1 00:00:01,464 --> 00:00:03,012 Well, good evening. 2 00:00:03,012 --> 00:00:05,719 It's a privilege to be back with you all, 3 00:00:05,719 --> 00:00:07,254 to see you all. 4 00:00:07,254 --> 00:00:11,753 I read a quote this week by Stephen Charnock. 5 00:00:11,753 --> 00:00:15,504 He said, "A mite (m-i-t-e), 6 00:00:15,504 --> 00:00:19,294 a mite of Spirit is worth more 7 00:00:19,294 --> 00:00:23,229 than a mountain of flesh." 8 00:00:23,229 --> 00:00:25,314 And I believe that's true. 9 00:00:25,314 --> 00:00:27,480 And so before we do anything, 10 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:29,096 even the reading of the Word, 11 00:00:29,096 --> 00:00:31,014 I just want to pray 12 00:00:31,014 --> 00:00:33,466 and ask for God's Spirit to come 13 00:00:33,466 --> 00:00:41,654 and be with us and to help us. 14 00:00:41,654 --> 00:00:49,495 Father, it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we come. 15 00:00:49,495 --> 00:00:56,685 Father, we can't even offer up prayers to You without grace. 16 00:00:56,685 --> 00:00:59,194 So how am I going to preach without Your grace? 17 00:00:59,194 --> 00:01:01,464 How are we going to hear without Your grace? 18 00:01:01,464 --> 00:01:03,374 And how are we going to behold 19 00:01:03,374 --> 00:01:07,154 the glory of Jesus Christ without Your grace? 20 00:01:07,154 --> 00:01:10,334 We need Your Spirit. 21 00:01:10,334 --> 00:01:12,554 Father, we thank You for Your Son. 22 00:01:12,554 --> 00:01:14,074 We thank You for Your Word. 23 00:01:14,074 --> 00:01:16,625 We thank You for Your Spirit in us - 24 00:01:16,625 --> 00:01:17,978 the Guide, 25 00:01:17,978 --> 00:01:19,185 the Helper, 26 00:01:19,185 --> 00:01:21,143 the Teacher. 27 00:01:21,143 --> 00:01:24,416 We thank You for His work 28 00:01:24,416 --> 00:01:27,671 glorifying the Son. 29 00:01:27,671 --> 00:01:30,134 And that's my prayer, Father, 30 00:01:30,134 --> 00:01:33,413 that tonight Jesus would be glorified; 31 00:01:33,413 --> 00:01:35,704 that Jesus would be lifted on high; 32 00:01:35,704 --> 00:01:38,584 that He would be magnified and seen, 33 00:01:38,584 --> 00:01:40,494 Lord, maybe for the first time 34 00:01:40,494 --> 00:01:44,382 as some are awakaned to Your glory 35 00:01:44,382 --> 00:01:48,273 and others to a greater revelation. 36 00:01:48,273 --> 00:01:50,272 And Father we pray not just to be 37 00:01:50,272 --> 00:01:51,614 a work of the mind, 38 00:01:51,614 --> 00:01:54,314 although You will work in our minds, 39 00:01:54,314 --> 00:01:57,431 but You would go to the heart 40 00:01:57,431 --> 00:01:59,943 and You would stir our affections 41 00:01:59,943 --> 00:02:01,885 and our hope in Jesus Christ 42 00:02:01,885 --> 00:02:06,114 as You show Him to us again and again. 43 00:02:06,114 --> 00:02:09,274 As we pray Father, as we sang, 44 00:02:09,274 --> 00:02:12,525 do show us Christ. 45 00:02:12,525 --> 00:02:17,731 In His name we pray, Amen. 46 00:02:17,731 --> 00:02:26,874 If you'll open your Bibles to the Gospel of John 16. 47 00:02:26,874 --> 00:02:28,493 It's a context I'm sure 48 00:02:28,493 --> 00:02:33,423 that everyone in here is familiar with. 49 00:02:33,423 --> 00:02:36,193 In chapter 16, we are just a few hours 50 00:02:36,193 --> 00:02:40,245 before Jesus' crucifixion. 51 00:02:40,245 --> 00:02:42,405 Jesus is alone with His disciples. 52 00:02:42,405 --> 00:02:45,094 Judas has already left them 53 00:02:45,094 --> 00:02:48,383 to go and betray Jesus. 54 00:02:48,383 --> 00:02:51,114 They began in the upper room in chapter 13 55 00:02:51,114 --> 00:02:53,283 where they shared the Passover meal together, 56 00:02:53,283 --> 00:02:56,284 and Jesus began to teach them there. 57 00:02:56,284 --> 00:02:58,025 At this point in chapter 16, 58 00:02:58,025 --> 00:02:59,413 they're making their way down 59 00:02:59,413 --> 00:03:01,486 to the Garden of Gethsemane. 60 00:03:01,486 --> 00:03:04,154 Jesus has been teaching His disciples. 61 00:03:04,154 --> 00:03:06,025 He's been preparing them 62 00:03:06,025 --> 00:03:08,995 for His soon-coming departure. 63 00:03:08,995 --> 00:03:11,193 He's already told them that He's going away. 64 00:03:11,193 --> 00:03:13,165 And He's told them that where He is going 65 00:03:13,165 --> 00:03:14,414 they cannot come, 66 00:03:14,414 --> 00:03:15,895 but He will come back 67 00:03:15,895 --> 00:03:19,155 and bring them to Himself. 68 00:03:19,155 --> 00:03:21,433 And although the disciples are hearing 69 00:03:21,433 --> 00:03:23,654 everything that Jesus is teaching, 70 00:03:23,654 --> 00:03:25,733 they're really struggling to understand. 71 00:03:25,733 --> 00:03:28,363 They're really struggling to grasp it all. 72 00:03:28,363 --> 00:03:31,104 Knowing their blessed Savior and Lord is leaving them 73 00:03:31,104 --> 00:03:33,493 has caused their hearts to be troubled 74 00:03:33,493 --> 00:03:35,882 and understandably so. 75 00:03:35,882 --> 00:03:37,973 But Jesus is comforting with them. 76 00:03:37,973 --> 00:03:40,476 But He's also preparing them. 77 00:03:40,476 --> 00:03:41,504 He's preparing them 78 00:03:41,504 --> 00:03:44,734 for how they will carry on His ministry 79 00:03:44,734 --> 00:03:48,812 after He departs. 80 00:03:48,812 --> 00:03:52,704 In verses 16-24, which is our text for this evening, 81 00:03:52,704 --> 00:03:54,883 Jesus is telling the disciples, 82 00:03:54,883 --> 00:03:57,404 they're going to soon face something 83 00:03:57,404 --> 00:04:01,842 that they will find very difficult; 84 00:04:01,842 --> 00:04:05,746 something that will bring them much sorrow 85 00:04:05,746 --> 00:04:08,184 and circumstantially will leave them 86 00:04:08,184 --> 00:04:11,524 with no hope or joy. 87 00:04:11,524 --> 00:04:13,373 But at the end of verse 20, 88 00:04:13,373 --> 00:04:16,123 the main thing Jesus wants to teach them and us - 89 00:04:16,123 --> 00:04:19,033 if you can go ahead and look at the end of v. 20 with me - 90 00:04:19,033 --> 00:04:21,585 this is what Jesus is driving home 91 00:04:21,585 --> 00:04:23,686 and what I want us to see tonight. 92 00:04:23,686 --> 00:04:25,473 He says this to the disciples: 93 00:04:25,473 --> 00:04:30,523 "You will be sorrowful, 94 00:04:30,523 --> 00:04:37,802 but... your sorrow will turn into joy." 95 00:04:37,802 --> 00:04:40,882 The disciples are about to be thrust into something 96 00:04:40,882 --> 00:04:44,124 that will bring all of their hope crashing down. 97 00:04:44,124 --> 00:04:45,922 It will at the surface level 98 00:04:45,922 --> 00:04:48,023 seem like everything is ending 99 00:04:48,023 --> 00:04:49,714 and it's all over, 100 00:04:49,714 --> 00:04:54,854 and it will fill them with great sorrow. 101 00:04:54,854 --> 00:04:56,183 But Jesus says here: 102 00:04:56,183 --> 00:05:01,234 "... but your sorrow will be turned into joy." 103 00:05:01,234 --> 00:05:04,315 This truth that Jesus is teaching 104 00:05:04,315 --> 00:05:07,125 will help the disciples in their immediate context 105 00:05:07,125 --> 00:05:09,654 about what they're getting ready to face, 106 00:05:09,654 --> 00:05:11,684 but we need to understand this - 107 00:05:11,684 --> 00:05:14,554 the truth that Jesus is teaching 108 00:05:14,554 --> 00:05:18,732 is true for every believer in all of life. 109 00:05:18,732 --> 00:05:20,343 And I want to understand it 110 00:05:20,343 --> 00:05:22,563 in the disciple's immediate context, 111 00:05:22,563 --> 00:05:25,001 and I want to apply this glorious truth 112 00:05:25,001 --> 00:05:27,022 to all of our life. 113 00:05:27,022 --> 00:05:28,889 Let me give you just a brief overview 114 00:05:28,889 --> 00:05:31,054 of verses 16-24. 