Life in His Name - Letting God be God - John 21:20-23

1:15Well, here we are near the conclusion of John's Gospel. Really, one of the last major thoughts, sections. Next week tend to wrap the gospel up. But I want us to focus our attention this morning on what is really one of Peter's last lessons, one of the last lessons that Peter really needs to learn. I'll tell you a hypothetical event. Just think, I want you to think hypothetically for a moment. Suppose there's a man and he has several daughters, maybe four, but just hypothetically, let's suppose this man goes home after a busy day of work and he sees one of his daughters there and wants to spend a little time with her and it's been an exhausting day, pulls into the driveway and says, hey, sweetheart, let's go get a Dr. Pepper at Sonic. Hypothetically, and this is hypothetical. Suppose then, after a nice Dr. Pepper, we come back, go into the house, and over there is the Dr. Pepperless Queen with her arms on her hips.

2:44That's not fair. You're not fair. What do you say to that? Well, it exposes something about a deep problem we have in our hearts. That problem of comparing, that comparison, right? In fact, that's specifically what I want to talk to you about this morning is really what is going to be one of the greatest hindrances to you glorifying God with your life. It's also one of the biggest obstacles to your sanctification, to your Christ-likeness. It's one of the biggest hurdles you'll need to get over in order to be effective in the ministry that God has called you to do. That's what I want to talk to you about this morning. This is the very thing that Jesus wanted to talk about with Peter and addresses with Peter that beautiful morning on the Galilean shore. Well, just to review where we are in chapter 21, we remember at the end of John 20, you remember John ends with these words. I could have written a whole bunch of things, but what I wrote, the things that I have written, have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his name. Life in His name. And so going into chapter 21, I've continued that theme of life in his name. And there's really three elements that we've been looking at, a little mini-series here of what does life in his name mean? Look like based on John 21. The very first element was that life in Jesus' name is an invitation to follow Him. We looked at that. An invitation to abandon your self-sufficiency, an invitation to witness what only God can do, and an invitation to fellowship with Him. That was part one. Part two, we looked at also that life in His name involves laying down your life for Him, laying down your life for Him. You glorify Jesus by the way you live, you glorify Jesus by the way you face death.

5:13And so, the third installment, the third part of this life in His name mini-series is that life in Jesus' name involves letting God be God. Letting God be God. That's what life in His name is going to involve. You letting God be God. It's the lesson that Peter had to learn. The life lesson, really, one of the most important lessons that Peter had to learn. Well, I want us to let God be God. Now, the question is: how do we do that? How do we do that? And how do I advance the Slide.

6:03Yep. There it goes. Life in His name, letting God be God. How do we do that? Well, first of all, you need to recognize your chronic problem. And what is that chronic problem? You have a chronic problem of not letting God be God in your life. That's your chronic problem. You being your own God, not letting God be God. But picture this scene. Picture this beautiful morning in Galilee. And if you've ever been there to the Sea of Galilee, what a beautiful place. Picture morning. Picture the sun's already up, or morning sun is up, and it is shining upon the beautiful waters of the Sea of Galilee. You can picture maybe a small little campfire, a little smoke rising from that small little campfire. But picture two figures walking together along the shoreline.

7:02One of them is Jesus, one of them is Peter, walking in the coolness of the morning. Let me sharpen your focus just a little bit more. I want you to see God walking with man in the cool of the day. That's what's happening here. God walking with man in the cool of the day. And now we're going to. We know a lot about God. And I want us to step into that conversation that takes place on that shore, that beautiful Galilean morning. Well, Peter has a problem. Peter has a problem. Look at verse 20. Peter turning around.

7:52Peter turning around. Now, stop there for just a moment. What's the very last thing that Jesus just said? Look back in verse 19. Remember, he told, or back in verse 18, right? What did he tell them? He said, you're going to die a horrible death. You follow me. And when he had spoken this, he said to them, last words in verse 19, follow me. Peter, you follow me. You know what the very next word, you don't see it as much in the English, but in the Greek, the very next word is.

