Your Sorrow Will Turn To Joy (John 16:16-33 Jeff Kliewer)

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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org Your Sorrow Will Turn To Joy

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His mercy is more than I've ever known
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His mercy is more than I've ever known His mercy is more than I've ever known His mercy is more than I've ever known His mercy is more than I've ever known His mercy is more than I've ever known He is victorious,
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His kingdom knows no end Through his resurrection, death has lost its hold
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I know on that final day I'll rise as Jesus rose
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On that day we will see you Shining brighter than the sun
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On that day, we will know you as we lift our voices one.
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Till that day, we will praise you for your never -ending singing.
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On that glorious day, our
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Savior's throne. On that day, we will see you shining brighter than the sun.
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On that day, as we lift our voices one.
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Till that day, we will praise you for you will keep on singing.
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On that glorious day. On that day, we will praise you for you will keep on singing.
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On that day, the
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King shall give his only Son. To make a righteous treasure.
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How could this face away his wounds, which my blood chose him?
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Bring many sons to glory. Behold, is that one
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Jesus. Look full in his wonderful wings of earth.
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We'll grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
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Turn your will aside.
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Where justice and mercy embrace. There the
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Son is life for us.
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And our measureless debt was. Jesus, to you we lift.
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Jesus, our glory adore you.
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Behold you, our Savior ever true.
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Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.
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Turn and see
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Christ, the lion away. He is gone, for we carry his life in our bed.
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Jesus, to you we lift. Jesus, our glory adore you.
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Behold you, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.
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Turn your eyes. Our King will return for his own.
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Every knee, every tongue will shout all glory to Jesus.
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Jesus, to you we lift.
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Jesus, our glory adore you.
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Behold you, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.
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Jesus, to you we lift. Jesus, our glory adore you.
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Behold you, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.
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Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.
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You are where before you formed, you were.
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And soon our lives turn back to you.
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When the sun comes up, satisfy us.
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Before the day has passed us by. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky.
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I'm going to add a little bit of water to make it a little bit more sticky. ♪
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Great glory to be known ♪ With His arms stretched wide to heaven ♪
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See the waters pardoned too ♪ See the veil is torn forever ♪
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Cleansed with blood we pass now through ♪ Amen ♪
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Christ the story ♪ His the glory ♪ Alleluia ♪
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The truth and the truth ♪
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Is now thy sting ♪ In our majesty ♪
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It shall be the throne for us ♪
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The story ♪ Is the ♪
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Before the throne ♪ God above ♪ Ever strong ♪
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Perfectly ♪ A great high praise to ♪ His name is love
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Good morning. We're gonna get started. Thank you for taking the time for fellowship with one another.
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♪ In His hands ♪ My name is written ♪
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On His heart ♪ And He says ♪
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No tongue can bid me ♪ Depart ♪ No tongue can bid me ♪
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Depart ♪ When Satan tempts me to despair ♪
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And tells me of the guilt within ♪ Upward I look and see
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Him there ♪ Who made an end to all my sin ♪
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Because the sinless Savior died ♪ My sinful soul is counted free
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All right, we also have a starting point class. If you're intending to be in starting point to learn about the church, maybe becoming a new member, that class is actually gonna go on today during this service.
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So if you wanna slip out, we won't judge you. We'll think you're going to the class. You can slip out.
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And then it's also next week as well. We have a congregational meeting two weeks from tomorrow.
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So October the 16th at 7 p .m. right here on Monday night. Everybody is welcome to attend.
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Members, you're expected to attend, but everybody is welcome to come. We have some really exciting things to talk about.
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So please make that a priority if you can. Two weeks from tomorrow. Also, guys, bright and early tomorrow morning, 6 a .m.
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Set your alarms for the Men's Breakfast Fellowship at 6 a .m. here in the building.
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All right, let's pray. Father, thank you so much for another opportunity to come into this place and worship you.
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You're worthy of our best. And so we pray now, Lord, that you would help us to bring a sacrifice of praise.
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Lord, you desire worship in spirit and in truth. Help us to worship you that way.
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Lord, eliminate the distractions from our minds that we would not be thinking about the Eagles game or anything like that,
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Lord, but that our minds would be fully present to worship you. You are worthy of our best.
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Come and help us to do that, Lord. We love you and we praise you. Help us to make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
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In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Jeff. Let's stand and sing together.
