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Empowered by the Joy of Life Within
Series: A Journey with Jesus (through the Gospel of John)
Brad Bailey – March 13, 2011
INTRO
One of the things that stands out about the nature of children… is that the immediate moment is everything. It is hard to get past the moment… after all… life hasn‟t developed enough sense yet about fulfillment that comes in time. As we get older we begin to understand that the drive is connected to the destination… that there is more at hand. I say we only begin to understand this because we still can still get stuck seeing only seeing what‟s immediately at hand. But if we develop this perspective more and more in our human lifetime, it tells us that if someone could transcend all of time… they could discover the ultimate power of how to live now by being connected to what is ultimately at hand.
> That is what Jesus bore… and this morning we hear him tell us how we can now enjoy the same ability to connect what we might face in the present with an eternal reality that exists within us.
TEXT
John 16:20-33 (NIV) 16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." 29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." 31 "You believe at last!" Jesus answered. 32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
These words come at a point in which it‟s not hard to imagine what his followers were feeling. Jesus has been telling them what he must face but they haven‟t wanted to hear it.
They have been in denial… and now that is being pierced and they are about to face potential despair.
When it comes to the reality of suffering… of hardship… most of us live between denial and despair. There are problems we don‟t want to face… aspects of life that are painful and we want to avoid… because we fear that we will only face despair. So we live between these two forces.
> That is what Jesus speaks into. He transcends both denial and despair in what he himself bears.
Notice what Jesus does NOT say… he doesn‟t allow for denial… or trivializing the reality of hardship… he says „you WILL have trouble.‟
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If you have ever thought that knowing Jesus meant never facing problems…never feeling pain…let that false idea go. Jesus was a man „acquainted with sorrows… grief.‟ Jesus was about to endure a pain beyond anything we can imagine.
Life (in this temporal realm) will include trouble… problems and pain that are real.
Jesus makes one thing very clear: Spiritual maturity is not a matter of escaping the problems and pain that life in this world will include. It is true that becoming more mature in how we manage life will help us avoid some unnecessary hardship… but there is no genuine form of being more „spiritual‟ or‟ blessed‟ that escapes trouble. Life has pain… we can try to avoid it… medicate it… but we are divorcing ourselves from reality. We have a lot of culturally popular forms… often even religious forms.
But just as what he says calls us out of denial… it also calls us out of despair.
Despair is what we try to avoid with denial.
Despair is simply what happens when suffering seems to claim the last word…when there is nothing more.
That finality is exactly what Jesus is declaring an end to.
Jesus is declaring to them… and to us… that there is more at hand.
Hear the significant of „but‟ as Jesus speaks…
20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
They were walking to the Garden… Jesus is speaking of what was actually at hand. Judas had set out to betray him… he knew they would soon seek to seize him. When he is taken everything will seemed closed off.
But THEN they will see him again. He is going to be raised to life. Their grieving will be part of a process that ultimately leads to joy. Grief is a natural part of the process… but it does not define what is ultimately at hand.
He explains this relationship between pain and joy by referring to childbirth.
Jesus is using a metaphor that captures the very nature of joy that is now going to be theirs to have in life. Jesus says it‟s like a woman in labor… and then „so with you.‟
Inner joy is transcendent - it brings to bear what is ultimately at hand… the birth of a new and everlasting life with God.
He does not say the pain is over… It says she forgets it. But this is only in the way we naturally would understand the phrase… it‟s not a literal forgetting… but of discovering that which becomes more defining. (It‟s similar to when the Scriptures declare that God forgets our sin… it means they no longer carry the same consequences… no longer are the defining and determining word.) Again, Jesus isn‟t suggesting that the pain created in childbirth immediately gone… or that we won‟t have sorrow and suffering… problems and pain.
Jesus brings a joy that stays in touch with the sorrow. But it also stays in touch with a truth that transcends the sorrow.
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This is the power of a peace that is beyond understanding… that is, beyond our circumstances. Pain and peace together.