8:33Having been turned around, Peter is looking at John. It's striking. You follow me. You be following me. And having been turned around, there he is, looking at John. You can see it there. Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. So, no sooner had Jesus commanded Peter to follow him as Peter is turning around. It's clear that Jesus sees Peter's turning as a problem. And that's going to be very clear in verse 22. He's going to address it. What was Peter's problem here?

9:22He's not letting God be God. Peter's problem is our problem. Jesus commands, Peter, you be growing in my disposition. You be growing in my likeness. You follow the path that I take you down, Peter. You do this. You be doing this. And this verb is really sharp. It's really striking because it's a passive. If you just look in the English, Peter turning around. No, it's really, the verb is more Peter having been turned around. Having been turned around, something compelled him to turn around.

10:07If you look at the sequence of things, it's really not, okay, something caught his eye. He heard something, and then he turned around, and then he sees John. No, something inside him compelled him to turn around. He got a thought. That thought came to his mind, and that thought compelled him to action. And that thought compelled him to turn. It was what came into his mind that turned him around. It says something about the power of thoughts, doesn't it?

10:43Whatever you allow into your mind to occupy your mind has an influence over you. Peter is compelled to turn around. And he fixed his eyes upon John. Seeing John. And look at how he describes him in verse 20. Number one, John is the disciple whom Jesus loved. Two, John is the one following. We got up from the campfire as Peter and Jesus walked off. And three, he's the one who also had leaned back on his bosom at the supper and said, Lord, who is it who betrays you? Three descriptions that John gives himself here.

11:32They all underscore the close proximity that John has to Jesus and the close proximity that John and Peter have to each other. But the point here that I want to draw your attention to is that Peter's mind was quickly turned, quickly turned from Christ to John. Says something about us, doesn't it? Our minds are so easily distracted. So easily turned, so easily gripped by non-essentials. In fact, I would say life is about a lot of distractions, isn't it? Lord, I want to follow you. And then, whoa, I'm going over here. Lord, I want to do this. Oh, yeah, okay, I'm getting up this morning, and I'm, and life becomes a series of distractions. Be careful what you allow into your mind.

12:28Be careful what you allow occupy your mind. What you allow to occupy your mind is what you are married to, and it will show up. That is where spiritual union occurs. It's in the heart. Be careful what you meditate upon. For what you meditate upon is what you're truly married to. Let Christ be your thought life. Peter has a question. Look at verse 21. So, having been turned, now he's looking upon John. So, Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, Well, what about this man? What about this man? Think about what's just happened. Peter has just Just heard, okay, heard Jesus tell him, okay, you shepherd, you take care of, you follow me, you follow me, and you're going to die a horrible death. And then, what does he say?

13:46What about this man? What about him? What about him? Well, what exactly is Peter's concern? Well, I would say there's probably layers of concern. Some perhaps more noble than others. We'll get to the ignoble in a minute, but I think one of them is certainly that he might be concerned about John's future. He might be concerned about John's future. He may be concerned as a parent might be about the outcome of his children or her children. If such is the case, then Peter's anxious about John. Well, if I'm going to die a horrible death, what's going to happen to him? So there may be some real concern about John's well-being, in which case, you just need to leave your loved ones into the hands of God. They are trusted.

14:36He can be trusted to take care of your loved ones. God, just, he is a good, loving Savior, and he is very much aware of and mindful of our friends and loved ones' future, especially John. I think there's a mixed bag going on here. I think Peter is concerned. About himself. What about this man? What about this man? Peter, after everything that's happened, still has a comparison, that he still has a comparison left in his soul. You remember he and John, you remember coming up to Jerusalem? There was a lot of debate about who was going to be the greatest. They were expecting the kingdom of God to appear immediately. Except Jesus is going to go on a long journey, he's going to come back. He's going to entrust certain responsibilities to his people.

