Peter’s Duty and Destiny

Transcript

GR 421
11/15/1981
Peter’s Duty and Destiny
JOHN 21:18-25
Gil Rugh


The gospel of John, chapter 21, in your Bibles. John’s gospel and the 21st chapter. We come to the concluding sections of John’s gospel today, and as you might expect, it ends with the discussion with Peter. As you might expect even further, it ends with Peter making another blunder and being corrected. But it also ends, putting it in perspective with Peter, with Peter being given great responsibility and privilege in his service for Jesus Christ.

The whole chapter has evolved around events on the shore of Galilee after the disciples spent a night fishing during which they caught nothing. Then Christ appeared on the shore, told them to cast the net on the other side and they caught a great catch of fish. They recognized that it’s the Lord and came ashore, and they have breakfast together with Him. He having prepared to meet their physical needs.

In our last study together we looked at verses 15-17 and there it zeroes in on the Apostle Peter, and particularly a time of public forgiveness and public restoration for Peter. That Peter is publicly forgiven, publicly restored to his service for Jesus Christ. Remember he had denied the Lord three times on the evening that Christ was betrayed. Now for the benefit of the disciples as well as the benefit of Peter, he is publicly restored. Christ asks him three times regarding his love. Three times Peter professes to love the Lord. Three times the Lord tells him either to feed or to shepherd His sheep. Responsibility is given to him to be a shepherd, one who feeds the sheep of Jesus Christ.

Now in this context, and we'll come back to that context of love of service, we flow into verse 18. And in this section, verses 18-23, Christ is going to elaborate a little bit on Peter’s destiny, what is going to happen to Peter. And He talks about the martyrdom that Peter will experience, and then the duty that is impressed upon Peter of serving Jesus Christ, following Him until the Lord takes him to be with Himself.

Verse 18 continues the flow of the discussion with the questions and answers, "Do you love Me?" "Yes, I love You." Verse 17 concludes with the question and answer "Do you love Me?" "Yes, I love You." And verse 17 concludes "Tend or Feed My sheep." Then Jesus continues the discussion, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Now it surprised me how many commentators wanted to talk about the differences between old age and younger people in verse 18. If verse 18 stood alone, you might get the idea that that's what is impressed here, that when you are younger you can take care of yourself. You are able to dress yourself, go where you want to go. As you get older, you are more dependent upon other people. And even basic things like being cared for, dressed and fed, transported, etc. That's not the contrast that Christ is drawing here. The explanation is given by John in verse 19. "Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God." The point being made here is that when Peter is younger, he is able to take care of himself, gird himself, get himself ready, and go where he wants to go. But when he is older, he is going to be in prison and prepared by other people for execution. That's the thrust. "When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you." They are preparing him for death. "And bring you where you do not wish to go." And John interprets that. This was to indicate by what kind of death he would glorify God. In other words, Jesus is telling Peter, "Peter you have told Me you love Me. You've professed your love. I've commanded you to feed and shepherd My sheep. And let Me tell you, the ultimate outcome of this will be that you are going to give your life in service for Me. In the older years, you are going to be taken and prepared for execution and led there to be martyred." He says, "...where you do not wish to go" at the end of verse 18. I don't think there is any indication there that Peter is going to be dragged there kicking and screaming. But rather, it is not his desire.
No one desires martyrdom. Now some could say they would in the context of "I desire to glorify God and if that means death, then it means death." Paul notes that. But Paul also notes in 1 Corinthians 15 that the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. So it's an enemy, not something we desire. I dearly hope and pray that I'm privileged to be alive when Christ comes in the air and I don't pass through death but rather I'm caught up to meet Him face to face. All of us as believers have that desire. But, for Peter, he is told clearly here that he is going to be martyred.

I think verse 19 is significant. "He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God." Important here. He's not saying here in a depressing context, "Peter, I want you to know, you love Me, you’re going to care for My sheep. And the outcome of it is going to be disaster! At the end of a fruitful life in glorifying God, you're going to be martyred. And that glorious ministry is going to be brought to a rather unglamorous climax." Not that at all. He says "Your service is going to be shepherding and feeding My sheep, and that will be climaxed by you glorifying God in your death." So that his death is put in the same kind of context as his life should be—a means of glorifying God.

