Peace, Love, and Happiness

Thank you, Treg. If you would, please take your Bibles and open them up to the Gospel according to John.

And we're going to be in chapter 16 this morning, verses 16 through 33, through the end of the chapter.

And I'll remind you, just for the sake of context, that we're continuing our series here in John's Gospel,

and we are in the moments leading up to the cross and the upper room discourse,

as we're functioning like flies on the wall listening in to some of Jesus' last words to his disciples.

So John chapter 16, verses 16 through 33, when you found that in your Bibles,

John 16:16–33

I ask that, would you please stand for the reading of God's Word and follow along with me as I read?

Jesus says, a little while and you will see me no longer.

And again a little while and you will see me.

So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he says to us?

A little while and you will not see me.

And again a little while and you will see me.

And because I am going to the Father.

So they were saying, what does he mean by a little while?

We do not know what he's talking about.

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him.

So he said to them, is this what you are asking yourselves?

What I meant by saying a little while and you will not see me.

And again a little while and you will see me.

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.

You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come.

But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again.

And your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you.

In that day you will ask nothing of me.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

Until now you have asked nothing in my name.

Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

I have said these things to you in figures of speech.

The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech,

but will tell you plainly about the Father.

In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf.

For the Father himself loves you,

because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

I came from the Father and have come into the world,

and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.

His disciples said,

Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.

Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you.

This is why we believe that you came from God.

Jesus answered them,

Do you now believe?

Behold, the hour is coming.

Indeed it has come,

when you will be scattered, each to his own home,

and will leave me alone.

Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

I have said these things to you,

that in me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation,

but take heart,

I have overcome the world.

This is God's holy, inspired word.

Please be seated as we pray.

Lord, would you take these words and implant them in our hearts

with faith and joy in believing.

We pray in Christ's name.

Amen.

I'll ask you a probably strange question as we begin.

Do you treat the gospel more like tap water

or like a stream of water in the desert?

Do you treat the gospel more like tap water

or like a stream in the desert?

I had this image in my mind this week.

I spoke with some missionary friends

who are serving in the deserts of North Africa.

Very hot, hostile, humid territory.

They are bringing the gospel to unreached people groups

there in the deserts of North Africa,

scattered throughout that harsh terrain.

I just want you to get in your mind this morning

the image of a desert.

It is hot.

Temperature is hotter than we could possibly imagine.

It's dry.

It's dusty.

It's difficult terrain.

But imagine that right there in the middle

of that hot, dry desert

is a flowing stream of water.

And of course we know that that water is so precious.

It's so important.

It's life-giving for the area.

But I just want to think for a moment

about all of the benefits

that that flowing stream of water might provide.

Of course it provides hydration.

And I would imagine that men and women

would travel for miles

throughout all that harsh, dry desert

in order to come and drink from this flowing stream.

It would provide nourishment.

It provides strength for the crops

that would grow up around the area

which would in turn provide food

for the people nearby.

It gives life to the animals

that live in the desert.

They drink from the water

and then they in turn provide strength for labor

for those who live nearby.

They would provide meat to eat.

The stream is a place to wash and to clean.

If you lived in this harsh, dry desert

you would be well acquainted with the benefit,

all the many benefits

that this flowing stream of water might provide.

You would spend time here often drinking

and washing and benefiting from this stream of water.

Now, compare that to water from the tap.

Of course we know that water is important,

but let's be honest,

when is the last time you got excited

about water from the tap?

We drink it because we know that it's good for us,

but we hardly think about it.

We turn on the tap, the water comes out,

we know we need it,

but most of the time it is an afterthought.

Church, sadly,

far too often,

this is how we tend to think about the gospel.

We know that it's good,

right?

We know that it's life-giving for us,

we know that we need it,

but we are so slow

to fully grasp the depth

of what Christ has done for us

in his life,

his death,

his resurrection.

What I want us to see this morning

is that the gospel of Jesus Christ

is a life-giving stream

of spiritual benefits

to all who come and drink.

