John 16:19-24
Notes
Transcript
I. Introduction
I. Introduction
It doesn’t take much searching to find a reason be sorrowful these days…turn on the news and see the dumpster fire in Washington D.C. and those clowns will give you plenty of material.
I visit the nursing homes pretty regularly....while there are happy folks in those places there are some of the most pitiful sights you’ve ever seen too. I was at one just the other day and a lady called out from her room <alzheimers....didn’t know who she was....was lonely…said she can’t remember the last time somebody sat with her>…sorrow....
We find sorrow everywhere we look....and if we’re not careful, when WE encounter sorrow, if we don’t know how to handle it biblically, it can eat us alive. We can easily slip from a place of sorrow, to a place of depression and dispair....
I want to take a few minutes to encourage you this morning....because the Bible assures us that if you are facing sorrow now, it will come…you can bank on it....but the Psalmist promised us in Chapter 147 and verse 3 that:
3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.
....Our sorrow can be turned into joy....
a. Scripture: John 16:19-24
a. Scripture: John 16:19-24
And as always, I’m going to ask you to stand with me, if you are able, as we read from God’s Holy, Perfect, Sufficient and inerrant Word.
19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; 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 the world.
22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
<Pray>
Thank you, and you may be seated.
II. Contextualization
II. Contextualization
a. Still there in the upper room…reclining…spending time w/ disciples…very last meal together.... Last time we were together we discussed how the world hates the disciples and why....they hated Him, why wouldn’t they hate those who love Him....
b. Jesus gives the Disciples a warning because of His departure and then some words of comfort b/c the Holy Spirit is coming....
c. Last time in John: Jesus explains why the Holy Spirit coming is such a good thing....He discussed the work of the Holy Spirit.
d. Today: Jesus picks up where we left off lat time....Jesus mentioned he was leaving and then coming back, referring to resurrection, and they were confused....and in verse 18, they were debating about what He meant....so Jesus picks it up there and senses their need for more comfort…and he gives it.
III. Major Points
III. Major Points
1. Jesus Welcomes Our Questions
2. Jesus Wants to Heal Our Anxiety
3. A Moment of Sorrow will Heighten a Moment of Joy
IV. Point #1: Jesus Welcomes Our Questions
IV. Point #1: Jesus Welcomes Our Questions
19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
John 16:
18 So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”
19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
Explanation
a. The Disciples are dismayed and confused....they are anxious…and instead of asking Jesus the questions they had, here they are debating among themselves....
b. Maybe they were scared of being rebuked for a “dumb” question....Maybe they thought Jesus had had enough of their silly questions for one night....after all, this was near the end of their final meal together....it had been a long evening.
c. Whatever the reason: Jesus KNEW they had questions....and how did He react? Did He SCOLD them? Not at all…He embraced their questions....and the entire rest of this section through verse 24 is Him ANSWERING those questions…giving an example....
d. Isn’t that remarkable? He KNEW, not only that they HAD questions....but WHAT those questions were....and He addressed them without any of them ever even HAVING to ask.
Questions....Questions.....We have a lot of those don’t we?
Illustration
It was Erwin Schrödinger, an Austrian theoretical physicist who achieved fame for his contributions to quantum mechanics who once said: "When it comes to those things that are most important: who am I, where did I come from, where am I going, who is God, what is his will -- science is deathly silent."
Application
Church: God, is not afraid of your questions.
a. We seem to have this idea that asking God questions is wrong…I’ve heard many say “well we ain’t suppose to question”....where does it say that in God’s Word?
16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.
Jesus, when He was in the wilderness being tempted, quoted that verse in when responding to Satan…what was Satan doing? Questioning Jesus to death?,…No.
Does “don’t test God” mean DON’T ask God questions? NO....It says don’t don’t TEST Him....don’t TRY His patience....
Anybody in here ever been TESTED before? Had your patience tried?
In this case in , it says “don’t test the Lord like you did that time at Massah...”....well what happened there? They asked him one too many questions?....No…Take a look at what happened when they were there in …That’s the incident in question when they were at Massah....
7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”
17 ‘Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.