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Making a joyful noise, as Pastor Jeff said, to the rock of our salvation. ♪
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Bless your name, O God, each day that I'm awake ♪ ♪
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From dawn to setting sun, your greatness I'll proclaim ♪ ♪
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Your glory far exceeds all human thought ♪ ♪
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So with each breath I'll bless your name, O God ♪ ♪
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Your name will be revered by children yet to be born ♪ ♪
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O God, as generations sing the wonders you have done ♪ ♪
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Your strong and mighty deeds are always near ♪ ♪
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O God, your name will be revered by children yet to be born ♪ ♪
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How great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ♪ ♪ How great is the
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Lord, our God ♪ ♪ How great is the
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Lord, and greatly to be praised ♪ ♪
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Your gracious hand provides for all who live and breathe ♪ ♪
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Your mercy runs to find the helpless and the weak ♪ ♪
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When we call out to you, you hear our cries ♪ ♪
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And all our needs are answered by you ♪ ♪ Your gracious hands provide ♪ ♪
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How great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ♪ ♪
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How great is the Lord, our God ♪ ♪
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How great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ♪ ♪
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Your gracious hands provide for all who live and breathe ♪ ♪
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How great is the Lord, our God ♪ ♪ Till Christ descends ♪ And you will reign forever without end ♪
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How great is the Lord ♪
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And greatly to be praised ♪ How great is the
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Lord our God ♪ How great is the
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Lord ♪ And greatly to be praised Amen, we love to sing about his character, right?
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He is holy, he is mighty. He is worthy of our praise. Let's sing together, you are holy.
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♪ You are holy ♪ You are holy ♪
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You are mighty ♪ You are mighty ♪ You are worthy ♪
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You are worthy ♪ Worthy of praise ♪ Worthy of praise ♪
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I will follow ♪ I will follow ♪
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I will listen ♪ I will listen ♪ I will love you ♪
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I will love you ♪ All of my days ♪ All of my days ♪
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You are son of Lord ♪ And Lord King of kings ♪ You are mighty
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God ♪ Lord of all creation ♪ You're amazing and powerful ♪
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You 're the Son of man ♪ You're the Prince of peace ♪
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You're worth to every man ♪ Living God ♪ You're my saving grace ♪
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You will reign forever ♪ You are righteous ♪ You are the very
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God ♪ Beatten in death ♪ You'll set all tystiria ♪
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And at the end of days You're my Prince of Peace, and I will live my life for you.
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Let's sing that again. You are holy. You are holy.
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You are holy. You are mighty. You are mighty.
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You are worthy. You are worthy. Worthy of praise.
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I will follow. I will listen.
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I will love you. All of my days.
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I will sing to and worship the
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King who is worthy. And I will love and adore
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Him. And I will bow down before Him.
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And I will sing to and worship the
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King who is worthy. And I will love and adore
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Him. And I will bow down before Him.
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You're my Prince of Peace, and I will live my life for you.
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You're my Prince of Peace, and I will live my life for you.
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Amen. Amen, amen.
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We sing because of His greatness and His sovereignty, don't we? We sing to Him because He sacrificed
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Himself on the cross. We make a joyful noise because of the freedom that we have and the joy that we have in that freedom.
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He alone is worthy. He alone is worthy. He alone is worthy to be praised.
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See, on the hill of Calvary, my
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Savior bled for me. My Jesus set me free.
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Look at the wounds that give me life. Grace flowing from His side.
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No greater sacrifice. What He's done.
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What He's done. All the glory and the honor to the
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Son. My sins are forgiven. My future is heaven.
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I praise God for what He's done.
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Sing for the freedom He has won. Even death is dead and done.
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His life has overcome. Speak, say the name above all names.
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Over every broken place. He is risen from the grave.
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What He's done. What He's done.
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All the glory and the honor to the Son.
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My sins are forgiven. My future is heaven.
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I praise God for what He's done.
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Now on a throne of majesty, the
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Father's will complete. He reigns in victory.
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Sing hallelujah to the King. He is worthy to receive all the worship we can be.
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What He's done. What He's done.
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All the glory and the honor to the Son. My sins are forgiven.
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My future is heaven. I praise God for what
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He's done. What He's done. What He's done. What He's done.
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All the glory and the honor to the Son. My sins are forgiven.
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My future is heaven. I praise God for what
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He's done. I praise God for what
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He's done. You may be seated.
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Prepare our hearts, Lord Jesus. What is it that He's done?
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He's lived a perfect life among us and then allowed
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Himself to be taken like a lamb to the slaughter, laid down upon the cross, received the nails through His hands and feet, was hoisted up,
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His body broken, bled and died the death that we deserve, a spear in His side, tearing
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His flesh. They took His body and put it in a tomb, but on the third day
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He rose again and ascended to the right hand of the Father. That's what
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He's done. Now that very night that He was betrayed, Peter denied
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Him three times. That night in which He was betrayed, He had taken bread and wine and He had distributed and said, this is my body and my blood.
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He had taught them the meaning of the new covenant and yet just hours later,
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Peter denied Him three times. There's a verse in 1 Corinthians 10, it's verse 27, that says, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the
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Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the
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Lord. I have a question for you. Was Peter worthy to take of the bread and drink of the cup after he denied the
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Lord three times? Yes, he was.
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Yes, not in his own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ. Listen, the reason that the body was broken and the blood was shed was for Peter's sins and for your sin and for mine.
