We turn this morning for our
text to words that we find in the Gospel according to John. In John chapter 21 and verses
15, 16 and 17. The Lord Jesus in this chapter shows
himself after his resurrection to the
disciples there at the sea of Tiberias. Reading then here in
John chapter 21 verses 15, 16, and 17. So when they had dined,
Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. 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. He saith unto him, Feed
my sheep. He saith unto him the third time,
Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? 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. In this passage we see that gracious
ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ as he restores Peter, the restoration
of Simon Peter. In the passage that we read in
Luke 22, we saw how there the Lord addresses Peter quite specifically
concerning how he will be entangled in Satan's web. He will be put
into Satan's sit Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to
have you, that he might sift you as wheat. But I have prayed
for thee, that thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren. And now it came to pass, just
as the Lord had said, And we read there the sad account of
Peter's denial of the Lord Jesus Christ three times. even with
cursings. He denied that he ever knew Jesus
of Nazareth. But here we see how ultimately
this man is restored, the gracious ministry of the Lord Jesus. And
as we consider these three verses for a while this morning, I want
to divide what I say into three parts and to consider three particular
loves. First of all, to see the love
of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is so principal, and then secondly,
Peter's love for the Lord, and then finally to say something
about Christian love. The greatest of all, of course,
as we read in 1 Corinthians 13, the greatest of all is charity,
is love. And so we will conclude by saying
something with regard to that love that is the mark of those
who are the true disciples of the Lord Jesus. But first of
all to look at the Lord Jesus Christ himself and that gracious
ministry that we see him exercising the love of the Lord and how
he so carefully prepares the way for the restoring of this
particular disciple after his sad fall when he had denied Christ
and there are different stages as we read through the Gospels
to the way in which Christ restores Peter and it begins in that passage
that we read in Luke chapter 22 even immediately after Peter
had denied Christ what did we read there at verse 61 the Lord
turned it says and looked upon Peter the Lord turned and looked
and there was an effect in that look because as he looked, so
Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he said that before
the cock crow, thrice, twice thou shalt deny me, thrice and
we're told how Peter went out and wept bitter tears. But it was that look of the Lord,
all we think of that great Aaronic blessing back in Numbers chapter
6, the Lord lifting up the light of His countenance upon His people. The Psalmist speaks of His desire
for that look. There'll be many who say He will
show us any good Lord lift up the light of Thy countenance
upon us. It's when the Lord looks when
the Lord is pleased to grant such a gracious smiling of his
face. And that was what the Lord did
there even as soon as Peter had denied him. He turns and he looks
And I don't believe that that was a bitter, hard look. It was a most gracious look,
as we see in the effect. It brings tears to the eyes of
the apostle, and he goes out, and so his restoration begins
with the tears of true repentance. But that was just the beginning.
As I said, there are various stages. The Lord's ministry is
such a tender ministry. We also see how the Lord employs
the angels to minister to Peter. There, on the morn of the Lord's
resurrection, that word is given by the angels to those women
who were first at the empty tomb, tell his disciples and Peter,
it says. In Mark's account, Mark 16, 7,
tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before thee into
Galilee as he hath said." It's not just the disciples, but Peter
in particular is mentioned by name. He needs to be hearing
such a message concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And then again in Luke, at the end of Luke in chapter 24 when
those two on the road to Emmaus eventually have their eyes opened
and they see that the stranger who has joined them is indeed
the Lord Jesus Christ himself, risen from the dead. Remember
how they hurry back to Jerusalem and they find the rest of the
disciples. And how are they greeted by those
other disciples as they return to Jerusalem. They say to them,
the Lord is risen indeed and has appeared unto Peter. Oh,
it was to Simon Peter that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared. He
doesn't just turn and look upon him. He doesn't just send a message
by means of the angels, but the Lord actually appears to him. And how that is repeated when
in 1 Corinthians 15 we find Paul speaking of the various appearings
of the risen Christ. He says there, verse 5, he was
seen of Cephas, that is Simon Peter. He was seen of Cephas,
then of the Twelve. Stage by stage then we see the
Lord ministering to this man who had so sadly fallen, denying
Christ. And here we see how the restoration
is completed. When Peter comes to to write
in his first epistle, he speaks of the ministry of Christ, and
he gives Christ certain titles. There in 1 Peter 2.25 he speaks
of the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. The Shepherd, it's
the same word that is on other occasions translated as Pastor. All the Lord Jesus, you see,
was Peter's pastor. and the overseer of his soul. And so Peter, as he writes to
others, he can commend that ministry of the Lord Jesus. When thou
art converted, the Lord had said to him, after he has been in
the sieve of Satan, after his restoration, when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren. Oh, we knew something then of
that gracious ministry of the Lord Jesus. How thoroughly the
Lord prepares the way in order that this fallen disciple might
be restored. We sang just now in that lovely
hymn of Charles Wesley, Thou knowest the way to bring me back,
my fallen spirit to restore. Oh, the Lord is that one who
is surely the chief shepherd of his flock, that one who is
able to prepare the way and to restore all of his fallen disciples. And we see it in the ministry
of Christ here, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for this man,
the thoroughness of the way in which the Lord will raise him
up again. But look at this particular incident
that's recorded at the end of John's Gospel. and the pointed
way in which the Lord speaks to him. Yes, there's grace, there's
tenderness, and yet at the same time the Lord will remind this
man of the seriousness of what has happened. How does the Lord
address him? Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon
son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these? He addresses
him now as Simon son of Jonas. It's as if he has denied what he was by the grace of God.
