WEBVTT 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:02.240 I'm going to invite you to John chapter 16. 00:00:03.420 --> 00:00:04.570 John 16 is where we're going to be today. 00:00:04.840 --> 00:00:06.220 We're going to pick up in verse 16. 00:00:06.220 --> 00:00:07.220 We're in the middle of this chapter. 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:15.060 And while we get ready to dive into John chapter 16, I want to set a little backdrop for us leading into this text to remind 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:15.990 us of where we are. 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:22.690 In the gospel of Mark chapter 9, as you get to John 16, I just want to share this verse with you to set it up. 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:29.790 In Mark 9, about a year before Jesus' ministry gets to the point where we are in John 16, Jesus is about to go to the cross. 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:34.780 He spent the last couple hours of His life with His disciples before He goes to the cross for six hours. 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:43.350 But in Mark 9 is about the point in Jesus' ministry where He starts to tell His disciples that what his future holds is death. 00:00:44.220 --> 00:00:46.400 And about a year before His ministry happens. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:48.320 But it records for us this way. 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:55.420 In Mark 9, he says, "For Jesus was teaching His disciples and telling them, 'The son of man is to be delivered into the hands of 00:00:55.480 --> 00:00:57.200 men and they will kill him. 00:00:57.680 --> 00:01:04.660 And when he has been killed, he will rise three days later.'" And then verse 32 they say, "But they did not understand this statement. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:12.300 And they were afraid to ask Him." So Jesus starts talking about something that could tell us in the future maybe 00:01:12.300 --> 00:01:18.120 a little distant from where they are now, but the disciples began to get a little concerned and they don't understand what Jesus is saying. 00:01:18.440 --> 00:01:20.240 And so they don't want to really engage the conversation. 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:23.790 So they hear what Jesus is saying, it does not compute in their brain. 00:01:24.240 --> 00:01:26.080 And so they kind of just leave it at that. 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:33.440 And as I thought about this coming into this text today, I thought in my own life I've been in those moments where 00:01:33.440 --> 00:01:38.300 my imagination starts to run a little wild and then it starts to go to that worst case scenario place. 00:01:39.160 --> 00:01:40.170 What if this happened? 00:01:40.380 --> 00:01:41.520 How would I handle that? 00:01:41.520 --> 00:01:48.270 What if I went through this extreme loss of a loved one or a possession just a catastrophic event. 00:01:48.360 --> 00:01:52.420 And I realized and my imagination is racing there where it's going. 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:59.580 And all of a sudden before it gets to the resolution point or the end of just filling the full emotion of that imagination, 00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:02.620 I just back away from it because I don't even want to deal with it. 00:02:02.700 --> 00:02:07.520 I'm like, if that situation ever comes up, that's when we'll approach it. 00:02:07.720 --> 00:02:09.400 I am not thinking about that. 00:02:09.900 --> 00:02:16.140 And then when you get to John chapter 16, that is exactly where Jesus' disciples are now. 00:02:16.380 --> 00:02:19.600 In Mark 9 they hear Jesus starts to talk about this. 00:02:19.820 --> 00:02:21.290 They don't quite understand what He's saying. 00:02:21.660 --> 00:02:27.880 And they sort of put a pause button on that because they don't want to let their mind go to where Christ is speaking of in this moment. 00:02:27.940 --> 00:02:35.160 And then in John chapter 16 and verse 6, when you finally get to that place, this is what it says about the disciples, "But because I have said these things," 00:02:35.260 --> 00:02:43.460 Jesus talking about his death, "Because I've said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." And 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:50.460 this idea of the sorrow filling their heart is one where this word filled is a very expressive word in Greek. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:57.760 It's saying all other emotions have been pushed out and the only thing within their soul it's sorrow. 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:07.380 And so as these disciples go through this understanding of what's going to happen to Jesus, they're in this deep place of 00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:08.120 despair. 00:03:09.940 --> 00:03:17.000 And then Jesus in John 16 verse 16 starts to elaborate on this circumstance and what it should mean 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:18.100 for His disciples. 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:20.380 And really it comes to a place that relates to all of us. 00:03:20.440 --> 00:03:28.380 Look at this in verse 16 it says, "A little while, and you will no longer see me and again a little while, and 00:03:28.380 --> 00:03:29.480 you will see me. 00:03:30.020 --> 00:03:37.160 Some of his disciples then said to one another, what is this He is telling us a little while and you will not see me and again a little 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:41.120 while and you will see me and because I go to the Father? 