Look back in chapter 13 of John. For this same kind of expression is used to talk about the death of Jesus Christ. In John 13 and verse 31, the night of the betrayal and Judas has just left to carry out the details of the betrayal. "When therefore he had gone out, Jesus said, 'Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately." Note the repeated emphasis on "glorify" in those two verses. And yet He is talking about the death of Jesus Christ. That's what glorify here means—His death. And Jesus Christ's death is seen as a means and vehicle of glorifying God which results in the glorifying of Jesus Christ. Now you get over to chapter 21, and Jesus says to Peter, "You are going to glorify God by the kind of death you die. Your death will be a means of glorifying God." I think it's important for us as believers to keep that in perspective. That we don't have untimely deaths. We don't have a death that cuts short a life of glorifying God. We as believers are privileged to die in such a manner that glorifies God even as we lived in glorifying Him. And both by life and by death we are privileged to glorify God.
It puts the death of a believer in a totally different perspective than anyone else. Only Christians are privileged to die well. John Wesley, when his followers were being so severely criticized, said "At least they know how to die well." And that's a characteristic of every believer. We are privileged to die well, privileged to die with purpose, with significance, with meaning. For every other person in the world, death is the climax, the end of all they had hoped for and all they have lived for. It is the disaster of all disasters. It brings to an end all their dreams. It frustrates everything they have done. But for the child of God, it is simply another vehicle to glorify God, for God to work in our lives to honor Him.

Look over in Philippians chapter 1. Note what Paul says. He is in prison when he writes this. He expects that God will deliver him on this occasion, although he realizes it could end in his death. And note what he says in Philippians chapter 1, verse 19, "For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." That Christ be exalted whether by my life or by my death. You note, Paul doesn’t see that death would end the exaltation of Christ in his life. No, Christ can be exalted either by my life or by my death. We as believers need to be careful we have this perspective on death ourselves. We often look at death even of a loved one, especially of a loved one. We say, ’Oh, what a tragedy. Oh, how terrible, a life so young, when they could have glorified God in so many ways.’ We lose sight of the fact— wait a minute, God determined how I would glorify Him, and if he wants to use me to glorify Him by my death or by my life! What a privilege! I can confront death as a vehicle and a means of glorifying God. Again, that doesn’t mean that we desire to die. We look forward to death, that Peter wanted to be a martyr. But he is reminded that he wants to glorify God and here is the kind of death by which you will glorify Him. My death, if Christ doesn’t come, may not be the same kind of death that Peter had but I will have the kind of death that will glorify God as His child. My death is just as much a part of God’s plan in glorifying Himself as my life, and that’s true of every one of us as believers. There are no tragic accidents that brought to an end a fruitful life.

Look back in John chapter 1. You can see this lived out in church history. You study church history and it’s impressive as to how great an impact the death of believers made in the spread of the gospel. Those who were martyred for their testimony of Jesus Christ often were the vehicles by which multitudes were brought into a knowledge of Jesus Christ. It wasn't just an individual dying, but an individual bringing glorify to God and God’s purposes being accomplished in them.

Now I want you to put this in connection with the end of verse 19 of John 21. "And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me!"’ Present imperative—a command given in the present tense. Be continually, consistently following Me! I think it’s important that Jesus sets down before Peter that his destiny, humanly speaking, is to die the unpleasant death of a martyr. Incidentally in church history, early church history, says that Peter was martyred by crucifixion. One early writer of this said he was crucified upside down by his own request because he did not believe he was worthy to die as the Lord had died. At any rate, whether this was a true presentation or not, that is the record of early church history. The fact is, we know he died as a martyr. Now that’s put in the context at the end of verse 19 of the command to be following Jesus Christ. I think it’s interesting the order—first, Christ tells Peter what the result will be. Then he gives him the command to be continually following Him, recognizing that it will result in this kind of an end. Something that we humanly speaking would recoil from. You would go out of your way to any depth or degree to try to avoid this kind of an end. Now having told him this, He says "You be following Me!” I think the connection here is important because it is a reminder that in following Jesus Christ we’re not called to an easy road. The song that goes, "No, no, it’s not an easy road." No, it's not an easy road. A reminder here—Peter, I want you to be following Me. But put that in the context, Peter. The result of following Me will be martyrdom. He's in effect being commanded to follow Him which will entail the suffering, the abuse that will culminate in his own execution.