115 00:05:31,054 --> 00:05:32,603 Then we'll read the text. 116 00:05:32,603 --> 00:05:35,594 In v. 16, Jesus is going to teach them something 117 00:05:35,594 --> 00:05:38,383 that they're really not going to grasp. 118 00:05:38,383 --> 00:05:43,124 In v. 17-19, they're going to talk amongst themselves, 119 00:05:43,124 --> 00:05:45,735 explaining how we're not really getting 120 00:05:45,735 --> 00:05:47,705 what Jesus is talking about here. 121 00:05:47,705 --> 00:05:49,245 And Jesus knows that. 122 00:05:49,245 --> 00:05:53,125 So in v. 20, He's going to explain it even further 123 00:05:53,125 --> 00:05:55,524 and He's going to drive home that main point 124 00:05:55,524 --> 00:06:00,615 that your sorrow will be turned into joy. 125 00:06:00,615 --> 00:06:03,405 Even at this point, the disciples won't get it, 126 00:06:03,405 --> 00:06:05,156 so Jesus being a good Teacher, 127 00:06:05,156 --> 00:06:08,066 in v. 21, He's going to use an illustration. 128 00:06:08,066 --> 00:06:09,616 He's going to point to something 129 00:06:09,616 --> 00:06:10,854 that they can relate to, 130 00:06:10,854 --> 00:06:12,454 that we can relate to, 131 00:06:12,454 --> 00:06:14,560 and He'll say it's kind of like that 132 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,568 but a little bit different. 133 00:06:16,568 --> 00:06:18,923 And then in v. 22-26, 134 00:06:18,923 --> 00:06:23,085 Jesus will apply this glorious truth 135 00:06:23,085 --> 00:06:24,725 to all of our lives 136 00:06:24,725 --> 00:06:27,617 and show us how it can be a reality. 137 00:06:27,617 --> 00:06:29,056 So if you'll follow along 138 00:06:29,056 --> 00:06:31,832 as we read through God's holy Word. 139 00:06:31,832 --> 00:06:37,094 John 16:16-24. 140 00:06:37,094 --> 00:06:40,945 "A little while, and you will see Me no longer. 141 00:06:40,945 --> 00:06:44,286 And again a little while, and you will see Me. 142 00:06:44,286 --> 00:06:46,425 Some of His disciples said to one another, 143 00:06:46,425 --> 00:06:48,507 'What is this that He says to us? 144 00:06:48,507 --> 00:06:51,275 A little while and you will not see Me, 145 00:06:51,275 --> 00:06:52,736 and again a little while, 146 00:06:52,736 --> 00:06:54,586 and you will see Me? 147 00:06:54,586 --> 00:06:57,175 And because I'm going to the Father?' 148 00:06:57,175 --> 00:06:58,175 So they were saying, 149 00:06:58,175 --> 00:07:00,556 'What does He mean by a little while? 150 00:07:00,556 --> 00:07:03,545 We do not know what He's talking about.' 151 00:07:03,545 --> 00:07:06,721 (v. 19) Jesus knew they wanted to ask Him, 152 00:07:06,721 --> 00:07:07,861 so He said to them, 153 00:07:07,861 --> 00:07:09,820 'Is this what you're asking yourselves: 154 00:07:09,820 --> 00:07:11,730 What I meant by saying a little while 155 00:07:11,730 --> 00:07:13,421 and you will not see Me, 156 00:07:13,421 --> 00:07:14,629 and again a little while, 157 00:07:14,629 --> 00:07:16,609 and you will see Me? 158 00:07:16,609 --> 00:07:18,689 Truly, truly, I say to you, 159 00:07:18,689 --> 00:07:21,488 you will weep and lament, 160 00:07:21,488 --> 00:07:24,270 but the world will rejoice. 161 00:07:24,270 --> 00:07:26,099 You will be sorrowful, 162 00:07:26,099 --> 00:07:29,950 but your sorrow will turn into joy. 163 00:07:29,950 --> 00:07:31,429 When a woman is giving birth, 164 00:07:31,429 --> 00:07:34,000 she has sorrow because her hour has come. 165 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,727 But when she has delivered the baby, 166 00:07:35,727 --> 00:07:38,549 she no longer remembers that anguish, 167 00:07:38,549 --> 00:07:42,029 for joy that a human being has been born 168 00:07:42,029 --> 00:07:43,790 into the world. 169 00:07:43,790 --> 00:07:46,499 So also, you have sorrow now, 170 00:07:46,499 --> 00:07:48,081 but I will see you again 171 00:07:48,081 --> 00:07:49,698 and your hearts will rejoice 172 00:07:49,698 --> 00:07:53,177 and no one will take your joy from you. 173 00:07:53,177 --> 00:07:56,599 In that day, you will ask nothing of Me. 174 00:07:56,599 --> 00:07:58,120 Truly, truly, I say to you, 175 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,529 whatever you ask of the Father in My name, 176 00:08:00,529 --> 00:08:02,710 He will give it to you. 177 00:08:02,710 --> 00:08:07,299 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. 178 00:08:07,299 --> 00:08:10,377 Ask and you will receive 179 00:08:10,377 --> 00:08:16,561 that your joy may be full.'" 180 00:08:16,561 --> 00:08:19,699 Let's just start walking through these verses. 181 00:08:19,699 --> 00:08:22,149 In v. 16, Jesus says, "A little while 182 00:08:22,149 --> 00:08:24,558 and you will see Me no longer, 183 00:08:24,558 --> 00:08:27,742 and a little while, and you will see Me." 184 00:08:27,742 --> 00:08:29,491 The disciples do not understand 185 00:08:29,491 --> 00:08:32,022 what Jesus is talking about. 186 00:08:32,022 --> 00:08:35,143 And they begin to talk about that amongst themselves. 187 00:08:35,143 --> 00:08:36,377 Again, in v. 17, 188 00:08:36,377 --> 00:08:38,669 "So some of His disciples said to one another, 189 00:08:38,669 --> 00:08:40,013 'What is this He says? 190 00:08:40,013 --> 00:08:41,973 A little while and you will not see Me? 191 00:08:41,973 --> 00:08:44,382 And again a little while and you will see Me?' 192 00:08:44,382 --> 00:08:46,121 And 'Because I go to the Father?'" 193 00:08:46,121 --> 00:08:47,403 That's what He was saying 194 00:08:47,403 --> 00:08:48,975 referenced back in v. 10 195 00:08:48,975 --> 00:08:51,674 when He's describing the ministry of the Holy Spirit 196 00:08:51,674 --> 00:08:53,268 to the world. 197 00:08:53,268 --> 00:08:54,464 So they were saying, 198 00:08:54,464 --> 00:08:56,562 "What does He mean by a little while? 199 00:08:56,562 --> 00:08:59,006 We don't know what He's talking about." 200 00:08:59,006 --> 00:09:02,461 And in v. 19, "Jesus knew they wanted to ask Him." 201 00:09:02,461 --> 00:09:03,592 So He said to them, 202 00:09:03,592 --> 00:09:05,521 "Is this what you're asking yourselves? 203 00:09:05,521 --> 00:09:07,318 What I meant by saying a little while 204 00:09:07,318 --> 00:09:08,781 and you will not see Me again, 205 00:09:08,781 --> 00:09:11,693 and a little while and you will see Me?" 206 00:09:11,693 --> 00:09:14,462 Now before we get to what Jesus means by this, 207 00:09:14,462 --> 00:09:16,278 I want us just to stop for a second 208 00:09:16,278 --> 00:09:18,750 and take note of something here. 209 00:09:18,750 --> 00:09:22,172 Do you notice how tender and loving 210 00:09:22,172 --> 00:09:28,420 and patient Jesus is with the disciples? 211 00:09:28,420 --> 00:09:30,802 Beloved, we are a few hours from Jesus 212 00:09:30,802 --> 00:09:34,633 being nailed to the cross at this time 213 00:09:34,633 --> 00:09:37,201 where He will endure the wrath of God 214 00:09:37,201 --> 00:09:39,821 for His people's sin. 215 00:09:39,821 --> 00:09:42,421 And who is He mindful of? 216 00:09:42,421 --> 00:09:44,249 Who is He thinking about? 217 00:09:44,249 --> 00:09:46,373 Who is He concerned about being ready 218 00:09:46,373 --> 00:09:47,532 for that moment? 219 00:09:47,532 --> 00:09:49,132 Who does He want to prepare 220 00:09:49,132 --> 00:09:52,053 for what's about to come? 221 00:09:52,053 --> 00:09:54,160 The disciples. 222 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,893 He is concerned about how this will affect them 223 00:09:57,893 --> 00:10:01,731 and He wants to make sure that they're ready. 224 00:10:01,731 --> 00:10:05,973 Just behold the self-sacrificing love 225 00:10:05,973 --> 00:10:09,275 of our Savior Jesus Christ. 