A JOY THAT CANNOT BE STOLEN

JOHN 16:16-24

MAY 5, 1996

 

Joy is a word that is not easily defined. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary defines it as "a very glad feeling; happiness; great pleasure; delight...." While these terms certainly describe joy, the Christian explanation has a much deeper dimension. I would put it like this, Joy is the disposition of the heart and mind of the one who delights singularly in the Lord.

 

It is a disposition, i.e., the frame of mind or the nature or the display of temperament in a person. It is a disposition that affects the whole person, both visible and invisible. Joy begins within and permeates the whole of one's life. Such a disposition of joy in the Christian sense goes beyond the natural inclination of one's personality. It is a joy that flows directly from a singular delight in the Lord.

 

We are reminded of this joy in many places in Scripture. The Psalms tell us, "Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (37:4). Such an exhortation pictures the believer finding his greatest treasure to be the Lord. "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning" (30:5).

The OT prophet Habakkuk gives us a marvelous exhortation concerning revival and a renewed relationship to the Lord. He expresses the true sense of Christian joy in the familiar passage in 3:17-19.

Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places.



The prophet understood the supremacy of being in relationship to the living God. Though every circumstance be against him, if the Lord is his Lord, then he will yet rejoice in divine joy.

 

Philippians, a NT book our adults will study this summer, is known as the epistle of joy. There are numerous instances throughout this epistle that resound with the joy of the Lord. Paul continues to exhort the Philippian believers, who were living under oppression, poverty, and difficulty, to rejoice in the Lord, always. Every circumstance becomes an opportunity to focus upon the goodness of the Lord and the faithfulness of the Lord and the reality of the Lord's sovereignty, so that the believer can rejoice in the Lord.

 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones struck this theme of joy in the Lord time and again. He made the statement in one message, "The greatest need of the hour is a revived and joyful Church...Unhappy Christians are, to say the least, a poor recommendation of the Christian faith." Now, the kind of joy that he speaks of and which the Bible speaks of cannot be manipulated by a preacher or produced by some type of psychological practice. Indeed, a false joy that depends upon circumstances or certain feelings can be worked up in any group. But true joy, that overflowing of the indwelling life of Christ, that radiance of the fruit of the Spirit, cannot be copied nor stolen.

 

Joy for the Christian is both a reality and a practice. Our joy in the Lord distinguishes us from the world. True joy cannot be stolen by tests, circumstances, or other people. So what we must ask is, 'Can we live in joy in this world?' Is it possible for us, knowing all of the horrible things that are going on in the world, to live in pure, boundless joy? I believe our text speaks clearly to this as the reality, even the necessity, of true Christianity.

 

I. Joy as the present disposition of believers

 

We must keep in mind that Jesus was preparing his disciples for life without His bodily presence. He was readying them for the work of the Holy Spirit among them. He had been elevating their minds and spirits to feast upon the truth of the Holy Spirit's coming, indwelling, and work in their lives. They did not understand everything at this point.

 

I think it is germane to add that though the disciples did not understand everything, He taught them nonetheless. He knew that the Spirit would bring them to understanding, just as He had said. So often, we get upset if something is being taught that we don't understand. We may say that it is over our heads or beyond our intelligence or too hard to understand. I believe we can learn a simple lesson from our Lord's ministry: the Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth. We need not fear teaching that is hard to grasp, for if it is of the Lord, then we will ultimately understand as we persist in seeking and the Holy Spirit persists in guiding in the truth.

 

We cannot divorce this section from the previous detailed explanation of the Holy Spirit. It is in essence a continuation of that same vein of thought. Jesus is here speaking in an almost veiled language. "A little while, and you will no longer behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me." This seemed to be a riddle to the disciples. They began to ask themselves what this meant. Part of the Lord's teaching methodology was to lay something out that might be hard to grasp so that the hearers would question and think. It is only after their wrestling with His statements that Jesus begins to unfold the truth in plain language. It is this unfolding that we must now see.

 

We must keep in mind the premise that joy in the Lord is the present disposition or frame of mind or distinguishing mark of believers. Jesus knew that much sorrow awaited the disciples in just a few hours time. Yet, He also knew that a much greater joy awaited them as well. Let's see what He points out.

 

1. Sorrow comes

 

Sorrow is the cruel reality of living in this world. Every person will at some time face sorrow to some degree or another. It may be sorrow brought on by personal health, or family circumstances, or situations on the job, or world affairs. Sorrow is part of this life. I think that is why some of the old hymn writers called this life, 'a vale of tears'.

