12/15/24 “The Buoyant Joy of the Believer”
“The Buoyant Joy of the Believer”
John 16:20-24
One of my favorite childhood memories is that of going swimming with my cousins.
With our swimming trunks on, we would grab a beach towel and off we went to either Mirror Lake or Devil’s Lake for a half day of splashing around in the summer sun.
Occasionally, we would bring along one of those air mats that floated on the water…
For some reason, It always seemed to be my job to blow up the air mat after we arrived at the beach
…apparently, they knew I had a lot of hot air in me, even as a 7-year-old! 😊
I remember one specific time at the lake, my cousin told me he’d give me $100 if I could go out into waist-high water and hold the entire air mat underwater for 10 seconds.
…If any part of the air mattress could be seen above the surface during the 10 seconds, I would not collect my $100
…Never one to back away from a challenge, I thought to myself “How hard can it be?” …. I’ll just pull down one end of the mat until it reaches the lake floor, stand on it, then push the other end below water until the entire mat is completely submerged….count to 10….and…
BOOM….A hundred bucks.
For some reason, it failed to register with my 7-year-old brain that the only reason my cousin would put forth such a wager was that he obviously had tried holding a mat underwater himself…and knew that it couldn’t be done.
What fun it would be to sit back and watch his younger cousin waste a great deal of time and energy attempting to do the impossible…
….which is exactly what that younger cousin did.
I must have wrestled with that stupid air mat for half an hour before finally raising the white flag of surrender.
The other thing that didn’t register with my 7-year-old brain at the time was that even if I had been able to do the impossible and get the entire mat underwater at once…
….there’s no way my 8-year-old cousin was good for $100
…he and I probably had about the same net worth at the time, which would have been around $2.50
I did learn one lesson about physics that afternoon, however.
I learned that air mats will ALWAYS float because air itself is less dense than water.
…(unlike my 7-year-old brain at the time, which was extremely dense!)
To put it another way, when an object that is less dense than water displaces water, the upward buoyant force exerted by the water is greater than the objects weight, causing it to rise and float.
This upward buoyant force is extremely powerful, especially when you consider the sheer size & weight of enormous container barges, cruise ships, and battleships that easily float upon the water.
These huge ships must be a certain width in order for there to be enough displaced water for the upward buoyant force to overcome the weight of the object itself.
When I think about the upward buoyant force of water, I think of a similar upward buoyant force in the spiritual realm…I think of joy.
On the traditional church calendar, the third Sunday of Advent – today – focuses on the spiritual reality of Joy.
As believers, there are so many reasons for us to be full of buoyant joy.
In a little over a week, we will be celebrating the birthday of the long-awaited messiah – our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ….who came to save us from the consequences of our sin.
During Advent, we also celebrate the fact that this same Jesus will return to earth again – only this time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We rejoice in the fact that God loves us so much that He drew up a plan of salvation that involved His own sacrifice on our behalf….so that we could live forever with Him.
For the believer, the Holy Spirit continually reminds us of these gracious truths concerning God’s love…much like a powerful buoyant force upon our lives.
Tim Keller defines Joy as “The Buoyancy of the gospel message, a lightness of heart that goes beyond circumstances.”
Here’s my own definition of biblical joy: “Joy is an ever-present condition in the life of a genuine believer characterized by deep-seated contentment and peace, regardless of one’s current life situation.”
When someone gives their life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit breathes spiritual air into their soul, allowing them to ‘float’ on the sea of life…no matter how turbulent those waters may become.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, you are like an air-filled mat that cannot be plunged into the depths of despair and hopelessness because the force of joy that points upward toward the savior will not allow it to happen !
Now, can we experience difficult seasons in our lives…times when joy seems to lose some of its buoyancy? – Yes, of course we can.
When we are grieving the death of a loved one, or when personal tragedy falls upon us in some way, it certainly can affect the buoyancy of joy in our lives…
BUT, this loss of buoyancy will only last for a season until your life is once again floating upon the tranquil waters of peace and contentment.
Like that 7-year-old kid trying to pull an air mat underwater, Satan will try to pull you under the water as well…
He will attempt to use choppy waters in our lives to drag us under the surface… into the abyss of depression, anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.
…But just like that 7-year-old wrestling with a mat full of air, he will not succeed if you have the Holy Spirit living within you.
Our passage of scripture for today from the gospel of John deals with this idea of how difficult moments in life can only temporarily affect our joy as believers.
Jesus is wrapping up what is referred to as the “Fairwell Discourse” (Chapters 13-16 of John) a set of teachings and encouragement for the disciples just before Jesus goes away to his death.
In verse 20 (John 16:20) Jesus tells his followers that they will endure a time of mourning and grief…but that it will not last long.
