I. Introduction

A. You know what one of the truths about human nature I’ve learned from raising kids is? Our tendency to play the blame game. When one of my boys does something they tend to ask what I’m going to do about the other one. They’re no different than any of the rest of us. Whenever God tries to speak to us and get us to do something we’re uncomfortable with, we always first think of someone else and say to God, “What about him? What about her? Why aren’t you picking on them instead?” Peter was exactly the same way, even after Christ’s resurrection, as we’ll see in today’s passage.

B. Here’s the set-up. Jesus had been crucified and had risen from the grave. He had appeared alive and well to the disciples in Jerusalem, and then they followed the instructions He gave before His death to go to Galilee. The problem was that they were supposed to wait for Him on a mountain there, but instead they had gone back to their old life of fishing. Jesus shows up on the beach, they finally recognize Him and head to shore, where Jesus has breakfast fixed for them. We pick up the story in John 21:15-23, and I’m reading from the NIV.

C. John 21:15-23 from the NIV – (NEW SLIDE) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” (NEW SLIDE) “Yes,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” (NEW SLIDE) He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” (NEW SLIDE) Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. (NEW SLIDE) 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (NEW SLIDE) 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (NEW SLIDE) 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) (NEW SLIDE) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (NEW SLIDE) 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive, what is that to you?”

II. What We Focus on Determines What We Do

A. Peter faced a dilemma. Jesus was asking him if he loved Him. But more importantly, Jesus was asking Peter if he loved Him on Jesus’ terms. Peter was focused on his own terms. How do we know that? Because of the different words Jesus and Peter use for love. Let me explain.

B. The first two times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, Jesus uses the word “agape.” (NEW SLIDE) Agape love is the kind of love that Jesus Himself lived. It is self-sacrificing love, love that costs us everything we are and everything we have. Jesus is asking Peter, “Do you love me enough to sacrifice everything you have and are for Me and My cause?” That’s the same question Jesus is asking us today. Do we love Jesus enough to sacrifice everything we have and are for Him and His cause? Food for thought.

C. Now note the contrast between the word Jesus uses and the word Peter uses. When Peter answers Jesus all three times, he uses the word “phileo”. (NEW SLIDE) Phileo is an affectionate, brotherly type of love. It’s comfortable, and it makes you feel good. Peter is saying to Jesus, “Yes, I’m Your friend. You can count on me, buddy.” Jesus asks Peter to sacrifice everything, and Peter answers that he is Jesus’ bud. That’s the same way we tend to answer Jesus when He calls on us. We want a Savior and a bud, but not necessarily a Lord Who’s going to demand everything from us for our own good.

D. Jesus changes tactics the third time. He uses Peter’s word. He asks Peter, “Are you My bud?” Now that Peter thinks Jesus is finally getting it, he feels hurt that Jesus would ask again. Peter tells Jesus, “Hey, You know everything there is to know about me. You know how I feel about You.” That’s exactly the problem. Peter was still basing his relationship with Christ on feelings, instead of on the truth of Who Jesus is. Peter wanted this (SLIDE OF PUPPIES) – warm fuzzies – a nice, safe, feel-good relationship with Jesus. Jesus knew that the best thing in the world for Peter was not for Peter to run his own life. That’s why Jesus called for sacrifice in each of His responses to Peter. What Jesus wanted for Peter was this (SLIDE OF JESUS ON THE CROSS) – the cross – the sacrifice of everything Peter had and was to follow Jesus and serve Him alone. Martin Luther wrote, (NEW SLIDE) A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing (as cited on SermonCentral.com). Jesus knew that the best thing for Peter to do was to lose his life in Christ so that he could gain eternal life.

E.That’s the same dilemma we face today. We can think Jesus was a nice man or even a good God Who would never punish us for our sins and would never send anyone to hell. That’s the safe, warm-fuzzy position that Peter wanted so badly to hold on to. It might feel good, but it’s still wrong. That’s not what Jesus is calling us to. The Bible tells us that Jesus was not just a nice man or just a good God Who would never punish us for our sins and would never send anyone to hell. Jesus sacrificed too much for that! (NEW SLIDE) Jesus may have answered Peter using Peter’s own terms, but He did not accept Peter’s terms. Verse 18 – “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” That’s not a warm-fuzzy kind of statement. Jesus was telling Peter, “Look, I know you want the warm-fuzzies now, but reality is much, much different!” Jesus is telling us the exact same thing. Jesus may answer us on our terms, warm-fuzzy terms we can understand, but He does not accept our terms. He is Lord. But there’s hope for us, just like there was hope for Peter.

