe in Him if they have not heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go without being sent?
So here is our scene now. Peter swims in 300 feet. He comes in dripping wet. Yet filled with excitement. Dragging the net full of fish. Peter must have been a pretty buff guy to pull one of those giant nets with all those large fish. He is pulling it in. And he plops it down. And He sees Jesus there with that little breakfast he has made. And I wonder if Peter had a little bit of a flashback. Oh right. Jesus in the glow of the fire. Where have I seen this before? Right. That is where I denied Him. That may have occurred to him. So then he sits down. And how easily Jesus could have just, you know, really put Peter in his place. Peter, why did you deny me man? He doesn't say that at all. Because Jesus is not there to condemn Peter. He is there to recommission him.
Notice in verse 15, Jesus waited until they were finished eating. Because this was going to be an intense conversation. You know, by the way, I know that sometimes we like to discuss big issues over dinner. Can you wait until the food is consumed? You know, you are all excited. Hey, I want to bring up something. Ah. Indigestion time. And by the way, can we not have long prayers before we eat? I know that makes you feel spiritual. But really, do we have to pray for everyone everywhere the food thought? Could we eat the food?
So Jesus waits until they are done eating. The food is digesting. I don't know if anything was said up to this point. And now Jesus breaks the silence. Verse 15, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? I want you to notice that Jesus does not refer to Peter as Peter as Peter. See, Peter's given name by his parents was Simon. He is the son of John. Jesus gave him a nickname, didn't He? From now on you will be called Peter. What does Peter mean? Rock. He was the rock. The original rock. Before Rocky Adrian. Before him. Before the rock that you see in movies. This was the rock. You are going to be called the rock. Jesus doesn't call him that. He says, Hey, Simon, son of John. You know why? Simon, son of John, hadn't been behaving like the rock lately. See, the rock speaks of something stable and something strong. Peter hadn't been that for a while. So he uses his regular name. Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? More than what? More than the fish? I don't think so. I think he was referring to the others. Hey Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Probably gesturing to the other disciples. James and John and the others. He says, Remember Peter in the upper room? You said, The wall deny you. I will never deny you. How are you doing with that attitude? Is that still the way you see things? Do you love me more than these?
And in Peter's defense, he says, Lord, you know I love you. He didn't say, I love you more than these. He simply said, I love you. And Jesus said, Feed my lambs. Listen, don't ever boast of your commitment to Christ at the expense of someone else. Well, I love the Lord more than anybody. And my faith is stronger than anyone's faith. You know, don't do that. Just say, I love you, Lord. Peter had learned from his mistakes and realized he was not as strong as he thought. You know, sometimes. we underestimate how strong our faith is. We see somebody going through a hardship. You know, we don't have enough faith for that. Or we see somebody lose a loved one, a child even. We say, Oh man, if that happened to me, I don't think I could handle it. I used to say that quite honestly. And I said it as a pastor. Because I would be called to visit families who lost children. Many times through tragic accidents. And I would be there ministering to them. And I would walk away. I wouldn't say this out loud, of course. But I would say, I hope this never happens to me, because if it does, I don't think I could handle it. See, I didn't realize how strong my faith given to me as a gift from God would be. Because it did happen to me. And it has been the hardest thing that has ever happened to me. And continues to be, yes, six years later, the hardest thing that has ever happened to me. But God has been there with me, seeing me through it. So we often underestimate how strong faith will be.
Listen. God will give you what you need when you need it. Not necessarily before, and never after. He will give you the strength to help in time of need. So when you see a fellow Christian going through some hardship, and you say, I could never do that. Well you are not there. So God doesn't give you that faith that you need. But He gives it to them. And the grace as well. But then sometimes, on the other hand, we overestimate how strong our faith is. We overestimate. Someone falls into sin and we say, I'd never do that. Really? You sure about that, buckaroo? Let me say this to you. You have the ability to do that. If you were to lower your guard, you very well could end up doing that. David never thought he would fall into sin like he did. But he did. And it could happen to us. So let's not underestimate how strong our faith is. Let's not overestimate it. Let's trust in God.
