Full Joy

How many of you would expect, someone who is a lawyer, yet does not follow the law they know? How about a judge? Or a police officer? It is surprising when these people do not follow the law. We expect all these people to be able to follow the law, because their jobs are based upon it. Of all people, they should have no excuse for not following the law. Yet, there are people in that field who consistently break the law. In the same way, we as Christians, in a world without joy should be the ones who have it. One of the things most lacking in Christians is joy. Joy is not happiness. Joy is inwardly based, happiness is outwardly based, or based upon happenings.

The Book of 1 John was written by the Apostle John the son of Zebedee in the first century around in the 80s. One of the main reasons it was written was to combat heresy that was being spoken about the Gospel and it is believed that it was written to combat heresies such as gnosticism, adoptionism, and doceticism . Gnosticism downplayed the deity of Christ. It was based on the philosophy that matter was evil and spirit was good. They believed that Jesus was come in spirit but not in the flesh. There was also the belief that He was a man and then when baptized filled with the Spirit of Christ, which departed from Him before the crucifixion. Doceticism believed that Jesus only seemed to be in human form. so that is why John says in v. 1, Jesus came in physical form. In v. 4, John writes that one of the reasons he is writing this letter so that the people’s joy would be full. Do you have joy in your life? Or are you miserable? We as Christians must have full joy How do you have full joy?

Joy of Salvation

Jesus came in human flesh so we can be saved.-

God loved us so much, that He wants to save us. Our sin keeps us from God.Due to our sin we deserve to burn in hell forever.

Jesus came down so we could have eternal life.

Jesus is God in the flesh, so He was there in the beginning

John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

He had to come in bodily form, because if not, He could not take on the punishment of our sin

Galatians 4:4-5But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Jesus paid the price because we could not. One has to simply accept by faith in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Salvation will produce true joy.

When one gets saved, they will be indwelled by the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit will come into a believer’s life and transform him

This transformation will produce the fruit of the spirit

The second fruit of the spirit is joy.

Illustration The Israelites were enslaved and afflicted by the Egyptians for 430 years. It was not until God raised up Moses that the Israelites were freed. It took God hardening Pharaoh’s heart and massive amount of plagues on Egypt for the Israelites to be freed. Even after Pharaoh let the Israelites go, he then followed after them. God parted the Red Sea, and allowed the Israelites to go through but when the Israelites got through, then the waters collapsed and drown the Egyptians. When the Israelites realized that the Lord defeated Egypt, they all began singing praises to the Lord. Miriam and the women started dancing and playing the timbrels to the Lord. Everyone was rejoicing in the fact that they were freed from Egypt. However soon after the forgot what the Lord has done and were complaining and wanted to go back to Egypt. They lost the joy. The Israelites ended up losing out on many blessings because they forgot what the Lord did. Many Christians forget the joy that is to come from salvation and resting in the freedom that comes from God.

Application are you living in the joy of your salvation?

Joy of fellowship

Through salvation we have fellowship with the Father and with Jesus

We are also in fellowship with other believers

We are all in the same family

Galatians 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

We should be happy to see one another and be with one another and fellowship with each other and pray with each other,

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

How do we do good to Christians?

Phil 2:1-4 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Philippians 2 says that the “fellowship of the Spirit” is when we are unified and how do we do that? By putting others first and serving one another

When we serve ourselves, we are miserable. People who give to charity are happier than those who do not

We do good, and can truly fellowship with each other when we are serving one another with joy

How is your joy? Are you serving others?