Background: Just before the betrayal and arrest of the Lord. Luke 22:31-34 (NASB) 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34 And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
Luke 22:54-62 (NASB) 54 Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. 55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Comments:
1) Peter had denied His Lord 3 times after he had said, “”Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” There was a lot of confidence in Peter. He was genuine, but underestimated the cost of following Jesus.
2) Now that Jesus had been arrested, condemned and put on the cross and buried-He is nowhere to be found for Peter to make amends. Peter is mightily burdened by the guilt of denying his master without means of recourse.
3) If anything Jesus is the one who has come to Peter to restore. If anything Jesus is the one who has to come to us who have denied Him and this He has done and is still doing.
4) But I want to ride on this and try to give you understanding of my call to the ministry of the gospel.
Hear the word of the Lord, Ezekiel 34:1-10 (NASB) 1 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? 3 “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. 4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. 5 “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. 6 “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.“‘” 7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”‘”
What are the charges?
1) There are many who call themselves man of God, prophets, Bishops, Archbishops, Reverends and Popes who have not understood the call of the ministry. The Lord says, “They eat the fat and clothe themselves with the wool from the sheep, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.”
2) Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
3) What is the result of that? My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd.
4) Being called a man of God is the hottest thing across the whole world right now, not for the sake of the gospel or salvation of the soul, but because people think he brings some special goodies from God. He is the modern version of the witch doctor.
5) The so called man of God assumes the knowledge of the gospel and also assumes that the church belongs to them, whilst feeding the flock a false gospel if at all.
6) They think the Church belongs to them to serve their interests of fame and fleecing the sheep of God. Their motto is as someone has said somewhere, “what is the sheep for if it is not for fleecing the wool.”
It is against this background then that Jesus Christ shows up and says John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” He does not only give His life for the sheep, but resurrects that He may continue to shepherd them through the under-shepherds, but He being the Chief Shepherd-the head of the church. After His resurrection He teaches His under shepherds of the chief responsibility of Pastoral care. Here is the three fold question and answer session by Jesus and Peter.
Joh 21:15 , “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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
Joh 21:16 , “He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Joh 21:17 , “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved 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.”
Comments:
1) “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) me more than these?” Simon after your failure do you still maintain your claim that you are able to go with me to both prison and death? Do you love me more than the rest of the disciples as you claimed?
2) There are two different Greek words used in this conversation that are translated love here. There is Agapao-which is understood to be the sacrificial love that has one laying their life for another and Phileo-which is the brotherly kind of love. In the first two questions Jesus uses Agapao and then Phileo-the lesser love. Interestingly Peter uses Phileo in all his three responses.
3) That should have significance. There is a careful selection and usage of these words by both Peter and Jesus. Jesus asks, Peter do you sacrificially love me as to go to prison and die with me as you had vowed? Peter responds and says, “Yes, Lord you know that I love (Phileo) you.” He says, Lord you know I love you yet with a lesser degree of love as befitting a man. I could not love you enough to die for you, but you loved me enough to die for me.
4) Listen to the command from Jesus: Feed (bosko) my lambs; If you love me Peter, feed the babies of my flock, weak believers. Nourish, comfort and strengthen them by feeding them with the milk of the Gospel. Jesus says, my lambs are my chief interest and you are to feed them and protect them. I have purchased them with my own blood. My Father gave them to me and I am entrusting them to you for feeding.
5) See that Jesus says, the lambs weak and vulnerable as they are are His. They do not belong to any preacher or so called man of God.
6) Second question: Joh 21:16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love (phileo) you.” He said to him, “Tend (poimaino) my sheep.”
7) Tend my sheep-a different Greek Word from feed. IT is the word for shepherding the flock. It is to furnish pasture for food for the flock
8) Third question Joh 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love (phileo) me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
9) Third question. Simon, Son of John, do you Phileo me? Jesus reduces the degree of love from Agape to Phileo. Jesus has to condescend to Peter’s level and says even at the brotherly level, do you lovest though me? Peter is grieved because the Lord is pressing and piercing Him with His words. He is reminding Peter of his threefold denial and Peter breaks down and says, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Peter says, you are the Son of God. You know everything, save me from my weakness and forgive me.
10) Jesus issues a third command: “Feed my sheep.”
11) What is the point? Jesus will restore His own, but He cares for the feeding of His lambs and sheep more than anything else. The feeding of the flock of God is the chief call to ministry.
