Sermon Preached on Sunday 3rd April 2011 at St Peter’s Free Church - Dundee, Scotland, UK
John 21:15-17
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
"Step up"
Some 13 years ago when we were still living in Edinburgh we became attached to one local Church of Scotland congregation while we learned the language and tried to accommodate the culture before we started serving in the church as a kind of assistant minister, on a volunteer basis.
After about 1 year I started going around the church before the service greeting people and trying to get to know them. I remember on morning, in particular, after a hard week in many ways, as a greeted some people I noticed a grumpy lady sitting on her own.
When I saw her grumpy face I thought to myself; “Oh no! I can’t do grumpy faces today. I had a hard week and need to see only nice people today.”
As I walked past her pew, I felt strongly prompted to stop, go where she was and speak to her. I did not want to…but I felt as if the Lord Jesus himself was speaking to me: “go and see what is behind that grumpy face; listen to her story”.
I suddenly had a profound compassion on her. I knew she could simply dismiss me like that.
As I approached and stretched my hand out to greet her, she opened a wide beautiful smile, which made my day. As we chatted away I was astounded to hear what she told me next; She said this: “Joe, I have been attending this church for the past two years and you are the first person who ever spoke to me. You do not how much that means to me. Thank you.”
Hers is one of many stories of people who feel left out, ignored, uncared for, unloved and even unwanted amongst us in church.
Someone once told me: Joe it is just the way we are. We are British. We do not talk to people unless we have been properly introduced for three weeks in a row.
If we knew what 'culture' means we will learn also that it can be changed on purpose. The word “culture” in this sense means: “the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group”
Now, behaviours are based on beliefs. The Christian faith is based on the belief that God loved us while we were still lost in our sins, that is, while we still ignored or rejected Him.
So the Christian faith should change any local culture in this regard and shape us into people who are warm, accepting and welcoming. We should warmly embrace everyone God sends our way. We must be careful so we do not become the kind of people who make others feel unwelcome or ignored in our own church and community.
There is a interesting story in the New Testament in the Bible that teaches about attitudes.
If you remember the apostle Peter denied Jesus three times in a row. He refused to acknowledge he knew His Master and best friend in one of the most difficult times in Jesus’ life. Jesus was being arrested on that evening.
This is how it happened (Luke 22:55-62)
Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “ A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. . .
Peter must have felt like being the worst of the worst. In his eyes he must have felt he did not deserve even the smallest expression of care, love and compassion from anyone anymore.
He had done the most despicable thing a man could ever do to his best friend. It would be something like seeing your best friend being beaten up on a Friday night on Perth Road in Dundee and denying to know him or her when the mob turned to you. But just worse…because your best friend is not your God in human form as Jesus revealed himself to be.
So Jesus had plenty of reason to be upset with Peter and not to want anything to do with him any longer. . .No one would ever have blamed Jesus if He chose to ignore Peter after that.
But here is where we fail to learn from Jesus’ example.
Three days after His crucifixion He rose from the dead, defeating the power of death, and conquering victory for all us, He went to see Peter. . .Not to ask for an explanation, nor the get an apology from him. . . But rather to show His incomprehensible forgiveness and welcome Him back. . .
He knew Peter’s heart was broken. He knew Peter was suffering with an unbearable pain in his heart as the result of him disowning Jesus. He knew Peter was very, very sorry for his actions. We have even reason to believe Peter was depressed and perhaps even suicidal over his actions.
But Jesus came to him and showed to the world up to this very day the culture of His heart, which should shape the culture of your heart and mine tonight.
John 21: 15-19
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” (...)
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
The force of this expression “Take care of my lambs” has always impressed me.
Note that each command to take care of His sheep came straight after Peter’s answer that he loved Jesus.
Jesus is commissioning Peter to take care of what God’s cares most about: People.
The office of a Shepherd involves NOT merely the feeding of the sheep on grass but the entire leading, guiding, guarding, and folding of the flock.
Jesus not only showed that He had forgiven Peter but He also showed to those around Peter that the expression of that forgiveness was to entrust Peter with the exciting responsibility of helping people in their faith.
