[0:00] Thank you.
[0:30] Let us worship God. We shall sing to his praise from Psalm 116. Psalm 116.
[0:42] From the beginning of the psalm. I love the Lord because my voice and prayer she did hear. I while I live will call on him who bowed to me his ear.
[0:56] Of death the cards and sorrows stood about me campus round. The pains of hell took hold on me, I grief and trouble found.
[1:07] Upon the name of God the Lord then did I call and say, Deliver thou my soul, O Lord, I do thee humbly pray. God merciful and righteous is, yea gracious is our Lord.
[1:22] God saves the meek, I was brought low, he did me help afford. O thou my soul, do thou return unto thy quiet rest. For largely low the Lord to thee, this bounty hath expressed.
[1:36] For my distressed soul from death delivered was by thee. Thou didst my mourning eyes from tears, my feet from falling free.
[1:50] And so on. We shall sing these verses. Psalm 116. From the beginning. I love the Lord because my voice and prayer she did hear.
[2:00] I love the Lord because my voice and prayer she did hear.
[2:16] I love the Lord because my voice and prayer she did hear.
[2:46] The pains of hell took hold on me, I dream and trouble found.
[3:02] Upon the name of God the Lord then did I call and say, Deliver thou my soul, O Lord, I do thee humbly pray.
[3:32] God merciful and righteous is, yea gracious is our Lord.
[3:48] Godbaum God unas-s depends on me, heчес кого maltratので scotless is, yeaƯ schnee spiritual isknowibel. And our conscience and prayer she did hear. Tab 그거 areelujahn, Hosanna, him böthu paliatぜ. Godopotate. God inspect who arebons, surely Eve, Me too, why dein george, am caller vu doctrine from the earth. After the curse of manam the world through that lure, God bless you, Godlene antigens, heart-shному is the you.
[4:01] God bless you, God bless you, and Weihnains, he descobrir, as you are blessed为quier and convenient道 una booking an Państwo ultimately buy from all compatrilege . . .
[4:47] cross by thee against my worrying eyes from tears my feet from falling dreams Let us join together in prayer.
[5:14] Let us pray. Eternal and ever blessed God enable us to be of that same spirit as the psalmist who proclaimed his love to you as God even as someone who knew something of the love that you had for him as someone who experienced salvation who knew what it was to be redeemed even as another has put it having been taken from the the pit from the mighty clay finding their feet set upon the rock and that is your doing not one of us can clamber out of such filth with our own endeavours even where we have a mind to do so we need to grasp the outstretched hands of a living saviour yes a loving saviour and we don't have the ability even to do that such as our weakness our inability our inability cannot even cry lord be merciful to me as sinner if that cry is not created in us we give thanks that salvation is all of grace from the beginning to the conclusion we give thanks that you are the god who has undertaken to do that we acknowledge in your presence our fallenness our sinfulness our need for cleansing for redemption and that at the hand of christ give thanks for the way your word set our christ before us as someone who came into the world to seek and to save the lost we pray that you would magnify your lostness to us so that we would not in any way believe that we can overcome it by your own devices whatever they may be for we discovered by the persuasive power of your spirit that in me there is no wholeness no purity we are full of putrefying sores from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head full of the malaise of sin in any way chooses to reveal itself and sometimes we discover unexpectedly things concerning ourselves that we may previously have not acknowledged or recognised we might have seen it in others and thought ourselves free from any possibility of succumbing to such sinful behaviour and yet we find that the potential is in us to do all kinds of evil we pray
[9:15] forgiveness for the foolishness of our heart so direct us to Christ enable us to look upon him to see in him all our soul craves as creatures of the dust on the way to eternity sooner or later we will find ourselves ushered into his presence ushered out of this world some suffer that and they take the light in it because their soul was prepared and it was prepared by reason of the fact that they had closed in with Christ the alone saviour of sinners so death well it came surprisingly it did not find them in a condition that was not one that was anything other than delighted with that and they entered into the joy of the Lord ushered into his presence without warning for them or for any that they loved in the world those that they left behind no doubt were grieved and were perplexed at such a providence for others for whom this came about a sudden death was not sudden glory but something something else something more fearful something more more difficult to to speak of because they were ushered into the presence of a holy
[10:56] God in an unprepared state not ready for that not willing to acknowledge that such a God that met with them was a God that they that they willed into existence in their life instead they chose to will that God away something that was not possible for them to do and yet that is how many live their life in the world even those who have a sense of God's word who have been instructed and who have heard it who have read it themselves perhaps and they have chosen rather than to believe the truth to live in denial of it and the day will come that they will find the truth as something that will condemn them we know there are many in the world who may not have that liberty Christ in the world came to seek such and we give thanks that the gospel is sent to such and however much they come to a knowledge of him all it requires is for them to believe in their hearts to the saving of their soul that such a Christ is willing to save such as they are we pray for your people whoever they may be wherever they may be that you would bless them abundantly far above our asking strengthen faith when it is weak encourage it when it is tried build up those who would seek building up looking into
