Joyful Life
Series: THE TRIUMPHANT LIFE
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 30th March 2019
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Good morning, Sir Pauls. I join you live from the living room of the rectory.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Well, actually, it's not live. This was filmed last week.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:13 Right now, James and I are in Indianapolis for the Gospel Coalition National Conference.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:18 We met with the brothers and sisters at Mosaic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, yesterday
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 to look at what they do as a multi-ethnic church.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 So we send you our love from the United States, and we're praying for you
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 that you're having a great morning of fellowship as you gather
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 and discovering joy in the Lord.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 That may not also be the case because there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 a couple of years ago that was just titled, Cheer Up Sydney.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:43 The article suggested that we Sydneysiders possess a legendary preference for complaint.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:49 Whether it's property prices, Saturday morning traffic, or the cost of living,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 few things appear to escape the gloomy outlook through which we as citizens see the world.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:02 A recent survey concluded that Sydney is not only unhappy with present circumstances,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 but quite cynical about the future.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 Things like the cost of living and traffic and housing affordability were the most pressing concerns,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:17 and yet nearly one-third suggested it was just a general frustration with the pace and the stress of life
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 when you've got things like laundry and children to raise.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:26 Ironically, Sydney, however, is ranked as among the ten most liveable cities in the world
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 by a whole range of different organisations.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 There's a lot to love about our city.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:36 There are more jobs and higher wages and good education opportunities and strong support services.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 And then there's the cultural bounty.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:45 Maybe not quite as much as Melbourne, but we've got festivals and beaches and parks and sport.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:51 It is, in fact, objectively Australia's number one city.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:56 Psychologist Susie Green, who's the CEO of the Positivity Institute,
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 says that Sydneysiders have plenty of reasons to cheer up, and she put it really simply.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 She says, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:07 We're not living in a war-torn country.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:15 So it can be a little confusing that we live in one of the top ten liveable cities in the world,
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 yet we appear to be pretty much a miserable bunch of people.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 What about you?
00:02:22 --> 00:02:26 Is your life characterised by joy?
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 If circumstances are the issue, that's how we get joy,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 then we should be, frankly, happier than most,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 and yet the reality is we're not.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:40 And I'm pretty sure this morning that no matter where you are on the joy scale,
00:02:40 --> 00:02:44 none of us would complain about getting a little bit more joy in our life.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:50 I'm pretty sure all of us would be keen to increase in some level of joy.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 So we'll see in John 16 today
00:02:53 --> 00:03:00 that encountering the resurrected Jesus guarantees joy.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 In chapters 14, 16, and 17 of John,
00:03:06 --> 00:03:12 Jesus is repeatedly telling his disciples that he has a joy to give them.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:17 Now, this is just before his execution, and he knows it's coming.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:23 And this is when his disciples are distraught with the news that Jesus is leaving them.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:29 So this is a profound joy in the midst of dark circumstances.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:34 So this morning, there are three things that I want us to see from John 16.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:39 Firstly, the promise and reality of joy.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 Secondly, the nature of joy.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:47 And thirdly, how is it possible that we might be growing in joy?
