CHRISTIAN JOY—

    Happiness in the Lord

We begin a study of Christian joy. Too often our world tends to think of Christians as hypercritical people who do not enjoy life. It seems as if the Bible forbids anything that most people think of as fun. These concepts are wrong. The truth is that no one has more potential for happiness than a Christian, and no one is more miserable than those who do not know Christ.

One foundation for our joy is clear. The Bible declares that whatever God does for us is always for our benefit. God never leads us into disaster. The Holy Spirit always acts in our best interests and leads us in the paths of righteousness. On the other hand, Satan comes to kill and to destroy. Satan isn’t happy and he doesn’t want anyone else to be happy either. Our world promises a false and fickle kind of joy. Only Jesus can offer joy unspeakable and full of glory—the joy that passes our understanding and allows us to function whatever our circumstances may be.

Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Real joy, as we shall see, comes from the peace Jesus gives, and our world cannot supply this to children of God.

         
Walking in the Light
            1 John 1:1-7         

Dealing with Everyday Sin
            1 John 1:8—2:2         

Rules That Lead to Joy
            1 John 2:3-6

The Joy of Love
            1 John 2:7-14

Avoiding Dangers to Joy
           1 John 2:15-27

Living in Joy
            1 John 2:28—3:24

Joy and the Right Spirit
            1 John 4:1-6

Doing As Jesus Did
            1 John 4:7—5:3

The Joy of Assurance
            1 John 5:6-13

Joy Through Prayer
            1 John 5:14-17

Joy and a Thankful Spirit
            Philippians 1:1-11

Joy and Humility
            Philippians 2:1-30

Joy and Peace
            Philippians 4:1-23

 

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      Title. Most copies of the King James Version of the Bible have as the title of the fourth gospel, The Gospel According to St. John. Some Bibles add the term the Divine to John’s name. Such designations have been provided by translators or publishers. Like most, if not all, of the books of the Bible, the Gospel of John was not named in the original text. Many scholars teach that the early Christians started referring to the four gospels simply as According to Matthew, According to Mark, According to Luke and According to John. With the passing of time the phrase the gospel was added, thus giving the designation, The Gospel According to John, and so forth. The title Saint, or its abbreviation St., is a reflection of the Roman Catholic influence on the Church of England scholars who translated the King James Version of the Scriptures. Most Baptists are probably more comfortable with a designation such as The Gospel According to John, or simply, The Gospel of John, since this book is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The good news about Him—who He is and what He has done—is the essence of the gospel.

      Writer. There is almost universal agreement among Bible scholars that the human author of the fourth gospel was one of the twelve apostles known as John, the son of Zebedee and the brother of James (Matt. 4:21). The mother of John and James is generally believed to have been Salome, who was among the Galilean women who followed Jesus and ministered to Him and His disciples. (Compare Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40, 41.) John evidently was living in or near Capernaum when Jesus called him, along with James and the brothers Peter and Andrew, to be “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:18-22). John possibly was one of the youngest of the apostles, and that quite possibly was why Peter, who probably was among the older apostles, seemingly acted as a mentor for him. (Compare John 20:2-8; Acts 3:1; 4:13, 19; 8:14.) John appears to have been a man of mixed disposition. On the one hand, he and his brother were known as “the sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17) whose fiery zeal surfaced on at least a couple of occasions (Luke 9:49-56). However, John was also known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26, 27; 21:7, 20). In addition to the fourth gospel, John wrote the epistles of 1, 2 and 3 John, along with the book of Revelation. The name John is the Greek form of the Old Testament Jehohanan, which basically means “Jah (an abbreviated form of Jehovah) is gracious.” The writer of the Gospel of John should not be confused with John the Baptist or John Mark, both of whom had important roles in the New Testament.

      Purpose. The reason why John wrote this gospel is clear: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). John was inspired by the Holy Spirit to present Christ as the Son of God. Each of the gospels emphasizes a different aspect of the person and work of Christ. Matthew shows Him as a King. Mark presents Him as the faithful Servant of God. Luke underscores the fact that Christ is the Son of Man. John depicts Him as the Son of God. More specifically, Matthew’s gospel is particularly for the Jews, Mark’s is directed more to the Romans, Luke’s gospel is addressed to the Gentiles and John’s gospel is especially for believers in all times and places—“these are written that ye might believe . . . and that believing ye might have life” (verse 31).

      Date. The Gospel of John is generally believed to have been the last of the four gospels to be written, with some commentaries giving a date as late as AD 90. If John indeed were among the youngest of the apostles, such a date certainly could have been possible. However, there is no reason to set the date that late, as this gospel could have been written as early as AD 75. It seems as if John wrote the fourth gospel first, then sometime later the epistles of 1, 2 and 3 John and the book of Revelation last.

      Distinctives. Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the “synoptic gospels” because they include much of the same material, even if from slightly different perspectives, regarding the life and ministry of Christ. The fourth gospel follows a somewhat different format, however. There is not as much emphasis on the Galilean ministry of Christ, and more attention is given to His activities in and around Jerusalem. The Gospel of John does not include any narrative parables, nor does it give as much emphasis to the miracles Christ performed. Some critical miracles are included, however, and there are several of the “I Am” statements proclaimed by Christ. Life, light and love are notable themes in the fourth gospel.

      Organization. The Gospel of John falls into four broad divisions: (1) a prologue (John 1:1-14), (2) an overview of the public ministry of Christ (John 1:15–12:50), (3) an account of the passion of Christ (John 13:1—20:31) and (4) an epilogue (John 21:1-25). The lessons included in this study will concentrate on Christ’s public ministry, which in turn can be divided into two sections: (1) the presentation of the Son of God (John 1:15—4:54) and (2) the opposition to the Son of God (John 5:1—12:50).

 

He Is God in the Flesh
            John 1:1-14

He Is the Lamb of God
            John 1:15-51

He Is Zealous of His Father’s House
            John 2:1-25

He Is the Son of God
            John 3:1-36

He Is the Messiah
            John 4:1-54

He Is Equal to the Father
            John 5:1-47

He Is the Bread of Life
            John 6:1-71

He Is the Prophet
            John 7:1-53

He Is the Light of the World
            John 8:1-59

He Is of God
            John 9:1-41

He Is the Good Shepherd
            John 10:1-42

He Is the Resurrection and the Life
            John 11:1-57

He Is the King of Israel
            John 12:1-50

 

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