December 27, 2025 • 24 mins
Typical of this time of year, we often look back at the 12 months just wrapping up. Lots of metrics to consider, but what would you tell yourself if the metric was “taking advantage of opportunities to glorify God? Maybe the question that pops to mind is “What does that even mean?” Looking both backward and forward in this study.
John 21:15-19
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
John tells us in his Gospel thatthere was specifically 153 fish.
Some have speculated as to whether this number has a
numerological or mystical meaning, but in all likelihood
we are told that there were 153 fish because that is how many
there were. They were fishermen.
You can imagine there, can't you?
Sort of counting him outgoing 1020150153.
(00:23):
We've got to write that down in our logbook, you know.
Welcome to the God centered Lifewith Josh Moody.
Weekend edition John Chapter 21.We're calling this study a New
Year's resolution. Josh Moody, a senior pastor of
College Church in Wheaton, IL. I'm Todd Misty.
Josh, have you ever gone fishingand counted the number of fish
(00:45):
that you pulled? In I'm not much for a fisherman.
I've been fishing a couple of times with my son who likes it
and I I was not very good, let'sput it like that, but we never
got I think above 1 fish other than 153.
Well, one is easy to count, but I'm sure that the avid fisherman
will tell you you always weigh it.
In fact, I think most of them have that scale in the tackle
(01:07):
box. I've always wondered why John
gives us the fish count. Well, in non fish related news,
we're wrapping this year with a look at how to glorify God.
How to glorify God and this end of John's gospel is a powerful
way to end the year all. Right.
Let's get to it, John, Chapter 21.
We're going to look specificallyat verses 15 through 19.
(01:28):
Here's Josh. Well.
We're looking this morning at John's Gospel.
John's Gospel was the focus on Advent series when we consider
John's prologue. Now we come to the other end of
John's gospel, the epilogue, andin that we will find a dialogue
between Jesus and Peter. Jesus asked Peter three times
(01:49):
whether he loves him and Peter replies 3 times that he does.
And each time Peter is given a specific instruction by Jesus to
care for the church or the sheep.
The end of this interaction Jesus tells Peter that he will
die, and John, the author of theGospel, explains that Jesus
(02:10):
described the kind of death by which Peter would die for a
particular purpose, namely to give glory to God.
It's John chapter 21, reading from verses 15 to 19.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon
(02:30):
Peter, Simon son of John, do youlove me more than these?
He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
He said to him, Feed my lambs. 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.
(02:53):
He said to him, Tend my sheep. 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 Ilove you.
Jesus said to him, feed my sheeptruly, truly.
(03:16):
I say to you, when you were young you used to dress yourself
and walk wherever you wanted, but when you're old you will
stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry
you where you do not want to go.This he said to show by what
kind of death he was to glorify God.
And after saying this, he said to him, follow me.
(03:39):
So this passage then is showing us a sign that points to God's
glory. What is that sign?
One way to answer that question is to observe that dialogue
between Jesus and Peter. So here it is.
Here's what's going on. Jesus has appeared again to his
disciples after his resurrection.
(04:00):
Now he comes this time by the Sea of Tiberius.
We're told that is the Sea of Galilee.
He's gone back to Galilee. And they don't immediately
recognize him, do they? But when Jesus showed them how
to catch a miraculously large amount of fish, John recognized
Jesus and told Peter, look, it'sthe Lord.
(04:21):
And Peter, wonderfully, exuberantly expressive as ever,
Peter immediately jumps into thewater.
He reaches Jesus first. Peter then, on Jesus
instructions, drags the bulging net of fish ashore.
(04:43):
And John tells us in his Gospel that there was specifically 153
fish. Some have speculated as to
whether this number has, you know, a numerological and
mystical meaning. But in all likelihood, we are
told that there were 153 fish because that is how many there
were. They were fishermen.
(05:05):
You can imagine that, can't you?Sort of counting them out going
1020150153. We've got to write that down in
our log book. You know, then they have
breakfast together with Jesus, surely the best breakfast a man
has ever eaten. And Jesus performs his
(05:26):
characteristic tendency at meal time, breaking bread and sharing
it out and then doing the same with the fish.
