Address—Jim Hyland
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Let's stand and sing #2 in the appendix and if someone will please start it.
Yes, my Love's on changing.
And.
Three call my heart.
To joy in all its brightness.
Love it deemed them part, yes.
More familiar, it's brighter.
Glorious.
Perfections.
Much better, should I know?
Discover.
If clouds have dimmed my.
Sight.
When past eternal lover.
RC answer The Art of Art Bright.
OK.
And Jesus.
Providing.
Still.
With it.
And if I.
Wander teach me soon back to.
The to play.
Gracious.
Favor.
Way to my soul be.
Myself shall crown.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are this afternoon for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank Thee for that great love that we have been brought into the sunshine of. We thank Thee that we enjoy that love now, and that we're going to enjoy it for all eternity unhindered. There in the Father's house. We thank thee now for this happy day we've been enjoying together. And as we have Thy word before us once again, we pray.
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That there might be that which would encourage us, edify it, build us up, whatever the need might be, stir us up. We do pray, speak to our consciences, touch our hearts. We pray that these things might be real and that they might get down into our feet and have a practical effect on our lives. So we ask by help and blessing, we pray that that will help us to stay alert and to take in what thou has to say to us. So we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory.
Have it on my heart this afternoon to really take up the same line of things that our brother Bruce brought before us yesterday afternoon, and that is to speak a little further concerning the love of God and the love of the Lord Jesus. It's a vast subject. It's the subject that we cannot exhaust here, and it's that which we will enjoy in a far deeper way when the hindrances are removed and we're safe home in the Father's house.
We're going to, in a little while, look at 5 expressions in the book of John and take them up in their context, their expression. They're an expression that we are all very familiar with, an expression that has been spoken on many times before. And that is the expression that John uses in connection with referring to himself in the last part of his gospel, the gospel. He was used to pen by inspiration, and that is the expression.
The disciple whom Jesus loved. But before we do that, I'd like to connect three other scriptures in the Gospel of John. The first one is in John's Gospel chapter 3.
Johns Gospel chapter 3.
And just the first clause of verse 35.
The father loveth the son. Now turn to the 17th chapter.
Chapter 17 and verse 23.
I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hath loved them as thou hast loved me. And then back in the 15th chapter.
Chapter 15 and verse 9 As the Father hath loved me.
So have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. And then one further verse again in the 15th chapter, this time the 12Th verse. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Well, we often speak of the love of God, the love of the Lord Jesus, And we often begin with ourselves, don't we? We often think of how God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
We often quote, and rightly so, the apostle Paul's words in Galatians, the Son of God, who loved me.
And gave himself for me and brother, that's wonderful young people. That's wonderful to be able to have in our souls an appreciation of the love of God in sending his Son for us and the Lord Jesus in coming and giving himself. I love to quote that verse. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me heard of a young couple and they had just got married and moved into a new home. And someone had given them for a wedding gift, that text, and they hung it in the front room of their home. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
And someone came in to do some business with them. And while they were out of the room, he was sitting there reading that verse over and over again to himself. And when they came back in the room, they said, no wonder you're happy if you really believe that. And we really do believe it. We can stand if we know Christ. We can stand with the apostle Paul and echo those glorious words, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. But I really believe that to understand and appreciate the love of God for for us.
And the love of the Lord Jesus. For us, we need to start with God and His Son, and that relationship between the Father and the Son that has existed for a past from a past eternity. And that's why I connected these verses in John's Gospel, because we find here where we started. It's not so much the Father's love for His children or the Lord's love for his own, but the Father loveth the Son.
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You have these this confirmation three times in John's Gospel. You have it in the 5th chapter, I believe it's verse 20. And you have it again in the 10th chapter. I believe you can look it up. I believe it's verse 17.
3 Confirmations as to the love of the Father. For the Son, Always think of the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus, the one who was daily the delight of the Father.
You know when it says he was, I was daily his delight. That's not referring exclusively to his incarnation. In fact, it takes us back if we read that portion in Proverbs. In its context, it takes us back to a past eternity. It's true that the sun was daily the delight of the Father as he walked here on earth and heaven would open up and a voice declare, this is my beloved Son.
