During these times, it seems like everyone is divided on the issues. This book is an excellent resource for pastors/leaders or laypersons who experience political conflict within the church. The authors take a step-by-step approach in dealing with political conflict.
The authors explain the difference between "straight-line" and "jagged-line" issues while reminding the reader to focus on loving one another. This book helped me to realize that I have the tendency to be too judgmental towards those who don't share the same views on jagged-line issues.
My favorite part of the book was "How Can Pastors Work for Unity in Politically Divisive Times?" I will use these tips in my local church ministry as I strive to lead my flock to love their neighbor, regardless of their voting record.
(Crossway has provided this reviewer a complimentary copy of this book through the Blog Review Program)
Good morning and welcome to
Hope Church Clinton’s Virtual Church Livestream. I want to begin by asking you
to hit that share button in the corner of your screen so we can get this message
to the masses.
Today, I’m going to be talking
about a bible doctrine that is of utmost importance. It is central to our
Christian faith and is the only way we gain access to heaven. This morning I
want to spend a few minutes talking about salvation, being saved, conversion, being
born again, placing your faith in Jesus, or one of the many terms we have for receiving
eternal life.
Wayne Grudem defines
conversion as “our willing response to the gospel call, in which we sincerely
repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation"(Grudem, 1994). When we think about
“conversion,” we think about “turning” one thing into something else. The doctrine
of biblical conversion involves repentance and faith. When we undergo a spiritual
conversion to the Christian faith, we are “turning” from a life of sin putting
our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot have repentance without faith, nor can we
have faith without repentance.
First, let’s talk about
saving faith. True saving faith includes three elements: knowledge, approval,
and personal trust.
1We must have
knowledge about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but simply
knowing “about” Jesus is not enough to gain access to heaven. James the Apostle
tells us “You believe God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe -and
shudder!” (James 2:19, English Standard Version). We all know that just because
the demons know who Jesus is does not mean that they are saved.
2Simply knowing
about Jesus and agreeing with the facts is not enough. In John 3, we meet a man
by the name of Nicodemus. In verse 2 he says to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you
are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless
God is with him” (ESV). Even though by this time, Nicodemus knew that Jesus had
come from God, it wasn’t enough unless he placed his trust in Jesus for salvation
or “believe in Him.”
3You must decide
to depend on Jesus to save you. You can know the facts. You can approve of the
facts, but you must decide to depend on Jesus to save you. When you depend on
Jesus to save you, you enter a personal relationship with him. You “trust” in
Jesus alone for salvation.
4Your faith should
increase as your knowledge increases. The more you learn about Christ, the
stronger your faith will grow. In Romans 10:17, Paul the Apostle says, “So
faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (ESV).
Now, lets talk about
repentance. Remember faith and repentance must accompany one another in
salvation. The Bible is very clear about that. Even Jesus himself said, “Repent
and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15b, ESV). What is repentance? “Repentance
is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to
forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ” (Grudem, 1994). Once we have
repented, our changed lives will show it. It’s important to note that
repentance isn’t just saying “I’m sorry” or promising that you won’t commit
that sin again. Repentance is a serious decision to do away with sin that has
been committed against God. I feel like we forget sometimes that all sin is an
offense to God. Yes, you may sin against your parents, your spouse, your boss
-but more importantly, in each of those cases, you have sinned against God. Let
me remind you here that repentance is two-fold. It is a one-time event and it
is a process. When we first come to Christ, we repent of our sins and we
continue to repent each time we sin against God. Repentance is an attitude, not
just an action.
Becoming a follower of Jesus
doesn’t mean that life will be perfect -I think through the years we have let
that false teaching creep into our churches. For years, preachers turned the
Christian life into a list of rules that one must follow to please God. “If you
do x, God will bless you, but be sure not to do y, or He will curse you.” Here’s
the truth, if you are a Christian, you will crash and burn. You are going to
mess up. It’s what you do after you sin that really matters. If you are a true
believer in Christ, you will repent in godly sorrow. You will commit to never do
that sin again. Is it hard? Absolutely. I personally believe the devil steps up
his game when we make that commitment, so we must lean on Christ during those
times of temptation. All throughout the Bible, we find believers who fall, but
they get up and find repentance and restoration.
