More Than Christ

And I want to go back, and if you remember the story, if you were here last week, how that Jesus approaches Peter and the rest of the disciples. Peter has decided to go fishing. He is in his kind of perplexity, and he's going back to something that is comfortable in Canada.

He's got to be patient when he does it, for a living, it has to be comfortable. He says to the disciples, he's going to go fishing, and they say, we'll go with you. And so they go out, and if you remember the story, they caught nothing the whole night.

They had to split the slow boat up in two. And then they see someone standing on the shore, and they ask, you know, this person on the shore says, cast your net on the other side, and so they all do it. And I think it's done, and he says to Peter, I think it's a little... Of course, Peter's naked, and he jumps into the water, and puts a coat around him.

And Peter drags these fishes up, and Jesus actually asks him to bring the fish. He brings these fishes up right here to the fire, and the disciples are around the circle. The Lord has already prepared a meal, and He's providing for them already.

And as they sit there, and he talks about this last week, Jesus asks Peter three times, Peter, do you love me more than these? And it's a challenge for Peter's heart. And Peter is obviously, his heart is back in his location, fishing. And there's a challenge in Peter's heart about what's going to be supreme in his heart, what's going to take priority in his heart.

And of course, the Lord then calls him out again in verse 17. He'll call on me. But I'd like to call your attention to something that I've noticed throughout the entire New Testament, but especially in the teaching of Jesus.

In verse 15, when Jesus asks Peter the first time, He says, So when they had found Jesus safe with Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? This is what creates the Lord in the head. You find that oftentimes in the Bible. Peter, do you love me more than these? Peter, is your love for me supreme over your love for everything else? You and I are intended to love certain things.

We're intended to love our children, to love our spouses. And yet the Lord is saying to Peter, Peter, do you love me more than these? I want to talk some this morning about priority. And priority leads to this idea of idolatry.

Idolatry is simply having affection. Priority is out of place. And I want to explain something to bring us back to a little bit later in the message.

But God created man. And God created man to actually worship. And God created Adam and Eve and created them to worship.

And so man has inherently a desire to worship. He desires to worship. And obviously, what man is supposed to do is worship God.

Now, God is exotic. He likes to bless man. And so God gave man many things in the garden.

He gave man responsibility to tend the garden. So God gave man his work. God gave man also family, behavioral life, children, demand.

These are on the outside here. God gave man pleasure. And many different pleasures God gave to man.

He also gave man food in the garden. And if you look back in the garden, the garden was loaded with the blessings of God upon humanity. But the problem with humanity, as we know, is that because of man's sin, the relationship with God was severed.

And God ran and hid, or excuse me, man ran and hid from God. And what happened? This relationship started. And so immediately man turns to find something else to worship.

This is the problem with idolatry. Throughout the Bible, man is an idolatrous individual. Because when man no longer worships the supreme God and God has a supreme office of protection in his heart, then man has to turn to other things to worship.

And so we see in the Bible that man will turn and Peter is a good example of this. Man turns back to worship his vocation. He pours his heart and energy into his labor.

He pours his heart and energy into the money and into the business and into the reclaiming of building a big business. So man begins to worship his work. That's what Jesus was saying here.

Do you love me more than this? Do you love me more than me? And if it isn't work, man will begin to worship his family. That is, God gave you temporarily for this life. Man begins to worship family.

And Jesus speaks about this during the same thing in Matthew chapter 10. He says that he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And so again, you have this type of action. Man who is close to worship God supremely and on the side, loves his vocation, loves his children, loves the places God has given him. And all that God has blessed me with, by me, is a supreme conversion of God.

When this relationship is broken, oftentimes people begin to worship relationships. Jesus challenged man with that very thing. And then God gave man to Clicer.

And Paul said in 2 Timothy 3 verse 4, they are lovers of Clicer, what's the next word here? More than. They are lovers of Clicer more than God. Do you love me more than me? Do you love your friends more than me? Do you love your friends more than me? Or do you begin to turn your attention towards Clicer? Is it disregard? No.

Then food is the last example that Paul talks about. And they admonish them. They begin to worship the appetite.

