Love the Commandment – Consider

Our theme for the year is "Change what You Love." And the original idea behind the theme this year was to confront the idea that the things we love are somehow fatalistically, genetically hardwired and therefore impossible to change. Our love can change. And it's a choice.

We all came in this morning with love that needs changing. And we emphasized three things.

- It possible to change.
- You have control over that change.
- It's the main thing God wants you to do with your life.

The great commandment is not a command to do anything. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. That's a command to change what you love.

But how do we do that?

Well our current series, "Love the Commandment," helps us answer that question. Today is our last installment of this series of five messages.

We have been looking at this cycle that conversely either creates and strengthens love in our hearts or deconstructs and eliminates love in our hearts.

The heart moves through this cycle and in each phase there are commands that God gives us to obey. And when obeyed, it changes our love. Thus far we've looked at the first three quadrants.

- Belief Predicts Fulfillment (Belief) -> You believe you'll be happy if you are rich.
- Anticipated Fulfillment Drives Behavior (Pursuit) -> You find a good-paying job.
- Behavior Leads to Experience (Cultivation) -> You save and invest and spend money. Cultivate wealth.

Today we'll talk about the final quadrant of evaluation. Every quadrant is important and contributes to the love changing process, but this quadrant, as you will see, is where the change actually happens.

After we've believed something for a time, pursued it, and served that thing, it creates an experience. And there are seasons we all go through where we compare our current experience with what we originally believe.

Based on my experience, is this thing worthy of my continued pursuit? That's an important question! Sometimes our experience says, "Absolutely, keep going." Other times, we say, "Mmm, that provided some level of enjoyment, but I can see where this is going and I'm not so sure I think it's worth it. Maybe there is something better?"

When we evaluate we open the possibility of being controlled by new ideas:

- Things are up for grabs. I could be right.
- But I might be wrong. I'm willing to be wrong. I'm willing to admit I've been barking up the wrong tree.
- I'm being open-minded. I'm willing to re-evaluate what has value and what is worth following.

The experience that comes out of the belief/pursue/cultivation process is pretty important to think about.

But there is a major problem associated with that experience. It can sometimes mislead you. To illustrate, consider this image.

In the cartoon you have a couple guys digging. There's a pile of diamonds off to the right. There's the prize. There's the object of fulfillment.

The guy on top is clearly a guy who is in hot pursuit. He's investing everything he has. He's submitted himself entirely to the process. All of his eggs are in this basket.

Now the guy below was in the same condition but has somehow abandoned his pursuit. The question is, how did that happen? That's a really important question. How do we determine in life that something is no longer worth pursuing?

Well at some point he evaluated and determined that it was no longer worth it.

At some point, this guy reached a tipping point where he observed:

- I've been digging for a long time and I'm really tired.
- Look at my hands, they are full of blisters.
- I only hit one or two tiny junk diamonds along the way. My body aches.

There are only two possibilities: either I have believed something wrong or I haven't dug deep enough. And he concluded, I don't think this place even had diamonds. And his changed belief results in new actions.

Maybe you've known someone who once was all in with Christ and seemed to be really following him and then turned away. How does that happen? Answer: somewhere along the way he or she reevaluated.

Maybe you feel that way. Maybe you are still a follower of Christ but you find yourself so much less motivated than you once were. You seem to be following but at a distance. I mean you are digging but with so little enthusiasm. So easily distracted. So half-hearted.

Maybe you are re-evaluating even now.

Now, there are commands in the Bible that God gives us when we find ourselves in a season of evaluation, and particularly in a season where it seems like our experience doesn't square with our belief. God wants us to do something when we find ourselves in this evaluation season.

Now I want to illustrate how these commands help us by looking at Peter. Because Peter underwent a major faith crisis where he believed, pursued, served and then tragedy struck. And that experience caused him to reevaluate nearly everything he believed to be true.

Now for the sake of today's message we are going to lump all these commands under the heading of "Following."

People follow politics, sports, or the stock market. If you are following something, you believe it has value, so you pursue it and you serve that thing. You give it your time, your money, your mental energy, etc...