Now Peter picks up on this. Look over in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you." Note that. Don't think this suffering, this persecution that you're going through is something strange or unique, “but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evil-doer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.” Down to verse 19, "Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." Peter had learned that in following Christ it is a road of suffering, it's a difficult road. It’s a road of rejection, a plan and pattern of costly service. And the danger was that those Peter was writing to were thinking this is something strange. Look at all I’ve endured! Peter says that ought not to be thought of as unique.

Look back earlier in his letter, in chapter 2, verse 21. "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." Note Peter's command at the end of John 21, "Follow Me!" And Peter says we have Him as our pattern. To follow in His steps, "who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross." Jesus Christ suffered even to the point of dying on the cross. Now Peter says, We as His followers ought to expect anything better? Now Peter hasn’t forgotten what he was told.

Over in 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 12, "Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me..." Peter said, Christ made it clear to me that at any time, I will be laying aside my life. I'll be suffering as a martyr. You know, that will do something to the way you live. Probably wouldn't worry so much about the future in one sense. In our plans for the future, if we had been told we're going to give our life as a martyr, it wouldn't matter how much I had stored up here if I knew that the end of my life, whether it's forty or sixty or seventy, I was going to die as a martyr for Jesus Christ. It helps put things in proper perspective. Peter here hasn't forgotten. He writes about suffering. He writes about persecution. He says, This is what you ought to expect. Remember, we are following in the pattern of One whose life was characterized by rejection, persecution, and suffering. It was climaxed by execution at the hands of ungodly men, and we should be expecting different treatment as followers of Him?

Over in Hebrews while you're back in this section of the New Testament. Hebrews chapter 10 and note verse 32. The problem the Hebrews were having was that under the pressure of persecution, they were in danger of wanting to turn back to Judaism, something to take the heat off, so to speak. And they had to be reminded—verse 32—"But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. You showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one." Verse 36, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." Ever notice, a characteristic of new Christians is they are reckless? They are truly crazy, in that sense that we use it! They have come to Christ and they don't care who knows it, who they offend with it, they barge in where angels fear to tread! And they can be the most embarrassing people in the world to be with, because they don't know you just don't talk about Christ in some places with some people! But what happens? With the passing of years, we get more respectable! And we learn that if you speak up about Christ in certain situations, it is going to have a negative effect. We learn to keep quiet because people don’t want to hear it. What have we done? We’ve tried to take the suffering out of our Christianity. We’ve tried to take the persecution out of being identified with Jesus Christ. We’ve tried to make ourselves more acceptable to the world, but how can we do that? By not being so openly identified with Jesus Christ. These Hebrews are reminded "Remember what it was like when you first trusted Christ? That’s what you need to be like." We say, ’Oh, they'll learn. They'll cool off. They'll become like the rest of us' and tragically that's so. You put a little bit of hot water in a bucket of cold water and you cool it down. And we look around and say, 'That’s alright, they’ll learn. They're young.' You know what out to happen? We older Christians ought to be learning from them. Why are they running around blabbing to everyone they meet about Jesus Christ? Because it is the most exciting, important thing in the world to them. Why aren't we who have been Christians for 20-30-40 years? Isn't that the most exciting thing in the world to us? Is that not the most important thing in our lives? Perhaps we wouldn't know it if we looked at the way we live. It's just one of many things in our lives. These Hebrews needed to be reminded and remember.

Look over in chapter 12 of Hebrews. Lord willing, we're going to talk about the matter of Christian endurance sometime after the turn of the year. Chapter 12, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood, in your striving against sin..." You Hebrews think you've suffered so much, you've been so faithful. You haven't been martyred yet, have you? Then quit complaining. We think, 'Oh, boy, I've suffered so much. I remember that time four years ago when my neighbor got offended when I talked to him about Christ.' And that's the height of our persecution. That's all there is. Now I'm not saying we need to run around with martyr complexes. I want to be liked too, but I need to be careful what my priorities are. Wouldn't need to talk about endurance, wouldn't need to talk about striving if it was easy, if it was natural.

