2 Corinthians chapter 5. You know, this world we live in is full of people who have been offended and are now at odds with others. Somebody said something, or did something, and people are offended, and pretty soon you have two sides, enemies who used to be friends. And to a world like this, with everybody at odds with everybody else, the Apostle Paul believes he has the solution.

Notice what he says in vs. 17: “¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Paul saw himself as the “Ambassador of Reconciliation.” And he viewed the gospel as “the message of reconciliation.” He tells us what this message is: that when Jesus was on the cross God was in Him reconciling the world to Himself. How? Verse 19: “not counting men’s sins against them.” On the cross God counted our sins against His Son, not us, and made Him to be sin for us. So God removed out of the way the offense between us and Him, and where there is no offense there can be full reconciliation.

And Paul saw that his ministry was to give out this “message of reconciliation”—the gospel. Because Paul knew that when people are reconciled to God, not only are they saved from eternal damnation, but they want to reconcile with people too. The man who has been stealing capital funds from his business partner, hears the gospel, is convicted of his sins, comes to the cross and finds forgiveness and reconciliation with God. He immediately wants to go and make things right with his business partner. Zaccheus who had been cheating people on their taxes is reconciled with God and has fellowship with Jesus, and immediately he wants to repay 4 times what he has stolen. In vs. 19 Paul saw the cross as that which will one day bring peace to the whole world. Because the cross not only has a vertical beam that points to God and man being reconciled, but the cross has a horizontal beam too, reconciling man with man.

We are now beginning a very short study on the very short Book of Philemon. And Philemon is all about reconciliation. So let’s look at this little book that is jam-packed full of instruction on how to reconcile. Let’s pray.

Philemon was a well-to-do Christian brother of the Apostle Paul. We know he was well to do because he had his own home that was big enough to have church in, and he had slaves.  This was back when Rome was run on slavery.  And the book of Philemon is about one of Philemon’s slaves who ran away. This slave’s name was Onesimus. We don’t really know why he ran away from his master Philemon. But Paul hints at the fact that Onesimus stole some money. You can see that in vs. 18 where Paul says: “¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” So Onesimus probably stole some money, and then hopped a ship bound for Rome, most likely got off at the Italian port of Puteoli, and made his way to Rome.  

Now we have to see here, that Onesimus was in big trouble, for he was guilty of two crimes: theft and running away. And both of those crimes, in those days could receive capital punishment. History tells us that runaway slaves, if they weren’t killed, would be branded with the letter “F” for Fugitivus (Fugitive). Onesimus could have expected either death or a branding.

We do not know how he got to Paul. Maybe he was down and out, heard Paul’s name discussed, and sought him out for help. Whatever the case, he got connected with Paul, and of course Paul couldn’t talk without speaking the gospel. You’ve heard it said that if John Bunyan was cut he would bleed Scripture, well if Paul was cut he would bleed the gospel. And Onesimus heard and believed was truly converted! And his life was changed.

Jesus was everything to him, and he was totally transformed. As Onesimus grew, so did the conviction that he needed to return to his Master, Philemon. Maybe Paul taught him what Jesus said in Matthew 5. Look there with me if you would. These are the Lord’s words from the Sermon on the Mount: “²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Onesimus determined to make things right, to be reconciled to his brother before he worshipped God.

And a perfect opportunity came. Another one of Paul’s disciples, named Tychicus , was leaving for Asia to take the letters Paul was writing to the churches in Colosse and Laodicea. So when Onesimus showed an interest in returning, Paul wrote a letter to Philemon on behalf of his new brother, the runaway slave, Onesimus.

And this is a powerful little letter. Paul had a very hostile critic named Ernest Renan. Here’s what this critic of Paul says about this letter: “Philemon is a true little masterpiece of letter writing.” That’s from Paul’s enemy. The reality is this letter to Philemon was the most brilliant, compelling letter of reconciliation in ancient history. It is a model of grace and charm. It can be a great help to us if we want to know how to reconcile. So today I want to look with you at Paul’s strategy in reconciliation, and Paul’s success in reconciliation. Let’s notice his strategy:

First, Paul greeted warmly. In verses 1-3 he called Philemon by name, called him “dear friend”, he called his wife, “sister” and he called their son a “fellow-soldier.” In essence he said, “we’re friends, we’re family, and we’re fellow-soldiers together.” Warm greetings are important because they set the tone for our communication. Paul greeted warmly.

Next, he complimented sincerely. In vss 4-7 Paul compliments Philemon over and over: “⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. ⁶ I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. ⁷ Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.”

Philemon your faith and love are becoming well-known, and your love gives me great joy. You are so encouraging to me, Philemon, and I love how you refresh our hearts. So he greets Philemon tactfully and he compliments him sincerely.

And we can learn from this. If we’re looking for reconciliation, greet people warmly and compliment them sincerely. Don’t start right off with “you need to do this”, “you need to change that”, no, spend some time before you go to them, thinking about some of their good points, so you can mention them. What are some things you admire in them? What do they do well? Tell them! Compliment them! One of the keys to raising children is to give them 100 smiles for every 1 frown. In other words, they should feel our approval of them, and we should tell them daily the things that we admire in them, how God is working in them. 100 smiles, to ever 1 frown. The blessing of the Aaronic priesthood included “may God make His face shine on you.” In other words, may you feel God’s approval of you. Paul’s face is shining on Philemon.