 

The root of the disciples' sorrow would be in the death of Christ. What we now understand as the root of our joy was to them the root of deep anguish. "A little while and you will not behold Me," Jesus tells them. By this He refers to his impending death, now only hours away. While these disciples would be full of sorrow, the world that put Christ to death would rejoice in His death.

 

This is another reminder of the attitude of the world to Jesus Christ. We cannot be duped into thinking that the world considers Christ wonderful. Some will acknowledge and even praise the humanitarian works of Jesus, but just begin to describe His death in all of its forensic details. Watch the world about you squirm in discomfort and even ridicule such conversation. Sometimes openly and other times secretly, the world rejoices in the death of Christ, but for the wrong reason.

 

We must see that sorrow, whether it is due to the world's attitudes toward Christ and Christianity or due to some other circumstance, is very real. Jesus reminds the disciples at the end of this chapter that "in the world you have tribulation" (16:33). Paul reminds Timothy, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Tim. 3:12). Paul said of himself on several occasions that he suffered from both outward and inward circumstances. Peter speaks of sharing "the sufferings of Christ" (I Pet. 4:13). James refers to suffering while under trails and temptations. All of this brings on sorrow of various proportions.

 

Though sorrowing is very real to us, our Lord promises that such sorrowing turns to joy.

 

2. Sorrow turns to joy

 

We must stay by our context, which is that the disciples would have sorrow at the death of Christ, but "your sorrow will be turned to joy." How does this happen? I think it is two-fold.

 

First, the disciples had a great joy at the resurrection of Christ. To read the Gospel narratives of the disciples when they discovered the resurrected Christ shows that joy was beginning to work into their lives. They had known joy in the presence of the Lord. Then they knew sorrow of incredible measure when Christ, their hope, died. Then the depth of sorrow faded as soon as they understood that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

We, too, have great joy because Jesus Christ is alive! We do not serve a dead Lord. "He is risen, hallelujah!" we sing. The songs of the resurrection in our hymnals have that common ring of joy in their lyrics and melodies. And rightly so! For knowing that Jesus Christ is alive, that He has conquered death, sin, and Satan for us ought to cause us to break forth in unbounded joy! If you are having trouble with this whole thing of joy, then go back and study the crucifixion and resurrection passages in the Gospels. You will understand what our Lord was saying in verse 21, as He compares his death and resurrection to the travail of birth and the actual birth of a child. How many ladies have said during their labor pains, "I'm not doing this again!" Yet, how many have forgotten those words once the joy of their newborn baby rests in their arms? The disciples forgot the sorrow of the crucifixion once they saw the resurrected Christ!

 

But there is a second reality that brings joy. I think we see this in the contrasting record of the disciples at the end of the Gospels and then in the book of Acts. You find the disciples not quite knowing what to do after the resurrection. They actually seemed to be a bit discouraged because their time with Christ after the resurrection was evidently limited. Their joy was not sustained or consistent. We find them retreating back to their fishing nets, quite possibly discouraged. But we find no such sight in the Acts of the Apostles! There is great joy in their lives and constant movement in obedience to Christ. What is the difference? The indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

 

The Spirit comes to give us joy. Paul identifies joy as one of the aspects of the Spirit's fruit in our lives. It is a distinguishing mark of a true believer. The Divine Paraclete comes along in the midst of our sorrows and breathes into us a sense of divine joy. He actually gives to us the same joy that Christ Himself has in just being Who He is. "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full" (John 15:11). It is the joy of Christ with which the Spirit floods the believer. It is a joy in the midst of our trials, adversities, and sufferings. While all of these sufferings may still be present in our lives, joy is the disposition of our minds and hearts.

 

This is the reality for the child of God, joy in the Lord in every circumstance and situation of life. Do you know the joy of the Lord?

 

While joy is a present reality for the believer's disposition, it is also something that we are to pursue and cultivate. This brings us to the balance of our text and...

 

II. Essentials for joy as the believers' disposition

 

We must understand those things that God has given to us for maintaining our joy. Obviously, joy can be diminished, perhaps lost for a period of time, and even neglected. David prayed, "Restore unto me, the joy of Thy salvation." His own sin had robbed him of joy for a period, but by the graciousness of the Lord, that joy was recoverable.

 

I believe our text points us to several essentials for maintaining our joy in unbounded fashion. I do think that this is a battle which we face in the whole work of living the Christian life. We must realize that our joy is not in our circumstances, but in the Lord. What essentials do we need to see and put into practice?

