Life in His Name Part 2 - Laying Down Your Life for Him - John 21:15-19

1:05There is life in his name based on what has happened in the past, the cross, the crucifixion. There is forgiveness for the past. Life in his name has a future component, that is, resurrection from the dead and eternal life with him, with Christ. But there is also a component of life in his name that deals with us in the here and now. Peter was to learn, and the disciples were to learn what that exactly was about.

1:38Now, imagine what has taken place in the disciples. They have walked up to Jerusalem with the Lord Jesus, and what were they expecting? They were expecting a coronation, they were expecting him to be king, and they themselves to be ruling with him. They went up expecting a coronation. Instead, they found the cross. Their king showed them how to die. Their king showed them what true sacrifice was about. And in all of that, their king showed them how to live.

2:21But imagine, after having witnessed the cross and witnessed the resurrection, and then spending that extra week, eight, nine, ten days there in Jerusalem, and then taking the three, four-day journey back into Galilee. Imagine what was going on in their minds. Well, they have a little time on their hands, and they decide to go fishing. And after a long night of tiresome effort, there are seven disciples out there on the The boat. They're tired. They're groggy, disappointed. And then the first light of this third manifestation of Christ starts to break over the horizon.

3:16As the day began to dawn, a mysterious figure shows up on the shore. He asks a probing question: Do you have anything to eat? No. Then he gives an authoritative directive: cast your nets on the right side of the boat. And they had an amazing catch. And at that point, the disciples knew who the figure was. And as they made their way to shore, they were greeted with a welcoming fireside and a friendly voice. And then it was in these events that brought them to the full realization that Jesus Himself was again among them. The sun was up.

4:07Full realization. I am now once again in the presence of my Lord. But this is just the beginning of this third manifestation, the longest manifestation that we have on record of Jesus' resurrection or his post-resurrection appearance. This is just the beginning of it. What he says goes deep into the hearts of the disciples and for everyone who will pick up this gospel afterwards and read. You remember what took place. Peter had made this proclamation. He had boasted that he would lay down his life for Jesus. And Jesus said, no, Peter, you're actually going to deny me.

5:05So the focus in our passage this morning shifts from the great catch and the fish to Peter. Jesus turns his attention to Peter. And he wanted to teach Peter what laying down his life for Jesus really meant. Peter had boasted, I will lay down my life for you. He says, Will you really? You're going to deny me. Peter, you really don't know what laying down your life for me really is. And you need to understand what it is so that one day you will lay your life down.

5:51It's painful to watch people grow up. As a father, having had kids that grown up, it's sometimes you're. Kids have to learn things the hard way, and even when they learn things the easy way or the hard way, there's just a pain in watching people grow up. Youthful idealism has to give way to harsh reality, carefree living has to give way to sacrificial duty. That's part of what growing up is about. Because it comes a time when carefree days are over and sacrificial duty takes its place.

6:35Such was the case with Peter. Peter had to learn what laying down his life for Jesus really meant. His estimate of himself was too high, and he had to have a hard dose of reality. And he had to learn what laying down his life in God's economy really is and really involves. And so do we. Scarce to say that many follow Christ, many would call themselves disciples of Christ and followers of Christ, and that they themselves have laid down their lives for Christ and hardly even know what that really means. What does laying down your life for Christ mean? Mean? Well, that's what we want to look at this morning. Peter had to, in order to grow upward, guess what? Peter had to grow downward. True humility is the mark of maturity.

7:47And oftentimes, growth happens in spurts, doesn't it? Sometimes spiritual growth happens in spurts. And we see just such a growth spurt. Really, around two campfires. You could think of this sermon as a tale of two campfires where Peter grew up. Two campfires. You see, the Lord allowed Peter to be sifted so that he would come to the end of himself, so that he would be pruned, so that he would be ready for fruitfulness. Remember back in first campfire? Boy, you remember what happens back in John 13. You remember back in verse 36, they're in the upper room. This is just hours before Jesus is arrested. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered, Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow. Follow later, and he will. Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me.

9:22Second, look over. You remember, there's this boast, I will die for you. And then in Matthew 26, 33, it's even more graphic. Peter says, Even if all fall away from you, I will never fall away from you. And it's just a couple of pages later in chapter 18, we come to this first campfire. First campfire, you read about it there in verse 18 of 18. Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves. And Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. There's the campfire. Picture the scene, a campfire. It's night.

