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Main point summary

Lasting joy is secured by the resurrection of Jesus and is promised only to those whose delight is to be with Him.

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John 16:16-22

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In a little while you 44 will see me no longer; again after a little while, you 45 will see me.” 46

“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”

Μικρὸν καὶ οὐκέτι θεωρεῖτέ με, καὶ πάλιν μικρὸν καὶ ὄψεσθέ με.

a “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and b again a little while, and you will see me.”

Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what he is saying, 47 ‘In a little while you 48 will not see me; again after a little while, you 49 will see me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 50

Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘ a A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because b I go to the Father’?”

εἶπαν οὖν ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους• τί ἐστιν τοῦτο ὃ λέγει ἡμῖν• μικρὸν καὶ οὐ θεωρεῖτέ με, καὶ πάλιν μικρὸν καὶ ὄψεσθέ με; καί• ὅτι ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα;

So c some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, d ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, e ‘because I am going to the Father’?”

So they kept on repeating, 51 “What is the meaning of what he says, 52 ‘In a little while’? 53 We do not understand 54 what he is talking about.” 55

So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”

ἔλεγον οὖν• τί ἐστιν τοῦτο [ὃ λέγει] τὸ μικρόν; οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί λαλεῖ.

So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? f We do not know what he is talking about.”

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Jesus could see 56 that they wanted to ask him about these things, 57 so 58 he said to them, “Are you asking 59 each other about this - that I said, ‘In a little while you 60 will not see me; again after a little while, you 61 will see me’?

a Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?

Ἔγνω [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἤθελον αὐτὸν ἐρωτᾶν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς• περὶ τούτου ζητεῖτε μετʼ ἀλλήλων ὅτι εἶπον• μικρὸν καὶ οὐ θεωρεῖτέ με, καὶ πάλιν μικρὸν καὶ ὄψεσθέ με;

g 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’?

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I tell you the solemn truth, 62 you will weep 63 and wail, 64

Truly, truly, I say to you, that a you will weep and lament,

ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι κλαύσετε καὶ θρηνήσετε ὑμεῖς,

Truly, truly, I say to you, h you will weep and lament,

but the world will rejoice;

but the world will rejoice;

ὁ δὲ κόσμος χαρήσεται•

but i the world will rejoice.

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you will be sad, 65

you will grieve,

ὑμεῖς λυπηθήσεσθε,

You will be sorrowful,

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but your sadness will turn into 66 joy.

but b your grief will be turned into joy.

ἀλλʼ ἡ λύπη ὑμῶν εἰς χαρὰν γενήσεται.

but j your sorrow will turn into joy.

concessive

When a woman gives birth,

a Whenever a woman is in labor

ἡ γυνὴ ὅταν τίκτῃ

k When a woman is giving birth,

she has distress 67

she has 1 pain,

λύπην ἔχει,

she has sorrow

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because her time 68 has come,

because her hour has come;

ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα αὐτῆς•

because her hour has come,

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but when her child is born,

but when she gives birth to the child,

ὅταν δὲ γεννήσῃ τὸ παιδίον,

but when she has delivered the baby,

she no longer remembers the suffering

she no longer remembers the anguish

οὐκέτι μνημονεύει τῆς θλίψεως

she no longer remembers the anguish,

because of her joy that a human being 69 has been born into the world. 70

because of the joy that a 2 child has been born into the world.

διὰ τὴν χαρὰν ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν κόσμον.

for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

So also you have sorrow 71 now,

Therefore a you too have grief now;

καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν νῦν μὲν λύπην ἔχετε•

l So also you have sorrow now,

but I will see you again,

but b I will see you again,

πάλιν δὲ ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς,

but m I will see you again,

and your hearts will rejoice,

and your heart will rejoice,

καὶ χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία,

and n your hearts will rejoice,

and no one will take your joy away from you . 72

and no one will take your joy away from you.

καὶ τὴν χαρὰν ὑμῶν οὐδεὶς αἴρει ἀφʼ ὑμῶν.

and no one will take your joy from you.