15:37And so he's going to leave, but he's going to come back. But here, here's Peter. As they were going up to Jerusalem, there was this comparison going on in their minds. And they're still, even after what's taken place, the resurrection, denial, resurrection, restoration, and having received the ministry of the Holy Spirit there in chapter 20, all of this has taken place. And yet he still has, what about him? What about him? I want to talk to you about this sin of comparison. I want to diverge just a moment and just reflect upon who we are by nature. We are coveters by nature. We want what he has. We want what she has. We want, we want. We're constantly surveying. The landscape of our existence and making comparisons and seeing how we rank and how we compare with those around us and with what God has given to others and what He has not given to us. And we begin to compare, compare, compare. In fact, Exodus 20:17, that 10th commandment, what does it say? You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. You know, how does stealing happen? Starts with coveting. How does you go through the whole list of the commandments? Where does it begin? It begins with a covetous heart. Our minds are easily turned to that which we don't have. Maybe you think she's prettier than you are. Maybe you think he's more athletic. Maybe you think he's gifted. Maybe you like the, maybe you think this person has a better body type than you, maybe a better weight disposition, maybe a better physical ability. Maybe there's more mental capabilities. That person has more horsepower. It comes hard for me. I work hard and I can't get near as high marks as this person who doesn't even hardly study at all, right? We're constantly comparing ourselves, right?

17:54Maybe even resources. Some people are born into privilege, some are born into privilege. Poverty. Why? How do you compare? We compare. What kind of God would allow this? Personality differences. Some are popular. Some are quiet. Some are jealous of those who seem to take the spotlight while they themselves are back in the shadows and hardly noticed. It may be a vocation. I wish I was called to that. I wish I had that occupation. I wish I had that calling in life. It may even be ministry, right? Could even be ministry-related. Oh, that I would have the gifts that this individual had in ministry. Or I wish my kid was like that. I mean, it could come down to kids, right? My kids are smarter than your kids. My kid's an honor student. Yeah, my kid beat up your honor student. You know, you just go down the road. We are constantly comparing, right?

18:58In fact, you think about some of the conflict going on at its fundamental level in this country. It comes down to two principles. Which is a greater principle, freedom or equality? Is it quality of opportunity or is it equality of outcome? Equality, right? Or is it freedom? Which principle outweighs? You can see the warring factions going down. That there are some say, no, we need to have an equal outcome. And so we need to have government make sure. It's equal, right? That conflict.

19:37We're constantly comparing ourselves, constantly growing discontent with what we have and the God who gave it to us, and the God who made these differences. We question his wisdom and we question his goodness when we compare. Go back to Peter. Peter had just heard some heavy words from Jesus. He's going to die a horrible death. And his question is basically like this: if I am going to die a horrible death, what about this guy? What do you have in store for him?

20:20Instead of Peter focusing upon God's call for his life, you know what he does? He says, God, what's your call on his life? Peter's going to respond. And before I look at that response, I want to make a couple of observations. First of all, Jesus knows the future of every single one of us. He knows our end. He knows our journey. He knows how long. He knows how it's going to end. And he doesn't disclose that to 99.9999% of us.

21:00And it's better. What difference does it make how you're going to die or when you're going to die? What bearing does that have on what God is calling you to do today? We often get so distracted with what's coming ahead. In fact, if he did tell you, you'd probably spend your life trying to overt what was going to inevitably come, right? It doesn't do any good. It has no bearing on the current situation. He did tell Peter what was going to happen. Why did he tell Peter? It was very important for Peter to know and the disciples to know that Peter was not going to deny Christ again when faced with the same circumstances. He had restored Peter as a place of leadership. And the one thing that they needed to make sure and understand is that Peter wasn't going to defect, that he could be followed. And Jesus said these words: Truly, truly, I say to you that when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and wherever you went wherever you wish, but when you grow old, you will stretch forth your hand, speaking of like a horrible death, and somebody else will gird you. And John gives us, clearly, tells us he's speaking about Peter's death here.

22:26Truly, truly, that means it's. Going to happen, or Jesus isn't God. And the disciples needed to know. Peter needed to know that he can go forth in full confidence. The disciples can accept him in the capacity that Jesus intends him to be, in full confidence that Peter is not going to defect again, not because of Peter, but because of Jesus. There's a second observation I want to reiterate here. These verses bring a good question to mind, just the way the verb tenses are. Where does following Jesus really happen?