[12:40] Jesus the author and finisher thereof pray that you would bless them who are labouring in the vineyard in your name seeking to add to the number of those who would be saved we pray that you would encourage them to see that their labour is not in vain in the Lord encourage them Lord to persevere and to call men and women young and old to put their trust in Christ we bless you that he is willing even though we in our foolishness are not he is willing to save to the uttermost such as come to him by way of Christ and we give thanks that you God are the one who has sent Christ to us and that he willingly came and that he undertook to do whatsoever the Father gave for him to do and to bring to himself the lost sheep of the house of Israel to call one lost sheep even though the ninety and nine were within the fold so continue with us we pray blessing your word as we read it remembering those that are in need of special attention this day bless them we pray that they may know to look unto
[14:00] Jesus pray for those who are unwell we pray for those who are caring for them within homes and within hospitals and within the care homes appointed to that end pray for those who had terminally ill who cared for in the hospice we remember all who are dedicated to such care we remember this world that dies under the shadow of a pandemic at the present will do not undertake for us as we come to you in our emptiness we give thanks that you have persuaded us that it is our fullness with you no matter how many countless thousands upon thousands upon thousands have taken off the wealth of salvation they are as full today as they ever were and nothing will exhaust them we pray that you would encourage us to plate the cause this hour laying hold of the merits of
[15:01] Christ thankful that he is able to do far as far above our asking he is the great high priest of his people the one who intercedes at the right hand of the majesty on high pour out your spirit upon us that we might experience salvation remember doctors and nurses and all entrusted with the care of the dying we pray that you would encourage them that they may be kept safe remember the countries of this world that are suffering because of the ravages of this illness we ask Lord that you would bless them in mercy remember especially those countries that are suffering because of poverty because of want because of man's inhumanity to man even those people that bear your name who are persecuted for their faith we pray for them we pray for the conversion of those who persecute them thankful that such are found in the scripture even Saul of Tarsus one who went out seeking to destroy the church of
[16:07] Christ and letting your mercy you turn him to yourself we know that you are still able to do that your arm is not shortened and that you cannot save so we pray that you would remember all that is done in your name to that end bless the congregations of our communities our presbytery our church our churches that we give thanks that they bear your name and may you add to the number that belong to that body that has the Christ of heaven as its head so watch over us now we pray bless your word as we read it and as we consider it forgive our sins in Jesus we ask God with forgiveness of sin in him amen going to hear the word of God as we have it in the gospel of Jesus Christ according to John and we are going to read from chapter 21 chapter 21 of the gospel of John reading the whole chapter after these things
[17:11] Jesus showed himself again to the disciples of the sea of Tiberias and on this wise showed he himself there were together Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus and Nathaniel of Canaan Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and the two other of his disciples Simon Peter saith unto them go a fishing they say unto him we also go with thee they went forth and entered into a ship immediately and that night they caught nothing but when the morning was now come Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus said then said unto them children have ye any meat they answered him no and he said unto them cast the net on the right side of the ship and you shall find they cast therefore and so now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes therefore that disciple whom
[18:19] Jesus loved saith unto Peter it is the Lord now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he gave his fish coat unto him for he was naked and did cast himself into the sea and the other disciple came in a little ship for they were not far from land but as it were two hundred cupids dragging the net with fishes as soon then as they were come to land they saw a fire of coals there and fish later on and bread Jesus saith unto them bring of the fish which ye have now caught Simon Peter went up and threw the net to land full of great fishes a hundred and fifty three and for all there were so many yet was not the net broken Jesus saith unto them come and dine and none of the disciples durst asking who art thou knowing that it was the
[19:22] Lord Jesus then cometh and taketh bread and giveth them and fish likewise this this is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead 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 saith to him again the second time Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me 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
[20:25] I love thee Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep Verily I say unto thee When thou wast young Thou girdest thyself And walkest whither thou wouldest But when thou shalt be old Thou shalt stretch forth thy hands And another shall gird thee And carry thee Whither thou wouldest not This speci signifying by what death he should glorify God And when he had spoken this He saith unto him Follow me Then Peter turning about Seeth a disciple whom Jesus loved Following Which also leaned on his breast at supper And said, Lord Which is he that betrayeth thee?