I have always had a great concern about the way we treat people both amongst and around us. There are a great number of churches getting it badly wrong and I passionately encourage you not be part of that statistic.
I have stated a million times from the first day I gave my life to Jesus, that God’s call upon us has never been and will never be to make any church grow. . .Our call is to help people grow in their faith, in their understanding of Jesus and this we do through works and words. . .in that order. The result may be (and in most cases are) church growth.
WE have to become more aware that when someone steps into a church either for the first time or the first few weeks there is a mixture of both apprehension and expectation in their hearts.
Their apprehension has to do with how they will be treated. “Am I going to be welcome”, “are these people warm?” “Are they going to be overnice just in order to get me in?” “or are they going to show real interest in me, for whom I am with all our doubts and background?” . . .
Every time you see someone new coming through the doors of your church or your house group, remember they may have all those questions and more in their minds. Your job and mine is to warmly and sensitively make them feel right at home. It is not somebody else’s job. It ‘s your job…it is my job.
This “taking care” of them will help them set high expectations for what God can do for them in this new environment. Remember to keep the culture of Jesus’ heart in the forefront of your actions.
We must learn to be more proactive about it .
When we learn how to do it then,
- If someone comes in with apprehension, we will feed them with acceptance and assurance.
- If they come in with fear, we will feed them with a warm friendly smile.
- If they come in with a broken heart (as most do), you and I will feed them with a safe non-judgemental environment where they can express their pain and shed their so long held back tears.
- If they come in with the fear that they might be ignored just as they have already been in many other churches before, there are in for a pleasant surprise, because you can I will feed them with a firm down to earth welcoming hand shake;
- If they come in with prejudices and preconceptions about Christianity, we will welcome them without prejudice or preconceptions.
Some of them will even come in expecting the worse, but they over time will learn they can expect the best from us always at any of our meetings whether here or in a home group context.
Peter was given the most exciting task ever, which is to take care of what God cares most about. And again here is where many of us get it wrong. If our actions do not make people experience something of God’s compassion and care for them, nor will our words or even our gatherings on Sundays.
We have only one chance to make a first impression, which is positive and life transforming.
We are living in a planet populated by around 7 billion people according to The Guardian and yet loneliness seems to be one of the worse nightmares of many people who step into a church building on any given Sunday or midweek home groups.
There is this young mum who once came to see Andrea and I and said they she had stopped attending her local church due to the lack of attention given to her and her child. People only looked at their direction in order to give them “the look” due to her baby making smiling noises.
Some churches might think that since they are theologically well educated, they don’t need to learn about being socially educated.
We help people most in their faith when we combine words with works; mind with heart; seriousness with kindness; reverence with joy and, good order with lavishing compassion. . . “Combine” is a key word here.
Another crucial word intrinsically linked with the expression “feed or tend my sheep” is cherish. If we claim, as Peter did, that we love Jesus, we have to learn to express this love by cherishing/valuing, holding dear those around us.
Listen to what Peter said later on when he wrote a letter to the Christians who had fled to the provinces of Asia Minor due to persecution.
1 Peter 3:8
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
It means this: Feel the others’ pain and lift them up by being helpful in some way. Look for opportunities to do good to others whether in church, in the neighborhood, among University mates, wherever. Historian and physician Luke who lived in the 1st century said this:
Acts 10:38
“he(Jesus) went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him."
If we have the right doctrine or teaching and yet do not care about going around doing good to people we have nothing to make them feel and learn that God loves and cherishes them.
By giving Peter a second chance Jesus was teaching him how he wanted him to take care of his sheep. We often want second chances but fail even to give people a chance to feel they belong amongst us, that they matter to us; that their poverty is our poverty; their joy is our joy and that their struggles are our struggles.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Roman 12:13
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Roman 12:15, 16
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
I had an elder back in Brazil to whom compassion seemed to be a way of life. He had healing in his smile. If you came brokenhearted to church one Sunday you would be healed almost instantly through his warm sincere and yet calm smile.