So now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after
he was raised from the dead. And so they eat together, and
when they're finished, Jesus, inthat sort of comfortable lull,
(05:49):
after a good breakfast, after a hard morning's work, he sort of
leans across to Peter. And he asked Peter what was
plainly intended to be a sort ofmeaningful question.
Peter, do you love me more than these?
Now it's unclear whether Jesus means more than the other
(06:11):
disciples, perhaps, or whether Peter's being asked if he loves
Jesus more than his career as a fisherman.
Either way, Jesus is asking Peter whether his adoration for
Jesus is more to him than anything else.
Peter answers that Jesus knows that he loves him and this
(06:36):
interaction happens three times with minor variations in the
language. The variations not due to any
deep hidden meaning, but for stylistic reasons, a variety of
form in the reported dialogue. To make it more interesting as
we read it, it's important thoseof us who have some Greek and
are familiar with the Greek words for love agape and filios
(06:57):
to remember that those two wordsare not always used as the
special spiritual love agape on the one hand or the more normal
human friendly love phileos on the other.
The the words in Greek have a wider semantic range in that
agape can also be used for simple friendly human love and
phileos can also be used for thelove of God.
For instance, Jesus love is described by the Greek word
(07:18):
phileos in John 11 verse 3 and agape is used of love for this
present evil world in two Timothy 4 verse 10.
Now the point of the repetition is that Peter needed to hear it
three times, perhaps in replacement for the three times
he had denied Christ. Perhaps because also Peter
(07:42):
needed to have emphasized what Jesus was instructing him to
feed and take care of his lambs and his sheep, that is, to take
care of the church. See Peter, in all his
interactions that we come acrossin the Bible, he appears as a
personality. He rushed into things, doesn't
he? He doesn't wait for long
consideration. He he quickly jumps out of the
(08:05):
boat to greet Jesus without hesitation.
He said he would never deny Jesus.
A little later in the Bible, he he grasps very fast the idea
that the Gentiles were to be included into the church and the
ritual food rules were not to bea barrier to table fellowship in
God's new community of every tribe and nation.
Peter is someone who's quick on the uptake and he's liable to
(08:28):
jump and an opportunity. This is a strength, but it also
means that sometimes, perhaps his convictions were not as long
lasting as they should have been.
And so when faced with the temptation to deny Jesus or to
retreat before people who criticized him for eating with
those who are not ceremonially clean, there wasn't yet
(08:51):
sufficient of that resolve. That can really only come from
deliberation and reflection and then decision.
So perhaps Jesus was asking him three times so that three times
Peter could hear himself respond, and three times Peter
could hear Jesus specifically instruct him personally to take
(09:12):
care for the church. Peter, perhaps was the kind of
person who just needed to hear that not once, but twice, but
thrice. That said, though, this three
time repeat of refrain may be simply a device of repetition to
drive the point deep into Peter's mind.
(09:32):
The echo of Peter's denial must have been present for Peter
three times. And so each denial of Jesus is
rewritten now, not with a simpleforgiveness.
So that's there. They're now in fellowship
together. He's forgiven, he's at the meal
(09:53):
table, they're eating together. But now also with a restitution
that is an opportunity to start again, a a restoration to serve.
Another possible echo from this passage coming up momentarily,
but first, a quick reminder thatyour support is how we continue
(10:17):
creating programs here at the Gods Centered Life.
And you can take care of jumpingin and being a part of the team
by going to godcenteredlife.org.There's a donate tab there.
We'll thank you in advance. Back into John chapter 21.
For the time being, though, here's Josh.
There's the one other echo that I think we need to have
(10:39):
reverberating in our minds as weconsider the meaning of this
passage, and that is the echo ofthe nature of the Good Shepherd.
See, John in his Gospel has already told us that the Good
Shepherd is the one who lays down his life for the sheep.
The Good Shepherd does not run away when there's a threat to
the church. The Good Shepherd is someone who
(11:01):
self sacrifices for the sake of the sheep, while Jesus is that
Good Shepherd who gave up his life for the church.
Well now Peter is being told that he too will lay down his
life for the church, and in thisregard he is also a sign that
(11:26):
points to the glory of God. So I believe then that this
passage is intended to teach us the following.
Self sacrificial care for the church is a sign that glorifies
God. Now, if if I'm right in seeing
that that's the the main thrust this passage, what we're meant
(11:48):
to learn and reflect upon and and feel and think and have our
hearts or our affections orientated towards.