226 00:10:09,275 --> 00:10:13,072 It is an amazing love. 227 00:10:13,072 --> 00:10:14,952 What does Jesus mean when He says 228 00:10:14,952 --> 00:10:18,136 "a little while and you will not see Me again"? 229 00:10:18,136 --> 00:10:21,019 In v. 20 He explains it. Look at it. 230 00:10:21,019 --> 00:10:22,818 "Truly, truly, I say to you, 231 00:10:22,818 --> 00:10:24,599 you will weep and lament, 232 00:10:24,599 --> 00:10:26,567 but the world will rejoice. 233 00:10:26,567 --> 00:10:27,985 You will be sorrowful, 234 00:10:27,985 --> 00:10:31,565 but your sorrow will turn into joy." 235 00:10:31,565 --> 00:10:34,076 By what Jesus says in the first half of this verse, 236 00:10:34,076 --> 00:10:36,901 we can understand what He's alluding to 237 00:10:36,901 --> 00:10:40,485 that in a little while will bring them sorrow. 238 00:10:40,485 --> 00:10:43,786 Something is happening soon circumstantially. 239 00:10:43,786 --> 00:10:45,168 The disciples will be tempted 240 00:10:45,168 --> 00:10:48,189 with hopelessness and despair. 241 00:10:48,189 --> 00:10:50,577 Weeping and lamenting. 242 00:10:50,577 --> 00:10:53,008 Because we have the full revelation 243 00:10:53,008 --> 00:10:54,307 of God's Word here, 244 00:10:54,307 --> 00:10:57,348 we know what He's talking about. 245 00:10:57,348 --> 00:11:01,188 He's talking about His death on the cross. 246 00:11:01,188 --> 00:11:03,348 This is confirmed when Jesus tells us 247 00:11:03,348 --> 00:11:05,257 the contrast to His death, 248 00:11:05,257 --> 00:11:07,488 that the world will have compared to 249 00:11:07,488 --> 00:11:09,537 what His disciples will have. 250 00:11:09,537 --> 00:11:11,958 At Jesus' death, the disciples 251 00:11:11,958 --> 00:11:14,260 seeing the Lord suffer and die, 252 00:11:14,260 --> 00:11:18,428 will be brought to weeping and lamenting. 253 00:11:18,428 --> 00:11:19,946 We have to remember something 254 00:11:19,946 --> 00:11:21,523 about the disciples at this time, 255 00:11:21,523 --> 00:11:23,478 where they're at in their thinking. 256 00:11:23,478 --> 00:11:25,794 They're not understanding all of this. 257 00:11:25,794 --> 00:11:28,288 They're still believing that when Messiah comes - 258 00:11:28,288 --> 00:11:30,031 and they believe Jesus is Messiah - 259 00:11:30,031 --> 00:11:32,317 but they're believing that when Messiah comes, 260 00:11:32,317 --> 00:11:34,877 He's going to instantly establish 261 00:11:34,877 --> 00:11:37,408 the full reality of His Kingdom. 262 00:11:37,408 --> 00:11:39,257 That's why earlier on in the Gospel, 263 00:11:39,257 --> 00:11:40,908 they're vying for position. 264 00:11:40,908 --> 00:11:43,078 Who gets to sit next to You in Your Kingdom? 265 00:11:43,078 --> 00:11:44,967 They believe it's coming here and now. 266 00:11:44,967 --> 00:11:47,337 They believe He's going to overthrow the Romans. 267 00:11:47,337 --> 00:11:50,011 He's going to overthrow the hypocritical Jewish leaders. 268 00:11:50,011 --> 00:11:51,506 He's going to establish Himself 269 00:11:51,506 --> 00:11:53,877 as King here and now. 270 00:11:53,877 --> 00:11:56,938 And then in a little bit here coming 271 00:11:56,938 --> 00:11:58,656 He's going to die. 272 00:11:58,656 --> 00:12:00,885 I mean, no doubt that they're going to weep 273 00:12:00,885 --> 00:12:02,195 not only in seeing Him die, 274 00:12:02,195 --> 00:12:04,818 but the confusion that all of this 275 00:12:04,818 --> 00:12:07,746 is going to bring to them. 276 00:12:07,746 --> 00:12:09,778 The world on the other hand, 277 00:12:09,778 --> 00:12:14,548 Jesus said will rejoice. 278 00:12:14,548 --> 00:12:16,645 Why would the world rejoice 279 00:12:16,645 --> 00:12:19,346 at the death of Jesus Christ? 280 00:12:19,346 --> 00:12:21,256 You've read the Gospel of John. 281 00:12:21,256 --> 00:12:25,055 You know what Jesus says about the world in John 3. 282 00:12:25,055 --> 00:12:26,305 Listen to it. 283 00:12:26,305 --> 00:12:32,047 He says, "People love darkness 284 00:12:32,047 --> 00:12:34,295 rather than light, 285 00:12:34,295 --> 00:12:36,906 for their works are evil. 286 00:12:36,906 --> 00:12:39,306 For everyone who does wicked things 287 00:12:39,306 --> 00:12:41,568 hates the light 288 00:12:41,568 --> 00:12:43,271 and does not come to the light, 289 00:12:43,271 --> 00:12:49,388 lest his works be exposed." 290 00:12:49,388 --> 00:12:50,697 Saints, know this. 291 00:12:50,697 --> 00:12:55,378 Rejection of Jesus Christ is not an intellectual issue. 292 00:12:55,378 --> 00:12:57,762 It's a moral issue. 293 00:12:57,762 --> 00:13:01,847 It's a heart, affection, love issue. 294 00:13:01,847 --> 00:13:03,587 We need to know something about 295 00:13:03,587 --> 00:13:04,791 what Jesus has said here 296 00:13:04,791 --> 00:13:06,718 about the world and their hatred 297 00:13:06,718 --> 00:13:09,248 and their rejoicing when He's going to die. 298 00:13:09,248 --> 00:13:11,387 There are only two responses 299 00:13:11,387 --> 00:13:14,280 to Jesus Christ in the world. 300 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,606 It's either hatred or it is love. 301 00:13:17,606 --> 00:13:19,824 There is no neutrality. 302 00:13:19,824 --> 00:13:21,209 There is no: you know what? 303 00:13:21,209 --> 00:13:23,791 He's a good teacher. I can deal with Jesus. 304 00:13:23,791 --> 00:13:24,521 No. 305 00:13:24,521 --> 00:13:26,666 There are two responses in the world. 306 00:13:26,666 --> 00:13:29,910 You either bow to Him as Lord and Savior 307 00:13:29,910 --> 00:13:33,257 and embrace Him in fullness of faith and love, 308 00:13:33,257 --> 00:13:36,007 or you reject Him in hatred 309 00:13:36,007 --> 00:13:37,790 and in love for your sin. 310 00:13:37,790 --> 00:13:41,607 And I would be wrong if I didn't stop and ask you this: 311 00:13:41,607 --> 00:13:47,225 Do you love Jesus? 312 00:13:47,225 --> 00:13:49,811 Do you love Him? 313 00:13:49,811 --> 00:13:52,237 You can't be indifferent towards Him. 314 00:13:52,237 --> 00:13:54,269 There's no middle ground. 315 00:13:54,269 --> 00:13:57,326 If you say I don't know if I really love Jesus, 316 00:13:57,326 --> 00:14:00,021 then the other alternative that the Scriptures lay out 317 00:14:00,021 --> 00:14:03,077 is you hate Him. 318 00:14:03,077 --> 00:14:05,784 And Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians 319 00:14:05,784 --> 00:14:15,386 if you don't love Jesus Christ, you're accursed. 320 00:14:15,386 --> 00:14:18,387 Jesus says to the disciples, 321 00:14:18,387 --> 00:14:20,260 "You will weep and lament, 322 00:14:20,260 --> 00:14:23,127 but the world will rejoice." 323 00:14:23,127 --> 00:14:25,007 And then the second part of v. 20, 324 00:14:25,007 --> 00:14:29,017 He gets to the main truth of what's being taught here. 325 00:14:29,017 --> 00:14:31,509 He says, "You will be sorrowful" 326 00:14:31,509 --> 00:14:32,838 to the disciples, 327 00:14:32,838 --> 00:14:37,457 "But your sorrow will turn into joy." 328 00:14:37,457 --> 00:14:39,337 Think about that for a moment. 329 00:14:39,337 --> 00:14:43,037 Sorrow turning into joy. 330 00:14:43,037 --> 00:14:45,648 If you and I can grasp what this means 331 00:14:45,648 --> 00:14:47,487 and what it does not mean - 332 00:14:47,487 --> 00:14:50,088 how sorrow turns into joy - 333 00:14:50,088 --> 00:14:52,457 then we're going to be able to experience 334 00:14:52,457 --> 00:14:55,346 what Jesus desires for us to experience, 335 00:14:55,346 --> 00:14:58,055 and that's found at the end of v. 26. 336 00:14:58,055 --> 00:14:59,717 This is where all this is leading. 337 00:14:59,717 --> 00:15:01,553 Look at the end of v. 26. 