And this is a probing question Christ asks, Do you love me? He is still asking it today. Do you love me? You know, what does it really mean to love the Lord? A lot of people are running around today saying, Oh, I love the Lord. I read an interesting little quote in the paper. A supermodel, Miranda Kerr, I think you pronounce her name, said in an interview, She is a Christian. She said, I am a Christian. I pray every day. Beyoncé recently posted a note in her Facebook or Instagram page. Here is what Beyoncé wrote. Quote, Lord, I lift up every one of my relationships to you and ask you to bless them. I pray that each one would be glorifying to you. Help me to choose my friends wisely so I won't be led astray. Give me discernment and strength to separate myself from anyone who is not a good influence. Okay. And then Kim Kardashian recently tweeted, Women of Christ, Jesus is my top priority. Justin Bieber tweets about his faith constantly.
Now here is my point. Am I in a position to say if these people are or are not Christians? Absolutely not. In fact, if I were to say they aren't Christians, that would be doing exactly what Jesus told me not to do and judging them. You see. Understand, I know that everyone loves to quote, Judge not lest you be judged. By the way, that is a nonbeliever's favorite verse. They don't know any other verse in the Bible. Hey man, judge not lest you be judged. That does not mean I should not evaluate or be discerning as a Christian. What it means, better translation, condemn not lest you be condemned. I am in no position to condemn any other person and say, Oh, they are not a Christian. How do I know? I don't know them personally. But can I judge fruit or a lack thereof in their life? Yes, I can do that.
So how do we know if a person is really a believer? We look for evidence in their life, not mere words. Now, here I am going to give to you in closing six litmus tests to see if you love the Lord or not. And by the way, don't worry about Beyonce, Kim, or Justin. Apply this to yourself. Ask yourself, Is this true of me? It is very easy to say, Well, they don't love the Lord. Do you love the Lord? Let us get down to that. How can you tell if you love the Lord? We love to say, I love the Lord. What does that mean? I am a Christian. Okay. Sixth litmus test. Let us see how we do.
Number one, a person who really loves the Lord will long for personal communion with God. Again, a person who really loves the Lord, it is there on the screen if you are taking notes, will long for personal communion with God. Listen, when you love someone, you like to spend time with them. If there is someone you know, and you dread being with them, and you say you love them, one would question if you really love them. Because if you really love someone, you like to be with them, right? And I mentioned my wife and I have been married for 40 years. I like to hang out with my wife. Because I love her. Okay. Now in the same way, if we love God, we will want to be in fellowship with God. That is how it was for Adam and the Lord. Every day in Eden, the Lord would show up, and they would talk about the day together. And it was sin that severed this beautiful fellowship and friendship. If you long for God, you'll long for communion and fellowship with God. You'll look forward to praying. You'll long to open your heart to the Lord. Psalm 63, 2, the psalmist says, My soul thirsts for you. My whole body longs for you. In this parched and weary land where there is no water, your unfailing love is better to me than life itself. I praise you, Lord. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Do you do that? If you love the Lord, you will.
Number two, a person who loves the Lord will in turn love the things that He loves. You'll love the things that God loves. And we know what He loves by what He declares in His Word. The psalmist declares how I love your Word. It's my meditation all day long. Do you love the Word of God? Or do you dread reading the Word of God? Is it a drudgery? Is it a duty? Oh, all right. Just read it. Or do you long for it? Job said, I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. Do you love the church? That brings me to number three.
Six Tests Continued – Love for the Church and Hatred of Evil
If you love the Lord, you'll love other Christians. If you love the Lord, you'll love other Christians. 1 John 3, 14. If we love other Christian, it proves we pass from death to eternal life. But a person who doesn't love other Christians is still spiritually dead. Anyone who hates another Christian is a murderer at heart. And you know, murderers don't have eternal life within them. I've heard people say, well, I love Christ. I just don't love Christians. Then you don't love Christ. How can you love God? Let me restate that. How can you say that you love God who you can't see when you won't love people who you can see? The Bible asks this question. Now, I know Christians aren't perfect. And I know some Christians, honestly, are more lovable than others. You know, I mean, if everybody was attractive and funny and intelligent, and we love them, would that come as a surprise? I think the fact that we can love the unlovable Bible shows we pass from death to life. Jesus says, by this shall all men know you are my disciples, that you have loved one for another. If I just love cool people because I think I'm a cool person, that doesn't say anything. It's when I can love someone that's different than me, someone that maybe even rubs me a little bit the wrong way, but I can love them because they're a fellow brother or a fellow sister. So don't say to me, well, I love the church, or I love Jesus, but I don't love the church. That'd be like coming up to me saying, Greg, I love you, but I hate your wife. Hey, you want to get punched? That offends me. So don't you dare come to God and say, I love you, Lord, but I don't love your church. If you love the Lord, you'll love the church, and you'll love Christians, and you'll be an active part of the church. And you'll love what God is doing in the church, despite its flaws. And so that's number three.