In whom I am well pleased, there was an object in this world that finally commended the place, and the Father in all heaven delighted to look down at that blessed One walking here in this world in incarnation. But I say He was daily the delight of the Father from a past eternity. He was the love of the Father from a past eternity. And so the Father loveth the Son. Oh, think of this again, I say. It's hard to not begin with ourselves.
But to begin with this, because until we understand the love of the Father for the Son, we cannot have a real appreciation in our souls of his love for us. And so the Father loveth the Son. But then isn't it tremendous to go from that point to the 17th of John? And there we realize that as the Lord expressed it, the Father loves his own.
With the same love that He loves His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that tremendous to think about, brethren, to think of that love. You see, again, as I say, we can't appreciate His the Father's love for His children unless we understand in some measure the Father's love for his well beloved Son. Because the Lord Jesus will remain the only Begotten of the Father for all eternity. There's a special relationship.
So, Well, when we get to heaven, it's true we're all going to be as the children of God, like Christ, but we will never take the place of the only begotten of the Father, the one that he loved from a past eternity, but nevertheless the love that he is showered upon you and me. The love we're with the Father loves each of his children, is the same love that he has for his well beloved Son. Oh, just to stop and think about it.
I just offer offer you a little exercise that has been good for my own soul and that is to sometimes just get alone in the presence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus and let them love you. Not saying you pray you don't read your Bible. Yes, we do those things, of course, but just try it sometime. Just get a loan. Just sit quietly and have a sense of his presence and those everlasting arms that are about you. You know when there are two individual who love one another.
Sometimes they may go a long time without actually saying words. They may drive in their car together, they may sit in their home together, and there may not be necessarily words ex exchanged, but they just sit in the enjoyment of one another's presence, in the enjoyment of one another's love. And I believe that it's a good exercise for all of us to just sit down quietly and let the Father love us.
Enjoy the love.
Of the Lord Jesus. Because as we have in first in John chapter 15, we find that we are loved by the same love. First of all, that the Father loves the Son is the same love he has for His children. And the love that the Lord Jesus has for you and me is the same love. For with His love of His Father, it's no less love we are loved within it in with the intensity.
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Of a divine love. It's the same love that the Father has for the Son is the same love that the Son that and and has for his children is. The same love that the Lord Jesus loves each of His of His own. It's remarkable to realize that when you go back to the beginning of what we often refer to as the upper room ministry, we have a confirmation of the Lord's love for His own, for the disciples.
I know it's often been pointed out, but I'm going to take a moment.
To rehearse some scriptures in our ears once again that I trust will touch our hearts. They've touched mine. But it's often been pointed out that when you have in Scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, a confirmation of God's love or the love of the Lord Jesus, it's usually at a time when the people of God were going on poorly. Isn't that interesting? Lest we be mistaken and think that He only loves us.
When we're going on, Well, because divine love has been already pointed out in these meetings, well, it delights in a response from its object, and it does delight in a response. My son, give me thine heart. He wants that response.
But it's not dependent on it. Natural love, to a very large degree, is dependent on two things, something lovable in the object and a response from that object. How often have we seen a young man who showed some interest or affection to towards a young lady? And there was no response, And eventually those affections waned and perhaps they were directed somewhere else. But divine love is consistent in its outflow and its outpour. And so we find in the Old Testament the very thing we're Speaking of.
It's remarkable when you go to the history of the children of Israel. But it says, yeah, he loved all the people. That statement is not made at the beginning of the history of the children of Israel when they were singing people on the banks of the Red Sea. If it's said in the 15th chapter of Exodus, he loved all the people, you'd say, oh, I can understand that They were in the freshness of redemption and deliverance. They were a singing people rejoicing in what the Lord had done for them. Did he love them there? Of course he did. But at the end of the wilderness journey is when it says.