At the end of the verse, he promises that their “Grief will turn to joy.”
Jesus is telling the disciples that they will experience grief over his impending death, but that their grieving will only last for a brief period of time.
To use our water metaphor, their mattresses will lose a bit of air and become partially submerged…but only for a brief time.
…Their buoyant joy will soon return.
For you ladies here this morning who have had the experience of giving birth….you have a unique perspective into what Jesus says next in verse 21 (John 16:21)
He uses the example of labor pains temporarily eclipsing one’s joy…
Labor pain is excruciating, right ladies?... am I correct in that assumption?
….but when a woman gives birth to her baby….joy immediately resurfaces – as the pain of the birthing process is quickly replaced by the joy of holding the newborn baby.
It’s interesting that Jesus uses an illustration with joy coming by way of a baby…isn’t it….?
…It reminds us of how the angel appeared to a group of shepherds outside of Bethlehem so many years ago.
…and this was the angel’s message, as recorded in Luke’s gospel: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11)
…Good News of Great JOY!
…by way of a little baby…born in a humble manger…a baby who would change the world forever.
This angelic news is what fills our air mats with continual joy…today...and every day of the year.
Years ago in Baraboo, there used to be a Christmas-themed Shop down on the square that was open all year round…if you wanted an angel for the top of your Christmas tree in July, they had one for you…
How about you?...Is the joy of Jesus’ birth in your heart all year round?
…or does it just ramp up when Wal-Mart & Menards begin to bring in their Christmas merchandise…or when you hear Christmas music on the radio…or when the Hallmark movies reappear on TV in October…or November?
….by the way, if I hear that Christmas song about a hippopotamus one more time….my joy may definitely begin to sink below the surface…
Let’s make sure that we continually meditate on – and are ever-grateful for - Jesus Christ coming in the flesh to save us from our sins…
…just as remembering the Easter season all year round reminds us of Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice on the cross…the necessary act that made our eternal salvation a reality.
Getting back to our passage, another interesting component about Jesus’ story concerning the birth of a baby is this:
Jesus was not saying that the event causing sorrow would be replaced by an event producing joy…
…But rather, that the same event (In this case, the cross) that was to cause their mourning would also be the cause of their joy.
The dark shadows of sorrow and grief initially cast by the cross was the same event that can be looked back upon with joy because it signifies eternal redemption for the believer.
The same goes for childbirth – A singular event that causes both agony and joy.
Jesus was telling His disciples that even though they would experience grief in the short-term, they could find comfort in the truth that he would tell them in verse 22 (John 16:22) namely that “I will see you again.”
How comforting those words must have been…
To hear their beloved teacher and master say to them that this was not the end…just a transition.
A lot of meaning can be conveyed in a simple closing salutation, also known as a ‘valediction’.
The specific words you use in a good-bye can relate a lot of information about your intentions for the future…
For instance, when the clerk at Kwik Trip says to you “See you next time”, it involves an assumption that you will be back to their establishment at some point in the future…
...it also sends a message to you that they expect you to come back.
…This marketing scheme must be working on me as I seem to find my way back to Kwik Trip on a daily basis.
Another famous closing salutation, or valediction, comes from a song that was popular around the time of WWII
It was a song called “I’ll Be Seeing You”…anyone ever heard of that song?
This valediction is one that has somewhat of a somber tone as it doesn’t really give any assurance that the two people will actually ever meet again…
The lyrics of the song support this theory by talking about one person seeing the other person in the sunrise…or in the moon…or at the park…or in a café..
…in other words, they will remember the other person for the rest of their life – but may never meet face-to-face again.
As you can imagine, “I’ll be seeing You” was a popular valediction for those who were being shipped off to war…
…As soldiers never knew if they’d ever be returning home.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, some valedictions can be on the humorous or quirky side such as:
… “See you Later, Alligator….In a while, Crocodile.”
…Or, as one of our daughters used to say: “Toodles”
…Or, “Tell your parents I says ‘Hi’”….I believe that one originated in Manitowoc!
Anyway, you can convey a significant amount of information about your future relationship with someone else just through your valediction.
…Look again at Jesus’ valediction to his disciples in verse 22 (John 16:22) He says, “I will see you again”…followed by “No one will take away your joy”
Aren’t these comforting words from our savior!?!?.... I. Will. See. You. Again.
There is absolutely no doubt as to the future plan of what was about to unfold.
Jesus was soon to give up his life upon the cross, but that would most definitely NOT be the end…
…He would see his friends again!
3 days after the crucifixion, he rose from the dead…and he was once again in the presence of his disciples
For 40 days after the resurrection, he appeared to many individuals before finally ascending back to Heaven.