Next, Paul appealed lovingly. In vs. 8 he says, “though I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love.” Think how great this is. This was the Apostle Paul, the one who founded most of the churches, was writing most of the New Testament. He could have said, “See here, Phil, this is the Boss Apostle writing. I’ve got this guy here, Onesimus, and he’s converted and he’s really swell. And I’m tellin’ you, Phil, don’t give him any trouble, see. Get with the program. So long, pal. Signed–Paulus Maximus.” That was not Paul’s way, that is never the Christian way. The Christian way is not to command, but to appeal on the basis of love. To go for the heart. And so we can learn that reconciliation runs on love and grace, and encouragement; something every Christian should master regardless of our personality or our parents, or our past, or our position.

Next, Paul communicated humorously. Added just a touch of humor. He made a pun on Onesimus’s name. Onesimus means “useful” so Paul said in vs. 11: “¹¹ Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.” In other words, Useful is now going to live up to his name. He’s going to be what God has called him by name to be.

Next, notice that Paul shared intimately. He described to Philemon his own intimate relationship with Onesimus. We see this in several key words throughout the letter. They are powerful, emotive words. Paul calls Onesimus “my son,” “my heart,” and “my brother.”

• In vs. 10 he says “¹⁰ I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.” Paul describes Onesimus as his child, calling to mind one of the most precious and intimate of human relationships. Paul was bonded to Onesimus.
• And he used another strong word in vs. 12 when he said, “I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you.”  Paul says, “I am sending you part of myself, my very heart, the one I love. That is how I feel about Onesimus.”
  
  
• And in vs. 16 Paul used another emotional term in describing Onesimus as “a dear brother.” This is even more intimate than what Paul called Philemon, “dear friend.”

Onesimus was his child, his heart, his brother! From this we learn something very important for building relationships: reconciliation thrives when believers can express their true feelings, sharing intimately. We sometimes think that others know how we feel when, in fact, they may not have the slightest idea. If Paul had said he loved Onesimus, it would have said something of how he felt. But his choice of language left no doubt in Philemon’s mind. This was a great step toward reconciliation, to express his feelings. To share intimately.

Next, notice that Paul wrote optimistically. We see that in vs. 21 where he said to Philemon, “²¹ Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.” Paul expected good things to happen, he believed the best about Philemon.

And what did Paul expect Philemon to do? It’s in vs. 17: ¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.” Wow, Paul wanted Philemon to welcome Onesimus as if he were Paul himself. The runaway slave was to be received as if he were the Apostle Paul? That would be grace upon grace wouldn’t it?

But Paul communicated this positively, writing optimistically that Philemon would do that. And it’s important to convey optimism in our communication, believing the best of people. I once heard George Sweeting define optimism. He said, it is when an eighty-five-year-old man marries a seventy-five-year-old woman, and they move into a five-bedroom house next to a grade school! That’s optimism. Paul was optimistic, and he expected the best.

Finally notice that Paul loved sacrificially. In vss. 18-19. “¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back–not to mention that you owe me your very self.” Wow, what would cause a man to pay off another man’s debt? I mean Onesimus had a debt he could not pay, and Paul paid a debt he did not owe. That’s the sacrifice of love. I mean if you are going to pay the debt of another person, if you’re going to pay what he stole, you must really love that person, and love them sacrificially.

So Paul’s approach here to Philemon gives us wisdom in dealing with our own relationships. Greet warmly, set the tone with warmth and love. Then compliment sincerely, encourage people, lift them up, build them up. Then appeal lovingly, never order or command. We’re not under law, but under grace. Then share intimately, from the heart. Let people know how you feel. Then speak optimistically, showing you believe there will be a good outcome. Finally, love sacrificially, being willing to meet needs and show love in action. Sometimes doesn’t work.

But can you imagine the success in reconciliation that this brought to Philemon and Onesimus, especially when this book was read to the whole church, while Philemon and Onesimus stood before them? Surely forgiveness flowed! No doubt repeated embracing and kissing, and Onesimus is saying “I’m really really sorry, Master”, and Philemon says, “My dear brother! I forgive you.” As the church watched, there was no doubt constant praising of God.

But that’s not the end of the story. History tells us that fifty years later one of the great men of faith, Ignatius, was being taken from Antioch to Rome to be executed. Ignatius would be a Christian martyr. And along the way, he wrote letters to certain churches. In writing to Ephesus he praised their Bishop Onesimus. It appears that Onesimus, the runaway slave, had become, with the passing of years, the great Bishop, pastor, overseer of the church at Ephesus. This is one of the great stories of the gospel and of the Church—a jewel in the church’s crown. When someone that sinful, becomes that useful, it should make us praise God.

You see it was God that brought all of this about. Paul acknowledges God’s work in vs. 15: “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good.” Paul recognized that Philemon’s whole story was woven by God’s hand. Onesimus’s crime and his running away were part of the plan for bringing Onesimus to Himself.

