John 16:7-18 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”
Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message, he states that the difference between a Christian’s hardships and a non-Believer’s hardships is that the Christian has the tools to deal with the harshness and sorrows of this world that unbelievers do not have. How does God help us to find that supernatural joy in spite of the trials we go through? The good news about sorrow for the Christian Believer is that we’re never alone in the bad news. God gives us the greatest coping mechanism ever, the Holy Spirit. Imagine if you could schedule in in-person appointment with God. God has given us the indwelling Holy Spirit and through the reconciliation of all Believers, He is in us, working here in our midst, though we cannot see Him with our eyes. We are blessed. By faith, we know He is here, and He working in every one of us through the Holy Spirit. It is our advantage that Jesus ascended to heaven, because with the Holy Spirit there is no appointment necessary. All it takes is to bow your head and heart or speak to God any time and any place about our sorrows and He is there.
God, the Holy Spirit waits to be invited into our situation. God want to help us, but many times waits for us to seek Him before He moves. Ultimately, whether we experience joy or misery depends on whether we feed ourselves the things of God, His Holy Word, of Christ of the Holy Spirit or something else. Our soul needs God, His Word, Christ and the Holy Spirit. Without the things of God, our sorrows with not turn into joy. Invite Him to minister to you. Our soul and spirit need open communication with the Lord.
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”
Pastor Kyle gives a few keys to understanding how the Holy Spirit turns our sorrows into joy. Firstly, by convicting us of our sin. Sometimes, sorrows in life are self-inflicted. God loves us to not allow us to remain in a negative pattern that brings sorrow upon ourselves. Most likely, our current hardships and sorrows are not a punishment for past sins. Past sins can add to our current sorrows and I am not saying that there is zero connection. God works towards His children’s (those who believe and accepted Christ and have a “born again” conversion and regeneration of the spirit) repentance of sin, that we live and walk in righteousness, to restore us to an upright position before Him. This side of eternity, Christian still have the sin nature of the flesh and sins do affect their live negatively by the natural consequences of reaping what they sow. Also, our current sins are not an excuse for future sin. God wants our faithfulness at all times and in all seasons of life. We cannot give ourselves a pass to seek self-fulfillment outside of God’s holy Will, Word and Way to get us through sorrows. We cannot ignore the voice of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is the One who turns our sorrow into joy.
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Secondly, the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) turns our sorrows into joy by guiding us into the truth; specifically, the truth about Jesus. The Spirit does not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears (from the Lord) He will speak. The Spirit doesn’t bring up past sins where your failed and fell. If past sins and shortcomings; hearing how you are a terrible person and you haven’t done enough for the Lord and His church are brought to remembrance then it is not the Holy Spirit; it is the adversary – the devil. The Spirit doesn’t beat you up, but picks you up, tells you that you are loved by God, encourages you to get back on track of the straight and narrow path with our walk with God, while guiding you away from distractions and out of the fog of sorrow. We all need a Guide in life because none of us know where we are going, but God knows where He wants us to go. God can see what you and I cannot see. When we do not invite the Holy Spirit into our sorrows, we remain in the fog. Some people remain in the fog for years. Let the Spirit slowly guide you out of the fog, into the truth God’s Word and into the light of Christ and true joy.
Let's conclude Pastor Kyle's message on turning sorrow into joy in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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