Joy!

John 17: 13          ESV

^13 “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

Jesus had some pretty intense prayer requests to God the night before he died.

In this chapter, Jesus asked that His friends be kept safe from the evil one.

He also asked that they be one with the Father, and one with one another.

Jesus wanted His friends to experience the same oneness with each other, that Jesus and the Father had.

In this prayer, Jesus explained that He had taught them, and that His teaching would ultimately bring joy.

Does the teaching of the Word of God bring you joy?

I thought the church was there to make us holy, and not happy?

But doesn’t holiness and joyfulness go hand in hand?

The goal of our relationship with God the Father is complete fulfillment.

In the long run, God really does want to make us happy.

Are you happy in your relationship with Jesus?

Do the things of the church weigh you down? Then maybe you don’t know the true joy of knowing Jesus.

God’s Word all by itself should bring us joy.

Let’s face it, when Jesus speaks, we should be filled?

Come to think of it, if we’re not filled with joy because of the words of Jesus, what are we full of this morning?