08 | John 17:13, 24 | Fullness of Joy

CG Questions

Read John 17:13, 24. Compare and contrast these two verses from two different sections of Jesus’ prayer.

On Sunday, Jeremiah shared that joy creates endurance in the face of suffering. How does the joy of the Lord work in this way? Have you experienced this in your life?

Jeremiah also shared that creates strength in the face of work. How does the joy of the Lord create this strength? Have you experienced this in your life?

Knowing that the Lord desires and prays for the joy of those who belong to him, how can we make use of this reality in our daily lives?

INTRODUCTION

Of all the sounds, of all the noise that confronts us day after day and week after week …

… one of the most persistent, or even insistent

… is the voice of those trying to sell us something.

Undergirding all of this marketing is the promise of happiness, joy, fulfillment — the good life.

Whether it is an advertiser telling you that …

… this food satisfies

… this medicine heals

… or this movie entertains.

Or, if it is a political ad telling you that this candidate will …

… give you the best tax break

… solve all our social problems

… or bring international peace.

All of these are an appeal to this shared human sense …

… we were meant to be happy

… we are seekers of joy

… and in our present condition, we are not fulfilled.

As I have shared with you since the beginning of this series on John 17 my prayer for you is that …

… among all the voices vying for your attention

… the one voice that will stand out among the noise

… is the voice of our mediator speaking to the Father on our behalf.

And this morning, we see Jesus praying that his joy …

… eternal joy, perfect joy, divine joy

… would be fulfilled in us.

PRAY

5:00

Thomas Manton

I’ve mentioned Thomas Manton to you a few times in this series.

English preacher in the 1600s.

He produced 45 sermons that serve as his commentary on John 17.

His commentary on v13 is one of the longest sermons I’ve ever read.

And, I have to tell you that I was gripped! Gripped!

The Holy Spirit has been working in me through the truth of this one verse …

… in which Jesus prayer for the joy of his disciples

… in a way that is an answer to my own prayer of longing for years now.

The prayer of Jesus has been ringing in my ears …

… often interrupting my thoughts and even my moods

… with an alternative hope and the real possibility of joy.

Today, I want to share something that Thomas Manton so recently helped me to see.

But, it is essential that what I share with you today isn’t the thoughts and reflections of some 17th century pastor.

What you and I both need to hear is the Word of God …

… the very voice of the prayer of Jesus

… in the context of the whole of God’s word

… which so clearly holds out to us this morning

… the joy of the Lord.

And that is what we turn to now.

9:00

I am coming to you

Jesus is in the upper room, following the Last Supper with his 11 disciples.

This is the night in which he will be betrayed by Judas.

It is the night before he will be brutally beaten before being executed on a cruel Roman cross.

But what does our Savior do on this night?

Read v1a.

Jesus prays.

And what we find in the middle of this prayer is a sincere motivation.

Jesus is motivated in prayer by the reality that soon he will no longer be with these disciples.

And so he prays for what?

Their joy!

He knows that in this world they will have many troubles …

… but his own desire and purpose for them is joy.

This morning we will couple v13 …

… in which is Jesus’ prayer for the joy of these eleven disciples

… with v24, in which Jesus extends his desire for the joy of all who believe

… a joy that is found in him

… to be with him and behold his glory.

11:00

Read v13, v24

The first point of this message is a shocking statement.

JESUS DESIRES JOY FOR HIS DISCIPLES

I know that many of us here are familiar with this idea …

… but don’t let your familiarity blunt the edge of this shocking reality.

This ought to cut to the joint and marrow of our very soul.

The Word made flesh, the Lord of glory …

… desires, that is, he lays before the Father in prayer

… the request that the disciples be filled with joy.

What is Jesus heart?

Jesus’ heart is the joy of his disciples.

Jesus speaks and prays for their good.

This isn’t the first time Jesus has spoken words like this.

John 15:11 (ESV) These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Jesus turns all the words that he has spoken to his disciples …

… especially in chapters 13-16 as he shares so deeply with them

… he now turns these words that he has spoken for their joy

… into a prayer to the Father that is prayed for their joy.

As I’ve mentioned, Thomas Manton is so helpful in cutting to the heart of Jesus’ prayer.

I’ll share a number of quotes from him this morning.

Not all of the quotes will be on the screen …

… but I will post them in the podcast sermon notes

… and this morning will paraphrase some of the wording of the old english.

But, I cannot shake this profound truth:

Manton Christ maketh this to be his main work and aim, that in this life we might have peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost, and in the life to come joy for evermore.

Just think of the whole of redemption.

Yes, Jesus prays for glory.

