John 21: The Perfect Love That Lifts Peter Up and Sends Him Out

Introduction

The week before, Harold Afflu, pastor of City Gates Church, began a message titled "The Power of Perfect Love." He spoke about three conversations between Peter and Jesus: the first before the crucifixion, the second at the moment of the denial, when Jesus simply looked at Peter ("he said nothing, but his eyes spoke"), and the third, face to face, after the resurrection. This second part focuses on that last exchange, on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, in John 21.

The message was preached on the Sunday when the church publicly thanked everyone who serves. The thread was obvious: why do we serve Jesus, and from what place? For the pastor, the answer lies in what Jesus did with Peter that morning: "He reaffirms him, he restores him, and he sends him out on mission again."

Message Outline

1. By the Lake, an Elephant in the Room

After the resurrection, seven disciples are together. Peter says, "I'm going fishing." The others follow him, and that night they catch nothing. In the morning, Jesus is on the shore, tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and the net fills with 153 large fish.
The pastor compares the situation to a meeting where the real problem is never raised because it is hard to talk about: "an elephant in the room." Peter denied Jesus three times, and the matter has not yet been dealt with.
Because nothing has been settled, Peter is discouraged and feels disqualified. So he goes back to fishing. And because he has influence, six others leave with him.
The scene recalls what happened three years earlier, when Jesus called him. It is there, around a charcoal fire, that Jesus invites Peter into the conversation.
Jesus' first question: "Do you love me more than these?" The pastor gives three possible meanings of "these," as suggested by various commentators.
The other disciples: Peter had claimed, louder than the rest, that he was ready to die for Jesus. Jesus had answered that the rooster would not crow before Peter had denied him three times. The question helps him walk in humility from now on.
The fish, which represent our breakthroughs: career, money, marriage, children, what you love to do. "It is possible for the very thing God has blessed us with to become a distraction." We must guard our hearts so that we do not miss the one who blesses by looking only at the blessing.
The old life: going back to what is predictable. It is not always bad, but the Lord may be inviting you into a new chapter: "Do you trust me to take you further?"
At the third question, Peter is grieved: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Each time, Jesus answers with a mission: feed my lambs, tend my sheep. The pastor urges us to read slowly, to listen to the Holy Spirit, and not to answer too quickly.

2. Declare the Truth, Especially After a Fall

The first thing Jesus wants Peter to hear: he knows that Peter loves him, but he wants Peter to say it and reaffirm it himself, since he carries guilt and shame.
When you have sinned or made a mistake, the enemy wants to corner you and make you believe that God will never use you again. That is the moment to declare: "I love Jesus. I am on the winning side."
"Truth will dislodge the lie." The pastor encourages praying out loud: "We don't shout because God is far away or deaf. We shout to silence the voice inside," the voice of doubt, worry, and anxiety.
In Genesis, every time God speaks, things come into being. He created us in his image, as a people who speak and declare. Declare the Word over your situation, even when everything seems to say the opposite.
Once we have repented and come before God, we can speak the truth over our lives, in the face of the enemy.

3. "You Can Do It": Jesus Trusts Peter

The second thing: Jesus wants Peter to know that he trusts him. He takes him back to Luke 5, when Peter had caught nothing all night, cast the net at Jesus' word, and then left everything to follow him (Luke 5:9-11).
"I see in you the ability to lead people, to feed my sheep, to feed my lambs. You can do it." Even when we fall, in him we are restored, reaffirmed, and sent out again on mission.
The pastor calls the church to draw out leadership in one another: "Catch people doing what is right" and tell them so. Whoever is faithful in small things will be entrusted with more.
Correction matters, but start by encouraging. Whoever has encouraged first has earned the right to correct.
Harold Afflu tells how he was a strict perfectionist, like his father, always the one picked to correct others. At boarding school, a boy came to his room; when he asked, "Is everything okay?", the boy said yes. Five minutes later, the boy opened his heart to his roommate, who was very close to people. The reason: "I'm afraid of you."
Shaken, he began a real journey of transformation by praying: "Lord, I don't want to be someone people are afraid of. Jesus, you were approachable. Change me." The man who describes himself as the former "chief inspector of mess," with a cloth in his pocket, changed. "Don't boast about something that is not Christlike."

