Scripture: John 21:14-20
Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab.
How do you follow Jesus? How do you love Jesus? Obey his commands. Very good. What is a summary of his commands? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. You know that one, good. What other more specific behaviors are required of us in order to obey that very general command? What does obeying those commands look like in your life? And since that’s what following Jesus will look like, is it evident? Do other people know that you are following Jesus? How easy is it for them to find out?
Here are some more specific ways to love God and neighbor: Pray. Fast. Abide in Christ. Cling to the vine. Go and make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey. I did a brief study of this and found that there are 38 distinct commandments in the New Testament given by Jesus. I’ve printed them out for your perusal, But, if we are saved by faith, what is the use of these commandments?
What are they for if they are not for my salvation? They are for the mission! They are so that you do the things you have to do so that other people find out about Jesus and want to become a follower of Jesus along with you. What will make other people want to follow Jesus with you? Only if it looks to them like following Jesus has turned you into a good, loving and kind person that other people want to hang around with. Or perhaps it looks obvious that you have spiritual resources that they know not of that help you endure trials and suffering in ways that they find hard to imagine possible, and then they want what you got! Or maybe, your ways of obeying God’s commands causes you to do things differently from the way the world does them and they can’t understand why you behave that way so they ask you what’s up?
All these things further the mission. Obeying all of Jesus’ commandments that center around forgiveness and not judging and loving your neighbor and your enemy, and caring for the needy, makes your light shine so that you are noticed by the people of this dark and dying world and they are drawn to that light that they may be saved. So, when Jesus told Peter, “Feed my sheep and follow me,” it was all about the mission.
Let me tell you how some of these commandments work. If you’re looking at the sheet I handed out, notice that I put first things first. You must be born again. First, place your faith in Jesus for salvation and be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is the source of your power for the mission. If you’re not yet born again nothing you do is useful to God. Pray and abide in Christ trusting him for everything. Now, what specific habits of your life do you practice so that you know you are effectively abiding in Christ? You don’t just take it for granted do you? You do remember that faith without works is dead right? The first works of faith are the simple habits that keep you close to Jesus so that you can hear his voice and really follow him. Read your Bible. Pray. Spend time with Jesus.
Two fish were swimming in the ocean. Another older fish swam by in the other direction. As he passed by, he said, “Hello boys! How’s the water?” A little while later one of the younger fish turned to his companion and said, “What is water?” You know, unless a fish has ever spent any time out of water, he probably doesn’t have any idea how good it is for him to be in the water! And he’s not even aware of the water until you try to take him out.
The point of the story is that the most obvious and important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. I had said last week that I wanted to give a couple of very practical messages about evangelism, being a good neighbor, being an effective servant of God, so that we successfully “bear much fruit” and watch God’s Kingdom grow.
What are the most obvious and important realities we have to pay attention to? How about habits? What if the most practical message I could give right now is one that helps us know whether our habits that control our lives are there because we love Jesus, or are there because we kind of unconsciously absorbed them from the American culture in which we grew up?
Here’s what I mean. The house of my life may be decorated with Christian content. But if the architecture of my habits is just the same as the rest of the world, it will still collapse one day. Peter had been told to wait until the power from on high came to them. But he didn’t know exactly when it would show up. So, he decided to go fishing again. Maybe he just wanted to keep busy. And that’s what he was doing when Jesus came to him, fed him breakfast and said hey, “Feed my sheep.”
What if a lot of us Christians are just “busy” the same way the world is? What if we think we are living our Christian lives, but we’re really only doing it the way the world does things, and we just don’t realize it. What if, even though we are surrounded by Bibles and Christian principles, and Christian wall decorations and we prefer Christian values and Christian themed Facebook messages, so that we think we love Jesus, we really aren’t really clinging to Jesus the way the branch clings for dear life to the vine. What if it turns out we are actually loving our so called Christian life style more than we actually love the real person we call Jesus, the Son of God?
Do you love Jesus? Do you really? Are you offended that I’m asking you this question? Peter was offended that Jesus asked him three times. But by going fishing, instead of waiting, Peter was falling back into his old habits and doing something other than what Jesus had asked him to do. So, it was a legitimate question, because if Peter really loved Jesus, maybe he wouldn’t have gone fishing! Which is not to say that it is never ok to go fishing.
