THE GIFT EXCHANGE
EXCHANGING GRIEF / SORROW FOR JOY:
PLUS:
EXCHANGING WORRY FOR PEACE:
EXCHANGING FEAR FOR LOVE:
POINT ONE:
EXCHANGING GRIEF / SORROW FOR JOY:
John 16:16–24:
Context:
The Thursday Before The Cross: Jesus Encouraged His Followers:
DO NOT WORRY BECAUSE I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.
Chapter Sixteen: About The GRIEF / SORROW The Disciples Were About To Face.
Chapter Seventeen: About Jesus Praying For The Disciples, His Church, And Us.
YOUR SORROW WILL TURN INTO JOY.
You Will See Me No Longer | THEN You Will See Me.
VERSE 20: 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 Have SORROW NOW | THEN I Will See You Again And YOUR HEARTS WILL REJOICE.
AND NO ONE WILL TAKE YOUR JOY FROM YOU.
In That Day You Will Ask Nothing Of Me.
Whatever You Ask Of The Father In My Name, He Will Give It To You.
Until Now You Have Asked Nothing In My Name.
Ask And You Will Receive That Your Joy May Be Full.
Main Idea of the Text:
WHEN WE FEEL GRIEF, SORRY AND SADNESS, WE CAN ASK AND RECEIVE JOY FROM OUR GOD WHO IS WITH US.
One Possible Outline:
1. GIVE GOD YOUR GRIEF, SORROW AND SADNESS.
WE GRIEVE BECAUSE WE LOVE.
GRIEF OFTEN COMES UNDESERVED.
Eccl 1: 17-18: With Wisdom Comes Sorrow:
So I Set My Mind To Know Wisdom And Madness And Folly; I Learned That This, Too, Is A Pursuit Of The Wind.
For With Much Wisdom Comes Much Sorrow, And As Knowledge Grows, Grief Increases.
GRIEF OFTEN GOES UNRECOGNIZED.
What Is Silent Grief?
Silent Grief Is When We Feel Compelled To Hide Our Emotions And Carry Our Pain Alone.
Caused By People Around Us, Either Implicitly Or Explicitly, Are Not Receptive To Our Suffering.
GRIEF OFTEN STAYS UNRESOLVED.
The Problem Is That When Pain And Sorrow Is Not Shared Or Expressed, It Is Likely To End Up Constricted.
GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR GRIEF!
2. GOD GIVES YOU JOY.
Joy Is A Gift From God.
Joy Comes From The Lord and Through Our Focus On Him.
This Life And All That's In It Are Temporal.
It Will All Pass Away.
But The Joy Of The Lord Is Eternal.
3. LIVE OUT GOD’S JOY.
What Does The Bible Say About Living In Joy?
John 15:11, Jesus Says, I Have Told You This So That My Joy May Be In You And That Your Joy May Be Complete.
He Wants Us To Experience True Joy, Which Is Happiness That Is Lasting Regardless Of The Circumstances.
THE RISEN LORD JESUS PROMISES TO TURN OUR SORROWS INTO LASTING JOY.
(1) WHAT KIND OF SAVIOR IS HE?
(2) HOW DOES HE TURN OUR SORROW INTO JOY?
(3) WHY DOES HE TURN OUR SORROW INTO JOY?
A. WHAT KIND OF SAVIOR IS HE?
1) THE LORD JESUS IS A SENSITIVE SAVIOR.
The Lord Has Compassion On Those Who Fear Him.
He Is Mindful That We Are Weak.
He Is Mindful That We Are But Dust.
2) THE LORD JESUS IS A SUFFERING SAVIOR.
He Told The Apostles This Truth Only Hours Until His Journey To Calvary.
3) THE LORD JESUS IS THE RISEN SAVIOR.
He Triumphed Over Sin And Death.
The Dramatic Change In The Disciples From Grief To Lasting Joy Was Founded On Seeing The Risen Savior.
Everything About The Christian Faith—Everything—Rests On The Bodily Resurrection Of Jesus From The Dead.
Since He Has Been Raised From The Dead And Ascended Into Heaven, He Is Coming Again To Conquer And Reign.
At That Moment, All Our Sorrows Will Instantly Be Turned Into Eternal Joy!
B. HOW DOES THE LORD TURN OUR SORROW INTO JOY?
1) BY SHOWING US THE GLORY OF THE CROSS.
THE BIBLE DOES NOT DISPLAY THE CROSS IN DEPRESSING, MOURNFUL TONES.
BUT RATHER AS SOMETHING GLORIOUS AND TRIUMPHANT.
It Was The Center Of Their Preaching Because It Was The Basis Upon Which God Could Forgive Our Sins.
Paul Even Wrote That He Gloried Or Boasted In The Cross.
JESUS DOESN’T SAY THAT THE DISCIPLES SORROW WOULD BE REPLACED BY JOY,
JESUS WILL NOT ALWAYS TAKE AWAY YOUR SORROW.
BUT RATHER THAT HE WOULD TURN THEIR SORROW INTO JOY.
He Uses The Analogy Of A Woman In Labor.
A Woman Crying Out In Anguish One Minute And A Few Minutes Later She Was Beaming With Joy When Baby Is Born.
2) BY GIVING US AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE.
After The Resurrection, Jesus Opened The Scriptures To His Disciples.
He Showed Them How The Messiah Needed First To Suffer And Then Enter His Glory.
3) BY BEING OUR MEDIATOR.
Jesus Repeats (John 16:23-24) The Promise To Answer The Disciples’ Prayers Offered In His Name.
