Good morning, Sir Pauls. I join you live from the living room of the rectory.
Well, actually, it's not live. This was filmed last week.
Right now, James and I are in Indianapolis for the Gospel Coalition National Conference.
We met with the brothers and sisters at Mosaic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, yesterday
to look at what they do as a multi-ethnic church.
So we send you our love from the United States, and we're praying for you
that you're having a great morning of fellowship as you gather
and discovering joy in the Lord.
That may not also be the case because there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald
a couple of years ago that was just titled, Cheer Up Sydney.
The article suggested that we Sydneysiders possess a legendary preference for complaint.
Whether it's property prices, Saturday morning traffic, or the cost of living,
few things appear to escape the gloomy outlook through which we as citizens see the world.
A recent survey concluded that Sydney is not only unhappy with present circumstances,
but quite cynical about the future.
Things like the cost of living and traffic and housing affordability were the most pressing concerns,
and yet nearly one-third suggested it was just a general frustration with the pace and the stress of life
when you've got things like laundry and children to raise.
Ironically, Sydney, however, is ranked as among the ten most liveable cities in the world
by a whole range of different organisations.
There's a lot to love about our city.
There are more jobs and higher wages and good education opportunities and strong support services.
And then there's the cultural bounty.
Maybe not quite as much as Melbourne, but we've got festivals and beaches and parks and sport.
It is, in fact, objectively Australia's number one city.
Psychologist Susie Green, who's the CEO of the Positivity Institute,
says that Sydneysiders have plenty of reasons to cheer up, and she put it really simply.
She says, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
We're not living in a war-torn country.
So it can be a little confusing that we live in one of the top ten liveable cities in the world,
yet we appear to be pretty much a miserable bunch of people.
What about you?
Is your life characterised by joy?
If circumstances are the issue, that's how we get joy,
then we should be, frankly, happier than most,
and yet the reality is we're not.
And I'm pretty sure this morning that no matter where you are on the joy scale,
none of us would complain about getting a little bit more joy in our life.
I'm pretty sure all of us would be keen to increase in some level of joy.
So we'll see in John 16 today
that encountering the resurrected Jesus guarantees joy.
In chapters 14, 16, and 17 of John,
Jesus is repeatedly telling his disciples that he has a joy to give them.
Now, this is just before his execution, and he knows it's coming.
And this is when his disciples are distraught with the news that Jesus is leaving them.
So this is a profound joy in the midst of dark circumstances.
So this morning, there are three things that I want us to see from John 16.
Firstly, the promise and reality of joy.
Secondly, the nature of joy.
And thirdly, how is it possible that we might be growing in joy?
So firstly, the promise and reality of joy.
And I've got these outlines in your St. Paul's app, if you can open that up now.
Jesus Christ says that if you meet me and come to know me,
you'll have a joy that is deep and powerful and is now.
He says that joy is inevitable when you meet him.
Notice in the text, in verses 16 to 19, we have this phrase,
in a little while.
It's repeated a number of times.
And it's all to do with what Jesus says in verse 16.
In a little while, you will see me no more.
And then after a little while, you will see me again.
Now, there's a few different layers of meaning here.
But essentially, Jesus is talking to his disciples about his death,
his burial in a tomb, and resurrection on the third day.
He's saying, I'm going to die, and you're going to be distraught.
But when you see me again as the resurrected Lord,
you will rejoice.
All of them.
Not just the more emotional ones of them,
or the ones with the better lives.
But all of them will rejoice.
Let me just emphasize something here.
Just bear with me for a little bit.
Jesus isn't saying that you rejoice at my second coming,
although they will.
He isn't saying when you die and you go to heaven,
you will then rejoice,
although they will.
Jesus is saying when you see me resurrected,
you will rejoice.
This is not just a promise for the first disciples.
This is for us now, today.
This is so essential.
Just indulge me just a little bit more.
You may not be aware of this,
but to this day,
no one knows the location of the tomb
where Jesus was laid for three days after his crucifixion.
No one.
There's a few guesses.
By 120 AD,
Christians were not even sure where it was anymore.
Why is that?
Why is it when the tombs of every religious founder and prophet
have been venerated and turned into a shrine,
that is,
they are places of pilgrimage to this day,
why is it that we don't know Jesus?