[21:17] Peter seeing him Saith to Jesus, Lord And what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him If I will that he tarry till I come What is that to thee?
[21:30] Follow thou me Then went this saying abroad among the brethren That the disciple should not die Yet Jesus said not unto him He shall not die But if I will that he tarry till I come What is that to thee?
[21:48] This is the disciple which testifieth of these things And wrote these things And we know that his testimony is true And there are also many other things which Jesus did Of which if they would If they should be written Everyone I suppose that even the world itself Could not contain the books That should be written Amen May the Lord add his blessing To this reading of his word And to his name be the praise I'd like us to turn now for a short while To these words that we have in The chapter that we read Reading again at verse 15 So when they had dined Jesus saith to Simon Peter Simon son of Jonas Lovest thou me
[22:50] More than these He saith unto him Yea Lord thou knowest That I love thee He saith unto him Feed my lambs And so on I am sure That there are many Who like myself Look at the life of Peter As a life that is full of Encouragement For Those who have Similar Shortcomings In their life Peter was An apostle He was a Favoured disciple Of Christ He was Much used For the glory Of Christ And Until the end of his life He continued To be a most useful
[23:52] Instrument And yet Throughout his life He was also Seen as someone Who Often Spoke out of turn And Spoke Perhaps without Thinking And For that reason Many of us Look at Peter Thankful that His Story is told Because Our life Too It would be good If we said That we were like him In the good things That he did If we were like him In the Privileges That he Enjoyed In close proximity To Christ That we were like him As far as The Witness And the testimony That we bore to Christ Was concerned If we were like him
[24:53] In the fruit Of our labors As Those who testify To the Risen Saviour But We cannot Say that But we can Say that we are like him In the ways that We Very often Fail Christ And Say What we should Not say Or do not Witness The way we should But we are thankful To God That he has Included The whole Story of Peter Within The Gospels That we are not Simply Given a select Prese Of the best Of Peter Some Might have Chosen To do that If they were If they were Allowed That is exactly What we would
[25:53] Have in the Scripture A life of Peter Which Which Highlighted The best Of his Doings But God Has Presented Him to us In his Fullness We know That There was A hymn Writer Once Who Because Of his Abilities As a Preacher And teacher No doubt As well As his Abilities In preaching A blind Man With Many Gifts But one Of One of The hymns That he Composed There was A hymn That Contains These Words O love That will Not let Me go I rest My weary Soul In thee I give Thee Back The life I owe That in Thine ocean Depths
[26:53] Its flow May Richer Fuller Be There are Many Stories Told Concerning The Source Of These Words Or The Reason For The Composition Which We Won't Go Into But the Words Themselves They Remind us Of an Understanding Of Love That is Greater Than Any Human Love And If Any Person Can Respond To that Greater Love Then It is Something That they Do Well One of The Older Divine Said The Greatest And best Thing That can Be said Of a Person Is That they Love the Lord And the Opening Psalm That we Had Speaks Of that I love The Lord Because
[27:53] My Voice And Prayer Thou Didst Hear And When We Understand That that Love is A response To a Greater Love Then It is Something That is Truly Awesome To Ourselves That we Can Appreciate Something Of that Now In the Verses Before us We have A Fascinating Encounter Between Jesus And the Apostle Peter Verse 14 Tells Us That this Was the Third Time Since the Resurrection That Jesus Had Been In Contact With the Disciples And all Or most Of the Disciples Are involved But This Encounter Has Got Special Relevance To Peter Some Have Suggested That this Was A Private Meeting But From a Reading
[28:53] Of this Passage I don't Think Anything That we Read Can Justify Such a Belief I want Us to Think About This Encounter And Ask Some Questions About The Significance Offer Of it Because Clearly Jesus Made A Point Of Singling Peter Out And The question Is asked Why Did Jesus Confront Peter In this Way And A question That Follows On From That Is What Did Jesus Prove And To Whom Was It Proved By The Questions That He Asked And