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When the Bible says to take in an unworthy manner, it refers to coming to this table without duly regarding what this means.
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There are some who take communion as if it's no big deal, just eating a cracker and drinking some grape juice.
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But see, this means something eternal. They were getting drunk on the wine and feeding themselves gluttonously some and refusing food to others.
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And in 1 Corinthians, Paul rebukes them for not duly regarding the table of the
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Lord. But this table is open for those who believe in Christ and who will examine their hearts and say,
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I'm a sinner. I need forgiveness. And so what I'm going to ask you to do is that when we pass out the bread and you're holding that piece of bread in your hand, take some time to confess your sin.
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The Bible says if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
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It's because we're not worthy that we need to come to the table. Peter did come to the table after denying him.
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He would take communion for the rest of his life. We need this reminder of the body and blood of Jesus.
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So take some time and ushers, if you'll come forward, take some time to pray on your own, examine your heart and confess sin and know that this is the reason why his body was broken and his blood was shed for us.
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Father, thank you for giving your one and only son,
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Jesus, for sinners like us, like Peter, each of us that have wandered like sheep in our own way.
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We've transgressed your law. So we return to the table, God, for forgiveness, asking that you would cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Help us, Lord, to confess our sins in this time. In Jesus' name, amen. For I received from the
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Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you.
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Do this in remembrance of me. And let's pray.
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And Father, thank you for the cup, the reminder of the blood of Jesus, which was shed on the cross for sinners like us.
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We thank you that in the blood we have confidence of the forgiveness of sin. And so now,
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Lord, we can give you thanks, remembering that our sin debt is paid in full.
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Thank you for the blood. Thank you that the blood has brought us safely home into the
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Holy of Holies, where we will be with you forever, not by any righteousness in ourselves, but by the finished work of Christ.
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Thank you for the blood, in Jesus' name, amen. In the same way, also, he took the cup, after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
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Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. Some of you have asked me why
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I have a big red mark on my nose. And I wish I could tell you that I got in a street fight because I was defending somebody, breaking up a mugging or something.
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But the truth was, I fell back in my bean bag, in my son's bean bag, was laying on the bean bag and holding my cell phone, listening to a sermon.
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And I pulled a eutechis, which is to fall asleep while listening to a sermon.
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And as I dozed off, my hand released the phone, it dropped right on my nose, and I felt a stream of blood waking me up.
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Not a smooth move right there. But I have to say, that sermon hit me right between the eyes. Boo!
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But all that to say, you better pay attention during this sermon. No falling asleep. Who knows what'll happen.
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Let's pray. So Father, we do thank you for this opportunity to open your word.
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It is such a privilege. We don't even understand what a privilege it is to have your word in writing, that we can open and understand the deep things of God.
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So we pray that the spirit of truth would lead us into all truth, that we would understand your word, and that it would change how we live.
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I pray, Lord, for those who are sorrowing today, that you would turn their sorrow into joy.
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God, I pray that you would cause hope to rise in every heart through the preaching of your word, in Jesus' name.
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Amen. In 1554, Queen Mary had replaced her half -brother
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Edward. Edward was a good king who respected the Reformation and the doctrines of the
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Protestant faith. But his sister Mary, when she took the throne, was a wicked woman.
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In fact, what is her moniker? Some of you will know. Bloody Mary. During the years of her reign, 288
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Christians would be killed. The first of them was a man named
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John Rogers. John Rogers had lived in Germany for a time.
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He was working with Tyndale to publish the first Bible in English.
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But in 1548, he returned to England and then soon found that under Mary's rule, what he was preaching was outlawed.
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He was not allowed to preach, and he was subsequently arrested.
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He refused to stop preaching the gospel, and so he was held and put on trial. In 1554,
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Bloody Mary would send him to the stake to be burned. John Rogers had nine children, which is kind of a small number compared to some of you in this church.
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We have a few families that make that seem like only a few. But he had nine children, and all nine of them were standing next to his wife,
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Arianna, as he was being led to be burned. One of the historians talks about their faces.
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Their anxious faces were fixed on him, and their voices of pain reached his ears.
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He saw his children as he was being led to martyrdom, and yet somehow he remained undaunted.
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It would have done them no good if he was reduced to a pile of tears in that moment. Rather, he continued his triumphant march.
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With joy in his heart, he walked to the place of execution. Now, you need to understand, in the days of John Rogers, no
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English Christian had been killed for preaching the gospel. This was a new thing. And Christians wondered, would the
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Protestant faith stand up under trial? Would John Rogers be able to endure the flame?
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And so he came to the place of execution. And the executioner asked him, will you recant, or will you hold to this teaching?
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The problem was, he denied the doctrines of Rome, and he denied the real, actual physical bodily presence of Christ in the
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Eucharist. Will you deny these things? Will you recant?