So this morning,

what I want us to do

with God's help

from John chapter 16

John 16 · chapter mention

is I want us to see

just three life-giving benefits

of what Jesus has done.

Just three this morning.

Three life-giving benefits

of the gospel of Jesus Christ

so that you and I

might more fully enjoy this gospel,

the gift of life

that God has given us in Christ.

Three life-giving benefits

benefits of what Jesus has done.

Benefit number one,

permanent joy.

Permanent joy.

Look there with me

to our passage

starting in verse 16.

Jesus is trying to explain

to his disciples

what is about to happen.

You remember again,

this conversation is happening

on the eve of his crucifixion.

And so he tells them,

in a little while,

you will see me no longer.

And again,

in a little while,

you will see me.

And I don't think

it's too hard for us

to understand

that he's talking about

his death

and then his resurrection.

In just a matter of hours,

he will be betrayed,

he will be hung on a cross,

and he will die.

And the disciples in the room

who see him right now

will no longer see him.

They won't see him anymore.

But he assures them,

again in a little while,

after I have died,

after I have been laid in a tomb,

you will see me.

He's speaking about

his miraculous resurrection.

Well, again, as usual,

the disciples don't understand

what he's talking about.

What is this that he says to us?

A little while,

and you will not see me.

And again, a little while,

and you will see me.

And because I'm going to the Father,

what does he mean by a little while?

I love this in verse 18,

at least they're being honest.

They say,

we don't know

what he's talking about.

And Jesus, of course,

knew that they were having

some issues with this,

and he knew what they wanted

to ask him,

and so he explained it to them

like this.

Look there to verse 20.

He said,

Truly, truly,

I say to you,

you will weep and lament,

but the world will rejoice.

You will be sorrowful,

but your sorrow

will turn into joy.

This is a promise

of a stunning reversal.

For a moment,

it will feel like all is lost.

For a moment,

it will feel like the world

has won,

but your sorrow

will turn into joy.

How can this be?

I know it's hard for us.

We know how the story ends.

So it's hard for us

to place ourselves

in the events of the cross

without thinking of the events

of the resurrection,

but I want us to try

just for a moment.

Try to place yourself

in the events of Good Friday

and the death of Jesus

without knowing

how this all pans out

in the end.

Your friend

and your teacher

is on a cross,

the man who has

revealed God to you

in more powerful

and tangible ways

than anything

you've ever experienced.

this man who has

made incredible promises

to you,

come to me

and be saved,

come to me

and drink freely

of my life.

I am the way,

the truth,

the life.

No one comes to the Father

except through me.

And then he's laid

to rest in a tomb

and you would wonder,

well,

has all of this

been for nothing?

Can we trust

his promises?

Has all of our hope

been a waste?

Is this all just in vain?

And then he dies,

he's laid in a tomb

and for three days,

those who are still

in their sin,

the world,

the unbelieving world

will rejoice

at the death

of the Son of God.

And for three days,

you will grieve

and you will mourn,

your heart will be

consumed with sorrow.

For three days,

you will question

whether all of this

has been in vain.

This sorrow

is very,

very real

for his disciples.

They are defeated.

You get a sense

of that defeat

on the road to Emmaus.

You know the story

from Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

You have to love

Jesus' sense of humor

in this story.

Two of his disciples

are walking

on the road to Emmaus.

This is after Jesus

has been crucified

and Jesus risen

from the grave.

He comes

and he walks

with them

but it says

that their eyes

were kept

from recognizing him

and he asks them,

what are you guys

talking about?

And they said,

and when he asked them

this,

they stood still

and they looked sad

and they said,

are you the only one

around here

who hasn't heard

what's happened?

This man,

Jesus of Nazareth,

a man who was

a prophet mighty

indeed and word

before God

and all the people

and how our chief

priests and rulers

delivered him up

to be condemned

to death

and crucified him

but we had hoped

that he would be

the one to redeem

Israel.

You hear that?

We had hoped.

Do you hear the hopelessness

in their voice?

They were sorrowful.