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 So firstly, the promise and reality of joy.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 And I've got these outlines in your St. Paul's app, if you can open that up now.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 Jesus Christ says that if you meet me and come to know me,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:05 you'll have a joy that is deep and powerful and is now.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:11 He says that joy is inevitable when you meet him.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:17 Notice in the text, in verses 16 to 19, we have this phrase,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 in a little while.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 It's repeated a number of times.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 And it's all to do with what Jesus says in verse 16.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 In a little while, you will see me no more.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:35 And then after a little while, you will see me again.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 Now, there's a few different layers of meaning here.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 But essentially, Jesus is talking to his disciples about his death,
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 his burial in a tomb, and resurrection on the third day.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:54 He's saying, I'm going to die, and you're going to be distraught.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 But when you see me again as the resurrected Lord,
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 you will rejoice.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:04 All of them.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 Not just the more emotional ones of them,
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 or the ones with the better lives.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 But all of them will rejoice.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Let me just emphasize something here.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 Just bear with me for a little bit.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 Jesus isn't saying that you rejoice at my second coming,
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 although they will.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 He isn't saying when you die and you go to heaven,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:31 you will then rejoice,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:33 although they will.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 Jesus is saying when you see me resurrected,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:39 you will rejoice.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 This is not just a promise for the first disciples.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 This is for us now, today.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 This is so essential.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 Just indulge me just a little bit more.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 You may not be aware of this,
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 but to this day,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 no one knows the location of the tomb
00:06:00 --> 00:06:04 where Jesus was laid for three days after his crucifixion.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 No one.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:07 There's a few guesses.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 By 120 AD,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 Christians were not even sure where it was anymore.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 Why is that?
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 Why is it when the tombs of every religious founder and prophet
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 have been venerated and turned into a shrine,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 that is,
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 they are places of pilgrimage to this day,
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 why is it that we don't know Jesus?
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 When Osama bin Laden was finally found and killed,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 he was immediately buried at sea
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 because the United States government
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 didn't want his burial location
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 turned into a shrine,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 a pilgrimage place
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 for radical Islamists.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:51 So how come the Christians forgot about the tomb of Jesus?
00:06:53 --> 00:06:54 The reason is,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 when you have Jesus,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 you don't need his tomb.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:00 In the same way that
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 when I have my daughters,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 their rooms,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 their things,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 their artwork,
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 and it's just,
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 it's not as important.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 If I've got my daughters,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 their shoes and their clothing and their toys
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 and their exercise books
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 are just not as important.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 If, however,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 one of my daughters goes away
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 or leaves for a very long time
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 or dies,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 then all of a sudden
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 their scribblings become important.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:29 The photos,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 the exercise books,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 the letters,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 their favourite toys,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 all of a sudden
00:07:34 --> 00:07:35 they take on
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 a great more meaning
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 because it's all I've got left.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 The reason the tomb
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 didn't matter to the early Christians
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 is because they had Jesus.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 Real Christianity
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 is to meet
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 the risen,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 reigning Lord Jesus.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:52 Friends,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 we don't need a relic
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 because we have him.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 There is an alive
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 and active relationship
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 with Jesus now
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 available to everyone.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:02 See,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 Christianity doesn't just promise
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 incredible joy at the end,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 pie in the sky if you like.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 It promises it now.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 When you meet the risen Lord,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 you rejoice.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 This is as true for us now
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 as it was for the first disciples.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 In fact,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 the illustration of the woman
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 giving birth
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 in the middle of the text
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 declares it too.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 Jesus says,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 Joy is like a woman in labour.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 When the time has come,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 she has the child.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:33 Now,
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 I've watched a woman
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 give birth
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 on three separate occasions.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 It's Natalie,
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 just in case I need
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 to clarify that.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:42 Now,
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 one thing I do know
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 about childbirth
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 is that when it's time,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 it's time.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 There's no stopping it.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:51 Now,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 and I'm pretty sure
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 that I would have suffered
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 physical violence
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 if I had said,
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 can you just hold on,
00:08:59 --> 00:08:59 honey,
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 until tomorrow?