Yeah, he loved all the people. After those 40 years or so, was his love for them any less? And what kind of a people had they been? Why, every page of their history from the banks of the Red Sea on was stained with murmuring and complaining and fault finding and sin and the governmental hand of God upon them in one way or another. But I say he loved them just as intensely.
With the same love on the banks of the Jordan as he had loved them on the banks of the Red Sea. Then we come over a little further on in their history. We find that after they're in the land and established, there's further failure to such a degree that by the time Jeremiah comes on the scene, God has allowed in his governmental ways that the people of God to be taken captive. He has accused them of adultery because.
He had espoused them to himself, and they had divided affections. They'd gone after false gods, and it was a very serious thing. But did he love them any less than when they had crossed the the Red Sea or the Jordan? Not for one moment, he says in Jeremiah. I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Yay, with loving kindness have I drawn they. And then we come to the 13th chapter of John. And it isn't at the beginning of the history of the disciples, in following the Lord during their His public ministry, no.
It's at the end of their pathway with the Lord Jesus, just before he's about to go to the cross and then return to the Father.
It says, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. There had been plenty of failure, and there was plenty more to follow. Judas was going to betray him. Peter was going to deny him. All the disciples were going to forsake him and flee. Did he love them any less than when he had first chosen them? Not for one moment. And then, just to round out the picture, when we come over to the Book of Revelation, we find that John writes to seven assemblies in Asia Minor at that time.
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Assemblies carefully chosen by the Spirit of God according to their condition.
Do you know there's only two assemblies of those seven that he confirms his love to one is Philadelphia. And you say, oh, I can understand why he confirmed his love to Philadelphia. They were seeking to keep his word and not deny his name. I understand that. But then you come to Laodicea. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Did he love them in The Assembly and Laodicea any less than he loved them in Philadelphia? No. There was much wanting in Philadelphia.
Their hearts weren't going out to the person of Christ like they should have been. They were. There was complete indifference to his claims. There was lukewarmness, but he loved them just the same. And so we find where we further read in John 15. Then the Lord Jesus gives a little exhortation to his own in light of the three previous scriptures that we have noted. Because again, let me recap. We found first of all.
That's the Father loves the Son. And that same love that the Father loves the Son is the same love wherewith he loves all of his children. And that same love that the Father loves the Son and his children is the same love that the Lord Jesus loves each of his own. And then he says where we where we read in the 12Th verse, this is my commandment that you love one another. And he doesn't stop there. Notice what he says.
As I have loved you, you know, this might my own conscience and my own heart. We are not told in Christianity to simply love one another or to love our neighbor as ourselves. No, it goes far, far beyond that. We are to love the people of God with the same love that the Father loves the Son. We are to love the people of God with the same love that the Father loves his children.
We are to love the people of God with the same love that the Lord Jesus loves us personally with. There is no less standard for love amongst the people of God than that divine love that we heard about from our brother Bruce yesterday. Isn't that searching, brother? How much is it true in your life and mine that we love one another with that same divine love?
Because our love, displayed practically 1 to another, is a testimony to the world, the Lord Jesus said on this very occasion. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one with another. And so may we by seek by grace, to enjoy and enter into more the love of the Father and the Son, that the love of God might be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, that there might be not on the basis of compromise.
But that there might be that love shone forth in a practical way amongst the people of God. But now, as I say, I'd like to look at the five times in John's Gospel where John refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. It's interesting that he never refers to himself in this way until after the confirmation of the Lord's love at the beginning of the 13th chapter.
After it's confirmed that having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Then five times subsequent to that, John refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. The first time is in the 13th chapter. Let's read it.
Chapter 13 and we'll begin reading at verse 21.
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified and said.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one to another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus breast, said unto him, Lord, who is it? Before I comment specifically on this particular portion, I would just say that as we go through these five times that John refers to himself in this way. We're going to notice that in all but one of these occasions Peter and John are very closely connected, because we are taught sometimes in Scripture by contrast, and we're going to see a little bit of a contrast with these two men.
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Peter seems to style himself as the disciple who loved Jesus.
