Do you love me? How do we respond to this tender question posed by the perfect son of God, the man of sorrows, the son of suffering, the God who wept, and bled, and in his great love reached for us when we were dead in sin and unlovable? Join us as we explore this question Jesus asked Peter three times in their last recorded conversation in the gospels.
Do You Love Me
Speakers
Sarah Blount
Lead Pastor
Worship
Notes
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John 21:15-17
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
Lovest thou me? Lovest thou me? Lovest thou me?
Love for Christ is of first importance, second importance, and third importance.
Jesus Christ asks each one of us, not for obedience primarily, not for repentance, not for vows, not for conduct, but for a heart; and that being given, all the rest will follow.
Maclaren
It shows what weight our Saviour attached to the matter of his (Peter’s) love, that he asked him about that, about that only, and about that three times over.
Spurgeon
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Matthew 22:36-38
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
Love for Christ is of first importance, second importance, and third importance.
Love for Christ is what enables us to run our race, seek his Kingdom, do the Jesus stuff, share in his sufferings, die to ourselves, endure the storms of life, and be transformed into his image.
Romans 5:3-5
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Love for Christ is of 1st importance, 2nd importance, and 3rd importance and God has lavishly poured all the love we need into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
What is orthodoxy without love, but a catacomb to bury dead religion in? It is a cage without a bird; the gaunt skeleton of a man out of which the life has fled. I am afraid that the general current of church life runs too much towards externals, and too little towards deep burning love to the person of Christ.
Spurgeon
If we can’t look to our external actions as conclusive evidence of our love for Christ. Where do we look?
Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
We look to Jesus and give him consent to search our hearts.
John 13:36-38
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord where are you going?” Jesus answered. “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answers, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows you will have denied me three times.”
When the rooster crowed Peter woke up to the fact that Jesus knew him better than he knew
himself.
Peter relied on the fact that all-knowing Jesus knew that he loved him or would show him
otherwise.
Despite all that Peter had done, his love needed to be examined.
John 21:17
Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious
thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
“Wool in Scripture speaks of the self-life, self-will, self-assertion, self-pride. God has to get below this and do a deep work in our wills to right the wrongs which are often bothering us beneath the surface.”
W.P. Keller
When is the last time you slowed down long enough to let Jesus express his desire to be loved by you, heard him asking, “Do you love me?” and gave him permission to pull back the wool of self and search your heart for any inconsistencies?
- I felt alive in your presence today, God, when……
- I struggled to feel your presence today, God, when…..
- God, I want to share more deeply with you about one moment that stands out from today. Through this experience, I think you might be telling me….
- As I think about tomorrow, God, I pray that…