SPEAKER_00: Good morning, everyone.
SPEAKER_00: It's great to be back with you this morning, and I've already seen so much that I'm so encouraged by.
SPEAKER_00: It's uh wonderful what God is continuing to do through you as you uh are blessed by Him and continue to seek uh to be a blessing.
SPEAKER_00: Uh in particular, really encouraged by that prayer meeting this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Uh not just well attended, but so many wonderful prayers as well.
SPEAKER_00: So just to quickly encourage you to keep going, keep keep seeking the Lord together.
SPEAKER_00: And uh we we continue to pray God's blessing uh upon you as you do that.
SPEAKER_00: Uh now, as Steve uh mentioned this morning, uh you're about to start a new series looking at one Peter.
SPEAKER_00: Uh but just before you do that, Dave thought it might be helpful if we could take a look at what happened to Peter to transform him from that man who had so failed Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, he had denied him in the moment of Jesus' greatest need.
SPEAKER_00: What happened to transform Peter from that man into a man who could write such a wonderful and powerful letter into a man who was so integral to the early advance of the gospel in the early church?
SPEAKER_00: And it's a story worth exploring because Jesus loves to restore and recommission broken sinners.
SPEAKER_00: And what that means is that Peter's story, it's not just his story alone, it can be our story too, if we turn and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with repentant faith.
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna open up our Bibles to the very end of John's Gospel.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna look at chapter 21, and there we're gonna see what happened following the resurrection and the empty tomb.
SPEAKER_00: As you turn there, let me just quickly set the scene.
SPEAKER_00: Uh in John 21, we are on a beach, and on that beach we shall see Jesus dealing with the sin and the shame of Peter, who is at this point it is broken.
SPEAKER_00: And it's a wonderful picture, it's a wonderful picture of what Jesus continues to do in the world today, person by person.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus loves to restore.
SPEAKER_00: And so this is far more than just a history lesson.
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's actually been said John 21 is in one sense uh his John's version of the Great Commission.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, this is what happens when failures and sinners meet the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: It is what can happen today if you will meet him in his word by his spirit.
SPEAKER_00: So John 21, I'm going to read from verse 9 through to verse 19.
SPEAKER_00: This is the word of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: So when they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals, and there were fish on it, and some bread.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish you have just caught.
SPEAKER_00: So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat, dragged the net ashore.
SPEAKER_00: It was full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three, but even with so many the net was not torn.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast.
SPEAKER_00: None of the disciples dared to ask him, Who are you?
SPEAKER_00: for they knew it was the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus came, took the bread, gave it to them, did the same with the fish.
SPEAKER_00: This was now the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
SPEAKER_00: Now when they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?
SPEAKER_00: Yes, Lord, he said, You know that I love you.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said, Feed my lambs.
SPEAKER_00: Again Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: He answered, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said, Take care of my sheep.
SPEAKER_00: The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, Do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: He said, Lord, you know all things.
SPEAKER_00: You know I love you.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus said, Feed my sheep.
SPEAKER_00: For very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted, but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
SPEAKER_00: Then he said to him, Follow me.
SPEAKER_00: Let's take a moment to pray.
SPEAKER_00: Father God, we thank you for this, your word, and we do pray that by your Spirit we might encounter your Son Jesus Christ this morning.
SPEAKER_00: He also stands before us, asking us these questions.
SPEAKER_00: He stands before us this morning, inviting us to find restoration in him.
SPEAKER_00: We thank you that you are so good and gracious, that you offer to forgive us of our sins, to give us a righteousness that is not our own, Father God.
SPEAKER_00: And it's all because of what Jesus has done once and for all upon that cross.
SPEAKER_00: He is our living hope, the one in whom we can trust and rest and find such everlasting peace.
SPEAKER_00: And Father God, we thank you that in response to this good news, into this gospel, you call us to follow Him, to follow in His way of sacrificial love.
SPEAKER_00: And so we ask by your Spirit you would come and do that work in all our hearts this morning.
SPEAKER_00: That this is the ongoing pattern of the Christian life.
SPEAKER_00: We keep coming to you for grace, for mercy, for restoration, as you invite us to join in with you in your mission across the world.
SPEAKER_00: Come and be glorified, work for our good too, we ask in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so as the passage begins, uh we find the disciples are coming ashore and Jesus is there ready to serve them breakfast.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what you had for breakfast this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Uh Jesus gives them some bread, there's some fish, and notice that it is all laid out on a charcoal fire.