F. Peter did eventually get it. The first chapter of Acts shows a Peter who finally understood what Jesus was getting at. Much of the rest of the book of Acts and his letters show that Peter got it. And in about 64 A.D., Nero crucified Peter upside down, because Peter did not consider himself worthy to be killed in the same way that Jesus was.

G. Jesus said, “Follow me and sacrifice yourself,” and Peter eventually did. But during this walk on the beach, he still didn’t get it. In fact, he was so disturbed by what Jesus told him that Peter tried to deflect the attention from himself. Peter was so disturbed that he was saying, “Look, it would be very unfair for me to go through this stuff by myself, so what about John?” That’s who was following them on their beach stroll. Peter said, “Get off my back. What about him?” Peter used the default argument we use whenever God is asking us to do something we don’t want to do. We point at Christians who aren’t living the way we think they should. Or who aren’t doing the work in the church like we think they should. Or who don’t act like we think they should. (NEW SLIDE) We play the blame game in order to deflect attention off ourselves. We say, “God, it’s highly unfair for You to expect this from me, when so and so isn’t doing what they ought to be doing.”

H. Jesus wasn’t buying it. He told Peter, “What difference does it make what I want from John?” Jesus used a ridiculous argument to make His point. Peter turned it into a rumor. Yes, it was Peter who spread the rumor because Peter and John and Jesus were the only ones there, and John wasn’t going to spread it because nobody would have believed him! Another deflection ploy that we try all the time. (NEW SLIDE) We can’t get God to argue from our standpoint so we try to deflect the attention off ourselves by even more drastic measures. But Jesus said, “So what? You’ve got to follow me.” Jesus wasn’t buying it from Peter then, and He doesn’t buy it from us now. Jesus says, “Whether or not anybody else is walking in the way you think is right is really none of your business. You’ve got to follow me anyway.” (NEW SLIDE) Jesus is telling us that we’ve got to follow Him on His terms, not ours. And His terms tell us that we’ve got to sacrifice all we have and all we are to Him.

I. Illustration - In The Cost of Discipleship, Dieetrich Bonhoeffer wrote, The cross is laid on every Christian. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death–we give over our lives to death. The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die (as cited on SermonCentral.com). That’s the call Jesus made on Peter almost two thousand years ago, and it is the call He is making on us today.

J. What we focus on determines what we do. What we focus on also determines what we become. If we choose to be like Peter on the beach some two thousand years ago, we will focus our lives on trying to get by with warm-fuzzies, with trying to play it safe and pass around the blame rather than taking risks by obeying God. (NEW SLIDE) If we choose to answer Jesus’ call to love sacrificially with everything we have and are, then we will focus our lives on doing God’s will. We have a choice this Easter. We can choose to become all God created us to be by following Jesus in sacrificing ourselves for Him and His cause. Or we can choose to spend our lives deflecting the attention away from ourselves and saying, “What about him?” That’s a choice all of us has got to make.

III. How Do I Know If I’m Playing the Game?

A. So how do we know if we’re playing the game, if we’re deflecting attention instead of taking to heart what God is trying to tell us? How do we know if we’re not willing to sacrifice everything we are and have to Christ and His cause? Here are some questions we’ve got to ask ourselves.

B. (NEW SLIDE) First, is there any area in your life at all where you are disobedient to God? This could include things He’s told you to do and you’ve refused, or blatant sins or bad attitudes toward other people. If you are disobeying God in any area of your life at all, no matter how small or big, you’re trying to deflect attention and you’re not willing to sacrifice everything for Him.

C. (NEW SLIDE) Second, are there any people in your life you feel superior to, or more spiritual than, or more talented than, or jealous of? The way we think and act toward people is the way we think and act toward God. When we feel superior to others, or more spiritual than them, or more talented than them, or jealous of them, we’re really telling God that He makes junk, and that’s sin. Now wait a minute, you may argue, that’s not telling God He makes junk! When we have those kinds of attitudes, we’re saying that we’re special, that others are not, and therefore that God made a mistake in not making them as good or special as we are. You get the point? That’s sin, and sin is the only thing that can separate us from God. If you’ve got an attitude toward or about anybody, you’re playing the game and you’re not willing to sacrifice everything for Him.

