Grief Turned to Joy

In John 16:17 some of Jesus’ disciples were asking what Jesus meant when He said, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me, because I am going to the Father.”

The disciples were perplexed.

Perplexed means to be completely baffled, to be very puzzled.

The disciples were confused and uncertain about what Jesus meant.

Jesus knew this and He gave His disciples a promise to help clear up the confusion and uncertainty.

John 16:20-22
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come, but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you. Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

The Promise: Our Grief Will be Turned into Joy

Jesus does not promise no grief.
Jesus does not promise no pain.
Jesus does not promise no difficult times.
Jesus promises to turn the grief and the pain and the difficult times into joy.

How can Jesus turn our grief into joy?

He compares it to a woman who is having a baby. The woman experiences some difficult times, pain, and even grief as she carried this child. Everyone around her is telling her how wonderful it is that she is going to have this child, but she is the one having to endure the pain of pregnancy.

When the child is born, the joy of seeing this new life she has brought into the world causes the pain to become joy.

The thing that causes our grief to be turned into joy is JESUS!

He says that at the time of our grief, we will rejoice when we see Him.

Joy is not about circumstances.
Joy is about experiencing Jesus.

We experience Jesus’
Presence
Love
Grace
Mercy

Joy is a product of the work of God’s Spirit in us according to Galatians 5:22.

The other thing that Jesus tells us about this joy that we will experience is that no one will take it away from us.

This is a joy that is eternal because it is joy based in the Eternal One - Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the daily joy of knowing Jesus and His love, grace, and mercy.

We as followers of Jesus can experience joy by:
Taking advantage of the tremendous power we have in prayer.

John 16:23-24
In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.

Our joy is complete when we get what we want. The key is wanting the right thing.

Prayer is not talking God into giving us what we want.
Prayer is letting God tells us what we want and then asking Him for it.

When I ask in Jesus’ name, I am asking for God to give me in His infinite knowledge of me what He wants me to have. It is asking according to God’s will, not my will.

In the garden Jesus prays, “Not My will, but Your will.”

We have tremendous power in prayer when we pray God’s will not our will.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is taping into the power of God by praying God’s will.

We as followers of Jesus can experience joy by:
Knowing that God loves you.

John 16:27
No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.

God loves you:
Unconditionally
To the Maximum
Eternally

God does not love us based on us.
God loves us based on who He is.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love or change His love for us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing God loves us, loving Him back, and living based on His love.

We as followers of Jesus can experience joy by:
Claiming the victorious peace of Jesus in every situation of our lives.

John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

The world is broken and dark.

Everyone who lives in the world, even followers of Jesus, will face difficulties.

BUT! God’s “but” is always bigger than our “but”s.

We are to take heart because Jesus has overcome the world.

Jesus never sinned.
Jesus never let the worries of the world distract Him.
Jesus never let even death stop Him.

We get to share in Jesus’ victory by surrendering our lives to Him as our Lord.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting the peace of God guard our hearts and minds in Jesus.

We live in a very perplexing world. It causes us to be confused and uncertain.

Jesus will turn our perplexity into joy when we:
Take advantage of God’s power in prayer
Know God loves us
Claim the victory His peace gives us.

Grief Turned to Victory by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
                                                      Joe