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John 16:16-22 ESV

John 16:16-22

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy 16 a “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and b again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So c some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, d ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, e ‘because I am going to the Father’ ?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’ ? f We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 g 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’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, h you will weep and lament, but i the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but j your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 k 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. 22 l So also you have sorrow now, but m I will see you again, and n your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Introduction

Corona Virus and Sin : Joy Stealers One of the many things that God is telling us today with the Corona virus pandemic is that the world's joys are fragile and its pleasures fleeting. Your businesses, jobs, education, sustenance, and even relationships can't secure you a joy that will last forever. If you're banking on the economy for your happiness, a virus can take that away. Business establishments are closing because of the enhance community quarantine. If you're relying on your job to get through life then a virus can take your joy away. If being with your relatives and friends is the ultimate source of your delight then a virus can take that away. If it is food, a virus can take that away. Now that's just a virus. There are many things that can rob us of true and lasting pleasure, but there is something more kill joy than corona virus, and far more deadly, namely sin. Sin will deprive you of true and lasting happiness. It will steal your joy forever by offering you lesser joys. So God's message today is for us to look to Jesus as our greatest delight, our supremely valuable treasure. For He alone secures our joy through his death and resurrection. So my aim today is to leave Jesus's promise ringing on our ears: "No one will take your joy away from you." And to do that we must know first how can Jesus make such a claim, and why this joy last forever.

Exposition

Jesus Death and Resurrection(vv. 16) On the night before he was killed Jesus is speaking to his disciples prophesying what will about to happen. In verse 16 he says, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” However, the disciples are confused by this statement and so in verses 17-18 they discussed amongst themselves what does Jesus meant. But Jesus knew that they were puzzled and so he answered in verse 20, “ 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. ” Now he's not talking about his ascension and second coming, nor is it about the sending of the Holy Spirit after his ascension. He's referring to his death, and in dying the disciples will experience great sorrow and a sense of loss. Moreover, he's talking about his resurrection, where their sorrow will turn into joy(John 20:20 ). That's why he said in verse 16 "a little while" you will see me no longer, and again "a little while" you will see me. This series of events will come to pass swiftly. Necessity of Sorrow for Greater Joy (vv. 21) Then in verse 21 Jesus explains further what he meant by comparing what is about to happen to him and to the disciples with a woman in childbirth. Jesus said, “ 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. ” Meaning yes there will be sorrow and pain in giving birth to a baby(all mothers who gave birth to a child know this), but it will just be for a little while, and the joy of seeing the baby will overshadow the pain. It will all be worth it. Now in the same way, Christ death will cause them pain and anguish, but the return will be a lasting joy upon seeing the risen Lord. This is like what Jesus said in John 12:24, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ” Secured Joy(vv. 22) Now let's focus on the last part of verse 22. He not only promised that they will see him again and that their hearts will rejoice. He also promised that this joy can never be taken away from them by any one. This joy is secured, indestructible and can never be lost. But the question is how can Jesus make such an extraordinary claim and promise? 1. The Object Of Our Joy Will Never Die Resurrection guarantees that Jesus will never be taken away from you because he will no longer die. This is not a promise to those whose delight is not being with and seeing Jesus. It's similar to being offered with a delicious beef steak, only better, but you're a vegan. You will not enjoy the steak, instead you will be offended. Jesus is like that to many people. Because they love darkness more than light, they felt offended by the offering of Jesus. I say this because notice the sequence of thought in verse 22: I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice. Why will they rejoice? Because Jesus will be with them. The object of their joy is Jesus. So the sight of Him brings them great joy. Then it says, no one will take your joy from you. What is the joy that will never be taken by any one? The joy of being with Christ! Therefore if Christ is not your delight then this promise means nothing to you. Instead it is an invitation for you to leave the fleeting pleasures of the world and behold Jesus as your most valuable treasure above money, or your jobs, or family or sex, hobbies, fame or sport, or even church, or your ministries. If your joy is found mainly and ultimately in these things, then your joy is fragile and can be taken away by anyone or by anything like a virus. So the resurrection guarantees eternal and irrevocable joy to those who long for his appearing because Jesus will never die again. 2. Those Whose Delight is in Christ will Never Ultimately Die Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection. That is, not only that the source and object of our joy must last forever, we too must last forever if we are to enjoy Him forever. A very similar passage makes this very explicit. See John 14:18-19, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ” Christ's living is the cause of our living. Or look at John 11:25-26 : Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. d Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Therefore if the object of your joy will never die, and you who will do the enjoying will never die, then indeed this joy will never be taken away from you by anyone(including you) or by anything(including viruses or sin). Take Jesus At His Word If you have seen Jesus in his word, that is you believe in him for your salvation, no one will ever take away your joy from you. Let Jesus be the unshakable rock by which your joy is anchored. Take Jesus at his word, because He will never die again, and you too will live forever in His presence. Yes all human beings do die, including Christians. In fact we can die by thousand diseases in this world, but even death can never separate us from the love of Christ(Romans 8:35). Death longer have its sting, for Christ overcame the grave. And just like with Paul, death will be a gain for us because to be with Christ outweighs all the pleasures in the world(Philippian 1:21). And if you have not seen Christ yet as supremely valuable, and his resurrection means nothing to you, beg God to open the eyes of your heart to beauty of our Lord Jesus. For the promise of eternal and lasting joy is only for those who delight in being with him.