By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 1045am Svc, 2010-07-04

Text: John 16:16-33

People have been pursuing joy in every imaginable avenue. Some have found it successfully but others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:

Joy is not found in Unbelief - The French philosopher Voltaire was an unbeliever of the worst kind, attacking the Christian faith in his prolific writing. But on his deathbed he said: 'I wish I had never been born.' And his death was so frightening that the nurse who looked after him said, 'For all the wealth of Europe I would never want to see another unbeliever die.'

Joy is not found in Pleasure - Lord Byron, a British poet and aristocrat, loved pleasure and gave himself fully to it - squandering his wealth and getting into numerous scandalous love affairs. But in a poem written 3 months before he died, Byron wrote: 'The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.' 

Joy is not found in Money - Jay Gould, an American railroad tycoon in the late 1800s amassed an enormous fortune of US$72 million before he died. But when he was dying, he declared: 'i  suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.'

Joy is not found in Popularity - Six weeks before Elvis Presley died, a reporter asked the king of rock, 'Elvis, when you first started playing music, you said you wanted to be rich, famous and happy. Are you happy?' His reply was, 'I'm lonely as hell.'

Joy is not found in Position and Fame - Benjamin Disraeli had the distinction of becoming Prime Minister of the British Empire twice in his lifetime under Queen Victoria. But he wrote: 'Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.' 

Joy is not found in Military Glory - Alexander the Great was never defeated in battle. Within 12 years he conquered the known world in his day. But having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, 'There are no more worlds to conquer.' 

Where then is real joy found? - We shall find this out today, as we study our passage of Scripture in John 16:16-33. This is actually the concluding part of the 3 final discourses that Jesus gave to His disciples after their Last Supper together. After that Jesus would make His long prayer for His disciples which is recorded in the next chapter. Then He would go to the Garden of Gethsemane where He would personally agonize in prayer by Himself before being arrested, tried and crucified.

The passage we read therefore records that emotional moment when Jesus gave His last words to His disciples. And because it was an emotional moment, He spoke about emotions. He saw the intense sorrow they had in their hearts (v.22). He also anticipated the sorrow He would have when all His disciples would forsake Him and leave Him to face His trials alone (v.32). And Jesus foretold the sorrowful weeping and lamentation they would make when He died on the cross (v.20).

I am sure we all know what it's like to be sorrowful. We can understand what it feels to be overwhelmed with pain and grief. We experience it most in times of personal loss, such as the loss of a dear friend or loved one (e.g. in death or separation), the loss of position (e.g. retrenchment), or the loss of power (e.g. an amputated limb) or the loss of mobility as one grows old. There is nothing wrong or sinful with being sorrowful over one's loss. It is completely natural. Instead of keeping your sadness all bottled up inside, it is actually better to let the tears flow out. In fact, people often feel much better after a good cry. 

But sorrow can become sinful if it turns into despair. Sorrow can easily lead a person to be resentful and angry, or to be depressed and even to take one's own life. We must therefore prevent sorrow from turning into despair. We should seek rather to turn sorrow into joy. But can sorrow be turned into joy? Is it really possible? Yes, it is! Jesus mentions it at the end of v.20 'and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.' There are 3 things that we should know about this joy. The first thing is-

I. What Kind of Joy is This?

It is not a superficial joy. In v.22 Jesus says that 'your heart shall rejoice.' That means that it is a deep-seated joy. It is not like the superficial thrill of indulging in some entertainment. Some people try to overcome their sorrows by watching a movie, playing a game, or going on an eating or drinking binge. But when the effects of these wear off, their joy is gone and their sorrows are still there. The joy that Jesus speaks of is not like this superficial joy. It is a joy that resides deep in the heart.

It is also a joy that remains in the heart. Jesus said at the end of v.22 that no man can take this joy from you. Nothing can diminish this deep-seated joy. And this is the very thing that makes it possible to have this joy even in times of great sorrow. It is a joy that does not depend on having pleasant circumstances in life. It is just like what the prophet Habakkuk said, 'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.' (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

In contrast to that the joy that the world has depends entirely on one's outward circumstances. One can only have it when one's desires and expectations are met and when everything is going well without any hitch. So one can only be joyful when there are no problems, no trials, no tribulations, no upsets, no failures, and no disappointments. Hardly anyone has such joy for long because we live in a sinful world. This is why many people today don't have real joy in their lives. They crave for it, they dream about it, and they seek after it. 'If only I had all these things in my wish list, I will be the happiest person in the world.' But it is futile to pursue this kind of joy because one's circumstances can never be perfect or remain perfect in this world. The kind of joy we need is a joy of the heart that will always be there, a joy that cannot be taken away from us. 