00:09:01 --> 00:09:01 You know,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 like I'm looking
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 for an early night tonight.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:03 Just,
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 you know,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 put it off until tomorrow.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 The reality,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 you can't even hold it
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 for five minutes.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 I remember running to cars
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 and running through hospitals.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 When it's time,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:14 it's time.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 And what Jesus is saying here
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 is that if you meet him,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 you will have joy.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 It's inevitable.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 It's got to be there.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 We are not Christians
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 without this joy.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:33 I wonder
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 whether,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 if you've ever noticed
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 how much the Bible,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:37 in fact,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 speaks of joy.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 Here's a,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:40 here's a sample.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:41 I won't give you
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 all the references,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 but here's just a sample.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 Rejoice in the Lord always.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:46 And again,
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 I say,
00:09:48 --> 00:09:48 rejoice.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 The statues of the Lord
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 are right,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 rejoicing the heart.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 Serve the Lord
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 with gladness.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 You shall go out with joy
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 and be led forth with peace.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 The Lord will rejoice
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 in doing you good.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 Rejoice,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 for your names
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 are written in heaven.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 I bring news
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 of great joy.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 These things I speak,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 that your joy
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 might be full.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:18 The disciples
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 were filled with joy
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 and the Spirit.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 Rejoice in hope.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:25 We rejoice
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 in our sufferings.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 The joy of the Lord
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 is your strength.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 The fruit of the Spirit
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 is joy.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 What is the essence
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 of Christianity?
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 What does it mean
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 to be part
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 of God's kingdom?
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 Paul tells us
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 in Romans 14,
00:10:46 --> 00:10:46 verse 17,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 what the mark
00:10:48 --> 00:10:48 of being
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 in the kingdom
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 of God are.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 It's,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 strangely,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 not what you eat,
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 it's not how you dress,
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 not rules you keep.
00:10:58 --> 00:10:58 He says,
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 the kingdom of God
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 is not a matter
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 of eating
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 and drinking,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 but of righteousness,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:05 peace,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 and joy
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 in the Holy Spirit.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 So Jesus says
00:11:12 --> 00:11:12 to his disciples
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 in verse 20,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 you will grieve,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 but your grief
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 will turn to joy.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 Joy is the inevitable
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 when we meet
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 the resurrected Jesus
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 who is alive
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 and reigning
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 now.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 Jesus promises
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 joy.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 It's real.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 If joy,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 therefore,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:36 is inevitable
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 for the Christian,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 how can it be
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 that so many Christians
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 are just morose?
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 Remember in Luke 1
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 when the pregnant Mary
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 and the pregnant Elizabeth
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 come together
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 and at the sound
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 of Mary's voice,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 the baby John
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 the Baptist
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 in Elizabeth's womb,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 it says,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 jumped for joy.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:57 Just at the sound
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 of her voice.
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 Psalm 96
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 says that when
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 Jesus Christ
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 comes back,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 the trees of the forest
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 will sing for joy.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 So if the trees
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 and the babies
00:12:10 --> 00:12:10 in the womb
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 and anything else
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 that gets near Jesus
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 leap and sing
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 for joy,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 then why aren't we?
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 joy is like a tree.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:21 The Bible
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 isn't commanding us
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 to have a feeling here.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 It isn't calling us
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 to force our feelings.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 The Bible's not saying
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 two plus two
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 equals five.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 The Bible is,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 however,
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 searching us.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Is there something
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 that we are doing
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 that's stopping joy
00:12:38 --> 00:12:38 in our life?
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 There are certainly
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 times of grief.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 But joy is like a tree.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 It's not always green.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 It's not always flourishing.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 Joy can grow
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 in the drought
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 in the same way
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 a tree can grow
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 in the drought.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 But is there something
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 that is stopping you
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 from seeing
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 what you have
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 in Jesus?
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 Is there a
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 comparatively
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 small thing
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 causing you
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 to be upset
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 and stopping you
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 to see
00:13:11 --> 00:13:11 what you have
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 in Jesus?
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 is something
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 else
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 more important
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 than Jesus
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 to you?
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 This leads me
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 to the second point.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 What is the nature
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 of Christian joy?
