Your Sorrow Will Turn Into Full Joy

Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

John 16:16-24 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷ 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’?” ¹⁸ So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹ 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, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹ 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 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. ²³ 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. ²⁴ Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

INTRODUCTION

In our passage, as Jesus’ neared the end of His final message to His disciples (Thursday night before His crucifixion), He continued to focus on their grief over His departure, the growing hardship that would surely follow, and how they were to live in light of those things.

They loved Him, they trusted Him, and they’d come to depend on Him. They’d followed Him away from nearly every known and comfortable aspect of their lives, into a life of uncertainty, difficulty, and persecution. All of that was a significant challenge while Jesus was with them. As they contemplated trying to continue on after Jesus left, though, it took on a whole new level of confusion and overwhelmedness.

Rather than seek to dispel them of this notion, Jesus promised it. His message to them wasn’t, “Don’t worry, it won’t be as bad as you imagine.” His message to them was, “It’s going to get far worse in some ways before it gets better. While I was with you, I took on most of the hardship for you. Now that I’m leaving, much more of it will fall on you.”

Grace, one of the things this sermon is meant to help us see is that we must settle on this if we are to continue to become the kind of church God made us to be. Parents, you must settle on this if you are going to raise the kind of kids God commands you to raise. Non-Christian, you must settle on this as you contemplate trusting in Jesus. To become a Christian is not a call to comfort and ease or merely a ticket to heaven. It is a call to lay our lives down and take up our cross. It is a call to make war against everything that sets itself up against God within us and proclaim the good news of Jesus to everything outside of us. It is a call to live by faith in the promises of God, while knowing full well that we will look foolish to the watching world.

Jesus was not subtle or unclear about these things. He didn’t try to hide or minimize them. There was absolutely no bait and switch in His approach.

The perpetual question that this put before everyone who first heard His message, as well as everyone who has heard it since, is, “Is it worth it? Does the benefit of following Jesus truly outweigh this steep cost”? And the thing for us to see is that as clearly and consistently as Jesus described the cost, He described the reward. You will weep and lament. You will be hated and you might be killed. But all of your suffering will be turned into joy; full, eternal, unparalleled joy. No one will ever pay any cost that isn’t repaid “a hundredfold now… and in the age to come eternal life” (Matthew 10:30; 19:29-30).

With all of that, the big idea of this passage is that while Jesus would soon leave His followers (be crucified and then ascent back to heaven), and while this would be really hard for His followers, fullness of joy would soon and forever follow. The main takeaways, therefore, are to share this good news faithfully with all who will hear and live faithfully, prayerfully, and without fear.

JESUS’ DEPARTURE AND THE DISCIPLES’ CONFUSION (16-18)

To help you see all that is in this text, this sermon has two parts. In the first part, we’ll consider Jesus’ departure and the disciples’ ongoing confusion over it. In the second part, we’ll see Jesus’ explanation and promises concerning those things.

The first part and our passage begin with a pretty interesting exchange between Jesus and His disciples.

It started with a familiar statement from Jesus, ¹⁶ “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”

Jesus had revealed His plan to depart several times already (14:3, 4, 12, 18, 28; 16:5, 7). Similarly, He had revealed His plan to return more than once as well (14:3, 18-19, 28). And in familiar fashion, the disciples remained confused by this declaration of Jesus…

¹⁷ 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’?” ¹⁸ So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”

The disciples wondered among themselves what Jesus meant by these words, just as they had in the previous times Jesus spoke them. Where was He going? What did He mean by “a little while”? In what sense was He “going to the Father”? How would He come back? How long would all this take?

It is important for us to recognize at the outset that, as is often the case, there are two tracks running through Jesus’ promises here. One track is the immediate experience of the disciples and the other is the eschatological experience. In other words, there are ways Jesus’ promises would come true for the disciples in the next few days and throughout their lives on earth and ways in which they wouldn’t come true until Jesus comes back in power at the end of the age.

In the most immediate sense, Jesus would die the next day and remain in the grave for three days (they would see Him no longer). But then, on the third day, He would rise from the dead and they would see Him again. Also in the immediate sense, after several weeks among them (as we’ll see in chapters 20 and 21), Jesus would leave them again by ascending back into heaven, to the Father’s right hand.

