Covenant Baptist Church
Sermon Guide for July 27, 2019
Filled with Joy
John 15:8-11
Whatever decisions we make on our own in any given situation there are always these two variables at play that impact the outcome of our choice.
1. We don’t have complete control
2. We don’t know enough to always choose what is best or truly good.
The Gospel offers us a life that is filled with joy.
The key to living is a life learning to stop trying to produce or secure joy on our own.
John 15:8-11 NASB1995
Vs 8: My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My
disciples.
God is glorified when our lives bear the fruit that only God can produce.
Vs 9: Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
We are loved as perfectly and powerfully by Jesus as Jesus is loved by God the Father.
1 John 4:18 NASB1995
Vs 10: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept the Fathers commandments and abide in His love.
As opposed to earning love, obeying Jesus’ commandments leads us into the very real experience of His Perfect Love.
We abide in love by obeying love.
Dallas Willard defines a disciple of Jesus as someone who…
1. trusts Jesus and that He is who and what He says He is.
2. spends time with Jesus in order to learn how to live his or her own life as Jesus would live it was Jesus the disciple
3. rearranges his or her life in order to keep doing that.
Vs 11: These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Remaining in the hands of Perfect love is the only life that is truly joy-full.
Life Challenge:
· During lunch or supper or possibly both this week, take time to think about some of the things you have done up to that point in the day. Look back on some of the decisions you made, things you did, words you said, etc… See if you can identify how you were doing whatever it was in an effort to secure joy in some way.
· Pick one of those things and see if there was an opportunity to obey Jesus in it that you didn’t take? What would it have looked like to go the way of Jesus in that situation? Could you plan to listen to / obey Jesus in that situation if it were to come again?
· Read and Reflect on:
Hebrews 5:9 NASB1995
Matthew 19:17 NASB1995
1 John 3:24 NASB1995
2 John 1:6 NASB1995