00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:48.500 So they were saying, what is this that He says a little while, we do not know what he is talking about." Let me stop there for just a minute. 00:03:48.580 --> 00:03:54.560 And I think they're thinking in this moment, we know hindsight what Jesus does here. 00:03:54.560 --> 00:04:01.720 But in this moment, I've got to just think, if I'm one of the disciples I would be looking at Jesus thinking that the pressure's finally gotten to Him. 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:03.890 This guy, He has cracked. 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:07.230 A little while, here I am, a little while, I'm not here. 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:09.920 What is happening to Jesus? 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:11.140 We need to get him checked out. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:14.520 That's what I would be looking at this moment, His disciples. 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:21.860 And then in verse 19 he says, "And Jesus knew that they wished to question Him and said to them, 'Are you deliberating together 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:29.820 about this that I said a little while and you will not see me and again a little while, and you will not see me?'" 00:04:29.820 --> 00:04:33.800 And Jesus, as they're starting to think, He's finally lost His marbles. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:41.380 Jesus comes in and says, not only have I not lost my marbles, but I can read your minds because I'm God. 00:04:41.400 --> 00:04:46.300 So Jesus declares to them the very thoughts that they're wrestling with. 00:04:47.430 --> 00:04:50.460 And then in this moment Jesus does something incredible. 00:04:54.180 --> 00:05:01.700 Jesus chooses from this point on to focus His disciples out of all topics Jesus could pick, 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:07.360 He chooses to focus his disciples on the idea of joy. 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:14.600 In the pain., Jesus wants to talk about joy. 00:05:16.440 --> 00:05:23.560 And in verse 20 we find out not only does Jesus want to talk about joy, but if you grab the notes this morning, 00:05:23.640 --> 00:05:24.800 this is the first point that you have. 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:29.400 God wants you to have permanent joy. 00:05:31.140 --> 00:05:36.440 How is Jesus in the middle of this sorrow, where all other emotions are pushed down, how has He talk about joy. 00:05:36.940 --> 00:05:38.880 Jesus wants to talk about permanent joy. 00:05:38.880 --> 00:05:45.880 Look at this, verse 20 He says, "Truly, truly I say to you," that's the way of saying when Jesus says what He's saying, I'm about to say something not just 00:05:45.880 --> 00:05:48.320 true but exceptionally true. 00:05:48.440 --> 00:05:50.120 So pay attention to everything I'm about to tell you. 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:54.200 "Truly, truly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. 00:05:54.880 --> 00:06:03.580 You will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy." And then in verse 22, "Therefore 00:06:03.580 --> 00:06:07.120 you to have grief now, but I will see you again. 00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:15.620 And your heart will rejoice." Hold on to that thought rejoice because I'm going to come back to that, "But your heart will rejoice and no one will take your 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:22.800 joy away from you." In the pain Jesus talks 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:24.340 about permanent joy. 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:34.300 If you're ever going to get a message of joy in the hearts of people, I think in sorrow providing that answer is 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:35.060 a great place. 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:42.970 And I love how Jesus engages this here because I think sometimes when we, as people enter into pain, we're not real good at handling pain. 00:06:43.440 --> 00:06:50.540 This is kind of how we do it as people it's like Amy, someone going through a hard time, you're like, oh, you lost your left arm in an accident. 00:06:50.580 --> 00:06:52.110 Well, at least it's not your right arm. 00:06:52.810 --> 00:06:56.340 Or, oh man, you wrecked and totaled your car. 00:06:56.340 --> 00:06:58.230 Well, at least your house didn't burn down. 00:06:58.900 --> 00:07:01.140 Or oh, your house burned down? 00:07:01.140 --> 00:07:03.000 Oh, well at least your family is okay. 00:07:03.880 --> 00:07:08.000 We have a way of, even if you lose your family, well at least you still got your life. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:10.140 We don't like to talk about the pain. 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:15.380 We like to quickly just push it aside to move to something else that we don't have to deal with that emotion. 00:07:16.190 --> 00:07:20.500 That's not a great way of meeting someone in the despair of their circumstance. 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:23.780 Well, at least it's like saying yeah, you had that, but who really cares? 00:07:23.780 --> 00:07:25.180 Let's talk about all the things you still got. 00:07:25.270 --> 00:07:26.840 Let's not worry about the struggle. 00:07:26.900 --> 00:07:27.520 But that's not Jesus. 00:07:30.340 --> 00:07:32.540 Jesus is recognizing in this first that they have grief. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:41.870 And what makes it so great that Jesus is talking about joy in this moment is not only does he realize that they have grief, but He's entered into it. 00:07:43.400 --> 00:07:44.720 He is a God that cares. 00:07:44.840 --> 00:07:49.280 I love that about Christianity, different than any other God in this world that people worship. 00:07:50.280 --> 00:07:53.640 Most religions have this idea of God. 00:07:53.640 --> 00:07:58.340 And He's just this distant being that sort of set things in motion you better live your life to please Him. 00:07:58.340 --> 00:08:02.320 But in our faith, our God becomes personal and dwells with us. 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:10.460 He not only as Hebrews says in chapter 4 verse 15, He not only sympathizes with us, He also empathizes with us. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:18.010 Meaning He sympathizes with our struggle, but then He enters into it and He goes through the same struggle and therefore becomes empathetic towards our needs. 00:08:19.440 --> 00:08:23.540 And He's in this circumstances with His disciples talking about joy. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:30.910 And so then it becomes a very important questions we should ask because it's not just joy, it's permanent joy. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.130 So we should be saying this morning, is this even possible? 00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:39.870 And if so, how can I have it? 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:43.280 How can my soul have permanent joy? 00:08:45.280 --> 00:08:46.260 Point number two in your blank. 00:08:48.180 --> 00:08:53.150 I think this should probably go without saying, it's a very obvious statement, but we'll just give it and you can tell me how profound it is later. 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:55.700 Joy has an enemy. 00:08:57.360 --> 00:08:58.040 Joy has an enemy. 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:03.460 I mean, one of the reasons Jesus is saying this is because there is a battle for this permanent joy in your life. 00:09:04.680 --> 00:09:07.180 And Jesus wants His disciples to recognize this. 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:08.780 And Jesus wants you to recognize this. 00:09:08.880 --> 00:09:13.720 There is an enemy to joy and it's important for us to identify what it is. 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:16.700 And so let me just tell you what it isn't first and I'm going to tell you what it is. 00:09:18.160 --> 00:09:22.020 The enemy of joy is not sorrow. 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:30.060 We typically when we think about joy, thinking about you're happy and therefore the opposite of happy is sorrow and so the enemy of joy must be sorrow. 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:31.940 But in scripture this is not true. 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:33.390 The enemy of joy is not sorrow. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:38.640 In fact, what you find in the Bible is that we often experience joy and sorrow at the same time. 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:43.680 In fact Jesus, in between these two verses that I didn't give to you, I'll give it to you now. 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:50.680 In verse 21, Jesus gives us an example that really shows us how that battle of joy and sorrow we go through in this world. 00:09:50.780 --> 00:09:58.020 He talks about labor pains, which I have no personal experience with other than watching my wife go through this firsthand. 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:03.940 Verse 21, whenever a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. 00:10:04.020 --> 00:10:06.770 About the closest comparison I got here is kidney stones in my life. 00:10:07.910 --> 00:10:10.860 Because her hour has come. 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:17.980 But when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:18.760 the world. 00:10:21.160 --> 00:10:23.800 And I'll put my illustration there for some reason I typed my illustration. 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:28.640 We'll take that out next service but you could click past this, click past that. 00:10:28.640 --> 00:10:32.240 But this week, I'll just say it. 00:10:32.260 --> 00:10:38.460 My family, my family had this experience but in a different sense, related to a child. 00:10:40.420 --> 00:10:43.980 Will you take that off, thanks. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:51.470 This week, yesterday actually driving to an airport. 00:10:52.700 --> 00:10:59.900 And you guys, many of you know that we're in the middle of an adoption process and I can't relate to the labor pain, but I can relate to the pain of 00:11:00.400 --> 00:11:02.680 losing and gaining a child. 00:11:04.880 --> 00:11:14.460 Driving to the airport, dropping our child off to head back to his home country, place 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:14.900 of pain. 00:11:19.300 --> 00:11:26.460 We intentionally in this process have decided to take a longer route in our adoption because we know 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:33.740 that with this child, we can use him to set a precedent as well for an opportunity for other children 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:34.120 to be adopted. 00:11:36.040 --> 00:11:43.440 And so we've taken the longer road in this process but a more intentional road to not only find the success in our adoption, 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:45.830 but to see other children adopted. 