Yes, the Son seeks the glory of the Father and the Father gives glory to the Son.

But, how? How is the Son glorified?

In the redemption of the people the Father has given to him.

And, what is the result?

That the redeemed would have joy!

This is the whole work and aim of the life and ministry of Jesus!

That we might have joy and peace in him!

13:30

Read v13.

My Joy

Original wording of this point:

“Jesus desires the joy of his disciples.”

But it is far more accurate to say that … Jesus desires joy for his disciples.

Because it is not technically accurate to say that Jesus desires the disciples’ joy.

For, he explicitly says that his prayer is for his joy to be fulfilled in them.

That is, that the disciples would be filled up with the joy possessed and provided by the Lord himself.

The scriptures are clear that it isn’t that Jesus simply wants some generic best for the disciples.

Jesus isn’t “wishing them the best.”

He isn’t offering a departing kindness to say …

“Well, I’ll be moving on, but I hope you’ll find happiness in your life even if we can’t be together.”

Jesus will have nothing less than “my joy” (his own joy) to be fulfilled in them.

Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4)

The joys which the believer has in this world are all meditated by Christ.

That is, we rejoice in Christ.

If we have some pleasure in life, we give thanks to God!

If we suffer some trial in life, we are sustained by the unshakable peace of God.

For, in plenty or want, all is of grace!

What fills the mind of Jesus?

To what end does he leverage the glory of heaven?

To grace!

That he came is grace.

That he called people to himself is grace.

That he prays for joy is grace.

That he suffers and dies and rises is grace.

That he goes to prepare a place for us is grace.

Manton He feasteth himself with the thoughts of his grace; it is, as it were, the Lord’s recreation; therefore certainly the sons of men should have their delights with God.

it is on this feast of grace, that the joy of the Lord is fulfilled in us.

Why is full joy possible in Jesus?

Because the object and the ground of our joy is infinite (Manton).

ILL (Manton) Narrow vessels are soon filled with the ocean.

Surely we, being full-filled by the joy of our divine Redeemer …

… will be filled to overflowing.

Perhaps, then, eternal joy is the swelling of the soul’s delight …

… to be filled with eternal glory.

21:00

APPLY

Jesus desires joy for his disciples.

And he will have no less joy for us …

… than that we be filled with his own joy.

21:30

Now, I want to consider two ways that the joy of the Lord works in the life of the believer.

Joy in the face of suffering and joy in the face of gospel l

JOY CREATES ENDURANCE IN THE FACE OF SUFFERING

This the the joy of faith.

It is an inner quality in the face of sorrowful circumstance.

It is what Revelation tells the church in Pergamum …

… to those who hold fast in the name of the Lord

… who will not deny the faith in the face of Satan’s own schemes.

Spirit speaks of “hidden manna”.

Revelation 2:17 (ESV) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna

Though confronted on every side by the schemes of the enemy …

… whose very soul is under seige to starve it out

… the one who holds to the faith

… will never hunger, for he has delights, soul satisfactions, which the Lord himself has hidden there.

I think of Jesus, who sends his disciples on into the Samaritan town for food and provisions …

… but hangs back at the well to have a conversation with a Samaritan woman.

When the disciples return, when they wonder that he will not eat, he tells them …

John 4:32 (ESV) I have food to eat that you do not know about.

Jesus’ own soul is nourished by the good pleasure of the Father.

So, we are are busy about our Savior’s business …

… are nourished by the joy of the Lord.

26:00

Consider this pair of scriptures which speak of our own present circumstance

1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

We do not see the Lord.

Rather, we often see trials of many kinds …

… but by grace through faith

… we do see the glory and grace of the Lord

… and we are filled with his joy.

As Jesus himself says to his disciples just moments before he prays for them:

John 16:22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

28:00

Which brings us to this …

We have a joy that cannot be removed.

What of the joys of the world?

Power? — What of the strong man that breaks in and destroys?

Those who are strong build fortresses.

Why? Because they are afraid to lose the kingdom of their strength.

Wealth? — What of the thief, besides moth and rust, that takes away what we have stored?

Those who are wealthy, visit financial consultants and diversify their investments.

Why? Because they are afraid to lose what they have worked so hard to gain.

Fame? — What of the changing whims of the people?

Those who are honored and praised carefully manicure their social media to present the best face.

Why? Because they are afraid to lose what little control they have over how they are perceived.

Power, approval, comfort, control —

All of these wordly satisfactions have this one shared attribute …

… they can be, and surely will be lost.

So, honestly, does the one who has power, but may lose it really have power at all?

Does the one who has approval or comfort or control …

… but may just as easily lose it

… actually truly possess these vain and fleeting idols?