[29:55] The Third Thing I Think That Is Also Of Significance Is What Jesus Establishes As a Fruit Of The Love Of Which He Spoke Why Do You Think Jesus Spoke To Peter In This Way We Know From Their Own Reading Of The Gospels That Peter Was Someone Who Stood Out As We Said For His Outspokenness And Very Often He Did Speak Out Of Turn And Jesus Had To Correct Him For Example In Matthew's Gospel I Think We We Were Recently Reflecting
[30:56] On These Words Of Jesus To The Disciples Which Were Uttered More Than Once Where He Spoke Of Himself And Spoke Of His Coming Death In Matthew 16 We Read From That Time Forth Began Jesus To Show To His Disciples How That He Must Go Into Jerusalem And Suffer Many Things Of The Elders And Chief Priests And Scribes And Be Killed And Be Raised Again A Third Day And We Noticed Then That Peter Took And Began To Rebuke Him Saying Be Far From The Lord This Shalt Not Be Unto Thee But Jesus Turned And Said Unto Peter Get Ye Behind Me Satan Thou Art An Offence To Me For Thou Savirest Not The Things That Be Of God But Those That Be
[31:56] Of Men Peter Did Not Understand Indeed None Of The Disciples Understood The Significance Of The Teaching Of Jesus Then Peter Spoke His Mind Maybe The Others Thought It But Peter Spoke It Very Forcefully And Jesus Rebuked Him Equally So Again When We Read In John's Gospel The Account That We Have Of Jesus With His Disciples And He Takes A Towel And A Basin And Begins To Wash The Disciples Feet And Jesus When He Comes To Peter Hears These Words From Peter You Shall Never Wash My Feet He Was Determined That Jesus Would Not Perform This Menial Task On On On On On On Him Because He Was Giving To
[32:57] The Disciples Then And Jesus Had To Again Speak Furemly To Him If I Wash The Not There Was No Part With Me Jesus Says To Him This Is The Kind Of Person Peter Was And Again And Again We Are Given Access To This Side Of His Character Doesn't Make Peter A Bad Person And In Fact His Enthusiasm Was Something That That Marks Him Out In Many Ways In A Positive Way And There Is No Question But That They Love The Lord But It Has To Be Said That The Trust That He Placed In His Love Was Misguided And I Remember Being
[33:57] Told Many Years Ago As A Young Christian Our Own Minister Saying Saying Speaking About The The Way Many People Placed An Input On Seal Being Present In The Religious Life Of A Believer And He Said Something Very Simple Seal Is Important And Seal Is Necessary For The Christian Faith But Seal Without Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing And That Is True There Are Many Celious People In The World Who Believe In The Wrong Thing Who Believe False Religions And There Is None As Celious As Them In The Pursuit Of That Great Divine Hugh Martin Said Of Peter Sincerity Is No Ground
[34:57] For Security And Peter Was Sincere But He Was Sincerely Wrong You You Can You You Have To Be Sure That That's Not What You Place Your Trust In Jesus Predicted That Peter Would Deny Him Not Just Once But Three Times But Even Before That Terrible Night Christ Placed A Seed Of Comfort In His Heart It's Interesting That Jesus On More Than One Occasion Found It Necessary To Bring His Disciples Before The Lord In Prayer In The Great High Priestly Prayer Of Christ We Read That Christ Petitioning His Heavenly Father Says Those That Thou Gavest Me I Have Kept And None Of Them Is Lost But The Son Of Perdition That
[35:58] The Scripture May Be Fulfilled Father I Will That They Also Whom Thou Has Given Me Be With Me Where I Am That They May Behold My Glory Which Thou Hast Given Me For You Loved Me Before The Foundation Of The World We Know That Christ Spoke To Peter And Spoke About Peter Even Without Peter Perhaps Realizing The Significance Of What He Was Being Told In Luke Chapter 22 We Hear Jesus There Speak To Simon Again Simon He Says Behold Satan Has Desired To Have You That He May Sift You As Wheat But I Have Prayed For Thee That Thy Faith Fail Not And When You Are Converted Strengthen
[36:58] Your Brethren He Says Strengthen Your Brethren And Maybe When Jesus Spoke These Words That Peter Did Not Understand What Christ Was Saying To Peter Protested Love For Christ Was Very Public As Was His Betrayal And His Shame So It Was Only Right That When We Read There Of Jesus Dealings With Peter That There Is At Least The Possibility In Fact I Would Say The Probability That Jesus Is Dealing With Peter In This Way For The Very Reason That Peter Had Publicly Denied His Lord What Did Jesus Prove Is The Question By
[37:59] Asking This Question While Jesus Was Intent On Establishing Publicly Something That He Knew That Not Only Peter Peter Peter Knew Was True But Others Also Nobody But Nobody Knows The State Of Our Heart Like Jesus Nobody Knows Under erhö wing of God
[39:15] Have you experienced repentance again? Jesus knew perfectly well the sorry state of Peter's heart, that it was torn.