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And John Rogers boldly said, what I have taught, I will now seal with my blood.
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And so the flame was lit. And there, as he was being consumed by the fire, in a triumphant moment of joy, he reached both arms heavenward in triumph.
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And dying in that position, the crowd let out a roar that rent the sky.
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Thousands of people cheering him on to his home because he did not deny the faith.
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Now I ask you, church, what did he know to see his family left behind when he could have turned back on that road and simply recanted his teaching?
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What joy filled his heart? What did he know that so many of us so often forget?
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He knew that his joy came from the Lord, the finished work of Christ.
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He knew that his sorrow in the pitiful look of his children, that that sorrow would one day turn to joy.
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He knew that the sufferings of this life are only for a little while, but that joy comes in the morning.
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That God turns sorrow to joy is seen most perfectly in the disciples' experience of the crucifixion and resurrection.
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Only a Christian can have joy in suffering at that level.
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Only a Christian. Because, see, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross was a sorrow that none of us can comprehend.
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What the disciples experienced in seeing their world come crashing down, that sorrow was turned to joy on the third day.
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On the third day, when Jesus rose from the dead, all of that sorrow was swallowed up in victory and replaced with unending joy.
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And so that victory of Christ on the cross and his resurrection from the dead can never be taken from us.
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See, John Rogers died on a martyr, died as a martyr on this side of the cross.
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He knew what Jesus did and he rested secure in that, and so he had joy that could not be snuffed out.
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Let's turn to John chapter 16. We pick up from last week at verse 16.
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The context here is the preparation of the disciples for Jesus's departing.
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He is about to go back to the Father. In chapter 16, verse 5, he says,
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I am going to him who sent me. He's been telling them and setting their expectations. And he's promised them that it's good for them if he goes because if he goes, he will send the
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Holy Spirit, the helper. In verse 10, he says, because I go to the
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Father and you will see me no longer. He's been preparing them for this moment of his departure.
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And so now, he puts a fine point on it at the end of the chapter, preparing them for the crucifixion and resurrection.
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Let's read verses 16 to 19. A little while and you will see me no longer.
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And again, a little while and you will see me. So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he says to us?
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A little while and you will not see me. And again, a little while and you will see me.
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And because I am going to the Father. So they were saying, what does he mean by a little while?
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We do not know what he is talking about. Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him.
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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.
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And again, a little while and you will see me. Stop there.
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Have you noticed that this passage is becoming a bit repetitive? You first of all, have
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Jesus give a saying. Notice that it's in quotation marks. A little while and you will see me no longer.
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And again, a little while and you will see me. It's still the same speaker. As you follow the flow of the text out of verse 15, nothing has changed and yet the editors of the
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Bible here, the translators, have put quotation marks there. There's no quotation marks in the
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Greek. Why is it in our English translation? Because the translator understands that this is a saying.
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In the Greek, it has an alliteration to it, a flow to it. It's a saying, almost like a riddle.
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And so it's set apart in quotation marks. But the question is, why is it repeated again and again?
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Why do we have Jesus say it and then them wonder about it and then
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Jesus again asks them what they are wondering about and in each case, the saying is repeated.
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Well, clearly what John is doing here in recording this for us this way is to heighten your anticipation to the answer to the riddle.
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By the repetition, you are to begin thinking again and again about this sentence and notice in verse 17, some of the disciples say, what is this that he says to us?
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A little while, you will not see me. Again, a little while and you will see me because I am going to the
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Father, verse 18, so they were saying, what does he mean by a little while?
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That little expression, a little while, evidently has some really deep meaning that we're supposed to catch.
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And we don't know what it is yet. It's put in the form of a question because your mind as the reader is supposed to fixate on that question.
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It's repeated again and again. So you as the reader are supposed to follow along and begin to think, wait a minute, this is important.
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It's building anticipation to the answer. And the struggling to understand has a purpose.
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Do you know that in our lives, we will struggle to understand. Why are bad things happening?
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Why is my divorce rocky? Why is my marriage rocky? Why is my job, my boss, acting like a lunatic?
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Why are my kids misbehaving? Why didn't I get picked for the sports team?
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Or why doesn't my coach give me more playing time? And these things which are heavy burdens, you begin to question why, why?
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Habakkuk is a famous book in the Old Testament for this point. It's only three chapters long, but it begins with how long?
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Lord, why do the wicked prosper? Why is there such injustice and it doesn't seem like God ever steps in?
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The righteous are trampled underfoot. Well, God in the book of Habakkuk gives the answer.
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He says, yes, this is happening, but I will judge. I will send
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Babylon to judge the people of Israel living in Jerusalem.
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Well, when Habakkuk hears that, he says, no, Lord, why would you do that?
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The Babylonians are far worse than the Israelites. Why would you send them to crush us?