Now there is an amazing illustration of this in Genesis chapter 50, if you would look there with me. You remember the story, Joseph’s brothers do him wrong. They sold him into slavery in Egypt, their own flesh and blood. How could they do that? But God was with Joseph and made him ruler over all of Egypt, and because of a famine his brothers went to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph reveals himself and they are scared to death. “Oh no, He is going to get even with us for what we did to him.” And they’re scared, but Joseph said in vs. 19-20 “¹⁹Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Joseph knew that God works out all things for the good of those who love Him, even all the wrong that is done in this world. Somehow God uses it.

The more we study the Bible the more we see that nothing happens by “chance.” Onesimus ran the length of the world to escape his master and lose himself in Rome, only to meet the very man who brought the gospel to his Master—and then to find spiritual life himself! Oh how we can marvel at God’s handiwork, His tapestry. The reality is that the most confused, twisted life can ultimately come to be seen as a marvelous working of God’s grace. The evil that you did, or has been done to you, can be turned into the very thing that brings you to Christ, and makes you useful in the kingdom of God. That’s the message of Philemon.

But all of this is not why the Book of Philemon is included in the Bible. If all we do is see how we are to greet warmly and compliment sincerely, etc. etc. if we just see the sovereignty of God in this story, but stop here, we have missed the entire point of the book! In order for us to understand why God put this little book in the Bible, I want you to imagine for a moment, that you are Onesimus, and that Philemon is God the Father, and that Paul is Jesus Christ. So we have these 3 people: you, God the Father, and Jesus Christ.

The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have sinned and done wrong, we have run away from our Master, God, we have rebelled against Him. And all of our sins created a huge debt. The wages of sin is death. We should be put to death for crimes against the King, and then face eternal torment in hell. And while we’re waiting for this punishment, we should be branded with a big “S” for sinner!

But wait a minute, somebody has come to our rescue. The Apostle Jesus has stepped to our side, He has agreed to take on our case, to become our Advocate. He has a special relationship with our Master. And so He begins to talk with God the Father on our behalf. And we hear Him say, “Father, whatever they owe you, you have put that to my account, and I have paid it in full. I went to the cross and shed my blood in full payment for their sins.” The debt we owed, Jesus paid it all. It is finished, Paid in Full. Wow. What would motivate someone to pay the debt of another like that? It’s called sacrificial love.

And then we almost cannot believe our ears, we hear Him say, “Father, welcome them, as you would welcome me.” And we can’t hardly believe it. We sinned, Jesus paid at the cross, and we are now welcomed into the presence of God, as if we were Jesus Himself. How can it be? Ex-runaway slaves received into God’s presence as if we were God’s own Son! But such is the gospel, and this gospel is for you today if you will but believe it. Believe that Jesus paid your debt, thereby releasing you from it, believe that you will be received into heaven as if you were Jesus. Repent and believe the good news today, Onesimus. And maybe you’ll go on to be used by God to minister His grace to many others.

We have come to our last passage in the Book of John today, and next week, Lord willing, we will look at an overview of the entire Book of John, just a review of each chapter, as a reminder of our time spent together. The emphasis next week will be on seeing Jesus Christ and how we absolutely cannot live without Him. What we will see of Jesus in each chapter of John is entirely critical to our lives today, and each chapter shows that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Many of you know of John Newton. He was born in London in 1725. His mother taught him to read Scripture and memorize Reformed hymns. At age 7 his mother died, and he was raised by his sea-captain father. When John was a young adult his father sent him on a month-long voyage as a common sailor; and in the company of the sailors, Newton soon turned away from all his religious upbringing. He began to indulge his cravings and lusts and he lived a life of debauchery for many years eventually leading him to become a slave trader.

But God was about to give John Newton amazing grace and a second chance. A terrible storm came against the ship. He wrote “mighty waves were crashing over the bow and flooding the ship, so that we thought we were going to capsize.” John was afraid and wanted to pray, but was convinced that he had sinned too much to have any hope of God answering him. Then he remembered something his mother had read to him in the Bible long ago about Jesus: “this Man receives sinners, and eats with them.” And John breathed his first weak prayer in years. He said later, “this was the hour I first believed.” And after many years, God made John Newton useful as a much-loved pastor and hymn writer.

So I want to remind us this morning that God is a God of grace, He is the God of second chances. He loves to forgive and restore people. We remember when Jonah was told to go to Ninevah and preach, and he ran away from God and ended up in a storm and then was thrown overboard where he was swallowed by a large fish. But God raised him on the 3^rd day and gave him a second chance to go and preach in Ninevah, and the whole city was converted. God is the God of second chances. And third and fourth chances, and seventy times seven chances.

And coming to our passage today, we remember that when Jesus was arrested and was about to be put to death, Peter was standing around a fire of coals warming himself. He was asked 3 questions about his relationship with Jesus, and 3 times he claimed he did not know Him. He openly and publicly denied Jesus, thereby shaming the name of Christ, and marring his own testimony. And now, after Jesus rose from the dead He invites Peter and the other disciples to join Him around a fire of coals, where He eats with them. This time Jesus asks 3 questions, and with each answer He said, “Feed my sheep” or “shepherd my sheep”, thereby forgiving Peter and commissioning him to ministry. Peter fell publicly, Jesus restored Peter graciously.