338 00:15:01,553 --> 00:15:04,179 What does Jesus desire for all of us? 339 00:15:04,179 --> 00:15:08,657 "That your joy may be full." 340 00:15:08,657 --> 00:15:11,078 That's His end desire, His end aim, 341 00:15:11,078 --> 00:15:13,388 is that His disciples and all of us, 342 00:15:13,388 --> 00:15:17,260 that our joy would be full. 343 00:15:17,260 --> 00:15:19,888 There is an immediate application for the disciples 344 00:15:19,888 --> 00:15:22,607 that when they see Him crucified and dead, 345 00:15:22,607 --> 00:15:25,676 that they will have joy at His resurrection. 346 00:15:25,676 --> 00:15:28,258 But this truth that Jesus is teaching 347 00:15:28,258 --> 00:15:37,856 can be applied to all of life. 348 00:15:37,856 --> 00:15:40,280 The disciples are still not grasping 349 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:41,535 what Jesus is teaching - 350 00:15:41,535 --> 00:15:44,108 that their sorrow will be turned to joy. 351 00:15:44,108 --> 00:15:47,787 So He uses an illustration in v. 21 352 00:15:47,787 --> 00:15:51,455 to help the disciples understand how. 353 00:15:51,455 --> 00:15:56,837 How is it that sorrow is turned into joy? 354 00:15:56,837 --> 00:15:58,771 Look at it in v. 21. 355 00:15:58,771 --> 00:16:00,968 "When a woman is giving birth, 356 00:16:00,968 --> 00:16:03,087 she has sorrow 357 00:16:03,087 --> 00:16:05,645 because her hour has come." 358 00:16:05,645 --> 00:16:07,647 That hour is the hour of delivery 359 00:16:07,647 --> 00:16:12,279 or we could say hours sometimes of delivery. 360 00:16:12,279 --> 00:16:14,376 And it brings genuine real pain 361 00:16:14,376 --> 00:16:16,579 and because of that, sorrow. 362 00:16:16,579 --> 00:16:18,780 "When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow 363 00:16:18,780 --> 00:16:20,386 because her hour has come, 364 00:16:20,386 --> 00:16:23,908 but when she has delivered the baby, 365 00:16:23,908 --> 00:16:28,926 she no longer remembers the anguish 366 00:16:28,926 --> 00:16:31,757 for joy that a human being has been born 367 00:16:31,757 --> 00:16:34,137 into the world." 368 00:16:34,137 --> 00:16:36,416 See, the delivering of the baby is something 369 00:16:36,416 --> 00:16:38,044 the disciples can relate to. 370 00:16:38,044 --> 00:16:40,258 It's something that many of you can relate to. 371 00:16:40,258 --> 00:16:41,784 There are many children in here. 372 00:16:41,784 --> 00:16:45,050 God has blessed many of us with many children. 373 00:16:45,050 --> 00:16:47,257 Some of you by firsthand experience - 374 00:16:47,257 --> 00:16:49,924 the women here - or by secondhand as a father, 375 00:16:49,924 --> 00:16:51,727 you've witnessed this. 376 00:16:51,727 --> 00:16:56,418 You've seen a mother go into delivery. 377 00:16:56,418 --> 00:16:59,287 And often they're brought to tears 378 00:16:59,287 --> 00:17:01,567 in pain, in anguish. 379 00:17:01,567 --> 00:17:04,128 But once that baby is born, 380 00:17:04,128 --> 00:17:07,439 those tears of pain and anguish turn. 381 00:17:07,439 --> 00:17:12,598 And they turn into tears of joy. 382 00:17:12,598 --> 00:17:15,032 And that's glorious here. 383 00:17:15,032 --> 00:17:18,630 But I want to ask one really important question 384 00:17:18,630 --> 00:17:22,048 to help us tonight. 385 00:17:22,048 --> 00:17:26,086 Why does the mother have joy? 386 00:17:26,086 --> 00:17:32,876 Is it because the sorrow and anguish was gone? 387 00:17:32,876 --> 00:17:35,879 No. 388 00:17:35,879 --> 00:17:37,988 She doesn't have joy because the sorrow 389 00:17:37,988 --> 00:17:39,239 and the anguish are gone. 390 00:17:39,239 --> 00:17:42,097 It's still there. 391 00:17:42,097 --> 00:17:43,457 What's happened? 392 00:17:43,457 --> 00:17:44,819 The sorrow and anguish 393 00:17:44,819 --> 00:17:48,048 has been swallowed up 394 00:17:48,048 --> 00:17:52,079 in the joy of the baby. 395 00:17:52,079 --> 00:17:54,178 See, this is really important. 396 00:17:54,178 --> 00:17:55,668 She doesn't have joy 397 00:17:55,668 --> 00:17:57,987 because all of a sudden the pain was gone. 398 00:17:57,987 --> 00:18:00,228 The pain is still there. 399 00:18:00,228 --> 00:18:01,998 It's there at that moment. 400 00:18:01,998 --> 00:18:05,304 But she is instantly filled with joy. 401 00:18:05,304 --> 00:18:07,818 Her sorrow turned into joy 402 00:18:07,818 --> 00:18:10,949 and it wasn't because the sorrow left her, 403 00:18:10,949 --> 00:18:14,298 it's because the sorrow was swallowed up 404 00:18:14,298 --> 00:18:19,828 in the joy of the baby. 405 00:18:19,828 --> 00:18:22,641 That's an important truth. 406 00:18:22,641 --> 00:18:24,320 And I'm going to try to carry that 407 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:28,487 as we work through the rest of the text here. 408 00:18:28,487 --> 00:18:31,997 In v. 22, Jesus applies the illustration. 409 00:18:31,997 --> 00:18:35,456 He says, "So also, you disciples 410 00:18:35,456 --> 00:18:37,846 (us here - just like the mother giving birth) 411 00:18:37,846 --> 00:18:40,348 you have sorrow now..." 412 00:18:40,348 --> 00:18:42,378 Speaking of when He's going to die. 413 00:18:42,378 --> 00:18:44,256 "But I will see you again 414 00:18:44,256 --> 00:18:47,768 and your hearts will rejoice." 415 00:18:47,768 --> 00:18:50,847 Again, the disciples will have sorrow when Jesus dies, 416 00:18:50,847 --> 00:18:52,591 but when He rises from the dead 417 00:18:52,591 --> 00:18:53,798 and they see Him again, 418 00:18:53,798 --> 00:18:55,475 their hearts are going to rejoice. 419 00:18:55,475 --> 00:18:57,813 Yes, because He was gone 420 00:18:57,813 --> 00:18:58,916 and now He lives, 421 00:18:58,916 --> 00:19:01,587 but they're going to rejoice beyond that moment 422 00:19:01,587 --> 00:19:03,817 in that reality, and here's why: 423 00:19:03,817 --> 00:19:06,390 Because they're going to be growing from then on 424 00:19:06,390 --> 00:19:08,197 until they enter into eternity 425 00:19:08,197 --> 00:19:11,724 of what that resurrection meant. 426 00:19:11,724 --> 00:19:13,197 Yes, they're going to miss Him. 427 00:19:13,197 --> 00:19:15,007 They're going to weep that He's died. 428 00:19:15,007 --> 00:19:16,276 He's in the tomb. 429 00:19:16,276 --> 00:19:18,518 And they'll rejoice when they see Him again, 430 00:19:18,518 --> 00:19:20,591 but when they begin to grasp 431 00:19:20,591 --> 00:19:23,108 more and more and more 432 00:19:23,108 --> 00:19:24,329 as life goes on 433 00:19:24,329 --> 00:19:26,747 by the revelation of the Spirit 434 00:19:26,747 --> 00:19:29,736 what that resurrection meant, 435 00:19:29,736 --> 00:19:32,377 the joy of that resurrection 436 00:19:32,377 --> 00:19:37,677 will be able to be applied to their entire life. 437 00:19:37,677 --> 00:19:39,583 It's not a one time thing. 438 00:19:39,583 --> 00:19:41,949 Oh, we saw Him and we're happy. Move on. 439 00:19:41,949 --> 00:19:45,081 What's tied up in that reality 440 00:19:45,081 --> 00:19:50,078 is joy for the rest of life. 441 00:19:50,078 --> 00:19:52,167 This joy Jesus is talking about 442 00:19:52,167 --> 00:19:54,575 is like what the mother experienced, 443 00:19:54,575 --> 00:19:56,299 but it's better. 444 00:19:56,299 --> 00:19:57,376 You know why? 445 00:19:57,376 --> 00:20:00,677 Because of what He says at the end of v. 22. 446 00:20:00,677 --> 00:20:04,574 "No one can take it from you." 447 00:20:04,574 --> 00:20:07,918 No one can take this joy from you. 448 00:20:07,918 --> 00:20:10,957 You see, the joy the mother has in the moment, 449 00:20:10,957 --> 00:20:14,927 swallows up the pain of the delivery. 