Let's look together this evening at John chapter 21. And while you're turning there, I want to say how thankful I am to be here. This is a, it's always an honor to be asked and to be privileged just to come to one of these meetings, much less to stand and preach the gospel of our savior. and I appreciate your pastor very much and all of you for having us. But this is a special occasion and I'm delighted that I'm here. Thinking about 19 years ago when Vicki and I moved to Tennessee and I began to pastor a group of people that met in a a place that was not ideal, let's say. And I remember when the Lord gave us a building and I remember that the Lord gave us something before that. He gave us a commitment in the hearts of his people that we were going to find a place if he was gracious enough to give us one, we wanted to, to, to find a place where I don't know how to say it really, but to say, this is the ground. This is where we're going to be. This is where God helping us, the gospel is going to be preached from now on. Right here. We had met in some temporary places also in between that. And I remember what a blessing it was. What a great, comforting, encouraging blessing it was. when the Lord gave us a place to meet. And it's just a building, it is. But I don't know if you realize what the Lord has begun here yet. It may take 10, 15 years. It may take longer than that, hopefully sooner. But one day the Lord will show you what a special, precious thing he has begun right here in giving you this. And I know you've worshiped together for a while and But over the years, there is nothing like God's family meeting together, Christ being our head and we being his body and meeting in his name with his promise in our hearts that he would meet with us when we meet in his name by his grace. And over the years, become closer and closer with one another closer and closer with your pastor and you learn together. Your pastor is going to learn right along with you. And there's nothing in the world like it. And I would argue nothing more important than to worship God publicly in the place he's given you to do that. And I would encourage you, I guess, to be sweet to one another, forgive one another, be good to your pastor, be considerate to him and his family. What the Lord has placed upon him and his family is a great blessing and a great burden. And I regret to this day that I wasn't more of a help to my pastor when I was growing up. But I'm just speaking from my heart and just telling you, this is precious. I'm thankful for y'all. I'm proud of, for you, for this building the Lord's given you and the fellowship that you have in him. Don't let anybody mar that. May every enemy of that perish. because this is a special, precious blessing of the Lord. Gospel is going to go forth here. And the gospel is life and death. Christ is life to dead sinners. And I just, I'm thankful. My heart, I hope I can pray like I should for you. And you'll be, I believe, on my heart and my wife's heart And we would be blessed beyond measure to be any kind of help whatsoever to this congregation, just in praying for you or whatever, whatever we might be able to do. I'm just thankful for you. Thank the Lord for you. In John 21 with verse 15 here, this is a familiar passage and I've preached it several times from this passage. Of course, this is Christ, as in all of scripture, it so clearly reveals what Christ is to us, everything. But this is a many-faceted, I believe, passage of scripture. There's a lot of beautiful gospel truth here. So let's read it together, verse 15 through 17 of John 21. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? And he saith unto him, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And he saith unto him, feed my lambs. 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. And he saith unto him, feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And 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. One of the things that the Lord gave me a glimpse of recently about this passage is how key the word me is when the Lord is speaking to Simon. I suspect most of you have thought you love somebody that you, you just fell in love with somebody, maybe a friend or, or not necessarily romantic love, but, uh, a friend or, um, the Lord just seemed to give you a companion for your soul. And you said, I just love them. I love them. But then you found out that they weren't who you thought they were. And that love goes by the wayside because they're not who you thought they were. And so this word me, love us thou me. I think people throw the word love around a lot, a lot in religion too. It's easy to say that. But you see how key that is here? He's asking, do you love me? I believe Simon had an idea of who he was talking about. In the very beginning of the book of John, it's established who this is. John 1 17, the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Thank God for grace. Thank God that he didn't just give his law, show us how wretched we were, and then put us where we belong. Grace and truth came by this me. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath revealed who God is. We know who God is because of his Son. First Timothy 3.16, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. Do you love me? Do you love me? When Philip said, show us the Father, And it's a facet as our Lord Jesus said, Philip, he that has seen me has seen the father. He that has seen me has seen God almighty. Did not the Lord Jesus Christ manifest himself all through his life as God on this earth and in human flesh, he revealed his omnipresence to Nathaniel. And this is just in. You know, you may not go to these particular passages of scripture, if you were studying the omnipresence of God, but just everything about him revealed these things that his, his deity, he said to, to, he said before Philip called the, when that was done to the fig tree, I saw the, and you know what, Nathaniel's, you remember Nathaniel's response to that? You're the son of God. You're the son, what? You're the king of Israel. John 1, 48 and 49 is where that's at. He revealed his omnipotence in the garden, didn't he? When he said, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And he said, I am. And they fell backwards. Soldiers, the soldiers fell backwards. Had he not said in John 18, six, all power, All authority and all ability is given unto me in heaven and earth. All power, omnipotent, lovest thou me. He revealed his omniscience to the woman at the well. In chapter four, she ran into town and said, come see a man that told me all things ever I did. Is not this the Christ? He knows everything. Is not this God in human flesh? He revealed his sovereignty over creation when he