10:09It's there in the courtyard of what I call a satanic palace. The high priest's house, Annas, the religious mafia of the day, perversion of justice. Brutal bullies. It was these forces, these personalities that Satan used to put Jesus upon the cross. And around this little charcoal fire, there under the canopy of night in that courtyard are a bunch of Jesus' enemies. And Peter finds himself there. In verse 25 of 18, now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, You are not also one of his disciples, are you? He denied it and said, I am not. One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, Did I not see you in the garden with him? Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crows.

11:24That's campfire one. And listen, we're going to face such campfires, metaphorically speaking, in our lives, right? Places where there's going to be hatred of Christ. You'll be surrounded by Christ's enemies, and there will be a temptation to deny, disown the very Savior who loves you. In fact, we'll be there quite a bit. And unless you learn the lesson of the second campfire, you will readily deny him, as Peter did. So we come to the second campfire this morning.

12:09You remember in verse 9, when they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid, and fish placed on it, and bread. The only other place this word charcoal fire is used is back in chapter 18. A vivid reminder of Peter's defection. But here, the scene is very different. It's daytime. Beautiful shoreline. The victorious Jesus. It's a picture of peace. It's a picture of a circle of friends, those friendly to Jesus, those who admire Jesus.

12:53No doubt, Peter and the disciples are going to face many more trials, many more dark campfires. And they had to learn something here that would prepare them for those future trials. Let me just pick up and read now in John 21, verse 15 through verse 19. So 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, tend my lambs. He said to him again 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, shepherd my sheep.

13:48He 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 all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Tend my sheep. Truly I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go. Now this he said, signifying what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me.

14:38So in our passage this morning, Jesus informs Peter what laying down his life for him really means. And that's something we need to know. What does it mean to lay down your life for Christ? What does that really mean? What does he really want from us? Well, Jesus informs Peter or teaches Peter what laying down his life really looks like, and he does so in two distinct steps. And so I want to walk through those this morning so that we can understand what laying down your life for him involves. First of all, laying down your life for Jesus involves glorifying him in the way we live. Glorifying him in the way we live.

15:32Notice back at verse 15, this third encounter really focuses on Peter. The attention turns to Peter. So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, attention now goes to Peter. Now imagine for just a second if we're sitting here talking and then all of a sudden an elephant came walking into the room. And I just pretended that it wasn't even there and I just kept talking to you. And then all of a sudden, as I was talking, another elephant came walking in the room and took its place. And I just pretended that elephant wasn't there. It'd just be kind of awkward, wouldn't it? And then all of a sudden, a third elephant came walking in. You've heard the expression, there's an elephant in the room. Well, imagine three elephants in the room and how difficult it would be for me to carry on a sermon here with three elephants in this room and me pretending they're not. There, right? Well, that's basically what's going on around this campfire. There's an elephant, not just one, there's not just two, not just three, but there's three elephants there. Peter had denied Jesus three times, publicly disowned him three times. And so it has to be addressed. It has to be addressed for Peter's sake, but it also has to be addressed for the disciples' sake. What in the world, what is Peter's role going forward? Well, Jesus is going to clarify that. And he does so by asking three questions, very similar questions, but they vary a little bit. Three questions.

17:18And so he addresses these elephants in the room with three questions. Three denials, three questions, three affirmations of Peter's apostolic ministry. Three public denials at the first campfire, three public reinstatements at the second campfire. But we'll just walk through them. We'll just look at the questions. So, verse 15, pick it up there. 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, Tend my lambs. A big question is: what do the these refer to? The two options are. Two main options is: does it refer to the fish? Got all these fish and all this fish paraphernalia. And the idea would be that, okay, he came on.

18:14There's an emphasis upon Peter going back to his profession. And Jesus is asking him, Peter, do you love me more than you love your profession? I don't think that's what it means. I don't think that's what he's referring to. When he says, Simon, do you love me more than these? He's already just go back and just look in the previous sentence in verse 15. So when they had finished breakfast, who had finished breakfast? The disciples. The grammatical, closest connection is the they, the disciples, the disciples. These refers to the disciples, in my opinion, and grammatically linked there. But what is he saying? What is Jesus getting at? He's getting at the fact that Peter had made a boast that if all deny him, or if all would fall away, he would never fall away. Or as he said in John 13:37, I will lay down my life for you.

19:25As Peter had once boasted. And now here comes Jesus around. Do you? Really love me more than these? Do you still champion? Are you still seeing yourself with a greater love for me than these? You see, Peter had fallen into the trap of thinking that love for Christ was about outdoing his brothers and sisters in Christ. He saw his brothers and sisters as competition. In fact, you remember right going right back as they're going up to Jerusalem, there is a lot of talk about who the greatest is, right?