When Osama bin Laden was finally found and killed,
he was immediately buried at sea
because the United States government
didn't want his burial location
turned into a shrine,
a pilgrimage place
for radical Islamists.
So how come the Christians forgot about the tomb of Jesus?
The reason is,
when you have Jesus,
you don't need his tomb.
In the same way that
when I have my daughters,
their rooms,
their things,
their artwork,
and it's just,
it's not as important.
If I've got my daughters,
their shoes and their clothing and their toys
and their exercise books
are just not as important.
If, however,
one of my daughters goes away
or leaves for a very long time
or dies,
then all of a sudden
their scribblings become important.
The photos,
the exercise books,
the letters,
their favourite toys,
all of a sudden
they take on
a great more meaning
because it's all I've got left.
The reason the tomb
didn't matter to the early Christians
is because they had Jesus.
Real Christianity
is to meet
the risen,
reigning Lord Jesus.
Friends,
we don't need a relic
because we have him.
There is an alive
and active relationship
with Jesus now
available to everyone.
See,
Christianity doesn't just promise
incredible joy at the end,
pie in the sky if you like.
It promises it now.
When you meet the risen Lord,
you rejoice.
This is as true for us now
as it was for the first disciples.
In fact,
the illustration of the woman
giving birth
in the middle of the text
declares it too.
Jesus says,
Joy is like a woman in labour.
When the time has come,
she has the child.
Now,
I've watched a woman
give birth
on three separate occasions.
It's Natalie,
just in case I need
to clarify that.
Now,
one thing I do know
about childbirth
is that when it's time,
it's time.
There's no stopping it.
Now,
and I'm pretty sure
that I would have suffered
physical violence
if I had said,
can you just hold on,
honey,
until tomorrow?
You know,
like I'm looking
for an early night tonight.
Just,
you know,
put it off until tomorrow.
The reality,
you can't even hold it
for five minutes.
I remember running to cars
and running through hospitals.
When it's time,
it's time.
And what Jesus is saying here
is that if you meet him,
you will have joy.
It's inevitable.
It's got to be there.
We are not Christians
without this joy.
I wonder
whether,
if you've ever noticed
how much the Bible,
in fact,
speaks of joy.
Here's a,
here's a sample.
I won't give you
all the references,
but here's just a sample.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
And again,
I say,
rejoice.
The statues of the Lord
are right,
rejoicing the heart.
Serve the Lord
with gladness.
You shall go out with joy
and be led forth with peace.
The Lord will rejoice
in doing you good.
Rejoice,
for your names
are written in heaven.
I bring news
of great joy.
These things I speak,
that your joy
might be full.
The disciples
were filled with joy
and the Spirit.
Rejoice in hope.
We rejoice
in our sufferings.
The joy of the Lord
is your strength.
The fruit of the Spirit
is joy.
What is the essence
of Christianity?
What does it mean
to be part
of God's kingdom?
Paul tells us
in Romans 14,
verse 17,
what the mark
of being
in the kingdom
of God are.
It's,
strangely,
not what you eat,
it's not how you dress,
not rules you keep.
He says,
the kingdom of God
is not a matter
of eating
and drinking,
but of righteousness,
peace,
and joy
in the Holy Spirit.
So Jesus says
to his disciples
in verse 20,
you will grieve,
but your grief
will turn to joy.
Joy is the inevitable
when we meet
the resurrected Jesus
who is alive
and reigning
now.
Jesus promises
joy.
It's real.
If joy,
therefore,
is inevitable
for the Christian,
how can it be
that so many Christians
are just morose?
Remember in Luke 1
when the pregnant Mary
and the pregnant Elizabeth
come together
and at the sound
of Mary's voice,
the baby John
the Baptist
in Elizabeth's womb,
it says,
jumped for joy.
Just at the sound
of her voice.
Psalm 96
says that when
Jesus Christ
comes back,
the trees of the forest
will sing for joy.
So if the trees
and the babies
in the womb
and anything else
that gets near Jesus
leap and sing
for joy,
then why aren't we?
joy is like a tree.
The Bible
isn't commanding us
to have a feeling here.
It isn't calling us
to force our feelings.
The Bible's not saying
two plus two
equals five.
The Bible is,
however,
searching us.