So, let Jesus ask you, do you love Me? How do you know? How are you conscientiously practicing the habits of love?
In this familiar scene, we see Jesus feeding the disciples, and then inviting Peter to feed the sheep. Jesus provides food. Then Jesus commissions Peter to provide food for the sheep. The lesson and application here is that this is a picture of the mission of the church. Peter, and by extension all leaders and all ministers in the body of Christ, that is, all believers, are called to feed the hungry ones and care for them so they become strong and healthy. Feed the little lambs the very Word of God, as from our Father’s Hand.
But who is qualified for such a ministry? The ones who really love Jesus. How are they equipped and prepared to fulfill such an awesome privilege and responsibility? By clinging to Jesus. Who are the sheep? And how do we feed them, really? We feed them by obeying Jesus commandments about making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that the taught.
One of the Greek words used for sheep here in verse 15 is really about lambs, little lambs. Here is Jesus’ first instruction to the head of the church about the ministry of the church– feed my little lambs. Every church is blessed when it has little lambs. That refers to young children and new believers – both are lambs. We pray for little children to come! And when they come, we’ll need to get comfortable with fidgeting and fussing and loud unexpected noises. They’re just kids! They will learn if we love them.
We also pray that there will be new believers who need to be discipled. They are babes in Christ and need to be fed the milk of the gospel so they become stronger in the faith and learn to walk in the Lord and become as fruitful as the good soil mentioned in another parable. Lambs need to be fed so that they grow up to become strong and healthy, productive sheep.
Next, in verse 16, the Lord tells us, by telling Peter, that we must tend the sheep. Now who are the sheep in this verse? It refers to those believers who are maturing under the care and ministry of the body of Christ. But even that is not just the pastor’s job. It is a responsibility shared with other mature believers who understand that the priesthood of believers is shared by all. So, let us not neglect our responsibility in caring for the family of God. We must be willing to minister to hurts, to encourage the disheartened, to pray for those who are sick, to help the needy, and to reach out to those who are drifting away. And I am not the only one qualified to do that. In fact, sometimes it works better when you’re the ones who do that.
Let us never neglect the job that the Lord has given us to tend the sheep. We must not only care about them, but we must also take care of them. The ministry of the Church is meant to be used by God to encourage and strengthen hurting believers, to be a refresher course in discipleship, ministering to and restoring sheep, equipping the saints. That’s church discipline at its best. And that is why your Session leaders have taken on the responsibility to care for you as undershepherds. They’re helping me. And you can help each other.
This ought to make the whole flock strong enough so that growing sheep are able to do some shepherding too, looking out for each other and encouraging one another. This is how the church can grow, first in deeper spiritual health and relationship with God and one another, then in numbers, as the sheep who are strong and healthy reach out to others around them. Healthy things grow.
Success in evangelism is not measured by how many people come into the church, but by how many people go out and share the gospel. Yes, it can be a frightening thing for people to share the gospel. But let me remind you of the most often repeated command in scripture: “Do not be afraid.”
Now Jesus gave Peter a third command – feed my sheep. First, he said to feed my lambs, then tend my sheep, and now feed my sheep. Too often churches tend to their flock but neglect to feed them. Many churches have fabulous programs to meet the needs of their members – programs for all ages, support groups, counseling groups, addictive behavior groups. They have times of fellowship and activities for the whole family. They tend their sheep well.
But Jesus said we must also feed the sheep. We must be fed from God’s word. We must learn about God and his nature, his attributes, his personality. We must be taught how to rely on the Holy Spirit. We must go from the milk of a new believer to the meat of God’s word, trained to distinguish good from evil.
How does this maturity come? Well, back to habits. How do you keep busy? Too busy to pray? Too busy to spend time in God’s Word? Too busy to participate in new ministries to the community? We ought to come to our Sunday gatherings looking forward to a feast of God’s Word in a celebration of God’s grace, love and mercy. Then, you have an opportunity, or perhaps we should say a responsibility, to look for other hungry sheep and invite them to this feast.
Gather all the resources that you have. Hold nothing back. You will think that it isn't enough. But take it to the Lord. Put it in His hands. And whatever He gives back to you, start giving it out to the hungry people around you.