But what of the joy of the Lord?

This is the power of Jesus’ prayer.

We do not actually posses the joy.

It is the joy of the Lord.

We do not manipulate or control or perform the deeds of our own joy.

Jesus’ prayer is that we will be full of his own joy.

It is the joy of submission to the joy of another …

… and fulness of joy in beholding the glory of another

… and eternal, faith-filled joy in the grace of another.

32:00

We’ve considered joy in the face of trial and suffering …

… but what if we do not presently have the sense of trial.

… what if we find ourselves in a season of blessing?

But what of faith in the face of fortunate circumstance?

Manton says of the outward mercies and blessings from God — a light touch is best

Manton — when we take pleasures, they should not take us

Ephesians 5:4 (ESV) Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

I think of all the vulgar entertainments of the world.

All the wanton excesses.

They are a gluttonous response of one who does not yet realize that the things of the world can never satisfy.

So he consumes and he consumes, lapping at vain worldly delights.

But, for us, while we taste of God’s good gifts in this world.

We take our bite, with a “light touch”, and with no sense that …

… if we could just eat the whole thing, if we could just have the whole world and all of its pleasures, then we would be satisfied

… rather, we simply say, thank you, Lord

… what you have made is good

… and that you have given it to me in this moment to enjoy is grace.

34:00

It isn’t that we should think of God’s kindness as a tease …

… so we should live the life of a cynic when faced with blessings on earth from God.

That would be to tentatively cling to worldly comforts with fear and trembling

We may have confidence in the joy of the Lord.

We can be assured that in his presence there is fulness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

So, if the Lord blesses you with some temporal pleasure …

… our response is not “No thank you, you’ll probably just take it back anyway,”

… but “Thank you, your creation is good and your kindness is generous.”

But, the blessing that comes from your hand only reminds me to look up to the sweetness of your face.

My true and final joy is in your presence forever.

I think of what it is like to receive an unbidden gift from a precious friend.

It’s the heart’s truest response to say, “You really didn’t have to do that. Your friendship is truly enough. But thank you, friend.”

Oh, Jesus, thank you for your joy, eternal friend.

37:00

As Jesus knows that in this world those who follow him will face many troubles …

… he prays that his joy would be in them.

But the Lord also gives his disciples a commission.

Their work is to preach his gospel …

… that the whole of the earth would hear the glory of the Lord.

On the one hand, joy creates endurance in the face of suffering.

JOY CREATES STRENGTH IN THE FACE OF WORK

Jesus applies this joy in two contexts of gospel labor.

At CrossPointe, our mission is to point our community to Jesus Christ.

This pointing begins by pointing our own soul to Jesus as we preach the gospel to ourselves.

First, there is the work of tending to the soul

We can put this both positively and negatively:

POSITIVE: What of the maintenance of the spiritual life?

We remember and rehearse hope and so that we rejoice (Romans 5:2 - we rejoice in hope of the glory of God).

As we meditate on what we have secure in Christ, we are filled with hope and so we rejoice.

And, at the center of our hope is that the Lord himself desires that we be with him and see his glory.

Our soul is maintained and sustained …

… as we confess our sin and are comforted by grace.

… as we bring our requests to the Father with thanksgiving.

Manton All actions that tend to the preservation of life, have their pleasure mixed with them; and therefore certainly he hath provided some christian joy for a christian.

Eating has it’s taste.

Working has it’s sense of accomplishment.

Shelter becomes a beautiful beautiful home.

Procreation is accompanied by delight.

So, will the nurture of the soul be accompanied with all its forms of delights.

As we meditate upon the word of the Lord …

… it tastes sweet to the lips, like honey from the comb.

As we conform our lives to the way of the Lord …

… we enjoy paths of righteousness.

40:00

NEGATIVE: What of the ongoing battle with the flesh?

Manton Joy mars the taste of carnal pleasures

The best way to do battle with sin is not through asceticism.

It is not to try to rid oneself of all desire.

Manton Love will not remain idle in the soul.

The battle for sin is best fought by seeking joy in the Lord, by meditation upon his grace.

We will be pleased.

Our soul cannot but seek its pleasure.

We will seek our soul’s satisfaction.

But to taste and see that the Lord is good, this will cause every other joy to leave a bitter taste in our mouth.

We who are filled with the joy of the Lord, will have little capacity for the wayward pleasures of the flesh.

Why, spiritual man, do you suppose there is delight to be had in carnal pleasures?

Why do you trade righteousness for the common, the fleshly, mere sensations of the body rather than fullness of the soul?

42:00

Joy strengthens us for the work of the maintenance of the soul.