 

1. Relation of Christ to the believer

 

The wording of verse 22 is very important for us to see. "Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you." Notice that the emphasis was not on the disciples seeing Jesus again. If that was the only way to have joy, then we would be greatly hindered by the ascension of our Lord. Indeed, we see Him, but not through physical sight. We see Him through the eyes of faith by the revealing work of the Holy Spirit.

 

Don Carson makes this point quite clear: "...Jesus' 'seeing' of them is far more foundational to the relationship than their seeing of him--a point Paul well understood (cf. Gal. 4:9, 'But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--...'). The though is analogous to John 15:16: "You did not choose me [though of course in one sense they did!], but I chose you [for that is the properly fundamental perspective]...' [The Gospel According to John, p. 545]

 

When we begin to focus on God's electing grace in our lives, how He chose us as His own, how He took the initiative in redeeming us through Christ, how He gave grace to us in order that we might repent and believe, then all of the circumstances of life seem to pall in comparison. This is why Paul's epistle to the Ephesians rings with such praise and joy in the opening passage as he declares this gracious work of God in Christ.

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. [1:3-6]


This truth assures us of the constancy of divine attention. Christ sees us! He looks upon His beloved, the redeemed which He purchased by His own blood. He sees us and intercedes continually for us.

Have you ever noticed how a child can be relaxed in most any circumstance as long as he knows that his parents are watching him? "Watch me! Watch me!" We've heard those words hundreds of times as parents. Yet, there is great security in the mind of that child in knowing that mom and dad have their eyes on them. The child finds great delight in the parent's watchful gaze.

 

Can we not learn a similar lesson? We look at our sorrows and think that all is lost. Yet our sights need to be elevated to the loving gaze of our Lord, who by the continual operation of the Spirit "sees" us. What joy there is in knowing that He who began a good work in us will continue it until the day that our final redemption is complete! What joy there is in knowing that He set His eye of redeeming love upon us, so that even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, ungodly though we were! What joy there is in knowing that He has redeemed us from the hand of the enemy and transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into His own kingdom! What joy it is in knowing that though we were at enmity with God, that through His own grace shown to us abundantly in Christ, by His own action on our behalf, we are now called children of God! This is a joy that no one can take from us!

 

2. Assurance of the sufficiency of Christ

 

"And in that day you will ask Me no question." Now this may seem to be a strange statement, but let's consider its meaning. The phrase, "in that day," has been tossed about in the circles of interpretation. Some say that it refers to the resurrection, others say that it refers to the parousia. There are three instances in which our Lord uses this phrase in John's Gospel. The first is in John 14:20. "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." This is a clear reference to the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, for our Lord had just told the disciples of the Spirit of truth whom they would receive and that by His coming they would no longer be left as orphans.

 

The second use of this phrase is our text and the third follows closely in 16:26-27. "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father." What is that day?

One of the rules of interpretation is that the meaning of a word or phrase in one instance typically means the same in later instances unless dictated otherwise by the context. The first use clearly refers to the time after the death, resurrection, and coming of the Holy Spirit. I believe it is safe to assume that our Lord has not changed meanings of such a significant phrase, especially in the same narrative. So, we conclude that "in that day" refers to the time after Christ's death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Now, what is the significance of such a statement? Why will the disciples not question our Lord at that point? I believe He points to the fact that the Spirit will confirm the truth that Jesus had already spoken concerning Himself. They would have a new understanding and confidence, even an assurance, of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. Such an assurance brings joy to any heart!

 

We know from previous study that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us (14:17, 20; Rom. 8:9). He also bears witness to Christ, both in terms of the preaching of the Gospel and in an internal assurance that the Gospel has indeed taken root in your life (15:26-27; Rom. 8:16-17). Additional passages speak of His sealing us (Eph. 1:13; 4:30), anointing us with Spirit-breathed understanding and discernment (I John 2:20), and making us a partaker of the Spirit's regenerating work (I John 3:24; 4:13; Titus 3:5).

 

When we consider that the root of the disciples' sorrow at this point is Jesus' death and their not understanding it, we see that the Holy Spirit's work will deliver them from their sorrow and liberate them into the joy of the Lord. They will no longer question the reason for Jesus' death, now they will rejoice in its atoning benefit. They will no longer do as Peter did, rebuking Christ for daring to speak of His death. They will see the accomplishment of the Lord on their behalf, so that their sorrow is turned into joy. The weeping and lamenting of verse 20 were common terms that referred to the loud wailing and excessive crying that is characteristic of the Eastern world at the death of a loved one or friend. This is a sorrow of death that is turned into joy by the assuring work of the Holy Spirit.