And if I'm right that this self sacrificial care for the church
is a sign that glorifies God is what this passage is teaching
you, you and me. Well then it raises a number of
questions, doesn't it does for me and I suspect it does for
(12:09):
you. Number one will be this.
Is this really practically the case?
Is it actually the case that people who give up their own
self-interest, the sake of caring for the church, are those
who have the best life and thosewho most glorify God?
Is this the highest, most fulfilling life giving yourself
(12:33):
for the church? That's an important question to
ask, isn't it? Because just about everything in
our society today would tell us quite the contrary.
Today society tells us that the kind of life that we are to see,
the kind of life that is in John's language most glorious,
is the life of self fulfilment. In 2005, Steve Jobs told a
(13:01):
graduating class at Stanford University that the most
important thing to remember in their lives was to follow their
intuition and their dreams. That's it.
Follow your dreams. Well, of course this is the
standard message that everyone is preaching today in media, in
(13:24):
society. We are told, you and I are told
over and over again, that life is in John's terms, most
glorious. When we find what we really
want, what our true dream is, and we fulfil that, well along
comes Jesus. He says something rather
(13:47):
different. True self fulfilment can only
come as you follow the life pattern of Jesus, which is
giving your life for God's people, for the church.
Well, these are quite contradictory visions of life,
aren't they? And they cannot both be true.
We must decide which is true andthen oriented our lives around
(14:08):
1:00 or other vision, Jesus's orthe rebirth of the Pagan world
which is taking place in our owncurrent society today.
We also need to see one other aspect of how countercultural
this is. This message here that I think
is present in this passage, not just present is the message of
the passage, how counterculture it is not just sort of in
(14:31):
secular society, but in the whole subculture of
evangelicalism and Christianity in our own life right now.
See, this is not only counterculture because it's
telling us the highest and best life is the life like Jesus's
that gives you a life of someoneelse.
It's specifically for that purpose for the church.
(14:52):
Well, that's the last thing thatmuch of contemporary
Christianity would tell us is what we should be giving our
lives for the church. It's far more common in
Christian circles. Even if you're not a Christian
here today, this may surprise you, but you talk to your
Christian friends and they will tell you it's true.
It's far more common to hear thejoke that church would be great
(15:13):
if it were not for the people, than to hear anecdotes from the
past of our forebears who knew far better.
For instance, famous missionary William Carey, when he heard
that his son had been made an ambassador, said this.
My son is shrivelled from a missionary into an ambassador.
(15:41):
Well, what is the answer to the question whether self
sacrificial care for the church as a sign that glorifies God is
really ultimately fulfilling in the best life possible?
I think the answer, let me be very frank with you.
I've wrestled with this this week.
All of my adult life has been around giving myself for God's
(16:03):
people. I mean, I'm a Sinner too, by the
way, in case you didn't know. But this is what I've tried to
orientate my life around. Is it really true what Jesus is
saying here? And I think the answer is a
right understanding of glory. It's a sign that glorifies God.
You see, you and I, when we're really honest with each other,
(16:24):
we think of glory as approval from other people, don't we?
Status being on the podium of the Olympic Games or whatever
the equivalent would be in business life or even church
life. But by that Jesus, Ashley is
(16:48):
saying in John's Gospel that kind of glory status, approval
from other people. Well, that's seeking glory from
people rather than seeking gloryfrom God.
He puts a contrast there. See when Jesus here says to
Peter that by self sacrificial care for the church, he will
glorify God, he then what does he then immediately say, can you
(17:09):
see what comes right after it? Follow me.
That's not by accident. See, glory in John's gospel is
the glory of Jesus. It's first revealed when Jesus
changed water into wine. He did this and so revealed his
glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
(17:32):
He revealed his glory. The glory is the glory of Jesus,
the glory that Jesus had with the Father from the beginning as
we considered when we look to the prologue, the glory that was
displayed when God glorified Jesus at the hour of his passion
and the hour as John describes it, his death, resurrection and
ascension to glory. So here the glory of God that
(17:55):
Peter is promised. He's the motivation Eve like
Jesus, he gives himself. He self sacrifices in his care
for the church. The glory of God that Peter has
promised if he self sacrificially cares for the
church is Jesus. That is what you get.
