[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 30th of September, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Today I am going to conclude our little series based on statements Jesus made which He prefaced by saying, “I tell you the solemn truth”. I chose 12 separate scripture passages, a few of which contained more than one “solemn truth”. I could have chosen many more, for Jesus repeated that phrase often when He had something truly important to tell us. And really, I could have just worked from everything He is quoted as saying in the four Gospel accounts and in Revelation, because everything is indeed the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
For today, though, please listen and follow along as I read this last truth I had chosen, from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 16, verses 16 through 22, again from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible. Jesus is speaking to His disciples when He says…
For today, though, please listen and follow along as I read this last truth I had chosen, from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 16, verses 16 through 22, again from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible. Jesus is speaking to His disciples when He says…
16 "In a little while you will see Me no longer; again after a little while, you will see Me.”
17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what He is saying, ‘In a little while you will not see Me; again after a little while, you will see Me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they kept on repeating, “What is the meaning of what He says, ‘In a little while’? We do not understand what He is talking about.”
19 Jesus could see that they wanted to ask Him about these things, so He said to them, “Are you asking each other about this — that I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me; again after a little while, you will see Me’? 20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. 21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her 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 away from you."
--John 16:16-22 (NET)
Let us pray… Father God, when we are hurting and sad, it’s hard for us to imagine ever feeling joyous again. We think that nothing could lift us out of the gloom, nothing could stop the flow of tears. But Your Son Jesus assures us that when He returns, any sadness we may be feeling will instantly turn to joy. There’ll be no more sorrow, no more hurting, only happiness and joy. Speak to us this morning, Father, and give us the message You need us to hear. Help us understand what You have in store for us. Help us trust in Your great plan for those who love You. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Christian author J. R. Miller once wrote:
"A saintly woman suffering for weary months in painful illness said to her pastor: 'I have such a lovely robin that sings outside my window. In the early morning, as I lie here, he serenades me.' Then, as a smile brightened her thin features, she added, 'I love him, because he sings in the rain.' That is the most beautiful thing about the robin. When the storm has silenced almost every other songbird, the robin sings on — sings in the rain. That is the way the Christian who is with Christ may do. Anybody can sing in the sunshine; you and I should sing on when clouds pour out their rains, for Christ is with us. We should sing in the rain."
We should sing even in the rain. With God’s very own Holy Spirit living within us, we should sing our Lord’s praises no matter what situation we may find ourselves in. For we believers know something the world hasn’t figured out yet. We know that some sweet day, all our sadness will turn to joy. And that’s something to sing about, even in the rain.
God works in mysterious ways... As I mentioned, this is the last message in the series I began many weeks ago based on the "solemn truth" statements Jesus made. I've had this scripture pulled out and the message formulating in my head for a couple of months. And then hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina and ground out a wide swath of destruction all across our state, and especially down east.
There are many, probably millions, who have suffered from the effects of this storm, even here in our own small church family. How joyful do you think they felt as Florence crept through, or even today as the flood waters slowly recede?
Jesus assures us that the sadness we may feel right now will one day turn to joy. We read it in our responsive reading a few minutes ago where the Apostle James, in chapter 1 verses 2 and 3 of his letter to the early church tells us...
James says we should be joyful even when we are going through some sort of trial, if for no other reason than because being tested can make us more patient. How many of us have asked, “Lord, please give me patience.”? Well, if we’re more joyful when things go bad, He will give us more patience, so we can get through them.
Now James is basically just expounding a little on what Jesus said earlier, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 6 verses 22 and 23, in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain”…
We should consider ourselves blessed, even rejoice and leap for joy, when everything turns sour in this life, because we have such a great reward awaiting us in heaven, there for when Jesus takes us home.
In our scripture reading, Jesus confused His disciples by saying that “in a little while you will not see Me” but then again “after a little while you will see Me.” And we know He was talking about leaving this mortal life and going to heaven, then returning someday to set things aright. In his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 1 verse 8 and chapter 4 verse 13, the Apostle Peter talks to those who never saw Jesus, not with our eyes…
We do not see Jesus – we’ve never seen Him physically – yet we rejoice with a joy that cannot be expressed, a glorious joy, because we believe in Him! We rejoice because of what He has done for us!
But notice Peter adds that we rejoice to the extent that we share in Christ’s suffering. Just as Jesus suffered trials and persecution on earth without ever losing His love and faith in our Father God, so must we. Then, when Jesus’ glory is fully revealed at His return, we will also share in the great joy our Father will give.
The author of the Book of Hebrews also addressed this concept of being joyful even in trials and suffering. We know that the early church experienced much hardship and persecution at the hands of those who sought to destroy what Jesus began. In chapter 10, the author spoke to those who had suffered, and I think he speaks to us as well. Listen to what he wrote in verses 32 through 34…
Many in the early church were thrown into prison for their belief. Many had their possessions taken from them just for trying to follow Jesus. We today, here in the United States especially, do not so much have to fear being arrested or having our possessions taken because we are Christians. Of course, there’s the troubling question that if we were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence against us to convict us?
We might not have to worry about that just yet, but I know that we all have endured some “great struggle with sufferings”, as the author of Hebrews put it. We’ve gone through trials and tribulations aplenty. And while our possessions may not have been forcefully taken from us, I know many have freely given away much in service to our Lord. But we do so joyfully - we give and we suffer - knowing that we have a “better and enduring possession” in heaven awaiting us.
This is what Jesus was talking about in our solemn truth this morning. As we go through this life we will weep and wail, and the world may rejoice in our suffering. We will be sad, and I would add that we will suffer great sadness.
