Theme: Do you love me?
Text: Acts 5:27-32, 40-41; Rev. 5:11-14; Jn. 21:1-19
Read John 21:15-17 “After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these others?’ ‘Yes,’ Peter replied, ‘you know I am your friend.’ ‘Then feed my lambs,’ Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: ‘Simon, do you really love me?’ ‘Yes, Lord’ Peter said, ‘you know I am your friend.’ ‘Then take care of my sheep,’ Jesus said. Once more he asked him ‘Simon, son of John, are you even my friend?’ Peter was grieved at the way Jesus asked the question this third time. ‘Lord, you know my heart; you know I am,’ he said. Jesus said, ‘then feed my little sheep.’”
Love is a word that is very often used today without understanding its real meaning. It is a very important word because it describes the very being and nature of God. We all know from the Scriptures that ‘God is love’ but find it difficult to see love as a very important part of the Christian life. Love is actually the test of our fellowship with God. If we are united to God through faith in Christ, we share His nature and since His nature is love, love becomes the test of the reality of our spiritual life. A navigator depends on a compass to help him determine his course. A compass shows him his directions because it always points north. This is possible because a compass is so constituted that it responds to the magnetic field that is part of the earth’s makeup. Just as a compass is responsive to the nature of the earth so the Christian is responsive to the nature of God and just as a compass naturally points north so a believer will naturally practice love because love is the nature of God. Love is visible and can be very easily seen in the way we behave. When Mother Theresa was alive a reporter writing an article on her life watched her as she cleaned up a neglected outcast in the slums of India with her bare hands. After watching her for some time he remarked in disbelief “I would never do that even for a million dollars”. “Neither would I,” replied Mother Theresa. She was performing a duty out of love and not for money. She was saying yes to Christ’s question “do you love me?”
The world has come to accept different kinds of love, which depends on the people involved, and the different situations they find themselves in. Simply put there is love on the human level and there is love on the divine level. The Greeks used three different words to describe love. They used the word Philos when referring to a friendship – a strong feeling of affection and concern for a person. They used the word Eros when referring to an emotional, romantic feeling toward a member of the opposite sex. They used the word agape when referring to the love of God. This love refers to a love that is not deserved, a love that freely gives and expects nothing in return. This love should be the distinguishing mark of every believer. God’s nature is to love and to know what true love is we must look to God. You cannot truly love without knowing God because God only places this capacity of divine love in those who belong to Him. The world has known many people who are said to be great lovers, but, without doubt, the greatest lover of all is God Himself. Human love cannot be compared to divine love. Human love is variable and subject to wear as the gifts we use to express it - chocolates and cards, flowers and jewellery whereas Divine love, God’s love, is unchanging, unchangeable and everlasting. Divine love is expressed through sacrificial giving and this was demonstrated when God gave us everything He had – when He gave Himself. Man has been made in God’s image, after his likeness and so logically man too is love. But now because of sin we love the wrong things, for the wrong reasons, with the wrong motives, and in the wrong ways. Sin itself is a matter of love gone wrong. Envy is the love of the wrong things. Jealousy and lust is love with the wrong motive and in the wrong way. Pride is a love of self, which excludes consideration for the true worth of others including God. Our human love has become so distorted, petty and self centred that it can no longer be compared to the love of God in any way. God is so much bigger and greater than we can imagine in our sinful state and this is true of His love as well. God is the source of our love and Jesus our example. Let us be Christ like and demonstrate His love in the way we live by reaching out to those in need. There are many people around us who need our love. There are the outcasts, the street children, and the prisoners. There are many people in our midst, even here in Church who need our love. Let our fellowship be meaningful and be dictated by love.
