Joy Has Been Secured for You (John 16:16-24)

Children's Lesson (click here)

I. A Quest for Happiness

...the Bible, in its original languages, contains a variety of terms that are used to describe the same inner reality: joy, happiness, delight, gladness, cheerfulness, jubilation, exultation. Whatever word you use, joy is something of which all of us have some basic understanding. The 17^th century French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “…all men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ they all tend to this end.” Are you familiar with that pursuit of happiness? Do you see it all around you? It's there, isn't it, every single day. But the human quest for happiness never seems to succeed. Our hunger for happiness never seems satisfied by the things of this world. Such joy is often temporary and temperamental.

II. The Passage: “That Your Joy May Be Full” (16:16-24)

Turn with me this morning to John 16. We will be focusing this morning on verses 16-24. John 16:16-24. In this passage we discover three kinds of words: in verses 16-18, the disciples express words of confusion. In response in verses 19-22, Jesus gives them words of comfort. And in verses 23 and 24, Jesus goes on to reassure them with words of confidence.

First, in vs. 16-18 we discover words of confusion. This is Jesus to His disciples in v. 16:

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” [17] 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’?” [18] So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”

So here they are, Jesus and His disciples on their last night together before the day of Jesus' death; the night before Good Friday. Leonardo DaVinci painted “The Last Supper” according to His imagination, but the Apostle John paints this scene for us as an eyewitness and as one moved by the Spirit of God. Ever since chapter 13, Jesus has been teaching these men in light of His imminent arrest, torture, and death. He's been trying to prepare them for what is to come and strengthen them in light of the radically new work God is doing (and going to do).

But as we see here, the disciples are confused, both by the cryptic language Jesus is using in verse 16, and his mention of “going to the Father” back in verse 10. We need to remember that these men had no idea that this would be their last night with Jesus. They still expected Jesus to lead the people against the Romans. Back in chapter 12 Jesus had entered Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna”. The city was buzzing with expectation. Why in the world would Jesus leave now, even if just for “a little while”? So what is Jesus talking about?

Well, these chapter that describe that final night in the upper room, chps. 13-18, along with clues from earlier in the book, and the account of what happens later in the book, all of this makes it clear that when Jesus talks about not being seen in “a little while”, He is talking about his impending death and burial. Furthermore, when he speaks about being seen again “a little while” after that, He is referring to His resurrection from the dead. It would only be a matter of hours before Jesus would be taken away from them. And it would only be a matter of days before they saw Him again, risen from the dead. John chps. 18-21 will go on to record all these events.

But if we continue with verses 19-22, we find here, second, that Jesus is responding to their words of confusion with words of comfort. Verse 19...

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’? [20] 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. [21] 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. [22] 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.

As the Son of God, Jesus knows exactly what these disciples are discussing. He knows they're confused about all this in “a little while” language. But notice that Jesus does not fill in the blanks in terms of specific details about his imminent departure and reappearance. He focuses not on what will happen to him, but on how they will respond to what happens. His absence will surely lead to sorrow. But this sorrow is not the kind of sorrow you have when the dog chews up your favorite slippers. No. This sorrow produces (verse 20) weeping and lamenting. The sorrow-inspiring absence of Jesus will even be a source of rejoicing for “the world”, for those opposed to the truth of God that Jesus has been revealing. Again, this indicates something devastating is going to happen very soon, and Jesus is preparing these men for what is coming.

But in verse 20, Jesus also gives these men some good news: their fast approaching sorrow will quickly turn into joy. Notice what Jesus says here. Their sorrow will not be replaced by joy. Their sorrow will “TURN INTO” joy. But what does that mean? Well notice the illustration He uses in v. 21. The sorrow of a woman in labor is not eventually replaced by some unrelated joy (you've just won a new car!). No, her sorrow, her pain, is actually purposeful! The miracle of a baby, the miracle of new life, puts everything... even her sorrow, into a proper perspective.

In the same way, Jesus wants to encourage these men to hold on; not to give up hope when the darkness of His death covers them. They WILL see Jesus again, and His reappearance will mean rejoicing like they've never rejoiced before.

