Sunday Message
Finding Joy as a Christian
John 17:13-19
Pastor Wes
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Several weeks ago we touched on the subject of having joy, as Jesus laid out a strategy for us in John 15. There He teaches that we must abide in Him, abide in His word, and abide in His love, so that we might abide in His joy. Let me paraphrase this same passage in another way: In order to live in joy- we must first live in Him, then live in His word, and then live in His love. Jesus is the source, His word is like the continuing education, and the application is to live in His love- resting in it ourselves, and then expressing it to others. You might want to write this recipe down, this is a really simple- yet brilliant- Jesus strategy for all of us who at times wrestle with having joy. Live in Him, live in His word, live in His love. If any of these ingredients are missing- joy will be difficult to obtain. We’ll come back to the subject of obtaining joy in a few moments.
Most recently we’ve been reading through John chapter 17- Jesus is praying out loud not only for His then present disciples, but also for His future disciples. (John 17:20) And though there’s so much rich, good stuff in this prayer- in realizing that Jesus is one with God the Father, you might be wondering, thinking it’s a little strange that Jesus is praying to God the Father, when He is one with God the Father. But as Pastor Dave mentioned last Sunday, the intent of this prayer in John 17 seems to be more for the communication of Jesus with His disciples than Jesus with God, or with Himself. It’s like Jesus was voicing out loud His spiritual intentions for all His followers- even speaking things into existence through His perfect, prayerful, communion with God the Father, The Holy Spirit, and Himself. It was meant as a blessing to them, and to us, and how grateful we are that He didn’t just keep these things quiet and leave it up to us to figure out, but He lets us in on God’s own thoughts.
In His prayer He states that eternal life is knowing Him (verse 3), that His name is God’s name (verse 11), that we are destined to share in His glory (verse 22), but in verses 13-19 that we’re going to look at now, there is embedded some deeper truth concerning joy. We’re going to attempt to dig that truth out, truth that will serve as extra help for His disciples who might still be wrestling with the concept of joy, especially in the midst of difficult, turbulent circumstances. We have the broad strokes of chapter 15, that I mentioned earlier, telling us to live in Him, live in His word, live in His love, but now He is going to give us some nuts and bolts details that will help us discover and hold onto true joy. Look at verse 13 with me…
The wording Jesus uses, sets up this portion of His prayer as being distinct from the earlier section (But now I come to You). He’s setting up to say something really heavy, and what He is about to say is directly for the benefit of His listeners there, AND for us readers now. What He is about to say is so that “they may have His joy made full in themselves.” What He is about to say is being stated so that WE may have His joy made full in ourselves. What critical information do we need in order that we might have full Jesus joy within us? Ok- are you ready? Verse 14…
Ummm…. ok- the world hated them, the world hated Jesus, the world will hate us… well, that doesn’t quite sound like a joy inspiring verse. Maybe let’s try the next verse 15… Ummm… well, Jesus says here that He is NOT requesting for God to remove His followers away from the world’s hate- I guess He wants us to remain in the hateful environment. That doesn’t seem to be too joy inspiring either. How about the following verse 16… ok, what I read here is that Jesus followers don’t fit in, they don’t belong. I feel like if this was baseball, we would have already struck out on our hopes of obtaining a joyful hit. Verse 17… The word sanctify here means to set apart as holy. So God’s word is truth, and God is going to use that truth to set apart those who follow Jesus. He’s going to set us apart from the rest of the world. Ok, maybe that sounds a little more positive than the previous verses, but it still kind of falls in line with “you’re not going to fit in.” What about verse 18… So, in the same manner that God sent Jesus, Jesus now sends His followers. His followers are to have the same mission that Jesus had. Ok, so what was Jesus’ mission? He came down to Earth to forgive, heal, teach… die. Eek, that doesn’t sound like a mission that most would call joyful.
Now, obviously there has got to be something we are missing here- Jesus clearly states that these words are intended to cause us to have joy. Let’s walk back through these verses and see if we can figure out what it is that we are to glean in order that we might have His joy made full in ourselves. Verse 14…
What’s critical in this verse is the fact that Jesus followers have been given, and have received Jesus’ word. The receiving of His word, His message, His truth- is what transforms that which is dead to living, worldly to Heavenly, temporary to everlasting. The receiving of His word, His message, His truth is what the world hates. Accepting His word is what makes you different than the rest of the world. It’s not that the world hates you, it hates God’s word and the conviction it brings. And when it rubs someone wrong that we uphold God’s word as the standard for our lives, we can have joy knowing that we have experienced evidence that we are truly different, separated, and on a different and better life track than those who reject God’s word. We can have joy in knowing that we are a little more like Jesus. We can have joy that we have been counted worthy of receiving and treasuring God’s word. It’s special. There are those who have still yet to hear- who haven’t had opportunity yet to hear God’s word- may we not take for granted the gift we have been given. There is joy in realizing the great value and special-ness of the gift of God’s word. Verse 15…
God’s plan of rescue and salvation He has given us through His word isn’t one that immediately gives us rescue from difficult world circumstances. Though we are rescued from the effects of sin and death, God intends for us to remain in this life, living as ones who have already been rescued, who are waiting with expectation for the full results and benefits of that rescue to later occur. And while we are waiting with expectation, we have been given the assurance that God is going to protect us from the power of the evil one. Satan, and his demonic beings want nothing more than to see sin and death have victory in your life, but Jesus has prayed on your behalf that you and I as followers of Jesus, would be kept from the death claws of the evil one.
