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[0:00] It lay upon my mind, will be found in the Gospel according to John, chapter 16, verse 22.

[0:22] And ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see your gain, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

[0:39] John, chapter 16, verse 22. And ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see your gain, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

[0:58] You may think that this is rather an unsuitable word for this occasion. And as we have been singing of Calvary, of the Lord Jesus Christ there upon that accursed cross, suffering as he did to redeem his chosen people.

[1:28] And as these words have come again and again upon my mind, I venture, hoping the Lord may have some reason in it, some blessing, if I may so speak.

[1:45] This chapter we have read leads up somewhat, I believe, to Calvary. It's that what the Lord Jesus spake unto his disciples, as you know, a little before he came to that place of Calvary.

[2:10] And he knew that there was sorrow in their hearts. And the reason was this, he had already told them that he would leave them for a season, a little while.

[2:29] Though they could not understand why, I have no doubt that the Lord Jesus often was with these disciples.

[2:42] Again, as you have been singing, I believe, in the hymn of the Garden of Gethsemane, how often he entered into that garden to pray unto his Father.

[2:55] And how those disciples also within from time to time, praying unto the Father, that the Father might give his dear Son the strength to continue in that great, great trial, path of addiction, as he travelled along to fulfil his will, the Father's will, and to open a way whereby poor sinners might enter heaven.

[3:37] So I'm sure the disciples knew something of the sorrow and the burdens that was carried by the Lord. But here I desire to come as I may be held this morning.

[3:55] What love they had to him, because when he informed them that he would leave them for a little season, they were set it out.

[4:11] may not made it manifest in words, but this gives us a little idea of the greatness of our God, according to the words of our text.

[4:27] Now ye, ye now therefore have saw. How was he now? How was he to know? Because he knew the very feeling of their heart.

[4:42] He knew the grief in their soul. He knew that they loved him. He knew that withdrawing from them, there would be a sorrow, grief in their hearts.

[5:03] This manifests to us, dear friends, a little, gives us a little idea what love these disciples had toward him. And having that love toward him, how did it prove that they were passed through the gate of regeneration and born of the Spirit?

[5:28] These true disciples. And how the Lord, as we have read, he said it was expedient that he should leave them.

[5:42] How little did they know what laid before that dear man, the Son of God, though he was drawing very, very dear, I believe, to the time.

[5:53] to the very time sent from all eternity that he should go to Calvary, that he shall enter into those deep sorrows that you've been singing a little of.

[6:11] And now, says the Lord, ye have sorrow. I can, it's manifested, it was manifested unto God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that in their heart, dear friends, the Lord knows their heart.

[6:28] He knows the troubles of the heart. He knows the trials of the heart. He knows the way that he leads us along is the path of tribulation. And how we have closed in reading this chapter this morning.

[6:43] these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace in the world. Ye shall have tribulation, sorrow at heart, that be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

[7:03] Those disciples had a sorrow in the heart that they will do nothing of.

[7:16] And dear friends, that has continued down to our day. The Lord knows our hearts. He knows the hearts of his dear children.

[7:28] He knows the sorrows. He knows the burdens. He knows this path that he's called them to tread. The path of sorrow and this path alone that leads to the land where sorrows unknown.

[7:44] He knew their heart. He knows their heart. He knows when we're in trouble. He knows when our hearts are grieved. Grieved.

[7:57] And it's often, as you know, because of sin, of the unrighteousness within us. The sinful things that take place even in our thoughts and in our hearts.

[8:13] And though these things are revealed to us and made manifest to us more and more, that we might know that our hearts deceive but above all things and desperately wicked.

[8:27] Ye now have sorrow. But dear friends, how many times you and I have gathered together in the house of God or in the family worship or at times as we turn aside desiring to pray unto God.

[8:50] how often we have been in much sorrow in the path of tribulation. But the Lord has said according to our text, ye now have sorrow.

