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Sermon #131 John
Sermons Title: ÒLovest Thou Me?Ó Text: John
21:15-17 Reading: Isaiah 54:1-17 Subject: Love for Christ the Evidence of Faith Date: Sunday
Morning—September 11, 2011 Tape
# John #131 Introduction: This is the third,
perhaps even the fourth, time that the Lord has shown Himself to Peter after
His resurrection. Until now not a word had passed between them. Peter had not
spoken to the Savior; and the Lord Jesus had not spoken directly to Peter.
The matter of PeterÕs denial of the Lord Jesus has not been mentioned,
neither by the Lord Jesus nor by Peter. How Peter must have longed to speak
to his Lord privately, to confess his shame and beg forgiveness; but the Lord
Jesus had not allowed it. Now Christ is alone with Peter, at some distance
from the other disciples. And it is the Lord Jesus Who opens the
conversation. What will He say? How will He reprove this fallen one? How will
He deal with PeterÕs sin? LetÕs listen inÉ (John 21:15-17) ÒSo when they had dined, Jesus saith to
Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (αγα¹ας)
thou me more than these (more than
these other disciples love Me)? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord;
thou knowest that I love (φιλω)
thee (not in word only, but in deed and in
truth; in sincerity, and without dissimulation, fervently and superlatively. ——
But notice he does not say Òmore than these.Ó).
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.Ó 16 ÒHe saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (αγα¹ας) thou me? (Notice that here the Savior leaves out the
words, Òmore than these.Ó He saw PeterÕs heart, and observed the modesty of
his answer, and would not push the matter further. He had not come to Peter
to hurt him, but to help him.) He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou
knowest that I love (φιλω)
thee. (Peter expressed himself in the same
language as before. It is, as if Peter said, ÒLord, what more can I say? You
know that I truly love you.Ó) He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.Ó 17 ÒHe saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest (φιλεις)
thou me? (This time the Lord used the same word
Peter had been using. He asks, ÒPeter, do you truly and sincerely love me?Ó)
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest (φιλεις) thou me? And
he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love (φιλω) thee. Jesus saith unto
him, Feed my sheep.Ó I take the words
of the Lord Jesus to Peter for my text and my subject – ÒLovest Thou Me?Ó A more
important question could not be considered. More than two thousand years have
passed since our Lord first asked Peter this question. But it is just as
searching and useful today as it was then. I pray that as I preach to you our
Lord Jesus Himself will speak to every heart here by His Spirit and demand of
each one an answer to this question — ÒLovest thou Me?Ó Love is something
everyone understands. It is a feeling, an
emotion, a passion that God has implanted in the human nature. Everybody
loves somebody, or something. No one is incapable of love. Today, I
want to claim a place in your heart and mine for the Lord Jesus Christ, who
alone is worthy of all the love of our hearts. I want each of us to
love Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Give me your
careful attention. This is not a matter of fanaticism, enthusiasm, or
emotionalism. It is a subject that deserves the reasonable consideration of
everyone who professes faith in Christ and claims to be a Christian. The Son
of God asks, ÒLovest thou me?Ó Proposition: The simple fact is — All true Christians love Christ; and any
who do not love Christ are not Christians, are not believers, and are not
saved. Divisions: I want to show you five things from the Word of God that I trust will blessed
of God to your souls.
ChristÕs Purpose First, I want
to show you that our LordÕs purpose in squeezing this confession of love from
Peter was altogether gracious. The test our Savior put to Peter, by
which He would prove his sincerity to Him was love. The Lord Jesus did not ask,
ÒHave you honored Me or obeyed Me, or what proofs can you give of performing
your duties toward me, or do you live for me? He asked just one thing: ÒLovest thou Me?Ó Many have imagined that our
Savior asked Peter this question three times to remind him of the fact that
he had denied Him three times; but there is no indication that that was the
case. In fact, I am confident it was not our LordÕs intention here to
aggravate PeterÕs sense of guilt and shame, but to prove to His dear disciple
His grace toward him and his interest in that grace. The well known and long
proved love and grace of Christ Jesus to His elect inclines me to
think that the Savior asked Peter this question (ÒLovest thou Me?Ó) three times that He
might give His fallen child the opportunity to openly repeat his own
assurance of his love for Christ three times. Having declared, with
assurance, ÒLord, I truly do love You,Ó was the LordÕs way of making Peter
understand that his threefold denial was no indication of his true character
as a child of God. That was not really Peter, but sin dwelling in him (Romans
7:15-20). — The Two Natures of the believer! (Romans 7:15-20) ÒFor that which I do I allow not: for
what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that
which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that
in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good
that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I
do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me.Ó Instead of being a display of our LordÕs displeasure, His appearance and
conversation with Peter appears to me to have been one of those countless
instances we have on record of the tenderness of our
dear Savior to His people, by which He repeatedly shows us where sin
abounds grace much more abounds! á When His chosen
display great weakness, He manifests great grace! á When we fall, He lifts
us up and in the sweet exercise of His grace to us enables us to show greater
love to Him! Our LordÕs gracious
intention in squeezing this open confession of love from Peter is manifest
when we realize that the very thing that terrifies the hypocrite
comforts the true believer: — The
LordÕs omniscience! — ÒThou
knowest all things!Ó á What I am by nature. á What I have done. á What You have done for
me. á What You have made me
by Your grace. á What I am in You! ÒBy His knowledge shall my righteous Servant justify many!Ó
— ÒThou knowest all things; Thou
knowest that I love Thee!Ó How very gracious our Savior is! He came to
Peter in his utter despair, when in a state of great shame, and squeezed from
him this firm confession of love for his Savior at a time when no one else
could have done so. Not only that, the Lord Jesus further assured Peter that He had
committed to him the care of His lambs and His sheep! It is as if the
Savior had said, ÒYes, Peter, I am fully aware of your great love for Me, so
much so that I trust to your care the people of My love!Ó That brings me to my second pointÉ Pastors Work Second, it is the work
of every under shepherd, the work of every Gospel preacher, the work of every
pastor to feed the LordÕs sheep. Christ is the great Shepherd of the sheep.