commanded the winds and the seas and they obeyed his will. And they said, what manner of man is this? He revealed his sovereignty over Providence when he reminded them, he said, when I sent you out with nothing, did you lack anything? They said nothing. Do you love him? Do you love him tonight? Is that who he is to you? Is that who you pray to? The one that knows everything, the one that can do anything and nobody can stop him. He said, take no thought for these things. I sent you out with nothing. You didn't lack anything and you're not going to. If the Lord is with y'all, you're not ever going to lack a thing. You're going to think you do. You're going to wish this and that. You're never going to lack one thing. The one who appointed Judas as the treasurer among the 12 knows everybody and everything. He knows every heart, he knows every need, and he loves you, he loves his people. You're never gonna lack a thing. He revealed his sovereignty in the salvation of sinners so many times, but when he walked through a multitude of halt and lame and blind and sick, and asked one certain man among them. He picked out one and said, wilt thou be made? John five, six. And in this same context in John five, he said this, as the father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the son quickeneth whom he will. Do you love that me? Some people say, oh, I love God. Oh, how I love Jesus. And then they find out who he is and they say, well, I don't know. I don't want anything to do with that guy. I've had somebody say that to my face. I don't want anything to do with a God like that. Well. It's the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush and said, I will have mercy on him. I will have mercy. He revealed himself as such. When he said to that dying thief today, think of the authority of that today, thou shall be with me. in paradise. He's the one that decides that. He revealed himself as the God of all grace when he said things like, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Not come unto me and let me tell you how to live the Christian life. I know that my brother will rise again in the resurrection. Do you believe in the resurrection? Or do you believe on Christ? Him that cometh to me I will know was. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. The same Christ here in John who spoke through Isaiah and said, look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I'm God and there's none else. Lovest thou me? He revealed himself as the Lamb of God, which taketh away sin. When John recognized him and said, behold, There's the lamb that takes away sin, the only one that takes away sin. He had revealed himself, who he is, and this is the one who asks Simon this question, do you love me? Do you love me? And Simon knew him. He knew this about him, you know everything. You know everything, he knew he was the omniscient God. And you have to understand what's happened here, what Peter has done to understand the question and the answer. There's disagreement concerning what these are when the Lord says, do you love me more than these? Let's talk about a couple of in a couple of different senses that that's true. I believe God often leaves questions like that uncertain because there's maybe more than one consideration that's profitable in scriptural. Any scriptural understanding is a good one. There are just a couple of things really that could be meant by this. It's either the fishing gear, the nets, the boats that Simon had gone back to when he said, I go fishing. I betrayed the son of God. I denied my Lord. I'm just going to go fishing. And that's a possibility. The things that Simon had left to begin with in order to follow the Lord. Don't you love me more than these? All right, it's the other disciples. These other men, do you love me more than these? But that's a completely different question. It's not the Lord pitting one believer against another. If that's the way he's asking it, There could be a very good reason for that, because do you remember what Simon said? He implied that he did love the Lord more than they did. Did he not? That's exactly what he said. These may deny you, but not me. Is that what the Lord's asking? Do you love me more than these? Look where you are. I'm not putting words in the Lord's mouth, but Simon, where are you? Do you love me more than these? All of you shall be offended because of me this night, our Lord said, for it is written, I'll smite the shepherd, the sheep will be scattered. But after that I am risen, I'll go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto him, all the law shall be offended, yet will not I. Have we learned this lesson? If that's the question the Lord's asking, do you love me more than others? Without our savior, we can do nothing. If he hadn't loved us first, we wouldn't love him at all. Have we learned that? Do we love that? Do we love that one? Did he not have reason to ask though also, do you love me more than these things that you left in the beginning in order to follow me the first time? Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. You see why he might ask that? Now that Peter's gone back to the nets, back to the ships, back to the ocean, So what a question. You ever put yourself in that place and wonder what? What it would be to have the son of God ask you face to face. Do you love me? Do you love me? And I love Simon's answer. You know what we would probably do? You know what I'd probably do? The way I might answer that, I'd probably be, Lord, you know, I don't love you like I should. And, you know, I strive to love you, you know, that's just self-righteousness. I'm trying to answer in such a way that sounds spiritual. I don't love you like I ought to, Lord, but, you know, I strive to. Simon just told the truth. By the grace of God, I love you. He asked him the second time. What a personal question that is. Wouldn't that make you uncomfortable if anybody really asked you, do you love me? That's a very personal question. It'd be a hard question to ask somebody, wouldn't it? Just stand toe to toe with somebody and say, do you love me? And even harder to answer it, honestly, this question puts things in perspective, doesn't it? This is the heart of the matter. It's one thing to believe true things. It's one thing to believe the gospel. But if I had all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not love, I'm nothing. I'm nothing. Have you received by the grace of God the love of the truth? Nobody can take that away from you. Somebody might out argue you, but they're not going to take that away. And what a glorious thing to believe doctrine in your head. I'm not saying that's a terrible thing. Thank God that he's opened up our hearts and