That was a disrespectful question....after ALL God had done for the Israelites up until that point....they would DARE ask such a question....It wasn’t that they asked a question....it was the disrespectful attitude of the question....where are you God? We aren’t getting our way! Why aren’t you here doing our bidding? That was TESTING His patience....
There is NOWHERE in the Bible church, that says God doesn’t want, or can’t handle your questions....in fact, I find quite the opposite...
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
If you don’t know....ask.....You see, the disciples were scared to ask Jesus their questions....and He knew it....He WANTED them to, as best they could, understand…so they needed to ask....
Maybe you don’t understand your purpose....your gift.....your ministry....your spiritual calling....
Listen to me…I am NOT the only minister in this room....EVERY Christian is a minister of some kind....God gave you gifts to use for HIS glory....My ministry is pastoring....it’s preaching....YOUR ministry might be encouraging....lifting up....greeting....cooking....visiting....witnessing...
If I am the only Christian in this room with a ministry as the pastor....that’s sad.
When you meet the Lord, you’re a baby Christian....then you grow....you become more mature....and you begin serving Him....if you’re sitting here today, and you don’t have a ministry of some kind....maybe YOU ought to start asking God some questions....and trust Him to answer them....
Maybe you’ve got a big decision coming up....or a small one…and you don’t know what to do....maybe you’ve got some questions for the Lord....
Church: Jesus WELCOMES our questions....ask Him....and trust Him to answer.
V. Point #2: Jesus Wants to Heal Our Anxiety
V. Point #2: Jesus Wants to Heal Our Anxiety
Explanation:
The official definition of anxiety in the dictionary is this: “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.”
That is precisely the way the disciples were feeling during this encounter with the Lord Jesus....and what’s more…He knew it.
Jesus KNEW they were uneasy about not exactly understanding what was about to take place....they had NO idea how badly their Savior....the one they had spent countless hours and days with over the course of the past 3 years....the one they loved....the one they followed....the one they saw perform miracles....They didn’t have a clue what a sore sight they were about to see.....
And Jesus knew it....and He did all that He could as a man....as God in a human body....to ease their minds....and the way He chooses to handle it is with an example....
21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; 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 the world.
- (vs. 21) He basically says this: the sorrow that’s coming....is bad....in fact, it’s kind of like the excruciating pain that a woman feels during childbirth....and that’s bad…BUT…when it’s all over....the anguish…the pain is gone…because it is overcome by the joy of that new baby....
Explanation
Illustration
The NRS pain scale runs from 1 - 10....with 1 being not so bad....5 being mild…and 10 being as bad as it can possibly get. Doctors and researchers say that pain is very difficult to measure because it is so subjective....some people have a higher threshold for pain than others....My grandpa, for example, had a VERY low threshold for pain....I remember working with my Grandpa once and smashing my finger with hammer....it bled....then it turned blue....then it turned purple....and then a scary black color....and it hurt....bad. And I whined a little and my Grandpa quickly scolded me, I wrapped ith with some bandages, and got back to work. Well, it wasn’t very long after that, I was at my grandpa’s store with him, and he had decided, for whatever reason, to wear open toed sandals....Well, he got to shuffling along through the store, then all of a sudden, he hit his pinky toe pretty hard on the leg of my chair....and he started squalin like a stuck pig....and he went to fussin and a cussin…and because I happened to be sitting in the chair, of course, it was MY fault. I made that mean chair jump in front of his crazy pinky toe. I mean it....didn’t even draw blood....his little toe was pink....and he went home for the day....some people just can’t handle pain....and I don’t pretend to have a real HIGH threshold for pain but....my granddaddy sure didn’t.....but whatever he would’ve marked on that scale…I can’t imagine anything more painful than a woman having to give birth to a child....with no epidural, right? Well…apparently, neither could Jesus.
Application
And Church, here Jesus compares the anguish they will face spiritually in seeing Him destroyed in front of them is kind of like the pain....it’s bad.....but when the end result comes…the anxiety will be gone....the pain will cease. Oh it’s going to hurt....but there is an end in sight....the baby will be born....and Jesus will come back....