SPEAKER_00: Now that charcoal fire is no incidental detail, but this story is far more about far more than just a barbecue on the beach.
SPEAKER_00: Actually, the charcoal fire is a little detail that's meant to create almost like a flashback for us.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm gonna read this verse from John 18, 17 to 18 from the ESV, because actually it brings out the connection a little bit more strongly.
SPEAKER_00: It's one of those places where the NIV kind of misses it a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: So in the ESV, John 18, 17 to 18, it says, The servant girl at the door said to Peter, this is on the night that he denied Jesus, You are also not one of this man's disciples, are you?
SPEAKER_00: He said, I am not.
SPEAKER_00: Now the servants and the officers had made a charcoal fire because it was cold.
SPEAKER_00: They were standing and warming themselves.
SPEAKER_00: Peter was with them, standing and warming himself.
SPEAKER_00: So, do you do you see?
SPEAKER_00: Do you hear what's happening in this moment in John 21?
SPEAKER_00: Peter finds himself once again watching flickering flames, smelling the wafting of the smoke coming from a charcoal fire.
SPEAKER_00: The scene is set.
SPEAKER_00: In a sense, Jesus has intentionally brought Peter back to the very place of his failure.
SPEAKER_00: This is how Jesus deals with sin.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus doesn't avoid it, Jesus doesn't cover it up, brush it under the carpet, or minimize it.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus confronts us with it.
SPEAKER_00: He lovingly confronts us with the reality of our sin.
SPEAKER_00: Now, it's key to understand here, Jesus doesn't do this just to shame or crush us.
SPEAKER_00: What we're going to see is it is so that we might be restored, so that we might be freed from its power, so that there might be repentance and a change.
SPEAKER_00: This is just the beginning of what is about to happen.
SPEAKER_00: And before we get to that, there is a key observation I think it's helpful for us to make, which is that spiritual pride leads to a fall.
SPEAKER_00: You see, our natural temptation when we think about sin so often is to fight back against the idea that actually we are inherently sinful.
SPEAKER_00: We like to think we're actually better than that.
SPEAKER_00: We like to think of ourselves as better than we truly are.
SPEAKER_00: But at this point, remember what Peter has done.
SPEAKER_00: He has betrayed and backstabbed his friend, he has abandoned Jesus in the hour of his greatest need.
SPEAKER_00: He had denied him, and then Jesus had been put to death.
SPEAKER_00: But now Jesus stands before him alive again.
SPEAKER_00: So think of it this way: Peter has not just rejected and turned his back on his friend.
SPEAKER_00: Now Jesus has stood there fully revealed to be all that he had always claimed to be: the long-promised Savior, King, the Son of God, the one who has conquered death, conquered sin, raised to life again.
SPEAKER_00: Just imagine what Peter might have been feeling or thinking in such a moment.
SPEAKER_00: The fear, the dread, wondering what might Jesus say next.
SPEAKER_00: Well, quite beautifully, Jesus turns to Peter and he asks him such a simple question.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 15 Simon, son of John, do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: Now notice the first time, do you love me more than these?
SPEAKER_00: Now you'll notice that on this beach are the other disciples.
SPEAKER_00: Do you love me more than these?
SPEAKER_00: Now it's this first question that reveals Peter's failure, it didn't just begin in that courtyard where he denied Jesus three times.
SPEAKER_00: If you worked through the Gospels and seen the story of Peter, you'll know that that sin, that moment of failure, began a long time before.
SPEAKER_00: But really, it's on that night we begin to see it quite clearly.
SPEAKER_00: Matthew 26, verse 33 to 35, we see that there had been a warning light blinking for a long time.
SPEAKER_00: Peter's fall began with unchecked pride, with an overconfidence in himself and his ability to be good enough.
SPEAKER_00: This is what he says in Matthew 26 about the other disciples.
SPEAKER_00: Even if uh they all fall away on account of you, I never will.
SPEAKER_00: Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.
SPEAKER_00: Do you hear it?
SPEAKER_00: It's clear, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00: The pride, the self-confidence.
SPEAKER_00: I'm I've got it, I can do it.
SPEAKER_00: They may fall, I won't.
SPEAKER_00: The self-righteous comparison.
SPEAKER_00: That's what spiritual pride always leads you to do, to start looking at other people and thinking, I'm better, I'm alright.