23:15Where does it really happen? What compelled Peter to turn? It was a thought. Where? Not how does following happen? Not when does it happen? Not why, but where it happens. Where is that seat of following Jesus? Where does it occur? Where does it originate? Where does that followship seat reside? Where does that focus determination occur? It happens in the thought life, in the mind and heart. You want to follow Jesus. You take every thought captive and obedient to him. That's where following is. That's where he's calling you to follow him. And it will show up in your actions.

24:08But you follow Jesus in your heart and in your mind, and you do so by allowing certain thoughts to come in and not allowing certain thoughts to come in. Be very careful what you allow into your mind. Jesus wants your thought life. Moment by moment, day by day, in totality, he wants you following him. He wants to control your thought life. And you've got a chronic problem of going your own way. You see, we get wrapped up about things of the future instead of things that are going on right now. We get wrapped up in what God's calling is on other people rather than what He's called us to do.

25:03And so you neglect your duty in the present. You neglect what He's calling you to do because you concern yourself with other people's duties and things of the future. Our temptation to turn away is great. And you need to recognize you have a chronic problem of not letting God be God. And that's the first step you need to take into letting God be God and experiencing life in his name is to recognize your chronic problem. Second, how do you let God be God? Well, you need to understand that God expects you to let him be God. God expects you to let him be God.

25:50Is God, are you allowing God to be God in your life? Know this: He expects to be God in your life, he can do no other. Look back at verse 22 and notice Jesus' response or answer to Peter's question. Jesus said to him, If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me. Therefore, verse 23, this saying went out among the brethren that the disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? So, John had two reasons for recording this exchange. Number one, he wanted to correct a rumor. Second, he wanted every follower of Christ to understand something profoundly sobering about the way Jesus thinks. You need to understand something about the way Jesus thinks that is almost scary. And John wants to lay that out for you. But first, He wants to correct a rumor. What is that rumor? Well, that John wasn't going to die. Literally, that John is immortal. That the saying went out among the brethren that the disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say that he wouldn't die. He didn't say he was immortal. But if I want him to remain, what is that to you? So he wants to correct it.

27:23The rumor is that John is immortal. And John is saying, no, Jesus never said I was immortal. Jesus is may not return before John dies. In fact, he wanted to make it very clear that John was going to die. So he corrects a rumor. But the real thing that John is going at here, he wants you to understand. He wants you to see a disposition in Christ that will leave a mark so deep on you that it will never leave your mind.

28:06Jesus says to him, If I want him to remain, what is that to you? What is that to you? You don't see Jesus respond like this very often. What is that to you? He makes it clear that he doesn't want John prying into the secret counsels of God. And what he has in store for John or for others regarding other people. I mean, think about what good would it do Peter if he knew John was going to live a short life or a long life? What good does that have? What bearing does that have on Peter and what God has called him to do? What difference does it make if John's going to die a natural death or a violent death? What difference does that make? Jesus wanted Peter to pay attention to his own duty and get his eyes out of this comparison mode.

29:09You see, but the demand here upon Peter, when you really dig into it, it's striking, as I said before, almost frightening. Jesus added a dimension to what being a disciple is. A disciple is a learner and a follower. Jesus here adds the requirement: absolute surrender in your thought life. He wants to control our thinking. He is so confident in his own thinking and his own way that he can say, I want you thinking no other thoughts. I want you going no other way but mine.

29:59Isn't that a lot to ask? Ask, who does he think he is? God or something? He wants absolute surrender at the very core of our being and in our inner and deepest thoughts. John has already set him forth as the one vested with all authority. This is God walking on the shoreline with man in the cool of the day. John 1:3 says, All things came into being through him, and apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being. John 3:35, the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. John 5:22, for not even the Father judges anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

30:59He is Lord. Creator God. Then you come into John: 10. He is also the Good Shepherd. Good. Good. He is the embodiment of good itself. That's who places that demand on you. I want control of your thoughts. I want you to render. I want you to surrender. And acquiesce your thoughts to me. Let me take them where they need to go. He is the perfection of good. He is the embodiment of good. Listen, you have two choices in life: evil or good. Here's the embodiment of good. And you know what? It is good for you to be enslaved to the good. Listen, you come to Jesus' demands and you're like, doesn't this amount to slavery? Does anybody want to follow him? He wants absolute dominion over our thoughts and everything we do. He wanted Peter to pour himself out for the good of his church and then suffer a violent death. Anyone want to follow him? That's what it means to follow him.