[9:07] It's for a season. And how we have proved I trust in some measure how the Lord has come suddenly it may be and given us a word or it may be a look.

[9:23] Just something that he has imparted into our hearts to raise us to a good hope through Christ. Now these I say, and ye now therefore have a sorrow.

[9:43] And as he told them that previously to our text that he had informed them previously. We used to read the previous chapters of this gospel how the Lord often spake to his disciples.

[10:03] He says, and whither I go ye know and the way ye know. Thomas said unto him, Lord we know not whither thou goest and how can we know the way.

[10:16] Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. These are the words amongst many others that the Lord spake unto his disciples.

[10:29] Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in my Father's house are many mansions. And beneath it or behind it all, if I might so speak, the Lord Jesus knew that there was this path of sorrow, this path that he must enter into, even into bodily pain, and much more heart and soul, being brought to be persecuted by the enemy, and how his enemies persecuted him, he now have sorrow.

[11:08] And many of those disciples, they were true witnesses somewhat of a persecution of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he journeyed along, leaving them going from time to time into the to Calvary, he now have sorrow.

[11:32] Oh, how this manifests to us, as I have hinted upon the love those disciples had to him, but more so the love that he had toward them.

[11:44] Because as he is journeying along, and getting very close to the time of his departure, that is, to enter into those depths of suffering and death itself, yet his love went to those he is leaving behind, leaving them into the world, leaving them in the world, in the paths of tribulation.

[12:14] all his love was toward them. He had pity toward them, sympathy toward them, such great love we cannot describe from the heart of the Lord Jesus to these disciples, cannot describe it.

[12:37] Here is the dear man going towards Calvary, going to the depth of sorrow, suffering, agony, on the cross, and even to death itself, yet his love flowed to his disciples, and informed them that he would return, a little while, and ye shall not see me, and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, and he tells them very plainly, he says, because I go to the Father.

[13:11] Father, so we may look at this in two viewpoints, not only going to Calvary, and to die upon that accursed tree, but so that I will, a little while, and ye shall not see me, and again, a little while, and ye shall see me.

[13:35] he rose to the dead, triumphant over sin, death, and hell. He says, I go to the Father, and how we have it so plain in the word, that after his death, after his resurrection, and yet, and a little later, how he took his disciples, as it were, and his disciples, followed him to the place where he would now ascend into heaven, and return unto his Father, a little while, and ye shall not see me, and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

[14:28] Do we acknowledge, do we thankful, all, do we really thank the Lord, and praise him, but many of these things are left on record, for her help, and for her comfort, and to instruct us in the things of God?

[14:50] Ye now, therefore, have sorrow. Let us come, perhaps, a little closer to our own experiences. ye now, therefore, have a sorrow.

[15:10] It's a sorrow, my friends, that will bring the heart, and our very desires, at his footstool.

[15:23] if we had not this path of tribulation, if we had not this path of sorrow, if we knew nothing of our heart by nature, I think we should be atoned in the world, and the things of it, but the Lord, in his great mercy, has convinced us of our sin, and shown us what we are by nature, and it brings us, shall I say, into the decks.

[15:50] We have sorrow, sorrow. Reminds me of a word in Lamentations, I thought of it as you were singing, it speaks to us, is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by, behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto you, me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

[16:36] Oh, how that word dealt together with what we've read in the prophecy of Isaiah. And may I put this question to you, my friends, is it sorrow in your heart and thine, is it nothing to you, is it nothing to you?

[16:53] I have no doubt there was many who passed that way and saw the Lord Jesus Christ hanging upon that cross in his suffering, and there's nothing to them, there'd be nothing to them to die, those that blaspheme the name of God, blaspheme the Lord, have no thought of him, no concern respecting him, there was nothing, nothing to them.

[17:26] All ye that pass by, as we understand, he was crucified, as it were, upon the highway, just by a Jerusalem, is it nothing to you?