He is the great Pastor of His flock. It is Christ Himself who feeds His sheep. He is both the life and
sustenance of all His fold. He is the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. His flesh is meat indeed; and His blood is
drink indeed. Yet, our dear
Savior condescends to give
His flock under-shepherds, under-pastors, according to His own heart to feed
His people with knowledge and understanding (1 Peter 5:1-4). (1 Peter 5:1-4) ÒThe elders which are among you I exhort,
who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which
is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being
lords over GodÕs heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And
when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away.Ó á
The LordÕs faithful under-shepherds feed His lambs, His young ones
gently. á
These pastors feed the sheep of the fold and lead them. á The first and primary
qualification of a pastor is love for Christ. — A manÕs abilities as a
speaker and a leader, even if he possesses the great possible knowledge, are
nothing without this love of the heart for Christ. Believers Love Third, I want you to see that every true believer loves the Lord Jesus
Christ. Many are utterly confused about what a Christian is. Many foolishly
imagine that anyone raised in a ÒChristian country,Ó or in a ÒChristian
home,Ó or in a country under the influence of Christianity is a Christian.
Many think that all who profess faith in Christ, all who have been baptized
in the name of Christ, all who attend the worship of Christ are Christians.
But it is not so. A Christian is a person whoÉ
But there is more.
A
Christian is a person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. — If a
person truly loves Christ, all is well, if not, all is wrong. (John 21:15-17) ÒJesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son
of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou
knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to
him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him,
Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third
time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things;
thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.Ó (John 8:42) ÒJesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would
love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of
myself, but he sent me.Ó — No love to Christ, no sonship! (1 Corinthians 16:22) ÒIf any man love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.Ó — No love to Christ, no salvation! (Ephesians 6:24) ÒGrace be with all them that love
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.Ó — No love to Christ, no grace! Love for Christ is the inseparable companion of saving faith (1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:6). (1
Corinthians 13:13) ÒAnd now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but
the greatest of these is charity.Ó (Galatians
5:6) ÒFor in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.Ó Love cannot usurp nor
take the place of faith. It is not love that unites
the soul with Christ, but faith. It is not love that draws the waters of
grace from the wells of salvation, but faith. It is not love that brings
peace to the conscience, but faith. But wherever faith lives, love lives. Love is the motive and mainspring of all work for Christ. — ÒProve now the sincerity
of your love.Ó (2 Corinthians 8:7). Very little, if anything,
is done for Christ from a sense of duty, or merely from a knowledge of right
and wrong. The heart must be interested before the hands will be engaged. Illustrations: (1.) The care of a nurse and the love of a wife. (2.) JacobÕs love for Rachel (Genesis 29:20). Those who have done great
things in the name of Christ were not men who merely held to a creed. They
were men who loved a Person!