One of the finest examples in
Scripture is King David. You can find his story in Second Samuel 11. I don’t
have time to read the entire chapter to you this morning, but you may have
heard the story. Basically, instead of going to war like a king was supposed to
do, King David decides to stay home and is walking on his roof at night. He sees
a woman bathing and inquires about her. He knows she is married, but like much
of the world today, he didn’t seem to care. She comes over to his castle, they
have relations and she ends up pregnant. Now, David must protect his honor so
he sends for her husband to come home so maybe the kingdom would think her
husband, Uriah, got her pregnant. Well, Uriah is a good man and committed to
the war effort, so instead of going home, he sleeps on the castle steps.
Eventually David sends him back to the battle to the front lines where he is sure
to be killed.
An evening walk turned into
lust which turned to adultery which turned to murder. How easy it is to fall!
David is living his life until a prophet by the name of Nathan makes him
realize that he has sinned against God. David repents but God has meted his
punishment already -his baby boy with Bathsheba dies because of David’s sin.
As a result of his sin, he
writes a song to God. A song that today we know as Psalm 51 (READ).
Like I said earlier, you will
fall. You will mess up. It’s how you respond to that sin that matters. When you
find yourself in sin, you have two choices: You can ignore it, put a smile on
your face, and pretend that all is well OR you can confess that sin to God and
repent like David. He used words like “have mercy on me,” “cleanse me,” “wash
me,” “deliver me,” “restore me,” etc. You see, God loves his children so much, it
doesn’t matter how bad you have messed up, he’s there waiting to forgive and
restore you just like King David.
We must always remember that
even though salvation is free, it certainly wasn’t cheap. Jesus gave his life
on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Sin is a breaking of God’s laws
-something we all have done. God’s Word says that the penalty of sin is death,
no ifs, ands, or buts about it. God is a righteous judge who demands justice,
and that is why Jesus came to the earth. Someone had to pay for breaking the
law. Jesus bore our sins on the cross. He walked out of the grave three days
later and in doing so, conquered death. The perfect Lamb of God who knew no
sin, became sin for us. He took the punishment. He paid the price. We have been
set free from the penalty of the law. We have been liberated from the grip of
the grave.
So, now you know the facts. I
hope that you accept the facts, but most importantly, I hope that you have or
will put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you would like
to experience salvation, all you must do is “repent and believe in the gospel.”
I know it’s a hard decision. I know sin is fun. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be
so attracted to it. But are we willing to trade an eternity in heaven for a few
years of fun on the earth?
If you are a believer, maybe
your life isn’t what it should be. Perhaps you’ve slipped and fell into sin and
you can’t find a way out. You’ve been away from God for some time. When was the
last time you read His Word? When was the last time you talked intimately with
God? You need to get back in relationship with Jesus. Start by repenting and
asking God to forgive you. He will restore you!
I want to hear your story.
Please text me, call me, Facebook message me. Better yet, let the world hear
your Jesus story! Never be ashamed of your faith in Jesus.
I want to say thanks for
watching today. Once again, we are planning on meeting together on June 7th
at 930 am. We won’t have a coffee bar that morning or children’s church, but we
will have hand sanitizer and disinfectant! I’ll be sharing more about that as
we inch closer to that date. I want to give a Hope Church shoutout to Bobby Gifford.
Bobby has been hitting the stores acquiring the disinfectants we need to ensure
a safe worship atmosphere when we meet again. Thanks, Gifford!
Until we see each other
again, my prayer is that you love God and love your neighbor. If you need anything,
you can reach me anytime. I miss you and I love you, Hope Church! I’ll see you
right here on Facebook Live next Sunday! Good bye!
I listened to a clip of a preacher who spent several precious minutes of several souls’ lives preaching “personal” convictions rather than biblical ones. Therefore, I’m about to offend some people, but enough is enough. So here’s my top ten responses to the preachers that use the pulpit to push their own agenda:
1. I don’t care who you voted for unless the name “Jesus the Christ” is on the ballot.
2. One political party is just as ungodly as the other. The lessor of two evils is still evil. Jesus never told the disciples how to vote, so I’m not going to either.
3. Second Chronicles 7:14 is NOT about the USA.
4. God doesn’t care if I wear a suit and tie or shorts and a T-shirt. He’s just glad I’m there. And if I miss a Sunday or two, He’s not mad. I’ve hurt myself more than anything.
5. The King James Version is not the only Bible, nor is it the most accurate translation. Jesus spoke Aramaic, not ye olde English. The New Testament writers used koine Greek.
