Multiply Love

This is a sermon preview for November 2, 2025, the first of four sermons in FBCM's "Multiplied" sermon series.

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' -from John 21:1-19

People talk a lot about growth: personal growth, spiritual growth, financial growth, and even growth of the church. But what does it look like to grow? In the Bible, we see that God multiplies exponentially in all things. If we are good stewards of love, hospitality, resources, and family, we might be surprised how God multiplies them! Not just for our individual good, but for God's glory and the good of the community.

As we kick-off our "Multiplied" sermon series this week, we find ourselves in the final story of John's gospel. This passage is a sort of "origin story" for Peter. It's the miracle when Peter (arguably) has one of the greatest turn arounds in the entire Bible.

How does he go from denying Jesus to being one of the loudest proclaimers of the good news in the book of Acts?

The pivotal moment of Peter's life is here, when he is reconciled with Jesus over a fish breakfast. When we read this story, it's tempting for us to get stuck on the multiplication miracle of the fishes. But Jesus is multiplying something much more than fish. Jesus multiplies his love for Peter, which in turn allows Peter to multiply his love for the "sheep" entrusted to him.

I wonder what would happen if we started viewing love as something to be multiplied in our life, rather than earned?