We’re living in this world like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. If you recall the story from the Old Testament, God didn’t prevent these three men from being thrown into the fire. He didn’t cause king Nebuchadnezzar to change His mind concerning them. He didn’t remove them from the heat. But- He protected them in the heat- and eventually, in His timing, brought them out of the fire- unharmed. We’re like Daniel in the lions’ den. When Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, God didn’t have him bounce back out of the den immediately. God didn’t supernaturally close the door to the den and prevent from him from being thrown in. No, Daniel was thrown into the den of hungry, angry, scary lions, and had to spend the whole night down there in their presence- yet- God kept him from the evil, closing the mouths of the lions so that no harm would be done to him. Daniel 6:23 states “So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”
You and I have an opportunity for joy here, an opportunity to trust that God is going to keep us safe from the evil one, during the time we have to remain here in this world- surrounded by hungry lions, as the world burns around us. There is joy in knowing that no matter what we go through, God is personally going to protect us from the hand of the evil one that wants to do us harm. For those who trust in Him, there is joy in the knowledge of our safety. Verse 16…
As a believer, when you first realize you don’t fit-in in this world, that realization can be a little discouraging. Jesus is warning us, attempting to give us a heads’ up, so that the realization doesn’t take us by surprise, and rather we are prepared for it, and can settle down into the idea that our different-ness from the world is to be celebrated! We are to take joy in the fact that we are different from the world. We can have joy, knowing that unlike the world- we have hope, we have peace, we have eternal security, we have freedom from guilt- knowing that all the things we have ever done in our lives that are deserving of God’s anger- have been forgiven and that He doesn’t want to punish us for our mistakes, but rather He wants to reward us for our humble repentance and trust placed in Him. There is joy in not fitting in with this world. Verse 17…
Here Jesus re-emphasizes the idea that God’s truth- God’s word- sets us apart. We are sanctified by His word, set apart from the rest of the world, for God’s purpose of making us right and holy with Him, and thus able to be used by Him. There is intention and destiny behind God setting His word-followers apart from the rest of the world. There is joy in realizing God has purpose behind you receiving His word. Verse 18…
I mentioned earlier Jesus’ mission of forgiving, healing, teaching, and dying. We have been entrusted by Him to, not in our own strength, but with His help- continue to do these things that He did while on this earth in a physical body. We forgive and let go, and allow God be the judge. We offer the spiritual healing that Jesus offers, and seek to see hearts healed from hurts and reconciled back to God. We work towards minds being healed, marriages healed, relationships healed, knowing that these are the very things God wants to do in the lives of those around us. And sometimes He even allows us to witness His miraculous physical healing. We take seriously the responsibility of teaching our children and grandchildren and others, and as 1 Peter 3:15 instructs, we take seriously the charge to “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us].” We look for opportunities to humbly teach those around us, by referring them to God’s word, by sowing seeds of God’s truth, by offering to pray for them, by inviting them to join us at church. And we die to the wrong impulses that form inside us, we die to old habits, we die to fleeting pleasures; and one day in God’s mercy, we will die in this world and take part in another aspect of Jesus’ mission- resurrection. Jesus came to forgive, heal, teach, and die- but ultimately- He came to resurrect and defeat death for us all. There is joy in being a part of His mission of forgiving, healing, teaching, dying, and resurrecting. There is joy in being considered one of His representatives.
Have you ever really stopped and considered why you are still on this earth? Has God placed you where you are in life to just hold down a job, provide for your family, take care of parents or children, to find happiness, thrills, money, power, influence? Now, holding down a job, providing for your family, taking care of others might be part of it, but there is an even greater mission we have as Christ-followers- and that is following Christ. Doing the things He did, living with His mission as our mission- and as we hold down our jobs, as we provide, as we take care of others- we live with the focus of being on His mission. In and through all the things of life, even the most mundane things, we never lose focus of our number 1 priority- being like Jesus. Sharing His truth and hope, forgiveness, healing, teaching, death, and resurrection- Living with this focus, brings us joy. Verse 19…
There is joy in realizing that Jesus has not asked us to do what He has not already done. He is not asking us to experience what He has not already experienced. He has been hated. He has had to endure the world before departing from the world. He has experienced not fitting in. He has been set apart for God’s specific purpose. He has lived on mission as He is asking us to live on mission. He is asking us to take joy in the knowledge that He “sanctified Himself”- setting Himself apart from the world, setting Himself apart even from God the Father as He took on the sins of the world, setting Himself apart so that His holiness and glory could be revealed to the world, and then given to His followers. Because of what He did in setting Himself apart, we are able to be set apart as those who would receive the fullness of His joy. Abide in Him. Abide in His word. Abide in His love. And then may His joy, His peace, His rest take ahold of your life in a way like you have never before experienced.