The Source of Joy

Today board Renewing Your Mind all the efforts that you have the be joyful all the efforts that you have to be productive.

All of the things that you want to do to achieve anything worthwhile in the kingdom of God is an exercise in utter futility. If you're trying to do it on your own power in American culture, especially when we pride ourselves on being self-sufficient.

We pull ourselves up by your bootstraps, but a careful study of Scripture reveals that for Christians, that approach doesn't work. In fact called to do exactly the opposite record to be dependent on God is our only source of joy. Dr. RC Sproul continues his series on joy today here on Renewing Your Mind, let's join him now. One of the chief characteristics of the gospel of John, that is been a delight for Christians of all ages is John's list of the famous I am of Jesus. For example, Jesus says I am the door through which men must enter I am the good Shepherd. I am the light of the world, and so on, before Abraham was, I am in each of these affirmations of geniuses where Jesus says I am the Greek has a strange form to it. The Greek goes like this. They go E me these are two forms of the verb to be in Greek. Both of the main I am. It's almost as if Jesus is stuttering when he says I am I am or really he saying I I am.

I want so fascinating about this is that this particular form of the Greek Eggo eating me is the way the Septuagint which was the Greek translation of the Old Testament would translate the touch her grandma Tom of the Old Testament, the great I am, which was the name Yahweh. The name for God away. Yahweh would be interpreted was through the Greek Eggo eating me and so many believe that when Jesus calls attention to his role as the great Shepherd and is the door that he is at the same time identifying himself with deity here now. The last of the eye and means that we find in John's Gospel is found in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John, and I like to ask you to turn to that mall, and let us give some attention to this.

I am of Jesus beginning in verse one of chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, Jesus says this I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. The first thing I want us to note about this statement is that Jesus doesn't say simply, I am the vine, but rather he distinguishes what vine he is.

He says I am the true vine or the genuine vine or the authentic vine.

Why does he do this really doesn't tell us exactly but we have a guess that we can lodge here that most biblical scholars would agree with and that is this that in the Old Testament when God enters into a particular and special relationship with his people. The people of Israel, the people of Israel are sometimes considered in the metaphor of the bride. Israel is the bride of Yahweh, but also Israel in the Old Testament is called God's vine, or God's vineyard. It is the vineyard that God plants God nurtures God to prunes and God uses for the purpose of producing fruit that will nourish and enrich the whole world, but one of the judgments that comes upon the nation of Israel in the New Testament is because of the fruitless nests of God's vineyard now also a theme that we find throughout the New Testament is that Jesus comes not only to redeem his people, but to embody the nation of Israel itself in an ultimate sense Jesus is the Israel of God and that idea is being communicated partially here in this statement when he says I am the true vine not notice also that in the Old Testament Israel was called the son of God out of Egypt.

Have I called my son and when Jesus is brought back out of Egypt. After his parents flee to Egypt, from the warnings given because Herod was seeking the life of this baby. Remember Joseph and Mary took the baby and fled into Egypt and then when it was safe they were alerted that they could return back to Israel and the Scripture say this was to fulfill the Old Testament prophecy out of Egypt.

I have called my son. So we see this strange metaphorical identity or connection between Jesus and the nation of Israel. Jesus has a kind of solidarity with the whole historical people of God and here he is saying where Israel has failed in its vocation to being the vineyard of God I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser that is the one who comes plants the vines who cultivates the vine who prunes the vine exegesis sets up this discourse by identifying himself as the vine and his father as the vine dresser. In verse two he says every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. I don't understand the whole process of growing grapes are really growing much of anything.

I don't have a green thumb that I've experimented with different things in my life, one of which is fully around with roses and I have the most rudimentary and only the most rudimentary knowledge of horticulture and the growing of roses. My extended knowledge of roses and ghosts about this for that after we get the beautiful rose blossom on the stem and it begins to decay in the weather that we have to go out and we have to cut off the dead blossom and there's a particular point. We find this place were there so many leaves on the stem and you prune it there and if you are diligent in pruning the way the dead aspects of the Bush the more brilliant the blossoms become and more plenteous is the fruit and immediately since it seems to defy what we would assume that the more we cut away at a Bush. The more would we be destroying enter the more we cut away branches from a tree, the more damage we would be doing to it, but this whole process of pruning is to focus the nutrients of the plant in the Bush of the tree or whatever it is to consistent process of production, the old is removed so that a new blossom can emerge in a new fruit can be produced, and so Jesus draws this image from the whole concept of the vineyard and the idea here of pruning is to increase fruit that what we've been concerned about the last few sessions is the fruit of the spirit called joy and what I'm concerned about today is this how can we increase that particular fruit, how can we provide and maintain whatever joy that we do experience in the kingdom of God and not only maintain it but increase it. Just keep that thought tucked in the back of your mind for a moment and just remember that this is our larger concern is were looking at this teaching of Jesus in verse three he said, you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Now he's addressing himself to believers to those who are his. To those that already enjoy fellowship with him and have a saving relationship with him. They are already clean and now comes the command in verse four by paid in the and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me that what happens to the branches that you prune from a tree or from a Bush after you've cut the branch and removed it from the tree or from the bush or from the vine throw down on the ground. Leave it there for a week and come back and see what it looks like see how much fruit it is producing.