They begin to worship food. And so it's part of Paul's demand to turn away from the worship of God above you more than anything in the world. And begin to worship that God has given him.

The blessing that God has given him. And it is a priority issue. It's tied to our heart's affection.

I read a story just recently. And Charles Schwab. And I used to be one of his doctors.

Charles Schwab. That was a large group of his firm. And I never did get a job.

But he was a very brilliant man. He was close, kind, and steady. But it was at the end of the battle against Steele back in the 1930s.

Charles Schwab had asked me his secret for his vast wealth and his vast ability to build a business. And Charles Schwab said, I'll give you a secret. But you pay me for the knowledge.

And I'll give it to you. And you go away. And if you feel it's worth anything, send me some money after you try it.

And Charles Schwab's first simple solution to what makes me extremely successful and extremely wealthy. And he said this. I do this every day of my life.

He said, I get up in the morning. I set five, the top five priorities. And I list them from one to five.

These are the most important things in my day. And he said, every day, I go for the first one until it's finished. If I don't get the first one finished, I don't go to the second one.

I finish the first priority first. When I know that, I go to the second one. If I finish the second one, I go to the third one.

So, I live every day of my life taking the most important things of priority and accomplishing each one of them. So, that's my advice. And the rest of that money is still in my office.

The money that I received from Charles Schwab turned into $25,000. And back in 1934, it was my money. I said it was the greatest advice I've ever received.

You know, I say, God, every Christian wake up in the morning and really evaluate what are the greatest and most important priorities in my life today. And if you're wise, you're going to find out that first and foremost, I need to spend time with worship, God only. I need to spend time with honor and gift.

I need to spend time to seek gifts. That is the first and greatest priority of my life. You know why I make the most promises? It's because that isn't the right one.

And they rarely get it done. They rarely get it done. And they go off to the other priorities of life.

They go off to work. They go off to family. They go off to places.

They go off to cooking or whatever they're doing. And they leave the greatest priority of life. You know, we have a tremendous revival here.

We all agree. We all agree that every day for the next month we're going to set a priority. And number one is we're going to make sure that we spend at least an hour and a half or two hours on our faiths before God.

On our faiths before God. And make sure he's 100%. And we don't miss it.

I mean, I don't get this done. But I'm number one and number two. And secondly, it might be good.

And I thought about this. It might be good to get up and realize that the second most important thing God gives is trying to reach out to a lost soul. And that is the second greatest priority of our lives.

And then somewhere down the road when we get to the work, when we get to the family and the food and the pleasure, life is set on the basis of priority. That is why Jesus said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Every day of your life, the greatest and the most important priority for you is to seek first the kingdom of God.

How many people day after day after day wake up and never seek the face of God, never place God as the priority of their life, never see that this great God, I hope out of the children's eyes when we get back to him, he's the supreme reason for my life! My life! Life! Life! Well, this life is about setting priorities. Well, let's keep reading. Look at the passage here.

I want to jump down to verse 18. We'll start going down to this passage here. Verse 18.

Verse 18. Follow me. Follow me.

Now Peter, you set priorities. You set me as the supreme love and affection of your life. And this is going to lead you down a course, Peter.

It's going to lead you down a course of persecution, and ultimately it's going to lead you to be crucified. Like I was crucified. You know, if you look at what Jesus says to Peter, he actually prophesies over Peter's life here.

There are basically four things that God is prophesying over Peter. First of all, he prophesies about his ministry. He says, feed my sheep.

This is what your ministry is going to be. You're going to give your life to feeding my sheep. He also previously told Peter to come and dine.

He showed Peter that he was able to provide for him by loading his net up with fishes. He was prophesying to Peter and telling Peter ahead of time, I'm going to provide for you. I will be your provision.

He also tells Peter something interesting. He's late for his ministry. He actually tells Peter here you're going to get old, Peter.

I don't know how old Peter is. He's probably late, early. Maybe early 40s.

Thou shalt be old. Thou shalt stretch forth thy hand. Peter, you're going to live to be an old man.

Now, I remember this when I was studying prophecy. I believe the early church, they understood why they didn't believe Jesus. Oh, I didn't know that.

