John 15:9-11; 16:20-24, Joy vs. the sins of excess (4)

Since the issue is spiritual, the solution to the “sins of excess” begins with confession (Prov. 28:13) and repentance.  There must be a recognition of the issue.  Even the most popular means of dealing with drunkenness (Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 steps) understands this, beginning with the need to admit my powerlessness and then to entrust myself into the care of God (as I understand Him). 

We are not advocating or rejecting the popular approach.  We are seeking to understand the Bible.  When we confess, our repentance must be a turning from the sins of excess to God.  The first priority is not to get dry; it is to come into a relationship with God.  The fruit of the Spirit is, in this case, JOY.  A great working definition of “joy” is: inner delight, resulting from harmony with God.  If I seek to gain control over excess/dissipation without a relationship with God, I am doomed to repeated failure.  It’s not that I might not be able to refrain from the excess; it is that I cannot have the fruit of the Spirit without the Spirit living within. 

We have talked about being filled with the Spirit, and how this means we have become filled with Christ.  Look at these examples of how a relationship with God, through Christ, brings joy.

·       John 3:29: as Christ increased in His ministry, this brought joy to John the Baptist, even though it meant his ministry was decreasing.

·       John 15:9-11: an ongoing (abiding) relationship with Christ leads to obedience which results in His joy remaining in us and our joy being full.

·       1 John 1:1-4: John’s writing in this letter was about Christ, and was given that we might have joy.

·       John 16:20-24: Prayer, coming to God in Jesus name, is God’s means of bringing us into the fullness of joy.

·       1 Thess. 2:19-20; Phil. 4:1-2; 2 Cor. 7:13; 2 John 1:12: The fellowship of believers, in the body of Christ, produces joy.  It is fellowship with those who know Christ.

·       Acts 8:8: Those believers who came into Samaria, witnessing to and proclaiming Christ, brought joy to the people of Samaria.

You should have noted in some of these passages (Jn. 15:11; 16:24; 1 John 1:3-4; 2 John 1:12) the emphasis on “fullness of joy.”  Joy is not simply “happiness” (pleasurable satisfaction, absence of tribulation) or “fun” (amusement).  Christ’s joy is a deep sense of delight resulting from our relationship with God.  Christ’s joy is present, not only in the absence of trials, but in the midst of trials (e.g. Jas. 1:3-5; Rom. 5:3-5).  That alone should help us understand: joy is not being tickled or laughing at a joke.  It is the experience of those who walk in the Spirit, who are abiding in Christ.