Sermon - Easter 5, Year C, 2025 - John 16:12-22

The Christian Martyr's Last Prayer, Jean-Leon Gerome, 1883

True Christian Joy

1. The Sorrows of life

2. Worldly Joy

3. Godly Joy

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” You will be sorrowful, Jesus says. There are some people who really embrace that, and go so far as to enjoy being upset and angry. We live in an outrage culture, where every issue that arises causes us anger, and our first and only response is to be outraged! Instead of thinking clearly about the issues, or trying to have a balanced and level headed approach to problems, calmly and rationally managing crises, we blow up and become enraged.

Or, if we’re not outraged, we’re also prone simply to sorrow and grumbling, wallowing in our problems, saying: Woe is me! Perhaps we have valid reasons to be upset; we really are treated unjustly, or have been injured, or our lot in life is a difficult row to hoe, so to speak. Other times, we have a particular idea of how things should be, and when they don’t go our way, we sit down and mope. We’re like Jonah, saying: “I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 

This worldly sorrow has the appearance of godliness, but is really nothing more than grumbling against God and is the opposite of faith. Worldly sorrow looks at the life God has given us, and forsakes all hope in the Lord. In fact this worldly sorrow is a burden on others who must now put up with our gloomy and grumbling disposition. Instead of encouraging them to be faithful toward God, we encourage them to not trust the Lord and despise the Lord’s providence.

Nevertheless, it is true that sorrows do come upon us, and there is never any shortage of tears and troubles in this life. Jesus told us straight up: “You will weep and lament. You will be sorrowful. Take up your cross and follow Me.” But what kind of sorrow is it producing in us? Is it simply producing sorrow which causes me to be outraged? Is it producing sorrow which leads me to despair? Or, is it the type of sorrow that leads to true joys?

Because worldly sorrow that is wallowing in self-pity and despair of God is often going to long for worldly joy. “The World will rejoice.” That joy of the world is purely in worldly comforts. It says: “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!” Worldly joy does not care for anything beyond this present life. It lives for nothing more than the passions of the flesh.

Among Christians this is commonly known as the prosperity gospel. These preachers typically don’t talk a whole lot about Christ, but focus on worldly goods and prosperity, self-help gurus, and are little more than motivational speakers. It’s not that Chrsitians can’t be wealthy or have a lot of worldly goods, but earthly prosperity is the gospel for these people. In real ways mammon has become their god.

But it’s not just prosperity gospel churches, it’s also feel-good type churches, where they don’t have any hard teachings for the people. You will never hear about your sins that you yourself may be committing. I suspect you won’t hear them reading John 16 in church a whole lot. You simply hear encouraging messages that make you feel good about yourself. It’s not that Christians shouldn’t be encouraged, but are you being encouraged to feel good about yourself because of you, or because of what Christ has done for you? That’s the key.

That leads us to true joy. In this way a godly sorrow over sin, and suffering in this life for the sake of our faith, or suffering on account of the sins in this world, lead us not to joy in ourselves, but joy in Christ. For joy in ourselves is never going to be truly joyful apart from Christ. Consider the fact that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” Or that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” If our joy is found from within ourselves, it is going to be a vain and fleeting joy built upon our sins and evil desires.

But if our joy is built upon Christ, then our joy is true and enduring unto eternity. The Lord said: “your sorrow will turn into joy.” Then He explained that by comparing us to a woman in labor. “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. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

I know to some of the mothers here who have given birth Jesus’ words may sound flippant; but they’re anything but! Mothers, fathers, think back to the labor of delivery of your children. It was excruciating! The pain of labor is surreal how intense it can be! For a few moments the mother is going to feel as if she cannot do this thing, as if it were impossible, because the pain is so great. All she wants to do is run away and hit somebody.

But then the baby is born! Perhaps Jesus speaks with a little hyperbole, saying the mother no longer remembers the anguish, but once the baby is lying on her chest she doesn’t want to run away and hit anyone, she just cries tears of joy and smothers her baby with kisses. The pain, as severe and agonizing as it was, loses its importance in light of this baby. When she’s holding her baby, a unique individual human being, in her arms, she now knows why she had to suffer so much before, and it turns out the suffering was worth this child’s life.

This comparison is phenomenal to Christian sorrows and joys. The suffering in this life that we may have to endure for the sake of our faith may be quite intense! I know we like to say that the Lord doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but the psalmist says in 118: “You pushed me violently, that I might fall; but the Lord helped me.” The Lord pushes us to the very limits, this life is filled with such sorrows that sometimes all we want to do is run away and hit somebody. But the Lord is our helper. The sorrows of this life give way to joy everlasting. “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

The apostles saw the resurrected Jesus. You will see the resurrected Jesus. You will see the new heaven and the new earth. You will see the new Jerusalem, the new city of peace. You will dwell with God in the flesh. He will wipe away your tears. Death, your death, will be no more. Your crying, your mourning, your pain, will be no more. Behold, He makes all things new! You will conquer the sorrows of this age, because He is your God and you are His child. That is your joy! No one and no thing may take that joy away from you.

Christians, this changes your lives today. Already your joy is assured. Jesus has promised it, and why should you doubt His promises which He always keeps? In the midst of your sorrows, of course you may be weeping and in terrible anguish, but on account of Christ’s promises you also have joy, and that makes you unique in this world. Because when troubles trouble you, you can still rejoice in the Lord for He is good and His steadfast love endures forever. Peter says: “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings.” James says: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” Why? Because Paul says in Hebrews: “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” Your faith in God’s everlasting promises conquers the world! Now no trouble troubles you! Like the child martyrs of ages past, as you are led to die in the coliseum you can dance and sing like a bride going to meet her groom. 

Undoubtedly we Christians have sorrows, and an abundance of them! Throughout life, and perhaps daily even, we are going to have doubts and our faith is going to be tested. We are regularly humbled, both justly and unjustly. We will have sorrows without end in this age. But though we may sow abundantly in tears, so will we reap an even greater harvest of joy in the resurrection. The Lord is leading us through these temporary afflictions and into eternal glory and joy. He is taking us through sorrows and into an eternal rest, so that your joy may be full.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!