Appointed To Bear Fruit: A 90 Day JourneySample

Experiencing Joy

No one wants to suffer. It wasn’t God’s plan for us to toil and suffer pain. This came as a result of the Fall. Interestingly, Jesus talks about suffering using the illustration of childbirth. Eve was cursed with pain in childbirth because of her sin. When all things are made new at the end of time, everything will be fully restored to how God originally intended it to be. God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). What a glorious day that will be when there is no longer any pain or death! While that describes the life to come, in this world we will undergo much hardship, because Satan continues to oppose the gospel and the gospel messenger. Those who obey Christ and proclaim the gospel can expect many trials in this life.

The disciples, like the rest of the Jews, were looking for a Messiah who would take away their suffering. They were chafing under the Roman occupation and wanted to be set free. Jesus, however, had no desire to be the world’s version of the Messiah. His calling was much greater. He was here to fulfill the Father’s plan. And in this plan, the Messiah must suffer. In just a few moments, Jesus would be unjustly tried and cruelly put to death on the cross. His suffering would be enormous, but it wasn’t only physical suffering. Jesus would also bear our sins while on the cross. The holy Christ was made sin for us in order to pay our debt of sin. With this sacrifice, all of the Father’s wrath was poured out on Christ, and only because He alone was infinitely holy could He face the wrath of the Father and not be consumed by it.

We can’t imagine the immense pain felt by Christ as He succumbed to Satan’s vicious attack. He was beaten, mocked, humiliated, and nailed on a cross where He struggled to take even a single breath. Jesus knew that all this was necessary, because there was no other way to glorify the Father other than to open the way of Salvation for all who would believe. However, Jesus’ sorrow was momentary compared to the inexhaustible joy that was set before Him. People say that the greatest amount of pain is felt by someone giving birth, but joy immediately replaces that pain when the mother sees her newborn child. Jesus died a horrific death. His pain was immense. Yet, that pain passed too after He took His last breath and died. At that moment, He completed the Father’s plan and was consumed by the joy of heaven.

Jesus says that the disciples’ sorrow will also pass. They will see Jesus again. And, when they do, they will be flooded with great joy. While what they dreaded most—being separated from Christ—came to pass, God restored them to Jesus. What joy the disciples must have felt in the presence of the Risen Christ, and nothing could take that feeling away from them. The key to having joy in the midst of trials is to live in the presence of the Risen Christ. We can find joy in prison cells like in Rome, on lonely islands like Patmos, and in centers of false religion like Ephesus. If we abide in Christ, the Risen Christ will flood our hearts with heavenly joy that will supersede our circumstances. Don’t let the suffering in this world take away your joy both here and the joy that awaits you in heaven. 

Application:  Are you filled with joy?