Sundays at Home

This page has the Sunday Sermon, notes for the sermon, and links for songs used during children’s music time each week. Scroll down to the bottom for the children’s info.

 

The Infinite Worth of Jesus

John 21:18-25
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Pastor Jojo Ma

 
 

Sermon Notes

For a PDF of the notes for today’s sermon, please follow this link.

The Infinite Worth of Jesus
John 21:18-25

Scripture: John 21:18-25

18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me." 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" 24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. 

I.          The great cost of following Jesus [vv18-19]
II.        The total sovereignty of Jesus [vv20-23]
III.       The infinite worth of Jesus [vv24-25]

I.         The great cost of following Jesus [vv18-19]

18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."

You can’t be a Christian and not follow Jesus. To be a Christian is to be a disciple, and to be a disciple is to be a follower, someone who learns from Jesus and lives for Jesus, no matter the cost.

JC Ryle: “Let us pray, while we live in health, that we may glorify God in our end. Let us leave it to God to choose the where, and when, and how, and all the manner of our departing. Let us only ask that it may glorify God.” 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was right to call this “cheap grace”. Where is the cost of discipleship? I am not saying you have to be martyred to be a Christian and to understand true discipleship. But our evangelism should inform people to count the cost.

Lk 9:23 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Following Jesus will be hard. There is a great cost to following the Lord. But it is worth it, isn’t it? He’s worth it.

II.        The total sovereignty of Jesus [vv20-23]
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" 

You follow Jesus. Be humble, be prayerful, be faithful, be content, be loving, be trusting. Jesus will take care of you. But you follow Jesus. Stop comparing and start contenting.

John Newton: “Everything is necessary that God sends; nothing can be necessary that he withholds.”

Christ Our Hope in Life and Death: “Who holds our days within His hand? What comes apart from His command?” Nothing, of course. Nothing happens apart from His command. This is the total sovereignty of Christ.

III.      The infinite worth of Jesus [vv24-25]

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. 

The Love of God:
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
  And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, 
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
  Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
  Though stretched from sky to sky

D.A. Carson: “[John] must close by saying his own work is only a minute part of all the honors due the Son.”