20:13And so in Peter's mind, he's thinking love is about outdoing. I want to have the greatest love, and I want to make the greatest sacrifice, and I am going to be just that. So Jesus asked him, Do you love me more than these? Well, notice Peter's answer. Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. You notice he dropped the comparison. He didn't say, Yes, Lord, I love you more than these. He didn't say that. He dropped the comparison. That's one reason I think had he been referring to the fish, you know what I think he would have said? Of course I love you more than these fish. What do you think the last three years have been about? I left it all to follow you. I left my profession to follow you. No, Jesus is asking something far more hitting home. Do you love me more than these disciples? And here's Peter's response: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He drops the comparison.

21:25He's done with such comparisons. He now thinks of the disciples around the campfire more in terms of friends. These are my friends. These are not my rivals. These are not my competition. It's the way we often can think of each other, right? Can you truly rejoice when another brother, sister in Christ is exalted or enjoys success, ministerial success, or just success. Oftentimes, churches can fall into a competition mode as if disciples in Christ are all about competitors, rivals. May it never be so. He said, it is not to be so.

22:18And that's what he's going to get across to Peter, and it's sinking in. Another thing to point out here is the terms for love. Are different in the Greek. Jesus said, Peter, do you agape me? And Peter basically responds, Yes, Jesus, I phyllos you. There is a distinction. Jesus is saying, Peter, do you love me supremely as you once boasted? Peter couldn't really bring himself to say that. In fact, he says, it's something to the effect like Peter saying, you know, my actions do not prove that I am supremely devoted to you as I once boasted. However, I genuinely love you. I really do. You mean a great deal to me.

23:17And so what does Jesus say? Feed my lambs. Peter, if you love me, I want you to use your time, your effort, fostering and nurturing growth in these other disciples, in others, my lambs. And he's going to vary that a little bit, but here I think the emphasis, my lambs, lambs speak of young sheep who are precious to him, but also vulnerable. It says, Peter, if you love me, tend, take care of, put your attention on, foster and nurture growth.

24:01Well, then he comes to a second question, verse 16. He said to him again, 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, Shepherd my sheep. Now, notice the second time Jesus drops the comparison. The first question is, Do you love me more than these? The second question is, Do you love me? Those are two different questions. Similar. Okay, let's drop the comparison. Peter, do you love me? Do you agape me?

24:36Peter's answer is identical to the first. Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And this time, Jesus says, Shepherd my sheep. Sheep, maybe more of a matured shepherd, maybe has the emphasis of guidance, all within that pastoral care. Tend, take care, feed, guide. That's what I want you to be doing. If you love me, that's how it manifests itself. You give yourself to the care of that which is very important to me. Then he comes to a third question. He said to him the third time, verse 17, 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 all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Tend my sheep. Now, this time, Jesus changes the word and he uses the same word that Peter has been responding. Instead of asking him, Peter, do you agape me?

25:47Do you philos me? Do you really, as you say, do you really have affection for me? Do you really sincerely love me? Am I really that important to you? Notice Peter was grieved, he'd become sad. A distressed, sorrowful look had come over him. Just a few verses before, what's Peter doing? He sees the Lord on the shore and he is excited, so excited. He can't even stay in the boat. There is an excitement, there is a joy. He jumps into the water, he gets up there, and then now you see his countenance totally changed. He has become sad.

26:34And how does Peter respond? Lord, you know all things. Peter appeals to Jesus' omniscience. You know all things. You know me better than I even know myself. You know what's really going on. You know. And he says, As honest as I can be with myself, you know that I love you. You know the depth of my love, and you know it's real. I don't know what it is anymore, like I used to. I wouldn't boast that way, but you know, well, Jesus's command, then tend my sheep reiterates again how Peter's love for him is to be manifested.

27:36And the point of all of this is that love for Jesus is focused on others, not self. Love for Jesus is not about you outdoing your brothers and sisters in sacrificial love and somehow get a bigger smile on Jesus' face when it's all over. Sacrificial love for Jesus is not about you championing yourself. The focus is on others. That's where the focus is. Peter, around that first campfire, you were all about yourself. When you pulled out that sword and you were going to cut off the ear of the servant there, you were all about yourself.

28:30A demonstration of your loyalty. It's not what, that's not how love for Jesus manifests itself or how he wants it. He wants it to manifest itself by focusing on other, namely focusing on Christ and what Christ loves, or more importantly, who Christ loves. That's what laying down your life involves. That's how Jesus wants us to manifest love for him is by taking care of those he loves, taking care of his church. Boil it down, his people, his followers.