(18:16):
You know, you say what's in it for me?
That's what you get when you self sacrifice for the church.
You, you follow Jesus. That's what Jesus did.
He gave his life for the sheep like a Good Shepherd, not
running away, but sacrificing himself for them.
Peter is do the same and in doing so we'll glorify God and
now we'll follow Jesus. What Peter gets by self
(18:42):
sacrificial care for the church is Jesus.
That is glory. It is Jesus himself that is your
glory. If you self sacrifice, you care
for the church. It's the person of Jesus.
I don't just mean, you know, thefour spiritual laws or, or the
(19:02):
sinner's prayer or something. I mean encountering Jesus,
knowing Jesus, Jesus as he's revealed in John's gospel as the
creator of war, the Logos. You get Jesus, you will know
(19:23):
Jesus. You'll be close to Jesus.
You will experience Jesus by hisSpirit.
It's not just pie in the sky, it's now you will follow Jesus,
(19:48):
the secret of God, the Old Testament says with those that
fear him, Psalm 25 verse 14. And that secret is Jesus.
When you self sacrifice for the church, like Jesus died for the
church, then you're following Jesus.
And the glory of God that you get is Jesus himself.
You get Jesus. That's why you come to church.
(20:10):
That's why you attend church. That's why you serve in church.
That's why you give your time and your money and your talents
and your resources to church. Because you get the glory.
Because you get Jesus. In April 2012, Pastor Mario
(20:31):
Akidre, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity
pastor, was killed right in front of his wife in his own
house. And this, I think, is a
reputable account. I know sometimes these stories
are passed around the Internet and that kind of thing, but I
think this is a reptile account.My husband, she recalled,
staggered into our bedroom. And I was shocked because he was
(20:52):
full of blood. I brought him to the hospital
right away. I'm telling you the story
because I want you to understandthat this is reality both there
and here. I brought him to the hospital
right away. He was operating on for eight
bullet wounds but did not survive.
Right now, Christians are being killed for their care for the
(21:14):
church. Why are they doing it?
This December the 23rd, former Archbishop of Canterbury, George
Kerry wrote in the Telegraph that the persecution of
Christians means that ancient Christian communities predating
Islam on the verge of disappearing from the homelands
in the Middle East. Well, God is sovereign over all
that and there's a great missionenterprise going on the same
(21:35):
time. And many, many Muslims have been
converted. Nonetheless, people are dying.
Why are they giving their lives right now?
People are self sacrificing for the church because of the glory
(21:58):
that is knowing Jesus, having Jesus, following Jesus here and
for all eternity in depth and reality and power and passion,
life changing energy. Will you do the same?
(22:26):
Will you deliberately, consciously and immediately give
up of yourself for the sake of caring for the church and so
glorify God and thereby follow Jesus?
(22:47):
That's Josh Moody and this is the God centered life or
wrapping a year and that typically brings about a hope
for the future, a better year next year, but perhaps a better
Kingdom alignment would be to anticipate opportunities to
sacrifice for God's family. So much richer.
And what a what a Kingdom purpose we're offered to
sacrifice for something of greatsignificance.
(23:09):
God center of life. We are all about that, to get
the gospel out, to call people to center their lives upon God.
And as we come to this season, the God center of Life has a
goal so that we can continue to get the gospel far and wide.
And we're looking to all of us to do their part to make that
(23:30):
happen. And as the Lord's moving in your
heart, would you prayerfully consider making a contribution
to that end as we call people tocenter their lives upon God?
Thanks, Josh. An exciting year coming to a
close. We've seen our web traffic
experience significant growth. The name of our ministry has
come up in 6.75 million Google searches generating 125,000
(23:53):
clicks. We're seeing half of our web
traffic from outside the United States.
We're looking at the Philippines, Indonesia and China
featuring prominently. Daily devotional use has risen
60% this year, and our online broadcast podcast use has more
than doubled. We're excited about how God is
(24:13):
growing this ministry and very appreciative of each and
everyone of you who are partnering with us.
Next time we get together, we get some dating advice for you.
She tells Ruth exactly what to do.