Well, Peter followed Jesus. Let's just trace the word 'following' through the life of Peter.

So here we have a command. Follow me. Now if you were Peter, why would you obey that? Well, you would have to believe that if you followed him, it would be rewarding. There's an implied claim. Dig here and you will find gold. And all through Jesus' ministry, he's claiming, "I am the diamond and gold mine." All the I am statements are value claims.

So these are the claims. Follow me and I will give you both what you want and need. Follow me. Pursue me. Let me shape you. Let me cultivate your minds and souls so that you can receive happiness. I am the way. These are the claims.

Peter, do you believe it? Well, you vote with your feet, don't you? Peter drops his net and follows Jesus. He must believe it to some degree.

In fact, Peter straight up says it. He nails the doctrinal statement. Do you remember that time when Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" Some say you are John the Baptist. Some say you are Elijah. Some say Jeremiah or some other great prophet. Some say this. Some say that. Okay great. Now the real question.

Peter says, "Jesus, I believe you are the Messiah and that's why I am following you. I am serving you because you are the rabbi/teacher." Peter says, of course, I believe that you are the Christ. Jesus, I follow you because I believe that you are the path to life.

Okay, that's good.

Remember the diamond digger? Peter is digging for diamonds. He believes in the claims. But here's the million-dollar question. What happens when your hands get blisters? What happens when your muscles get sore? Will he keep digging? Will he keep following? Or will he turn away?

It's one thing for Peter to follow Jesus when he's the most popular guy in town. Does Job follow you for nothing? It's easy to be a Patriots fan when the Patriots are winning. The real test happens when Jesus isn't so popular. Do you remember John chapter 6?

Street magicians draw crowds. This was right after the feeding of the 5000. That was a pretty cool trick. So the crowds were electric. Do another trick for us! Is Peter just one of these fair-weather fans? Well, in John chapter 6 we see the answer. Jesus teaches some really hard things about the cost of discipleship. The crowds heard those words and began to grumble. Jesus went from being really popular to not so much. They didn't like the way that sounded and so many turned away and stopped following him.

It's a bit of a chilling scene. There's a lot that hangs on that question. You can envision sadness in Jesus' face. But Peter just nails this answer.

You can hear the confidence in Peter's voice. Master, Rabbi, I follow because I believe. I'm digging for diamonds, Master. I'm no fair-weather fan. A few blisters aren't going to stop me, are you kidding? I believe you are Messiah promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. Belief results in pursuit. Pursuit submits itself to the cultivation process. I'm all in Jesus. Peter is convincing, even to himself, just how committed he really is.

Do you remember the passage in Matthew 19 where Jesus rebuked the rich young ruler and said, "Hey, if you want to enter into eternal life, you have to repent of your riches, you have to sell all that you have, and you have to follow me." Rich young man, you have been serving money; you need to serve me. So give it up and come follow me. Now the rich man went away sad because he wasn't able to do it.

Peter, instantly compares himself, pride welling in his heart. I was able to do it. I have left all I have. I gave up my career. I gave up my home. Peter said to himself, "Dang, I'm good."

Jesus, I believed you. I've pursued you. I've served you. What's my reward for being so awesome?

Now you know where this is going, but let me ask you. Is this all a ruse? Is this just a game. Is Peter totally just gaming things? No of course not. Peter really believes that Jesus is the Messiah. He really, truly loves the Lord. Of course he does.

He really has discovered that Jesus is worthy. He really is following him. He really has given up everything. But Peter's love and following-commitment are weaker than he believes. A test will come that will reveal the shallowness of his loyalty. A test will come that will show a veneer upon a very serious weakness.

Jesus, just days before his crucifixion, says to his disciples. And even the way he addresses them is so telling. Little children! I like the way the Bible so tenderly and compassionately insults us:

He's saying, Peter, you think you are following me, but you won't be able to follow me. Here's what he's saying. He's saying, Peter, you think you love me, but you really don't love me the way you think you do. Peter, our actions always follow our love. You can't follow me because you don't yet love me the way I love you.