And we should not miss the truth that is taught here, that Jesus really does forgive and heal and restore people who have blown it. Isaiah 40:29 says, “²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” And Romans 5:6 says “⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Right when Peter was powerless in his sin, Christ died for him. And you. And me. All of John chapter 21tells us that God is a gracious God, a healing God, a restoring God, a God of second chances. That’s the message of John 21 so far.

And in today’s passage we are going to see the mission, the motive, and the mess-up. Jesus gave Peter a mission here, and He gave Him a motive, but as usual, Peter messed up right out of the gate.

So Peter blew it, and Jesus restored him. But Jesus is not done giving grace to Peter. He’s already given him a second chance for ministry, and now he is going to give him a second chance at something else, too. Look with me at Luke 22. Jesus told Peter that Satan was going to sift him, but ever the self-confident one, Peter replied in vs. 33: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” “Count on me, Jesus, I’ll be there with you every step of the way. I’m not going to shrink back from death, I love you too much.” But Peter failed. In his denial of Jesus he was protecting himself, showing that he loved Peter more than he loved Jesus.

But now Jesus is going to give Him another chance. Notice John 21:18-19: “¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” Jesus was giving Peter another chance to glorify God in the face of death. And this was the mission, to glorify God whether in life or in death. And that’s our mission. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

And some people are like, “man this isn’t very good news, I think I’ll pass on this second chance, thank you.” Not realizing that this is the highest honor of all, to be martyred for Jesus. When the disciples in the Book of Acts were beaten it says “they gave thanks that they were counted worthy of suffering for Jesus’ Name.”

We need to take a second to be amazed at the Deity of Jesus Christ here. Jesus is God, He is the Ruling King. He knows all things about all people. Jesus knew the time and manner of Peter’s death. Look at the end of vs. 17. Peter said, “Lord, You know all things” and now Christ proves it, by telling Peter the future, in great detail: the time and manner of Peter’s death. Something that only God could know. And compare that with what Jesus said about John in vs. 22, “If I want him to remain alive until I return what is that to you?” John’s life was in Jesus’ hands. He could will John to remain alive if He wanted to. He was in control of Peter’s life and death, and He was in control of John’s life and death. Jesus should be worshipped because Jesus is God.

Notice the connection between what Jesus said about Peter’s death, and the context of John 21. Peter affirmed his love for Jesus. 3 times he said, “yes Lord, you know that I love you.” And Jesus says, “feed my sheep.” And now Jesus tells Peter that his love is going to be tested, that caring for Jesus’ sheep would mean a martyr’s death. In other words, “Peter, don’t expect ministry to be a life of ease and honor, but of trouble and persecution.”

 

And we cannot miss the application for us today. How much do we really love Jesus? If He tells us to do something, would we do it even if it meant our death, or the death of our children to obey Him? God tests the love of His people. I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 22 and notice how God tested Abraham. Genesis 22 vs. 1 says “Sometime later God tested Abraham.” Well how did God test Abraham? It was one of the worst tests that any human being would ever have to face. In vs. 2 “² …God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Now Abraham didn’t say, “What, are you crazy? I love my son, and it would serve no purpose for him to die.” No, look at vs. 3 “ ³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.”

Well we know the end of this story, God didn’t want Isaac dead after all, he saves the boy, He was testing Abraham’s love. Anyone who loves Jesus will find their love will be tested, maybe in this same way, maybe not. Jesus tells Peter that at first he failed the first test, but he will have a second chance to confess Christ openly, and be led to his death. When we are called to obey, will we love Him or will we leave Him? Will we confess Him or will we deny Him? Revelation 12:11 says of the martyrs “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Do we love Him like that?

So we have our mission, to glorify God both in life and in death. This helps us with every decision because all we need to ask is, “will this choice glorify God?” NOT “will this save our lives?”

That’s the mission, but what is the motive? Why would Peter choose suffering and death, over life? That’s not normal. What would cause Peter this time to go to his cross and to be crucified upside down, whereas before he shrunk back from death? Well Jesus provides the motive in the form of a command. Notice John 21 vs. 19: “¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” Now wait a minute, that doesn’t make sense. Jesus is right now about to go to heaven, Peter can’t follow him there right now. He’s got all his life and ministry ahead of him. What does Jesus mean, “your death will glorify God, follow me?”

Jesus is reminding Peter of the cross where He died and inviting Peter to follow Him in death. He is saying, “I went to the cross and glorified God in my death, now you follow me there.” And that is the motive. The cross is the only motive powerful enough to cause us to lay down our lives, to give up our sin, to die to our flesh, to chose the sword over safety. And when we choose to die to our flesh, we are simply following Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us.

And so the importance then is, that we focus our eyes on the motive. Look at the pure and holy Son of God as He chooses to leave His glorious throne in heaven and come to this earth filled with misery and violence. See Him as He is hauled off to court to be judged, as he is struck in the face with a rod, and remember that He took our punishment that we might have peace with God. See Him as the soldiers mock Him, and put a crown of thorns on Him, and clothe His bloody body with a purple robe. He is taking the curse of our sin upon Himself.