00:11:47.800 --> 00:11:54.840 And on the way to the airport, while you grit your teeth in pain from sorrow, we're also having a conversation of 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.120 several children that are being lined up to be adopted. 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:02.490 And in the pain there is rejoicing. 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:06.810 Joy and sorrow in this world go hand-in-hand. 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:14.240 Now the beauty is in Revelation 21 God tells us that one day, sorrow, tears, pain 00:12:14.380 --> 00:12:17.640 Revelation 21 verses 3 to 5, will all be gone away. 00:12:18.920 --> 00:12:21.460 But in this world, we have both sorrow and joy. 00:12:22.780 --> 00:12:29.880 In first, Peter 1:6 listen to this, "In this you greatly rejoice though now for a 00:12:29.880 --> 00:12:36.760 little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials." By the way, today you don't have to ask me how are family is doing right. 00:12:37.760 --> 00:12:38.260 You already know. 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:44.530 I know sometimes we get those awkward questions where you don't know what else to say but I would rather talk about football and I don't even care who wins today. 00:12:44.910 --> 00:12:48.220 Anything other than that, just we'll talk about whatever else. 00:12:50.170 --> 00:12:54.880 But Peter is saying in this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while. 00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:57.820 If need be, you have been grieved by various trials. 00:12:59.640 --> 00:13:03.640 There is joy in the midst of sorrow. 00:13:05.620 --> 00:13:12.760 Joy is not really about getting rid of the sorrow, but really when the Bible talks about joy, the way it describes joy is that there is a joy that is 00:13:12.800 --> 00:13:14.040 more buoyant than sorrow. 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:17.540 It floats above the sorrow, it rises to the surface. 00:13:17.880 --> 00:13:24.880 And in second Corinthians, 4:17, "For our monetary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory, 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:32.660 far beyond all comparison." In the midst of struggle there 00:13:32.660 --> 00:13:33.430 is a joy. 00:13:34.800 --> 00:13:41.300 At first this week when I realized this text was coming, I was a little flustered by the fact that I'm talking about joy today. 00:13:42.060 --> 00:13:46.120 But then I said to myself, but what better day to talk about it? 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:50.440 Because in our lives we have both your joy and sorrow. 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:54.740 And it's important to understand when Jesus talks about permanent joy, what He's speaking about here. 00:13:54.900 --> 00:13:56.800 So when we think about joy, what is joy? 00:13:56.800 --> 00:13:59.900 Well another word that we could use for it is this idea of gladness. 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:07.220 But if I give it to you in an illustration, we're in that season of life where if you haven't done this yet, you could send someone to your, I used a unit guide at 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:14.140 your house to do a little check on your heating unit to make sure it does not go out this year because you know that winter is coming. 00:14:14.140 --> 00:14:21.460 And when winter comes, there'll be that day where you're going to open up your front door and you're going to get blasted in the face by nothing 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:22.400 but cold weather. 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:30.500 But when you step back in your house and that furnace kicks on, it overrides the 00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:32.140 temperature, it overrides the cold. 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:37.260 And joy biblically speaking, knowing in this world we have sorrow, joy works that way. 00:14:37.700 --> 00:14:44.760 It's the furnace to your soul that when this world blasts cold air on you, there is this joy in Christ that rises 00:14:44.760 --> 00:14:48.660 to the surface and is healing to your life. 00:14:48.660 --> 00:14:52.640 So the enemy of joy is not sorrow but let's identify what the true enemy is. 00:14:52.660 --> 00:14:53.800 This is the next blank in your notes. 00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:58.180 The enemy of joy is hopelessness. 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:04.730 The enemy of joy is hopelessness. 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:09.800 Romans 15, Romans 15 verse 13, early contrast as well. 00:15:09.800 --> 00:15:14.120 It says, "Now may the God of hope," and the product of hope you see here. 00:15:14.140 --> 00:15:21.540 "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy." So when your life has hope as 00:15:21.540 --> 00:15:24.180 a product, that's hope you begin to experience joy. 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:32.540 When a human being has something to look forward to, has hope in this world that you can endure some of the most difficult circumstances in life because you see the light 00:15:32.540 --> 00:15:33.420 at the end of the tunnel. 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:35.960 With hope, you find joy. 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:43.440 In fact, the opposite of that Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Well 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:50.960 what it's reminding of us as believers in Christ as we have had this healing balm in our hope 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:58.280 in Jesus, that whenever this world throws hopelessness at us, we have this hope in Christ this joy 00:15:58.280 --> 00:16:02.170 in Christ that we get to rub into the sorrow that we experience. 