Finally, third, Jesus shares words of confidence with them in verses 23, 24. He tells them...

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. [24] Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

 Now, what exactly is Jesus saying in these verses? Well, notice the change that Jesus is describing in terms of the disciples' relationship to God. During His earthly ministry the disciples asked a lot of Jesus. They asked questions, they asked for provision, they even asked for places of honor at His side. And they did this because they recognized the very thing Jesus talked about so often: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” (3:35) “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.”  (5:20) “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”  (5:26) But look at what Jesus is saying here about the time that's coming, the time after “a little while”, when they will see Jesus again. “In that day you will ask nothing of me.” No, what they will do instead “in that day” is go directly to the Father in the name of Jesus. Up to this point, they have not been doing this. But something will be different “in that day”.

Not only will they be able to go directly to the Father “in that day”, but they will also receive what they ask for “in that day”. “...he will give it to you.” (v. 23) To be clear, Jesus is not guaranteeing the disciples a 'blank check' here. He is guaranteeing an 'open door'. He is guaranteeing them 'fatherly favor'. He is guaranteeing them a 'full joy'.

III. A Secure Joy Produces a Confident Joy

Brothers and sisters, friends, I want you to look again at how Jesus describes the kind of joy that will soon fill the hearts of His disciples. Look back at v. 22: “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.” Now consider this: can you think of circumstances, and/or people, and/or memories, and/or worries, and/or feelings that can take your joy from you? If you’re honest with yourself, you can imagine that very thing because that experience is a normal part of our lives. There ARE circumstances and people and memories and worries and feelings that we do consider enemies of our joy.

But what did Jesus say? “... And no one will take your joy from you”. The joy he's promising is a secure joy. It is a joy firmly fixed. It is bolted down. It is cemented in. It is sure. No one is taking that joy from us. So where’s the breakdown? If like these men we are disciples of Christ, then either Jesus is not telling us the truth (which is quite unlikely) OR the joy that is so often taken away from us, the joy that is temporary and temperamental, is not the same joy Jesus is talking about here, OR maybe, the problem is with our experience. If and when that joy SEEMS to be taken from us, the problem is not that we have truly LOST it, but that we have LOST SIGHT of it.

 So how can Jesus speak about this kind of joy with such certainty? Well, look at what the passage itself tells us about why this secure joy is so secure. #1, secure joy is secured by the certainty of victory through His Cross. As Jesus explains here, the sorrow-inspiring events surrounding his death were ultimately the ‘labor pains’ that resulted in new life. The cross is where the true enemies of joy were defeated, once and for all. It's where Jesus made sure nothing could rob you of your joy by robbing sin, the world, and the Devil of their power over you.

#2, secure joy is secured by the certainty of newness through His resurrection. What did Jesus say? He described how the reality of that new baby, the reality of new life, is the very thing that turns sorrow into joy. Isn't new life the very thing Jesus secured when he rose from the dead in new life? This is how he accomplish His agenda of joy. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that “for the joy that was set before him [Jesus] endured the cross”. Paul tells us in Romans 6:4 that “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Finally #3, secure joy is secured by the certainty of access to His Father. Verse 24, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” We know the ultimate purpose of the cross and empty tomb. I Peter 3:18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God...” God is the true source of joy! What could be more joyful than the reality of knowing and loving God as your Father?

Where is your quest for joy/happiness taking you? Listen, there can be joy in so many earthly things. But that joy is fickle and fleeting. It is temporary and temperamental. At their worst, such joys are obstacles to God and result in His judgment. But at their best, earthly joys should point us to the Giver of genuine joy. Is His joy your joy? Is, as Nehemiah 8 describes it, “the joy of the Lord... your strength”? Jesus Christ died and rose again in order to give you a joy that cannot be taken away. Have you received that joy by faith? Are you walking in that joy, by faith? Or have you lost sight of it? The secure joy for which Jesus died should be the confident joy in which we live. Let's go to God even now. Ask him for that joy. Ask him to help you to see (& walk in) it again.