[39:30] He didn't need to ask him, are you sad? He didn't ask him, are you afraid of me? He didn't ask him, how much do you worship me or want to worship me or believe me?
[39:44] But he did say, do you love me Peter? No, it was more specific than that. Not do you love me Peter, but Simon.
[39:57] Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And when he uses that name, it immediately makes you think, well, why?
[40:16] He had called him by name. He had given him the name Peter. Simon Peter. The rock. He had given him this name.
[40:28] But now, it's as if he is taking him right back to the beginning. He's taking him right back to remind him of who he is and where he had come from.
[40:43] And who had taken him from where he was. He is not speaking to Peter the rock, but to the son of Jonas. But he took him as the son of Jonas to be his disciple.
[41:00] Do you love me? He asked. Do you acabe me? Yes, Peter says. I filio you.
[41:12] More than these. More than these. More than these. Some say nets or boats or the fishing or the disciples.
[41:24] Do you love me more than they? Perhaps the question is meant to be open. Perhaps the question is meant to be left so as to leave at an open question.
[41:46] You have done this, Peter. And in order for you to return to where you were, to be restored to what you once were, you must confront where you went wrong.
[42:00] You must go back to where you left the path of obedience. You must go back to the place where you decided that you did not know me.
[42:13] Or you chose to deny me. Many preachers suggest that the different words for love suggest simply this, the heart and the head and the knowledge, the perception of Peter, as if Jesus is probing, as if Jesus is wanting to enter into the experience of this disciple, so that the disciple himself explores this very thing.
[42:45] But Peter had to learn his failure was not final. And his confession is one of simple surrender to the one who knows all things.
[42:58] And the more that Jesus probes, the more that Peter's heart is exposed, the more his grief is understood.
[43:12] What is it that Jesus establishes? Establishing by way of dealing with Peter in his way. C.H. Spurgeon says that love is the best evidence and the easiest way for discerning whether we are arrived to the Saviour or not.
[43:38] C.H. Spurgeon says that love is the best evidence and the best evidence of the apostle Peter. He says this, Your faith shall not altogether fail.
[43:50] It shall remain in its elements or essence or germ, and it shall again be revived. But it shall be as a root underground in winter.
[44:04] No eye shall see it, not even your own Peter. And that's the thing. If Peter's faith was so buried that he didn't know it existed, it needed the rooting of Jesus' probing questions in order to help him to discover it.
[44:30] Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere and superior love to God. Love and obedience to go together in order to be proof positive, if you like, of the reality of what is there.
[44:55] That's what Jesus is saying to Peter.
[45:06] He is telling him what he needs to do. Some wonder about the choice of work that he gives to Peter upon profession of his love to him.
[45:22] Feed my lands. Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep. Some have concluded that Jesus was simply giving to him a particular ministry within the church where infant believers and mature believers believers who were on the very brink of eternity who would be cared for or nurtured by the apostle.
[45:54] Whether that is the case or not. Peter was being told by Christ. This is what you are. This is what you are because of my love to you.
[46:10] And because of my love to you, you have love to me. Sometimes that love can get cold. Sometimes that love can evaporate. Sometimes that love can seem as if there is nothing left to prove its existence.
[46:27] But your salvation, your existence of a believer, and this isn't said in order to encourage people to an unholy boldness, but what is important for all believers is the love that Christ has for them.
[46:48] The preacher F.P. Mayer says, The love of Christ was strong as death itself. Think of all that he went through. Torture, humiliation, judgment by men and God.
[47:03] The bitter cup of the curse made sin. Yet his love was unimpaired. There was no change in its tenacity or direction.
[47:16] He loved his people. He loved them to the end. And his people included Peter. Even a Peter who for a time went away from him and allowed himself to fall prey to the temptations that this world will bring away.
[47:37] How often do we succumb to these temptations? Peter, Satan has desired you to sift you as wheat.
[47:57] But I have prayed for you that your faith failed not. So we must believe that we must understand that even in his darkest hour, that which was within Peter's breast, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whoever cold it was, whoever flawed it was, that it was still real.
[48:26] And because it was real, it could not fail. May God encourage us to remember that when we think of our own failings or even when we dare think of the failings of others.
[48:41] May he bless to us his word. Let us pray. Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner, remembering all the shortcomings that that are in our lives, all the things that we say that we would do but don't, all the places, all the things that we that we allow ourselves to be distracted by.
[49:07] Lord, hear us, cleanse us from every, every shortcoming. We pray that in Christ's precious name. And now may grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and always.
[49:23] Amen.