Feed My Sheep John 21:15-17, NIV When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” 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.” Hallelujah! I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Feed My Sheep,” based on John 21:15-17. Could you please repeat after me? “Feed My Sheep. Feed My Sheep.” One of the most common desires of all humankind is the desire to possess. The problem is that people want to possess more and more even if they already have a lot. As they gain more, they are obsessed by their possessions and fail to take care of those who do not possess or those who are suffering. Another problem is that people are likely to despair hopelessly when they lose their possessions. If people lose their power or wealth, they are apt to think they are finished, losing all hope. Sometimes they commit suicide in desperation. What is important is that we need to possess what we cannot lose and what is eternal. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives, we can possess all things. The Lord Jesus is the only hope for us. He is the only joy and life for us. Worldly things will come and go, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our eternal hope, joy and Savior, will never leave us. He pours His grace and love upon us throughout our lives. Never lose the Lord Jesus but rejoice in the Lord, giving thanks to Him and living victoriously. The Scripture today introduces the disciples who lost everything in the world except an empty boat after they left the Lord Jesus. This story may be like our story. First, I want to speak about the disciples who left Jesus. John 21:2-3 says, “Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” The Lord’s disciples had hoped to become high officials if Jesus had become a king. They wanted to have power in the world and wanted to do something with that power. When Jesus died on the Cross, however, all their dreams and expectations were shattered. Looking at their dead Lord, they despaired. They must have thought, It is all over. Our dreams are shattered. We have no more hope. Even after they had met the resurrected Lord, they went back to their old patterns of life. They returned to their former lifestyle as fishermen. They went to the Sea of Galilee where they used to fish. The Sea of Galilee was also called the Sea of Tiberias, according to Emperor Tiberias. The disciples went there and threw their net. Although they kept throwing their net, they could not catch anything. This symbolizes the state of humankind who has left the Lord. When we leave the Lord, even though we may work hard, our lives will be no better off than an empty net or an empty boat. The Sea of Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee, was the place where Peter and other disciples had first met and served the Lord. That night, too, Peter kept on throwing a net but could not catch any fish. He loaned his empty boat to the Lord Jesus, listened to His words, and miraculously caught many fish when he obeyed the Lord. His destiny was changed that night. Instead of catching fish, Peter became a fisherman of men. He followed Jesus and participated at the scenes of miracles with other disciples. The disciples were there when Jesus fed 5,000 men with five loaves of bread and two fish. They witnessed the dead son of a widow in Nain and the dead daughter of Jairus came back to life. They were there when Lazarus came out of the tomb on the fourth day after his death. They saw the blind open their eyes. They also saw lepers healed. Despite all these things, they were depressed at the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus on the Cross. Even though they had met the risen Lord, they went back to their old patterns of life. When their dreams were shattered, they went back to their former lifestyles and threw a net repeatedly. John 21:3 says, “‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” They used to be professional fishermen. They were experts. However, they could not catch any fish that night. A fisherman’s failure to catch fish is equivalent to a businessman who runs his business but makes no income. If a businessman makes no money, his life will be hopeless and disappointing. When we are away from the Lord Jesus, our lives will be nothing but an empty boat. We may work hard but cannot gain anything, ending up with an empty boat and an empty net. God never gives fish to those who turn their backs against Him, disobey His words, or abandon their calling. Life with the Lord Jesus is full of hope, while life away from Him is hopeless. Are you wandering around the shore by the Sea of Tiberias in despair? We must examine ourselves to see if we have gone away from the Lord, throwing a net again and again. A life away from the Lord will be in vain and empty. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” That is true. When we leave the Lord, everything will be in vain. There is true life in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is true hope in Him. There is true satisfaction in the Lord. We can gain all things in the Lord Jesus. Worldly things will come and go and disappear like a morning fog. The life that our Lord gives is eternal. All the efforts we make without Jesus will be fruitless. The disciples ended up with an empty boat when the dawn broke, even after working hard through the night. Deeply disappointed, they were about to return to the shore when the Lord Jesus appeared on the shore. John 21:4 says, “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” The Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples when they were heading for the shore after a frustrating night. He is the Lord of love, forgiveness, hope, and healing. He comes to us at the scene of our failure. The Lord comes to us when we despair and heavily sigh with disappointments, without knowing what to do. These days, many people are throwing a net repeatedly in the Sea of Hopelessness just as the disciples did. Unless the Lord is with us, we cannot come out of such hopelessness. We can live victoriously?only when the Lord is with us?rising up above the hopelessness. Even though life is hard and tiring, if Jesus is with us, we can recover all of our lost things. Our faith can be restored. The problems in our surroundings will be resolved. We will experience the power of renewal, recovering our joy and enthusiasm. We will get our happiness back, too. A Russian novelist, Solzhenitsyn, wrote a book, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. It contains the following story. At night in a Soviet labor camp, all the prisoners were sleeping with the fear of death in deep despair and hopelessness. One prisoner had beaming eyes, though. He stayed up late, looking at something, and fell asleep. People were dying in utmost hopelessness, but he looked more hopeful with his eyes beaming brightly. The other prisoners found out that he was reading a piece of paper on which the Scriptures were written. When he became hopeless and dismayed, he read the Scripture and gained strength and courage. He was meeting the living Lord. When we meet the living Lord, hopelessness will turn into hope, sorrow will turn into joy, and death will turn into life. There was a young man who was so frustrated with life that he wanted to kill himself. He took a razor to the bathroom, trying to cut his artery with it. He took the razor in his hand and looked at the mirror. He saw himself in the mirror and he took pity on himself. The Holy Spirit must have moved his heart. He put the razor down, knelt down, and cried. The Lord Jesus came to him. He came to the young man who was on the verge of committing suicide, and changed him into a great servant of God. That young man was Dr. R. A. Torrey, a colleague of Rev. D. L. Moody. He was the grandfather of Father Torrey who served Koreans throughout his life. The resurrected Lord does not only come to us while we are in the middle of hopelessness, but He also resolves all our worries, sorrows, and problems we face, filling us with His grace and joy. Jesus is the problem solver. Second, I want to speak about Jesus who solves problems. John 21:5-6 says, “He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” Jesus asked them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” According to the original Greek Scripture, it is written: “You, children, do you have something precious in your hands?” The disciples may have looked like mere children since they had left the Lord, trying to do something on their own. So He said, “Hey, you mere children, have you caught any? Do you have anything precious?” The same is true with us. When we try to make something on our own, we will look like mere children to the Lord. We are living hopelessly as mere children who cannot get anything, no matter how hard we try. In John 15:5, the Lord says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from me you can do nothing! This is true. We cannot do anything apart from the Lord Jesus. Our efforts will be as fruitless as throwing a net without getting anything. Just as the Lord came to His childlike disciples and asked them if they had any fish, the Lord comes to us today and asks, “Is your business going well? Do you have peace at home? Are you free from trouble? Have you gained many possessions?” Many people will reply just like the disciples, “No, Lord, we do not have anything. We are in trouble.” Then the Lord will show you the answers to your problems. He commanded His disciples to do something. John 21:6 says, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” Peter and the other disciples had thrown their net repeatedly all through the night. They had covered almost all the areas of the sea without catching anything at all. Nonetheless, when they obeyed the Lord and threw their net on the right side of the boat, they caught a large number of fish. When we obey the Word of the Lord, all our problems will be resolved. When we leave everything in the hands of the Lord and obey Him who reigns and controls everything in the universe beyond all our thoughts and understanding, miracles will happen. God’s blessing will come upon us. When the disciples threw their net the way they had been told, a miracle took place. Verse 6 says, “When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” When we obey God, miracles will be done for us. When we obey, we will receive God’s blessing. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” When we obey the Lord and throw a net, the net will be filled with fish, turning an empty boat into a boat with overflowing blessing. We need to determine to obey the Lord. If we have lived in accordance with our own desires and will, we must repent of our sins. I pray that you will bow down before the Lord in prayer, listen to the voice of the Lord, and obey His voice. Do you have an empty boat in your business or your home? Come to the Lord and repent of your sins. Ask for His help. Listen to His voice and obey Him. He will change your failure into success. He will fill your empty boat with His blessings. He will turn your hopelessness into hope by resolving all your problems. The Lord Jesus, our problem solver, comes to us and comforts us by healing the wounds of our hearts. Third, I want to speak about Jesus who comforts. The moment Peter caught so many fish, he remembered what had happened to him three and a half years ago. His boat had been empty, too, but he caught many fish by listening and obeying His words. Peter now realized that the person was the Lord Jesus. His heart began to beat faster. He was so eager to see the Lord soon that he wrapped his outer garment around him and jumped into the water. John 21:7 says, “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.” Peter swam to the Lord as fast as he could. He reached the shore and went to the Lord, all wet and dripping water. The Lord was waiting for him with a fire of burning coals with fish on it, and some bread. John 21:9 says, “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.” The Lord was waiting for Peter with a fire of burning coals as he was coming to the Lord, trembling and dripping water. The Lord prepared something to eat for the disciples who had not caught anything, even after throwing a net throughout the night. When the disciples came to Him, He said, “Come and have breakfast.” John 21:12-13 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.” The Lord did not reprimand the disciples. He did not say, “How dare you leave me and come to this far away place? Why did you make me come here?” Instead, He looked at them with smiles of love and said, “Are you cold? Come and have breakfast.” The Lord has infinite love. His love is caring, too. He fixed the fire of burning coals, knowing that Peter would be cold and trembling. He prepared some fish and bread, knowing that the disciples would be hungry. Peter must have sobbed while he was eating in front of the fire of burning coals because he had denied the Lord three times in front of the fire at the high priest’s courtyard. Jesus prepared the fire and, thus, forgave Peter who had denied Him in front of the fire. Even though the Lord did not say anything, His love healed the painful wounds of Peter’s heart. Eating the food with deep emotions of gratitude, Peter must have thought to himself, Lord, thank You. Thank You for forgiving me. I want to give the rest of my life to You. The Lord loves us to the end, never forsaking us or leaving us. The Lord will call us when we collapse, when we are exhausted, or when we are dismayed without knowing what to do. He will say to us, “Come and have breakfast.” He invites us to his table and gives us courage. He knows how weak we are. Even though we are weak, even though we have sinned and are unrighteous, and even though we have gone away from the Lord, He searches for us, forgives us, and embraces us in His love. This morning the Lord has prepared a breakfast of His grace for us and calls us, “Come and have breakfast. Eat and receive strength in order to give glory to God.” Peter and the other disciples were deeply touched by the love of the Lord. The Lord always loves, forgives, and calls us. No matter what kind of sin we have committed or no matter what kind of problems we may have brought about, when we approach the Lord, leaving them at the Cross, He will embrace, forgive, and strengthen us. Then the Lord gives us a mission. Fourth, I want to speak about the Lord Jesus who asks us to feed His lambs. After breakfast, Jesus asked Peter a question. John 21:15 says, “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ ” The Lord did not say anything but this, “Do you love me?” He used the Greek word agape for love in this question. He was asking, “Do you love me with agape love? Do you love me with sacrificial love? Do you love me based on the sacrificial love of God?” Peter replied, “I cannot love You with agape love.” Why couldn’t he? He had bragged about his loyalty before, but denied the Lord. He said, “The best love I can give you is phileo love.” Phileo is the love between friends. Peter said that he loved the Lord with phileo love. Then the Lord said, “Feed my lambs.” This is a message from the Lord telling us to take care of new believers in the church. Now that we are greatly blessed, it is time for us to take care of new believers with the love of the Lord and to strengthen their faith. Jesus asked Peter a second time. John 21:16 says, “Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ ” The Lord asked Peter a second time, “Do you love me with sacrificial love?” Peter replied again, “I love You with phileo love, the love between friends.” The Lord Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Jesus told Peter to protect and take good care of His sheep. As Christians, we need to take care of our Christian brothers and sisters who are around us. We need to check on them so that they will not fall into the hands of heretics. We need to check to make sure that they are not in trouble and that they are coming to church. We need to protect and take care of them with the love of the Lord. Then the Lord asked Peter again. John 21:17 says, “The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ 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.’ ” The third time, the Lord asked Peter if he loved Him with phileo love. Peter was afraid. Did he really love the Lord as much as he said he did? Therefore, he replied, “Yes, Lord, I love you with phileo love. You know all things.” Peter had assured the Lord that he would never forsake Him but denied Him. Now, weak and afraid, he was saying, “Lord, even though I am weak and vile, You know that I love You.” By asking Peter the question three times?Peter who had denied Him three times?He healed Peter’s wounds of denial and betrayal. What the Lord wants from us is our confession of love for Him. David made the following confession. Psalm 18:1 says, “I love you, O LORD, my strength.” We must make a confession of love to the Lord, “Lord, my strength and my power, my life, and my everything, I love You.” In September 1994, an incredibly shocking crime shook Korea and the whole world. It was committed by people who called themselves The Most Revered. They killed people and cut their bodies into pieces. They cremated the bodies and even ate some body parts of their victims. A Deutsch newspaper reported, “The homicide by The Most Revered in Korea shocked the world 100 times more than the democratization movement in Kwangju.” It certainly did. The criminals were filled with hatred and tried to take revenge on all humankind. Their crime was shocking enough to be listed in the criminal history of the world. What made them commit such a cruel crime? They had never been loved by anyone during their lives. They were abandoned by their parents, by society, and by the rich. Hyun-Ryang Kim, their leader and the cruelest among them, later believed in Jesus. Before he was executed he said, “I thank the Lord for treating me as a human being, even though I do not deserve it. I thank the Lord for letting me know what true love is before I die and that true love exists.” His fellow criminals also made similar confessions. They said, “If only I had experienced this love once before, I would not have done such a loathsome crime. I now know there is love?before I am executed.” This is what the love of Christ does. The love of Christ changes lives. Nothing on earth can heal the hurts we have received. Only the love of Jesus Christ can change us. Inspired and touched by the love of the Lord, Peter dedicated the rest of his life to the Lord, walking on the path toward his own martyrdom. John 21:18 says, “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.” Verse 19 says, “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’ ” The Lord Jesus changed Peter, who had failed before, and transformed him into a great and blessed servant of the Lord for the glory of God. His failure turned into success. His hopelessness turned into hope. He stayed in Rome at the time of Emperor Nero’s persecution against Christians and was martyred there. A motion picture called, Quo Vadis, featured the death of apostle Peter. Many Christians came to Peter and said, “Apostle Peter, since you are the only church leader, you should not be killed. Escape from Rome for awhile.” Being persuaded by their persistent advice, Peter was leaving Rome. Peter was taking a rest in a city called Arban (Mrs. Dorsing, I am not sure of this name…sorry, my colleagues and I couldn’t find the answer for you, Rebecca) when the Lord Jesus appeared with the most brilliant light. The Lord was heading for Rome. So Peter asked, “Quo Vadis, Domine?” meaning, “Where are going, Lord?” The Lord Jesus said, “I am going to Rome to be crucified again for those whom you are leaving.” Peter cried, “No.” He repented and went back to Rome. It prompted Peter to gain the courage to continue his ministry and eventually become a martyr. He said he did not deserve the same crucifixion as Jesus and asked them to crucify him upside down, so they did. There is a Church of Domine Quo Vadis in Rome. In a Roman Cathedral, there is a footprint of the Lord Jesus on a marble slab. Peter may have made many mistakes, being ill-tempered and impetuous. However, he received the Holy Spirit, his life changed into a glorious one, and he was martyred for the Lord. Even though we are weak and vile, full of mistakes and failure, the Lord never forsakes us. He will never leave us. He loves us even now. He prepares a breakfast table and invites us, saying, “Come and have breakfast.” No matter what kind of situation you may be in, I urge you to listen to the Lord and come before Him. I urge you to meet Him personally. Your empty boat will be filled with His grace and blessing. Your hopelessness will turn into hope and your sorrows will turn into joy, bringing miracles into your lives. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we are nothing. Since we are weak, we keep on making mistakes, falling, and living with hurts and wounds. We give thanks to You for loving, calling, and taking care of us, never forsaking us regardless of what we are or what we have done. Pour Your grace upon us, and transform us into Your faithful servants, like Peter, for the glory of God. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.