When the Lord first meets with him, this is his name, he is
Simon the son of Jonas, Simon Bar-Jonah. And we have the record
here in John chapter 1, the end of that chapter, verse 42 of
that first meeting. And the Lord says to him, Thy
name shall be called Cephas, which by interpretation is a
stone. Cephas being just another form
of the name Peter. He was Simon the son of Jonas,
but he was to have a new name. Evidence of the grace of God.
a real conversion in his soul. He was to be called Cephas. And
again, remember when he makes that remarkable confession of
his faith at Caesarea Philippi in the 16th chapter of Matthew. Again, the Lord reminds him from
whence he had come, but he is a blessed man. Blessed art thou
Simon Bar-Jonah, says the Lord, For flesh and blood I have not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." He
had confessed, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, it
was a revelation. Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonah. I say also unto thee that thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against him. The rock, of course,
is that great confession that he had made. Now, what the Christ,
the Son of the Living God. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ the Lord. But
here is this man who was Simon bar Jonah, Simon son of Jonah. But what a confession. Oh, this
is Peter, this is a stone built up on that great foundation.
But now you see, it's as if all that has been forfeited. as the
Lord addresses him not as Peter, not as Cephas. No, the Lord says,
Simon son of Jonas. Three times, three times he had
denied the Lord Jesus. Christ said, the cock shall not
crow before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." And
what does the Lord do? He comes now and puts these three
questions to him. Three times he is asked the same
question. And each time he is reminded
of his base origin. Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? or the thoroughness of the Lord's
dealings, probing the soul of this man in order that he might
truly be restored and how persistent the Lord is, how persevering
the Lord is. Two different words are used
with regards to love in this passage. We're probably familiar
with the Greek word agape that speaks of the highest and the
most noblest form of love. Well, that's the words that the
Lord is using here in verses 15 and 16. It's agape love. Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? More than these. And then again
in verse 16. Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? But the interesting thing is
that when Peter replies and confesses his love to the
Lord Jesus in each of those verses, he doesn't use that word. He
uses a different word. It's the word philo, and it certainly
is a good word, and it speaks of a very noble sort of love,
a very commendable sort of love, a pure love, but it's a weaker
love than that that the Lord Jesus Christ himself is speaking
of. But then the significant thing
is that when we come to the third question in verse 17 the Lord
himself uses that same word that Peter had used in verse 17 it's
not agape it's not that most glorious and noble of all loves
that the Lord speaks of, it's a good love but it's the same
as Peter had confessed and see what it says in verse 17 Peter
was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Love is sober. He's grieved because he's now
questioning even that love, that weaker love, that Peter is willing
to confess. Oh, how the Lord, you see, in
order to restore these apostle probes, probes the very soul
of the man, and the reality of his love. But this is the way
of the Lord. It's all done in grace. It's
all in order that there might be a real and a genuine restoration
of this man. Now Job confesses concerning
God, he maketh sore and bindeth up. He woundeth, and his hands
make whole. And certainly Job experienced
that himself, the Lord's woundings, the Lord making him sore, and
yet in order that there might also be the binding up of those
wounds, and the restoring of his soul. It is God, you see,
who deals with his people. He says in the book of Hosea,
I will heal their backslidings, I will love them freely. And how the Lord here is seen
to be that one who so loves Peter that he will, in a right, in
a proper fashion, restore him from all his sad backslidings. For it is the Lord who knows
the way to restore that one who has sinned against him. And we
see it, I say, in the way in which the Lord deals with this
man. It's the love of the Lord Jesus Christ that stands out
so clearly in all his dealings. But let us turn, as it were,
from what we see of the Lord and the ways of the Lord, the
grace of the Lord, the love of the Lord, and turn to consider
Peter. And I want to observe two things
with regards to Peter and Peter's love. first of all it is evident
that this love is a weak love and yet it's genuine it's real
it's not to be despised because it's weak oh here is Peter you
see he is so humbled by the Lord and the dealings of the Lord
with him throughout the questioning as I've already said Peter can