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:11.360 In fact Christians, the Bible tells us grieve, but we grieve as people with hope. 00:16:11.420 --> 00:16:18.580 First Thessalonians 4:13, "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who fall asleep in death so 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:27.980 that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope." And 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:30.680 guys, that's the beauty of being a follower of Jesus. 00:16:30.760 --> 00:16:32.300 You don't have to undermine the pain. 00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:40.920 You don't have to pretend like the struggle isn't real, but you do have a joy that 00:16:40.940 --> 00:16:47.340 rises to the surface more buoyant, a furnace that blasts the power of Christ in your life. 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:54.740 We don't have to pretend like things don't hurt, but to understand in Christ there is a joy 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:55.660 that sustains. 00:16:58.460 --> 00:16:59.440 Next blank and your notes. 00:17:00.820 --> 00:17:07.180 Unfortunately, unfortunately, we confuse joy for a counterfeit. 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:11.700 If you don't know how to spell counterfeit, just look right below that in your notes. 00:17:11.700 --> 00:17:13.640 You'll see the word counterfeit used a couple of times. 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:18.220 But we confuse the word joy for a counterfeit. 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:23.079 So there is joy in Christ. 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:26.480 I'll get to exactly how that looks in our lives in just a minute. 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:33.830 But I want us to know as we get ready to understand what the joy in Christ is that we really have that we often mistake it for a counterfeit. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:37.720 And one counterfeit is very obvious for us. 00:17:37.780 --> 00:17:40.180 It's something that we could probably readily talk about. 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:46.060 It's anytime in our life we raise idols or addiction or sin over God. 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:52.520 Like those types of things in our lives obviously become a counterfeit from following after the Lord, the joy that He calls us to in Him. 00:17:52.620 --> 00:17:59.140 Anytime you're sending your contrary to God and therefore you're embracing something that you believe to be more true than God and what you find out and sin. 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:04.550 Yes, sin is fun for a season, but ultimately your joy is robbed in Christ when you follow after sin. 00:18:04.800 --> 00:18:05.500 Those are the obvious things. 00:18:07.340 --> 00:18:13.530 But what's not always obvious is the hidden counterfeits that we often confuse for the joy that the Lord wants to give us. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:20.700 And when I say that this is the next blank in your notes, we often pursue a counterfeit because we mistake what 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:22.320 is good for what is of God. 00:18:23.320 --> 00:18:29.160 And here's your blink, we rest in the blessings rather than the blesser. 00:18:31.340 --> 00:18:38.420 We choose to find a counterfeit joy in our lives when we choose to rest ourselves in the blessing rather 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:39.820 than the blesser. 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:42.400 Now, let me give you an example. 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:52.560 Last year, maybe you got a raise at work or maybe you got a promotion at work and 00:18:52.560 --> 00:18:53.560 you celebrate that. 00:18:53.620 --> 00:18:54.810 That is a blessing. 00:18:54.900 --> 00:19:00.440 I got a raise, I got a promotion, someone acknowledged me and you celebrate that. 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:02.600 And here, this is the blessing and you rejoice in it. 00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:09.740 But then next year came and you didn't get a raise and you got passed 00:19:09.820 --> 00:19:10.590 up for that promotion. 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:17.760 And you know the person that took it and you thought you were more qualified and you know what they get paid now. 00:19:20.300 --> 00:19:21.640 What happens to your joy? 00:19:23.780 --> 00:19:30.800 Well because it rests in the blessing rather than the blesser, your joy gets all wrapped up in the things you've received and not the one you received 00:19:30.800 --> 00:19:31.380 it from. 00:19:32.600 --> 00:19:37.940 So therefore your joy goes away because your joy is without hope because your hope was in a pay raise. 00:19:40.420 --> 00:19:47.520 But when your hope is in Christ, when your 00:19:47.520 --> 00:19:54.690 hope is in Christ, the things that you receive in life simply become a double blessing to being connected to the greater blesser. 00:19:54.720 --> 00:20:01.740 So here's my question for us as we just think about this for a moment, what is the motivation behind what you 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:02.640 do and why you do it? 