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 Have a look
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 at what Jesus
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 says about Christian
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 joy in verse 21
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 of John 16.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 A woman
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 giving birth
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 to a child
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 has pain
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 because her time
00:13:35 --> 00:13:35 has come.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 But when her baby
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 is born,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 she forgets
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 the anguish
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 because of her joy
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 that a child
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 is born
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 into the world.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 It doesn't say
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 that the anguish
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 is gone.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 When the child
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 is born,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 the pain
00:13:56 --> 00:13:56 isn't gone.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 It hasn't just
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 all of a sudden
00:13:59 --> 00:13:59 stopped.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 It hasn't just
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 disappeared.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 It says here
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 she remembers
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 the pain
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 no more.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 It's similar.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 In Isaiah
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 43 verse
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 25,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 God says,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 I,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 even I,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 am he who
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 blots out
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 your transgressions
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 and for my
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 own sake
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 and remembers
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 your sins
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 no more.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:22 What does it
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 mean that God
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 isn't aware
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 of our sin?
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 Has God
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 got some sort
00:14:28 --> 00:14:28 of divine
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 amnesia
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 and just
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 momentarily
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 forgotten it?
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 No,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 he is fully
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 aware of my
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34 sin and yours
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 but my
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 sin and yours
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 doesn't control
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 the way he
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 reacts to
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 me and to
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 you.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 Love has
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 captured his
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 heart,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 not my
00:14:43 --> 00:14:43 sin.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:44 So here is
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 this woman
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 who has
00:14:46 --> 00:14:46 given birth,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:47 she's all
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 beaten up,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 but she
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 isn't in
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 denial.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 She isn't
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 saying,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 ah doctor,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 I'm fine,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 don't need
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 any painkillers,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 you know,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 don't feel a
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 thing,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 it's all,
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 pain's all
00:14:58 --> 00:14:58 gone.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 Instead,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 she is
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 furiously
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 and lovingly
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 looking at
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 the child
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 and she
00:15:06 --> 00:15:06 forgets her
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 pain.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 She's not
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 denying it,
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 she's still
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 hurting,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11 but she
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 isn't being
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 controlled by
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 the pain.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 The pain
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 can't get
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 her down
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 and it
00:15:17 --> 00:15:17 can't keep
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 her down.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 You see,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 the nature
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 of Christian
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 joy is
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 that you've
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 located your
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 greatest beauty
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 and joy
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 in God.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:27 He is
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 your beauty
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 He is
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 the greatest
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 source of
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 joy,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 more so
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 than anything
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 else in
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 life.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 And so
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 Christian
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 joy
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 coexists
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 with
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 suffering
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 and sorrow.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 The
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 Christian
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 is very
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 realistic
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 about
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 suffering
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 and grief
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 and sorrow,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:45 but it
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 doesn't
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 control
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 them.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 Worldly
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 joy
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 has to
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 avoid
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 suffering
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 and
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 hardship
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 or
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 alternatively
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 deny it
00:15:53 --> 00:15:53 altogether.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 Christian
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 joy
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 coexists
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 with
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 suffering
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 and is
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 in fact
00:15:58 --> 00:15:58 enhanced
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 by it
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 because
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 it helps
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 us to
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 see
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 where
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 true
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 joy
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 can
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 actually
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 be
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 found.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 When
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 our
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 joy
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 is
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 located
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 in
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 the
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 resurrected
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 Jesus,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 circumstances
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 can't
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 even
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 touch
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 it.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 Verse
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 22,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 now is
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 your time
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 of grief,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 but I
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 will see
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 you again
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 and you
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 will rejoice
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 and no
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 one
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 will take
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 away
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 your
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 joy.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 On a
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 supper,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 this is
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 why I
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 think
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 Christians
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 should be
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 the least
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 sentimental
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 people in
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 the world.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 Christians
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 should never
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 be denying
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 their own
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 pain.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 They should
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 never be
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 denying
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 what the
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 world is
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 painful.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 They should
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 never really
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 be super
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 stoic.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 And Christians
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 should never
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 be afraid
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 of getting
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 empathetic
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 and involved
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 with people
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 who are
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 suffering.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Why?