And I believe he did love the Lord. He loved the Lord very much. When Peter said, though I'll deny thee, yet will not I deny thee, I don't think that was just an idle boast. But Peter had to learn by bitter experience the truth of the verse that says he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. If we're going to trust in our own hearts as to our love for the Lord, we're going to find that we're going to fail.
We can't trust our love. Perhaps I should just say this too, that I believe, brethren, that the way our love for God and the love for Christ grows is not so much in occupation with ourselves and our love for the Father and the Son, but as we've been saying to enter in more to His love for us. That's what's really going to deepen our love for him. Again, it's often been pointed out, but we find with the Bride and the Song of Solomon.
That as she enumerates the qualities and beauties and glories of her bridegroom, it opens up to her. It opens up in her affections that perhaps had never been awakened in that way before.
And the more she goes over the qualities and glories of himself, the less she's occupied with herself, her failure and her love for him. And yet, at the end, there's no doubt that her affection has deepened. He's all together, lovely. She's entered in, in a deeper way to his love for her, simply because she's been occupied with him, with himself and that and that great love. And so I believe it's vital in our Christian lives for growth of affection, love for himself.
To be occupied with his love for us. But as I say, Peter styled himself as the disciple who loved Jesus. And it's interesting, there are three individuals in this scene. There's Peter who really loved the Lord but styles himself in that way. There was Judas who had no love for the Lord. Judas was an unregenerate man and remained as such and finally went out and took his own life and as it says, went to his own place.
But then there was the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Now I suppose we've all in our mind pictured this little scene in the upper room. The Lord Jesus has, uh, conducted the eaten with the disciples, the Passover supper. He's washed their feet and there's a cloud hanging over this little company gathered around the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus knew what was in the hearts of each one of his disciples.
He knew that their hearts were troubled and afraid. He knew that Peter was going to deny him. He knew that Judas was going to betray him. The Lord Jesus knew these these things. But we find here that as he brings this out, there's these questions arise in the disciples minds and what do they do? They start to look one to another. I want to make a very, very practical comment in this regard.
Because isn't that what we often do when problems arise? You know, sometimes problems arise collectively amongst the people of God and we have a brother's meeting. And that's right. Scripture gives us the authority in the acts and so on to take these matters up that affect the local assembly in the local brothers meeting. But I have to hang my head and say that I have sat in many brothers meetings where questions have come up.
And we've looked one to another and we've hashed it over and we're no further ahead. It hasn't solved the problem. And as the disciples looked one to another here, it didn't solve the problem. It didn't answer the question. And Peter looks down the table and he sees the Lord Jesus down the table. And John leaning on Jesus bosom John's feet shortly before had been in the loving hands of the Lord Jesus.
Now he's leaning on his loving bosom.
And you know, Peter wasn't close enough at this time to ask the Lord Jesus the question that was disturbing this little company because, you know, there was already a point of departure taking place with Peter. It might be helpful to just say that when we get away from the Lord and our affections become dull and cold, it's never that we're warm one minute and cold the next. You know, when you watch a fire dying, it isn't blazing at one moment and completely out the other.
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Of course, unless you use a fire extinguisher, doused some water on it. But in the natural course of things, that is not the way it works. And I don't believe that's the way it works with the dulling and cooling of our affections for Christ. No, it's a process of things. And Peter's heart had been full of self-confidence. We read Peter Fault later on that Peter followed afar off. He followed the Lord, but he followed afar off. You know, sometimes I do that.
There's things I wanna keep for myself, things I don't want to let go. I wanna follow the Lord, but I follow afar off. We know the sad re result of it, but what he really wants, brethren, is he wants us to have effect, fervent affection for uh for uh for himself. He wants us to be in the enjoyment of what John later refers to in Revelation as First love. I realize that collectively the church will never return to that position of first love, but it is possible.
Individually.
To be in the fervency of first love, and everyone of us ought to be in the fervency of of first love. And if we are walking close to himself, our head on his bosom, enjoying his love for us, then it will generate that fervency of first love in in our souls. And so Peter, his heart is being, is slowly getting away. Now he's sitting down the table and he's not close enough to ask the Lord this question.