our minds to receive the truth. But do you love me? the one that's revealed in that doctrine. Remember now how he's revealed himself in this book of John. We read some of it. And of course the whole Bible, do you love me? Do you love his omnipotence? Or do you reserve some ability for yourself? Do you love the fact that God himself has done everything that he requires of you it's his power it's his ability it's his faith it's his grace it's his electing love it's do you love him do you love me the omnipotent one do you love his omniscience or do you still think you know better than he does We would never admit that. Every time you murmur about something, you're saying, well, why is God doing that? I wouldn't do it that way. Can we shut up with our murmuring? No, not without his grace we can. Are you aware even of all the second guessing that we do of God? Am I even aware of that? Do you love his sovereignty? Or do you rebel? Are you glad he's on the throne? Does that rejoice your heart that he's on the throne? What a wonderful thing that is to his people. Are you happy that absolutely nothing is up to you? Does that rejoice your heart? Thank God nothing is up to me. It's up to him. Do you love his deity? Do you love me? Or do you still think you're God? Well, I've never thought, careful now. Do you love his grace? Or do you love your 99% idea of grace? And he asked him the third time and Simon was grieved. Do we understand that? There's no question that there is a correlation between Peter denying the Lord three times and the Lord asking him three times, do you love me? There's no question about that. And I believe that was part of what grieved him. It reminded him. And if I did love him, then why did I deny him? But I want us to notice something particularly here and I'll be through. Peter never tries to produce any evidence in support of his love for Christ. What in the world would he put up as evidence? He denied him, he bragged, he boasted and forsook him and fled when he was crucified. Now he's gone fishing, he's left the ministry. What would Peter point to and say, look there, Lord, see, I do love you. You know, everything. You know, we would say, Simon, how in the world could you love the Lord and do that? The Lord knows how. Because he's the one that shed abroad his love in Simon's heart. We don't know that, but the Lord knows. John 3, 18, they straightway left their nets in 1 John 3, 18. And they followed the Lord, and hereby we know that we are of the truth. Look at the parallel here. This is actually 1 John 3, 19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him, for if our heart condemn us. You think your heart might condemn you if the Lord asked you, do you love me? My heart might. My heart might condemn me, but God's greater than our heart. And what's that? Look at it. I didn't tell you to turn there, but I heard you turn in there. I hope you're there. Look at it with me. God is greater than our heart. And what? What did Peter say? No, you know everything. You know everything. Oh, the heart of the matter. Do you love me? If any man, 1 Corinthians 16, 22, if any man believe not the doctrine of election, let him be accursed. And you know, I love the doctrine of election. You know, I do. Thank God. If he hadn't chosen us in eternity, we never would have chosen him. We'd be goners. And we're talking about love tonight, aren't we? That's what election is. It's not eeny, meeny, miny, moe. It's Jacob, I have loved. That the purpose of God according to election might stand. He said, Jacob, have I loved. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed when the Lord comes. John 14, 23, Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he'll keep my words, my doctrine. We're not talking bad about doctrine. He'll keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. That's the right order. It doesn't say if any man keep my words, he will abide, he will love me. If we love him, we'll keep his words. Somebody said a long time ago, most of you will know who it was, it said that if you don't come to Christ through doctrine, You come to your doctrine through Christ. And I disagreed with that for a long time, but not anymore. By the grace of God, you're going to have to fall in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, of course, there's teaching involved in that. We have to know who he is before he'll reveal himself in our heads and then cause us to believe on him in our hearts. But what most people call doctrine is what, what I believe, what, what are my beliefs? Somebody asked you what your, your doctrine, they're not talking about the Bible, although that's what doctrine really is. We don't have a confession of faith. I hope y'all don't, you don't need one. We already have one. He believed that Satan is a five point Calvinist. I'm pretty sure he is. Pretty sure. No, he believed in total depravity. He said, you take away what you've given Job and he'll curse you to your face. He was right about that. Apart from God's grace. Satan doesn't know anything about grace though, does he? He didn't know anything about the Lord Jesus Christ and God's love for his elected Christ. But he understood that. He knew what we were made of. I believe he knew exactly what was happening on that cross, pretty much. I mean, he knew. Here's my point. Satan's not stupid. He just hates God. He hates God. And so do most people. Again, not something that everybody would admit. But that's our problem. That was our problem in the garden. That's our problem tonight. By nature, we hate God. Our flesh hates God. By His grace now, because He first loved us, we do love Him. I remember the passage in Luke 7, verses 37 through 48. Who's going to love the Lord the most? The one that's forgiven the most. The one that's forgiven the most and like in the story of the hundred sheep. And the one sheep going astray and the Lord leaving the 99 and going after that one sheep people argue about well, who were the 99 point of that parable is which one are you? All of God's elect are that one sheep. And here, who's been forgiven the most? That's every one of us, isn't it? That's every one of us. That's who's gonna love him. And which came first? The forgiveness or the love? Because she had been forgiven much, she loved much. his love, his redeeming, forgiving, justifying, dying love for us is the cause of our love for him. Do you love me? All that he is, all that he's done, though it puts us in the dust and shows us that we're nothing. Without him, we are nothing. We have nothing. We can do nothing. Do you love me? Do you love the one that you deny and disgrace all the time? Do you love me, Lord? You know everything. By his grace, we do. If he first loved us, amen.