Now, this had to have been so offensive to Peter. This was a straight-up attack on his pride. Peter has just got to be screaming in his heart, "Yes I do! Let me prove it to you!" Surely Peter had listened over and over to Jesus' words on the cost of being a follower of Christ. Jesus never made it easy to follow him. He didn't want fickle followers. Peter surely had taken very seriously to heart Jesus' words,

I am certain that Peter had rehearsed his brave death for Jesus many times. I am sure he was convincing himself at this moment of his loyalty. Yes, I love you Lord. Yes, I will follow you. I am willing to die for you! What do you mean I won't be able to follow you? I'll do anything.

Oh man, that was probably so confusing, hurtful, and angering all in one. Peter could not possibly envision a scenario where he would stop following the Messiah. It's just not possible. But it was oh-so-possible. Peter was confusing his love of self with love for the Lord. The feelings were being mixed together and indistinguishable in his own heart. He was not sufficiently acquainted with his weakness and fickleness. Weakness is never revealed until pressure is applied.

Now what happens on that Thursday night is a scene of unspeakable complexity and emotional trauma as the pressure is applied to Peter's weak love.

Peter watched his world fall apart piece by piece.

- Peter watches as Jesus crumples like a blanket in weakness in the Garden of Gethsemane. He's never seen Jesus so weak, so distraught and worried. He had always seen such confidence when Jesus was facing his enemies. Was Jesus actually worried? Was he actually conceding his own capture?

- Then the Romans come and confirm Peter's worst nightmare. Now, remember the Bible says that a cohort of soldiers came to arrest Jesus which was somewhere between 300-600 soldiers. There are hundreds of Roman soldiers behind the priest. Hundreds. And Peter goes on the offensive. They come to arrest him and Peter breaks out his sword to prove just how willing he is to die for Jesus. He swings wildly at the high priest's servant and chops of his ear. This is some serious bravery. Peter was showing commitment. Jesus miraculously puts it back on tells Peter to take a chill pill. What? Then Jesus is led away by those soldiers. And all the disciples flee for their lives. And Peter is standing there bewildered. Jesus, do something!

And you can imagine Peter's thoughts. What is happening? Well, maybe Jesus is staging a giant reveal. Maybe he's going to pull a stunt in just a bit. Maybe he's setting the stage to make his entrance as Messiah even more dramatic. So Peter slinks along. And the way the Bible says it is so masterful.

Peter follows Jesus at a distance, of course physically, but what a window into what is happening in his heart. Wow, what artful use of language here. He's following but now he's not so sure. His confidence is shaken. Now he's not so sure he's the way, the truth, and the life. So he's following, but at a distance.

Now Messiah is getting flogged. He's getting whipped and lashed with bone and glass. Now I want you to think about that. Psychologically, what does that do to you to see your hero being strapped to a post and whipped and bloodied and beaten?

And then out comes this little slave girl and verbally undresses him. He's not undone by the high priest. Not by a member of the Sanhedrin. Not by the elite in society. He's undone by a slave girl. In that society, respect came from being old, male, wealthy, and free. She was none of these things. Peter's confident, rock-solid, impenetrable, undying love for Christ was exposed to be fragile and paper-thin. His entire being was reduced to a puddle by a slave girl.

And of course, it was at that moment two things happened. He caught the eye of the beaten and bloodied Jesus from across the courtyard and his ear caught the sound of the early morning rooster.

Now you can imagine the shame. Such terrible shame and embarrassment and mortification. How he must have replayed those words over and over in his mind. Disturbed, stomach-churning, sick, disgusted with himself, and hopeless.

Now there was a deep shame, but also deep examination. Peter was cast into this fourth quadrant, into this season of evaluation. The body was hung on a cross. It was taken off the cross, put in a grave. The grave was sealed and a Roman guard posted. Peter was forced into a moment of deep, deep evaluation.

This Jesus is not who I thought he was. Now let me show you a picture of Peter at this moment.

Peter's whole life had been undone. Peter had left his nets to follow Jesus. He had invested his life savings. Peter had given Jesus all his time. And it turned out to be all for nothing.

In the words of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, "We had hoped that he would be the one to deliver Israel. But I guess we were wrong because he's been dead now for three days."