 

We can face a lot of things in life when we have the assurance that we belong to Christ! Foxe's Book of Martyrs has countless stories of Christians who faced torturous deaths at the hands of the enemies of the Gospel of Christ. These stories resound with a common theme that as believers have assurance they can face even being burned at the stake for Christ's sake. My brethren, when you know that the death and resurrection of Christ is sufficient for your salvation and that you have trusted in Him alone, no circumstance or situation can take that away from you. Paul brings this ought so clearly in that wonderful 8th chapter of Romans.

 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Such assurance of the sufficiency of Christ for us gives us unceasing joy! Do you know this joy through the assurance of Christ's sufficiency? Go back to His sufficiency constantly and find your joy renewed constantly!

 

3. Practice of prayer in Jesus' Name

 

We may take for granted the privilege of prayer that we have as believers. But we must consider that the typical Jew was afraid to approach God himself. He was glad to have a priest to lay his needs before the altar of God and he would pray, too, but not with the confidence which we enjoy as Christians. Christ tells His disciples that they can now approach the Father in His Name and ask in order to receive. "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full."

 

Do you know the great honor that is ours to be able to come before the Eternal Father in prayer? Oh, we do not come, if we approach prayer properly, in our own merits or on the basis of what we have done for God. So many people don't understand this. They view God as director of a heavenly distribution center, who awaits orders and fills them when beckoned. I was reminded of this when talking with a Jewish lady while in flight for France. She confessed that she was not really sure there was a God, yet she also admitted that she prayed to Him often. I tried to show her who this God is that she 'agnostically' approaches and that the only way to approach this God is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

This is because we have no merits to commend ourselves to God. We cannot say, "Look at all the things that I have done for You; now, would you please give me my requests?" That is essentially what we see in the story of the Pharisee and the publican who prayed in the temple. The Pharisee offered God a litany of his merits, but Jesus stated that this man was not heard in his prayers.

 

Our Lord tells us to ask the Father, yes to ask in an unbounded fashion, but to do so in His Name. Does this mean that we are to use the phrase, "In the Name of Jesus," as the secret password to get through? Are we to use this name at the end of our self-centered requests? Some use His Name as if it was a Hindu mantra. Others use this glorious Name as if it was a magic word in a magician's bag of tricks. To pray in Christ's Name means to pray with the recognition that your entry before the throne of grace is through the merits of Jesus Christ alone. "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession....Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:14,16).

 

To pray in Christ's Name is to pray with His authority as one who has been redeemed by His blood. It is to pray with the consciousness that your request is in concert with His will and eternal purpose. It is to pray with a heart of seeking the kingdom of God first in your life.

 

By the way, this is not just a suggestion. It is a command: "Ask and keep asking! [present imperative verb], and you will receive, that your joy may be made full." Charles Ross puts it beautifully, "Prayer is, as it were, the mighty steed that draws the chariot in which we ride to the gate of celestial joy" [The Inner Sanctuary, 186].

John Calvin, the Genevan reformer, adds, "...It is a wicked profanation of God's name when anyone, by-passing Him [Christ], ventures to present himself at God's judgment-seat. And if this conviction is deeply fixed in our minds, that God will willingly and bountifully give us whatever we ask in the name of His Son, we shall not call various advocates to our aid from here and there, but shall be content with Him alone who so often and so kindly offers to us His labours" [Calvin's NT Commentaries, 127]. I think he strikes a point that we must see in terms of joy; it is Christ alone who ultimately can flood us with fulness of joy. It is not pleasing circumstances nor health and wealth that can give us joy. It is Jesus Christ as our Mediator, our Advocate with the Father, our great High Priest, bidding us to ask of the Father in His Name.

 

Such praying puts us in a relationship of constant dependence upon our Lord. And that can yield nothing but joy in the Lord!

 

Conclusion

 

One of the benefits of our redemption in Christ is fulness of joy. Do you honestly know the joy of the Lord? Are you rejoicing in the Lord? Are you dissatisfied with anything less than this wondrous joy flooding your heart and mind?

 

Let's stir the flames of joy in our lives by recognizing afresh that our joy is not in our circumstances but in Christ. Let's see the grace shown to us in electing love. Let's recognize the assuring work of the Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God and that the work of Christ is indeed sufficient. And let us give ourselves to prayer. As Paul told the Colossian believers, "Be devoted to prayer."

The holy testimony of joyous believers can have as great an impact on the work of evangelism as anything else we might attempt. If the testimony of joy is not radiating in your life, then seek the Lord for this joy; and while you are seeking and asking, rejoice in Him and His work on your behalf.

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