OUR JOY IS MADE COMPLETE (Outline)
April 27, 2008 –
EASTER 6 -
John 15:9-17
INTRO: Joy – one can truly have it here and now! Yes, today Jesus’ words speak to each of us to make our joy complete! Joy might seem improbable as we look around at our world today. Constantly we are bombarded with reports of doom and gloom and disaster. We hear about global warming with catastrophic consequences for the future. Prices are sharply on the rise. Everything costs more. There are even food shortages. Today’s headlines try to rob us of the joy Jesus wants us to possess. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (ROMANS 14:17). How often don’t we frequently discuss food and drink and weather and prices? Our Lord wants us to have “righteousness, peace and joy”. Today we will see how the words of the world do not compare with the words of the Lord. The world’s words offer unhappiness. The Lord’s words give us joy.
OUR JOY IS MADE COMPLETE.
I. As we live in love.
II. Then we love to obey.
I. WE LIVE IN LOVE
A. Today’s verses are part of a very personal, lengthy encouragement Jesus is having with his disciples.
1. Chapter 14 reveals Jesus is the way, truth, and life. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.
2. Chapter 15 opens with Jesus as the true Vine and believers as branches.
B. Verse 9. Jesus connects all of this to show his love and the Father’s love. Stand firm in this love.
1. The Father’s love and Jesus’ love binds the disciples together, verse 15 as friends!
2. Servants were only doers not knowers of the master’s will. The disciples knew God’s will.
3. Jesus told them all things (his suffering, death, resurrection). Now the disciples knew.
C. The disciples would soon see the depth of Jesus’ love for them. V. 13, Jesus’ love would give his life.
1. The disciples would need to stand firm in Jesus’ love during his sacrifice, verse 14.
2. Verses 12, 17 emphasize Jesus’ command. The disciples were to love each other.
a. Here is the name for Maundy Thursday. b. Command from “mandate” yields Maundy.
D. Command is a strong word. We do well to define it as law. The Law shows us our sins. The Gospel shows us our Savior. The Law tells us what to do and not do. The Gospel tells us Jesus has done it all. Here we have what is known as a Gospel command. What sounds like law is really gospel. Another example is when Jesus said: “Go, make disciples of all nations…” We are reminded that love is the fulfillment of the law. By God’s love for us we live in love. "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again"(2 CORIN. 5:14,15).
E. It is a miracle that Jesus gave up his life, out of love, for the sins of the whole world. Miracle of miracles you and I and every believer know, believe and confess that Christ has died for me. Jesus is my / our personal Savior. This is God’s grace to us and for us. God’s grace is undeserved love. We no longer live in fear of the law but in the love of God’s grace revealed to us through the gospel. By grace our lives are changed. We live in love. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"(GALATIANS 2:20). Note that Christ is alive and well – and – now lives in us, by faith, by grace.
F. It is good to remind ourselves what really is love. Our society has overused and misused the word love so much that has almost become irrelevant. Ad people have used love to sell cars, beer, and other various worldly products. The real meaning of love has been taken prisoner only to be used as a marketing gimmick. This is not true for the Christian. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers"(1 JN 3:16). God first loved us.
OUR JOY IS MADE COMPLETE because we live in love, the love of God seen in Jesus our Savior.
II. WE LOVE TO OBEY.
A. It is the night on which Jesus is betrayed (Maundy Thursday). Soon all things would change.
1. The disciples would see betrayal, denial, rejection, suffering, and finally death and burial.
2. This does not seem much like love or joy. Jesus says it is, verse 11. Jesus taught them.
B. Verse 10. Jesus connects himself to the heavenly Father. Jesus loved to do his Father’s will.
1. Jesus loved to obey. If the disciples would remain in Jesus’ love they would see and believe.
2. The disciples heard Jesus’ words. They would remember Jesus’ words. They are close, friends.
C. Jesus chose disciples as friends, v. 16a. Jesus chose them to be “fishers of men”, “soul collectors”.
1. The disciples would bear lasting fruit, v. 16b. God’s word has gone almost to the ends of the earth. It started here with the twelve as they gathered in Jerusalem. God’s word endures.
2. Verse 16c provides a promise of Jesus. Ask the Father and he will provide, pray.
D. Briefly we are reminded about praying to God about and for the things that really and truly are important. (Next week our sermon will center on prayer.) All too often we sell ourselves short. As believers we simply ask God for so much earthly that we tend to overlook the eternal. Here is part of Paul’s prayer for the spiritual welfare of believers: "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"(EPHESIANS 3:17b, 18). Now this is a prayer! Pray to God to be rooted in his love. Jesus is our true Vine. Pray to begin to know “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" = our joy.
E. As we grow in God’s love we grow in Christian living. We see the obedience of Jesus in carrying out his Father’s will. We are awestruck that Jesus would die for us. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the ultimate example of love. We cannot repay the debt of love or gratitude for our free, eternal salvation.
In the light of this love of Christ we live our lives. In this light of the love of Christ we love to obey. "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love"(2 JOHN 6). God’s commands are not burdensome.
F. We gather in God’s house around God’s word. God’s word is powerful. God’s word saves. The Lord’s words make our joy complete. The world’s words try to rob everyone of joy. How blessed we are – how privileged we are to be able to freely hear, read, study, and learn God’s word. The seed that is planted in our hearts is to spring up and bear abundant fruit. As lights we love to bring joy into this sin-darkened world. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock"(MATTHEW 7:24). The world’s words will not destroy the joy of those who build their faith on the rock of Christ with the apostles and prophets as the foundation.
CONC.: OUR JOY IS MADE COMPLETE. May these words of Jesus comfort, strengthen, and encourage you now and always. The word of the Lord is able to do this. The words of the world are only words of the world – earthly and without power. The world would have us live in fear and despair. The Lord reminds us that we live in joy – complete joy. We know that our sins are forgiven and heaven is our home. We know that even hell itself shall not prevail against God’s church. "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand"(PSALM 16:11). OUR JOY IS MADE COMPLETE! We live in love and we even love to obey all because God first (and still) loved us. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
SERVICES: SAT – 1:00pm @ NCF Min.,
+ SUN – 12:00pm @ NCF Medium / 9:30am @ Redeemer
BIBLE STUDIES:
TUES. -- 6:00pm (min) + 7:30pm (med) @ NCF /
11:55am @ Redeemer (Sun)
Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM + www.kqnk.com
EASTER 6 readings:
ACTS 17:22-31;
1 PETER 3:15-22;
JOHN 14:15-21;
(PSALM 66)