Number four, if I really love God, listen to this, I'll hate the things that God hates. Did you know that part of love is hate? Oh no, we should never hate. Oh yeah, we should. We should hate. We should hate those things that are offensive to God. Because His nature is becoming my nature. Listen to Psalm 9710. You who love the Lord hate evil, for He protects the lives of His godly people, and rescues them from the power of the wicked. If I love the Lord, I'll hate evil. God hates sin, and I should do the same. The Bible tells me to abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good. And a lot of times people go, no, I don't want to hate. No, hate the things that are offensive to God. The problem is often we're drawn to evil. First as an observer, then a participator. Listen, don't flirt with evil. Run from it.
Here's another. Number five, if you really love the Lord as you claim to, you'll long for the return of Jesus Christ. Paul rejoiced that in the future, 2 Timothy 4, there is later for him a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, would not only give to him, listen, but to all who love His appearing. If you love Jesus, you'll love His appearing. What does that mean? That means that I live in a sense of readiness to meet Christ. And if Jesus comes back tonight, I say, I'm ready. And if Jesus comes back a month from now, or 10 years from now, that's up to Him. Only He knows the day of the hour. I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready for it. And I would say, if you dread the idea of the imminent return of Christ, that is a spiritual indicator you're not right with God. Because when a person is right with God, they'll say with the Apostle John, even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
It's easy to say you love the Lord. It's another thing to show it in the way that you live. And number six, and lastly, if you really love the Lord, you'll keep His commandments. If you love the Lord, you'll keep His commandments. Jesus said, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not through the things that I say? In John 14, 21 He said, he that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he that loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love Him. Don't tell me you love God, and then go out and break His commandments. Yeah, I love the Lord, man. I love Jesus so much. Let's get drunk now, okay? What? Yeah. No. Be not drunk with wine, the Bible says. But be filled with His commandments. I love the Lord so much, and I love my girlfriend that I'm sleeping with too. What? Don't tell me you love the Lord. Who are you to judge? Judge not. I'm fruit inspecting, buddy. It's not looking too good. Now I'm not going to make the final evaluation, but I'm telling you, if you love God, you'll do what God says. And if you're not doing what God says, one has to question how much you really love Him.
What if I walked up to you and I said, I loved you, and slapped you across the face. You'd say, wow, you have a strange way of showing your love. Yeah, that's just the way I express it. Okay. Then I apologize. I'm sorry. What was I thinking? I shouldn't slap you in the face. Sorry, man. I love you. Okay. Boom! I punch you in the stomach. What was that about? I don't know, man. I love you. I love you. Forgive me. Forgive me. Okay. And then I kick you in the shin. See, what you're going to start doing when I say how much I love you, you're going to keep distance from me. Because my actions contradict my words, don't they? So we say, oh, Lord, I love you. I love you. I lift my hands to you, Lord. I praise you, Lord. But I blatantly disobey you. I do things I know your word says I should not do. But I say I love you. No, you don't. If you love Him, do what He says. Show it tangibly as well as in your affection.
Jesus Recommissions Peter – Feed My Sheep
And so now Jesus says, Peter, do you love me more than everybody else? No, Lord. I just love you. Let me ask you again, Peter. Do you love me? Yeah, Lord, I love you. Well, feed my sheep. Hey, Peter, let me ask you one last time. Do you love me? Peter's like a little irritated. Kind of cracks me up. He's irritated with Jesus. Like that He asks him again. Yeah, Peter, count, buddy. Three. One, two, three. He asks you a question three times. How many times did you deny Him? All right, three. Maybe He just wants you to be really clear. And then Jesus recommissions him. See, Peter was going from a Fisher of men to a keeper of sheep. That was an upgrade. Hey, buddy, you've fished for men up to this point. Now I'm going to use you to tend to my flock. And he was recommissioned to serve the Lord.
