FULFILLMENT From LOVE-II—John 21:15-22
Attention:
Two young guys were talking about what they wanted to find in their mate. One friend said,"Some people say people with opposite characteristics make the happiest marriages. What do you think?"
The second friend replied, "I think they’re right. That’s why I am looking for a girl with money!"
Need:
All of the ills of mankind are directly or indirectly related to personal fulfillment.
If I am unfulfilled, I seek avenues by which it can be obtained. I am driven to reach a point of equilibrium of fulfillment...
If my job is unfulfilling, I seek employment elsewhere.
If my career is unfulfilling, I will seek a different path.
If my marriage is unfulfilling, I seek the return of satisfaction.
If my relationship is unfulfilling, I will seek relationships which meet my desire.
All of these problems are answered thru Love.
The circumstances surrounding Peter’s reinstatement made much of the commitment needed to fulfill his station in life.
The circumstances of Peter’s reinstatement made much of his personal commitment to love.
Fulfillment hinges upon a commitment to love.
How does love bring fulfillment to our lives?
4 commitments to love that bring fulfillment.
Last Sunday we found that...
1— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your MISSION(:15-17)
Your commitment to Love also brings fulfillment to...
2— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your DEATH(:18-19a).>.>.>.>.>.>.>
2— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your DEATH(:18-19a)
Explanation: (:18-19a)End
:18—“Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself & walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, & another will gird you & carry you where you do not wish.”
:19—“This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.””
Jesus then encourages Peter in his mission by letting him know that there is coming a time in his life when, as a result of the present recommissioning, he will himself be given over to crucifixion(“stretch our your hands”) as had the resurrected Lord Jesus who is now speaking to him.
The absolute certainty of Peter’s “love” for Jesus is therefore crucial to the fulfillment of his mission. Without it, Peter will not willingly give his life to the task ahead, for Jesus would not be his Lord. This is the news all Christians dread to some degree...To be vested with such responsibility that our faith will take us to the ultimate place of commitment.
“Most assuredly/Verily, verily/Truly, truly/ I tell you the truth—amhn amhn—particle indeclinable—Hebrew origin—Nma aw-mane’—1) Firm—1a) metaph. Faithful; 2) Verily, amen—2a) at the beginning of a discourse - Surely, truly, of a truth, 2b) at the end - So it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled. It was a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, & thus made the substance of what was uttered their own. Strong—properly, Firm, i.e. (figuratively) Trustworthy; adverbially, Surely (often as interj. So be it).
“Younger”—newterov—1) Recently born, young, youthful; 2) New. Strong—Denotes the new primarily in reference to time, the young, recent. Neov is the new as contemplated under the aspect of time, that which has recently come into existence. It is evident that both neov & kainov may sometimes be applied to the same object, but from different points of view.
“Old”—ghraskw—1) To grow old; 2) of things & institutions: To fail from age, be obsolescent. Strong—To be senescent.
“Wished”2X(See :22)—yelw—V.—1) To will, have in mind, intend. Boulomai has the wider range of meaning, but yelw is the stronger word; yelw denotes the active resolution, the will urging on to action(see Ro 7:15), while boulomai is rather to have in thought, to intend, to be determined. See Mat. 1:19 for use in one sentence. Strong—by implication, To wish, i.e. Be inclined to (sometimes adverbially, gladly); impersonally for the future tense, To be about to; by Hebraism, To delight in.
Mat. 1:19—“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, & not wanting(yelw) to make her a public example, was minded(boulomai) to put her away secretly.”
“Stretch out”—ekteinw—V.—1) To stretch out, stretch forth—1a) Over, towards, against one. Strong—from ek & teinw(to stretch); To extend. Used 16X.
“Gird”—zwnnuw—V.—1) To gird; 2) To gird one’s self. Strong—To bind about (especially with a belt). Used 2X.
“Carry”—ferw—1) To carry; 2) To bear, i.e. Endure, to endure the rigor of a thing, to bear patiently one’s conduct, or spare one (abstain from punishing or destroying); 3) To bring, bring to, bring forward. Strong—a primary verb (for which other & apparently not cognate ones are used in certain tenses only; namely, oiw; & enegkw; To "bear" or carry (in a very wide application, literally & figuratively).
“Signifying”—shmainw—V.—1) To give a sign, to signify, indicate; 2) To make known. Strong—from shma(a mark; of uncertain derivation); To indicate. Used 6X.