Look back in Acts chapter 9, with the call of the Apostle Paul. Ananias is being sent to Paul after he has been struck blind by the Lord on the Damascus Road. Verse 15 of Acts 9, "But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." "To bear witness before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel," that's a glorious ministry. This is a man who is going to proclaim Me before kings, Jews and Gentiles. "...for I will show him how much glory he must have, how much honor he must have, how much fun he must have!" What's He say in verse 16? "I will show him how much he must SUFFER for My name's sake." I want you to know, here's a chosen instrument to make Me known before kings and authorities. I will reveal to him how much he's going to suffer for Me. He called Paul to a great ministry which entailed great suffering. Have you ever noticed that in the Scripture, Old and New Testament alike? Those that God called and used to the greatest extent suffered, most often, the greatest amount?

Look back in chapter 5 of Acts, verse 40, "And they took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." They didn’t go home from that Council meeting and say, 'Oh, what did we do wrong? Lord, I tried to serve you. I tried to be faithful and what did I get? I got beaten within an inch of my life. What did I do wrong, Lord?' But no. They're going on to a prayer meeting, 'Guess what! We were privileged to suffer for Jesus Christ! Can you imagine!' Paul told the Philippians they had been given two privileges: 1) to believe in Him; and 2) to suffer for Him. We need to get our sights re-oriented in our thinking.

Go back to the Book of Luke. Luke chapter 9. We'll just read several sections. Interesting here, it's in the context of suffering and death. In verse 22, Jesus had just told them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, scribes, be killed, be raised on the third day. "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'" Now we read that command in John 21, "Follow Me!" and put it in the context. Deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. We put it in the context today of "Follow Him, and He'll resolve all your problems. He'll meet all your needs. He'll make life fun again!" And there's an element of truth to that, but it's heresy because it is distorted out of a biblical context. Jesus says, "Follow Me" and put that in the context of "Deny yourself, taking up your cross, and Follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?" We need to keep in mind the trade-off. There are some who have decided it's too costly to follow Jesus Christ, but they don't realize that costs them everything.

Look over in Luke chapter 14, verse 28, pick up first with verse 26 to get more of the context. "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." Jesus Christ will not be second to anything or anyone. "I must be first if you are to be My disciple and My follower. That means if you love yourself more than Me, you can't be My disciple."

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms of peace. So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." You mean I have to sell everything? Live from hand to mouth? Not necessarily, maybe it does; maybe it doesn't. What it does mean is that nothing you have is counted your own any longer. It all belongs to Him. And He concludes this section in verses 34 and 35 talking about salt that has no flavor. It's not salty any longer, it's worthless. We need to keep in mind that Jesus called us to follow Him. He called us to a costly life, a life of service which could cost you anything and everything.

Look over in Luke chapter 18, the rich young ruler in verse 18. "A certain ruler questioned Him, saying, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.'" Jesus is deity, He is God. But this rich young ruler doesn't recognize it. What's he using these kind of expressions for, without recognizing the seriousness of them? He doesn't recognize them because when God gives him a command, he'll say 'No.' "You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.' And he said, 'All these things I have kept from my youth.' And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, 'One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich." This man is called to make a decision. Your earthly possessions, your earthly life—trade them in to become a follower of Mine and heavenly treasure. And you know what? This rich young ruler said, It's too costly.

Let me ask you a question. What is that rich young ruler worth today, 2000 years later? How much is he worth? Tell me something, is he one of the wealthiest men today? Tell me even what his descendants have. What are their holdings? Tell me where it's buried. You know what? He has nothing. Nothing Nothing. But he thought it was too costly to follow Jesus Christ and give up his earthly possessions in exchange for a heavenly treasure. He's a fool. He was asked to give up nothing for everything. But he said it cost too much.

Note what Jesus says, verse 24. "Jesus looked at him (you ought to have this verse marked in your Bibles so it leaps out at you.) and said, 'How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' And they who heard it said, 'Then who can be saved?' But He said, 'The things impossible with men are possible with God.'" You know, it is a truth today that Christianity does not flourish among the materially prosperous. We see that in our own country. We are the wealthiest people in the world, but where is Christianity prospering and flourishing and growing today? Places like Africa, Latin America. Places where they are not nearly as affluent. Why? Because things and possessions get in my way, and the more I have the more attached I am. The more attached I am, the more I am held in the power of things. And one cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ and not give up everything. And the more I have I can measure and see and touch, the harder it is for me to let it go and commit myself to Jesus Christ. Harder for the wealthy, the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Hard for us who have believed in Jesus Christ to keep our eyes set on that which matters. We live in an environment where things are important, and we try to have a balanced Christianity. To serve the Lord as much as I can without interfering any more than I can with the pursuit of what the world offers me.