Make sure you wash. It takes a mother to get away
with telling a young pretty thing to have a good bath before
you go on a date. I think put on some oil, the
(24:36):
perfumed oil, I think. Some really practical advice
from God's Word coming your way next time.
God Centered life.org is our hub, our website, and this is
your invitation to join us righthere next time we get together
for the God Centered Life with Josh Moody Weekend Edition.
John tells us in his Gospel thatthere was specifically 153 fish.
Some have speculated as to whether this number has a
numerological or mystical meaning, but in all likelihood
we are told that there were 153 fish because that is how many
there were. They were fishermen.
You can imagine there, can't you?
Sort of counting him outgoing 1020150153.
(00:23):
We've got to write that down in our logbook, you know.
Welcome to the God centered Lifewith Josh Moody.
Weekend edition John Chapter 21.We're calling this study a New
Year's resolution. Josh Moody, a senior pastor of
College Church in Wheaton, IL. I'm Todd Misty.
Josh, have you ever gone fishingand counted the number of fish
(00:45):
that you pulled? In I'm not much for a fisherman.
I've been fishing a couple of times with my son who likes it
and I I was not very good, let'sput it like that, but we never
got I think above 1 fish other than 153.
Well, one is easy to count, but I'm sure that the avid fisherman
will tell you you always weigh it.
In fact, I think most of them have that scale in the tackle
(01:07):
box. I've always wondered why John
gives us the fish count. Well, in non fish related news,
we're wrapping this year with a look at how to glorify God.
How to glorify God and this end of John's gospel is a powerful
way to end the year all. Right.
Let's get to it, John, Chapter 21.
We're going to look specificallyat verses 15 through 19.
(01:28):
Here's Josh. Well.
We're looking this morning at John's Gospel.
John's Gospel was the focus on Advent series when we consider
John's prologue. Now we come to the other end of
John's gospel, the epilogue, andin that we will find a dialogue
between Jesus and Peter. Jesus asked Peter three times
(01:49):
whether he loves him and Peter replies 3 times that he does.
And each time Peter is given a specific instruction by Jesus to
care for the church or the sheep.
The end of this interaction Jesus tells Peter that he will
die, and John, the author of theGospel, explains that Jesus
(02:10):
described the kind of death by which Peter would die for a
particular purpose, namely to give glory to God.
It's John chapter 21, reading from verses 15 to 19.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon
(02:30):
Peter, Simon son of John, do youlove me more than these?
He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
He said to him, Feed my lambs. 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.
(02:53):
He said to him, Tend my sheep. 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 Ilove you.
Jesus said to him, feed my sheeptruly, truly.
(03:16):
I say to you, when you were young you used to dress yourself
and walk wherever you wanted, but when you're old you will
stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry
you where you do not want to go.This he said to show by what
kind of death he was to glorify God.
And after saying this, he said to him, follow me.
(03:39):
So this passage then is showing us a sign that points to God's
glory. What is that sign?
One way to answer that question is to observe that dialogue
between Jesus and Peter. So here it is.
Here's what's going on. Jesus has appeared again to his
disciples after his resurrection.
(04:00):
Now he comes this time by the Sea of Tiberius.
We're told that is the Sea of Galilee.
He's gone back to Galilee. And they don't immediately
recognize him, do they? But when Jesus showed them how
to catch a miraculously large amount of fish, John recognized
Jesus and told Peter, look, it'sthe Lord.
(04:21):
And Peter, wonderfully, exuberantly expressive as ever,
Peter immediately jumps into thewater.
He reaches Jesus first. Peter then, on Jesus
instructions, drags the bulging net of fish ashore.
(04:43):
And John tells us in his Gospel that there was specifically 153
fish. Some have speculated as to
whether this number has, you know, a numerological and
mystical meaning. But in all likelihood, we are
told that there were 153 fish because that is how many there
were. They were fishermen.
(05:05):
You can imagine that, can't you?Sort of counting them out going
1020150153. We've got to write that down in
our log book. You know, then they have
breakfast together with Jesus, surely the best breakfast a man
has ever eaten. And Jesus performs his
(05:26):
characteristic tendency at meal time, breaking bread and sharing
it out and then doing the same with the fish.
