“[Believers] have joy and comfort—that joy that angels cannot give, and devils cannot take.”
Christopher Fowler
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he was thinking about the emotional state of his flock. He comforted them with these words:
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. 21 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. 22 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. (John 16:20-23)
The promise of a joy that would remain was extended to them. No one would be able to take their joy from them. Joy in the Bible is often described in terms that stress its permanency. The following verses describe the joy of the Lord as: 1) an everlasting joy—“everlasting joy shall be upon their heads” (Isaiah 35:10, an excerpt); 2) a persevering joy—”a joy from age to age.” (Isaiah 60:15); 3) a fullness of joy—”You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11), and; 4) an exceeding joy—”Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you…” (Psalm 43:4) How wonderful that the joy of the Lord reflects his very characteristic, his permanence or eternality.
During Sunday’s sermon I mentioned two ideas designed to strengthen us in joy and to encourage us in its pursuit. Here are the very Edwardsian principles:
- Joy involves delight. The nature of the object delighted in helps determine the quality and perseverance of its associated joy.
- Joy is increased by the contemplation of the prospect of possessing what we love or desire.
Today, consider the Lord Jesus and his glorious second coming. Meditate on the pleasures that are at his right hand, pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16) Have a blessed week and we will see many of you this Sunday.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
