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I think everyone in here wants joy.
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I think the answer is
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because in our practical street-level
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Christian living of our everyday lives
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where we experience suffering and pain,
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we really struggle to see how joy
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can be truly experienced
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in the midst of sorrow, pain, and anguish.
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And we have begun at times to believe
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that if we're really going
to experience true joy,
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it must be at the removal of sorrow,
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pain, and anguish.
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In v. 23 and 24, Jesus is going
to teach the disciples
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a really important theological shift
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that's going to take place
in light of the resurrection.
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It will help us see how
we can approach the Father
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regarding these things.
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And we need to understand that.
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But because the aim of v. 24
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is that our joy would be full,
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but it's also going to
teach us another thing,
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and that is this: what's
the source of joy.
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What's the source of joy?
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We need to know how we
need to approach the Father
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if we're going to have this
joy that's set before us.
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But we need to understand importantly too
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what's the source of joy.
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And to help us think about that,
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I'm going to go back to
the illustration again
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and just drive the point home
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one more time for you.
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In the illustration Jesus gave,
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the woman was in the midst of sorrow -
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true physical pain -
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and then her sorrow turned into joy.
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And it wasn't because
the sorrow was removed.
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It was swallowed up
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in the joy of the baby.
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In Jesus teaching us how
to come to the Father
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after the resurrection,
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He's going to be teaching
us the source of joy,
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and let me tell you this,
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the source of joy is not the removal
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of pain, sorrow, and anguish.
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In this life, you're guaranteed
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constant pain, sorrow, and anguish,
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yet here Jesus holds out before us
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eternal joy and fullness thereof.
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I think most of us are getting this wrong
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and I'll help you to diagnose
if you're like me often.
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Regarding your pain, sorrow, and anguish,
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how do you pray about that?
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If you're like me,
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most of my prayers regarding
my pain, sorrow, and anguish
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are: God, I want to have joy,
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so I need You to remove
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the pain, the sorrow, the anguish
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or the source of it.
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And I spend a lot of my prayer time there.
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I want to be careful here.
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I'm not implying it's wrong
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to pray for healing
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or for God to remove those things.
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I'm not implying that at all.
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But I think it's really important
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that we see as we look
through the lens of Scripture
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the normative means through which
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God brings joy to us
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is not the removal of
pain, sorrow, and anguish,
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it's by giving us joy in the midst
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of pain, sorrow, and anguish
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by giving us Jesus.
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Saints, there's something more - better -
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than the removal of pain.
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It's Jesus in the midst of pain.
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And we really struggle to see that,
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to believe that because the pain is real,
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but I want you to know this:
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Jesus is more real.
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God gets glory by
removing pain and sorrow.
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He gets glory by healing,
but I want you to know this,
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God gets even more glory
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when He swallows up pain with joy.
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I mean, tell me what looks better
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from a world's perspective.
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To see someone who circumstantially
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has no basis for joy
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and is in full pain?
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Yet, they're unexplainably rejoicing?
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That gives God glory!
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You know what else it
forces the world to do?
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It forces the world to
come to you and say:
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Hey, what is the source of the hope
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that is within you?
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Because they can't see the circumstance.
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In fact, they see a circumstance
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that should lead to grumbling
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and complaining and whining,
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yet they're seeing joy.
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And when they ask you that,
you get to stand up
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and you get to say this:
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Jesus Christ is the source of my joy
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in the midst of my sorrow and pain.
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Saints, God looks good in that scenario.
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This excerpt was taken
from the full sermon:
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Sorrow Turned Into Joy