What do we have? We have a powerless Christianity. Why else would we be here? 2000 people in the midst of a city where many have yet to hear of Jesus Christ and be confronted with Him? It’s not because we're not able. It's not because we cannot. What is wrong? With all the resources you have in this nation, as believers, why is not this nation saturated with the gospel? Why is it declining? We don't even keep up with the population growth and new Christians, yet Latin America can grow two and three times. We say, 'Oh they are poor people, they don't have anything.' But they have power in the message preached because of the commitment to the person of Jesus Christ.

So Christ has laid out clearly in the gospels, that which is picked up clearly throughout the rest of the New Testament. If you're going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, it's costly. And if you're going to try to follow Jesus Christ at no cost, your life will amount to nothing. So we need to be careful that we have things in biblical perspective.

It's interesting when Jesus said to Peter in John 21, "Follow Me!", He has taken them back to the beginning of His public ministry. The same place with the same message. Remember in Matthew chapter 4 Jesus called Peter and John, and in Matthew chapter 4, verse 18, "Walking by the Sea of Galilee,
(same place where He is in John 21, the sea of Galilee) He saw two brothers,
Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen." Remember we said in John 21 Jesus takes them back to the beginning? "He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' And they immediately left the nets, and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they Immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him." You note, when they became a follower of Jesus Christ, they left. They left! Now not always does that have to happen physically, but there always has to be that break in my thinking, in my commitment. That now Jesus Christ is first. Whatever He calls me to do, wherever He leads me to go, there is nothing that holds me back because I am a follower of His.

Over in John chapter 10, Jesus has spoken about this. In John 10 is the Good Shepherd. A characteristic of the sheep of Jesus Christ is that they hear His voice. John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice, I know them; they follow Me." Now Jesus is simply reminding Peter of that obligation to follow Him, keep his eyes fixed and routed upon Jesus Christ.

In chapter 12 of John, verse 25, "He who loves his life, loses it; he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if any one serves Me. the Father will honor him." You see the break. In serving Jesus Christ, I am given an honor, a glory and a treasure which is not tangible. Which I do not have in my possession that I can see and touch right now. I have to take that by faith at the expense of what I can see and touch and handle. And the world says that's foolishness. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Now that carries over into our Christian thinking. I have to measure this. What will I do in my old age? What will happen to me if I get fired for testifying for Jesus Christ? After all, my pension is rooted in this. A pastor one time shared that, Why do you not preach the gospel in that pulpit? You know what he said? "I'm almost near retirement. My pension is tied to belonging to this group." Too costly. Too costly. We need to evaluate, How is that affecting me? The fear of the cost of serving Jesus Christ?

Alright, come back to chapter 21. We won’t take time to look at some passages, but I think its significant verses 15-17. Peter affirms his love for Jesus Christ. Then he’s told he will die for Him and he is to follow Him. And love and obedience and service are inseparable. 1 John chapter 5, verses 2 and 3 tell us this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. That we obey Him.