12) But listen to what Jesus says about His 2nd return
Mat 24:44 , “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Mat 24:45, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
Mat 24:46, “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Mat 24:47, “Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Mat 24:48 , “But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’
Mat 24:49, “and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,
Mat 24:50, “the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
Mat 24:51, “and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
What is the work of the Shepherd?
1) Giving the God’s sheep/lambs their food in their proper time.
Mat 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
2) The wise servant is set over the Master’s household by the Master. For what purpose? For feeding the household of His Master at the proper time. Do you see the chief work of the ministry? It is not marriage counseling, it is not for Single’s ministry, it is not for special groups, it is not to be cozy with the politicians so that one can get political favors. There is only special case for all men and that is they are desperate sinners who need Christ. The ministry then is about feeding the sheep of Christ with sheep food, not cabbages, but sheep food-which is the word of God.
3) But hear what the wicked Servant does Mat 24:48-49 , “But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards.”
4) Interesting observation: Both the wise and faithful servant and the wicked servant are set over by the Master, because He is a Sovereign Master.
5) So, then how do you distinguish between a wise servant and a wicked servant? IT is by their concern to the spiritual welfare of the sheep. It is with their concern with the feeding of the sheep at their proper time. There are many people who have been Christians all their lives or for a long time who can’t tell you anything about Christ. What is the chief reason? Because they were sitting under a Wicked Servant who does not feed them.
6) There are still too many wicked servants who masquerade as faithful and wise servants, but are out to fleece the sheep of their money and to beat them. There are many so called prophets and man of God whose chief interest is to draw people to themselves and build big buildings, big budgets and bigger ministries. They do not know how to read the bible, they only know the tithing verses Malachi 3-will a man rob God? You tithe or burn. You know there is something wrong when a Ministry is called by the name of the founder. It becomes a project about them.
So what is the nature of the food?
1) The Greek word translated here means nourishment-meat or food rations figuratively or literally. In our context, it can’t be physical food-Fr the Lord said, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” He also said, the flesh profits nothing. Here the Lord again in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
2) TO feed the sheep of God is to preach Christ and His gospel, to disciple His flock, to edify them until they come to a unity and maturity of the faith according to Ephesians 4.
3) It does not say collecting tithes and love offerings is the call of the gospel ministry as many ministries have become. The gospel ministry is one word or two words. Christ, Jesus, or Jesus Christ, It is Christ and Him Crucified. It is Christ is all and in all. Jesus Christ is the only name that you need to know and remember.
What then is to preach Christ?
1) It is to preach Jesus Christ as the good news of God.
2) IT is to preach about the person and the work of Christ- a complete, accomplished, perfect and finished work.
3) IT is about God taking up human flesh to redeem sinful humanity from sin and to reveal His righteousness.
4) IT is to tell sinners that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
5) IT is to tell sinners that God is satisfied with what Christ did to redeem completely those that will come to Him by faith.
6) But the gospel message demands a response from sinners-God is calling all man everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. So, we come in Faith and repentance or rejection.
7) What is to have faith? To have faith in Jesus is to completely abandon anything and everything that one may have, think or did as the basis of acceptance by God. To be accepted by God is to have your sin forgiven and to be declared righteous through what another person performed. To repent is to turn away from yourself to Jesus Christ.
8) So faith and repentance ultimately answer this question for every man, Jesus is asking every man this one question, “Who do you say that I am?” At the end of the day the gospel message brings everyone to answer this question one way or the other-for every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This is the most important question that any person will have to answer in all of eternity. Your eternity rests in your opinion of Jesus-who do you say the Son of Man is?
9) Christ does not care what other people say about Him. He does not care about what you hear other people say about Christ. Some say Jesus Christ does not exist. Others say He lived, died but did not resurrect. Others say he was John the Baptist risen from the dead, others a Prophet of the likes of-Elijah and Jeremiah or one of the Old Testament prophets, yet others say He was good and wise teacher, on same level as the Dalai Lama or Ghandi.
10) But Jesus does not care a hoot what anybody thinks. He still comes to each and every person with the same question. Who do you say that I am? The one who can answer that question right has found grace in the sight of God. Listen to Apostle Peter’s answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” That is a two fold confession-that is my confession. Jesus is the Messiah, that is the Savior, with respect to the work of salvation, but with respect to His origin He is the Son of God, God the Son. Listen to Jesus’s response, “Blessed are you Simon Bar Jonah for flesh and blood did not reveal that to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
11) Christ has to be revealed from heaven by God for anyone to believe
Here is the word of confession:
1) Romans 10:8-11 (ESV) 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
2) But what is really the problem or question that the gospel is trying to answer for mankind? IT is answering the question of how a sinful man shall approach a holy and righteous God in peace. IT is answering the question, what shall I do to go heaven? All shall approach God, but some will approach Him in peace and others in pieces, in ruins, in turmoil, in anguish and great shame.