His arms seemed to be the very arms of Jesus when he gave you a hug. He was sensitive. He seemed to be always looking for an opportunity to show compassion to others. You never visited our church without experiencing his warmth. Many came to faith through his contagious love for people, which was really a natural expression of his love for Jesus.
But I have also met other Christians who are colder than any harsh winter in Scotland.
When they open their mouth or when they look around they freeze everything around them. You just don’t want to be around them.
Although I am a strong believer in apologetic evangelism or in other words initiatives which promote the Christian faith by defending it against atheism attacks, I am a stronger believer yet that a Jesus-like lifestyle is the most powerful defense for the Gospel, if you know what I mean.
Apologetic evangelism without Christ-like lifestyle evangelism is highly unintelligent and counterproductive. Peter in his second letter 2 Peter 1:5-8 passionately teaches that we have to add a few things to our faith in order for it to become visible and helpful to others.
2 Peter 1:5-8
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Let me finish by saying this: Let us start going by warmly welcoming others into our midst. I could give you many suggestions and ideas about it, but let me give you just one tonight.
I call it being a sharp spotter. It is like if you had a radar to detect when new people came in or when people in need came in, or when people suffering from depression or loneliness or shiness stepped through the church’s doors or home groups seeking after something to sooth their pain or fill the gap in their hearts.
But for this to work you have to practice Sunday after Sunday. Practice makes perfect.
One suggestion is that home groups are well trained through a period of time and each one put in charge of spotting new people, seekers, visitors, agitators or whatever you want to call them each Sunday.
- Each home group or person should organize themselves and devise a sincere strategy to get to know each individual.
1 -This can be by inviting them for a five-a-side, or tennis or coffee or lunch, or movie night or whatever. Start by socializing with them since it is the best way to get to know people and put them at ease. Let them see that Christians are normal people (most Christians)
2- Keep spotting them each Sunday and invite them to sit with you during the service.
3- Slowly introduce them to the others in the team and repeat step 1 and 2
Once you get to know them you will be able to tell whether they are Christians who just moved nearby and are visiting churches before they make their minds where to worship, or if they are seeking to understand the Christian faith or else. After you have identified their spiritual background you are ready to go to step four.
4- Invite them to join either your home group or be prepared to start a new home group to suit their level of understanding of the Christian faith so their understanding can be further developed.
5- Make sure the whole home group will take part in taking care of them in their felt-needs, whatever it may be.
6 – Spot their strengths and how they can channeled to help more people and the work of the church.
>>>>Jesus is calling us tonight to take care of his sheep. For this to happen you and I'll have to develop a shepherd’s heart and attitude. The reason the sheep recognize the shepherd’s voice is that the shepherd is always in touch, always guiding, speaking, protecting and feeding.
People first feel God’s love by the way we treat and care for them, before they can understand His love by what we teach them.
The apostle James put it this way:
James 2:14-18
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”
The Message version of this same verse says this:
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."
Some years ago: A little boy,
About 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the
High Street, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering
With cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said,
'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of
Shoes,'was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into
The store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks
For the boy.
She then asked if he could give her a basin of water
And a towel. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back
Part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed
His little feet, and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with
The socks... Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes…
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
And gave them to him... She patted him on the head and said, 'No
Doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go, the astonished kid
Caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears
In his eyes, asked her.
'Are you God's wife?'
Jesus called not only Peter to take care of His sheep. He is calling you too to care of His sheep, lost and found, broken and healed, poor and rich, Dandonian and non-Dandonian.
The invisible loving God wants to
- embrace people through your welcoming arms,
- - cheer the downcast up through your warm smile;
- - defend the weak through your bold actions;
- - express His love to the unloving through your graciousness
- - Help the poor next door through your compassion;
- - And through your presence show to the lonely around Dundee that in Jesus the lonely are lonely no more.
Do you love Jesus? …Take care of what He cares about. Less than that you and I will be useless.
May the Lord have mercy on us and help us to step up.
Amen