29:16That is that good sermon going on here. Listen, Jesus did not want Peter laying down his life in some sort of reckless feat, okay? He didn't want Peter just going out and laying down his life in some reckless, hot-tempered, fleshly display of loyalty, right? As if Jesus had some real severe inferiority complex that he needed his followers to come and just Make some kind of extreme sacrifice for him in order for Jesus to feel good about himself. Jesus, he doesn't have such an inferiority complex. He doesn't need to be puffed up by the extreme sacrifices of his subjects.

30:20He wanted Peter to lay down his life in taking care of his church. He doesn't need reckless feats of loyalty. He wants calculated, determined, systematic taking care, laying down life in taking care of those who are precious to him. That's what he wants. And that's what laying down your life. And the emphasis of these three commands is all upon pastoral care. Pastoral office here is not about holding an office, or it's described in verbs. Love for Jesus is described in verbs, not holding an office. It's not like, here, Peter, I'm putting this ring on you so that you can go around and have people kiss the ring.

31:16No. In fact, Peter gets the message. Peter gets the message. Listen to what he says toward the end of his life in 1 Peter 5:1. He says, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder. Witness of the suffering of Christ. I've witnessed the sufferings of Christ and a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed. What does he say? Shepherd the flock. Does that sound familiar? Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not because you have to, but because you want to, according to the will of God, and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness, not for what it does for you, but because you want to serve, nor yet as lording it over those, but proving to be examples. Sound familiar? And then he says, This: And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Peter got it, and I believe he got it at this second campfire.

32:18Listen, glorifying Jesus in the way we live is about laying down our lives to promote love for him and others. That's how you live: laying down your life for him. And that's what life in his name is about. Second, laying down your life for him involves the way we faced death. Laying down your life for him involves the way you face death. You know, it's not a matter. Of that, you will die. It's a matter of how you die. And really, it's a matter of how you face death. The reality of death is out there. Unless we're here when the Lord returns, we're all going to go through death.

33:20It's not that you will die, it's how you face death. It's how death frightens you. It's how the prospects of death frighten you. Does it take you away from what you're supposed to be doing? Does death frighten you to where you cannot live for Jesus laying down your life for those he cares for? You see, are you going to face death in a way that boldly glorifies Christ or in a way that cowers before death? Is death your master or is Christ your master? Will you be boldly trusting or will you be fearfully cowering? Jesus shifts the gears here.

34:12And he says, Okay, Peter, let me tell you what's going to happen to you in the future. Verse 18, truly, truly, no going back. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will. Stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go. If we had a Texan version, we would probably translate it like this: When you were a whippersnapper, you did what you wanted. You went where you want, when you want, how you wanted, you dressed yourself, you did your hand. He says, Let me tell you what's going to happen to you, Peter, when you get older. You're going to stretch forth your hand.

35:02And it's that very well is an expression of crucifixion. You're going to stretch forth your hand. Somebody else is going to bind you, and somebody else is going to bring you to a place that you do not wish to go. And we know he's speaking about his death because, verse 19, John gives us the interpretation. Now, this, he said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. What kind of death, crucifixion? The point of this is, Peter's going through some growing pains, isn't he? Growth spurt, spiritually speaking. The carefree days of youthful idealism and impulsiveness will give way to the harsh reality of sacrificial duty and being a leader. You love me, Peter. Show my sheep how to die. Show them how you face death.

36:09Peter did glorify Jesus by following him in death. Remember, Jesus said, You will follow me later. You're not ready to follow me now. You're not mature enough to follow me now, but you will later. And sure enough, according to reliable tradition, Peter died around 68 AD during Nero's persecution. Clement recorded that just before Peter was crucified, he was forced to watch the crucifixion of his own wife. And as he watched her being led up to death, you know what Peter does? He calls her by name, according to Clement. I mean, Peter did, according to Clement, Peter called her by name and he said, Remember the Lord. And he watched her crucified, being led to her death. And then Peter, when it was his turn, he pleaded to be crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to die as his Lord had died. Now he would follow.

37:24Look back at verse 19. And when he had spoken this, He said to him, Follow me. Follow me. Jesus had informed Peter that, you know what, you're going to leave the world in a manner that will bring glory to God. You previously denied me, but Peter, your story's not over. And he tells us to the rest of the disciples there. But here's the command: Follow me. Follow me. This is what following me is about. Laying down your life in the way you live, and laying down your life in the way you face death.

