Kaleo San Diego Church

INTRODUCTION

We will be finishing our studies in the Gospel of John this morning. It has taken over 50 one hour plus sermons to complete, and frankly I didn’t think we would be done before Christ came for His bride!

This Gospel has been a blessing to me personally and I pray the same for our church. This is the first book we have studied together and I can think of no better book to plant a church with than the Gospel of John.

Next week we will be preaching on Biblical femininity, of which I am very much looking forward to. I pray you bring out your friends and family, or anyone for that matter that has struggled with understanding or defining what a Biblical woman looks like according to Scripture.

The following week I will be teaching on women as wives, according to the Scriptures. Both of these subjects are highly controversial, yet we desire as a church to preach, teach, and live all that God has called us to for His glory.

As we have studied through the Gospel of John we have discussed several theological topics and doctrinal truths that are foundational and critical to our understanding of true Christianity, and as we move into this next season, I believe God is now calling us to take what we have learned theologically and intellectually, and to press it down to our heart so that it becomes practical and observable.

We believe that having a great big God in your systematic theology is pointless if that same God is not as glorious and present in your practical theology.

STUDY

Turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 20.

Thus far we have looked at Jesus life, betrayal, crucifixion, and last week we looked at his resurrection.

Last week, in verse 31, John told us that the very reason for this Gospel being written was “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name”

It is to show us Jesus as God, that we would place our faith in Him, and in so doing have life eternally.

All that we have studied is for one reason: seeing Jesus as God, putting our faith in Him, and receiving eternal life by grace.

Up to this point everything that we have studied has been things that we are to believe. Who is Jesus? What has He done? What did He say?

Today we are going to look at what we do after receiving His grace and truth.

There is a false idea that some believe, which assumes after you get the facts straight, after you believe in Jesus and receive eternal life, it’s all done. Now you can move on to more important things since you met the criteria for your free pass to heaven.

John teaches something totally different. In chapter 21 we are going to see that after we have received these things that we are to now respond by the conversation of our lives, not simply our mind or lips.

Believing in Jesus and understanding who He has declared Himself to be is first and foremost, but it is not all that there is. There is work to be done.

For some of you Christianity is most comfortable when done in your head. You like to grapple and study through deep theological issues. You are rigorous in your analysis of Scripture, but you are impotent practically.

For others you are very good and living out those truths without really understanding why. Your faith is most comfortably lived without inquiry and without question. You have a tremendous capacity for practical theology, but you have not realized that a poorly studied bible results in a faith that works best without pressure or difficulty.

Christianity needs to move itself from your head to your hands and feet on a daily basis. This is very difficult for many of us.

Jesus needs to be more than a concept to us, we need to move from admiration of His moral genius, to adoration of Him that causes us to actually follow Him daily. This is where we are going with this study.

John 21

 

Verses 1-14

1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" --knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. 14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Here’s the setting. Jesus was dead, now He’s alive. He has raised Himself from the dead. Before departing to sit on the right hand of the Father, He commissions His men to continue the work that the Father has sent Him for. There is work to do.

I love that Jesus begins this work over a meal. God cooks for His men and calls them ashore to commission them to their task over breakfast.

Often you will find that great things are done, not by a voice from heaven, or a miracle, or even a great speech or sermon. Often great work for God is done over a meal.

If you have attended Kaleo for any length of time, you know what I’m talking about. We are food friendly at Kaleo. We believe this method should be employed as often as possible!

Here the first fledgling of the New Testament church begins with hospitality over a meal.

I am reading a book called “Using Your Home for Christ” by Alexander Strauch, and it essentially discusses what the New Testament teaches about Christian hospitality.

It is this idea of using your home, often over a meal, to get to know one another which ultimately leads to the discussion of who God is, and who is His Christ.

It is simply loving one another in friendship over the breaking of bread.

Some commentators criticize Peter for going fishing. I don’t really see anything in the text that would indicate he was doing something wrong.