Because the Lord had already told Peter, Peter, you're going to live to be an old man. Peter, your life is going to go until you're an old man. Jesus actually, in Matthew 25, 19, one of his parables about the talents.

He told how a householder gave to his servants a talent. And they went off on a journey. And it says, after a long time, the Lord that served cometh and reckoned with them.

After a long time. So, oh, Jesus is already engaged with us. He's going to go.

He's going to give us our gifts and our talents. And after a long time. It's been a long time, hasn't it? He'll come back.

Ain't nobody who serves that person. There's another example of this. The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world.

For it lives in the whole nation. And then, till the end of time. The early church understood that they needed to take the gospel.

It was going to take time. So, the part of giving Peter ahead of time is length of life. It's length of ministry.

And then, finally, he tells them about the manner of death. And that's verse 18. They're going to stretch forth their hand.

And another show of mercy. That's a symbolic way of saying Peter is going to die a crucifixion. First history ever set out in church history.

That Jesus, Peter, was crucified. And actually, he requested that he be crucified upside down. Now, notice here, verse 19.

This faith he signified by my death before my God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, follow me. Now, I picture it this way.

They're all sitting around the fire. The Lord is serving them. They've had their meal.

The Lord has spoken to Peter three times. If you love me more than these. And then he tells Peter what's going to come.

How he's going to live in the old man. And he's going to die a crucifixion. And he stands up.

And he begins to walk away from this dirt, this fire. And he tells Peter to follow me. But Jesus stands up.

And Peter begins to follow the Lord Jesus. Let's look at verse number 20. And then Peter turned about, seeing that the disciple whom Jesus loved followed.

Somebody's coming behind Peter now. Which also means that his presence is suffering. And for which it's being betrayed.

Peter seeing him say to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? And Jesus saying to him, if I will, that he tarry until I come. What is that to thee? Follow thou me. Now, Peter's just like many people in the church.

The Lord has told him what his ministry is going to be. And how he's going to live to be an old man. He's going to be a teacher.

He's going to teach the flock. And he's going to die a crucifixion as an old man. But Peter's got to follow his mind and ethics.

Follow Jesus. What does that mean? Like, is he going to die like me? And ask him, see, my Lord, what's it going to have to die like this? And is he going to live to be an old man? Well, the Lord simply says to Peter, mind your own business. What does that mean? What does that mean? He's just like many people in the church.

And I think that's a good lesson for us as Christians. You know, we have a lot of Christian disciples today. A lot of people want to know what the Lord is telling them to do.

And the Lord isn't saying this. What's the Lord telling you to do? What's going on in the church? What's going on in that church? What's going on in this church? What's this brother doing? What's this sister doing? Comparing church to church. We're doing this, you're doing that.

And in all of this busybody, busybody spirit in the church, I'd like you to notice what the Lord says to Peter here two times. In verse 19 at the end, he's got a red letter. Excuse me, verse 17, he's got a red letter Bible.

No, excuse me. Verse 19. The last two words.

Follow me. Now, that's an individual call to Peter. Peter, your responsibility is to follow me.

And then in verse 22, Jesus said to him, if I will be here until I come, what is that to me? Follow thou me. Peter, your responsibility is to keep your eyes on me. Not to be looking around at your brother, your sister, and what your brother and sister are supposed to be doing.

Not each of us. I think about that. We have a responsibility.

One of us. Bible says in Romans 14, every one of us shall give account of himself. And I've shared this before, but it's on the floor.

As you and I have an individual responsibility, as each one of us see God, as each one of us pursue God individually, collectively, then we'll have a unity. Collectively, we'll have a brotherhood. But we're all individuals.

We all have an individual call from the Lord to follow him. I just want you to draw that line. I heard Peter say, we're all supposed to lose our identity and be this one load.

You know, I've never done that. Jesus said, I am the load. And he was the one who had to be broken and crushed.

And he's the one. He's the one who poured out his blood unto death. And when you're talking about a church, you're talking about the Lord using the body, the body right here as a picture of the church.

And each in the body, each has different members. And each member is an individual. You are different than me.

Peter, you're different than John. I have a different purpose for him. And so, don't worry about John's purpose.