32:15But you know what? It's good to be enslaved to the good. That is what the Bible calls freedom. To where only good thoughts occupy your mind, to only where only good words come out of your mouth, where your feet only go in good places, your eyes only focus on good things, your hands only do good things. That is not slavery. That is freedom, according to the Bible. And he is the good shepherd, and that's where he takes his people.

32:47And that's why it is evil for you not to follow him. And it is good for you to follow him at the very core of your being. You see, Jesus is not confused. About his role over humanity. He is creator. All judgment, everything is in his hand. He's not confused. God walking along the shoreline, talking to Peter. He is Lord, and he knows that it is to God's glory and in our best interest for him to be God in our lives.

33:26He knows it. He expects you to let him be God. Oh, he is God. But he expects you to welcome his reign over you. Do you guys welcome Christ in your life? Have you welcomed his reign? Kids, look at me, all of you. Have you given your life to Christ? Have you asked him to be Lord? Have you welcomed his reign? If you haven't, ask him, say, Lord, forgive me of my sins. I welcome your reign today. Please come into my heart.

34:03He wants you to follow him. And you know what? He can play no other role in your life except for God because that is who he is. Speaking of daughters, I have this funny memory growing up. I feel sorry for my kids. They live in the fishbowl. They get a lot of good illustrations from, but here's one. I won't mention name, but I remember, you remember. That song, God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above, from the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans. And you remember that white with foam? Some of the kids always would get that one wrong. God bless America, my home, sweet soul. Well, we're singing that song one day, and the kids, you know, halfway know the songs, and you hear these voices in the back, God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above, from the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans. Why? Because I said so?

35:08Why? Because I said so? I'm like, Lord, I mean, think about the song, God Bless America. Why? Because I said so. I'm like, Lord, she's little. Don't hold this against her. But that's really what Jesus is saying, right? Follow me. Why? Because I said so. I am the embodiment of good. So Jesus is basically telling Peter, it's none of your business what I have in store for John. It's yours to follow and obey Jesus regardless of what he wants from others.

35:54God has called you to follow him, and he has placed you in. The station of life that you're in, and he has placed, given you certain capacities, and he wants you to use those capacities and your station in following him. Don't worry about what he's called others. God has called you to a certain station in life, and he has limited some, he has given some greater capacities than others. Some have health issues, some don't. Some have mental issues, some don't. Some have extraordinary gifts, some don't. Regardless of what it has no bearing on who or what he has called others to do, he calls you to follow him. You follow me.

36:44What he calls others is irrelevant to what he calls you to do. You see, John and Peter were not rivals. Their commander-in-chief had called them to certain tasks and had given them tasks to do. They were not rivals, they were servants. And you think about the glory that each were given. Peter got to walk in the footsteps of the great shepherd. You think about what he was called to do. He was called to shepherd and then die, a martyr's death.

37:23He got to image the good shepherd himself. John, on the other hand, Hand, he lived to an old age. It was not an easy road for him either. Some history says he's boiled in oil, certainly exiled, criminal. But we needed somebody to write a witness, right? Think about how much of the New Testament and instruction that we have from the Apostle John, the gospel, the letters, and then the revelation of the things to come. No, they were not rivals. They had a commander-in-chief, and it called them to their own task as he calls us to our own task.

38:09You see, you are not to fixate on the task that is given somebody else. We are not rivals. Your reward is never in comparison with other people in the service of Christ. In whatever capacity Christ has allotted to you, you follow Him. So, life in His name, letting God be God. How do we do that? First of all, you recognize your chronic problem. Second, you understand that God expects you to let Him be God. Third, you resign yourself over to Him. You resign yourself over to Him.