It is important to understand that he is not referring to joy in the ways we might tend to use the word. We tend to refer to joy more outwardly… some sort of outward expression. But he is referring to something that comes from within… a realization that transcends the hardships at hand.
This spiritual joy is what is different from what we usually mean by happiness.
Happiness is based on what is happening around us… but inner joy flows from what we know within us.
Joy is that which encompasses and transcends both happiness and sadness. Joy is like the sun, always shining even when night falls or clouds cover it. Happiness is like the moon, waxing and waning. Happiness is born in the mind, joy in the heart. Happiness comes from humans, joy from God. - From F. E. Arn, in The Living Church
This divine joy flows from what already exists but hasn‟t been fully experienced. It is a life that we already have but will not be fully realized living in this condition.
It already exists…. So it is not just a matter of things will change… but that such a new reality already is.
This is the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed has come… is at hand… yet isn‟t fully realized. It is „ Now but not yet‟. [Note 2]
We live in the intersection… empowered by another realm… another realm being born again in this realm.
It‟s like another frequency… that can are now tuned into.
Paul put it this way…
“…in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” - 2 Corinthians 7:4
This birthing metaphor also captures the profound nature of how this joy is about new life. God‟s new world was being born in these events. He is not just setting a new example but establishing a new reality. When he is raised to new life he is the beginning of the new world which God is birthing.
That reality has existed in the eternal realm… but now it is for us.
It is what Jesus drew upon as he faced the suffering and sacrifice at hand.
Inner joy gives us strength – as our new life in the eternal realm empowers us to endure what is temporary
Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
That is the joy that he has been telling them that he is bringing to them.
It is a grasping of another realm that is already established. His joy was his place in that realm. The joy he now shares and provides for us… is our place in that realm which is being birthed afresh in the created realm.
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That is why he concludes saying „take heart‟…. It is the opposite of losing heart. It empowers us.
Inner Joy is always at hand – as we discover and develop the relationship we can have with God.
“When you see… you WILL have joy.”
Not always immediate, but it is inevitable….because to know him is to have joy.
Joy is one of the main attributes of God. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Beauty is that which echoes of a better world…. But the Gospel engages us like the string finally being plucked and allowing us to hear the music.
Do you know that joy exists….?
We naturally come to wonder… then why don‟t I have more joy? What‟s wrong?
It is a discipline.
A bad conscience will shut down our joy.
So the positive discipline is to meditate… to rejoice.
Like any musical instrument… you have to develop… not force it (“I‟m going to have joy this week.”)…. But develop it. You didn‟t develop your relationship with a parent or anyone else in a day… that love was cultivated with every day of relating.
Tomorrow we as a community are designating a Lenten season….40 days to …
I believe Jesus words are here speaking into our lives.
As we begin this “Lenten” season of special devotion centered in the sacrificial love of Christ…
1. Focus on inner joy (life within us) more than happiness.
> The truth is that most of what we are being drawn to give attention to is circumstantial pleasure…. Whether what we have to wear, eat, or do… NONE of which Jesus ever declares to be wrong in itself. The issue is that is all outside in. He bears life from the inside out.
That is why throughout history… lives have joined in fasting during this season in particular. Fasting is not simply about giving up something… but in redirecting ourselves to a deeper focus on life within us.
In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus says…
“WHEN you fast… your heavenly father who sees what is done in secret will REWARD you.” - Matthew 6:16-18
Notice Jesus says “WHEN”, not “IF” but “WHEN” you fast. For Jesus, the place of fasting was assumed. In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “When you give… when you pray… when you fast.” … for they are equally natural parts of one developing life with God. We find after the resurrection, his disciples… his followers did fast, the apostle Paul said he “fasted often;” and throughout early church history fasting is a dynamic part of spiritual life.