You're just focused on yours. So we have a picture of the body. And remember, it's just God.

And what's the point of this? Okay, what's the point? Is it just I can keep a hand? Well, you know, I'm saying, what about the ear? You know, I have to do this. The ear has to do what I have to do. Great.

So God uses the body. I totally agree with us lending ourselves together and being humble. Submitting ourselves one to another.

But every one of you have an individual responsibility for God. And you're going to be held accountable for it. You're given an individual gift.

You're given an individual responsibility. You're given an individual calling. And the Lord says to each one of you, all about me.

But what about brothers and sisters? I'm asking. I'll read to you here first. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And maybe you could say that God is trying to perform a collective will with regards to our congregation. But first and foremost, you have a high priest. You have a connection with the Lord himself.

He is your master. And he has a specific calling and specific gifting for your personal life. And it's difficult.

It's always difficult. For Peter found that out. He was in the ministry of John.

He had a lot of different connections. John had a long life. Someone like Peter.

Peter was a young man who was killed early on in time. James was a young man who was killed early on in time. And surely he wasn't restricted sometime early.

Some died late. Some suffered more. I think it was when God told him to come to Paul.

He said, Paul, sit in an iris, and you go lay your hands on him and show him the things that he must suffer. All these things. So, he was to say, you and I are different.

And we have a different personal relationship with Paul. You know, the beauty of the church is everyone has that burden of the heart. All those things.

And you're going through these. You're called into these buildings. We can all come together by these callings.

Unity. Fulfill this purpose. I'm going to challenge me.

I have a responsibility for God. Jesus has called me, and I've heard him say, follow me. I'm going to challenge me.

I have a responsibility for God. Jesus has called me, and I've heard him say, follow me. I have a responsibility for God.

Jesus has called me, and I've heard him say, follow me. Take our lives. John chapter 20.

Let's begin. Verse 23. Jesus said to him, if I will and he will, what is that to thee? Follow thou me not.

Now, notice what happens here in verse 23. Then it gets saying abroad among the brethren that that disciple should not stop. Now, here, let's just go along our Peter's heart was troubled.

He didn't hear things right. But he actually shared it with other brethren. And this began to circulate that John would not die until Jesus did.

Verse 23 says, yet Jesus said not of him he shall not die. But if I will, that he very shall not die. What is that to thee? I wonder how many people in every church and state have been shaken to think that Jesus would come before John God.

This rumor was circulated. Peter didn't hear it right. He didn't share it then.

All of a sudden, John died. People were wondering, wait a minute. Didn't Jesus say that John would not die before the Lord Jesus came? Verse 24, this is a disciple which testified of these things to John and wrote these things.

And we know that his testimony is true. Not only did John share these things, but Matthew, Mark, Luke also. Remember the scripture says that the mouth of the church bears witness to every word that is established.

God doesn't just give us two witnesses of the Son of God and his life. He gives us four witnesses. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are eyewitness accounts of the life of the Lord Jesus. That you can have confidence that these witnesses are true. And we come here to verse 25.

There are also many other things Jesus said. To which if they should be written as it was, I suppose that even the world itself could not obtain the book that should be written. Now John has a very high standard for the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He says here that the world could not obtain the book. That's an amazing statement John has. Such high esteem for Jesus.

And he says that books were written by millions and millions of people all over the world. The world would not even be able to obtain the books. What an amazing person.

In his epistle in verse 1 he says this is already the epistle. He says that which is from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes. Think about what he's saying.

That which is from the beginning, which we have heard, I've heard it with my own ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which I've seen with my own eyes, which we have looked upon, are handed the handbook of the word of God. For the life is manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shown that you can become the life. What I've witnessed in those three and a half years, this is eternal life.

It was with the Father, and it was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard declares unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

When I'm talking about three and a half years walking with, and touching, and hearing, and fellowshiping with, he wants to have fellowship with you. And his Father wants to have fellowship with you. And may he please bless you and keep you in the midst of joy and in the midst of comfort.

And that force of joy comes in having fellowship with this amazing person, called the Lord Jesus Christ. This one who is eternal life to us. This one who wants fellowship with you.