And, at the same time, there were ways that Jesus’ words would not be fully realized until Jesus comes back at the end of the age. The same is true for Christians today. Some of what Jesus’ promised in these passages is our experience now and some will not be until He returns.

It is largely because of the consistent layered meanings of Jesus’ teaching that the disciples found themselves confused. Grace, one lesson for us to take from this is the fact that it is normal to be confused about the things of God. God’s people always have been, and we will continue to be until we are in the new heavens and the new earth. This is not to say that we can’t know anything or that everything is confusion or that God’s Word is unclear. It is to say, however, that there will always be aspects of God’s work in this life that we do not understand.

This is because God’s ways are always higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). What’s more, we are not only finite, we are also fallen. We are often confused because God is God and we are not, and because we spend more time mindlessly scrolling the internet or TV than we do prayerfully meditating on God’s Word.

In this knowledge, in order to minimize our confusion, let us read God’s Word better and cultivate humility. To read God’s Word better means reading it more consistently, more thoughtfully, more prayerfully, and more corporately. And we cultivate humility primarily by considering the attributes of God carefully. It’s hard to be proud when comparing ourselves to a right understanding of God. May it be so according to the grace of God.

With that, we see that the disciples were locked in on the first track. They understood that Jesus was leaving and that left them sad and confused. Therefore, they wondered together what all of that meant and what they should do about it. Knowing their thoughts, as He always did, Jesus replied with an explanation in the form of several promises. And that leads us to the second part of the sermon.

JESUS’ EXPLANATION AND PROMISES (19-24)

Look again with me at v.19.

¹⁹ 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’?

The text doesn’t explicitly tell us how Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him about these things. It’s possible He simply overheard them or had come to recognize their hushed whispers for what they were. On the other hand, the consistent picture of Jesus throughout John’s Gospel has been one of supernatural power and insight. More than likely, what we have here is another example of Jesus functioning as only the Only Son of God can do, miraculously knowing their thoughts and intentions (John 2:24-25; Luke 5:22; Matthew 9:4).

Praise God for this, Grace, and know that this is still the case. Stand in humble awe at the fact that you’ve never had a thought that God didn’t know. Tremble and rejoice in the knowledge that you’ve never had a truly secret inclination. The good news of Christianity is such that, simultaneously, your every sin is known to God and He offers to forgive you anyway in Jesus. Even better than you, God knows your every rebellious thought. He is aware of your every transgression. There is nothing you can hide from God. AND, knowing all of that, God moves toward you in mercy and grace. As we read at the beginning of John’s Gospel, God set His love upon the world such that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will never perish but instead have eternal life.

Having revealed to the disciples that He knew what they were wondering, Jesus began to answer them by earnestly promising them several things.

The Circumstantial Promises

Jesus’ reply begins with a familiar phrase, “²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you…”.

Truly, truly is a familiar phrase used by Jesus to let us know that what He’s about to say is particularly important. It’s kind of like saying, “listen carefully,” or, “You really need to pay attention.” Of course, everything Jesus said was important, but the words “Truly, truly” are meant to make us perk up even more.

Promise #1: You Will Weep and Lament and Be Sorrowful (20, 22)

So what were the disciples supposed to listen especially carefully to? Six promises. The first of which was a promise that they would weep, lament, and be sorrowful. We see this in vs.20 and 22.

²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament…

And again in v.20, “You will be sorrowful…”

And in v.22, “So also you have sorrow now…”

As I mentioned in the introduction, Jesus did not shy away from revealing to the disciples what was in front of them. If they would remain faithful to Him, both His absence itself and the hardships that would come upon them because of it would certainly lead to tears, lamentation, and great sorrow. There was no way around that for them. Since Jesus’ own path was marked by sorrow and suffering, so too would be the path of all who follow Him. This was certainly not the promise the disciples were hoping for, but it was a clear and repeated promise nonetheless.

In the same way, we need to be honest with people when we talk to them about what it means to be a Christian. This seems pretty counterintuitive, doesn’t it? You don’t tell people EVERYTHING that’s wrong with the used car you’re trying to sell them, do you? The reality, however, is that no one will ever believe the gospel, no matter how much we emphasize the positive (acceptance, forgiveness, freedom, heaven) or negative (persecution, mockery, martyrdom) apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit. A central truth of the Bible’s teaching is that we simply can’t make the gospel more palatable for people. The sin we’re all born into blinds us to the things of God, making them seem foolish to us.