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 Because
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 Christian
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 joy
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 coexists
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 with
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 suffering.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 Christians
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 have a
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 joy that
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 goes deeper
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 with sorrow.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 Christian
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 joy
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 grows
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 brighter
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 when things
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 are darkest.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 So hopefully
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 by now
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 you're wanting
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 to know
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 how is it
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 possible to
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 get such
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 joy,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 especially when
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 I'm living
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 in such a
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 miserable
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 place like
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 Sydney.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 Try visiting
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 Arkansas.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 Maybe you're
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 thinking you
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 can't do
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 this.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 Maybe you've
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 been miserable
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 for 40 years
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 and you're
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 settled with
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 it and you're
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 just given
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 up trying.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 The good
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 news is
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 it's not a
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 matter of
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 trying.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 When Jesus
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 is telling us
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 about this
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 woman giving
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 birth in
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 verse 21,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 who is she?
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 Who does
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 she represent?
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 Let me
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 just show
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 you.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 Verse 21
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 says,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 A woman
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 giving birth
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 to a child
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 has pain
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 because her
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 time has
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 come.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 Now there
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 is a deeper
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 meaning in
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 the words
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 her time.
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 The word
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 in the
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 original
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 language is
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 her hour.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 This woman
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 is in all
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 this pain
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 because her
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 hour has
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 come.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 That little
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 word hour
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 is very
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 important in
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 John's
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 gospel.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 It has a
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 very specific
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 meaning in
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 chapter 7
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 verse 30,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 820,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 1223 and
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 27,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 131 and
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 171.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 Even in
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 chapter 2,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 when Mary
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 tells Jesus
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 that they
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 need more
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 wine at the
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 wedding of
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 Cana,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 Jesus says
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 to her,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 it's not
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 my hour.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 So what is
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 the hour
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 referring to
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 in John's
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 gospel?
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 it's the
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 hour when
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 darkness
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 descended on
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 the cross
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 and Jesus
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 Christ calls
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 out from
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 the cross,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 my God,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 my God,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 why have
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 you forsaken
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 me?
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 Friends,
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 in those
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 days,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 first century
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 Palestine,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 when women
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 gave birth,
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 this is before
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 gas and
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 epidurals and
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 other
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 anesthetics,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 and every
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 woman who
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 gave birth
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 was not
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 only in
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 incredible
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 agony,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 but also on
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 the verge of
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 losing her
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 own life,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 and many
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 did in the
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 process of
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 giving birth.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 Jesus is
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 saying here
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 that this
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 woman in
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 labor is
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 illustrating
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 him.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 The pain
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 and the
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 agony of
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 the cross
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 was his
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 hour,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 and there
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 was no
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 stopping it.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 The time
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 had come.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 It was the
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 will of the
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 Father.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 His agony
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 was the
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 spiritual agony
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 of carrying
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 the sin of
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 the world.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 His agony
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 was facing
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 the judgment
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 of God
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 in our
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 place.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 The only
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 way for a
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 woman to
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 give birth,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 give birth,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 a baby
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 the joy
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 of life,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 is to
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 lose her
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 own joy
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 momentarily.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 She has
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 to give
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 away her
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 joy and
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 suffer,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 and at
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 times she
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 even gives
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 away her
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 own life
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 in order
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 to bring
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 life to
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 a child.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 And Jesus
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 says,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 he's
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 departing,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 his disciples
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 will be
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 filled with
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 grief,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 but so
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 will he.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 They will
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 momentarily
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 lose their
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 joy.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 He is
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 surrendering
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 his.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 He will
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 lose his
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 life to
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 bring joy
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 to them
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 and many.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 You see,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 Jesus
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 eternally
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 existed in
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 perfect joy
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 with the
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 Father and
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 the Son
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 and the
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 Holy Spirit.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 As the
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 Son with
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 the Holy
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 Spirit and
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 the Father.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 And together
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 they created
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 the world
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 and humanity
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 to participate
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 in their
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 perfect joy
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 relationship.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 They made
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 us to
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 share their
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 joy,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 but we
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 rebelled
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 and we
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 rejected it.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 And so
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 Jesus
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 lost his
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 so that we
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 could be
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 brought back
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 into it.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 Hebrews 12
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 2 says
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 that for the
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 joy that
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 was before
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 him,
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 he,
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 Jesus,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 endured the
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 cross.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 What was the
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 joy he was
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 looking forward
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 to?