Love for Christ is the common point of unity for all believers. We may have many differences with our brethren in other churches and
denominations. But here we are one. All true Christians love Christ. á
Love for Christ gives us
a common meeting point. á
Love for Christ gives us
unity. á
Love for Christ dissolves
cultural, racial, and social differences (Colossians 3:11). Love for Christ will be the distinguishing mark of all the redeemed in
heaven. That multitude which no man can number will be
of one mind. Old differences will be forgotten. Old carnal debates will be
dropped. In heaven around the Throne of Grace, all will be of one mind and
one heart. All will love Christ (Revelation 1:5-6). (Revelation 1:5-6) ÒAnd from Jesus Christ, who is
the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from
our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and
his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.Ó The Cause Would you know the
secret of this love? What is it that causes saved sinners to love the Son of
God? Turn with me to 1 John 4:19, and learn the secret. This is my fourth point. — ÒWe love Him because He first loved
us.Ó No son or daughter of Adam ever loved Christ by nature. ÒThe carnal mind is enmity against God.Ó But
all who are born of God love Christ Òbecause
He first loved us.Ó 1. His love for us precedes our love for Him by eternity (Jeremiah 31:3). (Jeremiah 31:3) ÒThe LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee.Ó 2. His love for us exceeds our love for Him by infinity (Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; 4:9-10) — ÒBehold, how he loved Him!Ó (Romans 5:6-8) Ò For when we were yet without strength, in
due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us.Ó (1 John 3:16) ÒHereby perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren.Ó (1 John 4:9-10) ÒIn this was manifested the love of God
toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that
we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.Ó 3. ChristÕs love for us is the cause of our love for Him. — ÒWe love Him because
He first loved us!Ó ÒWe love HimÉÓ — Because of who He is! — Because of what He has done for us! á
Election! á
Redemption! á
Preservation! á
Calling! á
Regeneration! á
Conversion! á
Forgiveness! á
Justification! á
Freedom! á
Life! á
Keeping Us! ÒWe love Him becauseÓ of all He is doing for us! á
Providence! á
Heavenly Intercession! á
Daily Grace! Should any believer be
asked, ÒWhy do you love the Lord?Ó He has his own ÒbecauseÓ to give (Psalm 116:1-13). (Psalms 116:1-13) ÒI love the LORD, because he hath heard
my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto
me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 3 The sorrows of
death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble
and sorrow. 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech
thee, deliver my soul. 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our
God is merciful. 6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low,
and he helped me. 7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt
bountifully with thee. 8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine
eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9 I will walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.Ó Ò10 ¦ I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly
afflicted: 11 I said in my haste, All men are liars. 12 What shall I
render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? 13 I will take
the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.Ó Love Can Be Known Yet, there are
some who would have us to believe that this matter of love for Christ is
something that cannot be known in this world. For exampleÉ ÒTis a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought, Do I love the Lord or no; Am I His or am I not?Ó So I want you to see in the last place that love for Christ or the lack of it, is
something that can and should be known. After forty-two years of
marriage, if I looked at my wife tonight and said, ÒTis a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought, Do I love my wife or no; Am I hers or am I not? We would have some
problems! Love is not ambiguous. It is not something we have to guess about.
And love for Christ is something that a person may and should know. J. C. Ryle wrote, ÒHow do we know whether we love any person here upon earth? In
what manner does love show itself between people in this world? Between
husband and wife? Between parent and child? Between brother and sister?
Between friend and friend? Let these questions be answered by common sense
and observationÉand the knot before us is untied.Ó Then he gave eight
simple marks by which love is known. By these eight things, if we
will be honest with ourselves, every person here can answer the LordÕs
question — ÒLovest thou Me?Ó If
I love a personÉ. 1.
I like to think about
him. He dwells in my heart (Ephesians 3:17). 2.
I like to hear about him. Illustration: The Welsh lady who always went to hear the
English preacher. ÒHe mentions Christ so often!Ó 3.
I like to read about him. 4.
I like to please him. 5.
I like his friends. 6.
I am jealous to promote
and protect his name and honor. 7.
I like to talk to him. 8.
I like to be with him. Application Now, consider this
question seriously. Examine it carefully. And answer it honestly — ÒLovest thou Me?Ó ÒYea, Lord, Thou knowest
all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee.Ó á
Certainly, not as I
should! á
Certainly, not as I
would! á
But I do love Thee! Do not I love Thee, O my Lord? Behold my heart and see; And turn each odious idol out That dares to rival Thee. Thou knowest I love Thee, dearest Lord; But, oh, I long to soar Far from the sphere of mortal joys, And learn to love Thee more! If you do not love Christ, it is because you do not know Christ. Your soul is in great danger! You are lost, a child of wrath, and
the wrath of God is upon you. The only remedy for your lack of love is a
revelation of Christ in you.
If you love Christ, donÕt ever be ashamed for others to see it and
know it. á
Witness for Him! á
Live for Him! á
Work for Him! á
Devote yourself to Him!
— If I love a person I am committed to that person. We cannot love
Christ too fully, live for Him too thoroughly, confess Him too boldly, or
devote ourselves to Him to heartily. — To whom much is forgiven, the
same loves much! Illustration: The Indian Chief and the Worm Amen. Don Fortner Listen to sermons
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