be no bolder than to use his selfsame words. He never aspires
to use the same word as the Lord himself employs in verses 15
and 16. He always uses his lesser word,
filler. Yea, Lord, thou knowest that
I love thee, he says. And again at verse 16, Yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. And it's the same again when
he speaks in verse 17, he's grieved because the Lord is querying
and questioning even this lesser love. Lord thou knowest all things,
thou knowest that I love thee. All gone now is all Peter's vain
self-confidence, all his creature strength has departed from him. He is that one of the disciples
who has been in the very sieve of Satan. That language that
the Lord uses back in Luke 22, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath
desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. And observe,
and I've mentioned this on previous occasions, the significance of
the pronoun that is used It's the plural pronoun, although
the Lord is addressing himself to Simon Peter in particular,
he says, Satan hath desire to have you. The plural, that's
all of you. All of the disciples, not just
Peter, but every one of them, Satan would seek to have. He
will come, he will assault them. He will tempt them. seeking to
draw them away, aside from the Lord. Satan hath desired to have
you. He is that roaring lion, walking
about, seeking whom he may devour. But what does the Lord say, as
he is speaking in particular to Simon Peter? But I have prayed
for thee. It's a singular pronoun. I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. and when thou art converted
or restored strengthen thy brethren." It's only of course in the Authorized
Version which faithfully distinguishes the the singular and the plural
pronoun that the force of what the Lord is saying is brought
out in that passage. The Lord sees quite clearly that
it is this particular disciple, it's Simon Peter who is in the
most grave danger. And so the Lord says he will
pray for him. He doesn't mean that he doesn't
pray for the other disciples, but in this particular case the
Lord assures Simon Peter in particular, I have prayed for thee that thy
faith fail not. Oh Peter was so full of vain
self-confidence how he would assert that he would never, for
a moment, deny his Lord. He was full of a false assurance. We see it time and again in the
language as it's recorded. In Mark's account for example,
verse 29 in Chapter 14, Peter said unto
him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. Of all the others,
they might be offended, they might be willing to deny their
Lord, yet not I, says Peter. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily
I say unto thee, that this day, even in this night, before the
cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he that is Peter
spake them all vehemently, If I should die with them, I will
not deny thee in any wise. Likewise, also, said they all.
It's not just Peter, but Peter, you see, is that one, so impulsive,
so impetuous, so ready to stand forward and protest his readiness
to stand by the Lord Jesus vehemently, he says it. Or he would even
go and he would be one willing to die with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is full of himself, this man.
believing really that he could never ever deny the Lord. Again in that passage that we
read in Luke 22 verse 33 he said unto him, Lord I am ready to
go with thee both into prison and to death. But what does the
Lord say? He said, I tell thee Peter the
cock shall not crow this day before that thou shalt thrice
deny that thou knowest mine. He was so full of it And it was
a false assurance that this man had. But now, how different his
language is. He will not dare to aspire onto
the sort of love that the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking of.
He cannot say that his love is at a gap I know. He confesses
his weakness. Lord, it is my chief complaint
that my love is weak and faint, yet I love Thee and adore, oh,
for grace to love Thee more. It's a different man, a very
different man. He has profited really from being
put into the sieve of Satan. Oh, see how Satan time and again
overreaches himself. He thought he would destroy Peter,
but he doesn't destroy him. Rather, because of the Lord's
wisdom and the gracious ways of the Lord, Peter himself is
strengthened in grace. The devil is one who is constantly
overreaching himself. We see it, of course, right at
the beginning in what we have in Genesis chapter 3 and the
history of the 4th. It is because of that fall that
we see the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the mystery of God and the mystery of the ways of God.
That creation that God had made and pronounced to be so very
good, there must yet be the fall of our first parents. Falling
from that state of innocence. Why? In order that the glory
of God might be revealed. in the person and the work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That work of redemption, a far,
far greater work even than God's remarkable work of creation. The devil overreaching himself.
