My joy….your joy
John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Let us talk of Christ’s joy, here….and our joy.
First I want to mention that joy in scripture is of the Holy Spirit. It is not happiness…nor is it dependent on people, places or things.
It is entirely a lifting of the spirit of man, by the Holy Spirit of God…into a place apart from circumstances, or troubles….and it is a feeling of buoyancy…we cannot be drowned by what is going on, for we are upheld by God.
I also want to mention that Christ Jesus was a very joyful man.
It is true He was grieved by the hardness of hearts. He was often weary….
……but the message He came to give (“Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:46-49)…He gave in joy.
He was joyful in prayer, He was joyful in service, and He was joyful in the fellowship with HIs disciples.
John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
“My joy”….. Jesus’ Word is joy.
They had heard HIs Words and declared (John 6:68) “…Thou hast the words of eternal life.”
John 17:13 “And now come I to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they (the disciples, and us) might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”
This is how we have His joy….we have HIs Word: “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17)
Many used to read the gospel of John first, after conversion.
(And here is our first experience with HIs joy and our joy….we know the joy of redemption!
“I am saved!”
“I was lost to God, sold under sin, a servant of the devil….but now I am redeemed! Bought back by a price Jesus Christ paid for me!”)
Here, in the book of John… they meet the Lord through the eyes of John the Baptist, and in the many people He came into contact with as Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
Here they hear HIs Words as the Truth, the Light, the Way, the Resurrection and the Life, the Bread of Life.
Here they hear His very intimate discourse right before He is taken and killed, as He and His disciples walk to Gethsemane.
John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through HIs name.”
These Words, read personally, bring His joy to us, by the Holy Spirit within….for it is a fruit of the Spirit, which is worked out in us…through HIs Word.
We need His joy….HIs buoyancy in all our lives. But it is easy to lose, when we begin to look at the waves of our circumstances….instead of keeping our eyes upon HIm. (Matthew 14:28-31)
Our joy to be full:
We have joy by the Holy Spirit, but to keep it is a great help in our lives….and to have our joy “full”…is great riches.
John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
Our joy is to be “full”…as we spend time in prayer with our Heavenly Father.
Our joy may be “full”…as we fellowship with fellow believers over the things of God. (1 John 1:3-4)
2 John 12 “…but I trust to come to you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”
That your joy might be “full”….
….Jesus Christ wants us to experience the fullness of the joy He had…. in our own lives. He wants us to have HIs kingdom in us. (Luke 17:20-21)
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
This is the kingdom of Jesus Christ in our souls….are we having it? Are we experiencing these things: righteousness…..peace….joy.
They are all by the Holy Ghost….again, are we having these things?
Joy is a choice flower that grows in the garden of the soul of a believer. His joy can only remain in us, when it is received and submitted to by us…personally…in the kingdom of Mansoul.
“…for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)
Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”
And this brings us back to asking in Jesus’ name.
Let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly….that we may know, what we are to do in word or deed….and then ask for that joy….that our joy might be “full”.
(When something is full….we may think there is no more room….but the next thing is “running over” [Luke 6:38]….and that running over is out to others.
Our joy can affect others.)
But the real message of these verses is: Jesus Christ came to save us. To bring us into HIs Kingdom….within us, now….of righteousness, peace, and joy. His joy….given to us in HIs Word, and Will…that our joy might be full.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….again, will we?
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 