6. Prayer is not prohibited in schools. Look it up. Students may pray at school.
7. Jesus was called a “glutton and drunkard” (KJB) because he ate and drank with the the common folk. Yes, it was real wine and He drank it. Yes, excessive use is sin, but so is excessive fried and sweet tea.
8. Jesus fulfilled the law. Use the Old Testament to point to Jesus -nothing more. You can’t get to Heaven by trying to follow rules.
9. Please STOP telling people they can get to Heaven by repeating a little prayer. Jesus said “Repent and believe the gospel.”
10. Preach Christ and Him crucified. Nothing more, nothing less. CONTEXT. CONTEXT. CONTEXT.
Oh, by the way, the recording that I listened to was a well-meaning, but unlearned and inexperienced young preacher by the name of Chad Frizzell in 2001. Thank God for His forgiveness and mercy! He changes lives. Even those on a spiritual high-horse!
Good morning and welcome to
Hope Church Clinton’s Virtual Church on Facebook Live! As we begin, would you
please click on that “share” button down below this video and share this live
video to your page to help us share the good news of Jesus Christ to the entire
world?
Today is Mother’s Day -a day
set aside to honor the women that helped mold us and make us into who we are
today.
What is a mother? Mothers are
teachers, disciplinarians, janitors, gardeners, nurses, doctors, psychologists,
counselors, chauffeurs, and coaches. And some even have professional jobs too!
They help develop our personalities, our vocabularies, and our attitudes. Most
importantly, mothers are oftentimes a child’s first impression of the love of
God. They are all these things a much more.
With all these things in
mind, today we are going to talk about a little-known mother in the Bible. She
is found in Matthew 20:20-23. I will be reading from the English Standard
Version of God’s Word.
Matthew 20:20-23:
Then
the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling
before him she asked him for something. And
he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons
of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus
answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He
said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my
left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by
my Father.”
In this passage we are
introduced to the mother of James and John aka “The Sons of Thunder.” Imagine
raising those boys! We are not told her first name, but Matthew refers to her
as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” We are told that she “came up to
Jesus.” She had heard of this Jesus and about the coming of the kingdom. I’m
sure James and John had told her all about the rabbi -the One they had left
everything to follow. They probably told her how they were closer to him than
most disciples, being two of three that got called away often to be with him.
Since she knew her boys were
tight with Jesus, she figured that they would be brass in the coming kingdom.
Good old boy system, right? Here’s the kicker -just before we find her falling
at the feet of Jesus with this bold request, Jesus tells a parable…
Matthew 20:
“For the kingdom
of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire
laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing
with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.And going out
about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he
said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.And about the
eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why
do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to
him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard
too.’ And when evening
came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay
them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired
about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those
hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also
received a denarius. And on receiving
it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These
last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have
borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied
to them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a
denarius? Take what belongs
to you and go, I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not
allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my
generosity?’ So the last will
be first, and the first last."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Z must
have began to worry if her sons would have the authority they so desired in the
coming kingdom.
When she saw a chance to talk
to Jesus on their behalf, she took it. Matthew tells us that she knelt before
Jesus and made her request, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at
your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom” (Matthew 20:21b, ESV).
This lady had a lot of nerve!
What kind of person, much less a woman in ancient times, approaches a rabbi and
tells him what to do??
It’s easy to criticize this
mother for this bold and brash act, but today is Mother’s Day, so I want to
point out a few good things about Mrs. Zebedee. We also need to realize that
when she came to Jesus, he didn’t grant her request, but he didn’t deny it
either. He simply reminded her what it cost to have those positions she so
desperately wanted her boys to have.
Now, what are some good
things about this little-known mother?
She Wanted Her Sons to
be in God’s Kingdom
Not only did she want it, she
fell at the feet of Jesus begging for it. This is the most important thing we
can do as Christian parents -pray for our children. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING FOR
THEM. I’ve been a dad for 16 years now, and I can tell you it doesn’t get
easier as they grow older. Being a parent is filled with a lot of good times
and a lot of bad.
There are times when my kids
make me so proud that I want to puff out my chest and strut around like an old
Gobbler in the spring, but then there are other times when I’m not very proud
at all and I think they can tell by the look on my face.
We must remember this -each
stage of life a child enters, he or she will face new challenges just like we
did. We need to be praying that they are part of the kingdom of God so they can
stand against the attacks of Satan and his minions.
Being a parent is no walk in
the park -it’s hard. Mrs. Zebedee gives us a good example, she prayed earnestly
that her sons would be part of His kingdom!