Then, there is the work of gospel proclamation

Manton sorrow maketh us serious, joy active

When the Lord afflicts us, we stop what we are doing and say, “Yes, Lord, you have my attention.”

But joy!

When we are confronted by the glory and grace of our Redeemer, we are compelled.

Like Paul, struck to the ground by the glorious appearing of Jesus …

… when he rises a new man, he is almost immediately about the business of gospel proclamation.

ILL: Manton Not like slow asses that go by compulsion, but like generous horses, that delight in their strength and swiftness; to take pleasure in praying, in hearing, in suffering, in doing good, in following the duties of our calling.

Oh, what an image!

We are not like Eeyore, when asked to do something we response, “Oh, I suppose, but I probably won’t like it.”

Filled with the joy of the Lord, we are strengthed for our labor.

We become like the war horse, lusty for battle.

Like the race horse, who strains with great stride not for any prize, but for the sheer pleasure of the run.

How much more that we are neither dumb animal?

We not only may be filled with the exhilaration of gospel proclamation …

… the front row seat to the miracle of redemption

… the Lord has also set the prize of eternal glory secure in Christ before our face.

And so, like a bridegroom leaving his chamber to meet his bride we run our course with joy.

??? Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Life? Gospel Ministry; Death? Gain!

45:00

WHAT OF THE UNHAPPY?

Manton Nothing bringeth reproach upon the ways of God so much as the sadness of those that profess them.

To be downcast in the face of the promises of the Lord is to be as those spies …

… that upon seeing the might of the Canaanites discouraged Israel from their trust in the Lord.

We are to be as Caleb and Joshua whose delight was in the word of the Lord.

We are to take the land of promise with glee, even the face of our senses’ fear and discomfort.

46:30

But for the one who is already anxious or despairing …

… these words likely feel more like a burden than a joy.

What of those who are anxious or fearful?

Perhaps you have forgotten or perhaps even hold the love of the Lord at arm’s length:

Malachi 1:2 — I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?”

We know, Lord, that you have prayed for us.

Sure you have delighted in us.

Sure you desire that we are with you.

But here we are. We are here in the world.

And we are downcast!

Psalm 42:5–6 (ESV) Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

I love the truthfulness of God’s word.

It does not deny the present reality of the downcast soul.

But it also reminds the soul that you do have a sure hope, even if your eyes are not presently uplifted to that hope.

It is an invitation and a call …

… not to tell the downcast soul be happy.

Only this, it is to tell the downcast soul simply to look up.

Not to be happy, but to behold joy.

And that’s the whole thing.

It isn’t our joy! It isn’t our work.

It is the joy of the Lord which is our strength.

For the one who has seen afflictions and wanderings …

Lamentations 3:24 (ESV) “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Anxious sufferer, the Lord has no pleasure in your downcast soul.

But his first word it not rebuke, it is prayer.

It is the afflictions of Baal that the idolator flogs himself and cuts himself, calling out to an impotent god who has no care for him.

It is the Lord himself who was afflicted in our place, so that we would rejoice in him.

It was the faithless who accused God of bringing them out of Egypt only to starve them in the wilderness.

It was the Lord’s pleasure to feed them!

We ought not to think that God takes pleasure in our beating ourselves.

The Lord’s will for us is that we would rejoice.

His pleasure and prayer is his joy fulfilled in us.

49:00

Beloved, anxious saint.

The Lord’s desire for your joy is not a burden of guilt.

It is a pray for your already burdened soul.

Manton It is easy for those that stand upon the shore to say to those that are tossed upon the waves, Sail thus. They are tugging for life, the cause is beyond our direction and their choice. But these persons are to be pitied, yet counselled.

How do we console the inconsolable?

It is in our name as a church.

We must point one another to Jesus Christ.

And when we have our faces uplifted to him, we must go to him together.

Let those who suffer the downcast soul sue their case.

Matthew 11:28 (ESV) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

50:30

APPLY

Believer, we have a right to joy.

If we do not have the sense of joy—if, in the moment, we are not happy …

… we may have forgotten and wandered, so that what we are experiencing is the affliction of the loving discipline of the Father

… but we have lost nothing of our right to joy.

The joy of the Lord will be restored to us.

Psalm 51:12 - Restore to me the joy of your salvation

52:00

APPLY

Personal Reflection on Struggle for Joy

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THE BELIEVER FINDS JOY IN THE GLORY OF JESUS

Why does Jesus pray for his disciples and for those who will come to believe on through their word?

He prays in order to provide for their joy in him.

There are two things that the Father and the Son provide for the people called by their name.

The Spirit and the Word.

John 14:18–20 (ESV) I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

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Romans 15:4 (ESV) For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

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APPLY

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