Finding Joy in God Amidst Sorrow and Glory

I want to talk about a discovery that I made by grace in the Word of God 50 years ago in the fall of 1968 I can date it the three months or so during which I passed from ignorance into knowledge concerning things that have shaped everything in my life the discovery has to do with the glory of God and its massive centrality in the universe and my happiness and its massive power in my heart my desire for it and the discovery was how they relate to each other and and how that relationship catapults delighting in God or the enjoyment of God to a place that is so pervasive that it changes everything in life. [00:00:20]

The Bible sometimes talks about sorrow and joy as though they were sequential experiences like first you have one and then you have another and sometimes the Bible talks about them as simultaneous experiences going on at the very same moment. I'll give you two examples, Psalm 30 verse 5 weeping may tarry for the night joy comes in the morning everybody gets that right something horrible is going on in your life for a season called night here and and you're crying most of the time and it passes or it gets fixed or something happens and joy returns now that's the sequence first weeping then joy we get that everybody understands the difference between crying your eyes out and leaping for joy because something wonderful has happened. [00:03:23]

However, the Bible also talks about them as simultaneous for example 2nd Corinthians 6:10 where Paul describes himself as sorrowful yet always rejoicing sorrowful and yet unbroken unbroken not sequential unbroken joy now I don't think that's a contradiction because we use language that way don't we we all know that sometimes we use the word joy or July door happiness to describe those bright cheerful sunny smiling expressions of that good feeling then that's not sorrow but other times and you if you've walked with Jesus a while you know this we also talked about the sweet precious deep unshakable satisfaction in your soul through the worst of times. [00:04:11]

When I was twenty eight got the phone call that my mother had been killed in Israel in a bus wreck my dad was in the hospital they didn't know if he'd make it I'd never walked through anything like this before so I just put down the phone my little two-year-old Carsten is holding on to my leg like this and saying daddy sad and I said to Noel Mama's dead and daddy might not make it that's all I know and I went back to my bedroom and I knelt down hell wept for two hours I know that during those two hours there was that in me that was saying she was awesome thank you from my 28 years with this woman thank you that she brought me to Jesus thank you that she understood when nobody else understood thank you that she's in heaven thank you that she didn't suffer it was a brain injury thank you thank you thank you there was this I had never before experienced the simultaneity simultaneous reality of I've never been more sad in my life and my delight in God's mercies to me and his rock-solid being there for me and taking her to himself never wavered that was a gift. [00:05:12]

I grew up in a Christian home, wonderful Christian home and never never turned my back on what my parents taught me and love them love them to this day both are in heaven I believe and went away to university when I was 18 700 miles away from my home and I carried with me a tension that I couldn't figure out and the resolution of the tension was the discovery four years later but between 18 and 22 I kept trying to figure out over here my dad had taught me first Corinthians 15:10 31 whatever you do Johnny whatever you do in word or deed do all to the glory of God this world exists for the glory of God you exist for the glory of God make God look glorious by the way you live I said got that love that want to do that and over here was the real John Piper in his heart craving happiness I want to be happy and I could no more turn that off like a spigot you have that word spit faucet I don't know what your words are this is English I'm speaking American I could no more turn that off then I could turn off hunger after skipping ten meals it was natural and I believe now it's god-given it is not a sin to want to be happy it's not a sin and I I didn't know how these two fit together because I had it seemed to be in the air that if you did a good deed in any way in pursuit of your happiness it made the deed defective it didn't seem to be for God's glory if it was for your happiness that was the tension I lived with and I I couldn't deny this biblically I couldn't deny this experientially then therefore I lived quite torn during my college years. [00:08:18]