Let me ask you this -do you
want the best for your children? We all do. But what good is it if our kids
grow up to make good money, have fancy cars, big houses, but they don’t know
God? What will it matter if they gain the whole world, but lose their souls?
I hope that adult watching
this video has a passion to charge the throne room of God begging for the
salvation and transformation of the next generation.
She prayed that her
sons would be involved in kingdom duties
She didn’t just pray that
they would be a part of His kingdom, but she prayed they would be big players
in it. She didn’t just want them to set on the bench and watch the game, she
wanted them on the field!
Folks, it isn’t enough just
to be “saved.” Yes, Jesus is enough, but churches are filled with people just
riding the pine and “sitting on their haunches” as my grandmother would say. We
come to church, give God an hour or two if He’s lucky and expect Him to bless
us all week. We need to be about the business of God, actively involved in the
ministry.
Where do children learn
ministry? At church? Well, yes, but it begins at HOME. As parents, we must be
the example to our children. They need to KNOW that worship, prayer, and Bible
study is important. They need to know that “loving your neighbor as yourself”
is important. BE THE EXAMPLE to your children.
She had big ambitions
for her boys
Like any parent, she had big
dreams for her kids. You see, when you are part of the King’s cabinet, there’s
not a better seat in the in the court than to the right and left of the Man
himself. And that’s EXACTLY where she wanted her boys to be.
It wasn’t enough for them to
be in the cheap seats. It wasn’t enough for them to be in the concession stand
slinging hot dogs. It wasn’t enough for them to be sitting in the dugout. She
wanted them at the top of the lineup.
We may consider her a little
too bold, but too many believers have settled for average. Too many of us are
happy with getting through the doors of the church, and some of us can’t seem
to work up enough energy to do that these days.
It’s time for us to get up
and take our positions to the right and left sides of the throne of God. We
need to lead by example and do some kingdom work. You may say, “Well, I can’t
preach. I can’t teach. I can’t sing.” If you are a born-again believer in Jesus
Christ, you have been given a gift to use in the Kingdom. Find that gift and
USE IT. Jesus didn’t suffer and die on the cross for us to just sit and watch
the game.
One reason why Mother’s Day
is so special is because a mother’s love is probably the closest illustration
we have to God’s love. There’s something special about a mother’s love -it’s
sacrificial. A mother will do whatever it takes to protect her children, even
if it means death.
That’s exactly what God did
for us. The Bible tells us in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life.”
God loves us so much; He was
willing to sacrifice Himself in our place. Perhaps you are watching this live
stream right now and don’t know what it’s like to feel a mother’s love. A love
that is unending and sacrificial. I am well-aware there are children that have
been abandoned or neglected by their parents. God has promised never to leave
those who put their trust in Him. If you want to feel that type of love, call
upon God. Ask him to show Himself to you. Put your faith in Jesus and He will
change your heart, your attitude, and your life.
If you want to know more
about Jesus Christ, the Bible, or anything about our faith in general, please
contact me. You can message me on the Hope Church Clinton Facebook page
anytime.
Mothers, this is your day. I
pray God blesses you and that you enjoy your time with your loved ones today. Keep
praying for your kids, they need it now more than ever.
Right now, we are looking at
options as to when we will gather again. I know I am ready to see everyone and
I know some of you want to meet as soon as next Sunday, but as pastor, it’s my
duty and your leadership team’s duty to make sure you are loved and protected.
I have been consulting with medical professionals and various church leaders for
wisdom and counsel, but it boils down to this: If someone in our church
contracts this virus and passes away, I’ll be the one standing at the coffin
wondering if we should’ve waited one more Sunday. Right now, our tentative date
to meet again is Sunday, June 7th and of course, we won’t be back to
normal as we know it anytime soon. That
date can change based on circumstances of the pandemic. I’ll send out an email
and post more details on Facebook soon.
I love you. I miss you. I’m
praying for you. God bless you, Hope Church Clinton! See ya next Sunday!
(Some material for this
message was obtained from “Mother’s Day – A Mother’s Love.” A sermon by Melvin
Newland.)
Good morning and welcome to
Hope Church Clinton’s Virtual Church Live Stream video.
I hope you are enjoying these
messages and if you are, please give this video a “like” and hit that “share”
button down there in the corner of your screen! By doing so, you are helping us
reach more people with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Well, as you can see, you
caught me doing what I love to do -fishing! Fishing runs deep in my family. My
grandfather was a commercial fisherman and my dad loves to fish more than I do.
