Abiding for Your Joy

Review

God seeks to maximize the Joy of his people through the Joy of His Son

Abiding in Christ is for your Joy

Abide in close friendship with Jesus

Spurgeon on Abiding with Christ

Whenever you have Christ, please remember that you are able to hold him. She who held him in the Song was no stronger than you are; she was but a feeble woman, poorly fed under the Old Testament dispensation; you have drunk the new wine of the new covenant, and you are stronger than she. You can hold him, and he will not be able to go from you. ‘How,’ say you, ‘shall I be able to hold him?’ Have you grasped him? Is he with you? Now, then, hold him fast by your faith; trust him implicitly, rest in him for every day’s cares, for every moment’s ills. Walk by faith and he will walk with you. Hold him also with the grasp of love. Let your whole heart go out towards him. Embrace him with the arms of mighty affection; enchain him with ardent admiration. Lay hold upon him by faith and clasp him with love. Be also much in prayer. Prayer casts a chain about him. He never leaves the heart that prays. There is a sweet perfume about prayer that always attracts the Lord; wherever he perceives it rising up to heaven, there will he be. Hold him, too, by your obedience to him. Never quarrel with him. Let him have his way. He will stop in any house where he can be master; he will stay nowhere where some other will lord it over him. Watch his words; be careful to obey them all. Be very tender in your conduct, so that nothing grieves him. Show to him that you are ready to suffer for his sake. I believe that where there is a prayerful, careful, holy, loving, believing walk towards Jesus, the fellowship of the saint with his Lord will not be broken, but it may continue for months and years. There is no reason, except in ourselves, why fellowship with Jesus should not continue.

Spurgeon, C. H., & Crosby, T. P. (2005). 365 Days with Spurgeon (Volume 3) (p. 49). Day One Publications.

Abiding in the Pursuit of Fruitfulness for the Glory of God

The Aim

vs.8 - If the pursuit of fruitfulness is the main aim we will not have maximum joy, our aim is higher than just the fruit, the aim is the glory of God.

We make much of God when we are fruitful - the reason is that our fruit bearing is entirely a product of his grace.

It is the cross that makes all of your fruit bearing possible

1. Romans 7:4-6 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, [so that] you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, [in order that] we may bear fruit for God. 5 [For] while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 [But now] we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, [so that] we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Paul explains that bearing fruit for God is not through obeying the law in order to be right with God. We had to be set free from the law as a covenant(belong to another) in order to do anything pleasing to God. Law keeping without the new birth bears deadly fruit - the fruit of self-righteousness.

2. Notice the last phrase in John 15:8 – “that by bearing much fruit we prove to be the disciples of Jesus.”

We don’t prove we are his disciples by our performance (law as a covenant), we prove to be his disciples because all of the fruit is an evidence of God’s Free Grace at Work in our Lives.

Legalism produces deadly fruit. The Gospel Produces God-Glorifying Fruit.

Any work we do that seeks our own glory or glories in our own strength is not glorifying to God...the fruit that glorifies God is the fruit that is the result of grace, the result of what Christ did for us and what he is doing in us.

Philippians 1:8-11 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Pursuit

The pursuit of fruitfulness is still the pursuit of Jesus! And this is what gives glory to God.

John Calvin wrote, “The Father is the author of all blessings, who plants us with his hand, but the commencement of life is in Christ, in whom we take root. When he calls himself “the true vine,” Christ means he is truly the vine. Therefore men toil to no purpose in seeking strength anywhere else, for useful fruit will proceed from nowhere but “the branches” that are rooted in Christ.

Calvin, J., & Beeke, J. R. (2008). 365 Days with Calvin (p. 208). Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books.The Pursuit

1. We are to actively pursue fruitfulness not perfection (The pursuit of perfection will kill your joy - Abiding is not the pursuit of perfection)

Striving to be fruitful in the strength of Christ is the work of every Christian.

JC RYLE Quote Let him strive to bear much fruit in his life, his habits, his temper, his words, and his works. So doing he shall feel the “witness of the Spirit” in his heart, and give abundant proof that he is a living branch of the true Vine. He shall find inward evidence in his own soul that he is a child of God, and shall supply the world with outward evidence that cannot be disputed. He shall leave no room for doubt that he is a disciple.11 Ryle, J. C. (1880). Expository Thoughts on John (Vol. 3, p. 105). Robert Carter & Brothers.

In this pursuit God often grants a greater degree of assurance because the evidence mounts that lives lived in such a manner are his handiwork, his spirit at work in our hearts. Assurance is gained, not by the pride of moral fortitude and spiritual discipline, but by the humility that comes experientially as God works in us to will and work for his good pleasure....we know we are his because we know that the fruit of righteousness is not what naturally grows and flourishes in us apart from Christ. As Jesus has already said, apart from me you can do nothing. You must never sever yourself from Christ!

