From the Pastor’s Pen: Experiencing Supernatural Joy!

-John 15:9-11, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

In John’s Gospel, Jesus expounded His declaration that He is the vine and we are the branches: “These things I have spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

This text indicates that the joy of the Christian is not the natural joy of human life. It is a supernatural joy insofar as it has a supernatural source. It is the work of Christ within us. Though Jesus spoke of His joy (My joy) being in us, it is still our joy once it is in us. It becomes our joy. He is its source and its power, but it is still our joy.

Jesus also spoke of the end or purpose of His joy remaining in us, namely, that our joy may be full. The term full speaks of a degree, in this case an ultimate degree. There is no more joy than full joy. Yet we can experience partial joy or less than full joy, not because there are fluctuations in Jesus’ joy, but because there are fluctuations in the degree of our abiding in Christ. Jesus said, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

We cannot fall out of Christ, but in the process of sanctification we experience greater and/or lesser degrees of clinging closely or abiding in Him. Here our wills are important in that we are called to abide in Christ. And as we abide in Christ, he says that His joy will remain in us and that it might be full. The word “full” here means to furnish, imbue, diffuse, influence, satisfy, finish, accomplish, complete, end, expire, fill up, fulfil, make full, perfect, and supply.

Let’s ask God for supernatural joy to flood our lives!

-Passages for Further Study

– 1 Peter 1:6-8, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

-Isaiah 61:1-3, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”