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And then God says, after judging my people, I will judge the one
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I sent to judge you. And the final conclusion of the matter is in chapter two, verse 14,
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Habakkuk says, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
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And he ends the book in chapter three, verse 17 and following in a very different mindset than he began.
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He started off questioning why, how long, but by the end of the book, he says, even if the earth does not produce fruit and there's no cattle in the stall, yet I will rejoice in God.
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I will trust in him. The book ends with Habakkuk getting completely transformed, even though nothing has changed circumstantially.
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In fact, what's coming is some hard times. They're going to get trampled by Babylon. So how does
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Habakkuk go from how long, O Lord, and this struggle in this question to a place of joy?
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It's all right here in verse 20. Truly, truly.
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Now, if he hadn't already heightened the anticipation, he does it even more by saying, truly, truly.
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That's for emphasis. Church, if you pull a eutychus right now, that's your own fault, okay?
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I'm telling you, you don't want to miss this sentence. I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.
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You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
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The title of my sermon is Your Sorrow Will Turn Into Joy. You see, the crucifixion of Jesus caused the world to rejoice, and it broke the heart of the 11.
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Judas is so distraught. He has no hope. There's no joy for Judas. He ends his own life.
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That's it. He hangs himself. But the 11 are still holding on to the words of Christ.
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Enough understanding to make it through. And on the third day,
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Jesus rises from the dead, and all of that sorrow is swallowed up in joy.
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This transformation from sorrow to joy, most perfectly seen in the cross and the resurrection, utter sorrow to absolute joy, is a paradigm for your life.
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This principle of sorrow turning into joy is essential for you to understand if you are to live a victorious
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Christian life. If you don't know that this world will have seasons of deep sorrow and grief and lament, then when it hits you, you'll be taken by surprise, as they were, even though they were prepared.
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But this principle of sorrow turning into joy is one of the great and deep teachings of the
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New Testament. It's summarized in 2 Corinthians 4 .17. 2
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Corinthians 4 .17, you can make a note of it, look it up later. These light, momentary afflictions are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory that far surpasses them all.
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There are light and momentary. Now they don't feel light, but they are momentary.
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It's a season, and the opening of that parable can now be solved. The riddle, the answer to Jesus' riddle can now be answered.
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Why this phrase, a little while, a little while, a little while, they're asking, a little while. What are we to know?
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That your seasons of sorrow are never more than a little while.
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They may feel long, they can sometimes even tarry for years. And there are some ailments that last a lifetime.
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Think of the daughter of John Rogers. John Rogers' daughter had never seen him.
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His wife was pregnant when he was arrested. So the first time he saw his little baby, this girl was nursing, still at the age of nursing.
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And with the other eight children surrounding, the mom, I'm sure she was holding the baby in her arms.
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The first time she saw her dad was on his march. And so as he's traveling to be burned, she sees him for the first time and he sees her for the first time.
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That little girl would be raised without a father and would endure a lifetime of fatherlessness.
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And that's the extent of how long this could go. A full life lived with that particular suffering.
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But even that suffering had a purpose in God's plan. And that lifetime of fatherlessness, listen, this is so important for your life.
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Even if it extends that far, that season of sorrow was swallowed up in victory and it has been now for 500 years when
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John Rogers and that little girl were reunited in heaven. And for all eternity will be in utter rapturous joy in the presence of Jesus Christ.
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This principle changes how you think, because in this world we will endure hardship.
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There will be a season of sorrow, but every sorrow will be turned into joy. That's the point.
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He'll turn it into joy. There will be some resurrection moment in the future where the purpose of the suffering becomes known and your joy is only increased because you went through what you did.
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So important. Verse 20, your sorrow will turn into joy.
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The Christian alone understands the heart of God in the great reversal.
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God allows us seasons of sorrow that are ultimately meant to reverse and become part of our deep joy.
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Crucifixion, resurrection. Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man had all these good things in this life and Lazarus had nothing.
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But read Luke 16. Everything gets reversed and in heaven, Lazarus is comforted in the bosom of Abraham.
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There in heaven, a picture of being in glory and the rich man now, the tables are turned.
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He's calling for even a drop of water for his tongue. The great reversal.
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Can you imagine a greater reversal than the cross itself? The instrument of torment and torture and death has become the symbol of our victory.
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The cross is our triumph because there our sins were carried away in Christ's body and then buried and gone, forever removed and now we rise in Christ, forgiven and eternally united with him.
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The cross is a symbol of victory. It's a symbol of our joy. We sing about the cross.
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We rejoice in what used to be an instrument of death and torture and sorrow.
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The cross itself is a picture of sorrow turned into joy. That's the sermon today.
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We could be done. But I haven't told you what to do yet. That comes next.
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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.
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Isn't that a great analogy for sorrow turning into joy? Every mom is nodding their heads. They understand.
