“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17:13 ESV)

No one can take your joy away from you

“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22 ESV)

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 14:17 ESV)

Therefore…

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13 ESV)

Quote:

“However tiring our work may be, how could it ever be tiresome? How could it be anything less than a joy to serve the One who has given us all things for life, and enrichment, and enjoyment? Jesus, who suffered so much to secure our salvation.” - Joni Eareckson Tada

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

Phil. 2:5 NIV)

A Christlike mindset in relationships 

In the above passage we’re told to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus in relationships. What exactly does that look like? The word, “mindset” is defined as “a fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations; An inclination or a habit; A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one.” So, if your mindset in your relationships with one another should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, you would do well to include Him in interpersonal relationships you have with others. That would solve a lot of interpersonal problems if that were done. 

A Christlike mindset that determines the will of God

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

A Christlike mindset interpreting spiritual truths

“And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:13-16 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 ESV)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

Quote:

 “Christian love draws no distinction between one enemy and another, except that the more bitter our enemy's hatred, the greater his need of love. Be his enmity political or religious, he has nothing to expect from a follower of Jesus but unqualified love. In such love there is not inner discord between the private person and official capacity. In both we are disciples of Christ, or we are not Christians at all.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 KJV)

The passage of Scripture at top tells us that Jesus was “born unto you”. And in this passage we learn three important things about who Jesus is: He is Savior, Christ and He is Lord!

• Savior – Defined: One who saves someone or something from danger, ruin, or defeat.

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14 ESV)

“And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,…” (Luke 1:47. ESV)

• Christ –  Defined: The anointed one. The Greek translation of the Hebrew word is rendered “Messiah”; the official title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ 

“He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” (Acts 17:3 NLT)

“When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.” (Acts 18:5 NIV)

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 3:18-19)

• Lord -  Defined: One having power and authority over others; a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due. 

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)

“…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9)

Quote:

“There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.

- Billy Sunday

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.” (1 Tim. 1:15-17)

God exalted Him as prince and savior 

"God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins." (Acts 5:31)

He takes away the sin of the world

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Jesus is to rule all nations

“And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” (Rev. 12:5)

Therefore…

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”  (Psalm 34:8)

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 117)

Quote:

“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.” —Corrie Ten Boom

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thess. 3:16 NIV)

Jesus made peace possible

When Jesus came, He made it possible for us to have peace with God in every way and at all times. Having peace with God means that we can experience peace in our day-to-day lives no matter what happens. And, perhaps most importantly, it means that we can help others find peace with God, too.

To have peace the peace of God in every situation…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 NIV)

In Jesus you have peace, even in the midst of trouble

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

Jesus brought peace, therefore, don’t let your heart be troubled 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV)

Therefore…

“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” (Jude 1:2 NIV)

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Num. 6:24-26 NIV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9 ESV)

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Rom. 12:18 ESV)

“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18 NIV)

Quote:

“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.”  — St. Francis of Assisi

“For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matt. 26:28 ESV)

Forgiveness – it’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Jesus demonstrated His forgiveness towards us by dying on the cross for us. The Bible called this the greatest kind of love. (John 15:13) And it’s the kind of love Jesus gave. 

Christ gives forgiveness of sins to everyone who believes in Him

“To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43 ESV)

Christ brings forgiveness according to the riches of His grace

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Eph. 1:7 ESV)

Forgiven and sins removed as far as the east from the west

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalms 103:10-14 ESV)

Sins made white as snow

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isa. 1:18 ESV)

Therefore…

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Prov. 28:13 ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1John 1:9-10 ESV)

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” (Psalm 103:2-4)

Quote:

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” - C.S. Lewis

“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17:13 ESV) 

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (Gal. 5:22 ESV)

Joy in the Holy Spirit

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 14:17 ESV)

No one can take your joy

“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22 ESV)

Therefore…

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24 ESV)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13 ESV)

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known[d] in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your[e] midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa. 12:3-6 ESV)

Quote:

“Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.” — Helen Keller

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 1:5:11-13 ESV)

The Spirit bears witness

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” (Rom. 8:16 ESV)

No one can snatch you from the hand of God

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28 ESV)

Quote:

“To be assured of our salvation is no arrogant stoutness. It is faith. It is devotion. It is not presumption. It is God’s promise.” — Augustine

“And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.” (1 John 2:25 ESV)

This is eternal life

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3 ESV)

Whoever…

• Hears His Word — “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24 ESV)

• Believes in Jesus — “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36 ESV)  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Therefore…

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14 ESV)

Quote:

“Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue.” of God's grace.” — Charles Spurgeon