D. (NEW SLIDE) Third, are you serving in the church where you regularly attend, using your spiritual gifts for God’s glory in the life of the church? You may be thinking, “What does that have to do with what we’re talking about?” When you refuse to use your spiritual gifts to serve in your church, you’re telling God, “What about him? What about her? They can do a much better job than I can, so I think I’ll pass!” That’s exactly what Peter was trying to do. If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, He has given you spiritual gifts to use in the ministry of the church. If you aren’t using them, you’re deflecting attention and you’re not willing to sacrifice everything for Him.

IV. How Can I Stop Playing the Game?

A. There are many other ways to tell if you’re deflecting attention and unwilling to sacrifice everything you are and have for Christ and His cause. The most basic way is to do a gut check. You know if you’re in obedience or not. So let’s say that you’ve been playing the blame game, and you want to stop. How do you stop it?

B. (NEW SLIDE) First, turn your back on and renounce all sin in your heart and life. It’s impossible to clearly hear the voice of God if you’re harboring sin. You’ve got to call your sin what it is, which is sin, make the choice to turn your back on it and to fight the temptation to sin that way again, confess it to God and ask for His forgiveness. Leaving known sin behind is the first step toward taking responsibility for God’s calling for you and walking in obedience.

C. (NEW SLIDE) Second, devote yourself to a daily time of prayer and Bible study. If you don’t have a regular time, I’d recommend starting out at ten minutes of prayer and five minutes of Bible study daily, then building from there. Write out a list of people and situations to pray about, and include your own obedience as well as God’s will for you in that list. Spending daily time with God in this way is another step toward taking responsibility for God’s calling for you and walking in obedience.

D. (NEW SLIDE) Third, humbly seek God’s will for you. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Ask Him how He wants you to serve Him. Ask Him if there is anything in your life that is keeping you from sacrificing everything for Him and His cause. And when He answers, obey Him. Make the choice to keep seeking His will and surrendering yourself in obedience to Him throughout your whole life. Remember: it only takes one time saying no to God to push you totally out of His will. It’s not worth the risk, for there is great freedom in being the person God created you to be and walking in obedience to His will.

E.Why is it so critical that we sacrifice everything we have and are for the sake of Christ and His cause? Because we will never become the people or the church God has for us to be, and we will never fulfill the vision He has for us to fulfill, if we don’t. (NEW SLIDE) God has great things in store for each one of us. He has great things in store for our church. Let’s make sure we don’t miss out on either one!

F. Illustration – Sir Rabindranath Tagore wrote, I have on my table a violin string. It is free. I twist one end of it and it responds. It is free. But it is not free to do what a violin string is supposed to do--to produce music. So I take it, fix it in my violin and tighten it until it is taut. Only then is it free to be a violin string (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Choosing to pass the blame only appears to give us freedom. True freedom is found in following Christ. True freedom is found in sacrificing ourselves for His sake. Martyred missionary Jim Elliott wrote, (NEW SLIDE) He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. What choice will we make this morning?

V. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. What has God been speaking to your heart this morning? What is that still small voice inside of you telling you? Let’s spend a few quiet moments listening to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts.

B. Again, what’s God been speaking to your heart? If you’ve sensed Him calling to your heart and telling you that you’ve got to surrender to Him and begin to love sacrificially with everything you have and are for the sake of His cause, now’s the time to respond. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and you’d like to start one today in response to His call, please pray after me, one line at a time, either in your heart or out loud. Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. Amen. If you prayed that prayer for the first time today, tell someone before you leave the church. And talk with me or John Alvin or Warren Cooper or Randy Manning and we’ll help you get off to a good start in your new relationship with Jesus Christ.

C. Now, for those who already have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you’re surrendering today to His call to love sacrificially and to stop naming your own terms and passing the blame, please raise your hand right now as a sign of that surrender. Remember that surrender is a choice. So if you’re surrendering to Jesus’ call to love and live on His terms, raise your hand right now as a sign of that surrender. Let’s pray.