38:53Look back at verse 22. Look at those very last words: you follow. Follow me. If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me. And he'd already said follow me in verse 19, but here he puts the emphasis, you follow me. Regardless of what happens to John, you follow me. You see, your curiosity must give way to obedience. Simple obedience. And we have good reasons why we should resign ourselves to let God be God. Peter had good reasons.

39:36Remember the commands that Jesus said, again, follow me, he tells them. Then he says, feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep, feed my sheep. And then he goes on again, and here he says, follow me, reiterates it, follow me, you follow me. But it would take Peter having to resign himself. And why should we? Why should we resign ourselves over and let God be God? We have good reasons. Good reasons. Let me give you a few real quick. Number one, he is God. That's a good reason to let him be God, right? He is God. Second, we are not God. That's another good reason. We're not God. He is God. Let's let him be God in our lives, right? Third, he is perfectly wise. Fourth, he is perfectly good. Fifth, he is perfectly loving. He is perfectly wise, perfectly good, perfectly loving. And you know what that means? He's too wise to make a mistake in your calling. He's too good to lead you into evil. And number three, he's too loving to let any. Harm come to you. You can resign yourself to him. There's a lot more peace in resigning to him than you'll ever find in trying to be the master of your own fate.

40:44Well, what resigning, what does resigning yourself over to him involve? Well, trust, rest, and peace. Think about John's gospel. It's really a call to peace, contentment, peace. Think about what's happened in Peter's life. He was called by the Prince of Peace to follow him. He was trained for over three years and taught by the Prince of Peace Himself. And then in chapter 14 of John, you recall, he gives his peace to his disciples before he goes to the cross. And then on that resurrection morn, he comes back and he says, peace be to you. And he breathes upon him and gives him a special ministration of the Holy Spirit of peace.

41:36And then here, here's Peter's final installment of peace. Peter, you need to completely resign yourself to me. You need to let me be God. Let God be God. You want to know where the final installment of peace in your life is going to be? Resigning yourself. Over to him. Trust and rest. He's perfectly wise, perfectly good, perfectly loving. So, how do we let God be God in our lives? Well, you recognize your chronic problem. Understand that God expects you to let Him be God and resign yourself over to Him.

42:26Now, some of the first words Peter heard Jesus say were, Follow me. You know, some of the last words that Peter heard Jesus say, Follow me. Only by this time he really understood the deep impact of those words and the incredible scope that those words encompassed. And he calls us here today: follow him, follow him, think the way he thought. Let God be God over your life. Well, back to that angry Dr. Pepperless queen that I mentioned to you. What do you say to that? It's not fair.

43:25You know what you say? Let me be the dad. Don't doubt for a moment that I love you any less than I love this other. I have not wronged you. Do not compare yourself and what you have and what you haven't gotten with somebody else. Know that my love for you is just as real, and it will show and manifest itself in other forms of fellowship and time together that will not involve your sister. Let me be the dad.

44:09Let me be the dad. You know, one of the greatest hindrances to glorifying God is when you start comparing your station to others. Because ultimately, what you're doing is you're calling into question the goodness and the wisdom of God. What about this man? What about this person? No, competition to greatness must give way to wholehearted obedience to what God has called you to do. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come again recognizing the truth of your word. Father, we get so easily distracted. We are coveters by nature. Father, we get jealous, and deep down sometimes, Father, the perplexing issue that comes against us and the lie that we begin to believe is that you don't love us, or you love him, or you love her, because you gave him or her such things that you did not give to us. Forgive us, Father, for our comparison. Forgive us for calling into question your goodness because you are all-wise, you are perfectly good, and you deal with each of your subjects according to your nature. And so it is because of that we can come before you, just asking for your help, Father, and trusting and resigning ourselves to you, just to let you be God in our life.

45:51We're tired of playing God. We know it takes us nowhere but into trouble. Father, we welcome you to reign. We want you to reign over us. Please come and please do whatever is necessary to bring that about. In Jesus' name, as the music plays and we leave a few songs, just spend time in prayer and let God have his way in your life. Thank you.