Introduction: When God chooses a person to do a job for Him, he works in the life of that person. Always providentially, sometimes miraculously. For example Joseph: God had a plan for that proud young man in the colorful coat to become the ruler of Egypt. But before Joseph could rule Egypt he had to be a slave in Potipher's house, and a prisoner in an Egyptian jail. God had a plan for Paul to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. But first Paul had to be knocked off his donkey, blinded for three days, and take a couple of years to study and prepare. Jesus had chosen Peter to be the leader of the disciples. He had prepared him for three years, but He was still working on Peter to make sure he had a servant's heart.

There are three valuable lessons for us in this story.

I. God wants to see humility in the hearts of His children.

A. Jesus chastened Peter by asking him three times if he loved Him. Peter was grieved. He was humbled. This is good for the heart and the spiritual life.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 66:2
...to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

B. God chastens His children. He does not ignore our sins. He does not punish us as if we were rebellious unbelievers, but He DOES sometimes bring pain into our lives to make us feel remorse and sorrow over our sins.

God spoke to David about Solomon in 2 Samuel 7:14:
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.

Jesus spoke to the churches in Revelation 3:19:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

The author of Hebrews wrote (Hebrews 12:6):
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

C. So, Jesus was chastening Peter. Peter had just recently told Jesus that he was more faithful than all the other disciples, and that he would never abandon Jesus. Then he betrayed Him three times. Jesus was creating remorse and repentance in Peter's heart. He was seeking to mold Peter's emotions, to make him a truly dedicated servant.

II. The main business of the Church is to shepherd Jesus' sheep.

A. Jesus gave Peter three commands:

1. Feed my lambs.
Lambs are baby sheep. In the church, these are new immature Christians. It is an important duty of parents, pastors, elders, Sunday School teachers, and all mature Christians to supply suitable spiritual food for young Christians. Young Christians need to be taught the fundamentals of the Faith: The authority of the Bible. Salvation by grace and not by works. The importance of living a life of love and truth. How to pray. Living a holy life. And so on. Just basic things. We are commanded to avoid "doubtful disputations" with young believers or those who are weak in their faith (Romans 14:1-13).

2. Shepherd my sheep.
Those who have been Christians a long time need shepherding. They need to be guided, led, disciplined and educated. For example: They need to know why cults and other religions are wrong. They need to understand how to apply Christianity to the moral and ethical choices of life and culture. They can benefit from criticism. When they go astray they need a shepherd's crook to reach out and grab them about the neck. Sometimes they need a poke or a swat from the shepherd's rod. Not that Pastors should constantly go around beating the sheep! But, as Proverbs says, "Iron sharpens iron," and "the wounds of a friend are faithful."

3. Feed my sheep.
Mature Christians need to be given a Christian education that goes beyond the basics. We need Sunday School. We need home Bible study groups. When we go to church we need to hear more than just a salvation message and an invitation to be saved week after week after week. The morning service is worship, and evangelism, but it is also education. We need to delve into the doctrines that are difficult. We need to hear what the Bible says about predestination, election, creation versus evolution, the types and symbols of the Old Testament, and how they are fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. We need to study the person and work of the Holy Spirit. It is helpful for the mature Christian to study the nature of the Trinity, and the hypostatic union of Man and God in Christ Jesus. And there is no end to the depths of doctrine in the Bible. The more you learn, the greater vistas open up before you.

III. The heart of Christianity is love.

A. Jesus asked Peter three times, with two different Greek words: Do you love me? Jesus is saying to Peter, and to us: "You can't serve Me unless you love Me."

B. In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus taught that the 10 commandments could be summarized in two great commandments: Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

C. John the Apostle taught that God is love (I John 4:7-11): "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

D. The Apostle Paul taught that love was the most important of all the Christian virtues: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Follow the way of love."

Conclusion: Christ has taught us three very important lessons in this little story about Peter. 1) God is at work in our lives to develop the grace of humility. 2) The work of the Christian leader is first and foremost to be a shepherd to Christ's sheep. 3) The heart of our relationship with Christ is love. We must love God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourself. Amen.