I want Christ to be magnified in my body by my death help me to die in a way that will make Christ look magnificent and it will happen because for me to die is gain now if you're out ahead of me in your logic and your thinking you say oh I think I know where he's going I think I think I'm starting to see it how does that work I mean just think it through how does it work I'm gonna I'm gonna make Christ look glorified honored exalted magnificent in my body as I die how you gonna do that what's the basis of that how does that work because to me to die is gain now there's a missing there's a missing piece in the argument and it shows up in the next two verses let's keep going he says where is it for me - dies gained which I shall choose I cannot tell if I'm to live in the flesh verse 20 - if I'm glued in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me yet which I shall choose I cannot tell I am hard pressed between the two my desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better all right now if I go back to verse 21 and say you just said two dies gained what did you mean how is it gained he answers that in verse 23 doesn't he I am hard pressed between the two my desires to depart to die and be with Christ for that is far better so what's the gain with Christ far better far far better to be with Christ so he paraphrased the logic now so far I want Christ to be magnified in my body as I die and that will happen because for me to die is to experience so much more intimacy and closeness with the all satisfying Christ that I call it gain even though I lose everything in this world is that a fair paraphrase and that was it that was it Christ is most magnified in my body as I died when my heart is most satisfied in him as I died that changed everything and I think that's what it says the reason I make Christ look great in the hospital bed my family standing around me knowing I've got an hour or two before I'm in the presence of Jesus if at that moment I can exude for them this is going to be toe weep for me you may weep for you don't weep for me gain gain gain that would make Jesus look pretty good I mean how else you gonna make him look good if you're not satisfied in him if you're cleaving to this world I don't want to lose this family I don't want to lose this job I don't want to lose this dream retirement I don't want to lose this house I don't want to lose this sexual pleasure I've enjoyed all these years I don't want to lose anything here it's so precious to me Jesus wait wait wait you're not making Jesus look good so Christian hedonism is pretty serious business. [00:15:54]

The whole concept of duty and obedience is changed because I'll give you an illustration I was at a conference in practices in Britain it was at the FI EC conference ages ago and I'll even tell you who it was it was Elizabeth Elliot cuz she wouldn't mind I love Elizabeth Elliot she's in heaven now one of my heroes no-nonsense down-to-earth go down for Jesus kind of person that's the name of her biography of Amy Carmichael chance to die she's not an awesome title a chance to die let's go we were sitting on a panel together and she had heard me talk like this you know this is what I say everywhere I go I'm trying to spread this message all over the world cuz so wonderful and she said - you John that you should you should tell people to pursue joy I think you should tell them to pursue obedience I said I don't think I had the nerve to call her Elizabeth I forget what I call her but I said you know what that sounds like to me that sounds like saying I don't think you should tell people to pursue apples you should tell them to pursue fruit the reason that that doesn't make sense it's because apples are fruit and the pursuit of joy is obedience as the reason it's obedience is because the Bible demands it right Psalm 37:4 delight yourself in the Lord that's a command or Psalm 3211 be glad in the Lord rejoice in the Lord that's a command or Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always and again I say real or rejoice that's a command so I will not let anybody tell me you should be telling people to pursue obedience not joy I think of course we should pursue obedience and the central command in the Bible is be happy it's radical go to hell if you don't find happiness in Jesus we're not playing games here I'm not it's not like icing on the cake like really it's about obedience like stay out of bed with your secretary and then you go to heaven no you won't only if you love Jesus more than sex will you go to heaven so that's that's the first radically just it just changes the way you think about obedience the the core demand in the Bible the core demand is not just embracing Jesus as Savior or following Jesus as Lord but treasuring the Savior and treasuring the Lord as if he your chief delight I mean this this is where I I hammered on it a few weeks ago at t4g because I knew I was talking to a lot of Southern Baptists there and I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and and and did not hear the message that delighting in God is essential to your salvation I've never heard that from my church I heard commit yourself to God decide for Jesus follow Jesus and I realized now wait a minute they're all kinds of receiving z' of a savior when you don't really even like the Savior you just went out of hell I just want not to go to hell Jesus the ticket I'll take the ticket I'll carry him in my back pocket and then I'll enjoy everything else he's in my back pocket he's a ticket out of hell amen give me Jesus back pocket that's not salvation and you might say receive him as Lord okay I'll do what he says you do what he says and the whole while your begrudging I don't like what he says but I'll do what he says because I don't want to go to hell that's the atmosphere that's not Christianity Christianity is way more radical than that your heart must cleave to a Savior and cleave to a lord because you have seen in the Savior and seen in the Lord a treasure that is more valuable than anything that's Christianity. [00:23:32]