But he recognizes that there's one that is. You know, I've been thankful in my experience that sometimes when I haven't been close enough to the Lord to discern his mind in something, I've been able to recognize others who are in the enjoyment of the Lord walking close to him. And I've been able to go to them. And it's been a tremendous blessing to my own soul. And so, thank God, Peter, he looks down, he looks in the right direction. He sees the Lord, but he sees the disciple. And this is the first time John refers to himself in this way.
The disciple whom Jesus loved, and he's leaning on his bosom and emotions to John to ask the Lord. And John was close enough to the Lord Jesus that he was able to look from his bosom into his face and say Lord, who is it? John wasn't trusting his love for the Lord, He was trusting in the Lord's love for for him. And you know, it's interesting that John didn't stand aside and say which of the other disciples is it?
No, John didn't even trust his own heart. I think that's precious. Because the more you enjoy the Lord's love for you, and the more your affections deepen for him, the more you realize that you can't trust your own heart. You can't trust your own love. Love for the Lord. I wanna, just before we pass on, say a little word, uh, in a uh, to to any who do not know the Lord here. Because we find, as I say, there was also Judas here.
And Judith had no love for the Lord. And I've often been reading this account, wondered, well, wouldn't the disciples have some of the disciples, or at least one of them, recognized? Who was it was that the Lord was Speaking of? Here were 12 men who had lived together and walked with the Lord Jesus in close proximity with him and with one another for over three years. You know, I've had the opportunity and privilege to travel, sometimes for several weeks at a time.
With fellow laborers, you get to know that person pretty well. After three or four weeks, the veneer begins to come off and you get to know one another pretty good. I I know there's those in this room who know me pretty well because they've had the opportunity to travel with me. But here were these 12 men who had traveled together for all these years. And so careful was Judas in his cover up that he never gave himself away. All the disciples looked at one another and said, is it I? Is it I? You think someone of the two of them would have said, well, I saw a little slip with Judas back a couple of years ago.
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No, Judas was very careful in his cover up. But the other side of it is the Lord never treated Judas in any way that would give him away. The Lord loved Judas too, and he never gave Judas away. In fact, when Judas came to betray him in the garden, he said friend in fulfillment of that scripture which says my own familiar friend which hath eaten bread at my table, has lifted up his heel against me.
And it's a very solemn warning and appeal to anyone who passes as a believer amongst the Lord's people and is not real. You might fool mom and dad, you might fool the other, but the believers that the local assembly where you attend from week to week. But you cannot fool God, you cannot fool the Lord Jesus. He loves you very much. He desires your blessing. There was a young man came to the Lord Jesus on another occasion.
And Jesus beholding him, loved him. Very unique language to the word of God.
Lord the Lord Jesus loves that man, desired his blessing. As far as we read, he went away and never entered into the blessing, never tasted of that love that the Lord Jesus had. And it would be a very solemn thing for anyone here who has passed, perhaps for years as a believer, to go out of this this room today still in their sins like Judas. Judas Eventually I say, went to a lost eternity. And so we find here this first incident.
Where John refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But now let's go to the 19th chapter.
Chapter 19.
And verse 25.
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister.
Mary the wife of Cleophus, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples, standing by whom standing by whom he loved, he Seth unto his mother woman, Behold thy son Then said he to his to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home. I mentioned earlier that there is one of the five occasions when Peter is absent, and it's here at the foot of the cross.
And to my own soul he's conspicuous by his absence. Why was Peter absent on this occasion? Well, between what we had in the 13th chapter and what we have here, Peter had indeed denied the Lord Jesus three times with oaths and curses. He had stood without and warmed himself. He had gone in and sat down at that fire, associating with those who had no love for the Lord Jesus.
And it led to that sad event where he denied the Lord three times with those and curses. You know, our friends affect us, our associates can and those we are closest to will either warm us in our affections for Christ or draw our hearts away. I say Peter associated with a little company that night that had no love for the Lord Jesus, who are our closest associates and friends.