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:10.100 And when you think about work and if maybe you're pursuing a pay raise, or maybe you're pursuing a promotion, what's the motivation behind it? 00:20:10.100 --> 00:20:11.380 Is it just the pay raise? 00:20:11.660 --> 00:20:12.910 Is it just the promotion? 00:20:13.980 --> 00:20:20.920 You want to hear the praise of people, maybe the affirmation, maybe what's the motivation for why you want to hear people just compliment you? 00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:30.400 When we think about what our calling is as Christians, the Bible tells us in Corinthians 10, I think it's 31 that whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:31.740 do it all to the glory of God. 00:20:31.740 --> 00:20:34.780 Meaning our calling in this world is not to live for the praise of man. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:37.020 Our calling in this world is not to live for promotion. 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:39.400 Our calling in this world is not to live for pay raise. 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:40.260 Our calling. 00:20:40.260 --> 00:20:47.280 This world is to please Jesus in everything that we do in the abilities that he has given us in this world to bless this world through the gifts that 00:20:47.280 --> 00:20:53.480 God has given us and the talents and resources God has got us supplied us with because our life is not for those things, but for His glory. 00:20:56.040 --> 00:21:03.200 But here's the reality when you live your life like that and people are blessed because of that and when you wake up every day and you decided 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:10.200 I want to do a good job today, simply because I love Jesus and want the goodness of Jesus to be seen in my life, the result of 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:15.280 that, you do get pay raises, you do get promotions. 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:19.740 But your motivation was never about the pay raise or the promotion. 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:24.600 Your motivation was to live your life for an audience of one and bring Him glory. 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.100 Now I'm not telling you don't seek pay raises and promotions. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:29.040 I'm telling you that at all. 00:21:29.040 --> 00:21:35.830 I think when God's people can get in good positions to leverage their position for His glory in this world, the rest of the world is better off because of that. 00:21:36.280 --> 00:21:40.800 Certainly, certainly pursue those avenues to magnify Christ in your life. 00:21:41.760 --> 00:21:44.880 And when opportunity comes, where it's recognized, praise God. 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:51.420 And the reason you praise God is because you've realized your whole life has not been about those things, but rather about Him. 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:59.780 And when your pursuit has been about Him and you see the fruit of that rippling into your relationships and your positions in this world, you immediately turn 00:21:59.780 --> 00:22:06.120 and not praise the blessing, but look to the blesser who's given you the opportunity to experience those rewards. 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:16.180 We pursue counterfeit joy when the object 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:21.180 of our affections go towards the blessing rather than the blesser. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:27.730 And in the end, we find our joy diminish because we focus on the wrong thing. 00:22:29.470 --> 00:22:33.560 Therefore, let's say this, therefore I think this is the next blank in your notes. 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:36.380 Therefore, the answer is simple. 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:38.960 Rejoice, therefore, rejoice. 00:22:38.980 --> 00:22:43.920 In fact, look at this in verse 22, he said it, "Therefore you too have grief now, but I will see you again. 00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:46.140 And your heart will rejoice. 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:50.840 And no one will take your joy away from you," permanent joy. 00:22:52.040 --> 00:22:53.000 And why is Jesus saying this? 00:22:53.060 --> 00:22:55.480 You think about what He's communicating to His disciples. 00:22:55.760 --> 00:22:56.230 Look, you're right. 00:22:56.400 --> 00:22:57.420 Your hope is in me. 00:22:57.420 --> 00:22:59.340 That's where your hope should be and I'm going to die. 00:22:59.360 --> 00:23:00.300 And you think that's it. 00:23:01.320 --> 00:23:02.200 You think that's it. 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:05.060 But I'm going to give you an opportunity to not just have joy, but to rejoy. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:08.000 To rejoy in me. 00:23:08.100 --> 00:23:14.200 This is one of those commands in the Bible that we don't take seriously Because it seems too happy. 00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:17.790 Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always. 00:23:18.120 --> 00:23:25.240 And again, I say rejoice." Or first Peter1:8, "You greatly rejoice with joy and expressible and 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:28.760 full of glory." What's He saying? 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:32.090 Was He saying this because joy has a competitor? 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:37.540 You need to re-preach the gospel to yourself every day. 00:23:39.080 --> 00:23:39.610 That's what He's saying. 