Last Words - Mind Your Own Business John 21:20-25

1 Last Words - mind your Own Business john 21:20-25 How many of you ever get in trouble for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong (for the youth "Gettin' all up in someone else's Business )? That's the subject of today's sermon - well, sort of. Let me explain. As Christians, we have important Business to tend to. Jesus has a job for you to do. But life is filled with so many distractions, it is easy to lose focus on what we are supposed to be doing. *Jesus invites you to focus your life on His unique calling for you in building up His Kingdom.* For the last few weeks we have been reviewing some of the last things Jesus said to His disciples in His post-resurrection appearances before He left for good. So far Jesus has revealed that He is was equipping and sending them out, talked about the importance of faith, that He will provide for our needs, and that when He forgives us, He wipes our slate clean and gives us a brand new start.

2 The last thing he said in john 's record is, " mind your own Business ." Now I don't want anybody to take that the wrong way, so let me explain. He did not say that in terms of "Don't be concerned about others" but rather in terms of, "I have given you important work to do. You need to focus on what I have called you to do and not worry so much about what I have or haven't called someone else to do. Remember, Jesus was talking to Peter on the beach; they had just cleared up some unfinished Business - without really talking about it, Jesus let Peter know that He had forgiven him for his betrayal and called Peter to "Feed my sheep!" What do we know about Peter's ministry from the Book of Acts and from history? He was a leader among the apostles and the early church in Jerusalem; his sermon on Pentecost resulted in about 3000 people getting saved; he healed and cast out demons; he went of mission trips, taking the Gospel to Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea; after receiving he was instrumental in the decision by the church to extend the Gospel message to the Gentiles; he wrote letters to encourage and challenge believers in various churches In short, he spent the rest of his days carrying out the unique calling Jesus had placed on his life to build up the Kingdom by "Feeding my sheep.

3 " Then Jesus ( ) revealed to Peter a little bit about the hard part of his calling: "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. (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) Peter's road would not be an easy one; he would be resisted and alienated by his own people; he would be persecuted and arrested by Jews and Romans alike; eventually, as described by Jesus here, he would "stretch out his hands and be led" to his own death on a cross - upside down according to legend. As Peter and Jesus walked down the beach together, Peter turned and saw john following them and said, "What about him, Lord?" to which Jesus basically replied, " mind your own Business , Peter!

4 " What he actually said was, " If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" Now did Jesus say that john was going to stay alive until He came back? No, although that was the rumor that spread. (See how easy it is to get a rumor started? But that's a whole different sermon.) Now, did Jesus have a different plan for john 's life than Peter's? Absolutely. john , too, would serve as a leader of the church in Jerusalem; we see him walking side by side with Peter in the early days of the church; but Jesus had given john a special task during His last moments on the cross - taking care of His mother; after her death in about 54AD, it appears john moved to Ephesus where he apparently wrote the Gospel of john and the three letters that bear his name; he was exiled to the Island of Patmos (some say after he was boiled in a pot of oil with no harm to his body); it was there he received his Revelation from the Lord; according to tradition, he was later freed, returned to Ephesus, and died of natural causes, surrounded by his closest friends, at the ripe old age of 94.

5 What Jesus was saying to Peter was, don't worry about what I ask him to do. That's between him and me. me!" We try to complicate things so much, don't we? We worry; we compare; we ask all the "what if's"; Jesus tried to keep it real simple. "Follow me!" What does it mean to "Follow Him?" Let's take a few cues from Jesus' conversation with Peter here: 1) Glorify the Lord with your life Nothing I hate more than getting up from what I am doing (don't blame this on my age - it happened when I was a much younger man too), walk to a different room and then stare around the room wondering what Never lose sight of the fact that this was why you were created and that is why you were saved. Back in , Jesus gave Peter a glimpse into his future; what he would suffer; how he would be controlled by others; the way in which he would die - and why?

6 For the glory of God ( ). That hadn't always been Peter's focus. But now that he had met Jesus, it would become the consuming passion of his of his death. Are you living 100% for God's glory. Or does your own agenda, your own pride, your own desires sometimes keep you from adjusting your life to His plan? I was deeply challenged by a statement from the Experiencing God study, "If you are willing to say 'No' to Jesus, then He isn't really your Lord." " You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20) " So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31) 2) Discover your Kingdom Purpose Jesus had been talking to Peter about his Kingdom Purpose. That unique purpose that He had designed for Peter to fulfill. " For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

7 " (Ephesians 2:10, ESV) Henry Blackaby talks in Experiencing God about how God has been preparing you throughout your life for the things He is calling you to do today. We've talked a lot about this, but as a brief review: discover your SHAPE S - Spiritual Gifts H - Heart A - Abilities P - Personality E - Experience 3) Fix your eyes on Jesus Perhaps you have had the experience of trying to follow someone else while driving in city traffic; invariably you will get separated, other cars will pull in between you, you might even get left behind at a light; what do you find yourself doing? Straining to keep your eyes fixed on your leader; don't pay much attention to where you are going or what is going on around you; trying to see the one you are following so you know where to go. If we are truly following Jesus, our eyes will be fixed on Him, not each other.

8 " And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1b-2 Jesus would say, "When your eyes are fixed on me there is no room for comparing or competing or jealousy or envy or bitterness between individuals, between ministries, between churches." Aren't we all on the same team. So why do we so often say things like, "Oh, must be nice. She gets to parade off to China while I've got to stay here and pick up cigarette butts from the homeless." Do you think either ministry is more glamorous in Jesus' eyes? "YOU - FOLLOW ME!" Or, "Why does his ministry get more funding and gets mentioned in church twice as often as mine." YOU - FOLLOW ME! Or what about this one, "Why does that church have hundreds and hundreds of members while we struggle along with 50?

9 They don't even keep the Sabbath!" Jesus says, " mind your OWN Business . What have I called YOU to do? YOU - FOLLOW ME! *Jesus invites you to focus your life on His unique calling for you in building up His Kingdom.*