He is a fisherman by trade that happens to have some downtime. What do you think a man with all of his fishing gear, a boat, and friends that fish, will do if they have down time? That’s right, fish.

They see the Lord on the shore, Peter being the kind of guy that is ready-fire-aim, jumps in the water, swims 100 yards to shore, and leaves his oar and a boat filled with 153 fish behind. I’m sure his friends were very happy that he decided to go it alone.

Then they are having a meal with Jesus, incarnate God in the flesh, it’s morning, He’s cooking, and no one really says anything. I’m sure they are all pretty quiet. Jesus has just died for our sins, risen from the dead, what exactly do we say and do? I’m sure there was some awkward silence as they ate their breakfast, perhaps overwhelmed.

What we will see is some unfinished business Jesus has with Peter.

If you remember, Peter has been for the most part a pretty bold guy throughout this Gospel. He is usually first to speak, first to be rebuked by the Lord, first to pull out a sword and lop a guys ear off in defense of Jesus, and he was fairly proud of the fact that he would never deny Jesus, even if it meant death.

Unfortunately for Peter, his braggadocios and impetuous character only leads him to a greater fall. Jesus told Peter he would deny Him 3 times, and Peter did just as Jesus predicted. This brave, brash, loyalist, becomes a coward and whimpers away in fear of a servant girl who asks about his relationship with Christ.

The guys that was about to take on around 500 Roman soldiers with a single sword, is fearful that he’ll meet the same fate as his master and shrinks back in fear.

Now Jesus must deal with Peter. He needs to reinstate Him.

This is good news. Often we deny Jesus by sinning, by walking away, by acting as if we don’t believe He exists in our actions. Yet God pursues us even when we are afraid and have failed Him.

Jesus handles His business with Peter publicly. This is important. Peter was to be the leader of the disciples, the leader of the early church, to carry on the work that the Father has ordained.

Since Peter was a leader of men, His sin needed to be dealt with before those He lead. This is true for each person in leadership. When they sin, it is not a private affair, it is public. They are responsible for others and so their sin, discipline, and reinstatement should be handled publicly as well. For those desire to be in leadership, this should scare you into reconsidering. I know it has that effect on me. It frightens me to think that Jesus could come to Kaleo and deal with my sin publicly through the elders of the church.

Jesus doesn’t do this to crush Peter. He does it to bring Him to a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and ultimately forgiveness. He does it to bring him to grace.

Many think because the Holy Spirit acts in the role of bringing these things to light that the Spirit is unkind or unfair when sin is opened for all to see.

On the contrary, God does this to bring about healing and restoration so that we can carry on with the task that He has given to us to perform.

We see this in verse 15:

Verses 15-17

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

You may have heard from commentators that there is a word difference that is used in these three questions of Christ to Peter.

Jesus begins by asking Peter if he agape’s Him more than the other disciples.

This may seem strange, but if you know anything about Peter you know that Peter is known for making his commitment to Jesus greater than the others. Jesus asks a question to bring Peter to a place of humility.

Peter’s response is; yes Lord; You know that I’m fond of you. The word Peter chooses instead of agape is phileo, it means to like someone, or to be fond of them.

Jesus tells Him to “feed His lambs.”

Jesus then presses the issue. He asks Peter a second time. Simon, son of Jonah, do you have deep abiding love in Me? It needs to go deeper than a fondness for Me.

Peter answers again; Yes, Lord; You know that I am fond of You.

Peter because He is no longer able to make such great boasts as he once did. Jesus brings him to a place of humble acknowledgement without a boast from Peter. Jesus tells Him to “tend His lambs.”

Jesus then asks Peter; “Simon, son of Jonah, do you phileo Me?”

Peter grieves because he realizes his past folly and his great pride and boasts can not fool God.

Jesus kindly and gently asks him if he cares for and is fond of Him.

Peter replies with a true response “Lord, you know all things. You know I am fond of You.”

Jesus then tells Peter “Feed My sheep.”

As Peter has denied Him three times, Jesus asks him three times.

This is the crux of the whole of the ministry; Do you love Jesus?