On my first day of graduate school, we worked our way through some of the political philosophy teaching of a 17th century English philosopher. He was decidedly Christian in his writing. During a discussion afterwards, one of my classmates matter-of-factly commented, “I can’t believe anyone believes this stuff.” Sin makes the true things of God seem like folly.

Only the Holy Spirit can change that. The most we can do by leaving out certain, “less desirable” aspects of the gospel is create the kind of unbelieving believers we find throughout John’s Gospel. So, let’s share the gospel, all of it, with those around us, Grace. And as we do, let’s ask the Spirit to grant them the eyes and ears they need to see and hear the goodness and glory of the gospel of God.

Promise #2: The world will rejoice (20)

That leads to the second promise of Jesus in response to the confusion and fear of His followers. Not only did Jesus promise great anguish for faithfulness, but in addition, He promised that the world would mock them for it. Not only would they suffer, but those around them will rejoice in their suffering.

²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.

The world would soon celebrate Jesus’ death. Likewise, the world would soon be glad at the suffering of His followers. The tears of Jesus’ followers would be the world’s laughter. Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever had your great pain be the source of another’s great joy? If you have, you know it’s a challenge on a different level.

If the first promise was not what the disciples wanted to hear, this definitely wasn’t. With that, though, things begin to pick up with the third promise.

Promise #3: Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy (20), Your Hearts Will Rejoice (22), And Your Joy Will Be Full (24)

While Jesus followers would soon know deep sorrow, and while they would soon know the added pain of the world’s delight in their sorrow, every ounce of it would soon turn to fullness of joy! So as not to be unclear, Jesus repeated this three times.

²⁰ … You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

²² So also you have sorrow now, but…your hearts will rejoice…

²⁴ … your joy may be full.

It is a truly remarkable thing that the disciples’ experience would shift in such a significant way. Don’t miss the glory of the gap between weeping, lamentation, and sorrow and joy and rejoicing hearts. But even more significantly, don’t miss the gap between rejoicing hearts and full joy.

Jesus didn’t merely promise that the disciples’ sadness would end. He didn’t even merely promise that joy would replace the sadness. Instead, He promised that the sadness would be obliterated by a joy that would be full!

We’re right to ask what would be the source of the shift in the disciples? We’ll come back to that in just a bit; after we consider the fourth promise.

Promise #4: No One Will Be Able to Take Your Joy from You (22)

In exactly the opposite way from Jesus’ first two promises, which went from bad to worse, Jesus’ third and fourth promises went from good to better. Jesus’ followers would not only have their sadness turn to full joy, but it would be unending fullness of joy.

²² …your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Jesus promised His followers a kind of joy out of sorrow that could not be taken away. We’ll see momentarily that in the immediate sense, this would happen because Jesus would rise from the dead. But in the larger sense, it’s hard not to picture Peter drawing these words of Jesus to mind when he wrote the opening of his letter (1 Peter 1:3-7).

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It’s one kind of sweet promise that fullness of joy will come from deep sorrow. It’s another kind of sweetness altogether to be promised a fullness of joy that is unable to be lost or stolen.

Grace, have you ever accused someone of taking your joy—whether enemy or friend, whether persecuting non-Christian or Christian spouse or kid? If so, let the words of Jesus instruct you. People can tempt you to sorrow, sometimes maliciously and even violently so, but they cannot force you there. Who Jesus is, what He accomplished, and what He promises His people guarantees that when our hope is rightly placed in Him. That doesn’t mean that hard things aren’t hard, or that sorrow isn’t right sometimes, but it does mean that for everyone who believes the promises of Jesus, every difficulty is overwhelmed by the joyful reality of Christ in us, knowledge of God using every trial to a greater end, and the fact that one day we will be fully and finally free from every difficulty and brought into the unending joy of fellowship with God.

Because of the nature and promises of God for us, like the person set to inherit $50 billion can’t long lament the loss of $100, no sorrow caused by another can long shake the joy of one whose hope is in Jesus.

The Sorrow-to-Joy Promises

Rightly read, these promises mark quite a shift. The disciples, Jesus said, would move from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. Once again, we’re right to wonder how that’s possible. What would happen to turn the one into the other? How would Jesus’ followers go from lamentation to unending, full joy?

