Sermon Tone Analysis

The director of a medical clinic told of a terminally ill young man who came in for his usual treatment.

A new doctor who was on duty said to him casually and cruelly, “You know, don’t you, that you won’t live out the year?”

As the young man left, he stopped by the director’s desk and wept.

“That man took away my hope,” he blurted out.

“I guess he did,” replied the director.

“Maybe it’s time to find a new one.”

Commenting on this incident, Lewis Smedes wrote, “Is there a hope when hope is taken away?

Is there hope when the situation is hopeless?

That question leads us to Christian hope, for in the Bible, hope is no longer a passion for the possible.

It becomes a passion for the promise.”

For the Last year we have been on a journey that has taken us through the Gospel of John as we considered the theme “That Ye Might Believe”.

We have studies how Christ took situations in the lives of the people he interacted with and turned their hopeless situations into moments of Grace where the hope of the Gospel shown brightly!

This culminated in the last 3 messages where we looked at the Death, Burial and Resurrection and how Christ took that hopeless situation in the eyes of His followers and showed the Power of God’s Grace!

This morning, we will finish our Journey than began in eternity past in with Jesus being the Word that existed before time itself and manifested among men and brought life.

We will finish this morning by looking at how the resurrected Savior, The Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world, brought healing and restoration.

In , we find the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, which was another name for the sea of Galilee.

We do not know how much time has passed since Christ appeared to Thomas.

We do know that Mark tells us in that Jesus was going to go before them into Galilee.

As a matter of fact.

Lets begin this morning by taking a look at

The passover meal was finished.

Jesus tells his disciples that he would die, his followers would be scattered, but he would meet them again in Galilee after he had risen from the dead.

This is where Peter speaks up.

“Although all shall be offended, yet will not !.”

And Jesus tells Peter that He would Deny Christ as well.

And we have looked at this.

How Peter was there, how he was questioned and each time he Denied Christ.

Now Back to our text.

Peter is where Jesus said He would meet them.

But I can’t help but wonder, what is going though His mind.

He had vehemently stated that He would follow even to death, but had failed in his resolve and was right there with the others, scattered.

I wonder if He thought that now Jesus couldn’t use him.

After all, how could Christ accept him back after what he had done.

Perhaps this what was going through his mind while he was standing there with the disciples, looking across the water as the sun began to go down on the horizon.

He saw some boats, and perhaps this reminded him of who he was before Christ had called Him.

He looked at the other disciples and said “I go a fishing”.

The others join him and they all got in a boat and went out to the sea.

Have you ever been here?

Have you experiences the struggle in your heart, knowing that you have failed in your flesh, and now Christ could never use me.

But then comes the morning...

Have you noticed that often times in scripture when morning is mentioned, it brings with it the hope of restoration?

Then the morning of the resurrection and the hope that that brings.

John tells us that the fisherman were out there all night with nothing to show for it.

“But when the morning was not come, Jesus stood on the shore.”

He tells them to drop their nets on more time.

They did and brought up 153 fish!

John looks at Peter and say “It is the Lord” and Peter gets dressed and “Cast himself” Flings himself into the water to swim to Jesus.

They come to Christ - He begins to fix them breakfast and they spend some time fellowshipping around the fire and eating.

Then Jesus Turns to Peter.

I am not sure what Peter was thinking at this point, I know what I would be thinking.

“Here it goes.

Jesus is going to tell me how disappointed he is in me.

How he had been right and I had rejected him and now He is going to reject me.”

But what happens is a beautiful account of Restoration as Christ takes the broken and battered peter and begins the process of Grace.

l.;/

A Reminder of the Love Christ

First I want us to look at the question that Jesus pose to Peter.

Do You Love me.

I have told you before that Greek is a very precise language.

In the English the word love has lost its meaning because of the flippant way that we use it.

We love our Kids.

We Love our husbands and wives.

We Love Football.

We Love Chocolate Cake.

We Love the fall time.

In the Greek there are 6 words that are used for Love and each speaks of something different.

the 4 most common are Eros, Storge, Phileo and Agape.

Eros is self satisfying love.

It involves passion and lust.

This type of love uses others regardless of their feelings.

This is a conditional type and is based on the fulfillment of the desires, This Love States, “I Love You because of what you can do for me”.

This word is not found in scripture.

Then there is Storge.

This is familial Love, like the love for a mother to a child.

It is Natural affection and is found in the bible - but in a negative sense.

Each of these verse speak of the lack of natural affection - storge Love.

In other words one of the effects of sin on this world is the loss of the close familial love that we should have.

We can see this in the abortion industry.

So while this is a strong love - it is not a constant and sin can blind from what we should naturally feel.

This Love states, “I Love You because it is natural for me to do so”

The next two words are used in our text today.

Phileo and Agape.

Phileo is brotherly, friendship love (like Philadelphia) It is one that finds mutual respect and affection for each other.

Phileo says “I Love You because You Love Me”.

And then there is Agape love - this is one that many of you are familiar with.

Agape is self sacrificing love.

It is the love that God has for us and the love that Christ showed the world on the cross.

This Love States “I Love you whether you love me or not”

Now that our grammer lesson is over - lets look back at our text.

Jesus asks Peter 3 times “Do You Love Me” Let’s replace the greek words in this conversation.

In Verse 15, Jesus said “Simon, son of Jonah, AGAPE thou me more than these?”

Notice Jesus is asking for the highest form of Love from Peter, however peter answeres “Yea Lord; thou knowest that I PHILEO thee.”

Peter says in effect - Yes Lord - I am your friend.

Then in verse 16 “Simon, son of Jonas, AGAPE thou me”? the second time Jesus asks for this self-sacrificing Love from his disciple, but again peter answered “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I PHILEO thee?” Again - affirming his friendship but not willing to go further.

But hen in verse 17 - Jesus says “Some, son of Jonas, PHILEO thou me.”

Jesus in effect says Peter, are you sure you are my friend.”

This cuts Peter deep as He responds “Lord - thous knowest all things, thou knowest that I PHILEO thee.”

What Jesus is doing is methodically breaking down the barriers in the life of Peter, He has the scalpel and he is cutting deep to expose the heart.

He is restoring Peter - but first Peter must be at the point where he can be restored.

Peter had seen what Agape love looked like.