SPEAKER_00: The problem is spiritual pride blinds us to our greatest need, it makes us complacent.
SPEAKER_00: It's a problem also in the Christian life, even once we've come to Jesus, if we drift from recognizing just how much we need to keep depending on Jesus to be our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: But notice, I don't think Peter planned to deny Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: I think when he said this, he meant it.
SPEAKER_00: It was a bold claim, but then pressure came.
SPEAKER_00: The fear set in.
SPEAKER_00: And as Jesus says elsewhere, the flesh was proven to be weak.
SPEAKER_00: Peter fell.
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you can think of examples in your own life where you didn't plan that sin that you now regret.
SPEAKER_00: See, so often sin is deceitful.
SPEAKER_00: We drift into it.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes slowly.
SPEAKER_00: But Jeremiah 17, verse 9 says, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick.
SPEAKER_00: This is the story of every human being, and that includes you.
SPEAKER_00: We're all prone to thinking far too highly of ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: But Luke, he goes on to record the drama of the moment in the courtyard following Peter's third denial.
SPEAKER_00: In Luke 22, I love how this is put, just as he was speaking, that's Peter, the cock crowed.
SPEAKER_00: And it says this, and I think you heard this on Good Friday.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.
SPEAKER_00: Then Peter remembered the word the Lord has spoken to him.
SPEAKER_00: He went outside and wept bitterly.
SPEAKER_00: It's a haunting moment.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus speaks no words of condemnation, it's just a look.
SPEAKER_00: That's all that was needed.
SPEAKER_00: One look from his friend, from the king, the bruised and beaten eyes of Christ, fixing with the guilt-stricken eyes of Peter.
SPEAKER_00: Eyes which pierced his heart, and he knew all was exposed, nothing could be hidden.
SPEAKER_00: Peter was a broken man.
SPEAKER_00: He weeps bitterly.
SPEAKER_00: This is a picture of conviction.
SPEAKER_00: And maybe you know that feeling as you contemplate the secrets of your own heart, of your own life this morning.
SPEAKER_00: This is what happens when the Lord, in his loving mercy, exposes us to the terrible truth about ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: It's painful, but it is merciful if it leads us to repentance.
SPEAKER_00: If it leads us to seek Jesus as our all-sufficient Savior.
SPEAKER_00: This must be the response.
SPEAKER_00: When our eyes are open to the reality of who we are and what we have done, we must come to Jesus with repentant faith.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I want you to hear in these questions this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: It is an invitation to come to Jesus, who can restore, who can forgive, and who loves to recommission.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Jesus taught in John 16, verse 8.
SPEAKER_00: You don't need to turn there for this one, you can later.
SPEAKER_00: But he taught that one day the Holy Spirit would come.
SPEAKER_00: And he said that when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
SPEAKER_00: See, this is one of the roles the Holy Spirit has in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: It is again one of his gracious works.
SPEAKER_00: In a sense, he locks eyes with us, just like Christ locked eyes with Peter.
SPEAKER_00: It is the Spirit using the word and sometimes the loving correction or rebuke of a brother or sister to show us our sin, to warn us that there is a day coming of judgment, a day when we will not be able to hide from our shame.
SPEAKER_00: He helps us to see who we really are, that we might be humbled, that we might not have this spiritual pride, this blindness, this complacency, but instead be led to recognize we need Jesus, we need a savior.
SPEAKER_00: That we might in humility be drawn to him.
SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you this morning: do you recognize that you are not what you ought to be?
SPEAKER_00: Are you aware of the sin and the shame you carry?
SPEAKER_00: Are you bringing it to Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: When those moments of conviction come, are you seeking the one who stands ready to forgive and restore?
SPEAKER_00: But are you coming with repentant faith, with a repentant heart?
SPEAKER_00: An older and wiser Peter would write this in 1 Peter 5, verse 5.
SPEAKER_00: Notice again the importance of humility here.
SPEAKER_00: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt you, casting your anxieties on him because he cares for you.
SPEAKER_00: The living God, he cares for you and he will exalt you, he will lift you up, but you have to come to him in humility.
SPEAKER_00: So firstly, beware that spiritual pride.
SPEAKER_00: Embrace the way of an honest spiritual humility.
SPEAKER_00: Do that by confessing your sin to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: But secondly, we see quite wonderfully in this encounter how the grace, the kindness of Jesus, what he has done, it leads to repentance.