And so we see it here. Peter now so humbled as he comes and acknowledges,
yes, he loves the Lord. But his love is a weak love,
weak and faint. And yet, we have to observe this,
it's still real. Oh, it's still real. Let us not
be those who would despise the day of small things. This is a genuine love that Peter
has. It's more, you see, than than
repetition that we have in these three questions. As I've sought
to say already the significance of the 17th verse. Peter is grieved
here in verse 17 because what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing
is employing exactly the same word that Peter has used previously. Peter is grieved, you see, because
the Lord is questioning whether or not even this weaker love
is all that it should be. And yet, we have to acknowledge
that though weaker, it is, it is real. And the Lord knows this. The Lord is aware of this. He
knew what was in the hearts of men. He knew what was in the
hearts of Peter. But how we knew that the Lord
should come, you see, and probe us and examine us. We see it
in David, we see it in David's prayer there at the end of the
139th Psalm, when he says, Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way
in me. Lead me in the way everlasting. As we come under the Word of
God, do we desire that the Lord would do in us what he did in
Peter? probing the reality of our faith
questioning the reality of our love towards Him we want to know
that what we have is something that is genuine or we want a
real religion we're not satisfied by trust with a mere outward
form of godliness we want to know by experience what Christ
said concerning the kingdom of God that the kingdom of God is
within us the kingdom of God is within you says the Lord Jesus
all the Lord know are same that are his but now for us the important
thing is that we are those who have a real true saving knowledge
of the Lord himself the importance of that reality Think of what
the Lord says concerning that man Nathanael again at the end
of the opening chapter here in John's Gospel how Christ speaks
of him as an Israelite indeed. An Israelite indeed in whom there
is no guile or to be guileless. Here is Peter then Yes, he's
now learnt a remarkable lesson. He's been greatly humbled by
the Lord and the ways and the dealings of the Lord. We see
the Lord's love towards Peter, but we also see now the love
that Peter has towards his Lord. He can say, Lord thou knowest
all things. O search me, O God, know my heart,
try me, know my thoughts, thou knowest all things. He can hide
nothing from the Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And then, finally this morning,
to say something with regards to that Christian love. And it is that Christian love,
of course, that is the evidence of the love of Christ being shed
abroad in our hearts. And there are a number of things
that we can observe here. First of all, where there is
Christian love, there will be that very real love for the brethren. And it's indicated in the way
in which the Lord gives his commandment to Peter each time as he professes
is weak but real love to the Lord. He saith unto him, Feed
my lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep. Oh, this is the work,
you see, that he is to do. He is to yet do the work of an
elder, the work of an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
is not lost is bishopric, as was the case with Judas, the
son of perdition. He never was really a true apostle
of the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas Peter was. And when we turn to
the epistles of Peter, how we see him bringing out those lessons
that he has been taught in the school of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter, the first epistle
of Peter, and there in the 5th chapter, he writes,
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker
of the glory that shall be revealed, feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither
as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensembles to the flock.
And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away." Oh, Peter, you see, is mindful
of that command that he himself had received as he addresses
these fellow elders. They are to be those who would
feed the flock of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the mark,
you see, that desire to minister to others. that love towards
Christ that is expressed in very practical love towards others. What does the Lord Himself say?
Previously in those discourses that we have in the earlier chapters,
He says there in chapter 13 verse 35, "...by this shall all men
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." All by this thou know, if we
profess to love God whom we hath not seen, we must evidence that
love by miniature to the brethren that we do see. We know that
we have passed from death unto life, John says, because we love
the brethren. And some are often tormented
and wonder really, are they those who have a genuine faith? Is
their love a real love? Are they those who have truly
been converted to Christ? Have they experienced that grace
of God in the new birth? Well, here is that that will
comfort. We can look to scripture, we
can deduce certain things from the Word of God. And John says,
we know. All we can know that we're the
Lord's children, we know that we have passed from death unto
life. How do we know? Because we love the brethren.