Before answering with two more promises, Jesus offered a simple analogy that quickly gets to the heart of the matter. Look with me at v.21

²¹ 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.

In simplest terms, as I’ve mentioned more than once, the question of how we get from wailing to rejoicing in this life is by doing a simple cost-benefit analysis—like a woman giving birth.

Carrying and delivering a child is a whole-person challenge (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) like few others on earth. And yet, many women have many babies because they easily consider the child to be far more of a reward than the cost of bearing and delivering it.

In a similar way, Jesus told His disciples that the cost of all their weeping, lamentation, and sorrow paled in comparison to what was to come. But what was to come? Two more things. Two more promises.

Promise #5: You Will See Me Again (22)

The fifth promise is found in v.22, “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.

Jesus would leave and that would hurt and lead to even greater hurt. But He would return and bring with Him the great joy He promised. On the most basic level, this is easy to understand. When someone you love moves away or dies, that is really hard. But if they return home or come back from the dead (!), that’s exciting and joyful.

That’s the foundation of what Jesus meant, but there’s a bit more to it as well. As I mentioned earlier, this promise is running on two tracks. In the ultimate sense, that’ll be the case when Jesus returns in power to usher in the new heavens and earth. This promise will only be fully fulfilled then. But it should be clear that Jesus also had in mind a more imminent return and immediate joy.

In that way, in this context, we can see that Jesus was speaking of His resurrection from the dead in four days and the joy that would bring to His followers. It’s one thing to promise the things Jesus promised. It’s another thing to back it up by rising from the dead. The truthfulness of Jesus’ words was finally established by the empty tomb on Sunday morning and the time He spent with these same men in the several weeks that followed (before His ascension).

As we’ll see, at Jesus’ resurrection and appearance to His followers, Mary Magdline would turn from weeping to joy. The disciples collectively would go from fear to gladness. And Thomas would go from doubt to belief and worship. In other words, there was a sense in which the disciples would experience this joy in just four days.

And, again, at the same time, as we see in Revelation (21:3-4), at Jesus’ final return, He will finally wipe away every tear and turn it to unending joy.

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Jesus did and will still fulfill this promise to reveal Himself again to His followers. In that we find that whatever the cost of our faithfulness to Jesus, it pales in comparison to its reward. And as we come to believe that, our sorrow will truly turn to joy, and one day fullness of joy.

Promise #6: Your Requests Will Be Granted (23-24)

Finally, we come back to a very familiar promise: answered prayer as a means of turning sorrow to joy. And we find yet another example of Jesus drawing special attention to the importance of these words (“truly, truly”).

²³ 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. ²⁴ Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

We’ve covered this several times already since John’s Gospel has covered this several times already. Nevertheless, we’ve learned that we need to learn from repetition. God doesn’t waste words. If it’s in here more than once, it means we need to hear it more than once.

Grace, here we have another promise that God will grant to us whatever we ask Him for in Jesus’ name—whatever we ask for Jesus’ purposes, glory, and sake. God works in us and in the world around us through prayer. God has chosen to accomplish much His mission on earth through us as we pray and obey.

You can find fuller explanations of that HERE and HERE, but settle once again on the simple fact that God delights to hear our requests of Him, made in Jesus’ name, to accomplish His kingdom purposes.

So evangelize and pray, Grace. Share your faith indiscriminately and pray unceasingly. Obey the Word of God and pray the Word of God back to God. God will glorify His name and accomplish His will as we obediently and faithfully engage in that mission. And He will glorify His name and accomplish His will as we recognize His sovereignty and our dependence on Him and turn those things back to God in prayer.

CONCLUSION

As you follow Jesus, the world will hate you as it hates Him. For that reason, you will weep and lament and be sorrowful. And the world will rejoice in your despair. But your sorrow will turn into joy, your hearts will rejoice, and your joy will be full. What’s more, no one will be able to take your joy from you. And the transition from sorrow to joy flows out of the fact that we will see Jesus again and our prayers in Jesus’ name will be answered.

These are awesome promises, Grace. May we believe them, with God’s help, and with all our hearts. And then, may we live fully in light of them in all we do, for the good of the world and the joy set before us. Amen.