Hear Pilate say “I find no basis for a charge against Him” and then watch as He hands Him over to die. What’s with that? You see He is being made sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Him. He was falsely accused that no accusation against us could stand (even the ones that are true).  Then He was beaten by Roman soldiers, because it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and put Him to grief. And with each blow, He was wounded that we might be healed. And then He was condemned to death, so that there would be no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus.

See Him as the soldiers lay Him out on a wooden cross, and pound nails in His hands and feet, and then they lift Him up between heaven and earth. Here Him say, “¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14-15 Then He was separated from God, that we might draw near. He was forsaken by God that we might be accepted by God. He endured darkness for 3 hours that we might live in the light for eternity. He was thirsty that we might come and drink.  

And there He is hanging in absolute agony, He could have prayed, “Father, destroy them!” instead He says, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” You see that is what His death meant: forgiveness for you and me. Think of our regrets, our wrong choices, our falls, our scarlet past. All of that was forgiven the moment Jesus died. He loved us with His very life unto death: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  

What a powerful motive for us to follow Jesus, to lay down our arms of rebellion, to submit to the Lordship of Jesus. “¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” 1 John 3:16 Seeing how Jesus glorified God at the cross enables us to say, “Lord, I want to follow you even to the cross”, fellowshipping with you in your sufferings, becoming like you in your death. I want to go anywhere you tell me, or give up anything you ask, or do anything you say.” And just like Samson, we might do more for God in our death than we did in our lives. The death of the martyrs had more effect on men than their lives did. “²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25  Oh the true Christian can say “Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

That’s the motive, the glorious cross of Jesus Christ. So Peter had his mission, to glorify God: he would do that by feeding Jesus sheep and by glorifying God in his death. And he had the motive: the cross. But then look at what he did in vs. 20: “²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.” Peter turned away from Jesus and started focusing on John. You would think Peter would have learned his lesson when he was walking on the water. He learned then that as long as you’re focusing on Jesus you can live supernaturally, you can walk right on top of that which causes other people to sink, but if you turn at look at something else, like the wind and the waves, you sink. But here Peter was again, messing up, turning from Jesus to John. So vs. 20 presents a powerful contrast: Peter is turning, John is following.

 

There is only one possible explanation for this — the flesh still remains in the believer, and it wars against our spirit! Though Peter was fully restored, Simon was still there. Jesus told him to “follow,” not look around at other people. How often we find ourselves distracted, losing focus, turning away from Jesus, looking at other people.

And in vs. 21 ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” It’s when we get our eyes off Jesus that we start looking at other people and getting all in their business.

 

²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Sometimes parents have to say, “Johnny, never mind about your brother, I told you to clean your room.” Here Peter messed up because the flesh is still in the believer, so that the good we want to do we don’t do, no the evil we don’t want to do, that we keep on doing.

Now I want us to stop for a minute and notice John 21 and see it as a summary of our entire lives. First, we see in vss. 1-14 that Jesus and Peter are communing together. They are fellowshipping around a fire, eating together. This man eats with sinners. And they are spending time together in the early morning hours of the day, and Peter is receiving mercy and finding grace to help him in his time of need. And this is the first step to coming to know Jesus, or to being restored to a relationship with Him after we fall: we simply begin spending time with Jesus, fellowshipping with Him early in the morning.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:20 “²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” That’s communion. It’s opening our Bibles and reading, it’s praying and listening to God in our prayers. And that’s what Jesus and Peter have been doing in these first 14 verses: sitting around the fire and eating together early in the morning.  In Psalm 63:1 David says “Oh God you are my God, early will I seek you.” Communion with Jesus is the first step in the Christian life, and there is no life apart from that fellowship and sweet intimacy with Jesus.

And then in vss. 15-19 we see Jesus commissioning Peter for ministry. 3 times He says, “Feed my sheep”. Those who are communing with Jesus will be commissioned to minister to others. The communion leads to the commission. Look with me at Mark chapter 3. In this chapter Jesus is calling the 12 men to be His disciples. But notice what He calls them to do. In Mark 3:14 it says, “¹⁴ He appointed twelve–designating them apostles–that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” That’s the order, these men were first of all called to be with Jesus, to commune with Him, and then, out of the overflow of being with Jesus, they were to preach. This tells us that our first calling is simply to be with Jesus, to spend time with Him, becoming intimate with Him. And those who do that, will find that ministry opens up to them.

So we’ve seen the first step: communion, then the second step is to be commissioned for ministry. And finally we see the command in vs. 19: “Follow me.” And this summarizes the remainder of the Christian life: to follow Jesus, to walk in His steps, to die to sin to live for righteousness, even giving up our lives if called to do so. The communion, the commission and the command is a summary of our entire lives.

And then John ends his book by identifying himself as the author in vs. 23-24 and testifies to the truth of all that he has written and by giving one final word about Jesus in vs. 25: ²⁵ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:18-25. He’s just so much greater than is recorded here, so much more deserving of our worship than we know.