So now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after
he was raised from the dead. And so they eat together, and
when they're finished, Jesus, inthat sort of comfortable lull,
(05:49):
after a good breakfast, after a hard morning's work, he sort of
leans across to Peter. And he asked Peter what was
plainly intended to be a sort ofmeaningful question.
Peter, do you love me more than these?
Now it's unclear whether Jesus means more than the other
(06:11):
disciples, perhaps, or whether Peter's being asked if he loves
Jesus more than his career as a fisherman.
Either way, Jesus is asking Peter whether his adoration for
Jesus is more to him than anything else.
Peter answers that Jesus knows that he loves him and this
(06:36):
interaction happens three times with minor variations in the
language. The variations not due to any
deep hidden meaning, but for stylistic reasons, a variety of
form in the reported dialogue. To make it more interesting as
we read it, it's important thoseof us who have some Greek and
are familiar with the Greek words for love agape and filios
(06:57):
to remember that those two wordsare not always used as the
special spiritual love agape on the one hand or the more normal
human friendly love phileos on the other.
The the words in Greek have a wider semantic range in that
agape can also be used for simple friendly human love and
phileos can also be used for thelove of God.
For instance, Jesus love is described by the Greek word
(07:18):
phileos in John 11 verse 3 and agape is used of love for this
present evil world in two Timothy 4 verse 10.
Now the point of the repetition is that Peter needed to hear it
three times, perhaps in replacement for the three times
he had denied Christ. Perhaps because also Peter
(07:42):
needed to have emphasized what Jesus was instructing him to
feed and take care of his lambs and his sheep, that is, to take
care of the church. See Peter, in all his
interactions that we come acrossin the Bible, he appears as a
personality. He rushed into things, doesn't
he? He doesn't wait for long
consideration. He he quickly jumps out of the
(08:05):
boat to greet Jesus without hesitation.
He said he would never deny Jesus.
A little later in the Bible, he he grasps very fast the idea
that the Gentiles were to be included into the church and the
ritual food rules were not to bea barrier to table fellowship in
God's new community of every tribe and nation.
Peter is someone who's quick on the uptake and he's liable to
(08:28):
jump and an opportunity. This is a strength, but it also
means that sometimes, perhaps his convictions were not as long
lasting as they should have been.
And so when faced with the temptation to deny Jesus or to
retreat before people who criticized him for eating with
those who are not ceremonially clean, there wasn't yet
(08:51):
sufficient of that resolve. That can really only come from
deliberation and reflection and then decision.
So perhaps Jesus was asking him three times so that three times
Peter could hear himself respond, and three times Peter
could hear Jesus specifically instruct him personally to take
(09:12):
care for the church. Peter, perhaps was the kind of
person who just needed to hear that not once, but twice, but
thrice. That said, though, this three
time repeat of refrain may be simply a device of repetition to
drive the point deep into Peter's mind.
(09:32):
The echo of Peter's denial must have been present for Peter
three times. And so each denial of Jesus is
rewritten now, not with a simpleforgiveness.
So that's there. They're now in fellowship
together. He's forgiven, he's at the meal
(09:53):
table, they're eating together. But now also with a restitution
that is an opportunity to start again, a a restoration to serve.
Another possible echo from this passage coming up momentarily,
but first, a quick reminder thatyour support is how we continue
(10:17):
creating programs here at the Gods Centered Life.
And you can take care of jumpingin and being a part of the team
by going to godcenteredlife.org.There's a donate tab there.
We'll thank you in advance. Back into John chapter 21.
For the time being, though, here's Josh.
There's the one other echo that I think we need to have
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reverberating in our minds as weconsider the meaning of this
passage, and that is the echo ofthe nature of the Good Shepherd.
See, John in his Gospel has already told us that the Good
Shepherd is the one who lays down his life for the sheep.
The Good Shepherd does not run away when there's a threat to
the church. The Good Shepherd is someone who
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self sacrifices for the sake of the sheep, while Jesus is that
Good Shepherd who gave up his life for the church.
Well now Peter is being told that he too will lay down his
life for the church, and in thisregard he is also a sign that
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points to the glory of God. So I believe then that this
passage is intended to teach us the following.
Self sacrificial care for the church is a sign that glorifies
God. Now, if if I'm right in seeing
that that's the the main thrust this passage, what we're meant
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to learn and reflect upon and and feel and think and have our
hearts or our affections orientated towards.