SPEAKER_00: So when Jesus confronts Peter on that beach, he asks him that question, Do you love me more than these?
SPEAKER_00: And don't we see such an incredible change?
SPEAKER_00: Do you notice the transformation?
SPEAKER_00: There has been repentance.
SPEAKER_00: This time Peter makes no comparisons.
SPEAKER_00: There is nothing he appeals to.
SPEAKER_00: He simply replies, Lord, you know that I love you.
SPEAKER_00: This is what it looks like to put your faith and trust in Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: There is no other way to find forgiveness or restoration.
SPEAKER_00: All we can do is but come to Jesus with empty hands, making no appeal, no self-defense, no comparisons, just simply with a heart that loves the Lord because of all that he has done for us.
SPEAKER_00: So Peter is asked a second time, verse 16, do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: Verse 17, do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus asked the same question three times.
SPEAKER_00: And on the third time, uh, we're told that Peter was hurt and or grieved.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: John tells us it's because he was asked the question three times.
SPEAKER_00: The significance is not lost on Peter.
SPEAKER_00: He was pointing back to the three denials, it reminded Peter of his worst moment.
SPEAKER_00: And yet each time Jesus doesn't say, You're done, you're finished, you're cancelled, it's over.
SPEAKER_00: Every time he restores him, he recommissions him, he instructs him.
SPEAKER_00: I love what Peter cries out, you know everything, and you know I love you.
SPEAKER_00: And it's true, the Lord Jesus Christ, he knows everything, and yet our sin does not shock him.
SPEAKER_00: It is the very reason he stepped into our world to be our savior.
SPEAKER_00: He endured the judgment we deserve, he took the punishment our our sin requires, it fell upon himself that this restoration might be possible.
SPEAKER_00: See, there is no sin in your life the Lord Jesus Christ does not know about, that he does not ask you to bring to him, that he cannot forgive, that he cannot again restore you from.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not because of what you have to do, how sorry you need to feel in your heart, it's because of what he has already accomplished through his life, his death, his resurrection.
SPEAKER_00: Again, Peter will write about this.
SPEAKER_00: You'll see this in 1 Peter 2, 22 to 25 of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He writes, He committed no sin.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus committed no sin.
SPEAKER_00: Neither was deceit found in his mouth.
SPEAKER_00: When he was reviled, he did not revile.
SPEAKER_00: In return, when he suffered, he did not threaten.
SPEAKER_00: But he continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
SPEAKER_00: Now hear this about this sinless one.
SPEAKER_00: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: That we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: By his wounds you have been healed, you astraying like sheep, but now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus bore sin, but not his own.
SPEAKER_00: He bore your sin and mine.
SPEAKER_00: He did it, he could do it because he was the perfectly sinless and blameless one.
SPEAKER_00: He has done everything that needs to be done to make us right with God.
SPEAKER_00: And now he calls us to respond to what he has done by dying to sin and living to righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: What I love as well, again, when you track through the story of Peter, the whole time he had a promise to cling on to.
SPEAKER_00: Again, Luke 22, 31 to 32, Jesus says to him, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.
SPEAKER_00: But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
SPEAKER_00: This is a foreshadow of what we're reading about here in John's Gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Notice it's not just a sort of wishful if you turn.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus has prayed for Peter that when he turns, this is what I want you to do.
SPEAKER_00: Strengthen your brothers.
SPEAKER_00: When you turn, turning is a beautiful picture of what repentance means.
SPEAKER_00: Turn from the life of sin, turn from doing life your own way, without God, whatever you want.
SPEAKER_00: Turn from that, turn to Jesus and follow him, submit to his way, his word, in community with his people.
SPEAKER_00: And we have our own promise to cling to, just like Peter.
SPEAKER_00: John gives us this one in 1 John 1 8 9.
SPEAKER_00: He says, if we say we have no sin, if we're spiritually proud, We deceive ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: The truth is not in us.
SPEAKER_00: Hear this precious promise this morning.
SPEAKER_00: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
SPEAKER_00: You see, no one is ever too far or gone or too messed up or too broken or too caught in sin and shame.
SPEAKER_00: All you need to do is come to Jesus, confess your sin, and turn from it.
SPEAKER_00: This is a promise of restoration for you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Repent and turn to Jesus Christ in faith.
SPEAKER_00: The promise is you will be forgiven, you will be cleansed.
