There’s an old and ancient Chinese proverb which says, if you wish to be happy for one hour, get intoxicated. If you wish to be happy for three days, get married. If you wish to be happy for eight days, kill your pig and eat it. If you wish to be happy forever, learn to fish. (Chinese proverb, James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 277)
Evidently that Chinaman got more pleasure out of his pig than his wife.
Be that as it may, it brings up an age-old question: Where do we find a lasting happiness? Where do we find real joy, not just for the moment, but a joy that lasts forever even through the hard times?
Martin Rinkert was a pastor in 1636 during the Thirty Years War. It was probably one of the worst wars in the history of the world in terms of the sheer number of deaths, epidemics, and economic results. In a single year, this pastor buried 5,000 people in his parish – about fifteen a day. It was a terrible time.
And yet, during that time, Martin Rinkert wrote a table grace for his children, that is in our hymnbooks today. It goes like this: “Now thank we all our God With hearts and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done, In whom his world rejoices.”
I don’t know about you, but if I'd spent the year conducting 5,000 funerals, I’d find it very hard to write a song of thanksgiving for my children. Why is it that those who have the least to thank God about thank him the most? (Joel Gregory, "The Unlikely Thanker," Preaching Today, Tape No. 110)
Tell me. Where do they get their joy? Where do they find gladness in the midst of such pain? Where do they find true happiness in the midst of such great sorrow? Well, Jesus told us where to find joy in sorrow in John 16. So if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to John 16,
John 16:1-6 All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. (ESV)
The future doesn’t look too bright for these followers of Jesus. He tells them He’s going away, and He warns them of persecution. Sorrow has filled their heart – lit., pain has filled their heart. Even so, they can find joy in the midst of sorrow; they can find gladness in pain.
John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (ESV)
This “Helper,” this “Comforter” is none other than the Holy Spirit Himself. So…
FIND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Find gladness in the Spirit of God himself. Find true and lasting happiness in your Holy Helper, especially in troubling times. He’s the One who comes along side you to encourage you, to comfort you, and to defend you before your accusers. Specifically, the Holy Spirit has a two-fold ministry.
First, He convicts the unbelieving world. He shows them the truth of God for what it is. He exposes their sin and convinces them of their need for a Savior.
John 16:8-11 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (ESV)
Do you know what that means? You don’t have to argue. You don’t have to prove yourself. That’s the Spirit’s job! All you need to do is present the truth and let the Holy Spirit do His work. He is your Helper in terms of your witness to the world.
Bible scholar and pastor N.T. Wright talks about an archbishop, who told the story of three hardened teenagers, who one day for a laugh, went into the confessional booth at a local Catholic church. They confessed to a long list of ridiculous and grievous sins that they had not committed.
The priest, seeing through their bad practical joke, played along with the first two, who ran out of the church laughing. But the priest hung onto the third prankster and told him, “Okay, you have confessed these sins. Now I want you to do something to show your repentance. I want you to walk up to the far end of the church and I want you to look at the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross, and I want you to look at his face and say, ‘You did all that for me and I don't care that much.’ And I want you to do that three times.”
So the boy went up to the front, looked at the picture of Jesus and said, “You did all that for me and I don't care that much.” And then he said it again, but he couldn't say it the third time because he broke down in tears.
The archbishop telling the story said, the reason I know that story is that I was that young man (N.T. Wright, "Grasped By the Love of God," N.T. Wright Online; www.PreachingToday.com)
All the priest had to do was point that young man to the cross. The Holy Spirit did the rest, convicting that young man of sin and drawing him to the Savior. You don’t have to convince people they need a Savior. Just point them to the cross and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. He convicts the unbelieving world.
More than that, He conducts believers in the truth. He leads them. He guides followers of Christ according to God’s Word. Jesus says...
John 16:12-15 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (ESV)
The Holy Spirit will declare the future. He will declare Christ, and He will declare Christ’s riches.
Now, this is a promise addressed specifically to the apostles, the eleven men now gathered in that upper room. They were to record the words and works of Christ. This, along with the “many things” they could not bear at the time (vs.12), became our New Testament.
In John 14, Jesus promised these same men that the Holy Spirit would “teach [them] all things and bring to [their] remembrance all that [Christ] said to [them]” (vs.26).
In other words, as you look at your Bibles, you’re not looking at made-up stories and words. You’re looking at the words of men who were moved by the Holy Spirit to write what they did. They were men who didn’t have to depend on their faulty memories. Instead, the Holy Spirit declared to them. He reminded them of the words and works of Christ as they wrote them down. What you have here is an accurate record of what Christ said and did, because the Holy Spirit Himself superintended the process.