Besides that, it is a joy that can put sorrow out of our minds. In v.21 Jesus uses childbirth to illustrate this. 'A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.' When an expectant mother goes into labour her pain and sorrow intensifies tremendously. All of you who are mothers here would probably know this well by experience. But those who are not mothers yet or who can never be mothers, (including myself) may not fully appreciate this as much as you. So here is something that may help the rest of us know what mothers go through.

According to a medical study, 25% of first time mothers and 11% of experienced mothers rate the pain of giving birth as 'horrible' and 'excruciating'. Labour pain comes in waves. It is like a muscle cramp multiplied many times, because the womb is the largest and strongest muscle in the body. And this pain may go on for several hours. Then as the baby's head presses down on the organs and stretches the opening of the birth canal - another pain comes: 

One mother described that it feels as if she would burst. But when the baby's first cries are heard, all the sorrow and pain the mother feels is suddenly masked by feelings of intense joy. And when she sees her newborn child and holds it in her arms for the first time, all thoughts of the horrible, excruciating, bursting pain she had are put out of her mind completely as she delights in the new life she has brought into the world. And after that she may even think of having a second child and a third child though it means going through the same pain and sorrow all over again. Can you see how valuable and helpful this joy can be? 

In the same way, the joy that Jesus speaks of in our passage is a joy that can put sorrow out of our mind completely, especially when we know what wonderful benefits our suffering will eventually bring to us and to others. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus Himself for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. All the sufferings, agony and grief that He went through for 6 excruciating hours has purchased our salvation and brought joy to Himself and to us. And what a great joy Christ has wrought for us and brought to us! 1 Peter 1:8 says that we rejoice in Him with a joy that is unspeakable (indescribable) and full of glory! This brings us to the second thing that we should know about this joy-

II. Where Does This Joy Come from?

It comes only from Christ Himself. You will observe this truth expressed throughout our whole Scripture passage. In vv.16-19 Jesus used a riddle to comfort the sorrowing disciples. This riddle that they could not understand was, 'A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.'

The explanation for this is found in v.20. The disciples will weep and lament but the world will rejoice. This refers to the little while when they will not see Jesus, because He would be dead and buried in the tomb for 3 days. But after that, their sorrow will be turned into joy. This refers to the time when they will see Him again because He would have resurrected from the dead. Hence, their joy would come from seeing the Lord Jesus and knowing that He is alive and well. Jesus is the cause of their joy.

But the Bible tells us that they were able to see Him only for 40 days until He was taken up to Heaven in His glorious ascension. If their joy depended only on the physical presence of Jesus with them, how would it last beyond those 40 days? I believe that the answer is found in v.22.

Here Jesus told them that their heart will rejoice when He sees them again (instead of when they see Him again). Their joy would come from knowing that their Lord keeps seeing them. That would continue to be true after His ascension. The disciples would no longer be able to see Him, but the Lord Jesus will continue to see them, watch over them and be with them through the Holy Spirit whom He sent at Pentecost. What a joy it would be for the disciples to know that Jesus is still with them although they cannot see Him! Once again we see Jesus as the cause of their joy.

And that's not all. In vv.23,24 Jesus told these disciples that their joy will be full when they make requests to Father in His name. The name of Jesus will become the means for the joy of having their prayers answered. Finally, in v.33 Jesus tells them that despite all the tribulations they would face in the world, they can be of good cheer (i.e. be joyful) because He has overcome the world. And thus we see that in every instance -whether at His resurrection or after His ascension, in prayer or facing the world's tribulation Christ is always the cause of joy.

Christ is therefore the source of the joy you must have. Without Him you would never be able to have that supernatural, deep-seated joy in your heart, that joy that no man can take away from you, that joy that does not depend on your outward circumstances, that joy that can put sorrow out of your mind. 

And this is extremely important for those of you who are still outside Christ. You will never be able to have real joy in your life until you believe in Christ for salvation, and make Him the source of joy in your life. Dear friends, it is only when Jesus comes into your heart that you will have His wonderful joy. There is a chorus we sometimes sing in our Sunday School that goes like this:

If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
Let Jesus come into your heart
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
Let Jesus come into your heart.

Your sins He'll wash away
Your night He'll turn to day
Your life He'll make it over anew
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
Let Jesus come into your heart.