3) A Holy God cannot be approached outside the way that He has demanded to be approached. And what He has demanded of all men He alone can provide. Man come and ask, “What shall I do to attain eternal life?” Good question. Another question, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6: 28-29
4) What is it that God demands from all men? Absolute perfection and righteousness. To miss one point of the Law is to be guilty of the whole law. James 2:10 (ESV) 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
5) If you miss one point in obeying God you become guilty of all of God’s law.
6) God requires that all who shall see Him in peace should possess His righteousness. God requires that all sinners possess the righteousness only He can provide.
But, Sinful Man are ignorant of God’s righteousness:
1) Romans 10:3, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” Their zeal is not in line with the truth means that the Jews’ passion for God was strong, but it ignored the true righteousness of God.”
2) Romans 3:23-26 (ESV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (man’sproblem), 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift (justified freely-declared righteous in the courts of heaven for no merit of their own), through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (the merit that purchased your justification), 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
3) Yes there are many people who are passionate for religion, but deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s way of giving His own righteousness to sinners, because when Jesus lived He alone accomplished a righteousness that is according to God’s standard-This He did not for Himself, but for us as our substitute-our surety.
4) Now as men we think that we can work our way into heaven, as long as we don’t smoke, chew, drink or hangout with girls who do that or that we can build a tower or ladder right into the throne of God or that God has been waiting for us to make Him happy. We think that if we fail by doing we will make it by suffering. I need you to hear me.
5) Man thinks that if we fail in a few points in doing well we will make it up by suffering whether in purgatory as the Romanists would teach. But that is false. It is a false and low view of the righteousness of God. It is a disregard of the clear testimony of God about Himself and Jesus Christ.
6) The righteousness of God cannot be attained by anyone by any other means other than faith alone in Christ alone. The righteousness of God cannot be attained by due diligence even by the most careful and polite of people. The righteousness of God can only be given as a gift.
7) There is none who can do any good that is acceptable to God because the scriptures say, “But we are all like an unclean thing , And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:3)
8) There is none who can suffer enough both in quality, quantity or time for God to hear them. There is none who can cry enough to be heard by God as to be given salvation. God does not hear sinners. God only sees the tears of Christ. He only hears the loud cries of His Son. Listen to Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”
9) Psalm 22: 1-3, “Psalm 22:1-2 (NASB) 1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. Psalm 22:11 (NASB) 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help.
10) Trouble is near my friends-ask God this day and say, “Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help.”
11) Jesus Christ has wept for you that you will weep no longer. He has suffered for you that you will suffer no longer and in all this God heard Him because of His reverent submission. And this was so that you and I may have an eternal hope. You have not enough tears to weep for yourself. The tears of all the people who have ever lived put together are not enough to buy anyone one second from the fiery torments of Hell. The seas and oceans and lakes of the world cannot contain enough tears to redeem anyone from hands of God. Why? Because they are sinful tears. They are tears from sinners. They are tears that are tainted with sin and God does not approve of them.
12) Hear the word of the Lord Galatians 2:16, “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
13) No tears, no good works, or bad works, no prayers of dead saints, nothing that man can do can save anyone from trouble
14) So, this is the food of the gospel. Jesus Christ is All. All things were created by Him and for Him, whether on earth underneath the earth or in heaven. All things are from Him, through Him and to Him and to Him the glory forever. Amen!
15) If then I shall be a faithful and wise Servant it shall be evident through the feeding of God’s sheep and lambs in their proper time.
But to the sheep that have been given to my care.
1) Here is the exhortation from the Lord. Hebrews 13:17, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
2) “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.” 1Tim 5:17
3) Listen to this, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Tim 4:4-5
Berean Sovereign grace Church is not an ear tickling Ministry. It is about Christ and Him Crucified.
1Pet 5:2-4, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
1 Cor 9:6, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”
Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
“Jesus says to me this says to me, “Simon, bar Jonah, do you lovest though me more than these?” “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
“He said to him a second time, “Simon, bar Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me? “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
Benediction
Jude 1:24-25 (NASB) 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.