Where…by the way…he still is today, interceding before the Father on our behalf…
…This is how the believer can be described as Holy…righteous…justified…because these positional titles only come through the work of Jesus on the cross….on our behalf.
….they most certainly do not come through any works or effort on our part.
As Christians - our job is to simply trust in the person and work of the savior, Jesus Christ….
…and because of what he did for us on the cross, live out our lives in a position of grateful obedience, reverence, and evangelism.
This is why we desire to sing hymns and praise songs….
this is why we desire to come before Him in prayer…
this is why we consider His word – the Bible – to be the full authority on all matters pertaining to life and salvation.
…And this is why we value the fellowship and unity of each other in the faith.
Jesus not only promises His disciples that he will see them again, but the promise contained within his valediction also applies to us as well.
One day, we will all see him…
You will see him….I will see him…
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He also writes in 2 Timothy 4:1 that Jesus will “Judge the living and the dead.”
You will see him someday…and He is ready to meet with you…
The question we must each ask ourselves is this:
Are you ready to meet Jesus?
Are you ready to come before the lamb of God…who is also the Lion of Judah?
Is there sin in your life that is prohibiting a relationship to develop between you and the savior?
Are you holding part of your life back from Jesus…?
Are you only giving him 90% of your life rather than all of it….?
These are serious questions to ask yourself before taking your last breath on this earth…and none of us knows exactly when that final breath will be drawn.
…So if you have any doubts about your relationship with Jesus, don’t delay in coming to him in prayer today.
Repentance – a turning from sin and to the savior – will be the most important thing you will ever do this side of Heaven.
Jesus concludes verse 22 (John 16:22) with the comforting words: “…No one will take away your joy.”
Folks, if you are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, your joy will never leave you…it will be with you for all eternity!
Your air mat will never wear out…it will never leak….why?
Because, as 1 John 4:4 proclaims “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
In this world, you may endure many hardships…many dark nights of grief…but God promises His children that “Joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5)
Does anyone else love taking pictures of sunrises?
Here’s a few I’ve taken recently:
(Show Sunrise Slides)
There’s something about light cutting through the darkness of night that lifts my soul and gives me hope….
…Because it reminds me of how Jesus came from Heaven with a healing light that broke through the darkness of this world…
…and how his radiant glory will shine upon His followers forever.
Lastly, in verses 23 & 24, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray in his name…
From this moment on, followers of Jesus were to address the Father in prayer through the name of the son.
In other words, we address the Father, through the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit…
Before Jesus came, Jewish priests would pray directly to the Father…but now since Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven interceding on our behalf….
…it only makes sense to encapsulate our prayers with the name of the one who advocates for us.
Now….it’s important to understand that ending our prayers in Jesus’ name is not some magic formula for having our prayers answered how we’d like them to be answered….
Also…Invoking the name of Jesus in our prayers should not turn into some hollow repetitive, ritualistic formula uttered in an attempt to get what we want from God…
In fact, some people misinterpret the meaning of verses 23 & 24 to mean that literally whatever we ask for in prayer – if the name of Jesus in invoked – then God is somehow obligated to acquiesce to our wants and desires.
This is called ‘Prosperity teaching’ or ‘Health and Wealth’ theology…
The idea that if I simply claim something in the name of Jesus, then God will automatically answer my prayer in the way in which I want to have it answered…
Folks, don’t fall for this stuff.
Prosperity teaching is heresy…it’s a lie propagated by false teachers who prey upon desperate people searching for a quick fix to life’s problems…
These people are told that if they give enough money to a certain ministry, then God will bless them back by giving them abundant wealth and perfect health…
…then after the money is sent in and their prayers go unanswered…
these poor individuals are told that the reason God didn’t answer their prayer in the way they wanted was because they just didn’t pray with enough faith…
Pretty convenient, huh?
…All the while, the leader of the prosperity ministry hires another chef for his $50 million dollar yacht.
Again, don’t fall for this false gospel…
Nowhere in scripture does Jesus tell us that he desires for us to have an overabundance of material goods…or consistently perfect health.
In fact, in many passages of scripture, he warns us about the temptation involved in having too much wealth…
When Jesus mentions receiving anything in his name here in verses 23 & 24, he is basically saying that to pray in the name of Jesus is to humbly demonstrate to God that you desire your will to be aligned with His will.
…And by doing so, whatever you ask of God that aligns with His sovereign and perfect will – He will supply to you.
This kind of blessing has nothing to do with wishes, and everything to do with needs…
Nothing to do with material prosperity, but everything to do with spiritual and physical necessity.
…and whenever we have our spiritual needs met….we receive something far much greater than materialism, wealth, or health…we receive JOY.
And…brothers and sisters…JOY is PRICELESS!
Let’s Pray.