 

What things can we learn from this passage? I will close with these 3:

1.The sovereignty of God. That God has our entire future planned out. Jesus told Peter what kind of death he would die, and Jesus was in control of when and how John would die. Acts 17 says that God chose exactly where you would live, and He is also in control of the timing and the death of all people. And God is too wise to make a mistake and He is too loving to be unkind.

2.Our deaths can glorify God, if we die by following Christ, refusing to take the easy way out like the world does.

3.God is a God of grace, of second chances. Peter blew it time and time again, Jesus kept restoring Peter. He wiped Peter’s slate clean, gave him a second chance to start all over again. God is a God of grace and forgiveness. John Newton blew it, Jesus restored Him. Jonah blew it, God restored Him. God restored John Newton, Jonah and Peter, and thousands of others, and He has grace for you too. Just come to Jesus and receive His grace, His forgiveness and His full and complete restoration.

As a child, I used to play with a toy called an Etch-a-sketch.  The Etch-a-sketch was a little red and gray drawing board full of sand.  You twisted two knobs on the bottom of the screen to draw a picture.  If you messed up, all you had to do was shake it a couple of times and you got a clean screen. You got a chance to start all over again.

The good news is that because Jesus died for us, it is possible to start all over again with God. We can have all of our past sins erased. We can have all of our evil thoughts eradicated. We can have all of our disappointments with God exterminated. And we can live in His love and His grace.

Please open your Bibles to Luke 12. Last week we started talking about how Jesus treats people who turn their backs on Him and choose to live apart from Him, doing their own thing in life. We saw that, according vss. 1-6 He provides for them miraculously, and according to vss. 7-14 He receives them graciously. This week we’re going to see what He does with a man who denied Him publicly, and shamed Him openly, but later wept over his decision, and was sorrowful about what he had done. You know there are people today who just wish with all of their heart that they could undo the past, and put the broken pieces back together again and go back to the way things were. But they can’t, and now they feel ashamed and unaccepted, and unloved. How does Jesus treat people like this; like Peter, who shamed Him openly?

Well we know what human beings do. Last week we looked at the prodigal son who left the father’s presence and went to a far country and spent his inheritance in wild living. But he came to his senses, and returned to the father. And while the father accepted him back, loved him and threw a party for him, his oldest brother wouldn’t even come to the party. After all, why should he be expected to forgive when the younger son publicly disgraced the family? He needs to suffer the consequences of his actions. That’s exactly what Dr. Phil recommends. “Tough love!”

And In Jesus’ weakest moment, in the time Jesus needed His friend the most, Peter publicly repeated over and over, that he did not know Jesus. And Jesus went to His death with no support whatsoever from Peter.

Well in our passage today, Jesus has risen from the dead, and what will He do to Peter? Peter heard Jesus say these words in Luke 12:8-9: ⁸ “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.” Peter could full well expect to be disowned, or forsaken by Jesus. And as if that weren’t enough, Peter also heard Jesus say vs. 47. ⁴⁷ “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.” Peter could full well expect a beating. These words may have been ringing in his ears: disowned and beaten, forsaken and beaten.

But here’s what Jesus does: He forgives Peter’s sin and restores Peter’s ministry. This would have shocked Peter. Oh, this kind of treatment of the wrongdoer would give psychologists a hissy-fit. “That will never do, they have to suffer, they have to feel the weight of their choices, etc. etc.” But isn’t Jesus’ treatment of Peter proof of what Psalm 103:10 says, that God “¹⁰ does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” And Peter got the message. He preached in Acts 10 “^43…that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Peter got it, do we? Let’s pray.

Well last week we saw that the disciples decided to go fishing. Peter is the leader, and without any prayer on his part, without waiting on the Lord for direction, he just up and climbed in a boat and went fishing, and the rest followed. In doing so they deserted their calling to fish for men, and returned to their old lifestyle, taking care of their own needs. And they ended up fishing all night, they were tired, worn-out and they didn’t catch a single fish.

And we learned from this, that apart from Christ we can do nothing. That life is not meant to be lived independently from God. That if we choose to go our own way and do our own thing apart from God, we will end up in a long, dark night of the soul, with nothing to show for it.

So here are these disciples, out in the boat from sundown to sunup, having fished all night and caught nothing, no doubt tired and discouraged. But vs. 4 says Jesus stood on the shore, and we noted that when Jesus gets involved things always change. He told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and when they did they caught so many fish that the 7 of them couldn’t haul the net in. So Jesus provided for them miraculously. Then Peter got dressed and swam to shore, the rest came along in the boat. And when they got there He had a fire to warm them, bread and fish to feed them, and a heart of love to welcome them. In vs. 10 He tells Peter to bring him some of the fish, and in vs. 11 Peter hauls that net in all by himself. Having just been with Jesus, he could do by himself what 7 of them could not do when they were away from Jesus. And we learned from this that when we’re apart from Jesus we are weaklings, we are spiritually frail and feeble. But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

So He not only provided for them miraculously He welcomed them graciously. And today we will see that He restores Peter fully. Let’s look at the setting:  We can see from vs. 9 that they are around a fire of coals. And there are only 2 times in the book of John where this phrase “a fire of coals” is used. Let’s look at the other time, it’s in John chapter 18. Here Jesus has been arrested, and is now being examined by the High Priest. And in vs. 17 Peter is asked a question: “¹⁷ “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” ¹⁸ It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.” This word “fire” is the same exact phrase as used in John 21. And we notice here in vs. 25 ²⁵ As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” ²⁶ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” ²⁷ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.” Thereby fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 26:34 ³⁴“this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

 So Peter is at a fire of coals, 3 questions were asked of him, and He denied Jesus three times. And now he has several reminders of his sin that will be with him for life. Every time he sees a fire, or he hears a rooster crow he will be reminded of his failure and denial of Christ.