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:44.430 Joy, this joy is rooted in everything that Jesus has for us and the victory that He's won for us. 00:23:44.540 --> 00:23:51.580 And therefore because I have that victory permanently in Christ and no one can take it away and I can live for that glory, I am called in 00:23:51.580 --> 00:23:54.740 scripture to continue to rejoy in it, rejoy in it. 00:23:54.760 --> 00:23:59.920 And here's why, it's because the world wants to give you a dirty cup of water telling you it's clean and ask you to drink it. 00:24:02.020 --> 00:24:08.090 And if you buy into it, you'll learn to put your hope in the blessing, not the blesser. 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:17.700 And so we, as people are called to rejoice, to continue to reorient our lives to the motivation 00:24:17.700 --> 00:24:20.920 that drives us, the conviction for which we rest in. 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:28.060 Which is today and every day I can live not for the praise of people, not for the promotion, not for the income increase, 00:24:28.180 --> 00:24:31.320 but I can live my life for the glory of God to the benefit of other people. 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:36.660 I get to do that for my king. 00:24:38.120 --> 00:24:43.700 The world will tell you a gospel tale, but they will call a gospel tale that stinks. 00:24:45.540 --> 00:24:51.080 And it will lead to a place of hopelessness, whether now or at some point in the future it will get there. 00:24:53.760 --> 00:25:01.020 But Jesus' story, Jesus' gospel lives forever. 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:07.000 And therefore, your joy could be rooted in Him for evermore. 00:25:09.580 --> 00:25:12.020 So what are some ways to rejoice? 00:25:13.540 --> 00:25:15.240 What are some ways to rejoice? 00:25:15.320 --> 00:25:22.420 I think when we talk about rejoicing, maybe one of the mistakes that we think is that it means you've got to just smile and cheer and 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:22.940 celebrate. 00:25:23.020 --> 00:25:25.660 And it's certainly a component of rejoicing. 00:25:27.360 --> 00:25:33.860 That's a way that rejoicing can be expressed is that attitude of high praise and celebration. 00:25:34.820 --> 00:25:36.140 But it's not the only way. 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:43.920 In fact, I think if we don't think about the idea of rejoicing in a little deeper than just a shallow emotional praise, shout 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:49.180 hallelujah, then we're going to miss what the fullness of rejoicing could look like in our lives. 00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:56.420 And in fact in verse 23 and 24, Jesus goes on and starts to speak to His disciples in a way that I think explains rejoicing 00:25:56.420 --> 00:26:02.500 in a way that reminds us that the avenues that we take in worship is a form of rejoicing. 00:26:02.580 --> 00:26:03.500 Let me just show you this. 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:07.940 It says in verse 23, "In that day, you will not question me about anything. 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:13.540 Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:17.000 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. 00:26:17.100 --> 00:26:22.120 Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be made full." I think about the disciples here. 00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:24.320 I ask the question, He's obviously talking about prayers. 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:26.800 So your next blank starts with a P is prayer, let me tell you why. 00:26:29.060 --> 00:26:31.160 The disciples, go back to that for just a minute sorry. 00:26:31.600 --> 00:26:34.540 The disciples are in this moment. 00:26:34.840 --> 00:26:37.690 You could think where their heart is, the sorrow that they're going through. 00:26:38.320 --> 00:26:39.820 What's the one thing they would be praying for? 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:43.000 Jesus. 00:26:45.270 --> 00:26:46.650 Jesus, I don't want this to be over. 00:26:48.820 --> 00:26:49.980 Jesus, I don't want you to die. 00:26:51.820 --> 00:26:53.040 Jesus I want you. 00:26:55.880 --> 00:27:02.880 And Jesus says in this story, if you just pray seeking, if you just ask the Father, just take that sorrow and let Him know, I'm 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:07.420 telling you, your prayers will be answered because in your life, I'm not going anywhere. 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:16.460 Three days of sorrow, I see the resurrection of Christ and they have reason to rejoice forever more because they know what Jesus has promised them 00:27:16.460 --> 00:27:20.220 will continue to endure because nothing not even death can stop it. 00:27:21.140 --> 00:27:22.760 Their hope for His glory. 00:27:23.120 --> 00:27:24.080 And guys, let me just say this. 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:31.920 In your life when you pray, if you pray with the right intentions, if you're praying in the right heart, you're 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.120 praying as an individual rejoicing. 00:27:34.280 --> 00:27:37.070 And here's why, Jesus tells us when we pray, we pray in His name. 00:27:38.540 --> 00:27:45.560 And if you think about what that means, if Jesus in this moment died and that was it, nobody's going to go to before the Lord praying in Jesus' name there's 00:27:45.560 --> 00:27:46.200 no authority in it. 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:46.860 He's dead, who cares. 