Dear Christian friends:

Love is the chief word in the Bible. The whole Bible shows God's great love for lost sinners, and that God wants those who believe in Him to love as He has first loved us. We are to love Him and one another.

John says to the Christians: "Beloved, if God so loved (much) us, we ought also to love one another," and again "We love Him because He first loved us." Do we really love God and our brother?

In our text this morning we have a good test of love. Peter proved His love to Jesus, so must we:

We prove our love to Christ by our words. This story happened about two weeks after Easter. Jesus appeared to His disciples one morning on the beach after they had been fishing during the night. After breakfast Jesus says to Peter: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? Peter says to Him, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love you." Three times Jesus asked Peter that question and three times Peter answered, "Yes Lord."

Peter proved His love by His humble words to Jesus and before the others. Before Jesus was crucified Peter boasted that He would not forsake Jesus although the others did and that he was ready to die with Jesus and then the same night he denied Jesus three times.

Now Peter knows how foolish and proud he was and that Jesus forgives his sins and nevertheless loves Him. He is not speaking boastingly now, but with humble love and honesty.

So we also prove our love to Jesus by our humble words. Not like some who brag that they love Jesus and say that they are better than others. Like Peter, we say that we love Jesus humbly remembering our past, sins, and weaknesses. We often fail to love Him and others yet we trust His wonderful love and mercy to forgive us and help us.

Yet our words are not enough. Jesus here also asks Peter to prove His love by his deeds. Each time that Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, I love You," Jesus said, "Feed My sheep! Feed My lambs!" Jesus meant that Peter should teach His people the sheep, the adults and the lambs, the children. Peter will prove his love by being a faithful minister over Christ's flock.

So it is with you and every Christian. We prove our love by our deeds also. John says, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Talk, talk is easy and cheap. But deeds are hard and costly. John says if a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar!" (John 4:20)

Many Christians say that they love Christ, but not all prove this by their deeds. Titus explained about these false, hypocritical Christians: "They say that they know God, but in works they deny Him being abominable and disobedient." (Titus 1:16) Jesus said, "These people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." Again, "Not everyone that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but He that doeth the will of My father in heaven."

How about our congregation? Do our deeds prove that we really love Jesus? Soon in the mail you will receive a stewardship report on the first half of 1960. (Explain some of the deeds: average attendance 11 out of 34 opportunities. Average offering $26.00 in six months etc.)

And finally we prove our love to Christ by staying with Him unto the end, no matter if we must suffer mockery and death for his sake. In verses 18-19 Jesus tells Peter that later when he is old he will get crucified by the enemies of the Church. And we know that happened. Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome.

We don't know about our future with the communists today fighting so hard against Christians. Maybe we too, will have to suffer and prove our love by suffering for Jesus. Last Sunday at the Lutheran Hour rally in Minneapolis Dr. Hoffman explained how the Christians in East Germany and other communist countries now must suffer because of their faith. He just flew back on Friday and while in Europe he talked with many of these people. Often they are not killed, but they get fired and can't get good jobs because they belong to the church.

How about you? Will you suffer and give up your job and home rather than giving up your faith in Jesus? You may meet that test one day.

Surely when we think about these three tests of our love, we must with shame confess that we have often failed to prove our love. Let us repent and seek God's mercy and forgiveness in the name of Jesus, who died for our sins.

If we don't we will be lost. God help us and have mercy upon us.

Amen!