Perhaps more striking, he said “… your Father will REWARD YOU.” Jesus would have us understand that a spiritual fast can be a spiritual feast. There is no getting around the fact that fasting is a discipline, and as with all disciplines we initially see the cost before we can appreciate the reward. But in fact, every day we are living out of the rewards of discipline... whether in
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sleeping, eating, exercise, learning, or such. Jesus knew our spiritual nature well; he knew the same value of discipline holds true for our spiritual life.
Fasting provides a way of focusing us on our inner life with God.
You may recall that as Jesus‟ began his ministry he was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: „Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.‟” Matthew 4:1-4
Similarly, we read in John 4:31-32, how once, “his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Dallas Willard explains… “Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.”
Fasting is a means of freedom from the distortion that we are merely physical creatures.
- As is commonly the case, the loss of one of our senses is compensated for by heightening the sensitivity of another.
- Dr. Julio Ruibal, who‟s both an internationally known nutritionist and specialist in the art of fasting and prayer, says our brain is affected by many of our living habits. “Fasting helps to clear up our spiritual reception. It‟s not that God begins to speak louder when we fast, but we begin to hear him better.” (Bright p. 95)
Some practical suggestions for guiding you into a period of fasting …
Choose a form of prayer and fasting that you feel personally prepared for. This may range from setting aside a single element of activity … a particular food … a single meal each day … a weekly day of fasting ... to a full fast for a particular number of days (…in which case one should drink water and possibly juices.)
Prepare to fast in terms of adjusting your schedule as needed to allow some focused time for reflection and prayer. Consider sources of focus … perhaps a devotional guide or particular plan of reading Scripture.
Enjoy being a “student‟ (disciple) in the process. Developing disciplines such as prayer and fasting usually don‟t emerge quickly and easily as this involves facing many patterns we‟ve developed. If you feel distracted or discouraged, don‟t stop your season, simply use this as a means to learn more about what‟s involved with connecting with God.
2. Renew the open relationship we have with God… Father, Son, and Spirit.
23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
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That hadn‟t asked in Jesus name because Jesus had not yet defeated death and established a new and resurrected life. Now that new life with the Father is at hand.
“I will see you again (resurrected) and you will grasp that I have new life to offer.
> No one can take that joy away
NT Wright – „It‟s not just a shrug of the shoulders… but of standing on the new ground that Jesus establishes.‟
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
It is life united with God… the Father… Son… and Spirit.
> This is the power of true spiritual joy.
"The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.... Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends are but shadows, but enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean."
-Jonathan Edwards 1703-1758
John 15:10-11 puts it this way:
“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father‟s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” - John 15:10-11
“If we obey…” isn‟t referring to simply keeping all the rules but keeping our relationship with God one in which we are responsive.
This is a season to consider if our relationship with God is fully open… and responsive.
Have we been hiding… divided… holding back in some sort of protest…?
> Will you commit to making this a season of real searching?
Three things to consider in our relationship with God…
(Drawing from Brian Bill)
These are rather self-explanatory and you can take your notes with you… so I want to close just noting them briefly.
Unsatisfied expectations
A great deal of the depression we experience in life is a matter of unrealized expectations that we have not accepted as part of our lives.
It could be that your expectations for your marriage have not been met. Or, maybe your kids aren‟t living like they should. Perhaps you don‟t have everything you want – a bigger house, a nicer car, and a better job.
The issue isn‟t that we should want our lives to be different… but that we have made life contingent on such changes. Our hearts can become bound by some expectation that hasn‟t been fulfilled.
We can live with „ifs‟ and „whens‟…
“If this happens I will really start embracing life.”
“When these circumstances change… I will be happy.‟
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Listen to how Paul discovered the secret of being content with what God had given him in Philippians 4:12: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Paul says he had to “learn” how to live with unsatisfied expectations. Likewise, we must learn to live with plenty or with want. [Note 1]
Unresolved conflict
One of the leading psychologists who studied what makes people happy concluded that forgiveness is the trait most strongly linked to happiness. He said, "It's the queen of all virtues, and probably the hardest to come by."
(University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson - Citation: Marilyn Elias, "Psychologists now know what makes people happy," USA Today 12-9-02)
Conflict brings more than we often want to recognize.