Jesus Takes Our Prayers To THE THRONE OF GOD'S GRACE !!
C. WHY DOES THE LORD TURN OUR SORROW INTO LASTING JOY?
1) BECAUSE WE GROW TO BE LIKE HIM THROUGH THE PROCESS OF SUFFERING.
2) SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO POINT OTHERS TO HIS ALL-SUFFICIENCY.
POINT TWO:
EXCHANGING WORRY FOR PEACE:
Luke 1:26–38:
Context:
BIRTH OF JESUS FORETOLD:
Angel Gabriel Is Associated With Delivering Several Important Messages In Scripture.
It Was Gabriel Who Told Zechariah And Elizabeth, Parents Of John The Baptist, They Would Finally Have A Child.
It Was Gabriel Who Comes To An Obscure Town In A Rural Area.
The Object Of His Mission Is A Virgin, Unmarried But Betrothed, By The Name Of Mary.
Gabriel’s Visit To Mary Is A Frightening Moment That Demonstrates The Power Of God’s Plan.
Gabriel Tells Mary That She Has Been Found Highly Favored To Become The Mother Of The Messiah.
I Have Said These Things To You.
That In Me You May Have Peace.
In The World You Will Have Tribulation.
But Take Heart; I Have Overcome The World.
Of Course, While Mary Is Faithful And Willing, She Is Also Human.
AS ARE MOST PEOPLE SHE WILL INITIALLY BE TROUBLED BY THE ANGEL'S APPEARANCE.
She Ponders How God Plans To Accomplish His Purpose (Luke 1:34).
Her Question Will Be About HOW not IF The Angel's Message Will Come True.
Main Idea of the Text:
JESUS CAME TO TAKE OUR WORRIES AND OUR DIFFICULTIES AND TO GIVE US PEACE.
One Possible Outline:
1. GIVE GOD YOUR WORRIES.
GOD IS IN CONTROL.
GOD CARES FOR YOU.
GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR WORRIES!
2. GOD GIVES YOU PEACE.
3. LIVE OUT GOD’S PEACE.
POINT THREE:
EXCHANGING FEAR FOR LOVE:
1 John 4:15–18:
Context:
John Is Discussing The Idea Of CONFESSING Jesus.
John Teaches That The Spirit That CONFESSES Jesus Is From God.
John Teaches That The Person Who CONFESSES That Jesus Is God's Son:
Has God Living In Him And That Person Lives In God.
John Has Now Shifted From Recognizing Jesus In Others To Recognizing Jesus In Yourself.
THE PART OF SCRIPTURE ALSO EMPHASIZES THAT ONLY FALSE TEACHERS DENY THAT JESUS CAME IN THE FLESH.
The Truth Is That The GOSPEL Requires A Person To Believe That Jesus Is Divine—That He Is God's Son.
JESUS IS BOTH FULLY HUMAN AND FULLY DIVINE.
Both Aspects Are Essential To Knowing God.
We May Not Fully Understand It, But We Must Recognize Jesus As Both Human And Divine.
Without His Humanity, He Could Not Die And Rise Again.
Without His Deity, He Could Not Be Without Sin And Offer Himself As A Perfect Sacrifice.
Both Aspects Of His Being Are Essential To His Work And To Our Salvation.
JOHN’S TEACHING ABOUT LOVE FLOWS OUT OF THE UNDERSTANDING:
WHO GOD IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE.
JOHN WRITES TO GIVE ASSURANCE TO THIS CHURCH.
So We Have Come To Know And To Believe The Love That God Has For Us.
God Is Love, And Whoever Abides In Love Abides In God, And God Abides In Him.
BY THIS: LOVE IS PERFECTED IN AND WITH US,
SO THAT WE MAY HAVE CONFIDENCE FOR THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
BECAUSE AS HE IS SO ALSO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD.
THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE,
BUT PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR.
FOR FEAR HAS TO DO WITH PUNISHMENT,
AND WHOEVER FEARS HAS NOT BEEN PERFECTED IN LOVE.
Main Idea Of The Text:
JESUS CAME TO CAST OUR FEAR.
THIS FEAR WE HAVE IS THE JUDGMENT OF GOD FOR OUR SIN.
HE TOOK THE PUNISHMENT ON THE CROSS.
HE GIVES US LOVE THAT GIVES THE FREEDOM TO LIVE FOR GOD.
Possible Outline:
1. GIVE GOD YOUR FEAR.
FEAR HAS TO DO WITH THE UNKNOWN.
FEAR HAS TO DO WITH PUNISHMENT.
GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR FEAR!
2. GOD GIVES YOU LOVE.
3. LIVE OUT GOD’S LOVE.
PEOPLE RESPOND TO THE LOVE OF GOD DIFFERENTLY.
· Some Respond With A Sense Of Self-Superiority (“I’m So Great, Even God Loves Me!”).
· Some Respond With Doubt (“Can God Really Love Even Me?”).
· Some Respond With Wickedness (“God Loves Me, So I Can Do What I Want”).
HOW DO WE RESPOND TO: WHO GOD IS, AND HOW HE LOVES US ?
God Wants Us To Respond By Knowing (by Experience) And Believing The Love God Has For Us.
This Is What Fellowship With God Is All About.
BOTTOM LINE:
GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR GRIEF.
The Disciples Are Comforted.
GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR WORRIES.
Mary Is Comforted.
GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR FEAR.
Humanity Is Comforted.
No comments:
Post a Comment