Is there something
that we are doing
that's stopping joy
in our life?
There are certainly
times of grief.
But joy is like a tree.
It's not always green.
It's not always flourishing.
Joy can grow
in the drought
in the same way
a tree can grow
in the drought.
But is there something
that is stopping you
from seeing
what you have
in Jesus?
Is there a
comparatively
small thing
causing you
to be upset
and stopping you
to see
what you have
in Jesus?
is something
else
more important
than Jesus
to you?
This leads me
to the second point.
What is the nature
of Christian joy?
Have a look
at what Jesus
says about Christian
joy in verse 21
of John 16.
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.
It doesn't say
that the anguish
is gone.
When the child
is born,
the pain
isn't gone.
It hasn't just
all of a sudden
stopped.
It hasn't just
disappeared.
It says here
she remembers
the pain
no more.
It's similar.
In Isaiah
43 verse
25,
God says,
I,
even I,
am he who
blots out
your transgressions
and for my
own sake
and remembers
your sins
no more.
What does it
mean that God
isn't aware
of our sin?
Has God
got some sort
of divine
amnesia
and just
momentarily
forgotten it?
No,
he is fully
aware of my
sin and yours
but my
sin and yours
doesn't control
the way he
reacts to
me and to
you.
Love has
captured his
heart,
not my
sin.
So here is
this woman
who has
given birth,
she's all
beaten up,
but she
isn't in
denial.
She isn't
saying,
ah doctor,
I'm fine,
don't need
any painkillers,
you know,
don't feel a
thing,
it's all,
pain's all
gone.
Instead,
she is
furiously
and lovingly
looking at
the child
and she
forgets her
pain.
She's not
denying it,
she's still
hurting,
but she
isn't being
controlled by
the pain.
The pain
can't get
her down
and it
can't keep
her down.
You see,
the nature
of Christian
joy is
that you've
located your
greatest beauty
and joy
in God.
He is
your beauty
He is
the greatest
source of
joy,
more so
than anything
else in
life.
And so
Christian
joy
coexists
with
suffering
and sorrow.
The
Christian
is very
realistic
about
suffering
and grief
and sorrow,
but it
doesn't
control
them.
Worldly
joy
has to
avoid
suffering
and
hardship
or
alternatively
deny it
altogether.
Christian
joy
coexists
with
suffering
and is
in fact
enhanced
by it
because
it helps
us to
see
where
true
joy
can
actually
be
found.
When
our
joy
is
located
in
the
resurrected
Jesus,
circumstances
can't
even
touch
it.
Verse
22,
now is
your time
of grief,
but I
will see
you again
and you
will rejoice
and no
one
will take
away
your
joy.
On a
supper,
this is
why I
think
Christians
should be
the least
sentimental
people in
the world.
Christians
should never
be denying
their own
pain.
They should
never be
denying
what the
world is
painful.
They should
never really
be super
stoic.
And Christians
should never
be afraid
of getting
empathetic
and involved
with people
who are
suffering.
Why?
Because
Christian
joy
coexists
with
suffering.
Christians
have a
joy that
goes deeper
with sorrow.
Christian
joy
grows
brighter
when things
are darkest.
So hopefully
by now
you're wanting
to know
how is it
possible to
get such
joy,
especially when
I'm living
in such a
miserable
place like
Sydney.
Try visiting
Arkansas.
Maybe you're
thinking you
can't do
this.
Maybe you've
been miserable
for 40 years
and you're
settled with
it and you're
just given
up trying.
The good
news is
it's not a
matter of
trying.
When Jesus
is telling us
about this
woman giving
birth in
verse 21,
who is she?
Who does
she represent?
Let me
just show
you.
Verse 21
says,
A woman
giving birth
to a child
has pain
because her
time has
come.
Now there
is a deeper
meaning in
the words
her time.
The word
in the
original
language is
her hour.
This woman
is in all
this pain
because her
hour has
come.
That little
word hour
is very
important in
John's
gospel.
It has a
very specific
meaning in
chapter 7
verse 30,
820,
1223 and
27,
131 and
171.
Even in
chapter 2,
when Mary
tells Jesus
that they
need more
wine at the
wedding of
Cana,
Jesus says
to her,
it's not
my hour.
