“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.” | John 21: 15
On the night before His crucifixion the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night.” (Matthew 26: 21)
Peter with pride and arrogance spoke up and said, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” (Matthew 26: 23)
Before the rooster crowed the next morning, Peter had denied the Lord three times. Now we fast-forward to the shores of Tiberias, after the Lord’s resurrection, and the Lord asks Peter this solemn, soul-searching question. “Lovest thou me more than these?” (Meaning more than the other disciples that were there also.) In lieu of Peter’s past failure and fall, this time he is not so quick to arrogantly answer.
The enlightened sinner that trusts alone in Christ has been taught not trust in their own heart, but to simply trust in the Searcher of all hearts to decide.
Peter now rested his love and faithfulness upon the omniscience of His Savior and said, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.”
Oftentimes, we, the sinners that we are, feel the need to boast of our love and faithfulness to Christ, when the only thing we have to boast in is Christ’s love and faithfulness to us.
If we ever feel that our love for Christ is in question, by ourselves or others, may we resist the selfish need to defend ourselves and learn to answer as Peter did and claim, “My Lord, knows all things; He knows that I love Him.”
~ Pastor David Eddmenson
Click here to listen to the message “Thus It Must Be”
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Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 26 September, 2021 | Previous post date: n/a