38:12And I think it's at this point that Jesus got up and took Peter for a walk on the beach. These are heavy words. Heavy words. Imagine how Peter felt. Oh, truly, truly, there's no way around this. Truly, truly, this is going to happen. This is what laying down your life. So here it is, Peter. You want to know what laying down your life for Jesus looks like? This is what it looked like for Peter. Here it is, Peter. You were to spend the rest of your life expending yourself in taking care of my people and afterwards suffer martyrdom.

38:57This is what laying down your life looks like. You boasted you could lay down your life. Peter, let me take you into the real reality of what I want from you, and really what I want from everyone who will come after you. I laid down my life, I gave my all, and I want your all. And what that looks like is taking care of my people and afterward, facing death in a way that glorifies me. Anyone else want to follow Jesus?

39:45Does anybody want to turn back? I think what is following Christ really look like? It means laying down your life for the well-being of his church and not letting death, even death, deter that sacrificial devotion to his church. That's what life's about. You often hear me say, God has no purpose for you outside of his church. Here's one of those passages that strongly sets the Right before you. Feed my sheep. Take care of my lambs. Give yourself, feed them, protect them. Give yourself, give yourself, give yourself. That's what laying down your life. And you cannot do that outside of a local body of believers.

40:56This is what Jesus, this is what following Jesus looks like. This is why community is so important to him. Let me just put these words back in your mind. John 13:34. A new commandment I give to you. You remember back in that upper room? Just a new commandment I give to you that you love one another even as I have loved you. That's what I want out of you. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Simon Peter interrupts. Lord, where are you going? He's kind of missing the whole point. That's why the second campfire comes back and picks up the narrative here.

41:45Where are you going? Where I go, you cannot follow me, but you will follow me later. Peter said, Why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me three times. Times. Why, Peter? Why? Because you have to come to the end of yourself. You have to come to the end of your own self-reliance. You have to get a right perspective, Peter. You need to grow downward before you can grow upward. That's why you can't lay your life down for me right now. But you will follow me later. And you will learn that what I want is this commandment. He picks up. Jesus picks up here in John 21, kind of the sequel to this: John 13. I give you a commandment that you love one another even as I have loved you. And that love boils down to tend, shepherd, tend, follow me.

42:43That's it. Well, life in his name involves laying down your life for him. Laying down your life for him involves glorifying Jesus in the way you live, glorifying Jesus in the way you face death. Peter had to grow up. He could not be fruitful without being humbled. Remember John 15 in that same night in the upper room. You remember Jesus saying these words, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch of me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, so it may bear more fruit.

43:28Peter was pruned. But it's a matter of historical fact that although Peter denied Jesus, his post-restoration ministry was extremely fruitful. And the good news is, you will experience, if you follow Christ, you will experience times of humbling. Because there is no room for your self-exalting pride upon the throne, and it will render you fruitless. And so do not be surprised if your heavenly Father, the vine dresser, comes and brings you through some very humbling circumstances to prune you. And why does he do this? The good news is, he does this because he wants to make you more fruitful.

44:18God humbled Peter in order to use Peter. He allowed Satan to sift Peter in order to humble him. And he humbled him, but he also honored Peter. He doesn't just delight in simply reducing his people to nothing. He delights to humble us, to make us fruitful for his Father's glory. Well, that's the lesson of the second campfire. You will face more satanic campfires. Life will be filled with them. Peter learned that no matter what the circumstance, he had. Not deny his Lord. He would go through life unashamed, boldly proclaiming and was very fruitful, turn the Roman world and the world upside down. And at the end of his life, he's still humble.

45:24So life in Jesus' name, as we looked at last time, is an invitation to follow him. And as we looked at this time, it involves laying down your life for him. Let's pray. Indeed, Father, we want to lay down our lives for you. We don't even know what we say when we say that. But we know that you are worthy of it all. Father, we thank you for this beautiful day on that shoreline there in Galilee, as you restored your pain-stricken disciple who deeply loved you, but was very much aware of his own personal failings. Father, I just pray today that you would use such failings in our own lives as a means to humble us and to make us more fruitful, not to depress us, but to bring us to a point of looking to you. You, the one who is all-sufficient, and just enjoying a life of following you. Father, help us to be more active in loving each other practically. Help us place upon our hearts and upon our minds those we need to extend such love to.

46:52Bring specific names and specific people in our minds and hearts. Father, help us even as we face these uncertain times. And Father, the fear of plague and death seems to be around. Father, I just pray for your people that whatever the threats may be, that we will be a people who will boldly face death and not be afraid of death and not let death be master over us, but would give ourselves to the care of your people. Father, thank you for all of this. Thank you for this morning in Christ's name.