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Dudes are like, yeah, I guess that sounds right. I mean, we saw it. For men who had children there, their wives had children, we saw the anguish and then we saw the joy, but we didn't experience it that way.
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This is a picture of sorrow turning into joy. I got an email from Ryan and Didi Maniri.
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Some of you know them. They were missionaries to India and then they needed to come back and live in Alabama because of complications in the birth of their daughter,
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Samantha. She went through great physical torment and anguish.
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But I got an email yesterday from Ryan where he took an
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MP3 recording of his little daughter, Samantha, singing Hallelujah. And he told me that she had been singing it for 20 minutes straight.
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And when I listened to it, it sounded more like, hi -yay -woo -wah than Hallelujah because she's so little.
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But is there a more beautiful sound and is there a greater joy than to hear your children singing praise to God?
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I think it was John that said, I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth. The anguish of childbirth to the joy and then to see that child become a worshiper.
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Verse 23, but here is what you do. Verse 22, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again.
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Your hearts will rejoice. No one will take your joy from you. So by the way, before I move on to what you do, the kind of joy that is on the other side of sorrow, once you've gone through the cross and you've come to the place of joy, this joy is so stable.
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It cannot become unsettled. It lives and dwells in you. And because it's been through the ringer, it's not subject to the ups and downs of life anymore.
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It's a settled joy that no one can take. Even the worst circumstances can't touch it.
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John Rogers could go through the physical torment of being burned and even that could not touch his joy.
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This is an amazingly, no one can take it from you. When you know Christ, when you know what he's done, your joy is settled.
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Psalm 126 is one of my favorites. The people had been taken into Babylon. But they came back to the promised land and Psalm 126 says, when the
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Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, listen, we were like those who dreamed. We were like those who dreamed.
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It was like living a dream. We had been in captivity in Babylon, but when we made it back, we were like those who dreamed.
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And they rejoiced and it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for us.
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And then the psalmist repeats, the Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.
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Now the principle of where this comes from is in verses four to six of Psalm 126.
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This is just a quick aside, by the way. A little sermon within a sermon. In Psalm 126, verses four to six, we're told, the one who sows in tears will reap in joy.
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Young people, listen to this. If you sow to the flesh, you reap destruction.
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That is to say, there are ways that you can gratify the flesh and experience pleasures and things like that.
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But ultimately, these things result in death. But if you sow to the spirit, you reap from the spirit.
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And it is a joy that doesn't go away. It's an eternal joy. So the principle is this, sowing and reaping.
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The harvester goes out and sows seed and that is a painful thing to do. You clear away the rocks.
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You get splinters in your hands and you're in pain and it's difficult, long labor all day long and all you've done is bury some seed.
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What good do you get from that? You have to wait and six months later, when the harvest comes out and turns white and you bring it home and you enjoy a feast and you're feeding the animals and you're feasting on steak and whatever other thing you enjoy to eat, the joy is the reward of sowing.
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This is how it is in the Christian life. Delay gratification. Sow to the spirit.
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Enjoy the eternal rewards of the things of God. So now finally, what do you do?
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John 16 verses 23 to 28. In that day, you will ask nothing of me.
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Jesus speaking, you're not going to ask Jesus, he says, but he gives it truly, truly.
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So for emphasis, listen, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give to you.
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Wow. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Now here's the first command in the text.
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This is the directive for what you are to do. Ask. There it is. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full.
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I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the
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Father. In that day, you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will ask the
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Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
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I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I am leaving the world and going to the
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Father. When you are in a season of deep sorrow, what you are to do is to ask your
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Father for what you need. You are to turn to the loving heart of your
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Father and make requests in the name of Jesus. Deep sorrow should cause deep prayer and we will see the end of that is deep joy.
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But this is where it goes back and forth. Some Christians go through deep sorrow and they pity themselves and they turn inward and they listen to self -help tapes and they do anything and everything but pray.
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Other Christians in the depths of sorrow will pray more deeply than they ever did before.
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Isn't that true? Doesn't it take sorrow sometimes to get us praying?
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But this is what you are to do. You are to turn to your loving Father and begin to pray. Now, by the way, how should we pray?
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Do we pray to the Holy Spirit, to Jesus, or to the Father? Yes, it's okay to do all because each is
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Trinitarian, yes, but in this text, how are we taught to pray? Just as Jesus did in the
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Lord's Prayer, our Father. Here's how you do it. When you pray, you should direct your prayer to the
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Father. Amen? And you do so in the
01:22:06
Son. That means you're praying through the Son, through the person and work of Christ, on account of Him.
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Him having torn down the veil, the wall of separation that kept you out of the
01:22:17
Holy of Holies, you couldn't pray. No one can come to a holy God, but because Christ's body was torn like the curtain,
01:22:26
He has opened the way, and so you can come to the Father through the Son and by the
01:22:31
Spirit. The Spirit helps you. The Spirit is in you. He's the helper and the teacher, the Spirit of truth, the paraclete.