I pray that the Lord will speak to your heart through this and give you no rest until you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation. That is the first and most needful step you must take to experience His joy in your life. But please note that this does not mean that everything will always be fine for you after Jesus comes into your life. Believing in Christ will not make you immune to disease and disaster. Becoming a Christian may make you suffer even more than before - you may be ridiculed and ostracized by your colleagues and friends. You may be hated and persecuted by the world around you (John 15:18). The early Christians were told that they must enter into the kingdom of God through much tribulation (Acts 14:22) and they really faced plenty of this.

As a man who lived in the 3rd century was anticipating death, he wrote these last words to a friend: 'It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians; and I am one of them.'

Do you want to learn the secret that these suffering Christians had? 

III. How Can You Experience This Joy in Sorrow?

The first thing you need is to have a healthy prayer life. Whenever you have a need or a problem, commit it to the Lord first before you try to do anything else to solve it. In vv.17,18 of our passage you will notice that the disciples were perplexed with what Jesus had just said to them. But they were afraid or ashamed to ask Him to explain it to them. So they just discussed it among themselves. But it was a fruitless discussion - none could figure out what Jesus meant. However Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him and from v.19 onwards He addressed their question. Let us not follow what the disciples did here. We should always ask Him first. No request is too small for us to bring to Him. We should cast all our cares upon Him, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

Then in vv.23 and 24 Jesus told them of a coming time when they will not be asking Him any more questions. This is either because He would have ascended up to heaven and would no longer be present with them, or because everything which they had not understood about Jesus would be made plain to them through the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. But this change of situation did not mean that they should stop asking. 

On the contrary, they should become more fervent in praying, asking the Father in Jesus' name. And Jesus said that this is the way that their joy will be full (v.24). This is also the way that our joy will be full - through praying. Do you know that there is strong relationship between praying and experiencing joy? Turn your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. I want you to notice that immediately after the words, 'Rejoice evermore' you find the exhortation, 'Pray without ceasing.' You will experience much joy as you keep praying throughout the day. 

And you will have even greater joy when you see God working through your prayers. Two weeks ago when we were coming back from our church camp in Awana the coach that I was ran into some difficulties just after clearing the Woodlands checkpoint - the driver could not engage the gears and the coach slowed down to a standstill on the road shoulder. We were stranded. How would we get back to church? Well I prayed in my heart for God's help and I believe many others in the coach were also praying at that moment. Then the driver turned off the engine and started it up again, and praise God he could engage up to the 3rd gear (The 4th gear was defective) and get the coach to move again. And we were singing joyfully to the Lord all the way back here to church. And before we disembarked from the coach we all gave thanks to God in prayer, led by Dn Joel Seah.

There is much joy in seeing God working through answered prayer. But there is also much joy in trusting God's promises when our prayers don't seem to be answered. And that is the greatest secret for turning sorrow into joy. The more you believe what God has promised in His Word, the greater your joy will be. In v.16 of our passage we see Jesus promising His disciples that they will see Him. In v.22 He promises that He will see them again and their heart will rejoice. In v.25 He promises a day when He will speak to them plainly instead of speaking in proverbs. All these promises were meant to bring joy to the sorrowing hearts of His disciples. You will notice that there is no room for uncertainty at all in any of these promises. Jesus did not say, 'I can' or 'I may.' He said, 'I will' or 'I shall.' 

But the promise that has the best and firmest assurance of all is the one Jesus made at the end of v.33. He said, 'I have overcome the world.' Isn't this so much better than saying, 'I will overcome the world?' It shows that this is so sure to happen that it is as good as done! And what was Jesus speaking about here? It was the great victory that He would accomplish soon by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. 

That would be His resounding victory over sin, His victory over Satan, His victory over death, and ultimately His victory over the world. And when we believe that Jesus has overcome the world, we can be of good cheer despite all the pain and tribulation we suffer at present. Because we are in Christ we will share in His victory and all its benefits for us. Now we can say, 'So what if I am afflicted by the tribulations of the world? Christ has overcome the world!' And we can say, 'So what if my body is suffering now because I live in a sin-cursed world? Because of Christ I will have a new perfect body just like His own resurrection body.' And we can also say, 'So what if I lose all my treasures in this world? Christ has given me better treasures in heaven - treasures that are incorruptible, undefiled and will never fade away.'

And so let us have faith to trust all the precious promises that our Lord Jesus Christ has given us in His Word so that we can rejoice at all times - in good times as well as in bad times. Live your life by faith in Him and let your sorrow be turned into joy.

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