Grief Turned Into Joy

On April 11, 1996 the entertainment world suffered a great loss when Larry LaPrise, the Detroit native who wrote the hit song, "The Hokey Pokey", died at the age of 83. It was told that he died peacefully and that he led a full and happy life. Still it was a very difficult time for the family. It turned out It was especially difficult for them to get him in the casket. You see, they put his left leg in and... well, that was when the trouble started.

Folks it’s been over two thousand years now since they had similar trouble in Jerusalem. And oh how we celebrate this today! In the Gospel of John chapters 13-17 we find Jesus’ farewell discourse – His words He shared with His disciples in those last hours before fulfilling the plan His Heavenly Father had sent Him to perform. His disciples were troubled and saddened in their hearts hearing His talk about leaving them and returning to the Father – at several times that evening they were quite frankly perplexed.

Pick up with me in John 16:16-22 …read…

John 16:16–22 NASB95

“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” 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’? “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. “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. “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.

I want you to notice 2 things this morning: 1st…I want you to notice...

1. The Disciple’s Perplexity. (John 16:16-18)

- All the way thru the Farewell Discourse, He’s getting ready to leave and return to the Father.

- All this is preparation for what’s about to take place.

- What was about to take place? The Father’s plan in order to provide the way of salvation for all humanity – the sacrificial death of His Son there on Calvary where He would become the sin sacrifice for everyone in the world – where He’d make it possible for everyone who would believe in Him and receive Him to receive forgiveness for their sins and to be able to be reconciled to God and to be able to have the gift of eternal life – and to begin to experience the abundant life that is found in Christ .

- So as Jesus is going through these last hours with His disciples – He is seeking to prepare them.

- At the end of John 13 Jesus became specific very specific in His teaching – He speaks about how His hour has now finally come – and how He is about to leave them – He’s already told them earlier that He was getting ready to go to the Father – and the disciple’s hearts were troubled – they didn’t understand – they didn’t want Him to leave – this is why Jesus says in John 14:1-3 …

John 14:1–3 NASB95

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

- And as Jesus continues, He’s specifically telling them Hey guys, it’s necessary for My departure so the Father can send the Holy Spirit to live inside everyone of you now – and help you daily.

- So here Jesus says these words John 16:16 …“A little while…”

John 16:16 NASB95

“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”

- At this point the disciples’ heads are swirling – this is just too much to take in – and no doubt they had to see the seriousness on Jesus’ face as He was sharing these things – they were having difficulty understanding.

- So they kept talking amongst themselves asking each other “what does this mean?” – but no one was going to ask Jesus.

- They didn’t understand – but they did understood something of the gravity of what He was saying = and that whatever He was speaking about was imminent – and that something very big was about to happen that involved Jesus’ departure from them!

2. The Disciple’s Joy (16:19-22)

- Jesus knew what was in their hearts – and He knew what they were discussing amongst themselves and what they wanted to ask Him – they wanted to know “Jesus what do you mean?”.

- So in His loving and concerned way, Jesus got pretty direct with them in 16:20…Guys, in just a little while you are going to weep and lament as you never have before = but the world is going to rejoice!

- The word mourn (lament) was a strong word that referred to grief at death – and the word weep is used in John only in the context of death = thus Jesus was referring to the grief they were about to experience as a result of His death! They will grieve greatly; but the world will rejoice greatly = because the world (the religious leaders and the apostate nation would think they were finally rid of this menace and trouble maker to Israel!

- But hang on! Your grief and their rejoicing will be short lived…a little while and you will not behold Me…and again a little while and you will see Me!

- AND YOUR SORROW WILL BE TURNED TO JOY!

-And Jesus gave the illustration of a woman who gives birth to a child – she goes into labor and experiences intense anguish and suffering BUT THIS ALL GIVES WAY TO THE BIRTH OF A PRECIOUS CHILD = and all the anguish and suffering GIVES WAY – PRODUCES GREAT JOY!

-Jesus was saying: The Cross that was about to cause their weeping and mourning would be the cause of the great joy they would soon experience! As MacArthur says: The dark shadows of sorrow and grief cast by the cross fled before the brilliant, glorious light of the resurrection…

- The disciple’s enormous grief would turn to joy (inexpressible joy, joy that no one would ever be able to take away!) when they would see their resurrected Lord!

- At that moment everything changed!

- At that moment their grief was turned to joy! Why? Because…

(1) Jesus was alive! – the grave/death couldn’t hold Him – He triumphed over them!

(2) The price for sin was paid. – Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!

(3) Life was now possible. - Eternal life and abundant life

(4) Now they were assured of a home in Heaven. – John 14:1-3

(5) Now they had a new relationship with the Risen Lord!

Choir: Because He Lives

Conclusion

Are you experiencing this same joy today? Jesus isn’t dead – He’s alive! He has risen! And He has paid the price for your sins – Hes’ made it possible for you to be reconciled to God – and to have the assurance you have a home in Heaven when the time comes for you to leave this world!

Have you come to Him and received what He’s done for you? If you have not, I invite you (plead with you) to do so right now!

And you can begin to experience the same joy the disciples experienced when they saw their resurrected Lord 3 days later!