So what is
the hour
referring to
in John's
gospel?
it's the
hour when
darkness
descended on
the cross
and Jesus
Christ calls
out from
the cross,
my God,
why have
you forsaken
me?
Friends,
in those
days,
first century
Palestine,
when women
gave birth,
this is before
gas and
epidurals and
other
anesthetics,
and every
woman who
gave birth
was not
only in
incredible
agony,
but also on
the verge of
losing her
own life,
and many
did in the
process of
giving birth.
Jesus is
saying here
that this
woman in
labor is
illustrating
him.
The pain
and the
agony of
the cross
was his
hour,
and there
was no
stopping it.
The time
had come.
It was the
will of the
Father.
His agony
was the
spiritual agony
of carrying
the sin of
the world.
His agony
was facing
the judgment
of God
in our
place.
The only
way for a
woman to
give birth,
a baby
the joy
of life,
is to
lose her
own joy
momentarily.
She has
to give
away her
joy and
suffer,
and at
times she
even gives
away her
own life
in order
to bring
life to
a child.
And Jesus
says,
he's
departing,
his disciples
will be
filled with
grief,
but so
will he.
They will
momentarily
lose their
joy.
He is
surrendering
his.
He will
lose his
life to
bring joy
to them
and many.
You see,
Jesus
eternally
existed in
perfect joy
with the
Father and
the Son
and the
Holy Spirit.
As the
Son with
the Holy
Spirit and
the Father.
And together
they created
the world
and humanity
to participate
in their
perfect joy
relationship.
They made
us to
share their
joy,
but we
rebelled
and we
rejected it.
And so
Jesus
lost his
so that we
could be
brought back
into it.
Hebrews 12
2 says
that for the
joy that
was before
him,
he,
Jesus,
endured the
cross.
What was the
joy he was
looking forward
to?
What was the
woman's joy
in John
16?
The baby
was the
joy.
New life.
What Jesus
got out of
the incredible
agony of
his death
and losing
his joy
on the
cross was
us and
us being
included in
his joy.
We were the
only thing
that he
didn't have.
He had
everything
else.
He didn't
have us.
In Isaiah
53 we are
told that the
result of his
suffering is
that he will
see and be
satisfied.
He has
linked his
heart to
us.
He has
made us
his treasure.
American
theologian
Jonathan Edwards
wrote this a
couple hundred
years ago.
Christ has
his delight
most truly
and properly
in obtaining
our salvation.
Not merely
as a means
conducive to
his joy and
delight but
as what he
actually rejoices
in and is
satisfied in
directly and
properly.
As the
bridegroom
rejoices over
the bride,
so shall
our God
rejoice over
thee.
We are
his jewels,
we are
his treasure.
Our joy
grows simply
by seeing
what Jesus
did and
that he
did it to
make us
his joy
and that
will change
you.
When we
see him
locating his
joy in
us,
ultimately
it melts
us.
He will
become all
that we
want.
You see,
it's not
Jesus plus
health,
it's not
Jesus plus
a good
life,
it's not
Jesus plus
wealth,
it's not
Jesus plus
anything.
In him we
have
everything.
Samuel
Rutherford was
a Scottish
minister who
was born
around 1600,
became
Presbyterian
minister in
a little town
in 1627 and
when the
Anglicans
gained the
power over
the Scottish
church,
Rutherford was
imprisoned for
two years in
Aberdeen for
nonconformity.
He survived
to preach
again and
to serve on
the council
that ultimately
wrote the
famous Westminster
Confession of
Faith.
But while he
was in prison
in Aberdeen,
he wrote
lots of
letters and
about 220
of those
letters are
preserved from
those two
years.
And the
spirit of
them is
just radiant
with the
glory of
God and
the all
supremacy of
Christ and
joy.
On his
way to
prison,
he had
said,
I go to
my king's
palace at
Aberdeen.
Tongue,
pen and
wit cannot
express my
total joy.
Wow,
this is a
joy that
just overflowed.
One person
said that
Rutherford was
impatient of
earth,
intolerant of
his sin,
wrapped in
the continual
contemplation of
one unseen
face and
finding his
joy in
that face's
returning smile.
his joy
flowed out
of his
absorption
in Christ
the
resurrected
Jesus
and
Jesus
promises
us
when we
see him
we will
rejoice.
Jesus
He