You know, when we mess up, we think God could never forgive someone like me. God could never use someone like me. God could never recommission someone like me. Oh, yes, He could. And yes, He can. All Jesus wanted Peter to do was to confess his sin, which Peter did. And that's all He wants us to do. He is, in effect, saying to us, come and have breakfast. Now let's come and have fellowship together. Let's come and get to know one another. You come to me, but admit your sinfulness. Don't make excuses for it. Don't rationalize it. Don't justify it. Come.
And maybe there's some here that have joined us that have never come to Jesus yet. You know, you've gone to church before, but you can't remember a moment in your life where you have asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin. And you've not asked for Him to take residence in your heart in Jesus, who died on the cross for your sin and paid the price for every wrong that you and I have ever done. Rose again from the dead. And as I said earlier, He stands at the door of your life and He knocks and says, if you'll hear His voice and open the door, He'll come in. Would you like Jesus Christ to come into your life right now? Would you like your sin forgiven? Then we're going to close in prayer. And I'm going to give you an opportunity to believe in Jesus.
Let me add one last thing. In a moment, we're going to receive communion together. And by that, I mean, we're going to take the bread. And we're going to take the cup that symbolizes His broken body and His shed blood. And we're going to do that in remembrance of Him as Christ asked. And this is for Christians only. This is not for non-believers. Now we're not going to walk around like the gospel gestapo or something and, you know, interview you first. You're going to have to decide what you're going to do. But I would say to you, if you're not a Christian and have no intention of becoming a Christian, do not receive these elements of communion that we will distribute in a few moments. It's for believers only. But if you are a Christian, by all means, join us.
But here's something to think about. If you're not a Christian, you can become one right now and join us for communion by believing in Jesus. And if you've fallen away from the Lord, if you're one of those people that's living a compromised life and you've been saying you love the Lord, but you've been living in contradiction to that, here's an opportunity to make a recommitment.
Final Invitation and Communion Preparation
So, let's all pray together. Father, we've heard your word now. Now I pray for every person here that you'll help them to know you as they need to, or help them to come back to you if they should. And we just pray you'll work by your Holy Spirit in our midst. And while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying, how many of you would say tonight, Greg, I want Jesus Christ in my heart. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want Him as my Savior, and my Lord, and my God, and my friend. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus. Pray for me. If that's your desire, if you want Jesus to come into your life, and forgive you of your sin, would you raise your hand up right now, wherever you're sitting, and I'll pray for you. If you want Christ to come into your life, God bless you. God bless you. Lift your hand up or I can see it, if you would please. There in the back, God bless you. Anybody else? You want His forgiveness. Lift your hand up. I'll pray for you now. God bless you. God bless you up here in the front. Anybody else? You want His forgiveness. He's ready to forgive you and pardon you. They're in the corner there. God bless you guys. God bless you. God bless you in the middle. God bless you too. God bless each one of you.
While our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, you know, I made a commitment to Christ at one point, but I have been living a compromised life. I've been saying I love the Lord, but I've realized tonight I haven't been living as a Christian. I need to recommit my life to Jesus. If that's you, raise your hand up right now. Let me pray for you. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up. God bless you. Raise it up where I can see it. God bless you.
Now I'm going to ask every one of you, if you would please, if you've raised your hand. I want you to stand up and I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment or recommitment. You then, raise your hand. Just stand to your feet right where you are. Stand up. That's right. Others are standing. Stand up. God bless you that are standing. Stand up. Don't be embarrassed. You're among friends and family here tonight. You need to make this commitment or recommitment. Hey, if you mean it, you'll do it. If you don't want to make it, don't make it. I'm not pressuring you. I'm just giving you an opportunity. Anybody else? You want to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ? Stand to your feet and receive His forgiveness. One last moment. Anybody else?
Stand now. We'll pray together. God bless you. God bless you. There might be a few more. Stand up now and we'll pray together. God bless you. Anybody else? One last moment. If you're going to stand, stand now. Anybody else? All right, you that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me right where you stand. Again, as I pray, you pray this prayer out loud. Okay? Pray this after me now:
Lord Jesus, I know I've sinned. But you died on the cross for my sin. And I turn from that sin tonight. I'm sorry for it. Forgive me now. I choose to follow you, Jesus. From this night forward. As Savior and Lord. As God and friend. As Master and King. Thank you, Jesus.