Text: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33
16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. proverbs: or, parables
26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. proverb: or, parable
30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. his own: or, his own home
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Topic: The grief of the cross was turned into joy
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The Spirit of God reveals the reality of the impending grief in the life of our Lord as we see Him approaching the cross.
- John 13-17 outlines the Lord’s Upper Room Discourse. These are the final words of Christ to his disciples prior to his crucifixion
- John chapters 14-16 are packed full of things the disciples needed to know
- Jesus is going away
- He will send the Spirit to them
- They will see Jesus again after a little while
- John 16:20-21John 16:20-21
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
indicates that the agony of the coming cross was like a woman in travail- At the time of delivery, there is pain and sorrow
- Her time has come
- Giving birth is not a pleasant experience.
- Results in the joy of a new life born into the world
- There would be a mixed response to the departure of Christ
- It would be a time of grief for the believer
- The beginning of verse 20 indicates the initial response of the followers of Christ was weeping and mourning
- The end of the verse indicates that the believer’s grief will be turned into joy when he once again sees the Lord
- Joy because of victory – John 16:33John 16:33
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
- It would be a time of grief for the believer
Our sorrow will be transformed into joy
A permanent joy (John 16:22John 16:22
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
)
A complete joy (John 16:24John 16:24
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
)
- The departure of Christ will be a time of joy for the world
- Notice the response of the world to the departure of Christ is rejoicing
- Notice the response of the world to His return (Revelation 6:15-17Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
) is mourning
Supporting Texts:
- Matthew 26:38-39Matthew 26:38-39
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. - Luke 22:44Luke 22:44
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. - Revelation 6:15-17Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? - 2 Corinthians 4:16-182 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. - Hebrews 10:37Hebrews 10:37
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Text: Jonah 4:1-3Jonah 4:1-3
4
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Topic: Gleaning life principles from the Book of Jonah
The book of Exodus tells us that Moses received a very clear command from the Lord at the burning bush. God had called him to be a deliverer of His people, and instead of responding to the call, Moses offered excuses (fear, speech, incapable).
The book of Judges tells us that Gideon received a very clear command from the Lord while he was beating out the wheat at the wine press at Ophrah. God called Gideon to deliver His people from the oppression of the Midianites, but instead of responding to God’s call, Gideon offered excuses (fear, lack of family prominence, youngest child).
In the book of Jonah, we also find a servant of God running from the calling of God, only not simply through excuses, but through a naïve response, fleeing the presence of the Lord! In Jonah 1:1-2Jonah 1:1-2
Jonah
1
1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Jonah: Gr. Jonas
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
, the prophet receives a very clear calling to preach deliverance to Nineveh.
Jonah 4:1-3Jonah 4:1-3
4
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
tells us why Jonah fled.
· Jonah knew that God delighted in mercy
· Jonah knew that God was longsuffering
· Jonah knew that if God was willing to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 10 righteous souls, He would most certainly spare Nineveh should the people repent.
Jonah did not disobey out fear, but he disobeyed because he was partial
· Jonah fled because he knew God well
· Jonah fled because he knew what kind of people the Assyrians were
· Jonah hated the Assyrian people
· The servant of the Lord is not free to choose his place of service
o Jonah was a true prophet
§ Even though the Book of Jonah contains no prophetic message, it is still one of the minor prophetic books
§ Jesus refers to the Book of Jonah twice
o Jonah was zealous for the Lord’s righteousness
§ Jonah understood God’s character
· Jonah understood God’s grace and mercy
· Being a Jew he was a member of God’s chosen people
§ Jonah understood God’s power
· Jonah 1:8-9Jonah 1:8-9
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. the LORD: or, JEHOVAH
– God controls nature
· Jonah 2:7-9Jonah 2:7-9
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
– God hears prayers
o Jonah was a good man
§ He was passionate for God’s glory
§ G. Campbell Morgan said: “A passion for righteousness, which makes us vindictive and incapable of forgiveness, even in the case of those as cruel as Nineveh, puts us out of fellowship with God.”
o Jonah was willing to go anywhere except to Nineveh
§ The servant of the Lord becomes disobedient if he limits God’s call to service with any exception clause.
· God determines where we are to service
o God called the prophets to preach His message to a specific people
§ Noah, the preacher of righteousness
§ Jeremiah, the preacher to God’s stubborn people
· Jeremiah 1:8Jeremiah 1:8
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
– “Do not be afraid of their faces”
· Jeremiah 1:17Jeremiah 1:17
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. confound: or, break to pieces
– “Do not be dismayed because of their faces”
· Jeremiah 5:3Jeremiah 5:3
3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
– “Faces would be harder than rock”
o God called the apostles to preach to specific people
o God calls us to a specific task
Supporting Texts:
· Matthew 12:39-40Matthew 12:39-40
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
· Matthew 16:4Matthew 16:4
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
· Acts 10 (Peter’s calling)
· Acts 16 (Paul’s calling)