450 00:20:14,927 --> 00:20:17,708 But that joy can fade. 451 00:20:17,708 --> 00:20:19,959 Babies die. 452 00:20:19,959 --> 00:20:24,198 Children die. Relationships are broken. 453 00:20:24,198 --> 00:20:26,428 The joy Jesus is speaking about 454 00:20:26,428 --> 00:20:28,328 to the disciples and to us, 455 00:20:28,328 --> 00:20:36,848 it's an eternal joy. 456 00:20:36,848 --> 00:20:39,848 Real joy. 457 00:20:39,848 --> 00:20:42,378 This isn't just joy for when the disciples 458 00:20:42,378 --> 00:20:44,564 are sorrowful over the death of Jesus. 459 00:20:44,564 --> 00:20:46,766 This is joy that's with them forever 460 00:20:46,766 --> 00:20:50,986 through all of life's sorrows. 461 00:20:50,986 --> 00:20:55,016 This is a sorrow-conquering joy 462 00:20:55,016 --> 00:20:57,060 that is for every believer 463 00:20:57,060 --> 00:21:01,478 and that never leaves us. 464 00:21:01,478 --> 00:21:04,318 Real joy and fullness therein 465 00:21:04,318 --> 00:21:06,827 is available to every one of us 466 00:21:06,827 --> 00:21:09,427 despite our circumstances - 467 00:21:09,427 --> 00:21:14,839 even the most bleak of circumstances. 468 00:21:14,839 --> 00:21:16,218 And when I say that to you, 469 00:21:16,218 --> 00:21:18,198 it gets a little bit personal. 470 00:21:18,198 --> 00:21:19,847 Because I want to ask you this: 471 00:21:19,847 --> 00:21:22,167 Do you really believe that? 472 00:21:22,167 --> 00:21:25,237 Honestly? 473 00:21:25,237 --> 00:21:28,607 That fullness of joy is available 474 00:21:28,607 --> 00:21:30,456 to every believer 475 00:21:30,456 --> 00:21:37,561 despite how bleak the circumstances seem? 476 00:21:37,561 --> 00:21:39,607 I know when I ask a question like that, 477 00:21:39,607 --> 00:21:41,333 that we're dealing with real pain 478 00:21:41,333 --> 00:21:42,448 and real sorrow. 479 00:21:42,448 --> 00:21:44,017 I know we're dealing with things 480 00:21:44,017 --> 00:21:48,320 like being offended by others. 481 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:54,247 I know we're dealing with things like cancer. 482 00:21:54,247 --> 00:21:55,868 I know we're dealing with things 483 00:21:55,868 --> 00:22:00,397 like living in continual pain day after day 484 00:22:00,397 --> 00:22:02,848 because of physical struggles. 485 00:22:02,848 --> 00:22:05,417 I know we're dealing with broken relationships 486 00:22:05,417 --> 00:22:08,359 and broken marriages. 487 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:10,397 I know we're dealing with injustice. 488 00:22:10,397 --> 00:22:12,798 I know we're dealing with spiritual warfare. 489 00:22:12,798 --> 00:22:21,121 I know we're dealing with death. 490 00:22:21,121 --> 00:22:25,812 Those are real pains and real sorrows. 491 00:22:25,812 --> 00:22:27,933 And I have a question for us all. 492 00:22:27,933 --> 00:22:30,057 If Jesus is speaking of a joy 493 00:22:30,057 --> 00:22:34,037 that no one can take from us, 494 00:22:34,037 --> 00:22:42,430 why aren't we experiencing it all the time? 495 00:22:42,430 --> 00:22:48,497 I think everyone in here wants joy. 496 00:22:48,497 --> 00:22:50,548 I think the answer is because 497 00:22:50,548 --> 00:22:53,617 in our practical, street- level Christian living 498 00:22:53,617 --> 00:22:55,967 of our everyday lives, 499 00:22:55,967 --> 00:22:59,327 where we experience suffering and pain, 500 00:22:59,327 --> 00:23:02,237 we really struggle to see how joy 501 00:23:02,237 --> 00:23:04,416 can be truly experienced 502 00:23:04,416 --> 00:23:11,018 in the midst of sorrow, pain, and anguish. 503 00:23:11,018 --> 00:23:14,946 And we have begun at times to believe 504 00:23:14,946 --> 00:23:17,917 that if we're really going to experience true joy, 505 00:23:17,917 --> 00:23:20,808 it must be at the removal 506 00:23:20,808 --> 00:23:26,616 of sorrow, pain, and anguish. 507 00:23:26,616 --> 00:23:30,516 In v. 23 and 24, Jesus is going to teach the disciples 508 00:23:30,516 --> 00:23:33,608 a really important theological shift 509 00:23:33,608 --> 00:23:37,017 that's going to take place in light of the resurrection. 510 00:23:37,017 --> 00:23:41,007 It will help us see how we can approach the Father 511 00:23:41,007 --> 00:23:43,007 regarding these things. 512 00:23:43,007 --> 00:23:45,995 And we need to understand that. 513 00:23:45,995 --> 00:23:48,439 But because the aim of v. 24 514 00:23:48,439 --> 00:23:50,967 is that our joy would be full, 515 00:23:50,967 --> 00:23:53,237 but it's also going to teach us another thing 516 00:23:53,237 --> 00:23:56,637 and that is this: what's the source of joy. 517 00:23:56,637 --> 00:23:59,077 What's the source of joy? 518 00:23:59,077 --> 00:24:01,697 We need to know how we need to approach the Father 519 00:24:01,697 --> 00:24:04,275 if we're going to have this joy that's set before us. 520 00:24:04,275 --> 00:24:06,251 But we need to understand importantly too 521 00:24:06,251 --> 00:24:07,916 what's the source of joy. 522 00:24:07,916 --> 00:24:09,500 And to help us think about that, 523 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:11,807 I'm going to go back to the illustration again 524 00:24:11,807 --> 00:24:16,179 and just drive the point home one more time for you. 525 00:24:16,179 --> 00:24:18,787 In the illustration Jesus gave, 526 00:24:18,787 --> 00:24:20,738 the woman was in the midst of sorrow - 527 00:24:20,738 --> 00:24:22,757 true physical pain - 528 00:24:22,757 --> 00:24:26,110 and then her sorrow turned into joy. 529 00:24:26,110 --> 00:24:33,576 And it wasn't because the sorrow was removed. 530 00:24:33,576 --> 00:24:37,227 It was swallowed up in the joy of the baby. 531 00:24:37,227 --> 00:24:41,118 And Jesus teaching us how to come to the Father 532 00:24:41,118 --> 00:24:43,438 after the resurrection, 533 00:24:43,438 --> 00:24:46,232 He's going to be teaching us the source of joy. 534 00:24:46,232 --> 00:24:47,647 And let me tell you this, 535 00:24:47,647 --> 00:24:50,958 the source of joy is not the removal 536 00:24:50,958 --> 00:24:56,993 of pain, sorrow, and anguish. 537 00:24:56,993 --> 00:24:59,411 In this life, you're guaranteed 538 00:24:59,411 --> 00:25:02,598 constant pain, sorrow, and anguish. 539 00:25:02,598 --> 00:25:05,908 Yet, here Jesus holds out before us 540 00:25:05,908 --> 00:25:12,937 eternal joy and fullness thereof. 541 00:25:12,937 --> 00:25:15,718 I think most of us are getting this wrong 542 00:25:15,718 --> 00:25:19,268 and I'll help you to diagnose if you're like me often. 543 00:25:19,268 --> 00:25:23,602 Regarding your pain, sorrow, and anguish, 544 00:25:23,602 --> 00:25:27,627 how do you pray about that? 545 00:25:27,627 --> 00:25:30,270 If you're like me, 546 00:25:30,270 --> 00:25:35,761 most of my prayers regarding my pain, sorrow, and anguish 547 00:25:35,761 --> 00:25:40,237 are: God, I want to have joy, 548 00:25:40,237 --> 00:25:44,837 so I need You to remove the pain, 549 00:25:44,837 --> 00:25:49,129 the sorrow, the anguish, or the source of it. 550 00:25:49,129 --> 00:25:52,749 I spend a lot of my prayer time there. 551 00:25:52,749 --> 00:25:54,535 I want to be careful here. 552 00:25:54,535 --> 00:25:57,097 I'm not implying it's wrong to pray 553 00:25:57,097 --> 00:26:01,293 for healing or for God to remove those things. 554 00:26:01,293 --> 00:26:04,873 I'm not implying that at all. 555 00:26:04,873 --> 00:26:07,712 But I think it's really important 556 00:26:07,712 --> 00:26:11,480 that we see as we look through the lens of Scripture 557 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,279 the normative means through which God 558 00:26:15,279 --> 00:26:19,393 brings joy to us is not the removal 559 00:26:19,393 --> 00:26:22,302 of pain, sorrow, and anguish - 560 00:26:22,302 --> 00:26:25,153 it's by giving us joy in the midst 561 00:26:25,153 --> 00:26:27,403 of pain, sorrow, and anguish 562 00:26:27,403 --> 00:26:33,522 by giving us Jesus. 