It can be consuming of our hearts. It can also become a quiet barrier between our hearts and God‟s heart... because we can develop contempt for one of God‟s children. We can develop a self righteous pride in the process.
Hebrews 12:14-15 challenges us to not allow relational ruptures to fester because bitterness can set in: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Unconfessed sin
This third joy buster is perhaps responsible for chasing more joy out of lives than any other. Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away.
David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Spirit. Take a look at Psalm 32:1-5: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, „I will confess my transgressions to the LORD‟ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
After David owns his sin, his joy returns. Notice verse 11: “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” Did you catch that? He was not able to rejoice and experience the joy of the Lord until he confessed his sins! That‟s very similar to what David wrote in Psalm 51:7-8: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.”
Closing:
I want to invite you to join in a special season of prayer and fasting. It‟s not meant to be a program… but a pursuit.
This season joins in focusing on Christ‟s passion week… which refers to his sacrificial love…. For us…and in response to the Father.
What he sought was to that his „joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.‟ - John 15:11
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What he taught us was how to live in relationship to the Father in heaven.
Some of us are resentful about the very topic of joy… because you have felt it‟s lack.
This season… do not set out to make yourself joyful… set out to renew the life within you… life with God. The biggest challenge is often we simply are so pre-occupied with life around us… we have little opportunity for life within us.
(Closing story)
Many years ago, a little boy was given a priceless possession: his deceased grandfather's gold pocket watch. How he treasured it! But one day, while playing at his father's ice plant, he lost the watch amid all the ice and sawdust. He searched and scratched, becoming frantic, but no watch. Then he suddenly realized what to do. He stopped scurrying around and became very still. In the silence, he heard the watch ticking. God has given each of us a priceless gift of joy in Jesus. How easy it is to lose our joy in the scurrying around of life. Yet it is always there to find, if we will but pause and listen to the beautiful presence of Jesus in our hearts.
Resources: Drew some points or ideas from Brian Bill, N.T Wright, Tim Keller,
Notes:
1. Francis de Sales adds another perspective:
We will soon be in eternity, and then we will see how all the affairs of this world are such little things and how little it matters whether they turn out or not. At this time, nevertheless, we apply ourselves to them as if they were great things. When we were little children, with what eagerness did we put together little bits of tile, wood, and mud to make houses and small buildings. And if someone destroyed them, we were very grieved and tearful at it; but now we know well that it all mattered very little. One day it will be the same with us in Heaven, when we will see that our concerns in this world were truly only child's play.'
Francis doesn't trivialize these concerns: "I do not want to take away the care that we must have regarding these little trifles, because God has entrusted them to us in this world for exercise; but I would indeed like to take away the passion and anxiety of this care."
- Authentic Faith by Gary Thomas, p. 189
2. D-Day and V-Day (From Rick Adams) How many people here recognize this date: June 6, 1944? On June 6, 1944, a date known ever since as D-Day, a mighty armada crossed a narrow strip of sea from England to Normandy, France, and cracked the Nazi grip on western Europe. The battle was far from being over – there would be months and months of more combat. But this battle, this day, was the beginnings of a decisive victory. Final victory was certain, even if the war was not altogether over. And how many people here recognize this date: May 9, 1945? This is the day that the German army unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces. This is day known as V-E day, when the Allied victory in Europe was secured. This brief history lesson tells us that the decisive battle of a war may be won before the enemy is willing to acknowledge defeat or before the enemy even realizes it is defeated. Fighting may continue for a time, although the outcome of the war has already been determined. The final “cease fire” and official declaration of victory are only the inevitable result of the decisive battle
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already fought. Imagine having to fight a war but also knowing that ultimate victory was inevitable. You are on the winning side. There are more battles to fight, but D-Day has come and gone; and V-Day, while still ahead, is guaranteed. How would this affect your performance in battle? Would you be afraid of defeat? Would you still have the same fear of your enemy?