Someone has said that our friends are like the buttons of an elevator. They take us either up or down, and that's true. They take us either up or down. You know, when I was going to school, I had a godly mother, and I doubt there were many mornings that I went off to school without her quoting to us as we went out the door. Remember evil communications, corrupt good manners. I'm thankful for those exhortation. Sad to say, I didn't always take it to heart, but as I've got a little older, I realized that those that we make are closest companions.
Either draw our hearts away, or encourage our hearts toward the Lord Jesus. We need to be like the Psalmist who said, I am a companion of all them that fear thee and that keep thy precepts. Well. We find here now at the a scene at the foot of the cross, and it's striking too, that not only is Peter absent on this occasion, but none of the disciples, except the Apostle John are, are mentioned as being at the foot of the cross.
Here's John, the one who had leaned on Jesus bosom, the one who refers to himself as the disciple and Jesus love and he.
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Of all the disciples is the one that set the foot of the cross, and as the Lord Jesus looked down in his suffering, hanging there as a spectacle between heaven and earth.
As he looked down, and as he heard the mocking and saw others passing by and reviling him, and others sitting down. To watch him in his suffering, how it must have touched his heart to see not only those women that were there in their affection and devotion to himself, but to see that one who had a short time before leaned on his bosom at supper. It must have meant a great deal to the Lord Jesus, and here is a fit vessel now.
To take care of his earthly mother. I don't think we can imagine what that must have passed through Mary's soul. You know what have been prophesied that a sword would Pierce her soul, and it did. You can imagine what must have gone through her heart as she looked out. Here was the one that she had wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a Manger. There was the one that later on, she had presented to the wise men when they came with their gifts from the East.
It was the sun that she had traveled with up to the temple at 12 years of age.
Here was the sun that she had seen at the marriage of Canaan of Galilee, when he turned the water to wine, and no doubt on many other occasions.
I I I don't want to cheapen things and I don't, again, I don't want to be fanciful, but I've often thought of Mary as the Lord Jesus was growing up. Because, you know, subsequent to the birth of the Lord Jesus and the marriage of Mary and Joseph, there were other children born into that home, natural children.
Children who must have been disobedient, children who must have sometimes had a bad attitude, and so on. But here was the Lord Jesus, growing up in that home in Nazareth, never had a bad attitude toward his earthly parents, never talked back to his mother. He was the sinless son of God growing up here in this world. And then to see him falsely accused, let outside, after being so abused, let outside the walls of Jerusalem.
And nailed to a Roman cross.
Oh, what must have gone through her mind, her soul, and what must have gone through the soul of the Lord Jesus?
As he looked down at the one who had so tenderly cared for him in his youth.
He loved his mother.
And then he looks, and he sees John there. And how it must have comforted the Lord's soul to see that disciple who was in the enjoyment of his love. And this was a vessel ready to take care of his earthly mother. The Lord Jesus could commend his mother to the care of John and John, living in the love of the Lord Jesus, and there at the foot of the cross.
Was already and a willing vessel to take Mary into his home and take care of her from that hour on. But I just wanna say to all of us, I believe what we learned from this is that what makes us fit for service for Christ is a is in the enjoyment of His love for us. If I'm worried about my love for the Lord, I'll never do anything because that can be feeble at best and that goes up and down like the mercury on the old fashioned thermometer.
But if I am living in the enjoyment of being the disciple whom Jesus loves, that makes us a fit and ready vessel for service for himself. Because where the heart is, then the feet will follow, the hands are ready in service, and whatever he asks us to do, be it great or small, is going to be done with joy if the true motivation for it is love for himself. Now let's go to the 20th chapter.
Chapter 20 And verse One the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark under the sepulchre, and see if the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runeth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them. They have taken away the lo the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth in that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
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So they ran, both of them. They ran both together. And the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the Sepulchre. Well, we have another individual here in relationship to our subject, and that is Mary Magdalene. She's a picture of devotion to Christ. And Mary you find here on this occasion, had a heart so attracted to the person of Christ that she desired to be close to him.