But there’s more! Not only did the Holy Spirit direct in the writing of the Bible. He also helps you when you READ the Bible. He helps you to appreciate and apply the Bible to your life.
H. B. London writes about the time four doctors in surgical greens stood before Dave and Jana at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. London was their pastor, and he stood by helplessly as one doctor spoke. “Your baby has died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We want to give you a chance to hold your child before we take her.” Their shoulders shook with emotion as they held their firstborn for the last time.
London didn’t know what to say. He wanted to tell them that everything would be okay, but that wasn't true. Their baby was dead. All his pastoral training and experience seemed to fail him then. “Dave and Jana,” he began, with words that were broken and slow, “I don't know why this awful loss has to come to you. But I know God loves you as if you were the only ones in the whole world to love. If you accept his love… if you believe he does love you, you'll make it. If you don't, you won't.” Those were the only words he had for them, which seemed awfully empty at the time.
London choked back his own emotions while the young couple tried valiantly to cling to their newfound faith. But something happened in that hospital room. Even though there were no words to erase the pain, a Holy Presence invaded that place. God joined the three of them. Just as in the Old Testament story of the fiery furnace, when God himself came to comfort Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they felt in the fiery trial of suffering an assurance that God was caring for them.
Years later, after H. B. London joined Focus on the Family, he received a letter with a picture of Dave and Jana holding a beautiful baby. They wrote:
H. B., you probably don't think we heard you when you encouraged us to cling to the love of God when our baby died. But we heard you clearly. So we have believed over and over that God loves us as if we were the only ones to love. We have learned to live in the love of God. We quote your words to each other often. The Lord is gracious. Notice in the picture we are holding a beautiful new baby—God's special gift to us. We don't understand why we lost our first child. We still hurt when we think about it, but we don't question God anymore…
London says, “I have thought a lot about their faith and mine since receiving that letter. Some tough situations are mysteries beyond our comprehension. Mysteries greater than our answers. Mysteries that stretch our faith. Mysteries that force us to turn to God because we can't find answers anywhere else.” (H. B. London, They Call Me Pastor, Regal, 2000, pp. 23-30; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s where the Holy Spirit steps in. He surrounds you with His holy presence and helps you live in the wonderful truths of God’s Word, especially in the truth that God loves you.
Joyce Kilmer wrote: Because the way was steep and long, And through a strange and lonely land, God placed upon my lips a song And put a lantern in my hand.
That lantern is the Holy Spirit who guides you through life. So in your sorrow, find joy in the Holy Spirit. More than that…
FIND JOY IN THE RESURRECTION.
Rejoice in the fact that Jesus is alive! Be glad that your savior lives!
John 16:16-22 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 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. 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.” (ESV)
Jesus was about to die on a cross, which would bring His followers great sorrow. However, Jesus would soon rise again, which would bring them a joy nothing could ever take away. What looked like death and defeat on Friday became life and victory on Sunday! Satan thought he had dealt the fatal blow. Instead, Jesus dealt him the fatal blow.
Max Lucado talks about the time he was in a 6th grade basketball tournament. He says, “I can't remember the exact score when I finally got to play, but I know it was close. I recall a loose ball, a scramble to grab it, and complete surprise when my teammate on the bottom of the pile threw it to me.
“When I saw that no one was between me and the basket, I took off. With the style of an MVP-to-be, I made a lay-up worthy of air-time on ESPN. My surprise at the ease of the basket was surpassed only by my surprise at the silence of the crowd.
“No one applauded! Rather than pat me on the back, my team buried their faces in their hands. That's when I realized what I'd done. I'd made a basket on the wrong end of the court – I’d aided the enemy! I'd helped the wrong team. No wonder no one tried to stop me, I was helping their side.
“Can you imagine how silly I felt?,” Lucado asks. (Leadership, Vol. 19, no. 4)
If you can, then you know how silly Satan felt. He thought he scored a win when Jesus died on the cross. Instead he ended up only scoring a win for Jesus Christ. In fact, every time he sets out to score one for evil, he ends up scoring a point for good.
That’s what the resurrection of Christ is all about. It’s about the victory Christ won for us on the cross. Please, don’t forget that especially during these difficult days. It’s Friday, and all seems dark, but Sunday’s coming! So rejoice even in the darkness.
