Harvest of Joy

This is the final sermon in the Fullnes of Joy series. I preached this message on April 5, 2009.

Text: John 16:16-24

Introduction: With spring upon us I have noticed flowers in bloom, daffodils, violets, beautiful tulips. A few years back, Wanda bought some tulip bulbs, she went out in the yard and dug little holes alongside the sidewalk and planted the bulbs. I remember how that we eagerly anticipated a nice row of tulips to pop up in spring. March passed no tulips, April passed no tulips, by May we were beginning to wonder if there would be any tulips. May passed and we knew something went wrong. So we waited a whole other year, and kept our eyes open for at least a sprout the next spring. March, April, May, June…no tulips.
Wanda asked Gene, who has a green thumb, if he had any idea what went wrong. It is my understanding that she and Gene conluded that Wanda planted the tulip bulbs upside down. I could just imagine a bunch of upside down tulips growing underground along the sidewalk. We had no tulips because the bulbs were not planted correctly.
As we have been considering having a deep abiding joy, for some to have the joy they have always sought, for some a restoration of joy. We have learned that those hungering for joy must protect joy from the ravages of sin and circumstances and nurture joy by abiding in Christ. We have learned that we must have faith in God and perseverance through adversity. But today I want us to consider that there is a right way to have deep abiding joy and a wrong way to. Jesus said in verse 20, speaking of his crucifixion That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. You see, the world rejoices thinking that it finally got rid of Jesus and would rejoice. The world has it backwards. The Pharisees, religious leaders, Pilate and all those shouting crucify him, rejoiced at the death of Jesus thinking, He is finally gone. There are those in the world today who are still trying to get rid of Jesus. There are those who would rejoice if they could just live in a world without God. Those who try to convince themselves there is no God. Those who try to teach that Jesus is not the incarnate son of God who died and rose again. Those who deny that Jesus is the one and only savior. I read a story about a pastor of a church in the Netherlands who was an atheist. He didn’t believe in God, believed God is merely an idea, and yet he is a pastor of a church and his church is fine with having a pastor who is an atheist. If only we could get rid of God then surely we can have joy.
But trying to have joy apart from Jesus is like planting your tulip bulbs upside down. Joy will never emerge. In fact a world without God would be a world of despair, of suffering that is meaningless. Deep abiding joy is found in Jesus alone, how can you have this deep abiding joy? If joy is rain I want a downpour, if joy is an ocean, I want to dive in deep. If joy is a garden, I want an abundant harvest. How do we have this harvest of joy?

Cultivate the Field for Joy
The disciples were in deep distress and sorrow at the prospect of Jesus’ crucifixion and death, that he would no longer be with them.
Coming to the realization that there would be no joy in anything other than Jesus. They could not go back to their fishing industry (they left their nets and business behind), I know this will be shock to you fisherman, but for Peter, James and John there would no longer be any joy in fishing. They could not go back to tax collecting, for Matthew, there would be no joy in riches. Peter said we have left all to follow you.
These disciples came to a point that we must all come to if we are to have deep abiding joy. They came to a point that nothing else matters without Jesus in their lives. If their lives were a field to plant, then the field was cultivated for joy to be produced. The field was cleared of the things that would prevent joy from growing. We must come to the same point in life, to the point that we would affirm that nothing else compares to Jesus, that nothing replaces Jesus, that Jesus is more important than this world!
Parable of the Sower and the Seed
3: And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4: And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7: And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
19: When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20: But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21: Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22: He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23: But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

For those that never produced fruit we need to realize that the problem is not the seed, the problem was not the sower, the problem was not the way it was sown, the problem was the ground where it was sown.
-If we want a field of deep abiding joy flourishing in our lives then we must have a field cultivated for joy and that field is cultivated by getting to the point that nothing matters apart from Christ. Please understand that things do matter, my marriage matters, my family matters, my finances matter, my health matters, my friendships matter, my work matters, but without Christ I can never love my wife as I should, I could never nurture my children as I should, I cannot manage my finances as I should, I can not take care of myself as I should, I cannot have deep relationships that I do, work would be nothing more than a job. When Christ is the highest aspiration, the highest priority, the highest value, and the most important relationship in life, then a field is cultivated for joy. And if Christ was somehow taken from me I would despair and no relationship, even with my wife could compare. No thing, even a large bank account could replace him. Even a long successful life would be empty.

-In Luke 10 the disciples were rejoicing over the power they had over demons in the name of Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 10:20 rather to rejoice that your name is written in heaven. My name is written in the lamb’s book of life by his blood. That is the cause for rejoicing.
-Do you want joy? How is your field? Is it hard and stony and thorny or is it good ground? Today is the day you need to come to the place of saying nothing matters without Jesus!

Sow Seeds of Joy
The scripture tells us in Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. You would think that if we are to reap joy we should sow joy. While there is truth in that, there is a different seed that produces an abundance of joy.
Psalm 126:5-6 states 5: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6: He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. –that should give you a great deal of hope. It is often in the times of sorrow that we long for joy. Those tears shed are the seeds that will produce joy in the harvest. Now, I will point out that it is tears shed in faith in God. Sorrow and adversity endured in the context of a mustard seed grain of faith in God will produce an overwhelming harvest of joy.
The disciples were sorrowful but Jesus said their sorrow will be transformed into joy. This is the most amazing seed. – Jesus did not promise that the sorrow would be substituted with joy, or that the sorrow would be replaced with joy, but that the seed of sorrow would be transformed to joy and he gives an illustration of a woman in labor. – the baby, which is the source of her pain is the same baby that becomes the source of her joy. It would be silly to say that once the baby was born that the doctor would give the mother something else, a substitute for joy.
What are the seeds to be sown? See Matthew 5:3-12

Wait for the Season of Joy
As any gardener knows, you cultivate the field, you plant the seeds, and you wait for the season of harvest. In the same way, you cultivate your field, come to the point that you desperately need Jesus, you sow seeds of sorrow, brokenness, but a harvest of joy is never immediate, you must wait for the season of joy.
The joy you are waiting for - A deep abiding joy is a joy that can never be taken from you.
We wait with faith – just as you would a garden, faith cometh from hearing the word of God. Psalm 119:162 162: I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
Prayer
Work – we continue serving the Lord just as you would tend your garden waiting for the harvest.
Wait – Romans 8 25: But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 26: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Psalm 27:14 14: Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. If you have prepared the soil, if you have sown the seed, then your harvest of joy is coming in it season Sorrow lasts for the night but joy comes in the morning.

Keep on keeping on! – Paul encouraging Timothy in 2 Tim 2:6 wrote “The husbandman(farmer) that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”