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up and then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field what support of that the kingdom of God has broken into the world in Jesus Christ all right he's the king and the king has come and this little one verse parable says entering the kingdom belonging to the king is like finding a treasure hidden in a field you open it the rules of the land are you own this land you have that field I'm gonna get this land at any cost I'm gonna have that field that field is Jesus and his rule in your life and how do you get it sell everything you have and I totally for years I missed the phrase in his joy he sold everything he had in his joy he sold so like well isn't there sacrifice in the Christian life yeah you gotta sell everything but no because you're selling it with joy because the payoff that you get in Jesus is infinitely better than all your cars and all your books and all your computers and all your hobbies and all your friends and everything else he's just vastly better so I David Livingstone said I never made a sacrifice he lived all that horrible suffering like I think he suffered from malaria about 40 times in Africa and said I never made a sacrifice in the world. [00:26:54]

Evil is turning away from the infinitely satisfying God two things that can never satisfy and will kill you in the end that's evil number five self-denial this is important because a lot of people will say to me Piper you're Christian hedonism is unbiblical I was talking with Richard about this just the other day you know this morning I guess that there's a there's a guy who who handed out leaflets and at the thing yesterday because he does like my theology like wow really what that's not a surprise to me but the the the problem was Piper is lopsided right he goes around telling people to seek happiness in Jesus when the Bible says he who would be my disciple they didn't come after me take up his cross and follow me and Bonhoeffer said when Jesus calls a man he bids and come in died and here's Piper going all the way else you can't be happy come be happy come be happy now I can't I get it why people think that's lopsided on Biblical skewed so at this moment in the sermon I'm fixing this all right do I believe in self-denial well I've already said sell everything you have I've already said dying is gain so why wouldn't you want to die for Jesus now most of the world would look at selling everything and dying in self-denial and it is but it is not ultimate self-denial ultimate self-denial is heresy meaning if you go to heaven and God stretches out his arms I just read an article at DG this morning where Greg Morris is writing about the Father welcoming the prodigal home and I got teary eyed I said I just wanna do this with my boy so bad hey God welcomes welcomes you in if you push him away and say no no no no no no no I don't need any of that because I'm supposed to deny myself that's heresy that's wicked so what I would say to the person who's using mark 8:34 to criticize me namely he who would be my disciple must take up his cross what you mean suffer and die and follow me all I say to that person is read the next verse what's the argument argument for whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it what's the argument you want to save your life don't you yes solution of course I believe in self-denial because I believe in salvation I want to be with God I want to be with Jesus I want to maximize my soul satisfaction forever and the only way is to die with him suffer with him walk with Him so at any given moment john piper may be lopsided God will judge whether if you take the 50 books and the 50 years of ministry and read it all and look at it all and watch it all and say way and lopsided or maybe not it's not for me to judge do the best you can. [00:35:21]

Love is the overflow of satisfaction in God that meets the needs of others at any cost to ourselves love is the overflow or you could say the expansion of joy in God to include others in it in the joy at any cost or says I'll die to make my joy bigger through your sharing my joy it does not produce this view of joy does not produce isolated individuals happy in God uncaring for other people it does not I've never seen it do that all over the world where people are taken by this vision they're free to give their lives away for other people lastly ministry and good way to end because you're all you're all moving into new phases in this church some great things are in front of you and every time there's a building program every time there's a new structural change and these that's good for growth the threat is always there or we get a lose sight of the essence and core of what it means to be a Christian what are we inviting people to we're not inviting people to a new building we're not who cares right no we're what are we inviting people to this is second Corinthians 1:20 for the Paul says not that we lord it over your faith but we are workers with you for your joy so here's the Apostle Paul defining his role as a minister I'm not trying to lord it over your face this is what I would say to you right now I didn't come to London to lord it over the men's convention or to lord it over you I don't give I wanna be your Lord I want to work with you for your joy in that amazing way to define your life or your ministry Richard he that team that eldership that pastoral team should think we are workers with this people for your deepest longest joy because that's what's gonna free you to make a difference in this in this city one more illustration of that from Philippians 1:25 I know he says remember when Paul said I don't know whether I'm gonna die or well I'm gonna live to die would be great to live would be what what would to live thee verse 25 of Philippians 1 I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith that's literal translation joy of faith which paraphrase goes like this I believe I will not get to go to heaven right now for my deepest longest full of satisfaction but I will stay here for the satisfaction of expanding your joy what a deal die gain stay more joy for other people through your expand joy. [00:47:20]