“By what”—poiov—Pronoun—1) Of what sort or nature. Strong—individualizing interrogative (of character) What sort of, or (of number) Which one.
“Glorify”—doxazw—V.—1) To think, suppose, be of opinion; 2) To praise, extol, magnify, celebrate; 3) To honor, do honor to, hold in honor; 4) To make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor. Strong—To render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application).
(CONT...)2— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your DEATH(:18-19a)
“Follow”(See :22)—akolouyew—V.—1) To follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; 2) To join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple—2a) Side with his party. Strong—properly, To be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany (specially, as a disciple).
From A(as a particle of union) & keleuyov(a road).
Argumentation:
Php. 1:15-21—“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy & strife, & some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer & the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation & hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, & to die is gain.”
1Pet. 4:10-11—“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Jn. 12:24-26—““Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground & dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, & he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; & where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
Where will Jesus take you? Does He take you to places you would rather not go? Where we gladly succumb to Ps. 23:4—“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod & Your staff, they comfort me.”
Mk. 8:31-38—“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, & be rejected by the elders & chief priests & scribes, & be killed, & after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside & began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around & looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake & the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, & loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me & My words in this adulterous & sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.””
Mat. 10:38—““And he who does not take his cross & follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
Acts 20:22-24—““And see, now I[Paul] go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains & tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, & the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
“...we have not learned to "hate" our own lives. We are so entangled with the pursuit of the "dream" that we dare not live in anything less than whatever comfort we can or cannot afford. If necessary, we will remain silent rather than be ridiculed or intimidated because of what & who we believe.”
Illustration:
How else can martyrs become martyrs except that their Love for Christ brings such fulfillment to their lives that they willingly & confidently meet death solely because of their belief?!
In Mosul, Iraq on Tuesday July 3, 2007, 5 Catholic Nationals left their church/Gunmen stopped the cars/They led the woman away, & then one of them turned to the pastor & screamed: "I told you to close the church, why didn’t you do it? Why are you still here?"The pastor replied: "How can I close the house of God?"/They ordered them to convert to Islam but they refused/The gunmen pushed the four men to the ground, & murdered them/Your DEATH
Application:
?You Committed to your God-ordained DEATH?
?You Committed thru Love for Jesus?
3— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your DIRECTION(:19b).>.>.>.>.>.>.> 3— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your DIRECTION(:19b)
Explanation: (:19b)
:19—“This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.””
In order to seal Peter’s commitment, & to remove any baggage he may have regarding his ability, Jesus simply tells him to “follow” Him. Jesus must lead in our Christian endeavors. All other things will then fall into place properly.
Even when you know that your death will be a direct result of your trust in Jesus, you must “Follow” Jesus to that end.
Argumentation:
Php. 1:15-21—“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy & strife, & some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer & the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation & hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, & to die is gain.”
1Pet. 4:10-11—“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Jn. 12:24-26—““Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground & dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, & he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; & where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
Prov. 3:5-7—“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.”
Jer. 10:23—“O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
Js. 1:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Php. 4:6-7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Illustration:
Wade Brown—Director, Church & Community Care @ Focus on the Family—wisely states:
“*Many dreams are great resolves. They’re exciting & they get others excited. Though, if the dream is not from God, it will not come to fruition. David wanted to build the temple, but God essentially said, "No. I have other plans."
“And remember, God has not rejected you in the midst of your broken dream. Perhaps what He wanted most from you was not for you to do something great for Him, but for you to come, sit down in front of Him & pour out your heart in an honest & intimate way. Enjoy the journey!
Application:
?You Committed to your God-ordained DIRECTION?
?You Committed thru Love for Jesus?
4— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your FAITH(:20-22).>.>.>.>.>.>.>
4— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your FAITH(:20-22)
Explanation: (:20-22)Unique & entirely personal focus
:20—“Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, & said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
Peter, in a detour much like his seeing the wind & waves as he walked upon them(Mat. 14:22-31), now deflects & detracts from the very personal call & invitation to follow.” Peter does this by bringing another disciple into the picture. Peter is comparing the personal difficulty of this ministry with what he assumes will be a much easier path assigned to John. Peter wants to know that he is not the only one chosen for such an end. Then his choice would be less personal as he would have some support rather than bearing the brunt of following himself. His faith would not have to be so strong.
Mat. 14:22-31—“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat & go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him & said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; & beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand & caught him, & said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””
Jn. 13:21-26—“When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, & testified & said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.”