This is how Joseph Bayly put it after losing two children to premature deaths. He said:
Let's celebrate Easter with the rite of laughter. Christ died and rose and lives. Laugh like woman who holds her first baby. Our enemy death will soon be destroyed. Laugh like a man who finds he doesn't have cancer, or he does but now there's a cure. Christ opened wide the door to heaven. Laugh like children at Disneyland's gates. This world is owned by God and He'll return to rule. Laugh like a man who walks away uninjured from a wreck in which his car was totaled. Laugh as if all the people in the whole world were invited to a picnic and then invite them. (Joseph Bayly in Psalms of My Life; Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 6).
Oh my dear friends, in these days of sorrow, find joy in the Holy Spirit; find joy in the resurrection; and finally...
FIND JOY IN PRAYER.
Find joy in talking to God. Find joy in asking your Heavenly Father for what you need.
John 16:23-28 “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 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. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (ESV)
Jesus says, “I am going to the Father,” but you can go directly to the Father,” too, in prayer. “You don’t have to go through the saints. You don’t even have to go through Me. You can go directly to the Father, because He loves you for loving Me.”
Oh, what a wonderful relationship with God you have as a believer in Jesus Christ. You have direct access to your Heavenly Father, and you have the assurance that He will give you anything you ask for in Jesus’ name.
Now, “praying in Jesus’ name” is not just tacking on the phrase, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” No! It’s praying as Jesus would pray. It’s praying in His will. It’s praying according to His character.
You say, “Phil, that limits me.” No it doesn’t. On the contrary, it opens wide the possibilities! It allows you to soar in your prayers, because the Bible says, “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; Our ways are not His ways; For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9). The Bible says, “He does abundantly beyond all that we could ask or even think” (Ephesians 3:20). The Bible says, “His will is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). We certainly can’t say that about our wills, can we?
Praying in Jesus’ name, praying according to His will and character, doesn’t limit you. On the contrary, it opens wide the possibilities. So rejoice in your relationship with the Father. Rejoice in the fact that He delights to hear and answer your prayers.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third book C. S. Lewis’ wrote in his wonderful 7-volume set of the Chronicles of Narnia. In that book, a young girl Lucy, her brother Edmund, and their cousin Eustace are taken to Narnia. It’s a place where Aslan rules, a lion which represents Christ. The three of them go on a voyage and come to the island Where Dreams Come True. It’s also where nightmares come true. The ship’s crew is overcome by fear and begin to wildly row in the darkness. Each sailor hears a different terrifying noise: huge scissors, enemies crawling up the side of the ship, and gongs.
So what does Lucy do? She prays: “Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now.” The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little—a very, very little—better. “After all, nothing has really happened to us yet,” she thought.
A ray of light falls on the ship and Lucy sees something in it like a cross. It is an albatross. The albatross circles them three times, lands on their mast, and then flies ahead of them leading their ship out of the darkness. But no one except Lucy knew that as [the albatross] circled the mast it had whispered to her, “Courage, dear heart,” and the voice was Aslan’s.
In a few moments the darkness turned into a greyness ahead. Then, almost before they dared to begin hoping, they had shot out into the sunlight and were in the warm, blue world again. And all at once everybody realized that there was nothing to be afraid of and never had been. (Lewis, C.S., The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Harper Collins, 1994, Page 24; www.PreachingToday.com)
Right now, the days are dark, and a lot of people are overcome by fear. They imagine all kinds of terrible things. Please, don’t let fear control you. Instead, pray to your Heavenly Father in Jesus’ name. You’ll began to feel a little—a very, very little—better. Then soon the darkness will turn to gray; and before you dare to begin hoping, you’ll find yourself in the sunlight again! This too will pass, and your relationship with God will bring you through!
So in your sorrow, find joy in the God, the Holy Spirit; find joy in the Resurrection of Christ, God’s Son; and find joy in prayer to your Heavenly Father.
Lyle Arakaki, who lives in Hawaii, talks about watching Monday Night Football. Because of the time difference between Hawaii and the continental United States, the game is actually played in the mid-afternoon Hawaii time. So the local TV station delays its telecast until 6:30 in the evening. But when his favorite team plays, he’s too excited to wait for television, so he’ll listen to the game on the radio, which broadcasts it live. Then, because they're his favorite team, He’ll watch the game on television, too, several hours later.
If he knows his team has won the game, it influences how he watches it on television. If his team fumbles the ball or throws an interception, it's not a problem. He thinks, “That's bad, but it's okay. In the end, we'll win!” (Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching, Baker; www.PreachingToday.com)
At the end of John 16, Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The current situation is bad; but it’s okay, because Jesus wins in the end! His resurrection guarantees it.