If you could narrow down all that we learn in Scripture, that question should be the one that is pressed again and again in your conscience. Do you love Jesus? Do you love Him?

Not, do you have some general fondness of Him, but do you love Him?

Peter’s response is one of a broken man that has seen his folly and can no longer brag about how great his love for and faith in Jesus is.

If you are in the ministry, you know what I am saying. God has to break His men, so that His men will be usable.

Often He takes those that He has called to ministry and strips them of all of their pride, all of their arrogance, all of their self-reliance and self-determination, so that He has their full attention and their whole heart.

Do you love Me? Do you agape Me? Is your heart set upon Me and are you trusting in Me for all things, in every circumstance and season in your life?

Are you trusting Me for your ministry?

Are you trusting Me for your work?

Are you trusting Me for your daily bread?

If the answer is no, yet you desire to trust Him, don’t be surprised when you find yourself having distractions in your life taken away without your own doing.

Peter has to wrestle with this issue. He presses Peter and shows Him the difference between the kind of love He requires and the kind of love Peter was at that moment, because of His past denial, capable of.

It breaks Peter’s heart to admit it, but it is what Jesus does with each of us. Our hearts must be broken over our sin and folly.

Yet this is the place where Peter’s whole life is going to transition. He is being transformed through this conversation.

Peter is the man that was loved by Jesus, cared for, taught, provided for by Jesus. And it Jesus darkest hour, he falls asleep in the garden.

This is the guy that follows Christ and sees His trouble and instead of saying yes to those that asked about his relationship with Jesus, he lies and denies he ever knew Him.

Peter sees Jesus tortured, he sees Jesus crucified for his sin, he is there at the burial and is there when the tomb was found empty. He has seen the risen Lord and now God makes him breakfast and asks him do you really love me?

He says then do something!

If you love Me, do something with that love.

Love is a verb, it is wrongly assumed that it is only a description of an emotion of the heart. It is primarily an action. It is something you do, not something you describe.

Jesus presses Peter. You love Me? Then do what I say. Take care of My people. Tend them, feed them, care for them as I care for them.

Do something with the love you say you possess.

Jesus removes the selfish narcism that Peter was consumed by. He has taken it away by breaking Him openly.

The reason Peter betrayed Christ was because of Peter’s self-absorbed, self-consuming pride.

Your goal is not to have a nice and tidy theology. A well sounding doctrinal position. A great life as all others meet to fulfill your needs.

You are to be like Abraham and be blessed to be a blessing to others.

If you love Jesus, it will be seen practically. You will inevitably demonstrate your love for Jesus or your lack of love for Jesus by what you do in the time you are granted by God to live and move.

Jesus then tells Peter that it’s going to cost Him something. It is going to cost him dearly.

He gives him news, that if Peter didn’t love or have faith in Christ, would have caused him to run as fast in the opposite direction as possible.

None of us would want to know the means of our own death. Peter is told by Jesus; if you love me, do something, and it is going to cost you.

Here is what it’s going to cost Peter…your very life.

Verses 18-19

18 "Most assuredly (I tell you the truth), I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

Peter is going to glorify God by his death.

Ok Jesus, I’m going to love you, I’m going to care for those you care for, I want to do what you ask. What do I get in return? Will I be rich, will I be happy, will I be well respected and well loved?

No, you will be crucified! Doesn’t sound like victorious Christian living does it? It doesn’t sound like Jesus coming to meet my needs, and fill my void, and grant my wishes.

It sounds like He is using me to work His plan to care for others to the very death of myself. Yep! Exactly! That’s what He did.

When you were a young man, you dressed yourself, you walked where you wanted. There is coming a time when you will be led to a place you don’t desire, and dressed in burial clothes by those same people.

We know from history that Peter was crucified just as Jesus said. When Peter was to be crucified, he asked to be crucified upside down because he didn’t feel he was worthy of dying the way Christ did.

This is moment of great sobriety. How many young men would like to be in the ministry for God? How does this job description sound?