So at the end of verse 19, Jesus says to Peter, "Follow Me!" Verse 20, ’Peter, turning around...’ Now note the connection here. Jesus says, "Follow Me! And Peter, turning around... sees John...the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper, and said, 'Lord, who is the one who betrays You?' Peter therefore seeing him said to Jesus, 'Lord, and what about this man?'" And Jesus rebukes him. "And Jesus said to him, 'If I want him to live until I come, what business is it of yours? You follow Me!'" Command given again. You, Peter, be following Me. I think the connection here is important. Christ commands him, "Follow Me" and Peter turns around and looked at John. Now what has that got to do with anything? What difference does it make what God wants to do with John? Peter is to follow Christ, not John! So, 'if I want him to live until I come, what is it to you? You follow Me!" One of the great distractions in our service for Jesus Christ is our overwhelming concern with what others are doing. You know what is the biggest cause of rumblings and grumblings in a local congregation? Nebbiness in somebody else's business. Everybody is looking out for someone else in the wrong sense. They are sure someone else is getting off the track. They’re sure someone else is doing this or that. We need to back up and say— Am I following Him? How is MY life being totally committed to Him so He can glorify Himself in MY life? That comes out as well. Peter has just been told he's going to die an unpleasant death. Natural. I don’t mind suffering when everybody else is suffering. I don’t mind doing without when everybody’s doing without. You know when it hurts? When you’re suffering and another Christian doesn’t seem to be suffering. When you're going without and another Christian doesn't seem to be going without. And then if we're not careful, bitterness sets in. We say, Why should I be suffering and they're not? Imagine Peter being led to the awful martyrdom he had to experience thinking, John is home in his study writing a book. Just not fair, Lord. Why should I be going out here to die as a martyr and he's home writing a book! I'd far more enjoy the experiences of the revelation given to John so he could write the Book of Revelation than I would be crucified upside down. Lord, it isn't fair. I'm suffering like this, I'm going through all this. What about them? What's the only thing that matters? What about them? What's that got to do with you? What about others in this body? Oh, they're not as committed as me. They're not as dedicated as me. Then why are you so worried about them for? You were called to follow Jesus Christ. Everybody's worried about everybody else. I realize we're to be concerned in a good sense. That will manifest itself in a different way. We're to care for one another. We're to restore one another. We're to bear one another's burdens. That's all in a positive sense. But so much of it grumbles around and blaming and you find a critical spirit, just sure someone else is going to get a better deal or someone else is doing something wrong. Someone else, someone else. "What is that to you? You follow Me!" That would take care of it, wouldn't it? If I was totally, absolutely, with blinders on committed to following Jesus Christ, and you were totally, absolutely, with blinders on committed to follow Jesus Christ, and all of us were, it would take care of it wouldn't it! But it's awful hard for me to follow Jesus Christ when I'm watching you. Just like it's awful hard for Peter to follow Jesus when he's watching John. He's to follow Jesus so he can pattern his life after Jesus, but he's looking at John. Wait a minute. It doesn't matter what I do with John, Peter. I may give him a much easier life. He may be privileged to life until I come to establish My kingdom. But you know what the exciting thing is? Peter, that doesn't have anything to do with your responsibilities. "You follow Me!" It takes the pressure off in a good sense. But you note how He does it? It's an obligation placed on the individual On Peter—"You follow Me!" I'm interested sometimes in the comments on the cards particularly the unsigned ones. They've come in that have to do with comments about me or other people. But boy it's nice to have people who are worried about someone else. We need to be careful that our concern for other people is a biblical concern, manifesting itself by prayer. And a desire, How can I become personally involved in their life to help them? But that's the kind of concern that is part of my following Jesus Christ.

Peter, it doesn't matter. "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?" Remember Romans chapter 14, verse 4. Paul is writing to the Romans who were always worried about what someone else was eating and drinking and what they were doing and where they were going and how they did it. Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand." Who are we to sit in judgment on the Lord's servants? The Lord is the One who makes him stand. We need to be careful.

First Timothy chapter 4, verse 16 Paul says, "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching..." That's interesting. Timothy, pay close attention to yourself. That's where I've got to start. Now I have to have a healthy concern about you and about other believers, a healthy concern. But you know where the focus of my life needs to be? Right here on me. Am I what God wants ME to be? Am I serving Him the way He wants me to? Is my service for Him making a difference in the life of this body of believers? On the impact of the gospel in this city? We have professional critics who seem to feel their gift is to evaluate what everybody else does and how they do it. And they don't realize that in the meantime they're not doing anything. Life is passing them by, and all they're all doing is evaluating and judging other servants which God has already told them not to do. There's no reward particularly given in Scripture for critical spirit of other believers. I'm called to be the evaluator of the body—No. I'm called to be one of the servants in the body.

Back to John 21, verse 22. Now be careful, catch yourself right here. Are you thinking as I say these things, "I hope so and so hears this? Boy, this is really what they need?" We need to be careful. Some of you are even thinking, I hope Gil heard that before he preached! I hope he did, too! But we need to be careful. Are we thinking about this about ourselves? Lord, I really need to hear that. Lord, help me to evaluate myself and am I following Jesus Christ? I've been so concerned that someone over here hasn't been following Him like they should—Lord, have I been concerned have I been following You like I should? So that my service makes a difference in this body? My testimony for You makes a difference in this city.