Even Levi likes to fish, but not as much as his little sister, Janna Kay. Abbi
refuses to go fishing because of bugs and heat. Josie likes “catching” not
fishing. If she’s fishing ten minutes and nothing’s biting, she is done. This
morning, we have been catching a few bass and bluegill on plastic jigs. It has
been a blast!
I could talk about fishing
all day, but let’s get down to the business we are here for, which actually
involves a little fishing…
Today, I want to continue
discussing some post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Two Sundays ago, we
talked about two disciples who met Jesus on the Road to Emmaus and last Sunday,
we talked about Jesus’ interaction with Thomas in the Upper Room.
Today, we are going to look
at John 21 and I will be sharing from the English Standard Version of
Scripture, but as I always say, grab your favorite version of the Bible and
let’s dig in…
John 21:
1.After this Jesus revealed himself again to the
disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
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 will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but
that night they caught nothing.
4.Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore;
yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5.Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?”
They answered him, “No.”
6.Jesus said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of
the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able
to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
7.That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to
Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on
his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the
sea.
8.The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net
full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards
off.
9.When they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal
fire in place with fish laid out on it, and bread.
10. Jesus said to
them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
11. So Simon Peter
went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And
although there were so many, the net was not torn.
12. Jesus said to
them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who
are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
13. Jesus came and
took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
14. This was now the
third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from
the dead.
At the start of John 21 in
verse one we read the words, “After this…” After what? We assume he is talking
about appearing to Thomas and the group in the upper room, but we aren’t
exactly sure. At the end of chapter 20, it’s almost like John has an “in conclusion”
moment but then remembers one last interaction with Jesus that must be
included.
Here it we find Peter and six
other disciples hanging out. Suddenly, Peter says, “I’m going fishing.” The
others think that’s a good idea too, load the boat, and jump in the truck with
him. I often wonder where the other four disciples are, but apparently it was
not that important. Maybe they did not like to fish? Surely not!
The guys fish all night and
catch nothing! But, hey, a bad night fishing beats a good day working, right? Well,
I’m not so sure about that for these anglers; many of them were commercial
fisherman.
Anyways, the sun is coming up
and a guy calls out from the shore, “Hey kids, yall got any fish?!” The only
thing worse than getting skunked fishing is having someone ask about it. I can
hear these guys mumbling and grumbling about this guy on the shore. Was he
being sarcastic? Was he hungry? Did he have a haul he wanted to brag about? We
are not sure, but it was probably like salt in the wound.
“Nope. We haven’t caught a
thing!”
Now, this land lubber is
really testing them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat!” Wooo!
Nothing like someone telling you how to do your job, huh? But it worked! They
caught so many they could hardly retrieve the net!
Well, apparently, something
clicked for John. You see, John is known as the pet or “disciple that Jesus
loved.” It is interesting how he calls himself that over and over in his own
writings. Maybe he was a little hung on himself! Anyways, John realizes the
know-it-all landlubber is Jesus and he tells Peter, “It is the Lord!”
Peter doesn’t say a word. He
grabs his coat and jumps in the sea swimming as fast as he can towards the
shore. I love the way the original languages read here -it says that Peter
literally “threw himself into the sea.” He was excited! It was his Lord. Forget
the fish, forget the boat, forget the boys… I gotta see Jesus!
The other disciples finally
haul all the fish in and join Peter and Jesus on the shore.
Verse 9 tells us that Jesus
had been cooking breakfast for them, namely bread and fish cooking on a
charcoal fire. Peter helps the disciples bring the fish up to Jesus. The writer
here says there are 153 fish. Now, some of my colleagues in ministry like to
speculate about the significance of 153 fish but let us not get into
speculation and eisegesis. Let’s just say, it was a haul and the disciples were
pleased.
They sat down with Jesus and ate;
they knew who he was now. He had taught them. He had led them. He had died for
them. And, he had walked out of the grave for them. John tells us that this is
the third time that Jesus had appeared to the disciples. Let’s read further…
John 21:
15. When they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, 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 a
second time, “Simon, son of John, 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 John, 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
18. “Truly, truly, I
say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever
you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another
will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
19. (This he said to
show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he
said to him, “Follow me.”
What’s going on here? The
guys get finished eating breakfast and Jesus has a little one-on-one chat with
Peter. He asked him, “Peter, do you love me more than these?” Who are the
“these” that Jesus is referring to? Well, what, or who, he is referring to are
the other disciples, but this has little to do with comparison for Jesus’ sake.