This one who wants your joy to be full. This one who has eternal life, and desires to have a relationship with you, that you might connect with him, and also be connected to eternal life. This amazing person, with this great one before us, before our eyes, before our life.

Many people in this world, with this great, incredible, God-given person, with this incredible Creator, and Redeemer, who wants to get to know us, many people have sat here tonight. Can you imagine standing before God some day, and your existence is possible, and that you get to be with him, and you're with us, and you gave your heart and life to us. You gave your heart and life, and your passion for Christ, for this atmosphere, and you consumed your heart and soul, and I could go to many different places.

So this right here, is what the Bible calls, with such an incredible God before you, who is all for you, the opportunity to get to know him, to have eternal life, to have joy, to understand the mysteries of God, to have searchable paths finding out, and you say no to him, and you turn your heart and affection for these things, that is the affinity of idolatry. I want to read to you here, Romans chapter 1. What is happening to our society here, and we'll see here in a few minutes what happens, but let's see what it says. Because that which may be known of God is manifested in them, for God has shown it unto them.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. God is inviting you into this exploration of this person, of this character, into fellowship with him, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power, as God did, so that they were without excuse. By the way, the book of Acts, we'll see later on, says that he is not very far from every one of us, because when they knew God, they knew God, they glorified and admonished God, and they were thankful, they did honor him, they did worship him, this majestic one, but he came in their imaginations, in their foolish hearts of starvation, prevented themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the unfrustable God into an image.

These are images, made like a good man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things, and here's what's happening to our society now, because we've turned from the Lord to worship and honor him. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, to the lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies, to treat themselves, to change the truth of God into a lie, just as it is, and worship and serve the creature which makes you worth more than that, the creature. In other words, they turned away from this, and began to worship everything around here.

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed with it. Amen. For this cause, God gave them up unto violence, for even there were women that changed the natural use of violence against nature, and likewise also the men leaving the natural use of violence, not only did they get better, as long as the man is rejecting the majesty of God and the invitation of this person to come and have fellowship with him and get to know him, and they go out and make idols of all these things, they are just going to plunge deeper and deeper into darkness, even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprehensible man, men burning in their lust for an important number of women, burning in their lust for an important number of men, being filled with love and righteousness, and so we are living today in a society of idolatry.

Do you agree with me on that? Amen. A society that no longer has God as its supreme being in their lives. But how many people at the church, they run from the dips, they run from the dips, this is the first thing, they begin to turn their hearts away from God, and to see the incredible invitation to come, for eternal life, after him, and fellowship with him, and many in the church, things have changed, so the Lord being there, he is down here, oh yeah, I come to church, I sing songs, but as Jesus said to me, do you love me, or do you hate me? Am I the supreme love? Am I the passion of your life? Do you know the Lord is taking all that pedestal, and he's putting things out there, and we're heading to see, heading to church.

So I pray, pray to you here, to the Father, and to the Gospel of John, to make sure it's found a place, this, letter of 1 John, where the children keep the Gospel, and it's something that is a part of the church, we have to knock on the door, don't let the Lord be some type, in your life, all of a sudden, you're in church, other things that I've said, it's a heart of mine, so I come to church now, and I know even in sitting in church, the heart is intending to want to go here, and the heart is wanting to go here, and the heart is wanting to go here, and all of these things, even in the midst of the time, when we should be worshiping this great and majestic God. It's not going to be long, it has to be followed over, it's not going to be long, whatever the church is, let's do this, let's do it, God has sent me to church, the reason why is because, God has given me a long time, to these things, to these things, and that's just free of the money, so, we are one man, we have our own personal life, our own department, so the question is this, how do you love the Lord? I have said this to you, how do you love the Lord? You may feel a passion, how do you love the Lord? And there are things that God has given you, to be assured that you're heading in the right direction. I believe you.

So, let me encourage you, exhort you, to have faith in God. Faith. He wants to manifest himself in each one of you.

You're a priority every day over me. I'll fear the things around him, but I'm not going to let anything else get in his place. My honor is with you.

Living life, for you. Let's close this morning with a prayer. Heavenly Father, we acknowledge