They were defeated.

What do you think

their reaction was

when their eyes

were opened

to recognize

that this was

in fact

the risen Jesus

speaking with them?

That Jesus was now

back from the dead.

Jesus himself

showing himself

to them,

telling them

that all of this

that's happened

was according to plan.

All of this

was God's design.

Satan has not won.

The world has not won.

I have overcome

the world.

I have defeated

the grave.

All of my promises

are true

and trustworthy

and you can believe

my word

because I've risen

from the grave.

What do you think

they would feel

in that moment?

Their sorrow

would be swallowed

up by joy

at the resurrection

of Christ.

Jesus is promising

his disciples here

yes,

you will have sorrow.

Yes,

this will be hard

but when you see me again

you will have

unshakable

joy.

He compares it

to a woman

who's giving birth

to a child

and those who have

given birth

know what this is like.

When that hour comes

it's not easy,

it's painful,

it's scary,

it's a terrifying moment,

it's an anxious moment

and I just had to watch.

I wasn't the one

actually doing it

but for me

it was scary as well

and I can't imagine

what it was like for her

but all of that

pain and sorrow

is eclipsed

by joy

the moment

that you hold

that baby

in your arms.

It is not

that the pain

didn't happen.

It's that that

moment of pain

has now transformed

into a moment

of joy.

But for those

who know

the resurrected

Jesus

it's much more

than just

a moment,

isn't it?

Look at what he says.

He says,

you also

will have sorrow

now

but I will

see you again

and your hearts

will rejoice

and no one

will take

your joy

from you.

Did you hear that?

No one

will take

your joy

from you.

The resurrection

of Jesus

is an

ever-flowing

stream

of endless

permanent

glorious

joy

for all

who know him.

And unlike

anything else

that you might

enjoy

in this

life

in this

world

no one

can take

that joy

away

from those

who believe.

Not

sickness,

not sorrow,

not death,

not loss,

not pain,

not grief.

Why?

Because

Jesus

lives

and will

never die

again

and because

you by

faith

live in

him

forever.

What did we

just read

from Psalm

1611?

This promise

that in

your presence

in the

presence of

God

there is

fullness

of what?

What did

it say?

Fullness

of joy.

At your

right hand

are pleasures

for a little

while,

pleasures

forever

more.

This is

what Christ

has invited

you into

by what

he has

done

in the

gospel.

One of

my boys

brought home

prayer requests

this week

from friends.

I love

this,

y'all.

We sat

down to

pray at

the dinner

table

before we

ate and

he had a

bag where

each of his

friends had

filled out a

little slip

of paper

with something

to pray

for and

his plan

was just

to draw

one out

and pray

for whichever

one he drew

is so sweet.

And his

friend,

the request

that he had

was I guess

his grandfather

had recently

passed away

and so he

wanted prayer

that he would

not be lonely

in heaven.

Isn't that

sweet?

That he would

fit in

up there,

that he

wouldn't be

anxious,

that he

would have

friends.

I got

to explain

to them

that heaven

is not

like it

is down

here.

Here we

have sorrow,

here we

have grief,

here we

have that

social anxiety,

we want to

fit in,

we don't

want to

be lonely.

In the

presence of

the resurrected

Jesus,

there is no

sorrow,

there is no

loneliness,

there is no

grief,

there is no

loss,

there is no

pain,

there is

fullness

of joy

that can

never be

taken from

you who

believe.

Amen?

We have

entered in

to a

never ending

moment of

joy by

faith in

the resurrected

Christ.

That's the

status of

you,

Christian,

you who

believe.

We have

been

transformed

from a

moment of

sorrow with

no hope,

a moment of

hopelessness,

to a

moment of

joy.

Yes,

with its

challenges in

this world,

yes,

with its

sorrows in

this world,

but joy in

a resurrected

Savior that

can never be

taken away.

We have

entered in

to a

never ending

moment of

joy and

no one and

nothing can

take it away

from you.

Because Jesus

lives, we can

drink from that

stream of

resurrection joy,

not just in

eternity when we

get there,

but right

now.