He is bringing Peter back to an earlier conversation that Matthew records in
his gospel about Jesus foretelling Peter’s denial. When Jesus tells the
disciples in Matthew 26:30-35 that they will all fall away and run, Peter gets
bold and says “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall
away” (Matthew 26:33, ESV). Jesus comes back with “Peter, you will deny me
three times tonight.” Peter, God bless him, does not know when to shut up! Peter
shoves his foot farther in his mouth and boldly says, “Even if I must die with
you, I will not deny you!” (v. 35, ESV)
Most of you know how the
story goes, the night Jesus was arrested, Peter was denies knowing Jesus. The
first time, he denies being a disciple to a servant girl. The second and third
times, he denied knowing Jesus while standing around a fire getting warm. “You
are not one of his disciples, are you?” (John 18:25). “I am not,” Peter said. A
relative of Malchus, the one-eared soldier who had been maimed by Peter at
Jesus’ arrest asked him, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” John 18:27
records what happened next: “Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster
crowed” (ESV)
Here is what is neat. In our
passage today, John told us that Jesus invites the boys to have breakfast with
him. He’s got fish and bread cooking on a “charcoal fire.” The only other time
we find a charcoal fire in the Bible is the one Peter was warming his hands on
when he denied Jesus. Maybe the fire that Jesus had built reminded Peter of a
few nights ago when he denied Christ. I’m not sure, but it’s a cool
observation.
Anyways, Jesus asks him, “Do
you love me?” three times. All three times, Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you
know I love you” or “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” The
first time, Jesus said “Feed my lambs.” The second time, “Tend my sheep.” The
third time, “Feed my sheep.” Three times! Kind of redundant don’t you think?
Jesus asked him THREE TIMES! Peter told Jesus he loved him THREE TIMES maybe
because he had denied him THREE TIMES!
Now that Peter is restored
and rededicated to the Lord, Jesus tells him how he will die a martyr’s death,
hands outstretched and carried to his doom. Historians tell us that Peter was
crucified upside down for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let’s close this thing out by
looking at these last few verses:
John 21:
20. Peter turned and
saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned
back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going
to betray you?”
21. When Peter saw
him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
22. Jesus said to
him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You
follow me!”
23. This is the
disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these
things, and we know that this testimony is true.
24. Now there were
also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I
suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be
written.
Apparently, news of an
impending death is not something any of us want to hear. The same is true for
Peter. He sees John following them, eavesdropping on the conversation. Peter
asks Jesus, “Since I have to die for you, what about your pet over there?”
Jesus basically tells Peter to mind his own business and worry about himself.
Peter’s response sort of reminds me of delegating chores to my children -“What
about her? What is she going to do?”
You worry about you and your
calling. One of the worst things we can do is try to dig a hole in someone
else’s yard. Get back over in your yard and do what you are called to do.
Perhaps you too have denied
Christ one time, two times, three times, or even so many times you cannot
count. I know there are times that I can do something great for God but out of
intimidation, fear, or whatever, I become a coward just like Peter. There are
times I slip and fall, but God is there picking me up and restoring me to who he
called me to be. We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world, but we
serve a perfect Savior who gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins. The
perfect Lamb of God was slain to pay the price for the wicked and evil things
we have done. That’s good news. That’s gospel. Romans 10:13 tells us “For
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
My prayer is that you have
called on the name of Jesus. I pray you have repented of your sins and believed
that God raised Jesus from the dead. If you are still questioning your faith or
have some doubts, please reach out to me at chadfrizzell@bellsouth.net. You can find a transcript of this message on my blog
at www.chadfrizzell.com . Please like and share this video right now to help
us share the good news of Jesus Christ to the entire world.
I’m not sure the exact date
that we will be meeting in person again, but we will announce that through Facebook
and email, so keep watch for that. Speaking of that, I want to give a big Hope
Church shout out to our healthcare workers. I know you are weary and tired but
thank God for you. A special thank you to our own Kathy Gifford. She is a nurse
with the Graves County Health Department, and we all know they have been very
busy fighting COVID-19 there. Please keep them in your prayers.
I think Levi may be a fish or
two ahead of me, so I need to show this pup how it is done. I love ya, Hope
Church! Keep loving God and loving others. I’ll see yall next Sunday on
Facebook! Be safe! God bless!
How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? by Jonathan Leeman