And if I'm right that this self sacrificial care for the church
is a sign that glorifies God is what this passage is teaching
you, you and me. Well then it raises a number of
questions, doesn't it does for me and I suspect it does for
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you. Number one will be this.
Is this really practically the case?
Is it actually the case that people who give up their own
self-interest, the sake of caring for the church, are those
who have the best life and thosewho most glorify God?
Is this the highest, most fulfilling life giving yourself
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for the church? That's an important question to
ask, isn't it? Because just about everything in
our society today would tell us quite the contrary.
Today society tells us that the kind of life that we are to see,
the kind of life that is in John's language most glorious,
is the life of self fulfilment. In 2005, Steve Jobs told a
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graduating class at Stanford University that the most
important thing to remember in their lives was to follow their
intuition and their dreams. That's it.
Follow your dreams. Well, of course this is the
standard message that everyone is preaching today in media, in
(13:24):
society. We are told, you and I are told
over and over again, that life is in John's terms, most
glorious. When we find what we really
want, what our true dream is, and we fulfil that, well along
comes Jesus. He says something rather
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different. True self fulfilment can only
come as you follow the life pattern of Jesus, which is
giving your life for God's people, for the church.
Well, these are quite contradictory visions of life,
aren't they? And they cannot both be true.
We must decide which is true andthen oriented our lives around
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1:00 or other vision, Jesus's orthe rebirth of the Pagan world
which is taking place in our owncurrent society today.
We also need to see one other aspect of how countercultural
this is. This message here that I think
is present in this passage, not just present is the message of
the passage, how counterculture it is not just sort of in
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secular society, but in the whole subculture of
evangelicalism and Christianity in our own life right now.
See, this is not only counterculture because it's
telling us the highest and best life is the life like Jesus's
that gives you a life of someoneelse.
It's specifically for that purpose for the church.
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Well, that's the last thing thatmuch of contemporary
Christianity would tell us is what we should be giving our
lives for the church. It's far more common in
Christian circles. Even if you're not a Christian
here today, this may surprise you, but you talk to your
Christian friends and they will tell you it's true.
It's far more common to hear thejoke that church would be great
(15:13):
if it were not for the people, than to hear anecdotes from the
past of our forebears who knew far better.
For instance, famous missionary William Carey, when he heard
that his son had been made an ambassador, said this.
My son is shrivelled from a missionary into an ambassador.
(15:41):
Well, what is the answer to the question whether self
sacrificial care for the church as a sign that glorifies God is
really ultimately fulfilling in the best life possible?
I think the answer, let me be very frank with you.
I've wrestled with this this week.
All of my adult life has been around giving myself for God's
(16:03):
people. I mean, I'm a Sinner too, by the
way, in case you didn't know. But this is what I've tried to
orientate my life around. Is it really true what Jesus is
saying here? And I think the answer is a
right understanding of glory. It's a sign that glorifies God.
You see, you and I, when we're really honest with each other,
(16:24):
we think of glory as approval from other people, don't we?
Status being on the podium of the Olympic Games or whatever
the equivalent would be in business life or even church
life. But by that Jesus, Ashley is
(16:48):
saying in John's Gospel that kind of glory status, approval
from other people. Well, that's seeking glory from
people rather than seeking gloryfrom God.
He puts a contrast there. See when Jesus here says to
Peter that by self sacrificial care for the church, he will
glorify God, he then what does he then immediately say, can you
(17:09):
see what comes right after it? Follow me.
That's not by accident. See, glory in John's gospel is
the glory of Jesus. It's first revealed when Jesus
changed water into wine. He did this and so revealed his
glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
(17:32):
He revealed his glory. The glory is the glory of Jesus,
the glory that Jesus had with the Father from the beginning as
we considered when we look to the prologue, the glory that was
displayed when God glorified Jesus at the hour of his passion
and the hour as John describes it, his death, resurrection and
ascension to glory. So here the glory of God that
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Peter is promised. He's the motivation Eve like
Jesus, he gives himself. He self sacrifices in his care
for the church. The glory of God that Peter has
promised if he self sacrificially cares for the
church is Jesus. That is what you get.
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You know, you say what's in it for me?
That's what you get when you self sacrifice for the church.
