The Upper Room Discourse - Let There Be Joy

Within the Upper Room discourse, our Lord has called us to love and has warned us of hostility. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and will and our neighbors as ourselves.

We are to beware of the world’s hostility to our Lord and our faith. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Until the Lord returns, or until we die, we must live in this hostile world and face continued opposition. But Jesus assured us that we can stand and withstand in the midst of the world’s hatred because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

This week the Lord calls us to joy, John 16:16-33, and he does this by reminding us of the second great resource God provides for us. The first, of course, was the special ministry of the Holy Spirit (see John 16:1-15). The second resource is the gift of God the Son through the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the upper room on the night Jesus was betrayed, the disciples were sorrowing, they were confused about some of Jesus’ teaching, and they were afraid. In other words, they were real men with real problems, yet the Lord was able to use them. We sometimes get the false impression that these men were different from us, especially endowed with spiritual knowledge and courage; but such was not the case. They were human!

One of the recurring themes in this final section is joy. The eleven were certainly not experiencing much joy that night! But what Jesus said to them eventually made a difference in their lives, just as it can make a difference in our lives today. Patiently our Lord explained how his people can have joy in their lives.

This kind of joy is “a deep, lasting strength in God’s presence and promises rather than in fleeting happiness or circumstances.” It is a “divine, inward strength that will sustain you through hardships, offering peace and hope when you are weary or discouraged.”

Do you know this joy? Even amidst fear? Or exhaustion? Or discouragement? Could your life be characterized as one of joy? Join us this Lord’s Day as we look at “Let There Be Joy!” from John 16:16-33.

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength,

Pastor Wayne