Jesus will rebuke publicly, you have to live not for yourself but for others, and you will be crucified. Sound good? Sign you up?

We tend to think of the ministry that is sexy and glorious.

This is not a job that people are standing in line to do. Poverty, brokenness, suffering, constant killing of your own ambitions so that you will be Christ minded, potential for many to hate you, and the possibility that one day someone will martyr you for your faith.

I don’t see temp agencies filling their lobbies with men that understand this and still want to pursue it.

Peter has a complicated life ahead of him. Yet he receives it because he loves Jesus. That’s the deal when you love Jesus, you have to do what He tells you, even when that means trouble and suffering.

What I love next is the humor in the way this book winds down.

Jesus is going to end His discussion with the guys by mocking Peter. You know you are back to the right kind of relationship when you are mocked by your closest friend.

Peter, still being Peter, sticks his foot in his mouth yet again:

Verses 20-22

20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."

Isn’t this great? Peter sees the path before him as being nothing but jacked. Is willing to pursue that path because of His love for Christ, and yet Peter can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to the young teachers pet, John!

I can just hear him; aww c’mon, what about John, is he going to be crucified too? He has to have a worse death then me, he’s annoying! He always has the right answers, he is always around you and listens carefully, c’mon Jesus he deserves something! He’s a spoiled mommas boy! Clean shaven, polished shoes, you know the kind!

Jesus mocks him. What business is it of yours? I love the humor in this. Peter, your getting crucified no matter what? Maybe I’ll let John live forever without ever dying! None of your business.

He’s like a little kid about to be spanked and asks daddy, but what about her? What’s she going to get?

The theologians that don’t understand that God uses humor and irony and sarcasm, miss the whole point.

Verse 23

23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?"

Jesus did not say he would not die. He just said “if I will he remains till I come, what is it to you?” The fundies don’t get that.

Verses 24-25

24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

There are so many implications of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, that the whole world couldn’t contain the books that would be written.

We see the seedlings of the New Testament Church.

And we see Peter, the leader of the early church.

The once brash, bragger, he liked to try to boss Jesus around, he was quick to speak, quick to fight, slow to listen, but he is being changed into something different than what he once was.

If you were to read the next book in the bible, you would think the Peter in Acts is not the same Peter in the Gospel of John.

He becomes a vibrant, powerful preaching, leader of the Church.

He is no longer afraid to proclaim Christ. In Acts 2 he preaches on the day of Pentacost, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, calls people to repentance and 3,000 people become Christians from that sermon. 3,000 are added to the church in one message! That’s a different man.

In Acts 10 he is responsible for busting the Gospel through to the gentiles by going to Cornelius house.

Turn to Acts 4. Let’s see what happens when Peter is caught and questioned this time.

1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 "But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name." 18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.

Look at what Peter prayed for. Not protection, but..

29 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,

Sounds like a different man doesn’t it?

Up until his reappointment, Peter lived in fear of man’s opinion.

In 1 Peter 1:17, Peter is writing as a Pastor to a church to correct them and what is it that Peter writes?

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

In 1 Peter 5, Peter calls those that are elders in the church to do what Christ had asked him to do, tend the sheep of God. Watch over them, protect them.

There is Peter, come full circle, now able to give as a wiser older man, before his death, Godly biblical advice to those that are coming up under his care as Jesus asked him to do.

Do you love Jesus? If yes, take that and turn it into action. God has and will continue to lay upon the hearts of those that are obedient to Him, the task that He has for each one.

If you can not say you love Jesus, I invite you to ask yourself why. What is it that is keeping you from loving Him? Pride, self-reliance, your own agenda? Sound like someone we just read about?

Follow Peters example and trust Christ for your salvation. Trust him for your restoration. Trust him in everything. Throw yourself at His feet and ask that He would forgive your sin. Ask that He would give you more faith and ask that He would grant your mercy and grace that you might be able to answer Jesus when He asks you if you love Him with “yes Lord, you know I love you.”

Let’s Pray.

Communion and tithe.

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