4. Serve Out of Love, Not Out of Habit

The third thing: Jesus wants Peter to remember that the motivation for service is love.
It is possible to serve without joy. If you are tired, the pastor advises taking a break rather than becoming "the rotten apple" of the team, the one who criticizes everything and poisons the others.
"If you are always criticizing people, you need help." This is not a judgment: you may be carrying a wound without knowing it. Ask others how you come across to them and let the Lord work on your heart.
When love is no longer the motivation, we end up believing we have earned it. We are no longer grateful, we become demanding. "Do I sound like someone who thinks everything is owed to me, or like someone who is grateful?"

5. You Are Loved by the Father

The fourth thing: Jesus wants to remind Peter of what he taught about agape love. "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Whoever loves him will be loved by his Father (John 14:21), and the Father and the Son will come and make their home with that person (John 14:23).
Love and obedience go together: "If you love me, you obey me. If you love me, you serve me. If you love me, you want to be with me."
Jesus spoke this way so that his joy would remain in his disciples and their joy would be complete (John 15:11).
It is the Holy Spirit who pours God's love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). If we can tell Jesus that we love him, it is because he loved us first. And it is from this love that we love others and serve.

6. Reaffirmed, Restored, Sent Out on Mission

"Maybe you stumbled, maybe you did wrong, maybe you did something really serious. But you came to me, I washed you. Don't listen to the enemy's lie."
Jesus says to Peter what he said to him the first time: "Follow me." It is a way of saying: I believe in you.
The pastor admits that he has doubted God's grace on his life several times and has struggled with discouragement. He does not like the stage or being the center of attention: "It is God's calling that brings me here."
He speaks to those who have stopped believing in God's calling: "You made a mistake, so what? Get up." And to one person in particular: "Don't lose your voice. Don't lose your confidence."
"Leadership is not proportional to age." Use your influence to encourage others and push them to love Jesus. Give him what you have, even if your heart is half broken, because "we only have one life to live" and we will give an account of our stewardship.

7. Peter Passed on the Lesson

Years later, Peter became an elder. He urges leaders: "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you," not for dishonest gain, not lording it over them, but being examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:1-3). This is the mission received on the lakeshore, which he passes on in turn: "That is discipleship."
Peter knows the power of example. When he went fishing, the others followed him. This time, he puts his influence at the service of good.
He learned that it is God who lifts up: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6).
He also knows that the enemy can whisper lies to anyone. Hence the warning: "Be sober and self-controlled, be watchful," and resist the devil "steadfast in your faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9). "Don't take the enemy as your breakfast companion."
The message ends on 1 John 4:18-19: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." The pastor invites everyone to pray, "Lord, help me to live in the power of your love," and to simply say to Jesus, "I love you."

Key Takeaways

Jesus does not leave your fall unanswered: he invites you into the conversation, as he did with Peter on the lakeshore.
After repentance, declare God's truth out loud: it dislodges the lie that says you are disqualified.
Guard your heart so that the blessings you have received do not take the place of the one who gives them.
Love is the only good motivation for serving. Without it, we become critical and end up believing everything is owed to us.
Jesus reaffirms, restores, and sends out on mission. And what you receive from him, you are called to pass on to others.

Personal Application

Is there an "elephant in the room" between Jesus and you, a fall you have never really talked about with him?
Which blessing risks becoming a distraction today: your career, your money, your family, an activity you love?
Which lie of the enemy do you need to silence by declaring the truth of the Word out loud?
In your service, are you more grateful or more critical? Who could tell you honestly how you come across to them?
Whom around you could you encourage this week by telling them what you see of God's grace in their life?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Do you love me more than these?" mean in John 21?

Harold Afflu presents three possible readings. Jesus may be asking Peter whether he loves him more than the other disciples do, since Peter had promised to die for him. He may be referring to the fish, that is, the blessings received: we must not lose sight of the one who blesses. Or he is asking Peter whether he loves him more than his past life, the one he went back to by going fishing.

Why does Jesus ask Peter the same question three times?

Jesus knows that Peter loves him, but he wants Peter to say it himself, while Peter carries the guilt of his denial. According to the preacher, Jesus also wants him to hear that he trusts him, that love must be the driving force of his service, and that he is loved by the Father. In this way Jesus reaffirms Peter, restores him, and entrusts him with a mission again.

How did Peter put the lesson of John 21 into practice?

In 1 Peter 5, Peter, now an elder, urges leaders to shepherd God's flock willingly, without lording it over them, by being examples. He calls us to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand and to resist the devil with steadfast faith. Harold Afflu sees in this a disciple who received from Jesus, lived it, and now passes it on to others.