And if you and I are honest, we will acknowledge that we also have done wrong, we have failed in many ways. And we might even have painful reminders of our sin, scars that remind us of our fall, or memories that can be triggered that really hurt our hearts. Is there any hope for us who have sinned like this? Who are scarred from the fall and who have many reminders of it?

Look at Luke 22:31-32 because this passage is where Jesus foretells Peter’s failure in advance. He says in vs. 31: ³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. (But here is the hope) ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Satan asked to sift Peter, like he had sifted Job. Now to sift wheat you take a sieve, which was about a foot across with sides about 2-3 feet tall, and it had a mesh type bottom and you put the harvested wheat with the stalk etc into it and throw it up and down, shaking it, tossing it, so that the wheat is separated from the chaff, and the chaff blows away. This process is very violent, but is a much-needed process for the grain to be of any use.

So we see here that Jesus is telling Peter that Satan is going to shake him and toss him around violently, and the result is that Peter will be turned away from Christ through it all. Why did Jesus give Satan permission to do this? Answer: because Peter was too strong. He said, “even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” In other words, “I love you more than all these disciples do, and I’m stronger than all of them are.” Peter was like a stalk of wheat before it is sifted: it is strong and tall and proud, and about 99% useless. And so Peter’s self-sufficient, self-confident chaff had to be blown away. Before God ever uses someone mightily that person must be shown how weak he is in himself. For Christ’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.

And so Peter fell by cursing and denying Christ. And the questions no doubt plague him: Has my sin ruined my testimony? Has it disqualified me from ministry? Will I be disowned and beaten?

So just like when Peter fell, they are once again around a fire. And once again there are 3 questions being asked—Jesus is replicating the exact situation of Peter’s fall. In vs. 15 it says “when they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” Notice Jesus calls him Simon his old name, not Peter his new name, because Peter had been acting like his old self. And son of John, not son of God.

Now why did Jesus ask this? Jesus knows all things. Just like Jesus asked in vs. 5 “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” His purpose was to help them see their true condition. Jesus is questioning the superiority of Peter’s love. Peter had earlier said, “Though all forsake you, I never will.” He congratulated himself that he loved Jesus more than all the other apostles. “I love you more than all these and I’ll be strong to the end. Count on me.” And Jesus said, “Simon, do you truly love me more than all these?” In other words, “look at your life, you want to stick by that statement that you love me more than everybody else does?”

And Peter answers “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Now, this might seem like he’s saying “yep, sure do.” But he’s not. Because Peter did not use the same word for love that Jesus did. Jesus said, “Simon, do you truly agapao me?” That’s the word “agape” meaning a divine, self-giving kind of love. “For God so agapao the world, He gave His one and only son.” And Peter responded, “Lord, you know that I “phileo” you. Phileo means to have affection for. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love, it is not the city of Agape love. Peter looks back over his failures, he examines his life and he says, “Jesus, I have great affection for you” but he could not bring himself to use the same word that Jesus used, agapao, because his life didn’t show it.

But because he did love Jesus, he did have true affection for Jesus, even though he fell Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Thereby making feeding of the flock totally dependent upon whether or not someone loves Jesus. And what He means is, since you love me, nourish my new believers. Feed the flock. Strengthen your brothers. Wow, this is not sounding like what Peter is expecting to hear. What about the disown and beat? Grace triumphs over judgment.

And then Jesus asks again, in vs. 16 ¹⁶ “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” Now it’s been established that Peter does not love Jesus more than the rest of His disciples do so Jesus drops the “more than these” phrase, and just asks, “do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Again Peter refuses to use the word Jesus uses, He will not say “you know that I agapao you” but rather “you know that I phileo you, that I have affection for you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Not just feed them but shepherd them. ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” This time Jesus changed His word, to match Peter’s word, He said, “do you phileo me?” Do you even have affection for me?

And we need to stop and do some applying right here, because this is the very question that Jesus still asks today. Do you love me? We can be very busy in religion, we can have doctrine that is absolutely right, we can pray, we can minister, and we can give, and yet be dead, if we don’t really love Jesus. There is no life where there is no love. Jesus says, “do you love me?”

So, three times Peter had denied Jesus, and three times the Lord challenged his love. The first question challenges the superiority of Peter’s love. The second question challenges whether Peter has any love at all. And the third question challenges even his affection. And in vs. 17 it says Peter is hurt. Peter is grieved, he is sorrowful. It hurts to remember his fall. It hurts to have his love called into question. But Proverbs 27:6 says “wounds from a friend can be trusted.” Jesus is wounding His friend, getting him to examine his heart; that he might heal.

