Chad Coley
The Gospel According To John
Abundant Joy, Part 1
John 17:11 - 19
28 May 2023
Joy is not bound by circumstance, though happiness is. True joy begins and ends with God. It is an abiding feeling of peace, comfort and delight that flows from the Holy Spirit as we confidently trust in God's Word.
Abundant joy comes from assurance of salvation. Jesus does not give His joy to unbelievers, but to His saints. In John 17, Jesus prays for believers that they would be preserved, and kept close to God. It is having this surety that gives peace in the heart.
Abundant joy comes from progressive sanctification. Finding ourselves looking more like the God we love is real cause for rejoicing. Behind all the world's opposition to Christ is Satan, and so Jesus prays for us: not that we would be taken out of the world, but that we would be kept holy in it.