THE JOY OF CHRIST

JOHN 15:1

A. "THESE THINGS HAVE I SPOKEN UNTO YOU, THAT MY JOY MIGHT REMAIN IN YOU, AND THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL"
  1. The world has never been able to understand the joy of Jesus Christ:
    1. Men, in general, have known Him as "A man of sorrow" - IS. 53:3
    2. Some picture Him as never having had a smile on His face
  2. Be that as it may:
    1. Our Saviour did have joy in His soul
    2. In His high priestly prayer, He says to His Father, "And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves" - John 17:13 B. LET US CONSIDER, PRAYERFULLY, THE SOURCE OF HIS JOY
  3. His oneness with the Father was:
    1. They very fountain of His joy - "I in thee and thou in me" - John 17:21
    2. His knowledge that in Him the fullness of the Godhead dwelled bodily - Col. 2:9
  4. It is remarkable of how the word "fullness" is used to describe the deity of Jesus Christ:
    1. "And of His fullness have we all received and grace for grace" - John 1:16
    2. "And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" - Eph. 1:23
    3. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" Eph. 4:13
    4. "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all the fullness dwell" - Col. 1:19
  5. The joy of Jesus Christ was a redemptive joy:
    1. He came to take away from Satan his captives that brought unspeakable joy to His heart
    2. Note what is written about Christ freeing the captives of the enemy - "He shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts" - Is. 45:13; "But thus saith the Lord, "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the pray of the terrible shall be delivered." - Is. 49:25 C. WHEN WE CONTEMPLATE THE JOY OF OUR LORD, WE MUST NOT OVERLOOK
  6. The unspeakable of the great triumph of truth over error:
    1. Said He to Pilate, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." - John 18:37
    2. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to enlighten minds of men with the truth John 16:13
  7. The transformation of human being by the power of faith in the son of God is still another reason for joy in the heart of Jesus:
    1. "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance" - Luke 15:7
    2. "I will make thee an eternal excellency a joy of many generations" - Is. 60:15
    3. "God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" - Heb. 1:9
  8. There is still another source of joy in the life of the Son of God:
    1. It is the complete entire surrender to the mission His Father had sent Him - "Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea Thy law is within My heart:" - Ps. 40:6-8
    2. "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business" - Luke 2:49
    3. To Him the assignment the Father had given Him was not drudgery, but joy and gladness; He saw the will of His Father as the gateway to life - John 12:49-50
  9. What is important is:
    1. That His joy remain in us
    2. The joy of Jesus Christ was and still is the great secret of the suffering saints counting it all joy - James 1:2
    3. It is not their own inherent possession, but the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord


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