SPEAKER_00: Elsewhere includes being united to Christ, filled with his Spirit, empowered to walk in that newness of life, too.
SPEAKER_00: And that brings us now to the final observation to make from this passage.
SPEAKER_00: Restoration leads to obedience.
SPEAKER_00: And also that restoration, in a sense, leads to commission, recommission.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus doesn't just forgive Peter, he calls into something more, he calls into a life of purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Notice again, as we said earlier, every time Peter answers the question, Jesus just responds, feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus entrusts to Peter that which is most precious to him.
SPEAKER_00: His blood-bought people.
SPEAKER_00: His blood-bought people, his rescued and restored people.
SPEAKER_00: It is a huge responsibility, a precious privilege.
SPEAKER_00: Earlier in this Gospel, John 10, Jesus says he is the good shepherd, but here he entrusts his flock to Peter.
SPEAKER_00: It's an instruction that Peter never forgot.
SPEAKER_00: Peter in 1 Peter 5 will write to elders, calling them shepherds of God's flock, who are ever under their chief shepherd.
SPEAKER_00: And of course, we could find plenty of encouragement or instruction in these words of John 21 that applies to church leaders and pastors, but do not make the mistake of thinking this is only for them.
SPEAKER_00: If you belong to Jesus, you have been restored and you are also given this commission.
SPEAKER_00: This is the calling for every one of us this morning.
SPEAKER_00: It is a shared responsibility, the call to feed, to tend, to care for other sheep.
SPEAKER_00: That is the calling upon your life as you respond to the restoration that you have in Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: So think carefully about how you can do that well.
SPEAKER_00: Again, notice don't be tempted to believe lies that your past writes you off, that you can be forgiven and restored, but never made useful for the glory of God.
SPEAKER_00: See, there is a sense in this moment Peter had done that.
SPEAKER_00: He was no longer fishing for men as he had been called, he'd returned to fishing for fish.
SPEAKER_00: He'd returned to his old profession, that which was comfortable, easy, that he knew.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus won't have it.
SPEAKER_00: He calls him back into ministry.
SPEAKER_00: Get back in the fight.
SPEAKER_00: Don't give up.
SPEAKER_00: It goes for you too.
SPEAKER_00: Don't give up.
SPEAKER_00: But notice we are saved into a missional community, the church who are called to be a family who strengthen and care for one another.
SPEAKER_00: It's not just the pastor's role.
SPEAKER_00: Feed one another.
SPEAKER_00: Love one another.
SPEAKER_00: Care for one another.
SPEAKER_00: Again, Peter will write this.
SPEAKER_00: There's a theme here.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Peter 1, verse 22.
SPEAKER_00: He will write to the whole church and say, Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have sincere love for one another.
SPEAKER_00: Love one another deeply from the heart.
SPEAKER_00: There is a great calling upon each of us in this.
SPEAKER_00: So what does it mean?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like for every member of a church to feed, tend, and care for one another?
SPEAKER_00: There are other passages, other letters which tell us it's it's done by sharing the word of Christ with one another.
SPEAKER_00: Share that which is good quality food.
SPEAKER_00: Feed one another the bread of life, point one another to Jesus Christ, feast on him, enjoy him, delight in him, give one another the word and the truth, build one another up in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: It might mean gently speaking the truth to someone when they're going astray.
SPEAKER_00: When you notice they're drifting.
SPEAKER_00: In love, dealing with the log in your own eye first.
SPEAKER_00: As a sinner who needs grace for yourself, call someone back to the way.
SPEAKER_00: It means praying with one another.
SPEAKER_00: Not just saying you'll do it later and then forgetting.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe just doing it right there and then, showing love through active prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Speaking words of life and encouragement, being quick to build up, to say what you see when it's good, slow to criticize and tear down.
SPEAKER_00: Showing hospitality and generosity, feeding one another literally, using all the good things that God gives you, your homes, your resources, or just inviting one another out for a coffee.
SPEAKER_00: Participate in the building of authentic community and fellowship in ways that extend beyond just an hour on a Sunday morning, or your natural friendship groups.
SPEAKER_00: Hospitality opens up opportunities for love and sharing the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: If you find the idea of doing that with someone you don't know or someone who's not a Christian scary, start with one another.
SPEAKER_00: So show love to one another in both word and deed.
SPEAKER_00: Carry one another's burdens.
SPEAKER_00: If you see a problem, be servant-hearted enough to be the solution.