Isn't that

glorious?

And we don't

have to wait

until heaven

to enjoy

what Christ

has done.

Our mission

and vision,

again, we

aim to

magnify the

glory of

God and

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ,

number one,

way number

one that we

aim to do

that.

What is it?

By enjoying

Him,

by enjoying

God.

Christians of

all people in

the world ought

to be marked

by unusual

joy.

Does that

describe you?

when people

talk about

members of

Seaweed Bay

Baptist Church,

one of the

things I want

them to see

and to say

about us is,

man, that's

the people

that enjoy

God.

That's a

joyful people.

They rejoice

in what Christ

has done

in the gospel.

And if that

doesn't describe

you, well,

Jesus tells us

one of the

ways that we

can tap into

that stream

of joy right

now is

through prayer.

Look there

with me to

verse 23,

through prayer.

Jesus says,

in that day

you will ask

nothing of

me.

Truly, truly,

I say to

you, whatever

you ask of

the Father in

my name,

He will give

it to you.

Until now,

you have asked

nothing in

my name.

Ask and

receive that

your joy may

be full.

You know,

we've been

talking this

year a lot

about prayer,

and it seems

like the Lord

isn't done

teaching us to

pray, is He?

We saw a few

weeks ago a

similar promise

from Psalm 37

Psalms 37:4

verse 4.

It said,

delight yourself

in the Lord,

and He will

give you the

desires of

your heart.

Well, here,

Jesus says,

ask in my name

for my glory,

for my purposes,

and not for your

selfish agenda,

but for my

name's sake.

Ask in my name

and receive.

We can say

receive the

desires of your

heart.

And what's the

result of this

God honoring,

asking,

and receiving

in the hearts

of those who

believe?

Joy.

Ask and receive

that your joy

may be full.

You know,

one of the

purposes of

prayer for

believers,

one of the

aims that God

wants to work

in your heart

as you come

to Him and

ask and then

receive is

joy.

Here's the

point,

church.

God is far

more ready to

give us joy

than we are

to ask.

Christ has

purchased

permanent joy

for His

people in

the gospel.

There's a

river of

endless joy

available for

all who

believe,

but you and

I tend to

be satisfied

with drips

from the

tap.

Church,

are you

asking God

to move?

Are you

asking God

to save,

to redeem

those around

you who are

lost?

Are you

asking God

to replace

your sorrow

with His

joy?

Are you

asking?

The gospel

is the

source of

permanent

joy.

Not only

this,

benefit

number

two,

benefit

number

two of

what Christ

has done

in the

gospel,

paternal

love.

Permanent

joy,

and second,

benefit

number two,

paternal

love.

Look there

with me to

verse 25.

Jesus,

He says,

I've said

these things

to you

in figures

of speech.

The hour

is coming

when I

will no

longer

speak to

you

in figures

of speech,

but I

will tell

you

plainly

about

the

Father.

We saw

this last

week.

If you

remember,

again,

up to

this point,

Jesus

has been

sort of

veiled.

His purposes

have been

veiled.

His full

work and

full identity

has not

been entirely

clear to

His disciples,

but after

His resurrection,

what did

He promise?

He's

promised His

Spirit,

the Helper,

will come

and will

guide them

into all

the truth,

specifically,

the truth

about who

Christ is

and what

He's done

in the

gospel.

So for

these disciples,

the cross

will be

clarified for

them.

The resurrection

will be

clarified for

them.

The Old

Testament

promises

that are

fulfilled in

Christ will

be clarified

for them.

All their

questions about

why Jesus

had to

die,

why like

this,

why in

this way,

the gospel

message will

be clarified

for them.

Church,

one of the

greatest blessings

of the gospel

is that if

we want to

know about

God,

if we want

to learn

about who

He is,

how He

thinks about

His heart,

His character,

this is where

we look.

We look

to the

gospel.

If you

want to

judge for

yourself,

how well

do I

understand

God?

How well

do I

understand

His ways?