But when Jesus returns and calls His church home, all that sadness, all the hurt and pain, all the suffering will turn into pure and everlasting joy! And like the woman suffering the pains of childbirth no longer remembers any of that once she holds her child in her arms, we will forget all about any suffering we endured during this life, once our eternal life with our Lord begins. So we do have sorrow and suffering and pain and sadness now, but when, after a little while we see Jesus again, our hearts will rejoice and no one, no one can ever take our joy away from us.
All our sadness will turn to joy. This is the promise our Lord made. This is the solemn truth Jesus spoke. This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You give us so much. You provide for our needs and You give us even more. And You help us through the tough times. Forgive us, Father, when we dwell on the hardships, on the negatives of life. Forgive us when we fail to feel joyful in our hearts even in the bad times. Please help us rejoice even now during our sorrows, knowing what You have in store for us in heaven.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, You promised to return for us, Your church, to take us home. And You assure us that on that day, all our sorrows and sadness will turn into pure joy. Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us with Your blood sacrifice so that we can be with You and our Father God forever! Please help us find joy in all our circumstances, the good as well as the bad. Help us rejoice in our trials and sufferings, knowing what awaits us when You return. Help us remain faithful no matter what befalls us.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Christian author J. R. Miller once wrote:
"A saintly woman suffering for weary months in painful illness said to her pastor: 'I have such a lovely robin that sings outside my window. In the early morning, as I lie here, he serenades me.' Then, as a smile brightened her thin features, she added, 'I love him, because he sings in the rain.' That is the most beautiful thing about the robin. When the storm has silenced almost every other songbird, the robin sings on — sings in the rain. That is the way the Christian who is with Christ may do. Anybody can sing in the sunshine; you and I should sing on when clouds pour out their rains, for Christ is with us. We should sing in the rain."
We should sing even in the rain. With God’s very own Holy Spirit living within us, we should sing our Lord’s praises no matter what situation we may find ourselves in. For we believers know something the world hasn’t figured out yet. We know that some sweet day, all our sadness will turn to joy. And that’s something to sing about, even in the rain.
God works in mysterious ways... As I mentioned, this is the last message in the series I began many weeks ago based on the "solemn truth" statements Jesus made. I've had this scripture pulled out and the message formulating in my head for a couple of months. And then hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina and ground out a wide swath of destruction all across our state, and especially down east.
There are many, probably millions, who have suffered from the effects of this storm, even here in our own small church family. How joyful do you think they felt as Florence crept through, or even today as the flood waters slowly recede?
Jesus assures us that the sadness we may feel right now will one day turn to joy. We read it in our responsive reading a few minutes ago where the Apostle James, in chapter 1 verses 2 and 3 of his letter to the early church tells us...
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
--James 1:2-3 (NKJV)
Now James is basically just expounding a little on what Jesus said earlier, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 6 verses 22 and 23, in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain”…
22 "Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."
--Luke 6:22-23 (NKJV)
In our scripture reading, Jesus confused His disciples by saying that “in a little while you will not see Me” but then again “after a little while you will see Me.” And we know He was talking about leaving this mortal life and going to heaven, then returning someday to set things aright. In his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 1 verse 8 and chapter 4 verse 13, the Apostle Peter talks to those who never saw Jesus, not with our eyes…
8 Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory...
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
--1 Peter 1:8b; 4:13 (NKJV)
But notice Peter adds that we rejoice to the extent that we share in Christ’s suffering. Just as Jesus suffered trials and persecution on earth without ever losing His love and faith in our Father God, so must we. Then, when Jesus’ glory is fully revealed at His return, we will also share in the great joy our Father will give.
The author of the Book of Hebrews also addressed this concept of being joyful even in trials and suffering. We know that the early church experienced much hardship and persecution at the hands of those who sought to destroy what Jesus began. In chapter 10, the author spoke to those who had suffered, and I think he speaks to us as well. Listen to what he wrote in verses 32 through 34…
32 But recall the former days in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.
--Hebrews 10:32-34 (NKJV)
We might not have to worry about that just yet, but I know that we all have endured some “great struggle with sufferings”, as the author of Hebrews put it. We’ve gone through trials and tribulations aplenty. And while our possessions may not have been forcefully taken from us, I know many have freely given away much in service to our Lord. But we do so joyfully - we give and we suffer - knowing that we have a “better and enduring possession” in heaven awaiting us.
This is what Jesus was talking about in our solemn truth this morning. As we go through this life we will weep and wail, and the world may rejoice in our suffering. We will be sad, and I would add that we will suffer great sadness.
But when Jesus returns and calls His church home, all that sadness, all the hurt and pain, all the suffering will turn into pure and everlasting joy! And like the woman suffering the pains of childbirth no longer remembers any of that once she holds her child in her arms, we will forget all about any suffering we endured during this life, once our eternal life with our Lord begins. So we do have sorrow and suffering and pain and sadness now, but when, after a little while we see Jesus again, our hearts will rejoice and no one, no one can ever take our joy away from us.
All our sadness will turn to joy. This is the promise our Lord made. This is the solemn truth Jesus spoke. This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You give us so much. You provide for our needs and You give us even more. And You help us through the tough times. Forgive us, Father, when we dwell on the hardships, on the negatives of life. Forgive us when we fail to feel joyful in our hearts even in the bad times. Please help us rejoice even now during our sorrows, knowing what You have in store for us in heaven.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, You promised to return for us, Your church, to take us home. And You assure us that on that day, all our sorrows and sadness will turn into pure joy. Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us with Your blood sacrifice so that we can be with You and our Father God forever! Please help us find joy in all our circumstances, the good as well as the bad. Help us rejoice in our trials and sufferings, knowing what awaits us when You return. Help us remain faithful no matter what befalls us.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
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