Do I Love Jesus? How Can I Know?

We have sat under the preaching of our "new" pastor for 15 months. We were very blessed when God sent Dr. Jackson to us and loved him from the "get-go." He has proven to be THE MAN for our church for this time. He is a young man (turned 35 just after taking the pastorate) and has truly grown into the big job of pastoring our church. I am always convicted, challenged, and blessed by his messages. Sunday morning's message was the crown jewel as far as my heart was concerned.

Dr. Jackson preached on our love for the Savior. I was challenged to ponder: How much do I love Jesus? Pastor read several passages as his introduction to the message: Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, Luke 14:26, Deuteronomy 10:12, Matthew 22:37, and I Corinthians 16:22.

He then parked on the conversation between the Lord and Peter as found in John 21:17. In His restoration of Peter, Jesus confronted Peter with the question, "How much do you love me?" He was asking Peter, "Are you going to live for self or for me?" The question began to swirl in my head and in my heart: Do I truly love Jesus more than anything else?

In his sermon entitled, "How Can I Know I Love Jesus," Pastor Jackson then gave us 3 ways to check for evidence of our love for Jesus ~~ John 21:15-19

1. Service ~~ v. 15: Feed my lambs
v. 15: Feed my sheep
v. 17: feed sheep

We are to be about our Father's business. Doing service for Christ without love results in frustration. If I love Jesus supremely, I will love "to do." I will want to serve Jesus. We are not born just to exist. As Christians, we are to feed sheep!! Am I a spectator or a Servant?
II Peter 1:12: Peter received the truth and never got over it.
I John 18: Love in deed and in truth.
II Corinthians 5:14: The love of Christ constraineth us.

2. Surrender ~~ v. 18
Jesus foretold that Peter would be crucified for his belief. When Peter was a young Christian, he was impetuous: cut off ears, reacted in the flesh. As an older Christian, Peter was fully surrendered to Christ. I am to serve even when I don't "feel" lie it. Love others even when I don't feel like it.

3. Submission ~~ v. 19
Another call to Peter to follow Christ.
v. 22: Follow thou me
Keep my eyes on Jesus and follow Him.

Serve -- Surrender -- Submit: Loving Jesus Supremely is the key to a victorious Christian life!

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I don't imagine my sermon notes made too much of an impact on anyone else, but I am still thinking on the message preached yesterday. On this the day after, as I have contemplated yesterday's sermon and what it meant to me, I felt compelled to sit down and email Pastor a note letting him know how his sermon impacted me. I share it here to express my thanks to God for sending Pastor Jackson to us and for God's precious Holy Spirit which works in my heart. I also share it as a way to express my gratitude to Pastor Jackson for being so faithful to preach God's Word ~~ which edifies the Saints.

Pastor,

I wanted to write and tell you how much your Sunday morning message stirred my heart. I was touched, convicted, and convinced all in the same service. What a myriad of emotions went through me as you preached. As you presented the question of "Do I love Jesus?" I began to do some serious soul-searching as the question grabbed my heart. And then when you went into your points of "How Can I Know I Love Jesus" I realized that I truly do want to love Him supremely and serve Him with my heart totally surrendered and in total submission to His will.

As Richard works his last day at the college and we embark on our retirement years, we so much desire that this phase of our lives truly counts for the Master. We don't want to slow down in our devotion and service, we want to speed up!!!!!! This message was such a much-needed "reality check" of our spiritual lives and helped us to more firmly set our course for whatever time left on this earth the Lord grants us. May we be found loving Him with that Agape love and serving Him with our hearts.

Thank you for your FAITHFULNESS to preach the Word, for your deep study that allows you to so PRACTICALLY preach the Word so that we can put into practice what you teach us, and for your LOVE for God and for us all, your flock.

We are praying for you this week as the college year closes, and for your family as you embark upon summertime and get some much needed R&R.

Blessings,

Susan