Sermon Notes + 8.4.2024
SERMON NOTES
August 4, 2024
My Joy
John 17:13
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: In preparing to leave this world, Jesus entrusts the disciples to His Father’s care, and He prays that they will have His joy fulfilled in themselves. He knows the disciples are sorrowful and will be hated by the world, but He prays for them to have a joy that overcomes their circumstances and outlasts the hatred directed against them. This joy originates from their relationship with Jesus and is an ongoing characteristic of their lives provided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not praying that His followers will suppress other legitimate emotions, as He too experienced a range of emotions, but His prayer instructs us to consider as part of our discipleship how we live before God and others, as well as how we respond to the world around us.
01. Joy is a common theme in the Bible among the people of God and is a distinguishing mark of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
02. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit provided to the people of God and is a measure of our discipleship as we live our lives for Jesus Christ.
03. Joy is one of many legitimate emotions experienced by the people of God and can never be extinguished as we long to be with Jesus Christ.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. How does the Bible describe or define joy? In what ways is the biblical definition/description of joy distinct from that of the world’s understanding of joy? How does the difference in understanding point people to or possibly away from Christianity?
2. What makes you joyful as a Christian? How does that joy express itself visibly or verbally? Do you find that most Christians are known for their joy? What things tend to rob Christians of their joy?
3. How does corporate worship add to our joy as Christians? What does the gathering of the people of God week after week do to help us reorient our lives around the truths we believe? Are you encouraged by people at Northpoint when you attend worship and know that they are persevering through difficulties and still find their joy in the Lord?
4. Since joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it can be a measure of our discipleship. In other words, as the Holy Spirit works within us to make us more like Christ, we will be less pessimistic about the world around us and more optimistic about what God is doing through us. In what areas of your life does joy need to have a more prominent place in your thoughts and actions?
5. Besides joy, what other legitimate emotions might Christians experience? Anger? Grief? Sadness? How can we encourage each other to deal with such emotions without rushing someone to embrace a false sense of joy? How can we encourage each other to become joyful again as we remember the promises of God and look forward to the return of Christ?
For Further Reading: Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Banner of Truth, 2022)