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 What was the
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 woman's joy
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 in John
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 16?
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 The baby
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 was the
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 joy.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 New life.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 What Jesus
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 got out of
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 the incredible
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 agony of
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 his death
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 and losing
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 his joy
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 on the
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 cross was
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 us and
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 us being
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 included in
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 his joy.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 We were the
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 only thing
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 that he
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 didn't have.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 He had
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 everything
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 else.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 He didn't
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 have us.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 In Isaiah
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 53 we are
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 told that the
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 result of his
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 suffering is
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 that he will
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 see and be
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 satisfied.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 He has
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 linked his
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 heart to
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 us.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 He has
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 made us
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 his treasure.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 American
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 theologian
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 Jonathan Edwards
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 wrote this a
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 couple hundred
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 years ago.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Christ has
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 his delight
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 most truly
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 and properly
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 in obtaining
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 our salvation.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 Not merely
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 as a means
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 conducive to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 his joy and
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 delight but
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 as what he
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 actually rejoices
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 in and is
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 satisfied in
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 directly and
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 properly.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 As the
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 bridegroom
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 rejoices over
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 the bride,
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 so shall
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 our God
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 rejoice over
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 thee.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 We are
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 his jewels,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 we are
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 his treasure.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 Our joy
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 grows simply
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 by seeing
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 what Jesus
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 did and
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 that he
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 did it to
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 make us
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 his joy
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 and that
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 will change
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 you.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 When we
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 see him
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 locating his
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 joy in
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 us,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 ultimately
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 it melts
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 us.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 He will
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 become all
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 that we
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 want.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 You see,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 it's not
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 Jesus plus
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 health,
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 it's not
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 Jesus plus
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 a good
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 life,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 it's not
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 Jesus plus
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 wealth,
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 it's not
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 Jesus plus
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 anything.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 In him we
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 have
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 everything.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 Samuel
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 Rutherford was
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 a Scottish
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 minister who
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 was born
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 around 1600,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 became
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Presbyterian
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 minister in
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 a little town
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 in 1627 and
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 when the
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 Anglicans
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 gained the
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 power over
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 the Scottish
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 church,
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 Rutherford was
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 imprisoned for
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 two years in
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 Aberdeen for
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 nonconformity.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 He survived
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 to preach
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 again and
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 to serve on
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 the council
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 that ultimately
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 wrote the
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 famous Westminster
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 Confession of
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 Faith.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 But while he
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 was in prison
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 in Aberdeen,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 he wrote
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 lots of
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 letters and
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 about 220
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 of those
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 letters are
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 preserved from
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 those two
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 years.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 And the
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 spirit of
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 them is
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 just radiant
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 with the
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 glory of
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 God and
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 the all
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 supremacy of
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 Christ and
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 joy.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 On his
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 way to
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 prison,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 he had
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 said,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 I go to
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 my king's
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 palace at
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 Aberdeen.
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 Tongue,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 pen and
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 wit cannot
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 express my
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 total joy.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 Wow,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 this is a
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 joy that
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 just overflowed.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 One person
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 said that
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 Rutherford was
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 impatient of
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 earth,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 intolerant of
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 his sin,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 wrapped in
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 the continual
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 contemplation of
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 one unseen
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 face and
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 finding his
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 joy in
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 that face's
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 returning smile.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 his joy
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 flowed out
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 of his
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 absorption
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 in Christ
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 resurrected
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 Jesus
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 and
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 Jesus
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 promises
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 us
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 when we
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 see him
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 we will
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 rejoice.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 Jesus
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 He