Daejeon Onnuri English Ministry: John 21

Showing posts with label John 21. Show all posts

September 4, 2023

Sep 3, 2023 “Growing Deeper in the Love of God”(John 21:15-19, Ephesians 3:14-19)

John 21:15-19 English Standard Version

Jesus and Peter

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.”

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.”

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.

18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

19 (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.”

Ephesians 3:14-19 English Standard Version

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named,

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Growing Deeper in the Love of God

John 21:15-19, Ephesians 3:14-19

The real question is, "How much do you love God," and not "How much does God love you?" This is seen in John 21 when Jesus asks Peter three times "Do you love me?"

After Jesus dies, his apostles leave him and go back to their lives. They are casting their nets and catch nothing. Jesus tells them to cast their nets on the other side and they catch many fish. Then they know this is Jesus. Did they live for Jesus because he provided for them or they loved him unconditionally?

Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three times and Peter tells him he does. Jesus does not want a verbal confession, but a true confession of love. Jesus pushed Peter to think about what the love for Jesus. Love comes with an action. If you do not act your love with Jesus, you do not love him.

1. Spend time with Jesus. How much time do you spend with Jesus in prayer, Bible study and meditation. We create time for the people we love. Jesus wants quality time from you.

2. Obeying Jesus' words. It is not enough to say you work for Jesus; you must obey Jesus.

3. Serving Jesus' children. We serve others because we love Jesus.

The breadth and length and height and depth of the love of God is different for all

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:27 ESV

All your soul

All your heart

All your strength

All your mind

This is a hard order to follow but it is necessary. It takes time, but it can be done. However, we may ask why we should do this.

1. You are known and recognized by God, and this is done by your love for God.

If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3 ESV

God loves everyone but he favors us differently. The more we love God, the more God will know you.

Knowing God is not enough. It is a privilege to be known by God. If we love God deeply enough, God will know us.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 ESV

If God knows us, He works for us. If something bad happens to us and we still love God, it is not a problem. God will use our trauma to bring us closer to him. The disaster comes to bring us good.

Our love for God preserves us from Evil and the Evil One. When we love God, we hate evil.

Thank You Jesus For The Blood 감사해요 주님의 보혈

April 9, 2023

"Resurrection for Us"(Matthew 28:8-20, John 21:15-19)

After Jesus was resurrected, he went to his disciples. He did not go to the Pharisees or Pilate to show that they were wrong, or he was the resurrected God. Instead, he goes to his loved ones.

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Matthew 28:9-10 ESV

Soldiers always go to their families and loved ones when they return from duty. They want to spend time with people who matter after all their suffering.

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

Acts 2:33 ESV

The reason Jesus ascended to heaven was to be with all of us always. We are His beloved disciples.

Yet, who are these disciples? These were the same people who abandoned Jesus. Peter even denied Jesus three times before running away. What was the response of these undeserving disciples? They came back to Jesus.

Judas was the only disciple who did not come to see Jesus after his Resurrection. Some scholars speculate Judas was trying to get hope from his own ability. The other disciples put their hope in Jesus. This is what kept them going.

Jesus goes back to the place, Galilee where the disciples first meet Jesus and started to follow Him. We, too, need to go back to the place where we first met Christ.

Come back to Jesus who always there for us and lay down our ego and sinfulness so that we can die on the cross and to live the resurrected life through His resurrection.

Jesus also wanted to allow His disciples to be healed and be prepared to serve Jesus.

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.” 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.” 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are 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.”

John 21:15-19 ESV

Peter was confident that he would never betray Jesus and yet he did this three times during Jesus’ most desperate time. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Jesus. He gives Peter the opportunity to lay down everything before God and accept that he cannot do anything on his own. The death that Peter will die is death on the cross.

But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matt 12:48-50 ESV

Jesus treated Peter as His brother because Jesus was giving Peter the same ministry He did on earth.

During Easter, we must remember that Jesus died on the cross so we could deny ourselves like Christ did on the cross. This is not just Peter's story. It is our story. We need to think how we can live our life for Jesus. Accept we are weak, but Christ is strong. Jesus will be our strength to overcome and lead us to the cross and make us live the new resurrected life with Him.