Repeat the Sounding Joy

Good morning, please open your Bibles to John 16.

My hope- that we sing differently.

Joy to the World, by Isaac Watts in 1719- “Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

Creation personified once again- fields, floods, rocks, hills, plains repeat the sounding joy.

Notice, they are repeating, but what is it that the pieces of nature or repeating? The songs of men, employed because the reigning Christ draws joy from these men.

At Christmas, we proclaim with joy the Kingdom of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We recognize that the only possibility of our taking part in such a Kingdom is the incarnation.

Read John 16:16-22- “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

Pray.

Explaining the text.

Farewell discourse- twenty-four hours later, Jesus would be taken from them and would be dead on the cross.

Intimate conversation preparing the disciples for what is to come.

Telling of His coming suffering and death, but also of His resurrection and ultimately of the giving of the Spirit.

Jesus doesn’t shy away from the difficulty to be experienced.

In a while I will be gone. Then a while longer and I’ll be back with you.

Likely speaking of His death and resurrection appearances.

As is often the case- the disciples don’t quite understand. And it’s completely makes sense as to why they are confused.

Is Jesus the Messiah, coming to set up God’s very Kingdom on earth? If yes, then why is He going away? If no, then why is He coming back?

Nevertheless, this is His teaching. And He covers the emotional distress that will accompany these events.

Sorrow while the world rejoices. But then joy that can never be removed.

Illustrated through the brilliant example of childbirth.

The words of Christ can be fleshed out in three contrasts.

1. From temporary to eternal.

Notice all of the mention of time- a little while.

Jesus begins our text by bringing the attention of the disciples to that which is temporary, or short lived.

But note what occurs in that little while.

Has our text become commonplace in your heart? Consider the pain that the disciples would experience.

For the disciples, there is a finality to Jesus’ words- You will not see me.

Likely the most difficult part of suffering through death- absence- I won’t be with you anymore. What has become quite common has been taken.

Thus, what is defined as the short, temporary, little while is marked by difficulty, pain, suffering.

In the illustration, this is the pain of childbirth.

In a little while you’ll no longer see me, I’ll be removed from you.

Helpful because we all have our own little whiles.

In a sermon on joy, we must not pass too quickly over the pain that accompanies this life.

In fact, that pain that often accompanies the celebration of the incarnation. I have no desire to quickly pass over this pain that you might be experiencing even this morning.

Loss of loved ones, strained relationships, loneliness. How would you define your own little while?

For the disciples- marked by losing Jesus in bodily form.

Nothing can be said to you that will remove the pain of your own little while, but I can remind you that it is a “little while.”

This is the contrast made by Jesus.

You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. Note what is said of this joy.

No one will be able to take it from you. It is eternal in nature. Temporal suffering turned to eternal joy.

Here’s an important point- This joy is promised at the sight of Christ (v. 22). This joy is given on this side of the resurrection, meaning that we are meant to experience this joy.

Isn’t this what we are meant to celebrate at Christmas?

It’s the incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ, God becomes man, takes on flesh, condescends to our lowly state. Everything is put in motion for His Kingdom to come and salvation to be given.

2. From absence to presence.

One of the most important details given in the text is that the world will rejoice while the disciples mourn.

Again, don’t let this become to commonplace, but reason through the implications with me.

The disciples will feel lost, they will week at the brutality of the death of Jesus. But what is taking place around them.

It was the crowds and the religious leaders that wanted Jesus dead. The mobs called for His crucifixion.

Likely the world surrounding the disciples would not have just returned to neutral, but they instead likely saw the gloating of the world.

Not hard to imagine the disciples all with one another, lost, confused, broken.

Command to go and tell the disciples, almost like they will be able to be found in one place.

Understandable- when difficulty comes, I likely want to be alone or with my family.

But perhaps we close doors around us for another reason as well.

Ever been on the losing side of an election?

What happens? For just a while we turn off the screens. Why? We don’t want to hear the gloating of the opponents. That’s over an election.

Imagine the gloating of the opponents over the death of a loved one. Changes the narrative a bit, does it not?

Why the gloating? Because of the absence of Jesus.

James Montgomery Boice- “The world, far from sorrowing at the loss of Jesus, actually rejoiced that he was now out of their way and would no longer be a bother to them.”

Perhaps we find this to be a gloating that remains to this day. The world would like nothing more than to have the real and meaningful presence of Christ removed from their lives altogether.

Here is the problem- for many of us in the Church, we dabble in the ways of the world.

Perhaps this is another opportunity to consider our celebration of the incarnation.

What do our practices say about us? Our traditions?

Is our celebration of Christmas reveling and rejoicing in the presence of Jesus, or has Christ gone absent in our observing of the season?

Are our traditions and practices more focused on the things of man or the things of God?

Remember, the cause for celebration and rejoicing was the return of Christ, His presence that would be most experienced through the giving of the Spirit.

3. From crucifixion to resurrection.

Notice perhaps the most important detail given- your sorrow will turn to joy.

This is fascinating- Not that your sorrow will be replaced by joy. Not that your sorrow (and its causes) will be removed and something will be put in its place.

The very thing which causes you grief will be transformed and will give you joy.

That which made you cry will make you rejoice.

Childbirth given as the example. When the baby is placed in the arms of the mother, the pain is mostly forgotten.

That which caused the pain is now the highest cause of rejoicing.

Let’s apply this to what Jesus has said to His disciples- your sorrow will turn to joy.

What is the root cause of sorrow? The removal of Jesus. It is His death on the cross.

But something happens that allows for them to see Jesus’ death with new eyes.

Richard Phillips- “The resurrection does not do away with the crucifixion. Rather, it turns the sorrow of the cross into our joy and glory.”

The death wasn’t taken away, it still happened. They could still ponder the brutality of it all. But what did that brutality mean for them upon His resurrection?

It was the highest manifestation of God’s love for man. It was the defeat of death. It was the promise of new life.

The coming of Christ after His death changed everything. It turned sorrow to joy.

The promise given to the disciples remains for us today. We live on this side of the cross and empty tomb. The necessary elements have already taken place.

The resurrection of Jesus takes what is most sorrowful in our lives and redeems it for joy. The death of Jesus is the prototype for all things.

The worst of our experience of this life is the worst that will ever be experienced.

Not only this, but all of life is a signpost that points us forward.

Advent looks back, but also looks forward. We remember the birth of Christ and long for His return.

We can proclaim the very words of Job given in Job 19:25-27- For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

Jesus will work ALL things together for good for those who love Him. He will redeem all things. Whatever causes the most pain in life right now will be a source of great joy.

Isaac Watts- “Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room; and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.”

Have we properly prepared our hearts and lives for the joy of receiving Christ and celebrating His incarnation this Christmas season?