Joy Complete (2024) (John 15:9-13)
John 15:9 The context of this passage is right after Jesus teaches on the vine.
- How we are all branches on a vine and we must stay connected to the vine to remain alive.
- Jesus then transitions into talking about love and joy.
- So there is a connection between Joy and being in the vine.
Verse 9 Jesus says that because the Father has loved Him, He is able to love His disciples.
- The Greek grammar suggest things like perfection and completeness in the Love the Father has for Jesus, and us.
- Jesus ends this verse by saying remain in His love, just like a branch must remain in the vine.
Verse 10 Isn’t it interesting that the key to remaining in Jesus’ love is to obey His commands?
- The next verse then tells us that this is also the key to joy.
- Remaining in the love of God and finding joy, is rooted in obeying Jesus’ commands.
- So of course, now we have to ask what were His commands?
Matt 22:36-40 The first command that Jesus give us, is to love God with all we have.
- Which is a quote from Deut 6:5. This speaks to single minded focus on loving God.
- Then Jesus says that the second most important commandment is to love others as ourselves.
- We see that here in John verse 12 as well.
John 15:11 Jesus says His joy will be in us, as we follow His commands.
- This joy also isn’t partial joy, this is complete joy.
- This isn’t some random joy, this is Jesus’ joy.
- This isn’t joy that we manufacture on our own, or get through circumstances.
- It also says here that His Joy, is in
- This is the only way we want joy, deep inside of us.
- It says that our Joy may be The Greek word used here means: “full measure”
- He wants us to have a Full measure of Joy.
- When we remain in His love, and obey His commands, Jesus puts the full measure of His joy in us.
John15:12 First, he tells us to remain in His love. Then, He tells us to obey His commands as a means to stay in His love. Then He gives us a promise of joy complete.
- Then he goes on here in verse 12 to emphasize the command to love others.
- And the standard for that Love is the way he loved us, which was to give His life on a cross.
- For our joy to be complete we need to be connected to Jesus in the vine, but also to each other.
Verse 13 Jesus goes on to say that this love can be sacrificial. He is of course referring to His own sacrifice.
- But he is also inviting us into this kind of sacrificial love.
- For the sake of complete Joy.
- Joy then is not something that is up to us, or tied to our circumstances.
- Joy in in fact Jesus and He gives us that joy as we stay connected to him and Love others well.
- Joy is a promise from birth to death.