Interesting back in John 21 also. Verse 22, "Jesus said to him, 'If I want him to remain until I come..." And that word "I want" is the word to will or desire. "If I desire him to remain..." I think it's important to note here that this denotes that Christ is the One who accomplishes His purposes with His people. He is the One who will decide what to do with John. He will decide whether John will die at a relatively young age as a martyr, or whether John will live until the second coming. If I desire...He is the one deciding and making the decision. That is tremendously encouraging to me as a believer. God makes the decisions on how I will glorify Him. He has made the decision whether I will glorify Him by dying at 40 or glorify Him by living to 90 and seeing Him at the rapture, or whenever the rapture comes. He decides. It's nice to know. That's not in John's hands, Peter. That's in My hands. Your destiny, Peter, is in My hands. I will decide what to do with Peter. I will decide what to do with John. I will decide how he will glorify Me. I will decide whether he lives or dies. Isn't it nice to know that's in the hands of the Sovereign God who loves us? Who works all things for our good for His glory? Takes the tragedy out of life, because as I'm a child of God following Jesus Christ, there are no tragedies, only the will of God being accomplished. Only different ways that God glorifies Himself. But you don't know. I may die at 40 with cancer. That's a tragedy? Humanly speaking, yes. But in the plan of God it's part of His plan for me to glorify Him in that way. So is it tragedy? A tragedy that I should glorify God? A tragedy that His purposes should be accomplished in me and magnified in me? No tragedy. Life has meaning. Life has purpose, whether it's in living or dying, because it is lived under the control and destiny of a Sovereign God. You ought to note as we talk about following Jesus Christ. Just jot down 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 15. There are those who follow in the way of Balam. Not everybody is following Jesus Christ. Everybody is following someone. Some are following in the way of Balam. You know what Balam liked? He liked what the world had to offer. He had the wages of the world, and he thought maybe he could work out some kind of compromise to serve God and also benefit from the world and he perished with the ungodly. There are no compromises. Are you following Jesus Christ? Have you come to realize that He the Son of God died for your sins? Are you trusting Him alone as your Savior? If not, you're not following Him. You may be religious like Balam was. You may have given your life to some seeming worldly cause, but you're not following Jesus Christ if you have not come to recognize and believe that you're a sinner and He died to pay the penalty for your sin.

And if you have come to believe that, is your life one of commitment to Him in every way? You know, we even see an indication of believers getting off track here because verse 23 records a misunderstanding that occurs about what Jesus said about God. The rumor went out that John was going to live until Jesus came. Is that what Jesus said? No. He said, "If I WANT him to live, that's none of your business." They missed the point, it's none of your business. What is it to you? They were out talking about what Jesus was going to do with John. Well, He had just told Peter it was none of his business. And you know what the result of that was? What they were saying wasn't true because Jesus never said that John would live until He came. He only told Peter that if he did, it would be none of his business. But we as believers want to pick up on any little tidbit, something to pass along. Do you know that Jesus said that John would be alive until He comes? John says, 'No, let me correct that. He didn't say that. He said if I want him to, he will be but it's none of your business either way, folks.'' What is the emphasis of your life as a child of God? Is it one of service, sacrificial service? Do you measure your testimony and life in light of what it will cost you? Do your decisions to be identified with Jesus Christ measured in the cost? What will happen to me if I testify of Jesus Christ to those I associate with? What will they think of me? How will they treat me? Will I lose my job? You know, in a thousand years it's not going to matter. It will matter if I have made Jesus Christ known. It will matter if the lost have heard of Him. It won't matter if I got fired or not. It won't matter if I made $10,000 this year or $110,000. It will matter if I faithfully glorify Him in all that I do. Do I view my life in that realm? Be honest, have you been more absorbed in being a Christian busybody than in being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ Do you really know what's wrong with every Christian in the body, but you really haven't taken heed unto yourself to see if your service glorifies Him as it should? All of us come down on ourselves with firmness when the Spirit works in our lives, to be totally committed in our service for Him. That will take care of the deficiencies and enable Him to glorify us far beyond what we could ever dream ourselves. Exciting. I’m privileged to glorify Him every moment of every day until either He comes to take me to be with Himself in the air, or through death He chooses to glorify Himself. Let’s pray together.

Father, we praise you this morning for such a wonderful Savior. How privileged we are, Lord, to be called to follow Him. Lord, to have the indwelling Spirit conform us to the character of the One we love and serve.

I pray for those who are here today, Lord, who are following after that which they do not know or understand