“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
The message that John wrote about that caused joy was the message about Jesus. He is our source of joy. You have probably seen the acronym: J-Jesus, O-Others, Y-Yourself. I thought of another acronym for joy that I want to share with you. J – Just – 1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The Greek word that is translated “just” can also be translated “right.” “Just” is a legal word, meaning that Jesus is qualified to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. He is the only one who is qualified to forgive our sins. John also reminded us of this in 1 John 4:10: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation” means to be appeased. The wrath of God was appeased by the blood of Jesus. Only Jesus is qualified, or just, to forgive our sins. O – Offering – What I wrote above leads us to conclude that Jesus is the only offering for our sins. Hebrews 10:10 “….we are sanctified (separated) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Jesus was the “once for all” sacrifice for our sins. He will never again have to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. We need to love Jesus because of His sacrifice for us, and be thankful to Him. It should make a difference in how we live. Paul touched on this in Ephesians 5:1-2: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children: 2. and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.” (NIV: “a fragrant offering”) Y- Yes- 1 Corinthians 1:19-20: “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ but in Him it has always been ‘Yes.’ 20. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken to us by the glory of God.” You did not misread this text. Every promise that God has made to us is “YES” in Christ. Will Christ help us in our daily walk by the Holy Spirit? The answer is “YES.” Can we be saved from sin and live eternally in heaven? The answer is “YES” in Christ. Can we learn to love all people, even the most unlovable, as the Bible encourages us to do. The answer is “YES” in Christ. So we can spell “JOY” in Jesus as Just, Offering and Yes, for He is all of these and more. Bro. Joe
1 Comment
Linda Brooks
5/6/2017 06:48:58 pm
Thank You .....J....E....S
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