Feed
My Sheep
John 21:15 “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.
16 He saith
to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou
knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my
sheep.
17 He saith unto him the
third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third
time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord,
thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love
thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
1. Fish & Fishing
2. Love & Loves
3. Loving Is Doing
1. Fish & Fishing
There is nothing like a little relaxation with your friends, and having a hot breakfast after a long, long night of hard work in the “salt mine.”
[They were fishing all night, remember?]
Verse three: “and that night they caught nothing.”
Now, more about the subject of man’s labor [work], we are told in the book of Genesis that a man will need to sweat … in order to eat. [Genesis 3:19] “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
“Peter, you are done with this job of fishing! Peter, you are done working with these smelly fish!”
“Feed my lambs.”
Peter, and company’s, new job will be to feed the Lord’s sheep. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” [2 Timothy 4:2]
Henceforth, Peter, you will be fishing for men! Peter do you remember what I told you nearly forty-two months ago? “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” [Matthew 4:19]
Peter, you will do this to your hazard and peril; and Peter, it will be often be with the sweat coming off your brow in these late night seasons of prayer, and in the constant preaching to the lost and dying sinners of this sin-cursed world, and more than that, to the unthankful brethren that just need to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord … TILL I COME AGAIN!
“Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?”
Peter, it will be just like the apostle Paul, as he said in Second Corinthians chapter ten, in verse fourteen: “For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:” [2 Corinthians 10:14]
I will make you fishers of men!!!
2. Love & Loves
Now, there are differences in love. Yeah, there are different loves. A man may love sin, and will put himself into the pursuing it … with all his heart and mind and soul to its natural end. Remember this therefore: “For the wages of sin is death;” [Romans 6:23].
Yes, a man may love this world and the things of this world, but may I remind you, the things here on this earth are so temporary and so empty.
What does the BOOK say about this? “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” [1 John 2:15] Are you listening to me?
A man may love his life but in the end he will surely lose it. That is what the Spirit of God says in John chapter twelve, verse twenty-five? Are you ready for this?
“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” [John 12:25]
Better yet, a man may say with “words” that he loves his wife, but all along he has eyes for other women. Is that true love? The tongue may frame all the words in an expression that it artfully forms the words: “I love you”, yet they can mean absolutely NOTHING. Isn’t that so?
Words are CHEAP! Bottom-line, you know as well as I do, that “words” in themselves are nothing unless they are backed up with something more than the words. Amen! What will matter the most is that the words have the FRUIT … to back up those words. In other words … the words of the tongue need to match the “deeds” of the man.
This is exactly what the Spirit of God was driving to … for the believer in Jesus Christ to see in First John chapter three, verse eighteen. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” [1 John 3:18]
With al this being said we are ready to show the importance of the doing.
3. Loving Is Doing
You see, without the doing of the things, the words alone do not prove your love to one who you profess to love. It is the doing that really proves the words of man’s mouth. It is the “proof of the pudding” as they would say. Now, brethren, this principle [that is, the words with the deeds] is shown throughout the BOOK.
Now, what about Jesus Christ? Can I ask you the all important question? Do you love HIM? Do you love Jesus Christ?
Now, before you answer me, I will read to you verse fifteen. We see this very question being asked of Peter by the LORD with those searching eyes of the SON of GOD.
Could you handle it [those eyes of Jesus Christ] the SAVIOR who went to the Cross for you and I?
Let me read it to you now. “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.”
How will you answer the LORD? Well, which way will you go? Now you may say, as Peter did say here, “I love thee” but remember the acid test is this: the words: “I love you LORD” need to stand true to the end though you be amidst trials and in labors.
Or [as many have done in the past] you say “I love Jesus” yet without ever obeying Him, then there is something wrong here. Now, you can say what you what want to say but if you say you love Him and not obey HIM, then till the cows come home … your “words” will not be found true.
Now back to the bottom-line. Do you love Jesus Christ? The acid test is given in John chapter fourteen and in First John chapter two. Are you ready?
Verse fifteen of John fourteen: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” [John 14:15].
Again in verse twenty-one: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” [John 14:21]
Now turn to First John chapter two and read verse
five: “But whoso keepeth his word, in him
verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we
that we are in him.” [1 John 2:5]