ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT ME?!?

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 26:22

Some have said, "This was spoken to the disciples. It's saying when they loose Jesus they're going to be sad. But then when they see the risen Savior they're going to be happy to see Jesus alive! We'll finally have that kind of joy when we see Jesus face to face. And I believe there will be a new level of joy when we see Jesus - a new level of existence! But I also believe this promise of joy that no one can take away is not just for the original disciples, but for us as well!

If you look carefully in this chapter there's already a verse where Jesus says, the disciples would see him again.

John 16:16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

The one I just read says, "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

What's the difference? Nothing is in the Word of God by accident. I believe that Jesus is making a point when he says, "you will see me," and he's making a different point when he says, "I will see you!" When he says "you will see me," obviously, he's talking to the disciples in the room with him. But then later in this talk with them, he says, "I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

There's something powerful about Jesus seeing his people. It's not just saying, "hey I see you!" There is some kind of supernatural power released when he looks at his people! Check out the following verses:

Psalms 13:3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

Isaiah 64:9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people.

Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

In the comic book and movie Superman always had heat-vision. He could just look at something and burn a hole through it. I really believe there is something powerful that happens in your life when the risen Savior, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, turns his gaze in your direction!

When he looks at you, life happens!
When he looks at you, grace happens!
When he looks at you, peace happens!
When he looks at you, joy happens - and nobody can take that joy away!

When Thomas doubted that the other disciples had seen Jesus alive, Jesus appeared to Thomas and said, "blessed are those who have not seen, and still believe!" You don't have to see Jesus in the flesh in order to have this joy - he only has to see you!

2Corinthians 4:6 says, "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

2Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Praise God, you don't have to actually see the physical Jesus walk into your home in order to reflect his glory! As long as he sees you, the light of his glory will shine in your life and make everything beautiful! Sometimes when we pray, I like to turn my head toward heaven - although in my physical eyes I just see a ceiling, in my spirit I believe the light of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus is pouring more and more of that joy into my life! And just like facing the sun will tan skin or energize solar panels, I believe he's burning out all the ugliness of sin and making my life beautiful with his glory!

1Peter 1:8 says, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..." How can they be filled with joy when the haven't seen him physically? Because He has seen them! When they believed in Him, He looked upon them and made all things new in their lives!

[Photo by John Whittington ©2009 - Panama City Beach at Sunset]

JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Have you ever experienced a sense of joy? Maybe the sun was shining as a breeze kissed your face under a blue sky. Maybe you listened to crickets while gazing at starry heavens. You realized that you had a feeling of peace, security and contentment. But something else was there. A smile rose on your face as you realized you had joy in your heart!

When Paul was witnessing to the curious people of Lystra, he testified about God, "...He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17). Even these pagan people, who wanted to worship Barnabas and Paul, calling them Zeus and Hermes, had experienced joy in their hearts. God loves us all, and has poured out enough food and joy for everyone. (I have a theory that the enemy, working through people, usually causes a disproportionate imbalance to the distribution of God's many precious gifts to his creation - There's enough food for everyone, but all kinds of "Satanic deterrents" from personal laziness and greed, to cruel governments drive us down a path of resistance to the Holy Spirit and rejection of God's purpose for ourselves.)

Although the Greek word in Acts 14 is different than the one in Galatians 5 for example, "the fruit of the Spirit is... joy," Acts 14 is the same as Acts 2, "you will fill me with joy in your presence..." There is still a connection between the presence of God and this kind of joy - gladness, and a good frame of mind. If God fills pagan hearts with joy, if he exposes them to such a degree of his presence, what does he do for believers?

Jesus promised his disciples a joy that would be full, or complete. This is beyond the joy of the pagan. Pagans live in ignorance of the presence from which they derive their joy. Believers have the privilege of knowing the source of their joy. When you know the source of something, a couple of things happen:

1. You know where to go get some more!
If you're out of anything from toothpaste to mustard, knowing where to go to replenish your stock is important. Those who serve the Lord have the opportunity to tap into the source of their joy - the ever available supply of supernatural joy in the Holy Spirit!

2. You know who to thank for what you have!
Pagans can thank their lucky starts for the brief moments of joy they experience as they grope through the darkness. Believers can thank the Creator of the universe, the LORD God Almighty for the joy he has given them! Gratitude to the Source always results in more and more helpings of that for which you are grateful!

Joy in the Holy Spirit
Look at the previous posts on the Holy Spirit from this week. Realize joy is one more benefit and blessing that comes by way of the Spirit's fullness in your life. If you're filled with the Holy Spirit, you'll be filled with joy. Not only can you potentially go beyond pagan joy into believer joy. You can also go from believer joy into Spirit-Filled Believer Joy! Go beyond speaking in tongues and prophesying, beyond power to witness. Be filled with the Holy Spirit to experience joy beyond joy!

[Photo by John Whittington]


Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit...

Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit...

1Thessalonians 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.