563 00:26:33,522 --> 00:26:38,309 Saints, there's something more - better - 564 00:26:38,309 --> 00:26:40,863 than the removal of pain. 565 00:26:40,863 --> 00:26:45,123 It's Jesus in the midst of pain. 566 00:26:45,123 --> 00:26:47,413 And when we really struggle to see that, 567 00:26:47,413 --> 00:26:49,446 to believe that because the pain is real, 568 00:26:49,446 --> 00:26:50,780 but I want you to know this: 569 00:26:50,780 --> 00:26:55,901 Jesus is more real. 570 00:26:55,901 --> 00:27:00,462 God gets glory by removing pain and sorrow. 571 00:27:00,462 --> 00:27:03,333 He gets glory by healing, but I want you to know this, 572 00:27:03,333 --> 00:27:06,052 God gets even more glory 573 00:27:06,052 --> 00:27:10,583 when He swallows up pain with joy. 574 00:27:10,583 --> 00:27:12,272 I mean tell me what looks better 575 00:27:12,272 --> 00:27:14,413 from a world's persective: 576 00:27:14,413 --> 00:27:17,013 to see someone who circumstantially 577 00:27:17,013 --> 00:27:19,091 has no basis for joy? 578 00:27:19,091 --> 00:27:20,912 And is in full pain? 579 00:27:20,912 --> 00:27:26,842 Yet they're unexplainably rejoicing? 580 00:27:26,842 --> 00:27:28,801 That gives God glory. 581 00:27:28,801 --> 00:27:31,012 You know what else it forces the world to do? 582 00:27:31,012 --> 00:27:32,733 It forces the world to come to you 583 00:27:32,733 --> 00:27:35,843 and say, hey, what is the source of the hope 584 00:27:35,843 --> 00:27:37,712 that is within you? 585 00:27:37,712 --> 00:27:39,760 Because they can't see the circumstance - 586 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:41,431 in fact, they see a circumstance 587 00:27:41,431 --> 00:27:42,984 that should lead to grumbling 588 00:27:42,984 --> 00:27:45,181 and complaining and whining, 589 00:27:45,181 --> 00:27:48,722 yet they're seeing joy. 590 00:27:48,722 --> 00:27:50,053 And when they ask you that, 591 00:27:50,053 --> 00:27:53,013 you get to stand up and you get to say this: 592 00:27:53,013 --> 00:27:57,274 Jesus Christ is the source of my joy 593 00:27:57,274 --> 00:28:02,232 in the midst of my sorrow and pain. 594 00:28:02,232 --> 00:28:09,723 Saints, God looks good in that scenario. 595 00:28:09,723 --> 00:28:12,304 I just want to say it again to be pastoral. 596 00:28:12,304 --> 00:28:14,324 I am not saying it's wrong 597 00:28:14,324 --> 00:28:16,813 to pray for healing. 598 00:28:16,813 --> 00:28:19,234 "Father, if this cup could pass from Me." 599 00:28:19,234 --> 00:28:24,582 It's not wrong to pray that these things would pass. 600 00:28:24,582 --> 00:28:29,912 But I do want us to think about praying: 601 00:28:29,912 --> 00:28:32,112 Give me Jesus. 602 00:28:32,112 --> 00:28:34,615 Give me that which is better than physical healing - 603 00:28:34,615 --> 00:28:36,667 Jesus in the midst of healing - 604 00:28:36,667 --> 00:28:43,667 that You might look good. 605 00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:47,636 How are we to approach the Father? 606 00:28:47,636 --> 00:28:50,584 V. 23, "In that day..." 607 00:28:50,584 --> 00:28:52,636 that's after the resurrection, 608 00:28:52,636 --> 00:28:54,200 "You will ask nothing of Me," 609 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,133 Jesus says to the disciples. 610 00:28:56,133 --> 00:28:57,236 Let me ask you this: 611 00:28:57,236 --> 00:29:02,143 Why will the disciples ask nothing of Jesus? 612 00:29:02,143 --> 00:29:03,716 He's leaving. 613 00:29:03,716 --> 00:29:05,633 He's not going to be there physically. 614 00:29:05,633 --> 00:29:07,803 That's one reason, but it's deeper than that. 615 00:29:07,803 --> 00:29:10,058 This is a theological shift. 616 00:29:10,058 --> 00:29:12,512 It's more than just Jesus ascending into heaven. 617 00:29:12,512 --> 00:29:16,347 There's a theological shift occurring here. 618 00:29:16,347 --> 00:29:18,074 Jesus is going to go to the Father 619 00:29:18,074 --> 00:29:19,152 and up until this time 620 00:29:19,152 --> 00:29:21,114 the disciples have been able to turn to Jesus 621 00:29:21,114 --> 00:29:22,552 and say, Jesus, what should we do here? 622 00:29:22,552 --> 00:29:23,514 Jesus, give is this - 623 00:29:23,514 --> 00:29:25,372 and He's been able to answer that for them. 624 00:29:25,372 --> 00:29:26,753 But now what Jesus is doing 625 00:29:26,753 --> 00:29:29,921 is He's teaching them a theological shift. 626 00:29:29,921 --> 00:29:31,833 Look at v. 23. 627 00:29:31,833 --> 00:29:33,253 "Truly, truly, I say to you, 628 00:29:33,253 --> 00:29:35,261 whatever you ask of the Father 629 00:29:35,261 --> 00:29:37,264 in My name..." 630 00:29:37,264 --> 00:29:38,615 That's the shift. 631 00:29:38,615 --> 00:29:40,479 They have prayed to the Father before. 632 00:29:40,479 --> 00:29:42,444 Now, Jesus said to them whatever you ask 633 00:29:42,444 --> 00:29:44,193 of the Father in My name, 634 00:29:44,193 --> 00:29:46,483 He will give it to you. 635 00:29:46,483 --> 00:29:49,471 "Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. 636 00:29:49,471 --> 00:29:51,033 Ask and you will receive 637 00:29:51,033 --> 00:29:54,481 that your joy may be full." 638 00:29:54,481 --> 00:29:56,855 What doctrine is Jesus teaching here? 639 00:29:56,855 --> 00:29:59,394 The doctrine of mediation. 640 00:29:59,394 --> 00:30:02,706 The doctrine that through His death, burial, and resurrection 641 00:30:02,706 --> 00:30:05,604 He has reconciled once and for all 642 00:30:05,604 --> 00:30:07,634 a holy God to sinful man, 643 00:30:07,634 --> 00:30:09,583 and He is the means through which 644 00:30:09,583 --> 00:30:11,554 this reconciliation took place. 645 00:30:11,554 --> 00:30:13,840 And He wants them to acknowledge that 646 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:15,685 that when they come to the Father, 647 00:30:15,685 --> 00:30:17,833 they come to Him in Jesus' name, 648 00:30:17,833 --> 00:30:22,223 acknowledging all that Jesus has accomplished. 649 00:30:22,223 --> 00:30:24,304 If we're going to pray this prayer right, 650 00:30:24,304 --> 00:30:26,453 and in the end have fullness of joy 651 00:30:26,453 --> 00:30:28,332 in the midst of our pain and sorrow, 652 00:30:28,332 --> 00:30:30,052 we need to know what does it mean 653 00:30:30,052 --> 00:30:31,933 to pray in Jesus' name. 654 00:30:31,933 --> 00:30:34,284 I'm going to tell you at least three things it means. 655 00:30:34,284 --> 00:30:36,206 It means probably more, but at least three. 656 00:30:36,206 --> 00:30:37,995 The first thing it means is this: 657 00:30:37,995 --> 00:30:41,756 you're not coming in your name. 658 00:30:41,756 --> 00:30:43,916 Praying in Jesus' name means 659 00:30:43,916 --> 00:30:46,699 you're not coming in your name. 660 00:30:46,699 --> 00:30:48,737 It means this: I'm not coming and saying 661 00:30:48,737 --> 00:30:50,814 Father, I know You'll be pleased with me. 662 00:30:50,814 --> 00:30:52,759 I read my Bible seven days this week. 663 00:30:52,759 --> 00:30:55,553 And I increased my prayer time by 30 minutes. 664 00:30:55,553 --> 00:30:56,483 Did You see that? 665 00:30:56,483 --> 00:30:58,144 And I did witness to that person, 666 00:30:58,144 --> 00:30:59,103 so here I am. 667 00:30:59,103 --> 00:31:00,871 I know You're going to give me favor. 