Church listen to this, these are symptoms of anxiety:
• excessive muscle tension
• irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure
• panic attacks
• irregular sleep patterns
• trouble breathing
Irritability
Restlessness
Lack of Concentration
Unwanted Thoughts of Worry
Fatigue
Sweating
Fear
Dread
Thoughts of impending doom
and when it gets really bad....even thoughts of suicide...
God does NOT want us to be like that....He wants us to rely on HIM....and to trust in HIM....
Church: God cares about your anxiety....and He wants to remove it…so when you get to that place, give it to Him in prayer....pray about it....and if you have to, goodness gracious get some help....God has gifted people like my wife to help you take care of yourself. So do that....body…AND mind.
22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
Did you hear that last part??? NO ONE will take away your joy....There’s this song I just love that has come out in recent years by an artist named Zach Williams about this man who has so much joy, he feels like he has an old church choir singing down in his soul…the chorus goes like this:
I got an Old Church Choir singing in my soul
I got a sweet salvation and it's beautiful
I've got a heart overflowing 'cause I've been restored
There ain't nothing gonna steal my joy
No, there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy
Amen....NO ONE....NOTHING can steal the joy that Jesus gives....
Church: God cares about your anxiety....and He wants to remove it
VI. Point #3: A Moment of Sorrow will Heighten a Moment of Joy
VI. Point #3: A Moment of Sorrow will Heighten a Moment of Joy
Explanation
Listen to verse 22
22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
Did you hear that last part??? NO ONE will take away your joy....There’s this song I just love that has come out in recent years by an artist named Zach Williams about this man who has so much joy, he feels like he has an old church choir singing down in his soul…the chorus goes like this:
Amen....NO ONE....NOTHING can steal the joy that Jesus gives....
Church: God cares about your anxiety....and He wants to remove it
Illustration
I got an Old Church Choir singing in my soul
I got a sweet salvation and it's beautiful
I've got a heart overflowing 'cause I've been restored
There ain't nothing gonna steal my joy
No, there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy
Amen....NO ONE....NOTHING can steal the joy that Jesus gives....
Application
Church: We get sorrowful from time to time....but Jesus promises, He is going o work it ALL out for our good…so long as…we love Him…and we trust Him....Do you believe that, church?
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
There are many old saying to describe....”It’s always darkest before the dawn...”
Richard Nixon, after he had been through resigning the presidency made the statement: “Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.”
However you want to phrase it church, know this: When we experience the bad times, it makes us s appreciate the good ones....and the bad times are truly opportunities to prove our faith....to truly rely on Him.
Think of these bad times as opportunities to show God’s greatness....
Paul said “I BOAST in my weakness”....why? Because it magnifies God....My weakness shows just how strong He is....
Why was David so small compared to Goliath....so ill-equipped....because in being inadequate and still being victorious showed just how amazing and powerful our God is....
Why was Jesus a simple son of carpenter....an uneducated man from the middle of nowhere....because being those things showed just how powerful God is....
Why was JOB put through all he was put through....to show Satan 2 things: 1.) that God DOES have faithful children and 2.) to show him that if a man will be faithful in the midst of pain, God will bless him…and He brought it all back to job in the end....
Why was my friend Kelly robbed of her mobility when she fell off bleachers several months ago while just taking a video of her son playing video?…if you ask her, it’s because God is now able to use that situation to bless others and share His power through her joy…despite her circumstances.
And, church, when we are brought to a point of desperation, if you will just take a moment to remember that God can USE that moment of sorrow to bring Himself glory....and that if we will ONLY be faithful in the darkness of our lives, the Bible promises that JOY, will come in the morning.
Aren’t you happy about that promise, amen?
VII. Conclusion
VII. Conclusion
a. Let me ask you this morning, are you living for that promise?
Maybe you’re going through something difficult....and you say “Vic, you just don’t know what I’m going through...”…you’re right, I don’t…but I can promise you THIS on the authority of the Word of God, that if you will humble yourself, and be faithful to the Lord, no matter what it is, He will lead you....He will bless you.
5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
A....Men.
b. Let’s Pray