Love shares itself and it is said that love isn’t love till you give it away. Love gives of itself and shares itself freely with others. True love has no strings attached and loves whether you love back or not. This is the way God loves us and the way we also must love others. The nature of our union with Christ is love and what this union produces is love for each other. We are to be people who love because love cannot help but love. Without true love, we have got nothing to offer the world. Christ loved us and gave His life for us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt of love is by loving others in turn. Because Christ’s love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love. Love is made perfect, or complete, in Christ. If we want more love we need to get closer to God. He is the source of love and the only way to get more of the real thing is to get closer to Him. And the only way to get closer to Him is to make Him our priority. While we should try to live at peace with everyone, conflict with the world and its authorities is sometimes inevitable for a Christian. When we are faced with situations where we cannot obey both God and man “we must obey God rather than men as the disciples did. We must trust God to take care of the consequences of our obedience to Him. We should not change God’s message to profit us or to ensure our comfort but stand firmly for the Lord and He will honour our courage and faith. Peter and the Apostles were not afraid to affirm that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead and had been exalted to a place of honour, power and authority. They were not afraid to confess Him as Lord and Saviour. They were not afraid to declare that He is the only One who is able to rescue from sin, death, and judgement. They were not afraid because of their love for Christ. The Apostles were not afraid and neither threats nor beatings could stop them from witnessing daily for Jesus Christ. In the same way every Christian should take advantage of every witnessing opportunity no matter the problems. Although the Disciples were repeatedly warned not to preach they continued in spite of the threats. We too should witness the same way, sharing our faith no matter the cost. We may not be beaten or thrown into jail, but we may be ridiculed, ostracised, or slandered but that should not prevent us from sharing the gospel with others.
The love of Christ, evidenced by loving one another, will maintain God’s presence in our lives. Hatred, anger, and bitterness all drive away His presence. Many people lose out spiritually because they don’t love others. The body of Christ is held together by love and if we lose that, we fall apart. Jesus has personally commanded us to love one another. If we don’t keep His commands only means we don’t really love Him. Love obeys not because it has to but because it wants to. It is easy for us to emphasize other areas of obedience instead of love, and we often do, because loving is not the easiest thing to do. Yet even though it seems impossible to practice love it is clear from Jesus’ words that true love for one another is possible. It is possible because the source of this love is God Himself. Jesus met every human need because of love. After the arrest of Jesus Christ, Peter in the court of the high Priest denied three times that he belonged to His disciples. To enforce his third denial he actually began to curse and swear. Peter was quickly stricken with remorse, but the guilt remained till Christ lovingly restored the fellowship. He first reached out to Peter in love by directing that the news of the open tomb be told first of all to “his disciples and Peter” Mark 16:7. He singled out Peter because he was burdened with guilt and the feeling that he had failed Christ. Then on the shore of the Sea of Galilee Christ fed Peter, accepted him, loved him and then restored him. The way Christ dealt with Peter establishes a pattern for all who need to be released from the snare of bad confessions. By asking Peter three times whether he loved Him, Jesus gave him the opportunity to revoke his previous denials. For each time that he had made a wrong confession, he now made the right confession and on this basis was freed from the effects of his wrong confessions. All of us who have made wrong confessions need to be released from them. Some of us have made wrong confessions concerning our partners and children. Some have made wrong confessions about their friends and about themselves. Some of us have made wrong confessions about our Church. We can be released from these confessions when we follow the example of Peter. First we need to acknowledge that we have made wrong confessions and repent of them. Secondly we must revoke them, that is we must unsay, or cancel, whatever we said that was wrong. Thirdly, we must replace our previous wrong confessions with the right one.
Love explains why Christ died. His love for us caused Him to seek a solution to the problem of sin and give us eternal life. God loves us because of who He is rather than because of who we are. He offers to be our God not because we are lovable, but because He is love. He offers to care for us not because of our goodness, or even because of our effort or good intentions. He loves us because that is the kind of God He is. Christ wants us to also demonstrate that love. When Mother Teresa died the whole world mourned and tributes were received from religious leaders, heads of state and from ordinary people from all around the world. She was a unique person because she showed real love and compassion to other human beings in need. It was said of Mother Teresa that she cared for the poorest of the poor. She was not just performing a duty; it was her way of life. It was something she believed in, loved and enjoyed doing in a world where love has become so self-centred. She loved and gave so much because she knew God’s love and was established in it. If we want to leave behind a legacy that will impact the world or aspire to some sort of greatness all we need to do is to love the way Christ loved. We don’t have to build a building or write a masterpiece or leave behind a lot of money. Love makes a difference. Love lasts and love is greatness. Are we concerned about those around us and do they see God’s love in us? Do we give a helping hand to those in need? What will be our answer when the Lord asks, “Do you love me?” What will be your answer? Amen!
