John 21:15-23 – No Matter What
And so we have reached the end of our series called I Serve a Risen Saviour: Lessons from John 20-21. We saw from Peter and John that it’s OK not to understand everything that’s going on around you, but we can still trust God. Then we saw from Mary Magdalene what devotion to Jesus looks like. Next we looked at the issue of fear, and how it keeps us from doing our best. After that, we talked about doubt: it’s OK to doubt, but God wants us to move past our doubts to faith. Last week, we heard from a bunch of fishermen about how Jesus really deserves to be our Boss and our Master. Today, we are in John 21:15-23, and we will be looking at what it means to glorify God in our lives. Let’s read.
Verse 19 talks about the kind of death Peter would have that would glorify God. I want to use that thought as a springboard for today’s message. Glorifying God. What does it mean to give God glory? Well, let me say, that even if it’s hard to define, it’s still something we should try to do.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” No matter what you do, you should give God glory. OK…
How about this? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 in the KJV says, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you and which ye have from God, and that ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” Glorify God in your body.
Romans 15:5-6 says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this verse, Paul says that when Christians are united in our efforts to follow Jesus, we are glorifying God.
These verses have simply said that we need to give God glory. Other verses give us clues about how to do it. Matthew 5:16 in the NASB says for us to, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We live good lives, others see it, and then they glorify God.
This verse uses the word picture of “light”. That taps into much of the OT images of glory. Exodus 40 tells about the Israelites setting up the Tabernacle, the huge tent where they would worship God in the desert. That chapter contains these words: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
Deuteronomy 5 describes Moses talking to God’s people and says this: “When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. And you said, “The LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire.”
It seems to me, that even though “glory” is hard to define, a person knows it when they see it. It’s about brightness and power and majesty and fire and holiness. It’s about noticing the things of God, who he is, what He has done. It’s about giving God attention. Giving God glory is about magnifying Him, giving Him the credit He deserves, acknowledging His radiance and splendour.
It today’s media and celebrity-obsessed world, glory can be defined as credit, fame, praise, admiration, stardom, eminence, prominence, celebrity, or renown. Giving glory is about making much of something or someone.
So, I guess you could say that glorifying God, giving God the glory, is about making Him look good. Not that He isn’t already good… this is no political spin, putting a better image on something than it deserves. But it’s about pointing to God, lifting Him up, showing people who He is, putting the attention on Him, giving Him credit, shining a light on His character.
Again I will read 1 Corinthians 10:31, which says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” As believers, it is our responsibility to point to God in everything we do. Our goal as people of God is to point people to God. Our actions and our words are supposed to point people to God. Our jobs and our family roles are supposed to point people to God. Our work and our play are all supposed to point people to God. Whatever we do, wherever we go, whoever we’re with… let us live lives that show who God is and what He’s done for us.
A man once walked by a building site and saw three stone masons side by side, sweating over their work in the hot sun. He asked the first, "What are you doing?" "Laying bricks" came the reply.
He asked the second stone mason, "And what are you doing?" "Building a wall" came the reply.
Then he asked the third mason, "And what is it you are doing?" "I am raising a great cathedral."
That’s what glorifying Glory is about. It’s that attitude in our life that portrays what we are doing for God is something great and worthy for His kingdom. You need to ask the hard questions to yourself: Is this more about making myself look good, or about making God look good? Is this about hoping people will see and like me, or see and like Him?
Going back to our passage today, this is what Peter was up against. He would have plenty of opportunities to take credit for himself, his own abilities, his own gifts and talents, his own charisma, but would he give glory to God? Like Peter, I invite you to join in a lifestyle that glorifies God, from start to finish. I invite you to join in this statement about how you will point to God.
I will glorify God… no matter what I’ve done, no matter where I go. Here was Peter, a follower of Jesus, who denied Him when times got tough. Three times he denied knowing his Lord, and so 3 times Jesus asked him about his commitment. Yes, I love You, Lord. Yes, I love You. Lord, You know all things – You know I love You. And after each time, Jesus gave Peter a mission… take care of My people.
In one sense, Jesus’ purpose for each of us is the same. He called each of us to love and care for others. He has called each of us to look after the needs of others. He has called each of us to make a difference for Him in this world.
How that looks for each of us is different, of course. Some are called to preach, some to teach, some to confront, some to argue and reason. Though all of us are called to give and serve and share, some do it exceptionally well, and God blesses that. Do what you do, and do it for Him.
But if Peter had never gotten past his past, he would not have been able to move on to glorify God. Listen: you have to be free from your past mistakes in order to be productive in the future. Go to Jesus for forgiveness. “Lord, I messed up, but I don’t want it to hold me back from serving You or living for You. I need to know Your forgiveness, and then help me forgive myself.”
I love the Disney movie The Lion King. Simba, a young lion cub, blames himself for the death of the lion king, his father Mufasa. He runs away and finds a couple of characters who encourage him to hide the past and forget it. Pumbaa the warthog says, “You got to put your behind in your past.” His buddy Timon corrects him and says, “No, no, no, it’s you got to put your past behind you.”
Even better, years later, the king’s advisor Rafiki finds the grown Simba, and encourages him to come back to overthrow his uncle, Scar, who was the actual murderer of Mufasa. Simba says, “I know what I have to do. But going back will mean facing my past. I've been running from it for so long.”
Then Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his stick. Simba says,”Ow! What was that for?”
Rafiki answers with a laugh, “It doesn't matter. It's in the past.”
Simba says, “Yeah, but it still hurts.”
And wise Rafiki answers him: “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it.” Just then, Rafiki swings the stick again, and Simba dodges it.
Listen: No matter what your past, no matter the mistakes you’ve made, no matter how many times you have walked away from God’s best, you can start today to live for Him. You can decide today that you will live to point to God.
Maybe you had said in the past, “I will serve You”, but didn’t follow through on that promise. Maybe you know all the ways you have disappointed God in words not lining up to actions. To you, Jesus said, “I forgive you. This is your new start.” Maybe you faced the faith dilemma that presents the choice: “My actions do not line up with what I believe. I can either change my actions or my beliefs. I can’t seem to stop doing what I’m doing, so I will change what I believe.” To you, Jesus said, “I still forgive you. Let me work with you to help make you live what you believe.”
Let me tell you… repentance glorifies God. Humility glorifies God. Honesty glorifies God. Confession glorifies God.
And you can continue to glorify God throughout your whole life. Jesus said that even Peter’s death would glorify God. How matter how you end up, no matter what others do to you, no matter what happens to others, you can glorify God. No matter what.
Let me leave you with some words from the famous American colonial missionary to the Indians, David Brainerd, who died at the age of twenty-nine. His diary reveals a young man intensely committed to God. Brainerd once said to Jonathan Edwards:
"I do not go to heaven to be advanced but to give honour to God. It is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I have a high seat or a low seat there.
My heaven is to please God and glorify Him, and give all to Him, and to be wholly devoted to His glory."