How well

do I

understand

His heart?

Ask

yourself,

how well

you

understand

the gospel?

The gospel

is God's

plan to

save sinners

through Jesus

Christ.

The Puritans,

I love to

read the

Puritans.

Most of the

people I

read are

old,

dead people

that are

much wiser

than me.

Sinclair

Ferguson,

he really

said it best,

he said that

the Puritans,

they often

treat the

gospel like

a diamond.

It's a

precious gospel

message.

They take it

and they

slowly,

very slowly,

sometimes painfully

slowly,

they turn it

and they look

at this gospel

message from

every angle

to see every

facet,

every reflection

of the glory

of God

in the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

They want to

examine every

little reflection,

every little

detail so they

can know

the heart

of God.

We ought

to do

this as

well.

As we

think on

what Jesus

has done,

we can see

with stunning

clarity the

character of

God on

display.

Think about

it with

me.

Do you

want to

see the

justice of

God?

Where else

can we

look but

on the

cross?

Where sin,

our sin,

not Christ's

sin,

our sin

was punished

on the

cross.

God judged

sin at the

cross of

Christ.

Do you

want to

see the

mercy of

God on

display?

Look to

the cross.

Where sinners

like you and

me are spared

the punishment

we deserve,

we are spared

from the

judgment of

God.

Do you

want to

see the

grace of

God on

display?

Look to

the cross.

Where Christ

himself died

in your

place to

take what

you've earned

so that you

can have

what he

earned.

Not by

our merit,

but by the

grace of

God.

See,

we can

turn that

diamond of

the gospel

every which

way we

want and

we can

see the

heart of

God.

But here

in our

passage,

Jesus draws

our attention

to one

particular

gloriously

bright shining

side of this

diamond.

Do you

see it?

It's the

love of

God on

display.

The love

of God

is seen

and extended

to sinners

in the

cross of

Jesus

Christ.

If you

want to

know the

love of

God,

where do

you look?

You look

to what

Christ has

done.

If you

ever wonder

whether God

is able

or willing

to love

a sinner

like you,

you look

to the

cross.

You look

to what

Jesus has

done.

We know

this verse,

John 3,

16,

for God

so loved

the world,

loved the

world that

he gave

his only

son,

that whoever

believes in

him should

not perish

but have

everlasting

life.

That's

gospel

love.

God

demonstrates

his own

love for

us and

that while

we were

still sinners,

Christ died

for us,

Romans 5,

8.

See what

kind of

love

has been

given to

us,

that we

should be

called

children of

God and

so we

are,

1 John

3,

1.

Paul tells

us nothing

will be able

to separate

us who

believe,

nothing will

be able

to separate

us from

the love

of God

in Christ

Jesus our

Lord,

Romans 8,

39.

We were

dead in

our trespasses

and sins

in which we

once walked

but God

being rich

in mercy

because of

the great

love with

which he

loved us

even when

we were

dead in

our

trespasses

made us

alive together

with Christ,

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

All of

our salvation

from beginning

to end,

all of it

is a work

of divine

profound

love for

sinners.

Of course

this shatters

the idea

that God

is a God

of wrath

and Jesus

is a God

of love.

have you

ever heard

anybody

say that

to you?