668 00:31:00,871 --> 00:31:02,454 That's coming in my name. 669 00:31:02,454 --> 00:31:05,451 That's not coming in Jesus' name. 670 00:31:05,451 --> 00:31:06,959 And Jesus' name does mean 671 00:31:06,959 --> 00:31:08,332 that when we come, we say, 672 00:31:08,332 --> 00:31:11,855 Father, I recognize that it's through Jesus' shed blood 673 00:31:11,855 --> 00:31:13,133 that I am cleansed. 674 00:31:13,133 --> 00:31:14,782 It is through His righteousness 675 00:31:14,782 --> 00:31:16,782 that I am declared righteous, 676 00:31:16,782 --> 00:31:17,761 received by faith, 677 00:31:17,761 --> 00:31:19,312 and I come in His name. 678 00:31:19,314 --> 00:31:21,083 But it means at least one more thing, 679 00:31:21,083 --> 00:31:22,513 that if we're going to come 680 00:31:22,513 --> 00:31:24,023 in the name of Jesus, 681 00:31:24,023 --> 00:31:27,025 that we're going to come with all that Jesus is 682 00:31:27,025 --> 00:31:32,323 and that means that align our will to His will. 683 00:31:32,323 --> 00:31:34,193 And all throughout the Gospel of John - 684 00:31:34,193 --> 00:31:36,185 if you've read it before, you know this - 685 00:31:36,185 --> 00:31:37,784 what is the will of Jesus Christ? 686 00:31:37,784 --> 00:31:40,444 It is to do the will of the Father. 687 00:31:40,444 --> 00:31:42,362 So if we're coming in Jesus' name 688 00:31:42,362 --> 00:31:44,403 to the Father as Jesus tells us here, 689 00:31:44,403 --> 00:31:45,592 it's not in my name, 690 00:31:45,592 --> 00:31:46,985 not in my accomplishments, 691 00:31:46,985 --> 00:31:48,611 not in my own righteousness. 692 00:31:48,611 --> 00:31:50,964 It's in His name, it's in His shed blood. 693 00:31:50,964 --> 00:31:52,564 It is in His righteousness. 694 00:31:52,564 --> 00:31:55,023 And it's in align with His will 695 00:31:55,023 --> 00:31:56,362 which means now I'm in line 696 00:31:56,362 --> 00:31:58,294 with the Father's will. 697 00:31:58,294 --> 00:32:00,212 And did you take note here 698 00:32:00,212 --> 00:32:05,463 of what Jesus said after that? 699 00:32:05,463 --> 00:32:08,524 "Whatever we ask of the Father..." 700 00:32:08,524 --> 00:32:15,782 in Jesus' name, He will give it to you. 701 00:32:15,782 --> 00:32:19,766 He will give it to you. 702 00:32:19,766 --> 00:32:21,981 This is a verse that the health, wealth, 703 00:32:21,981 --> 00:32:27,933 and prosperity heretics lay hold of. 704 00:32:27,933 --> 00:32:32,714 They say, see, Jesus wants you to have fullness of joy. 705 00:32:32,714 --> 00:32:35,816 And they say, see, if you come to Him 706 00:32:35,816 --> 00:32:38,963 in Jesus' name, He'll give it to you. 707 00:32:38,963 --> 00:32:41,810 And they see at the beginning of the text here 708 00:32:41,810 --> 00:32:43,770 that they were in sorrow 709 00:32:43,770 --> 00:32:46,532 and God's bringing them to fullness of joy 710 00:32:46,532 --> 00:32:48,953 and all they need to do is come here in the middle 711 00:32:48,953 --> 00:32:50,322 and say "in Jesus' name" 712 00:32:50,322 --> 00:32:52,305 and He'll do whatever they ask. 713 00:32:52,305 --> 00:32:54,214 So they look at this verse and they say 714 00:32:54,214 --> 00:32:55,812 "in the name of Jesus... 715 00:32:55,812 --> 00:32:57,814 take away all my sorrow, 716 00:32:57,814 --> 00:32:59,213 all my sickness, 717 00:32:59,213 --> 00:33:00,642 all my suffering; 718 00:33:00,642 --> 00:33:02,014 in the name of Jesus 719 00:33:02,014 --> 00:33:03,603 give me prosperity, 720 00:33:03,603 --> 00:33:04,953 give me things, 721 00:33:04,953 --> 00:33:10,517 and in that, I will have fullness of joy." 722 00:33:10,517 --> 00:33:12,744 Is that what the verse means? 723 00:33:12,744 --> 00:33:17,963 No, it's not what the verse means. 724 00:33:17,963 --> 00:33:21,553 Joy's not tied to circumstances. 725 00:33:21,553 --> 00:33:25,603 And joy's not found in the removal 726 00:33:25,603 --> 00:33:28,362 of sorrow, pain, and suffering. 727 00:33:28,362 --> 00:33:31,250 Joy is not found in the things 728 00:33:31,250 --> 00:33:32,742 that God can give you. 729 00:33:32,742 --> 00:33:38,890 Joy is found in the giving of Jesus Christ. 730 00:33:38,890 --> 00:33:42,673 Joy is found in interpreting all of life 731 00:33:42,673 --> 00:33:45,744 through the resurrected Savior. 732 00:33:45,744 --> 00:33:47,583 Joy is seeing my sorrow 733 00:33:47,583 --> 00:33:50,183 in light of what Jesus has accomplished 734 00:33:50,183 --> 00:33:53,014 and what His work is in me now. 735 00:33:53,014 --> 00:33:54,903 What God answers in this prayer is 736 00:33:54,903 --> 00:33:57,509 He does give us fullness of joy, 737 00:33:57,509 --> 00:33:59,864 but He doesn't do it by removing 738 00:33:59,864 --> 00:34:03,462 our sorrow most of the time. 739 00:34:03,462 --> 00:34:05,803 He does it by giving you Jesus 740 00:34:05,803 --> 00:34:07,332 in the midst of your sorrow 741 00:34:07,332 --> 00:34:10,204 which will bring you to fullness of joy 742 00:34:10,204 --> 00:34:13,770 and will crowd out and force you to forget 743 00:34:13,770 --> 00:34:17,292 about the anguish that you're experiencing 744 00:34:17,292 --> 00:34:21,593 because Jesus is greater. 745 00:34:21,593 --> 00:34:25,844 Saints, when we rightly approach the Father in Jesus' name 746 00:34:25,844 --> 00:34:29,843 we're asking what we sang a few moments ago. 747 00:34:29,843 --> 00:34:32,363 Show us Christ. 748 00:34:32,363 --> 00:34:35,301 Help me to see Jesus. 749 00:34:35,301 --> 00:34:38,183 Help me to see who I am 750 00:34:38,183 --> 00:34:40,932 in light of that death, burial, and resurrection. 751 00:34:40,932 --> 00:34:46,769 Help me to see who I am in union to Him. 752 00:34:46,769 --> 00:34:50,741 See, this truth will help the disciples, 753 00:34:50,741 --> 00:34:56,522 but it's true for all of our lives. 754 00:34:56,522 --> 00:35:00,122 What about in the circumstance of death? 755 00:35:00,122 --> 00:35:02,373 Death is real. Death hurts. 756 00:35:02,373 --> 00:35:04,012 Whether it's someone close to us 757 00:35:04,012 --> 00:35:05,773 or even our own, 758 00:35:05,773 --> 00:35:08,478 how can the Father give you joy 759 00:35:08,478 --> 00:35:11,260 in the face of death? 760 00:35:11,260 --> 00:35:13,463 By helping you realize 761 00:35:13,463 --> 00:35:15,987 that Christ has conquered death 762 00:35:15,987 --> 00:35:17,642 through His resurrection. 763 00:35:17,642 --> 00:35:19,263 By helping you see 764 00:35:19,263 --> 00:35:22,813 that death no longer has a sting anymore. 765 00:35:22,813 --> 00:35:24,612 It's been swallowed up 766 00:35:24,612 --> 00:35:26,613 through Jesus conquering it, 767 00:35:26,613 --> 00:35:29,512 and that death is not the end for the believer. 768 00:35:29,512 --> 00:35:32,189 Death is the beginning of all things. 769 00:35:32,189 --> 00:35:34,473 And we begin to look through the lens 770 00:35:34,473 --> 00:35:36,675 of Jesus Christ in all of life, 771 00:35:36,675 --> 00:35:38,512 no matter what the sorrow is, 772 00:35:38,512 --> 00:35:40,571 we can have fullness of joy 773 00:35:40,571 --> 00:35:49,443 if we're looking through the lens of Jesus Christ. 774 00:35:49,443 --> 00:35:51,492 Beloved, the joy of Jesus surpasses 775 00:35:51,492 --> 00:35:54,963 the most difficult of circumstances. 776 00:35:54,963 --> 00:35:59,184 In John 15, Jesus told the disciples, 777 00:35:59,184 --> 00:36:02,080 "the world will hate you 778 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:04,583 because they hated Me." 779 00:36:04,583 --> 00:36:05,912 And then He told them this: 780 00:36:05,912 --> 00:36:09,362 but you're to be witnesses to them. 781 00:36:09,362 --> 00:36:10,829 And then He told them this: 782 00:36:10,829 --> 00:36:13,190 The way that they'll demonstrate their hate to you 783 00:36:13,190 --> 00:36:15,595 is that they're going to put you out of the synagogue, 784 00:36:15,595 --> 00:36:18,662 and they'll even kill you. 785 00:36:18,662 --> 00:36:21,216 They'll even kill you. 786 00:36:21,216 --> 00:36:25,223 Well, where's the joy of Jesus in that? 787 00:36:25,223 --> 00:36:27,028 That's a pretty bleak circumstance. 