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:56.020 But because He lives, because He lives, there is power in the name of Jesus. 00:27:57.780 --> 00:28:03.900 So when you come before the Lord and you're praying in Jesus' name, that is a statement of rejoicing in the gospel. 00:28:06.540 --> 00:28:13.580 The only reason I come before you now is because of the authority of Christ made known in my life that He died for my sins that I could be declared 00:28:13.580 --> 00:28:15.130 righteous in your presence. 00:28:15.320 --> 00:28:19.480 And in your presence I am able to be forevermore in the name of Jesus amen. 00:28:21.820 --> 00:28:29.060 The idea of praying and praying in Christ's name is a measure of rejoicing in what the gospel has accomplished in your 00:28:29.060 --> 00:28:29.760 life. 00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:32.630 Rejoicing isn't just about being happy and celebrating. 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:34.340 Rejoicing can look in the life of the disciple. 00:28:34.560 --> 00:28:41.960 One who kneels in prayer before God, or stands in prayer before God lifting up holy hands before your king because of the message 00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:46.820 for what you live for that's been made known in Christ and His resurrection rings true. 00:28:46.840 --> 00:28:51.670 That gives your life hope and in that hope becomes a place of rejoicing. 00:28:53.240 --> 00:28:55.860 A second is this, verse 33. 00:28:57.120 --> 00:29:04.180 And I know I'm skipping a little bit ahead here to get to this but verse 33, these things I have spoken to you so that 00:29:04.260 --> 00:29:06.550 in me you may have peace. 00:29:07.900 --> 00:29:15.340 In the world you have tribulation but take courage, I have overcome the 00:29:15.340 --> 00:29:15.540 world. 00:29:17.940 --> 00:29:23.700 Mark of Jesus' disciples starts with a P, peace. 00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:29.670 I think a mark of rejoicing in your life is a mark of peace. 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:36.260 When we think about the idea of rejoicing and then peace hand-in-hand, those two things you might draw a little bit different. 00:29:36.260 --> 00:29:39.910 When someone says, draw me a picture of someone rejoicing and draw me a picture of someone in peace. 00:29:40.360 --> 00:29:43.600 But those things aren't in conflict with one another. 00:29:44.020 --> 00:29:51.140 That the same soul that is experiencing peace and displaying peace is only able to walk in the type of peace that God talks about because his soul rejoices 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:53.260 in what the gospel represents to them. 00:29:56.040 --> 00:29:59.670 Jesus has won, my past is forgiven. 00:29:59.700 --> 00:30:02.100 My future is bright and He's with me in this moment. 00:30:03.320 --> 00:30:09.840 So whatever I'm about to walk through today, I know He has already been there and He is there with me right now. 00:30:09.860 --> 00:30:12.460 And because of that, nothing is a surprise to Him. 00:30:12.660 --> 00:30:18.060 And in that then because I am His, and He loves me, my soul has peace. 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:20.140 My soul has peace. 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:29.000 I can't control what other people do, but I can control where I am in Christ and 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:33.760 who I am in Christ and how I perceive my position in Christ. 00:30:34.540 --> 00:30:37.210 And the way I walk in this world because of Christ. 00:30:38.520 --> 00:30:45.680 And thanks be to Christ because in that it gives my soul peace and recognizing that peace gives opportunity for my soul 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:47.300 to rejoice in this king. 00:30:50.620 --> 00:30:56.480 So when you think about joy, my joy then is rooted in hope. 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:07.240 In these moments, probably one of the more interesting things, In these moments that the 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:15.020 disciples soul we've seen verse 6 in a place of tremendous grief, but 00:31:15.100 --> 00:31:15.780 here's what's incredible. 00:31:17.540 --> 00:31:24.560 The very same event that has brought them to a place of despair, it's going 00:31:24.560 --> 00:31:31.680 to become the very same event that leads their lives to praise God both now and for all 00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:32.330 of eternity. 00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:41.060 I love that about the emblem of our lives which is the cross because when I get to that place of despair 00:31:41.060 --> 00:31:48.360 and struggle in the world of sorrow, I know within Christianity, there is this cross and 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:52.620 it stands as a place for me that always says, God cares. 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:56.140 God cares because He's come and He's come from me. 00:31:56.140 --> 00:31:58.560 And He's given His life for me. 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:05.900 And He's taken one of the worst days in all of history, the worst day in all of history, the place where the disciples saw no hope and He turned it 00:32:05.900 --> 00:32:12.200 into a place of continual hope for all of eternity so that our souls could look at that picture. 00:32:13.220 --> 00:32:16.460 And in us know that there is always hope in Christ. 00:32:16.680 --> 00:32:24.020 And in that hope there is reason for my life to rejoice both now and forever in Jesus' 00:32:24.020 --> 00:32:24.520 name.