Joy is the Outcome of Love Received

 

The last time I wrote, I introduced joy and its connection to love and how it is often born out of moments of despair. Today, I want to expand on that a bit. It is easy to feel moments of happiness when everything seems to come together exactly right for us, but joy comes from a different place and is produced in a much more profound way, which will impact everything in our lives. Joy is birthed in us, out of the heart of God for us.

15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So, the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, "You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." - Jhn 18:15-17 ESV

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So, they said to him, "You also are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. - Jhn 18:25-27 ESV

There was something here that I never noticed before. In other Gospels we see that they assumed Peter was with Jesus. The servant girls in the other Gospels pointed out Peter as a follower of Jesus, but here, in John it is 2 people who had personal knowledge of Peter’s relationship with Jesus. First, it was another disciple who wanted Peter to come in with him, so he pointed Peter out. Second, it was a relative of Malchus, the man whose ear Peter cut off. This man had watched his relative’s ear both get cut off by Peter and restored by Jesus. He was an eyewitness to Peter’s presence in the garden with Jesus.

Peter denied his relationship with Jesus even though 2 people who clearly know they were together pointed him out. Peter’s denial led him to days of despair. He knew that he had done the one thing he swore that he would never do. He had just told Jesus that same night that he would die with Him before he betrayed Him. What Peter did was even more wretched than he could have imagined because Jesus had told Him that it would happen. Jesus knew that for all His bravado, Peter was a coward, a weak insecure man, at heart. Peter thought that He was a lot better friend of Jesus than he was.

How often does this describe us? How many times have I given the expedient answer rather than risk sharing the truth? How many times have I not said the thing that I absolutely knew needed to be said in the moment because someone would be offended, or have their feelings hurt. There are times when the Lord wants to speak truth, even though it will cut like a knife to the ore of the one hearing. The reality is that many times a person does not turn to Jesus just because nobody had the courage to point them to the truth. We all have sinned. We all are in need of a Savior. We all have skeletons in our closet that haunt us. We have denied Jesus in the very moment He wanted to bring someone into victory. Every single one of us has blown it in some significant ways.

That is what makes John 21 so profound for us. It is deep and it cuts past all the baggage we carry. Jesus tells us just like He did Peter, that He knew what was coming and He was not caught off guard by our failure. Not only did Jesus know what Peter would do, but before the crucifixion, He already had a plan for Peter’s restoration.

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 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." 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me." - Jhn 21:15-19 ESV

This is a passage where you really must get into the text. I always need something like Blue Letter Bible to help me sort it out. In the first two questions, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. (agapeo) Peter’s answer was not yes, as many assume. He told Jesus that he loved (Phileo) Him. That is not the answer to the question Jesus asked. Finally, the third time Jesus asked Peter if he really had a brotherly love for Him. That was what Peter had claimed the first two times. In the past, Peter had always used superlatives when referring to Jesus, like some people, they call everyone their BFF though by definition, you cannot have two BFF’s. That claim is exclusive. Best means that none other is higher or even equal. Peter presented himself as the disciple above all others. Jesus, I will die with you. They will not take you to the cross on my watch. Jesus, I have your back. I am sure Peter was himself in this way when he was speaking, but when it came time to back it up, he fell hard. It was like watching LeBron James get air bumped by a guy ½ his size. He hit the floor hard and flopping around like an Asian Carp thrown on the riverbank. Peter had failed at the greatest test he faced, one he was sure he would pass with flying colors.

Have you failed Jesus in some spectacular way? I would bet that you are like the rest of us. There is that thing that we swore would never trip us up again, and before we got the words out, we were falling. The truth is that it is easy to put our confidence in our ability to figure this out, to prepare for the test we think is coming. We plan and we prepare, then the test comes and we are picking ourselves up off the floor again. We are like Peter, but with our own issues that seem to keep coming back around to torment us.

This fall was the beginning of Peter’s success as a disciple. It was not until Peter had faced up to his own frailties and proclivities to sin, that he made room for the Holy Spirit to work through him. When we are self-confident and trust in our own abilities to put it all together, there is no room for Holy Spirit to occupy in us. We cannot run the show and trust that Holy Spirit will direct remotely. We must step away from the director’s chair and allow Him to lead and direct. It is only when we realize how little we have to offer that we can step into His power and authority. It was only as Peter learned that he did not have everything that he needed to do what Jesus commanded that he could step outside of himself and receive what he lacked.

8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. - Psa 16:8-11 ESV

It is only as we learn the depth of our need that we can fully receive the offer of His love. It is only when we understand that we really bring nothing to the table that we can learn to feast on His bounty. Jesus offers us all we need, but we cannot get to it until we get out of His way. He desires to use us and even our efforts, but He cannot until He is the one who directs and empowers them. When we learn that Jesus has selected us. Out of His goodness and not for our ability that we can begin to rejoice in our weakness. We must fall and fail so that He can raise us up in newness of life, and in His power. It is only in understanding our great need that we make room for His love to come in and His love and presence are our source of joy.

 Our joy is the outcome, the fruit of making room for Him and not trying to produce our own fruit. His love must flow through us to produce fruit and that will bring extraordinary joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YKOJxnYjUY