Abiding in the Love of Christ

vs. 9 is rich in meaning - what kind of love are we abiding in when we abide in the love of Christ?

Jesus says its the same love the Father has for the Son. Jesus has loved us with the same love with which the Father has eternally loved Jesus.

What are the qualities of this love?

1. Eternal – it was fixed on us before the foundation of the world…Eph 1:4-5

Ephesians 1:4–5 ESV

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

2. Free – God is not constrained by anything in us or outside of himself to love us, his love if free and unmerited sovereign love. Titus 3:4-5

Titus 3:4–5 ESV

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

3. Unchangeable – we change every day, his love never changes, the objects of his love do not change, the intensity of his love does not change, there is nothing that can provoke him to turn away his love from his redeemed. Romans 8:37-39

Romans 8:37–39 ESV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

4. Distinguishing – this abiding love is not a general universal love, but a close, intimate, familial love for the elect – Romans 9:11-13

Romans 9:11–13 ESV

though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

What a joy to know someone who has loved us with this kind of love and we are called to abide in this love…He doesn’t say earn my love, he says abide in my eternal, free, unchangeable, distinguishing love.( I want you, I set my favor upon you personally.)

How are we to abide in this love?

1. It is by duty - if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.

Lets look at the text, in vs 10. The reason we have a duty to keep the commandments of Christ is because the incarnate Christ obeyed the eternal law of God on our behalf and he not only obeyed for us in our rebellion he also fulfilled the demands of justice by taking our death sentence.

Abiding in his love by keeping his commands, is joyfully submitting to him as our sovereign savior and king recognizing what he has done for us.

It is not the duty of earning his love, because the nature of his love is free. The duty is in our response to how bountiful and merciful his love his toward us.

Our obedience is from life, not for life. Our obedience is a response to the amazing love of Christ not an effort to earn it our deserve it.

2. It is the duty that the new birth joyfully produces.

For everyone who is a follower of Jesus, Christ forever broke the demands of the law as a Covenant - or the law as a way to walk in fidelity to God.

But the new birth transforms us spiritually and we have a new relationship with the law - we can say with the Psalmist, ins Psalm 119:17-24

Psalm 119:17–24 (ESV)

Deal bountifully with your servant,

that I may live and keep your word.

Open my eyes, that I may behold

wondrous things out of your law.

I am a sojourner on the earth;

hide not your commandments from me!

My soul is consumed with longing

for your rules at all times.

You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,

who wander from your commandments.

Take away from me scorn and contempt,

for I have kept your testimonies.

Even though princes sit plotting against me,

your servant will meditate on your statutes.

Your testimonies are my delight;

they are my counselors.

If you feel no joyful duty to walk in God’s commands then you do not know the bounty of his love towards sinners and your spirit has not been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 3:1-4 the wise Son treasures the commands of the good father - they are life, success and the favor of God.

Proverbs 3:1–4 (ESV)

My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments,

for length of days and years of life

and peace they will add to you.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

3. It is by example - Jesus says that we are to look to his example of abiding in the Father’s love.

Here we have all the teachings of Christ and his life to show us what it looks like to abide in the father’s love. The ethical teaching of Jesus in the gospel are immense and can seem heavy - yet Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

The ethical teaching of Jesus is not to be a burden we bear in order to walk in divine favor - it is the ethics of the kingdom of God, where the redeemed learn to walk in righteousness towards God and one another.

Just as an athlete would enjoy emulating the play of their heroes and work to achieve, so believers aim to abide in love, aiming to maximize our joy in becoming like our hero, Jesus.

Conclusion

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon Many Ways of Being a Christian and an Englishman (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

There are many ways of being a Christian, as there are many ways of being an Englishman; but all are not equally desirable. I may be an Englishman in banishment, or in the workhouse, or in prison, but I prefer to be an Englishman at home, in health, and at liberty.

So you may be a Christian, and be weak, timorous, and sad, but this is not desirable. It is better to be a happy, holy, vigorous, useful Christian. As your being an Englishman does not depend on your health or wealth, so neither does your salvation turn on the strength or joy of your faith. Yet much does depend on it. Why not glorify God on the road to heaven? Why not have foretastes of it now?

We maximize our Joy in God by:

Abiding in Christ in Close Personal Friendship

Abiding in the Pursuit of God-Glorifying Fruitfulness

Abiding in the Love of Christ by walking in his commands

This is in contrast to the counterfeit Joys the World offers:

Lust of the flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Jesus gave his life for your eternal Joy!