It's not going to produce any fruit. It's been cut off from its life supply. It's been cut off from its power supply. And so it is impotent, it withers that atrophy's it dies. Remember the story of a minister who had a person in his congregation. Coming to church and the minister want to visit this wayward parishioner and try to encourage him to come back to church and said to them, why did you stop coming to church in the Manson luck. I am a Christian. I'm a believer. I don't need church I can do very well on my own. I'm an independent type of person a self-starter have a lot of initiative. I don't need the fellowship of other people and so and they were having this conversation in the parishioner's backyard. As he was preparing to have a barbecue and he had already started a fire in the bed of coals and barbecue coals in his barbecue pit and Molly was talking to his parishioners. He went over beside the barbecue pit and he saw the stack of coals that were all white-hot and glowing. He took one of the prongs in and lifted one of the coals that they couldn't touch with his hand because it was glowing red-hot white-hot date and he removed that coal and moved it to the outside of the barbecue pit and then continued his conversation with the parishioner didn't say a word about that. After a few minutes of this continuing conversation.

He walked over and he picked up this coal with his bare hand and he said to the member of his congregation. Do you see what just happened to only a few minutes ago I couldn't touch this coal because it was so hot. But once I remove this coal from the source of the heat it lost its heat and became cold and no longer could contribute to the barbecue that you're planning for this afternoon. He says and that's what's going to happen to you. You need the body of Christ, you need the church of Christ, you need the fellowship of the saints in the assembling together of the people of God because we are not rugged individualist who are called to live in isolation from others and if we dry up or cool down when we are removed from connection with other Christians. How much more will we evaporate if we are removed from the real source of power, which is Christ himself. And that's the point he's making here. I am the true vine, and so he gives this admonition to his disciples by saying he uses the Greek word Medio which is translated abide.

It can also be translated by the word romaine or simply the word stay if you want to be productive.

If you can't just come and visit me every so often, but you have to abide in me, Jesus isn't talking here about losing Salvation Army that sort of thing that's another matter. But he is saying stay close to me because we are prone to wander to get out to the outer edges of the tree and failed to tap in to the source of our power and of our spiritual vitality which is Christ himself, and so his lesson simply is to stay close abide in me and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me to hear what he saying all of the efforts that you have to be joyful. All of the efforts that you have to be productive. All of the things that you want to do to achieve anything worthwhile in the kingdom of God is an exercise in utter futility. If you're trying to do it on your own power.

Christians need to understand that that without the connection to Christ who is the power supply. We will be completely fruit less. Again I remind you that the particular fruit were concerned about here is the fruit of the spirit called joy if you neglect the spirit. If you neglect Christ if you are not staying close to the source of Christ. How much joy are you going very very little.

Again he says in verse five I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing in Martin Luther once commented on this text and said when Jesus said, without me you can do nothing but nothing in this text does not refer to a little something she said without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a Branson is weathered and they gather them and throw them in the fire and they are burned. But if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

And by this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples.

Not, let's keep going here in verse nine, Jesus expands the teaching and he said is the father love me.

I also have loved you abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. Now we get to the section in the teaching that is most important for our consideration and it is the section in which Jesus explains to the point simply and directly why it is he's telling them this little story taken from agriculture. Listen to what he says in verse 11. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

These things I have spoken to that here we have the use of the subjunctive in the Greek, which states purpose to read another way, it would go like this. I have told you these things in order that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full, true reasons Jesus is told the story to reasons that he designates here. The first one is that the joy that he provides for his people may remain all this discussion about abiding staying and remaining abide in me, I abide in you, why so that your joy may abide so that there can be a consistency that there can be a permanency not a roller coaster ride of mood shifts in alternating states of joy and misery which so often characterizes the life of the Christian Jesus is saying if you want consistency then consistently abide in me and my joy will abide in you again. You notice my joy member earlier in the 14th chapter Jesus talked about peace. Peace I leave with you. Peace I give unto you, not as the world give us, give I unto you. My piece I give to you. So what is the Christians peace conference that comes from him. We have this opportunity to participate in his peace, and in like manner he saying now I'm telling you these things, that my joy may abide with you. Now he distinguishes between his joy and our joy, and that your joy may be full, is not what we want. We don't want a partial cup of the fruit of the spirit.

We don't want just a little bit of joy. We want all of the joy that the father has stored up for his people and the fullness of joy that we have comes from Christ is first, his joy that he gives to us and as we are plugged into him this joy that comes from him grows increases remains constant and becomes full.

No one who is listening to me right now, has ever yet in his or her life fully experienced the highest level of joy that is available to the people of God. However happy you are, however, much joy you had at this moment there is more joy to be had.

There is a fullness that is constantly being expanded as the fruit of the spirit is nurtured by the true vine, and it's with that anticipation is with that promise, that we wrap up Dr. RC Sproul series on joy you're listening to Renewing Your Mind and all this week we have seen, the Christians have an unending source of joy even in the midst of sorrow and disappointment. Maybe right now you're dealing with the loss of a loved one or you received an unexpected and serious medical diagnosis from your doctor and enjoy seems way out of reach that I commend this entire series to you is simply titled joy will be glad to send it to you for your donation of any amount is contained on two audio CDs and will include Dr. Sproles booklet. Can I have joy in my life.

You can request both of these resources by going online to Renewing Your Mind.org or you can simply call us with your gift at 800-435-4343 beers are senile with a final thought force. How constant is your joy and you feel like a roller coaster ride. I often do in one of the things that disturbs me is how I can be inconsistent and I know that we all struggle with that sort of thing. But Jesus gives a simple explanation for that when we are inconsistent in our walk with him in our quest for intimacy with him than the fruit that we bear will likewise be inconsistent, but if we want a constancy and a fullness of the measure of the fruit of the Holy Spirit than we know what to do since he is the source of peace, of joy, of love, of faith and deed of all of the fruit of the spirit than the more we tap in to that source and the closer we stay to the vine than the stronger and more productive. The fruit of the vine is in our lives. Well this is been a great week learning about the joy that is ours as Christians and next week we'll talk more about the one who gives us that joy will hear from several speakers about Jesus the light of the world. We hope you enjoy this all next week here on Renewing Your Mind