788 00:36:27,028 --> 00:36:28,983 You're going to live in a world of people 789 00:36:28,983 --> 00:36:30,941 that hate you and they hate the message 790 00:36:30,941 --> 00:36:32,294 that you're going to bring. 791 00:36:32,294 --> 00:36:34,083 They're going to put you out of the synagogue 792 00:36:34,083 --> 00:36:35,241 and they're going to kill you. 793 00:36:35,241 --> 00:36:40,644 Is there joy available in the midst of that circumstance? 794 00:36:40,644 --> 00:36:43,975 Have you read Acts 5? 795 00:36:43,975 --> 00:36:45,844 When they went out and they preached 796 00:36:45,844 --> 00:36:47,291 in the name of Jesus Christ 797 00:36:47,291 --> 00:36:49,803 and they were beaten for it. 798 00:36:49,803 --> 00:36:53,612 And it says that they left the council what? 799 00:36:53,612 --> 00:36:56,644 Rejoicing that they were counted worthy 800 00:36:56,644 --> 00:36:59,740 to suffer for the name. 801 00:36:59,740 --> 00:37:03,392 Beloved, every area of life, 802 00:37:03,392 --> 00:37:05,228 if we commit it to the Father 803 00:37:05,228 --> 00:37:06,704 in the name of Jesus, 804 00:37:06,704 --> 00:37:10,639 and He grants to us the greater revelation of Jesus, 805 00:37:10,639 --> 00:37:14,262 we can have joy in the midst of suffering 806 00:37:14,262 --> 00:37:19,093 which is better than even the removal of the pain. 807 00:37:19,093 --> 00:37:20,756 This is our Gospel message. 808 00:37:20,756 --> 00:37:25,052 This is our life between the now and the not yet. 809 00:37:25,052 --> 00:37:26,913 This is what's available to us. 810 00:37:26,913 --> 00:37:30,629 Jesus demonstrated this to us, didn't He? 811 00:37:30,629 --> 00:37:34,221 I mean, He faced the greatest anguish and suffering 812 00:37:34,221 --> 00:37:36,383 any human being will ever face 813 00:37:36,383 --> 00:37:38,964 under the wrath of God for His people, 814 00:37:38,964 --> 00:37:41,244 and what does the writer of Hebrews tell us? 815 00:37:41,244 --> 00:37:43,372 For the what that was set before Him? 816 00:37:43,372 --> 00:37:45,843 For the joy that was set before Him, 817 00:37:45,843 --> 00:37:47,855 He endured the cross. 818 00:37:47,855 --> 00:37:50,048 It doesn't mean the cross didn't hurt. 819 00:37:50,048 --> 00:37:52,112 It doesn't mean your pain is not real. 820 00:37:52,112 --> 00:37:54,716 The Bible never says put on a fake smile 821 00:37:54,716 --> 00:37:57,108 and act like Jesus is good. 822 00:37:57,108 --> 00:37:59,323 That's not what we're talking about here. 823 00:37:59,323 --> 00:38:01,552 The Bible acknowledges pain. 824 00:38:01,552 --> 00:38:03,303 It acknowledges suffering. 825 00:38:03,303 --> 00:38:05,482 It sets proper expectations, 826 00:38:05,482 --> 00:38:07,593 but it says this to you: 827 00:38:07,593 --> 00:38:09,725 I can give you joy in the midst of it 828 00:38:09,725 --> 00:38:12,154 by giving you more of Jesus - 829 00:38:12,154 --> 00:38:15,452 a greater revelation of the sufficiency 830 00:38:15,452 --> 00:38:18,382 and the love of Jesus Christ, 831 00:38:18,382 --> 00:38:22,763 and in that there's fullness of joy. 832 00:38:22,763 --> 00:38:29,802 This is a supernatural joy. 833 00:38:29,802 --> 00:38:33,069 I'm going to close by telling you this: 834 00:38:33,069 --> 00:38:36,672 When you come to the Father in Jesus' name, 835 00:38:36,672 --> 00:38:39,424 and you ask for Him to grant you 836 00:38:39,424 --> 00:38:43,574 fullness of joy in Jesus Christ, 837 00:38:43,574 --> 00:38:46,757 He accomplishes that 838 00:38:46,757 --> 00:38:50,803 by the ministry of the Holy Spirit 839 00:38:50,803 --> 00:38:53,312 through the Word 840 00:38:53,312 --> 00:38:56,211 glorifying the Son. 841 00:38:56,211 --> 00:38:57,953 I want you to look, before we close, 842 00:38:57,953 --> 00:39:02,664 look back at chapter 16:14. 843 00:39:02,664 --> 00:39:04,554 This is the verse where Jesus 844 00:39:04,554 --> 00:39:07,317 is describing the ministry of the Holy Spirit 845 00:39:07,317 --> 00:39:08,784 to the church. 846 00:39:08,784 --> 00:39:10,333 Jesus is saying I'm leaving you, 847 00:39:10,333 --> 00:39:12,862 but He'll send you another Helper - the Paraclete. 848 00:39:12,862 --> 00:39:16,652 He will come and He will be a guide to you. 849 00:39:16,652 --> 00:39:18,721 He will guide you in all truth. 850 00:39:18,721 --> 00:39:21,512 And then He tells us that the pointed climax 851 00:39:21,512 --> 00:39:23,711 of what the Holy Spirit is doing 852 00:39:23,711 --> 00:39:25,454 in the life of every believer. 853 00:39:25,454 --> 00:39:27,803 What's He doing in chapter 16:14? 854 00:39:27,803 --> 00:39:32,205 "He (the Spirit) will glorify Me." 855 00:39:32,205 --> 00:39:34,693 This is the work of the Holy Spirit. 856 00:39:34,693 --> 00:39:37,832 The Father is working through the Spirit, 857 00:39:37,832 --> 00:39:41,155 revealing the Son through the Word. 858 00:39:41,155 --> 00:39:44,482 The Spirit is magnifying Jesus Christ. 859 00:39:44,482 --> 00:39:47,634 He is lifting Him up and shining upon Him 860 00:39:47,634 --> 00:39:49,303 that we may behold Him. 861 00:39:49,303 --> 00:39:51,155 So when we pray, 862 00:39:51,155 --> 00:39:54,072 "Father, in the name of Jesus, 863 00:39:54,072 --> 00:39:56,054 help me have joy," 864 00:39:56,054 --> 00:40:00,250 you can't do this. 865 00:40:00,250 --> 00:40:03,756 You've got to keep in step with the Spirit. 866 00:40:03,756 --> 00:40:05,750 God, help me to see. 867 00:40:05,750 --> 00:40:07,673 This is how He works. 868 00:40:07,673 --> 00:40:11,331 Through the Spirit magnifying the Son 869 00:40:11,331 --> 00:40:14,165 and in the revelation of who Jesus is, 870 00:40:14,165 --> 00:40:15,764 what He's accomplished, 871 00:40:15,764 --> 00:40:17,884 and who we are in union to Him, 872 00:40:17,884 --> 00:40:20,564 you can have joy in the midst 873 00:40:20,564 --> 00:40:25,144 of sorrow and suffering. 874 00:40:25,144 --> 00:40:29,817 Praise God for His grace. 875 00:40:29,817 --> 00:40:32,926 O come to the Father 876 00:40:32,926 --> 00:40:35,803 through Jesus the Son, 877 00:40:35,803 --> 00:40:38,567 and give Him the glory; 878 00:40:38,567 --> 00:40:43,362 great things He has done. 879 00:40:43,362 --> 00:40:47,074 Let's pray. 880 00:40:47,074 --> 00:40:55,761 Father, how good You are! 881 00:40:55,761 --> 00:41:00,163 This is a room of trophies of grace. 882 00:41:00,163 --> 00:41:03,544 That's all we are, God. We're people under grace. 883 00:41:03,544 --> 00:41:06,913 You've rescued us in Jesus. 884 00:41:06,913 --> 00:41:08,672 You've put Your Spirit within us. 885 00:41:08,672 --> 00:41:10,185 You've given us Your Word. 886 00:41:10,185 --> 00:41:12,817 And here You give us hope in this life 887 00:41:12,817 --> 00:41:15,353 for the most dire of circumstances 888 00:41:15,353 --> 00:41:19,069 and real pain by telling us there's something 889 00:41:19,069 --> 00:41:22,404 better than the removal of pain and sorrow - 890 00:41:22,404 --> 00:41:24,983 Your Son in the midst of it. 891 00:41:24,983 --> 00:41:27,397 So God, grant to Your people 892 00:41:27,397 --> 00:41:32,164 fullness of joy in Jesus Christ 893 00:41:32,164 --> 00:41:34,353 as we behold Him through the Word 894 00:41:34,353 --> 00:41:37,083 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 895 00:41:37,083 --> 00:41:39,732 In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.