“Turning around”—epistrefw—1) transitively—1a) To turn to, 1b) To cause to return, to bring back; 2) intransitively—2a) To turn to one’s self, 2b) To turn one’s self about, turn back, 2c) To return, turn back, come back. Strong—To revert (literally, figuratively or morally).
“Saw”—blepw—1) To see, discern, of the bodily eye; 2) metaph. To see with the mind’s eye; 3) in a geographical sense of places, mountains, buildings, etc. Turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it. Strong—a primary verb; To look at (literally or figuratively).
“Following”—(See :19, 20)—akolouyew—V.—1) To follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; 2) To join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple—2a) Side with his party. Strong—properly, To be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany (specially, as a disciple).
From A(as a particle of union) & keleuyov(a road).
“Loved”(See :15, 16, 17)—agapaw—V.—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Agapaw, & not filew, is the word used of God’s love to men, filanyropia is, however, once used with this meaning, Tit 3:4. Agapaw is also the word ordinarily used of men’s love to God, but filew is once so used, 1Co 16:22. Agapaw is the word used of love to one’s enemies. Strong—To love (in a social or moral sense).
“Leaned”—anapiptw—V.—1) To lie back, lie down; 2) To recline at a table, to sit back. Strong—To fall back, i.e. Lie down, lean back. Used 11X.
“Breast”—sthyov—N. n.—1) The breast. Strong—The (entire extern.) bosom, i.e. Chest. Used 5X.
“Supper”—deipnon—N. n.—1) Supper, especially a formal meal usually held at the evening,—1a) Used of the Messiah’s feast, symbolizing salvation in the kingdom; 2) Food taken at evening. Strong—Dinner, i.e. The chief meal (usually in the evening). Used 16X.
(CONT...)4— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your FAITH(:20-22)
“Betrays”—paradidwmi—1) To give into the hands (of another); 2) To give over into (one’s) power or use; 3) To commit, to commend; 4) To deliver verbally; 5) To permit allow. Strong—To surrender, i.e. Yield up, intrust, transmit.
:21—“Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
Peter wanted to have support in his decision. He thought he needed such support. He did not want to face life’s challenges alone. He did not want to be the only one saddled with a difficult calling. he did not want to be the one observing his own pain saying, “Why isn’t this happening to others?...Why don’t they have it as hard as me?...What did I do to deserve this?...Its not fair!
“Seeing”(See :15— “Know”)—eidw—1) To see; 2) To know.
“What about this man?/What shall this man do?/“What about him?—outov de ti— “Literally, “But this one ... what?””—RWP
:22—“Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.””
However, Jesus confronts Peter’s fear(of being alone in the commitment to His service) by declaring to him that the nature/quality of John’s service in none of Peter’s concern, at least in regard to Peter’s focus. Of paramount importance is that we individually “follow” Jesus.
Service is personal service pure & simple. Such service is to be fulfilled thru the person called to it. That others join us in the personal hardships encountered due to our service to God is irrelevant. What is relevant is that I am fully & unashamedly committed to the task laid out by my Lord Jesus by/in faith...That my faith marches me forward toward my uniquely personal assignment, despite the decisions of others(both lost & saved) around me.
Argumentation:
Mat. 16:27—““For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, & then He will reward each according to his works.”
1Cor. 4:3-5—“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness & reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”
Js. 2:14-18—“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked & destitute of daily food, & one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed & filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, & I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, & I will show you my faith by my works.”
Related to giftedness
Heb. 2:3-4—“how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, & was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs & wonders, with various miracles, & gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
Rom. 12:6-8—“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
1Cor. 1:4-9—“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance & all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1Pet. 4:10—“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
(CONT...)4— Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
Your FAITH(:20-22)
Illustration:
I like to do things win the company of my wife, because I love my wife/I married her because I want to ensure her that my love for her is life-long & that she is precious to me/BUT if I follow only her, then I will miss out on my own calling/Your FAITH
1Cor. 7:29-30—“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,...”
Application:
?You Committed to your God-ordained FAITH?
?You Committed thru Love for Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Opposites attract. That’s why I’m looking for a girl with money!—Fulfillment
Action:
Your commitment to Love brings fulfillment to...
2. Your DEATH(:18-19a)
3. Your DIRECTION(:19b)
4. Your FAITH(:20-22)
1. Your MISSION(:15-17)
Presented 02/19/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
