That Your Joy Might Be Full John 15:1-11 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Joy is a wonderful part of being saved, because it is something supernatural and it far exceeds worldly pleasure and happiness. Jesus said that he spoke the things in Jn 15 that your joy might be full. This kind of joy only comes from the Lord [v.11]. In this passage we find that there is:
Joy in Purging – v.2 – purging a vine to bring forth more fruit does not necessarily involve just cutting away things that are bad, but things that inhibit the production of fruit – the Lord purges us to bring forth more fruit – you might think that this process would be sad – yet oddly the consequence is joy
Joy in Cleansing – v.3 – 2 Cor 7:1 shows us that we need to cleanse our flesh and spirit – the word of God accomplishes that in our lives – we used to rejoice in filth and now we rejoice in the words of God that clean us and detest the filth we used to enjoy
Joy in Abiding – v.4 – we reside in Christ and rejoice in just being in his presence – our joy does not have to come from what we accomplish for him but rather in simply abiding in him and letting him accomplish what he wants through us
Joy in Depending – v.5 – Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing” – learning to live in total dependence on the Lord can be scary if you don’t trust him – if you do, though, it brings great joy as you watch him do through you what you cannot do yourself
Joy in Praying – v.7 – the great joy comes from being in such fellowship with the Lord that the things for which you ask are precisely the things he wants you to have in order to bear much fruit
Joy in Glorifying – v.8 – when I first started going to church, I was mostly interested in making a good impression – of course, the more concerned I became about what people thought of me, the less concerned I was about what they thought of the Lord – there is joy in allowing the Lord to glorify himself through you and only frustration in trying to impress others
Joy in Loving – v.9-12 – there is great joy in loving the Lord and being loved by him and then in loving others through him – that is love that is much more satisfying than the worldly type of love about which people speak so much today
Conclusion: Joy in Saving – v.6 – the consequence of not getting saved is hell and it is misery – there is no joy in going to hell or in knowing someone who has gone there because they rejected Jesus Christ – trust him today and rejoice in his salvation – and if you are already saved, let him fill you with his joy that you might be able to lead others to be saved by him.