Even if it meant being close to his dead body. She didn't have intelligence as to what was going on, like Mary of Bethany that we spoke of earlier, but she had a heart attracted to himself. In fact, we won't don't have time to read it. But if we were to go on and read further in this account, we find that when Peter and John come and they see the empty sepulchre and they see the linen clothes lying neatly wrapped up and so on, they're content with that.
They're content to know that the work is accomplished. He's risen and everything's in order. But nothing but the person would content Mary her heart so went out. But when the Lord did appear to her and she thought he was the gardener, she said, if you've taken him away, show me where you've laid and I'll, I'll, I'll take him. I'll take him away. I want to be close to him. So what we find here, and the reason I wanted to read this portion is because, again, John refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Now you notice Peter is back in association with John Nell because there was a work already begun in Peter's soul. We're going to see in a moment that it's not quite complete. It will be complete.
Before the gospel is, is, is finished. But it wasn't complete. But there was a process of restoration taking place. It began when the Lord turned and looked at Peter after he had denied the Lord and he went out and wept bitterly and so on. And then there was a personal private interview, and we'll speak of that in a in a moment. But we find here that these two men, they when they get the news that the sepulchre is empty, they run and they start out together.
But what happens? John outruns Peter. Now, I suggest that we learn more from this than just the fact that perhaps John was in better shape than Peter. That's not the lesson that God has for us to learn in this. I believe the spiritual lesson we learn is that when the heart is engaged, a man and in a woman whose heart is engaged with Christ is the one that's going to eventually lead the way.
In any spiritual endeavor or enterprise, one of ardent fervor like Peter, Peter was it. Peter was a a man of of energy, and we appreciate that in Peter and we see it later on in the book of the Acts and so on. Wonderful trait. But his heart still hadn't been fully restored here. And so John is the one Peter leads the way to begin with, but John is the one that eventually outruns.
And if you're going to be preserved in some service or endeavor for Christ, your heart must be engaged again. It's the heart that he looks for. That's the energy. The love of Christ constraineth us. I've seen many sincere believers with a desire to serve the Lord start out well, but they ended up like Demas. Dimas hath forsaken me, having loved this present age.
Doesn't say he didn't love the Lord, but something came in that took his heart away from following with the apostle. Paul divided his affections. He didn't forsake the Lord. But it isn't enough to continue on in the path of service with just natural energy. That's not going to work in divine things. Natural ener energy can be channeled and used by God, but it's going to take a heart of that is drawn out to himself, because in the measure in which you, you seek to serve the Lord.
The enemy's gonna be right there to draw your heart away and to discourage you. And if your heart is not right, if you're not leaning on Jesus bosom, if you're not enjoying the fact that you're the disciple that Jesus loves, you're going to find that the Lord is going to have others to step in and take the lead and to carry on the work that he has. But now let's go on to the 21St chapter. There are two times here in this chapter. We'll notice them briefly in closing.
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Chapter 21 And verse one. After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples that the sea of Tiberias. And on this wise shoddy himself there were together Simon Peter and Thomas, called Didymus and Nathaniel, and of Canaan and Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples, Simon Peter, Seth Unto them I go fishing, they say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship.
Immediately and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore. But the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find they cast therefore. And now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord.
Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he gird his Fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked and he cast himself into the to the sea. You know what's interesting in this incident That Peter, when he says I go fishing, he didn't ask the other disciples to go with him, he just simply made the statement I go fishing. But Peter was in a been in a place of leadership amongst the other disciples, and such was his influence that he simply had to make the statement without requesting it.
And several other of the disciples said, we also go with thee. Now we might well question what's wrong with going fishing. Why was it wrong for Peter to go fishing? Fishing is a very noble profession. I know a number of fishermen who are the Lords, and they make a good living at at fishing. Well, Peter had been told when he was called by the Lord originally that he would be made fishers of men. He had been called to a different calling.
A calling by the Lord Jesus and to go back to that which he had left. And what had he left? Why he left a boat and a broken net. And to go back to that was not according to the mind of God. And so he says, I go fishing. His influence was that others said, we'll go with thee. But you know, in their endeavor, apart from the Lord, they caught nothing. They toiled all night and caught nothing. And then we find that in the morning the Lord Jesus stands on the shore.