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He grieves your sin. He mourns with you. He teaches you how to pray.
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He's in you, and He'll never leave you. So because of what
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Christ has done, you can go directly to your Father who loves you, ask of Him, and the promise here in our text is
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He will answer. Now what does it mean in His name? It doesn't mean like a magic formula that whatever you ask, as long as you say in Jesus' name, amen.
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You get it. In His name refers to His person, His identity.
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Being in Him is in accordance with His will, what He has revealed in His kingdom.
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So it is to be united with Christ in accordance with His purposes.
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I think a great place to understand this is in the analogy of the vine, the true vine and the branches.
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John 15, 1 -8. Bearing fruit in that analogy is answers to prayer.
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John 15, 7 -8. That you ask the Father and He gives answers. This shows you're connected to the vine.
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When you're connected to the vine, your heart is for the things of God. You want to see people saved.
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Your heart is beating for the things of the kingdom. Seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added unto you.
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Matthew 6, 33, I think it is. Seek first the kingdom.
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When you're united to the vine, you're a branch from that vine and you're praying for the salvation of your friend and your neighbor and for the repentance of your loved ones.
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You're praying in accordance with God's revealed will. And as you do that, you begin to see incredible answers to prayer and joy is the final result of that.
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So what are you to do? Pray in accordance with the will of God to the Father, through the
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Son, by the Spirit and your joy will be full. He'll turn that sorrow into joy.
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Last thing, verses 29 -33. Here we have the disciples' aha moment.
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Here they finally get it. And this is why I preach so many verses together today because the opening riddle isn't really solved until verse 28.
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In 28, Jesus says plainly, I am leaving the world and going to the
01:25:12
Father. Leaving the world, in this case, means being crucified and put out of sight.
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In a little while, you will see me. No more. Why can't you see him?
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Because he's hidden behind a stone, dead in the ground. And the world rejoices, verse 20.
01:25:39
They're happy because crucify, crucify, away with him. The world wanted nothing of their
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Messiah. But in a little while, you will see me again. That refers to resurrection.
01:25:52
But more than that, notice, I am going to the Father. The ascension to heaven.
01:25:59
And so to see him, here's the answer to the riddle. I don't think they fully get it. In verse 28, the answer is at Pentecost, when the spirit comes, spiritually, he is in them and with them.
01:26:13
And they see him in that way. So it is both the resurrection where they see him with physical eyes.
01:26:21
They see him again. And it refers to the coming of the spirit where they're asking and they're seeing miracles.
01:26:28
They're seeing answers to prayer. They can tell he's present. So even though they're being led away,
01:26:35
Peter thrown in jail. Peter thrown in jail. How do you see
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Jesus? In that when the church prays, the prison doors are open and Peter walks out.
01:26:48
They're seeing him in the work of the spirit among them. They're seeing Christ with his people.
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And in the mysterious plan of God, James doesn't walk out of prison. He, like John Rogers, is martyred.
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They see him in all of his providence, knowing that ultimately they will see him at his return.
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So the aha moment, verse 29. Ah, you see that? Now you're speaking plainly, not using these figures of speech.
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They get it, kind of. Verse 30, they do know that he is
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God because he knew what their question was before they asked. He couldn't hear it and yet he answered it.
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Verse 30, now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you. This is why we believe that you came from God.
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So they kind of get it, right? But look how the passage ends. Jesus answered them, do you now believe?
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Behold, the hour is coming, indeed has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home and will leave me alone.
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Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.
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In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
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When this hour comes, just in a little while, that's only a few hours away in the garden of Gethsemane.
01:28:21
When Jesus is arrested, they're all going to be scattered. They weren't so ready for it.
01:28:27
They weren't fully getting what he was saying. So in a little while, they scatter, but God is with him.
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And notice verse 33, this is the last thing he says. Before, you see, he prays in chapter 17, but this is the last of his instruction to them, in which he promises them peace by telling them, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart,
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I have overcome the world. So what's the lesson, church, today?
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In this world, you will have deep sorrow, but let that be occasion for deep prayer, which will finally turn into deep joy.
01:29:15
Your sorrow will become joy. These trials that you are going through, everybody in this room, if you've lived long enough, you understand, you will go through these trials.
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You will have tribulations, but they're only a little while. They are not as long as they feel.
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A little while, a little while, a little while. Jesus wanted that to be ringing in your head. That's why it's repeated in verses 16 to 19, four times, a little while.
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It's only little. He'll turn it into joy. That joy is coming.
01:29:50
You know the story of John Rogers. You know where I read it? I saw a little book at John Laskin's sister's house.
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We were on a retreat, and it was called The New England Primer. The New England Primer was the book that the public schools used to teach little children how to read from the late 1600s all the way through the 1700s, even was still in use beyond the 1800s, early into the 20th century.