I hope you’ll study that list of commandments and judge your own behaviors and habits and make sure you really love Jesus as much as you may say you do. But first we must be fed. Jesus is our gracious host at this the table of the Lord. Let’s celebrate his grace and love as we enjoy this feast. Even if it is just a crumb of bread and a sip of juice, a mere foretaste of the glorious wedding feast we will enjoy when we come in to his kingdom, still there is no other food on earth as good for us as the food from this table. It is the very body and blood of Christ to us, given by Him that we might live in Him, abide in him, and serve him in His Kingdom. He provides for us and feeds us so that we may go forth seeking others who would enjoy this feast with us through faith in Jesus, if only they could hear about it from you and see His love at work through you. Amen.
Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab.
How do you follow Jesus? How do you love Jesus? Obey his commands. Very good. What is a summary of his commands? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. You know that one, good. What other more specific behaviors are required of us in order to obey that very general command? What does obeying those commands look like in your life? And since that’s what following Jesus will look like, is it evident? Do other people know that you are following Jesus? How easy is it for them to find out?
Here are some more specific ways to love God and neighbor: Pray. Fast. Abide in Christ. Cling to the vine. Go and make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey. I did a brief study of this and found that there are 38 distinct commandments in the New Testament given by Jesus. I’ve printed them out for your perusal, But, if we are saved by faith, what is the use of these commandments?
What are they for if they are not for my salvation? They are for the mission! They are so that you do the things you have to do so that other people find out about Jesus and want to become a follower of Jesus along with you. What will make other people want to follow Jesus with you? Only if it looks to them like following Jesus has turned you into a good, loving and kind person that other people want to hang around with. Or perhaps it looks obvious that you have spiritual resources that they know not of that help you endure trials and suffering in ways that they find hard to imagine possible, and then they want what you got! Or maybe, your ways of obeying God’s commands causes you to do things differently from the way the world does them and they can’t understand why you behave that way so they ask you what’s up?
All these things further the mission. Obeying all of Jesus’ commandments that center around forgiveness and not judging and loving your neighbor and your enemy, and caring for the needy, makes your light shine so that you are noticed by the people of this dark and dying world and they are drawn to that light that they may be saved. So, when Jesus told Peter, “Feed my sheep and follow me,” it was all about the mission.
Let me tell you how some of these commandments work. If you’re looking at the sheet I handed out, notice that I put first things first. You must be born again. First, place your faith in Jesus for salvation and be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is the source of your power for the mission. If you’re not yet born again nothing you do is useful to God. Pray and abide in Christ trusting him for everything. Now, what specific habits of your life do you practice so that you know you are effectively abiding in Christ? You don’t just take it for granted do you? You do remember that faith without works is dead right? The first works of faith are the simple habits that keep you close to Jesus so that you can hear his voice and really follow him. Read your Bible. Pray. Spend time with Jesus.
Two fish were swimming in the ocean. Another older fish swam by in the other direction. As he passed by, he said, “Hello boys! How’s the water?” A little while later one of the younger fish turned to his companion and said, “What is water?” You know, unless a fish has ever spent any time out of water, he probably doesn’t have any idea how good it is for him to be in the water! And he’s not even aware of the water until you try to take him out.
The point of the story is that the most obvious and important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. I had said last week that I wanted to give a couple of very practical messages about evangelism, being a good neighbor, being an effective servant of God, so that we successfully “bear much fruit” and watch God’s Kingdom grow.
What are the most obvious and important realities we have to pay attention to? How about habits? What if the most practical message I could give right now is one that helps us know whether our habits that control our lives are there because we love Jesus, or are there because we kind of unconsciously absorbed them from the American culture in which we grew up?
Here’s what I mean. The house of my life may be decorated with Christian content. But if the architecture of my habits is just the same as the rest of the world, it will still collapse one day. Peter had been told to wait until the power from on high came to them. But he didn’t know exactly when it would show up. So, he decided to go fishing again. Maybe he just wanted to keep busy. And that’s what he was doing when Jesus came to him, fed him breakfast and said hey, “Feed my sheep.”
What if a lot of us Christians are just “busy” the same way the world is? What if we think we are living our Christian lives, but we’re really only doing it the way the world does things, and we just don’t realize it. What if, even though we are surrounded by Bibles and Christian principles, and Christian wall decorations and we prefer Christian values and Christian themed Facebook messages, so that we think we love Jesus, we really aren’t really clinging to Jesus the way the branch clings for dear life to the vine. What if it turns out we are actually loving our so called Christian life style more than we actually love the real person we call Jesus, the Son of God?