Maybe

you've

ever

thought

that

yourself

that

God

the

Old

Testament

God

he's

the

wrathful

one

and

Jesus

over here

he's

the good

one

God

the father's

bad cop

Jesus

the son

is good

cop

Jesus

just has

to twist

God's

arm

to make

him

like

us

that

couldn't

be

further

from

the

truth

the

cross

of

Jesus

Christ

is

God's

plan

God's

plan

to

remove

the

fullness

of

God's

wrath

from

us

so

that

we

might

know

the

fullness

of

God's

love

for

us

in

Christ

and again

he gives

us another

incredible

lesson on

prayer

here

doesn't

he

that's

that's

rooted

in the

love

of

God

look

there

to

verse

26

he

says

in

that

day

you

will

ask

in

my

name

and

I

do

not

say

to

you

that

I

will

ask

the

father

on

your

behalf

for

the

father

himself

loves

you

because

you

have

loved

me

and

have

believed

that

I

have

come

from

God

this

is

astounding

when we

understand

this

church

when

we

pray

you

heard

us

pray

this

morning

we

ask

in

Jesus

name

there's

no

other

way

for

us

to

pray

Jesus

is

the

mediator

between

God

and

man

it's

like

when

Moses

went

up

on

the

mountain

to

speak

with

God

only

Moses

out

of

all

the

people

of

Israel

he

served

as

mediator

between

God

and

the

people

if

the

people

had

something

they

wanted

to

bring

to

God

guess

who

they

went

to

Moses

he

was

the

man

they

said

go

tell

God

this

for

us

we

can't

go

up

there

and

likewise

when

God

wanted

to

deliver

his

word

to

the

people

how

did

he

do

it

through

his

mediator

through

Moses

well

this

is

a

bit

it's

a

shadow

it's

a

bit

like

the

priestly

work

of

Jesus

Jesus

is

the

one

who

mediates

between

sinful

man

and

holy

God

he's

the

one

that

makes

it

possible

for

sinners

like

us

to

speak

to

a

holy

God

but

he

says

it's

even

better

than

what

Moses

did

on

the

mountain

because

you've

loved

me

because

you

believe

me

God

himself

loves

you

you

see

the

difference

here

because

of what

Jesus

has

done

you

and

I

are

invited

to

come

to

God

in

Christ

not

simply

as a

go

between

but

but

in

him

listen

to

this

church

we

are

invited

to

share

in

the

relational

love

that

has

existed

before

eternity

began

between

the

father

and

the

son

do

you

hear

that

not

as

an

unwelcome

third

wheel

but

in

the

full

acceptance

and love

of the

son

himself

that's

unthinkable

access

I'll give you another illustration

I'll see if this

helps clarify this for us

there is a

there's a pastor

who has influenced me

and

in profound

ways

I won't say his name right now

I don't know that that'd be

helpful

but this man's

writing

has influenced

me

his

preaching

has

influenced

me

he's not

perfect

of course he's not

he's human

but he's been a

major impact

on my life

he's shaped

my theology

my ministry

he's helped me see more

clearly the gospel

than just about anybody else

indirectly

I've never

never met him

never spoken with him

but he has

he's shaped me

and countless

thousands of others

in ways that he probably

won't even realize

until he gets to glory

well

interestingly enough

again I don't know him

I've never spoken to him

but over the past few years

I have gotten to know

his son

and listen

I have never once

over the past three years

that I've known the son

I've never once

asked him

anything

about the father

we talk almost

weekly over text

we talk exclusively

about basketball

that's it

but you've got to understand

that this man

his father

is a hero

of mine

and I could

in theory

I could at any time

I could text the son

and ask him

to bring to the father

a request

or a question

or a thank you

or some sort of message

from me

if I'm struggling

with a text

and preparing for a sermon

I could in theory

text the son

and ask him

to ask the father

hey can you help me out here

that sort of access

to one of my

theological heroes

is at all time

right there in my pocket

I'm two degrees removed

from one of my

my men that's shaped me

in profound ways

that's

I think pretty incredible

but what

Jesus

says

here in John 16

listen to this

is that what he

has worked up

in the gospel

is even

better

than that

you have

an even sweeter

access

to God the father

than that

yes your access

to the father

is through

the son

in the name

of the son

but church

you come to God

not just

through the son

but in

the son

as a son

God the father

sees

not just

the son

representing you

he sees the son

in you

and you

in him

do you see the difference

what a difference

that makes

praise

Jesus

we are not

two degrees

removed from God

the father

we are made

one with God

through faith

in Christ

that's what Jesus

has done

for all who love

him

and believe

in him

you see that

that qualification

there at the end

that love of the father

is offered to you

non-believer

if you would turn

from your sin

and trust

in Christ

you can enter

into the love

of the father