SPEAKER_00: Don't assume it's someone else's problem.
SPEAKER_00: We see it's this kind of practical care and love which is one of the clearest expressions of our love for Christ.
SPEAKER_00: That's the setup we're seeing here in John 21.
SPEAKER_00: Do you love me?
SPEAKER_00: Then do this.
SPEAKER_00: That's always been the pattern through this gospel, John 14, 15.
SPEAKER_00: If you love me, keep my commands.
SPEAKER_00: This is the pattern of the Christian life, but it is this way round.
SPEAKER_00: Obedience is always a matter of love for Christ in response to what he has already done.
SPEAKER_00: Do you love Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Then feed a sheep, tend and care for them.
SPEAKER_00: And just one final comment as we reach the end of the passage, and I think this is an important one.
SPEAKER_00: It's a sobering conclusion, I hope you'll agree.
SPEAKER_00: But it gives us a picture of what does it mean to live this life of love.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus starts to tell Peter how his life will end.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 18 to 19 it says, Very truly I tell you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself, where you went where you wanted, but when you were old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress and lead you where you do not want to go.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
SPEAKER_00: Then he said to him, Follow me.
SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful moment.
SPEAKER_00: We've just considered how earlier Peter boasted, I will never deny you, I will die for you.
SPEAKER_00: And he failed.
SPEAKER_00: Now Jesus promises him, actually, now that I've restored you, this time you won't fail, Peter.
SPEAKER_00: This time you will experience what it means to go on and give your life, lay your life down for me.
SPEAKER_00: I will give you the strength you need.
SPEAKER_00: You won't fail again.
SPEAKER_00: And we know from history and legend that is what happened.
SPEAKER_00: But what does that mean for us?
SPEAKER_00: Well, notice that final instruction follow me.
SPEAKER_00: I think that's very key here.
SPEAKER_00: The call to follow Jesus is a call to follow the way of Jesus the shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.
SPEAKER_00: It is a call for all of us to follow him in the way of laying down our lives sacrificially for one another.
SPEAKER_00: Love takes sacrifice.
SPEAKER_00: Sacrifices of time, comfort, convenience, energy, resources, it takes sacrifice.
SPEAKER_00: But that is the way of Jesus again.
SPEAKER_00: Luke 9.23.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever wants to be my disciple, whoever wants to follow me, we could say, must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.
SPEAKER_00: The answer to that question, do I love Jesus, is found in the answer to the question, will my love for Jesus lead me to sacrifice or else for him and his people if I am asked?
SPEAKER_00: And so we see we are called in response to his grace and mercy to live lives of sacrificial love in community with his people, loving, caring, feeding, and tending to one another for his glory and our collective good.
SPEAKER_00: And praise God, because the same grace that restored and sustained Peter is the same grace that restores and will sustain and empower and enable you to do that too.
SPEAKER_00: So as we finish, I encourage you, don't leave here this morning unchallenged or unchanged.
SPEAKER_00: Think about a way that you can show this kind of love this morning to not used to these.
SPEAKER_00: To I'm handsy.
SPEAKER_00: Think about how you can practically show that love to someone in your church family and outside your church family in this week ahead.
SPEAKER_00: And take heart.
SPEAKER_00: If you are struggling with sin, don't give in to the shame and the fear that causes.
SPEAKER_00: Bring it to Jesus, confess it to him.
SPEAKER_00: He will restore, he will commission, receive his grace, follow him, and love and tend his sheep.
SPEAKER_00: Let's take a moment to pray.
SPEAKER_00: Father God, we thank you that it is the heart of Jesus to restore and recommission us.
SPEAKER_00: We thank you that his life, death, resurrection is all sufficient.
SPEAKER_00: It pays for our every sin.
SPEAKER_00: The judgment we deserve fell upon him.
SPEAKER_00: And so we ask you to pour out your spirit afresh now, to stir our hearts up, to see the grace, the mercy, the wonder of what he has done.
SPEAKER_00: Would you help us not to give in to spiritual pride, but in humility to come to you to confess our sins, knowing you care?
SPEAKER_00: And that, Father God, we might respond with lives of sacrificial love and obedience.
SPEAKER_00: That Father God, each of us would find ways to grow in expressing the same kind of love which Jesus has first shown us.
SPEAKER_00: Would you do it for your glory and our good?
SPEAKER_00: I ask in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.