Do you love Jesus? Do you really? Are you offended that I’m asking you this question? Peter was offended that Jesus asked him three times. But by going fishing, instead of waiting, Peter was falling back into his old habits and doing something other than what Jesus had asked him to do. So, it was a legitimate question, because if Peter really loved Jesus, maybe he wouldn’t have gone fishing! Which is not to say that it is never ok to go fishing.
So, let Jesus ask you, do you love Me? How do you know? How are you conscientiously practicing the habits of love?
In this familiar scene, we see Jesus feeding the disciples, and then inviting Peter to feed the sheep. Jesus provides food. Then Jesus commissions Peter to provide food for the sheep. The lesson and application here is that this is a picture of the mission of the church. Peter, and by extension all leaders and all ministers in the body of Christ, that is, all believers, are called to feed the hungry ones and care for them so they become strong and healthy. Feed the little lambs the very Word of God, as from our Father’s Hand.
But who is qualified for such a ministry? The ones who really love Jesus. How are they equipped and prepared to fulfill such an awesome privilege and responsibility? By clinging to Jesus. Who are the sheep? And how do we feed them, really? We feed them by obeying Jesus commandments about making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that the taught.
One of the Greek words used for sheep here in verse 15 is really about lambs, little lambs. Here is Jesus’ first instruction to the head of the church about the ministry of the church– feed my little lambs. Every church is blessed when it has little lambs. That refers to young children and new believers – both are lambs. We pray for little children to come! And when they come, we’ll need to get comfortable with fidgeting and fussing and loud unexpected noises. They’re just kids! They will learn if we love them.
We also pray that there will be new believers who need to be discipled. They are babes in Christ and need to be fed the milk of the gospel so they become stronger in the faith and learn to walk in the Lord and become as fruitful as the good soil mentioned in another parable. Lambs need to be fed so that they grow up to become strong and healthy, productive sheep.
Next, in verse 16, the Lord tells us, by telling Peter, that we must tend the sheep. Now who are the sheep in this verse? It refers to those believers who are maturing under the care and ministry of the body of Christ. But even that is not just the pastor’s job. It is a responsibility shared with other mature believers who understand that the priesthood of believers is shared by all. So, let us not neglect our responsibility in caring for the family of God. We must be willing to minister to hurts, to encourage the disheartened, to pray for those who are sick, to help the needy, and to reach out to those who are drifting away. And I am not the only one qualified to do that. In fact, sometimes it works better when you’re the ones who do that.
Let us never neglect the job that the Lord has given us to tend the sheep. We must not only care about them, but we must also take care of them. The ministry of the Church is meant to be used by God to encourage and strengthen hurting believers, to be a refresher course in discipleship, ministering to and restoring sheep, equipping the saints. That’s church discipline at its best. And that is why your Session leaders have taken on the responsibility to care for you as undershepherds. They’re helping me. And you can help each other.
This ought to make the whole flock strong enough so that growing sheep are able to do some shepherding too, looking out for each other and encouraging one another. This is how the church can grow, first in deeper spiritual health and relationship with God and one another, then in numbers, as the sheep who are strong and healthy reach out to others around them. Healthy things grow.
Success in evangelism is not measured by how many people come into the church, but by how many people go out and share the gospel. Yes, it can be a frightening thing for people to share the gospel. But let me remind you of the most often repeated command in scripture: “Do not be afraid.”
Now Jesus gave Peter a third command – feed my sheep. First, he said to feed my lambs, then tend my sheep, and now feed my sheep. Too often churches tend to their flock but neglect to feed them. Many churches have fabulous programs to meet the needs of their members – programs for all ages, support groups, counseling groups, addictive behavior groups. They have times of fellowship and activities for the whole family. They tend their sheep well.
But Jesus said we must also feed the sheep. We must be fed from God’s word. We must learn about God and his nature, his attributes, his personality. We must be taught how to rely on the Holy Spirit. We must go from the milk of a new believer to the meat of God’s word, trained to distinguish good from evil.