See the reality is that God desires that we become sorrowful over our sin, to mourn over it, to grieve it, and to fully turn from it. Look with me at James chapter 4: “⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” And this is what Peter is doing right now, he is grieving his past, mourning his failure. And so we see Peter’s conversion from being a strong man to a weak man, so that he might then strengthen his brothers.

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:17 And in saying that Jesus fully restored Peter, not merely back to the flock, but to ministry in the flock. What marvelous grace was this? The one whom Satan had sifted, the one who denied Christ publicly, the One Who deserted his calling, who had returned to his old life, the one who may have been expecting to be disowned and beaten. This one was to minister in the body? Yes, because where sin increased grace increased all the more.  

There’s an illustration of this in the Old Testament. Turn to Acts 7. Moses grows up in Pharaoh’s home, as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. But one day he saw an Egyptian hitting a Hebrew, so he looked left and he looked right to see if anyone was looking (he forgot to look up), then he killed that Egyptian. But now he realizes he had committed murder, so he ran, and he ran and he ran and he ended up on the backside of the desert where he remained for 40 years.

It’s wonderful to compare who he was before he left Egypt with who he was after spending 40 years in the desert. Here in Acts Stephen is summarizing the life of Moses. And in Acts 7 he says, starting with vs. 20: ²⁰ “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father’s house. ²¹ When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. ²² Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.” Moses could speak, command attention, could sway a crowd, he was powerful in speech.

But now turn with me to the Book of Exodus chapter 4. Moses blew it. He killed a man, and he ran away and hid for 40 years. And notice what happened to him during that time. It’s now the end of those 40 years, and in vs. 10 “¹⁰ Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” Wow! What happened to the Moses who was strong in speech and action? Moses had developed a speech impediment in the desert. From powerful in speech, to slow in speech. But see this is where God takes a man before He uses him.

What if Moses was still the strong, prideful somebody when God called him to deliver the Israelites. He could say, “you see how I can move a crowd? See how I can get people to follow me? Even the king listens to me.” And Moses would have gotten glory. The reality is Moses could hardly speak. He’d been dropped down a notch or two. What if Peter had remained the strong, self-confident, type A leader? As the church begins to grow all over the world, Peter could say “yep, God chooses strong leaders, visionaries who can cast a vision and move a crowd.” Know who God really uses? Look with me at 1 Corinthians chapter 1: “²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” This is the role of pastors in the church. We’ve changed analogies here; we’ve gone from fishing, which speaks of evangelism, to shepherding which speaks of pastoring. These are the 2 essentials of every church; we are to spread out the gospel net and catch fish for the kingdom, and we are also to feed sheep so that our flock is well nourished and our saints are equipped. Now in order to do that we have to know for certain what food sheep will eat. See goats will eat anything. I’ve seen goats eating tennis shoes and tin cans and even gravel. A goat will be happy in a church that has programs and 12-step groups, movies and entertainment, and raffles, and sports, and all kinds of tin cans and gravel. But sheep are more discerning, and they require real food. So let’s think for a moment about what sheep food really is. “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” A true sheep desires every word that comes from God’s mouth and we must minister the whole counsel of God, Old Testament, New Testament, every Word.

But Jesus narrowed it down a little. Look with me at John chapter 6. Here Jesus defines sheep food. He shows us what sheep must eat. In John 6 vs. 53: ⁵³“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” In other words, the cross is sheep food. That’s why the families ate the Passover Lamb. That’s why the priests fed on the sacrifice at the altar. It was all a picture, pointing forward to the believer being nourished at the altar of the cross.

So here is what to feed the flock: we feed them the truth that Jesus died for their sins, that His death paid for all their wrongs. We tell people who because of their sins are expecting to be disowned and beaten, that Jesus was forsaken and beaten in their place. We take them to the altar of the cross, where Jesus is punished that they might have peace with God, and we say nourish your souls on that. The cross is sheep food.

So Peter is fully restored. What things can we today learn from this passage? I have 3 things:

1.God restores the fallen. God is gracious to sinners. He welcomes those who have turned their backs on Him. God restores those who have done wrong over and over. Samson, David, Naomi, John Mark.

2. People must humble themselves, or be humbled before God uses them. He uses those who are hurt over their sin, and who probably think they can’t be used. He uses those who have failed. And in fact, let’s go a little farther, and say that humbling is the qualification of true ministry. God has to strip a man of his self-confidence, has to shake the pride right out of him. And then he becomes useful.

3.The only proper motive for ministry is love of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “do you love me? Feed my sheep.” In any true ministry, the work is so labor intensive, the appreciation can often be so small, the response so discouraging, the criticisms very harsh, the attacks of Satan so fierce, that only the love of Jesus can keep us going. “Hired hands” will feed the goats, but only those who love Christ will feed His sheep. To this work the Lord now calls Peter. Not only had Christ restored the disciple’s soul but also his official ministry;

 

Peter had reminders of his sin: roosters. Jesus gave him reminders of grace. Fish and bread.