01:30:25
This book was used to teach children how to read. The book has letters corresponding with little rhymes.
01:30:35
So C was Christ crucified for sinners died. Imagine that being in a public school book.
01:30:42
But here's what it says about John Rogers. I haven't been following my notes.
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Here they are, okay. John Rogers, minister of the gospel in London, was the first martyr in Queen Mary's reign and was burnt at Smithfield, February 14th, 1554.
01:31:04
His wife with nine small children and one at her breast following him to the stake, with which sorrowful sight he was not in the least daunted, but with wonderful patience died courageously for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
01:31:22
This was written in the New England Primer. And it even has the words of John Rogers given to his family because what do you do if you're about to be killed?
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You could sorrow and lament, but what he chose to do was to finish strong. For the sake of his children, he wrote them a poem right before he died.
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Days before they took him, he wrote these words. And this entire poem is in the
01:31:53
New England Primer. You should order it on Amazon, by the way. You can do that. Teach your kids.
01:31:58
There's a whole catechism, the Westminster Confession is in there. You can use that to train young children.
01:32:07
John Rogers wrote, I know I am a sinner born from the original, and that I deserve to die by my forefather's fall.
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But for our Savior's precious blood which on the cross was spilt, who freely offered up his life to save our souls from guilt.
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And he goes on to say goodbye, farewell to his children, to his wife. The poem is beautiful, but imagine writing that days before being taken to be burned.
01:32:40
That's a kind of joy that the world cannot assail. God turned sorrow into joy.
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And then, for hundreds of years of American history, his poem was read to every child in America.
01:32:55
Over two million copies sold in the 1700s. This is part of God's purpose to turn that sorrow into joy.
01:33:02
And here we are, hearing that story, being reminded of the heritage that we have. It's a heritage of joy.
01:33:09
So what sorrow you're going through, remember this, it's only a little while God is going to turn it into joy.
01:33:16
Let's pray. So gracious Father, we thank you so much for your words today. So encouraging.
01:33:22
Jesus, you are such a good, faithful high priest. You care about our sufferings and you speak to them.
01:33:32
You sympathize with us in our weakness. And we know your secret plan is to turn every sorrow, every sorrow, into joy.
01:33:45
You're the only God who can do that. Jesus, thank you for the cross and the resurrection.
01:33:53
Sorrow into joy. And now, Lord, we pray that nothing can touch our joy. Even though we must go through seasons of lamenting and grief and mourning, blessed are those who mourn, they will be comforted.
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Even in the midst of these things, God, we pray that your joy would be so deep that we could count every trial as joy.
01:34:14
Knowing that you will turn it into joy in time. So, Lord, I want to pray, especially for someone here going through deep sorrow.
01:34:27
Pray that you speak to them now and remind them that it's only a little while. And that you will turn it into joy.
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Thank you, Jesus, for the cross and the resurrection. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
01:34:48
Will you stand with me? I believe in Christ Risen from the dead
01:35:12
He now reigns victorious His kingdom knows no end
01:35:19
Through His resurrection Death has lost its hold
01:35:26
I know on that final day I'll rise as Jesus rose
01:35:34
On that day I will see you Shining brighter than the sun
01:35:42
On that day we will know you As we lift our voices
01:35:48
One till that day We will praise you For your never -ending grace
01:35:56
And we will keep on singing On that glorious day
01:36:09
What a blessed hope Though now tired and worn
01:36:16
We will spend eternity Around our Savior's throne
01:36:22
Though we grieve our losses We grieve not in vain
01:36:29
For we know our crown of glory Waits beyond the grave
01:36:37
On that day we will see you Shining brighter than the sun
01:36:44
On that day we will know you As we lift our voices
01:36:50
One till that day We will praise you For your never -ending grace
01:36:58
And we will keep on singing On that glorious day
01:37:10
Hallelujah What a day it will be
01:37:16
For at home with you My joy is complete
01:37:23
As I run into your arms Open wide I will see
01:37:30
My Father who is waiting for me Hallelujah Hallelujah What a day it will be
01:37:43
For at home with you My joy is complete As I run into your arms
01:37:53
Open wide I will see My Father who is waiting for me
01:38:03
My Father who is waiting for me
01:38:09
On that day we will see you Shining brighter than the sun
01:38:17
On that day we will know you As we lift our voices
01:38:23
One till that day We will praise you For your never -ending grace
01:38:30
And we will keep on singing On that glorious day
01:38:37
On that day we will see you Shining brighter than the sun
01:38:44
On that day we will know you As we lift our voices
01:38:49
One till that day We will praise you For your never -ending grace
01:38:57
And we will keep on singing On that glorious day
01:39:04
And we'll keep on singing On that glorious day
01:39:21
And to present you blameless Before the presence of His glory With great joy
01:39:28
To the only God, our Savior Through Jesus Christ, our Lord Be glory, majesty, dominion and authority