Folks, this is the epitome of the evaluation phase. Peter's whole worldview was being upset and rocked and undone. He now believed that it was all a waste. That all that digging was in vain. And he turned back.

Now here's where the story gets really fun. What do you when you stop digging for diamonds? You go back to what you know.

Just that. The tender insult. That's familiar. Speaking of familiar.

Now Peter is beside himself. Always wanting to prove his loyalty and commitment he tosses himself entirely into the water. There was not a molecule of reluctance in Peter’s heart. Whatever it took to be next to his Lord, the price was worth it. One hundred yards; one hundred miles. He was going. And like an oversized labrador, he pants on the banks of the sea of Galilee and embraces his Lord.

So they sit down and eat breakfast in amazement. Now comes the moment we have all been waiting for, this interchange between Peter and Jesus. His fickle love has been painfully put on display. Peter has been dressed down and he's been shown to be such a talker.

Almost everybody agrees that Jesus’ reference to “these” in verse 15 is a reference to the other disciples. In other words, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these other disciples love me?” Peter is probably slightly perplexed by this question. "Why would you ask this Lord, you know I love you? Of course. Lord, did you not see that I just jumped out of a boat in the cold early morning water just so that I could be with you 10 seconds earlier? None of the other guys did that. I don’t just jump into the water for everyone. Of course I love you.” But the question probably did not sit well. Why would Jesus try and compare my love to the other disciples' love for Him?

So I think at this, Peter probably said to himself, you bet Lord, I will feed your lambs. The text does not say how much time went by between these statements, maybe a minute or two. Then:

A second question, exactly the same. Okay, Jesus is making a point. And now Peter is starting to feel like his words are lacking meaning. Had he not said before that he loved the Lord? Lord, if everyone else abandons you, I will die for you. I love you Lord. But Jesus is still asking the question. I'm sure he could feel the hollowness of Peter's words. Your words don't mean very much after you've betrayed the one you claim to love. But he's stuck. What's he supposed to say?

I picture at this moment the smoke from the fire shifting and it's a painful reminder. He remembers the fire from a few nights ago. Oh, how confidently he had boasted in his love and loyalty to the Lord and he denied him three times. Three times he had denied the Lord and now three times, the Lord asks him if he loves him. The lesson was painfully burrowing its way into his soul. The wound had to be reopened to be cleaned. The Lord was lovingly holding up a mirror and letting Peter see his frailty. Peter, you are only powerful when you are weak. You are only able to serve me when you beg for grace at my feet.

Such a good answer. Such a beautiful answer. This is where the Lord wanted him. Broken. Unsure of his ability. Distrusting self. Doubting his motives. Weak. Vulnerable. Powerless. Tired of failure. But truly loving his Savior. This is where the Lord wanted him, but it took reopening the wound to get him there.

And then comes, what I think, are the most powerful words in the entire narrative.

Wow, the first time Peter left his nets clear back in Matthew chapter 4 he thought he knew what that meant. But wow, those words mean something entirely new now, don't they? And Peter turns back and he starts to dig. And for the rest of his life, he digs and digs and digs.

Now we witnessed Peter in this season of evaluation as he basically fails. But what should he have done?

I want to go back to Mark chapter 8. This is the passage where Peter's great confession happens. Jesus asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter says, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God."

Do you remember what happens next? Three things happen in a row that are so incredibly significant. First, Jesus predicts his death. Peter just gets done with this great confession and here comes the wet blanket.

Jesus predicted that he would die. And he did so plainly. Okay Peter, listen. You believe I am the Messiah. Great. Listen to me carefully. There is a period of evaluation ahead of you where you will question this, so I'm telling you in advance. But listen guys, remember, after three days, I will rise again.

So do you see what he's doing? He's giving them resources for the day of trouble. Now rather than use those resources, Peter argues the premise. Peter doesn't like this idea of suffering and weakness but Jesus rebukes him.

Here's the second thing that happens? This is crazy. Jesus warns against denying Christ in a pressure situation. He's saying, I'm giving you resources so when that period of evaluation hits, you'll be ready.

What's his point here? His point is: okay you believe me. You believe I am Christ. Recall that to mind when trials come. Because they will come. And the suffering you are about to endure is worth it.