You, you follow Jesus. That's what Jesus did.
He gave his life for the sheep like a Good Shepherd, not
running away, but sacrificing himself for them.
Peter is do the same and in doing so we'll glorify God and
now we'll follow Jesus. What Peter gets by self
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sacrificial care for the church is Jesus.
That is glory. It is Jesus himself that is your
glory. If you self sacrifice, you care
for the church. It's the person of Jesus.
I don't just mean, you know, thefour spiritual laws or, or the
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sinner's prayer or something. I mean encountering Jesus,
knowing Jesus, Jesus as he's revealed in John's gospel as the
creator of war, the Logos. You get Jesus, you will know
(19:23):
Jesus. You'll be close to Jesus.
You will experience Jesus by hisSpirit.
It's not just pie in the sky, it's now you will follow Jesus,
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the secret of God, the Old Testament says with those that
fear him, Psalm 25 verse 14. And that secret is Jesus.
When you self sacrifice for the church, like Jesus died for the
church, then you're following Jesus.
And the glory of God that you get is Jesus himself.
You get Jesus. That's why you come to church.
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That's why you attend church. That's why you serve in church.
That's why you give your time and your money and your talents
and your resources to church. Because you get the glory.
Because you get Jesus. In April 2012, Pastor Mario
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Akidre, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity
pastor, was killed right in front of his wife in his own
house. And this, I think, is a
reputable account. I know sometimes these stories
are passed around the Internet and that kind of thing, but I
think this is a reptile account.My husband, she recalled,
staggered into our bedroom. And I was shocked because he was
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full of blood. I brought him to the hospital
right away. I'm telling you the story
because I want you to understandthat this is reality both there
and here. I brought him to the hospital
right away. He was operating on for eight
bullet wounds but did not survive.
Right now, Christians are being killed for their care for the
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church. Why are they doing it?
This December the 23rd, former Archbishop of Canterbury, George
Kerry wrote in the Telegraph that the persecution of
Christians means that ancient Christian communities predating
Islam on the verge of disappearing from the homelands
in the Middle East. Well, God is sovereign over all
that and there's a great missionenterprise going on the same
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time. And many, many Muslims have been
converted. Nonetheless, people are dying.
Why are they giving their lives right now?
People are self sacrificing for the church because of the glory
(21:58):
that is knowing Jesus, having Jesus, following Jesus here and
for all eternity in depth and reality and power and passion,
life changing energy. Will you do the same?
(22:26):
Will you deliberately, consciously and immediately give
up of yourself for the sake of caring for the church and so
glorify God and thereby follow Jesus?
(22:47):
That's Josh Moody and this is the God centered life or
wrapping a year and that typically brings about a hope
for the future, a better year next year, but perhaps a better
Kingdom alignment would be to anticipate opportunities to
sacrifice for God's family. So much richer.
And what a what a Kingdom purpose we're offered to
sacrifice for something of greatsignificance.
(23:09):
God center of life. We are all about that, to get
the gospel out, to call people to center their lives upon God.
And as we come to this season, the God center of Life has a
goal so that we can continue to get the gospel far and wide.
And we're looking to all of us to do their part to make that
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happen. And as the Lord's moving in your
heart, would you prayerfully consider making a contribution
to that end as we call people tocenter their lives upon God?
Thanks, Josh. An exciting year coming to a
close. We've seen our web traffic
experience significant growth. The name of our ministry has
come up in 6.75 million Google searches generating 125,000
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clicks. We're seeing half of our web
traffic from outside the United States.
We're looking at the Philippines, Indonesia and China
featuring prominently. Daily devotional use has risen
60% this year, and our online broadcast podcast use has more
than doubled. We're excited about how God is
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growing this ministry and very appreciative of each and
everyone of you who are partnering with us.
Next time we get together, we get some dating advice for you.
She tells Ruth exactly what to do.
Make sure you wash. It takes a mother to get away
with telling a young pretty thing to have a good bath before
you go on a date. I think put on some oil, the
(24:36):
perfumed oil, I think. Some really practical advice
from God's Word coming your way next time.
God Centered life.org is our hub, our website, and this is
your invitation to join us righthere next time we get together
for the God Centered Life with Josh Moody Weekend Edition.
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