How does this maturity come? Well, back to habits. How do you keep busy? Too busy to pray? Too busy to spend time in God’s Word? Too busy to participate in new ministries to the community? We ought to come to our Sunday gatherings looking forward to a feast of God’s Word in a celebration of God’s grace, love and mercy. Then, you have an opportunity, or perhaps we should say a responsibility, to look for other hungry sheep and invite them to this feast.
Gather all the resources that you have. Hold nothing back. You will think that it isn't enough. But take it to the Lord. Put it in His hands. And whatever He gives back to you, start giving it out to the hungry people around you.
I hope you’ll study that list of commandments and judge your own behaviors and habits and make sure you really love Jesus as much as you may say you do. But first we must be fed. Jesus is our gracious host at this the table of the Lord. Let’s celebrate his grace and love as we enjoy this feast. Even if it is just a crumb of bread and a sip of juice, a mere foretaste of the glorious wedding feast we will enjoy when we come in to his kingdom, still there is no other food on earth as good for us as the food from this table. It is the very body and blood of Christ to us, given by Him that we might live in Him, abide in him, and serve him in His Kingdom. He provides for us and feeds us so that we may go forth seeking others who would enjoy this feast with us through faith in Jesus, if only they could hear about it from you and see His love at work through you. Amen.
The Commandments of Jesus
1.
“YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.”
2.
“ABIDE IN ME, AND LET ME ABIDE IN YOU.”
3.
“EAT BREAD AND DRINK WINE IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”
4.
“FOLLOW THE NARROW PATH TO LIFE.” (Enter by the narrow gate.)
5.
“MAKE GOD YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR
NEEDS.”
6.
“BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS.”
7.
“EXERCISE POWER OVER UNCLEAN SPIRITS.”
8.
“STORE UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN, NOT ON EARTH.”
9.
“DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR MATERIAL NEEDS.”
10.
“DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE.”
11.
“HAVE TOTAL FAITH IN GOD FOR EVERYTHING.”
12.
“ASK GOD FOR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO HAVE.” (Seek, and ye shall find.)
13.
“PRAY PRIVATELY AND SIMPLY, NOT TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE.”
14.
“MAKE YOUR PRAYERS BE LIKE THE LORD'S PRAYER.”
15.
“WHEN YOU FAST, DO IT SECRETLY, NOT FOR SHOW.”
16.
“OBEY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.” (The moral law)
17.
“FORGIVE EVERYBODY OF ALL THEIR OFFENSES AGAINST YOU.”
18.
“END DISPUTES QUICKLY.”
19.
“RESOLVE DISPUTES IN AN ORDERLY WAY, LIKE THIS . . .”
20.
“WHATEVER CAUSES YOU TO SIN, GET RID OF IT.”
21.
“DO NOT SWEAR OATHS AT ALL.”
22.
“DO NOT RETURN OFFENSE FOR OFFENSE.” (Turn the other cheek.)
23.
“GIVE WHAT PEOPLE ASK OF YOU, AND GIVE MORE THAN IS REQUIRED.” (Go
the extra mile.)
24.
“GIVE TO THE POOR TO PLEASE GOD, NOT TO GAIN APPROVAL FROM OTHER
PEOPLE.”
25.
“FEED THE HUNGRY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, SHELTER THE HOMELESS, COMFORT
THOSE IN DISTRESS.”
26.
“LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS.” (Do not hide your light under a
basket.)
27.
“LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO WORK AGAINST YOU.”
28.
“DO NOT JUDGE (AS IN, CONDEMN) OTHER PEOPLE.” (Judge not, lest ye
be judged.)
29.
“DO NOT GIVE HOLY THINGS TO DOGS OR CAST YOUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.”
30.
“LOVE LITTLE CHILDREN, DO NOT DESPISE THEM.”
31.
“DO NOT TAKE THE TITLES 'MASTER' OR 'FATHER' FOR YOURSELF.”
32.
“DO NOT OPPOSE OTHER BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WHO ARE NOT IN YOUR
GROUP.”
33.
“BE LIKE THE GOOD SAMARITAN.” (Go, and do likewise.)
34.
“LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AS I HAVE LOVED YOU”
35.
“WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET.”
36.
“BE MERCIFUL.”
37.
“GO AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM.”
38.
“KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.”
39.
“BE PREPARED FOR YOUR MASTER TO RETURN.
As compiled by Rev. Bill McGinnis, and
somewhat logically arranged by Pastor Greg DuBois
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