Do we love the brethren? Or do we love the people of God,
desire to minister to them? My little children, John says,
let us not love in words, nor in tongue, but in deed and in
truth. That's how we're to love them. It's practical love. It's
ministering to them. and that's the evidence that
we're those who love the Lord Jesus Christ himself but also
you know it's not just a love for the for the brethren that
we know and that we meet with we sometimes maybe read the writings
of others of the people of God and sometimes we read the writings
of those who have long since passed away and yet as we read
their words we feel such a love towards them because they so
minister to us it is the great truth of the communion of saints
and that communion of saints is not in any sense broken by
death itself we love those who have gone before, we love those
who are in heaven will of those who may be of minister to us
in our earlier experience. This love of the brethren, this
communion of the saints, it is a precious truth revealed to
us here in Scripture. And how important it is to the
Lord Himself when He comes to that great final day when the
Lord Jesus Christ will sit as that one to whom the Father has
committed all judgment and all are to be gathered before him
and he's the one who's going to separate the sheep from the
goats. What does the Lord say? He speaks
of it in Matthew 25 verse 34 Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand come ye blessed of my father inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world
for I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took
me in, naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited
me. I was in prison, and ye came
unto me. Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, whence awe we thee, and hungered, and fed
thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink? Whence awe we thee, a
stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? Or whence
awe we thee, sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king
shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me." Well, here it is, you see, the love of believers for the Lord Jesus
Christ evidenced in their ministry to fellow believers. And yet
they're so unaware of it. When saw we the unhung of Firstly, a stranger, naked, and
it was as they ministered to others, says the Lord, inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren. They are my brethren, they are
the Lord's people. And here you see those that Peter
must minister to, who are they? They are My lambs, says Christ,
they're my sheep, they're the Lord's. And that's why they are
to be those who are ministered to. All love for the brethren,
that is Christian love. But here in particular we have
to observe there is to be a love for those who are the weakest.
Here in verse 15 we see There is a difference. Feed my lambs,
it says. And then verses 16 and 17, feed
my sheep. Who are the lambs? Well, it's
the same word, but what we have in verse 15 is the diminutive. Feed my small sheep. Feed my little lambs. It's those
who are babes. in the Lord Jesus Christ. As
we saw there in in that passage in Matthew 25, it's one of the
least of these, my brethren. Oh, as though a lamb in all thy
flock I would disdain to feed, says Philip Doddridge, the hymn
writer. Oh, remember that as the Lord, you see, sees the vulnerability
of Peter himself. If we're going to be like the
Lord, We need to be aware of those who are in the gravest
of danger. This is why the Lord addresses
Peter as he does there in that 22nd chapter of Luke. Satan desires
all of you, but Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith
fail not. Who are we? Those who are most
concerned for the vulnerable of the Lord's people, the weakest
of the saints of God, those who need that special, that tender
care. If we're going to be those who
are truly the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, that must
be the pattern of all of our ministry. And then finally here
we see in a sense how Peter is brought
ultimately to prefer others before himself. Again, at the beginning
we see him so impetuous, so impulsive. Here they are, there at the Sea of Tiberias,
the Sea of Galilee. And what does Peter say? Well, they all go fishing, and then Peter says that verse
3 I go a fishing very much taking the lead we also go with them
and then the Lord appears and tells them to cast the nets on
the other side of the ship and they draw in a great multitude
of fishes and then John says Verse 17, the disciple whom Jesus
loves says to Peter, it is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard
that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, for
he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea. Peter, you see, is the first
one, he must be where the Lord is. And so the Lord says to him in
verse 15, love the family more than me, Or does Peter imagine
that his love is greater than all the others? Is this impulsive
man again full of vain self-confidence? And as we said, the Lord probes
and searches into the soul of this man and discovers that there
is that love that is real and genuine. He's not so forward
as to think himself now better than any of the others. In fact,
In a sense, we have to see him as one who prefers others before
him. In verse 21, Peter, seeing John,
who's following, as it were, afar off, says, watch how this
man do, he's concerned for John. He's not just concerned for himself,
he's concerned for John also. Yes, the Lord speaks to him and
says, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to
thee? Follow thou me. Peter needs to be aware of his
own situation. But Peter does have a love for
others. How Peter then is that one who is so ministered to by
the Lord Jesus Christ as to be restored. Restored to his position
as an apostle of the Lord, a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ,
an example to us here of what it is to have that love that
is real, genuine, and yet at the same time that
love that manifests a true humility of heart, or the Lord grants
that we might be those who, like Peter, are true followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord bless his word. Amen.
I want to conclude with the theme
of hymn number 968, the tune of St. Peter's of 494. Hark,
my soul, it is the Lord, it is thy Saviour. Hear His Word. Jesus speaks and speaks to thee. Save or sin, lovest thou me.