That's a tall order. Man, I have to take up my cross and follow Christ? I have to die? I mean, I believe that Jesus is the Christ, but do I believe it enough to die for him? Here's the third thing that happens.

Do you see what he's doing? There are all these resources available to them when suffering thrusts them into a season of evaluation.

When your hero dies, that's pretty discouraging. Who could blame the disciples for reevaluating, unless of course what? Unless of course, Jesus told them that after three days, he would rise from the dead! Do you see the point?

## The Main Point

Now here's the point of telling that story. This was all set-up so that we could understand what God wants us to do when we find ourselves in a season of evaluation.

This season comes either in times of success or tragedy. If we are experiencing success then we evaluate and say, "Wow, this is going great, and it just reinforces our belief, strengthens our pursuit, and on we go."

But in times of trial or tragedy, we evaluate and say, "Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree."

Peter found himself in a season of evaluation and doubted. He evaluated, doubted, and turned away. He forgot to look back to the promises of God. He forgot to fix his eyes on the promise. God said this would happen. God said that he would rise from the dead. You see Peter was so convinced that suffering should not be part of the equation that he was undone when it happened.

No. Suffering is part of the equation. And so is doubt. Doubt will come when we suffer. And in those seasons, God commands us to do certain things. It's during these times that God gives us commands to obey. And they are commands that help us to look past the blisters, past the temporary discomfort, and remind us that there is a reward if we continue to believe, pursue, and serve.

I want to give you some examples of these. You should not be surprised that trials come upon you as if something strange is happening. Peter was shocked. Don't be like Peter. Instead, look to what God has promised he is going to do through trials.

Look at what God does through trials. But also look past the pain to the outcome. Do you see that? In trials, we tell ourselves, "Maybe all this digging isn't worth it. No! It is worth it!""

These blisters hurt. I don't think there are any diamonds here.

Oh, I'm sweaty, my back hurts, and this is just a colossal waste of time. What caused you to start digging in the first place? You had an absolutely sure source. You, for very good reason, were convinced. That reason hasn't changed. Your guide told you that it would be hard and there would be trials and blisters. So don't give up. That's exactly what you should expect. Keep digging. The prize is there.

What these commands do is strengthen our hands. They steady us against things that would potentially rock us.

I think the most encouraging thing is that even if you have failed and doubted the Lord, none of it is a waste. Jesus says, to Peter, follow me. And what does he do? He's already dug this giant hole. So he just turns around and picks up where he left off. He just keeps digging.

## Practical

One of the main points to be made as it relates to this cycle is that this cycle is always happening. And there's a passive and active way in which the cycle happens. If you do nothing, the cycle is happening.

- You will believe things that are handed to you.
- You will pursue the things that are easy and sound fun.
- You will be shaped by the cultural forces that are all around you.
- And you will evaluate life based on how you have been shaped.

And the scary thing is that it will all be wrong. You will end up loving the world.

Let me just make this super practical. Are you following the Lord? Are you obeying the commands to believe, seek, serve commands?

- Do you read your Bible every day? Do you have a plan to read your Bible? If you don't, how can you possibly even know what to believe? The entire Christian faith comes out of this book. Nowhere else. Our entire faith assumes this is the source of truth and that all things believed must come from this book. If you aren't reading it, then without question you will default to believing other things that are not true.
- Do you pray every day? One of the main ways we pursue God is through prayer. It's the main way we seek him. If you believe this is true then you will seek the God who wrote it.
- Do you serve him? People have a thousand reasons why they don't serve in the church and none of them are good ones.
- Don't you realize that service to God is not because he needs you, but because he wants to shape you? By serving in the church, you will be molded into the right shape to be an effective tool in his hands.
- For me, you want to know the things that have helped me the very most to be an effective minister of the gospel? Sure, going to seminary was great. Bible school was great. Israel was great. But the thing that has helped me the very most is to talk with real people. To walk with real people through suffering. To have to work through differing perspectives.
- When you suffer or succeed, what are you remembering?
- The cross quadrants are designed to help one another!
- The wheel works in community!