And who is it that first discerns who it is that's standing on the shore? It's the disciple whom Jesus loved. I'm thankful because you know John joined the others in going fishing. John ought not to have joined the others as well. You know none of us are immune. We have to seek grace in every situation just because we're preserved through one situation, because of our enjoyment of the Lord's love for us.
Doesn't mean if we're not careful, we'll be preserved in the next situation. We can never say in Christianity that we're home free, that we've arrived and so John had joined the others. But thank God when the Lord appears here on the the shore.
John is the one who recognizes who the Lord is. In other words, in the measure in which your heart and mind enjoy His love for us, there will be a quickness of discernment and perception.
In the Lord's dealings with us in the circumstances of life, even when we get into things we ought not to.
Then the Lord can come and reveal himself to us, and I say.
If there's that love and affection that is generated out of his love and affection for us, may it be so? Well, just very quickly then I want to notice the last incident. It's in this chapter again, of course, verse 20. Then Peter turning about, see if the disciple whom Jesus loved following, which also leaned on his breast at supper and said Lord, Lord and said and said Lord, which is He that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing himself Jesus.
Says to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Jesus said unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Now we don't have time to take up the verses that precede here, but we find that well, it's true. There had been an earlier interview with Peter privately where his conscience was reached and where there was private restoration. Now on the banks of the sea, there had been a public restoration.
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In one case it was the conscience, perhaps, that was reached, but the heart had to be reached as well, and if Peter was going to go on and have a prominent place in the early church, there had to be public restoration.
And so we find that this restoration takes place. His heart is drawn out, and he's no longer. If we read the verses carefully, he's no longer trusting in his love for the Lord. In fact, he says, Lord, you know everything. You know you know it all. I'm not going to boast. The Lord said you love me more than than these, than the other disciples. Peter had boasted of that, though all deny the yet will not I deny thee? But now Peter's not trusting in his love for the Lord. He's resting wholly on the Lord's love for him.
And now where we read the Lord is telling Peter something of the pathway that Peter is going to have in following the Lord. There are three again. We can't go back. We don't have time. But there are three things you'll notice that the Lord brings before Peter in connection with that which was ahead for him. He was going to feed his sheep. He was going to glorify God, and he was going to fall. He was to follow the Lord. And, you know, it's interesting, I wish we had time to develop this, but it is significant and interesting that the Lord does not turn to John and say follow thou me, He didn't have to.
He didn't have to tell John to follow him. John's heart was attracted to the person of Christ. And I say again, a heart attracted to the person of Christ needs no exhortation to follow him, because that's where the heart desires to be, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also if Christ is our treasure, if his love is filling our hearts and our souls.
Where there's going to be without any command, without any bitten bridal, there's going to be the feet following as closely as possible. Oh, wouldn't it be so in your life and mine? We've looked at these scriptures very quickly. We've just skimmed the surface in connection with the love of God. First of all, the love of the Father for the Son, the love of the Father for his children.
The love of the sun for his own, The love that he desires that we would exhibit one to another. But all I say, may each one of us be so in the enjoyment of the love of the Father and the Son that we might seek as we realize that we are so loved that we might then seek grace to walk in the sunshine of that love and to follow on Brethren. The day is coming and it's not far off. We're going to sit down unhindered in the sunshine of His love and the Father's house.
And as it grips our souls, perhaps in a way it's never gripped our souls before. As we sit down there, oh, we're gonna only wonder why we didn't seek to enjoy that love more here, why it didn't more grip our souls here, why it didn't more fill us and cause us to follow on here. Oh, what a day that's going to be. But, brethren, he doesn't want us to have to wait that day to enjoy his love and to walk in the good of hi of it and the and the joy of communion with himself. He desires that for each of his children now.
May it be so in your life and mine. Let's pray our God and Father. We ask blessing on my word now.
We pray that we might have more in our souls ascent of that wonderful divine love that has been showered upon us and made known to us. We ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for his glory. Amen.