[17:41] I have no doubt there was many who there bowed in sorrow, there was those we read of in the gospel according to John, who stood around the cross, who saw the Lord Jesus hanging there, heard him speak, is it nothing to you?

[18:08] Dear friends, if you and I had this view, would it be nothing, nothing to us? Can we say we have had a little view of him?

[18:24] If so, it's by faith, and if the Lord has given us a little of that living faith within our hearts, that we view him even upon the cross, it speaks very plainly to us that he loves you, loves us with a never-lasting heart.

[18:47] And if we have had a little faith view of this dear man there, why, I'm sure we should know what it is to have a broken heart and a contrite state.

[19:00] Is it nothing? Oh, you say, it's not to me. My old soul hangs upon that. Eternity hangs upon that.

[19:13] Heaven, glory, rest upon the coming of the Lord Jesus and his death. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?

[19:26] There's no doubt those dear women, just as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene, and others around that cross who witnessed these things, their heart was full of sorrow.

[19:47] And ye now therefore have sorrow. Think of these words as it were being spoken by the Lord Jesus on that occasion, when hanging upon the cross, suffering, and looking down upon those few before him.

[20:03] As I've mentioned, Mary, especially the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene, the wife of Cleophas, and John, I believe it was the disciple.

[20:16] Now, if he has spoken these words for us, and ye now therefore have sorrow, how true is the text, to see, but I would see your way.

[20:31] There's truth in it, dear friends. Ye now therefore have sorrow, Mary, my mother, Mary, Magdalene, and others, ye now have sorrow, but he says, I'll come, I'll see your gain, and your heart shall rejoice, and I'm sure those dear children of God came into this very experience that their heart was brought to rejoice when he rose from the dead.

[21:14] Ye now therefore have sorrow, and going a little further, if I may, though I had no wish to enter into these things of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, not at this time, but those who ran to the sepulchre couldn't find his body, whereas they laid him, for those in the text, and ye now therefore have sorrow, and was so with Mary, Magdalene, as you know, then I will see you gain an ill true, for he did see them, and spake to them, and as we know, even from that time of his resurrection, he still was pleased to work miracles, three, I believe, miracles performed by this gracious God, before he returned unto his father, and ye now therefore have sorrow.

[22:24] So as I briefly hinted this morning, of the sin, of the condition of the heart by nature, and how we come into this path of sorrow, when we mourn in absent God, if there's a mourning friends, in our heart, because, shall I say, cannot find him, oh, this proves to us, it gives us some hope, that, that, he, we know something of his presence, we know something of a softness of heart, we must have faith in our heart, a true faith, that believes in him, otherwise these spiritual blessings would not be known and felt, though it is of the

[23:27] Lord, how often we've repeated those words, by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, and what we read in Hebrews also, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, so these disciples, they knew sorrow, but their sorrow, sorrow, our sorrow, is nothing compared with the sorrow of the Lord Jesus Christ, in his suffering upon Calvary's cross, and before he arrived at Calvary, in those days and how he is so persecuted, persecuted, how they spat upon him, that crown of thorns, oh dear friends, we cannot begin to imagine what this dear man passed through, and then to have some sweet faith to believe, done for us, well,

[24:50] Jesus suffered, what he endured, no tongue can tell, to save our soul from death and from hell, ye now have sorrow, in the closing, if I might so go back to the closing verse of this chapter, these things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace, that's where the peace comes from, into Jesus, and through his pathway, through Calvary, do we realize, friends, if Jesus had not come into this world in a body similar to ours apart from sin, there had been no hope of salvation, but a father sent his dear beloved son, and true he did love him, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, and I'm sure that was the very voice of the father, when Jesus passed this way, and died, and laid in the sepulcher, and rose again, triumphant, by his power, and at his command.

[26:08] No hope for salvation, friends, we shouldn't be here this morning, if it wasn't for the wonderful plan, and the love, the plan of the father, the love of his, and also of the son, and also of the spirit, one in three, three in one, that they all agreed, if I might so speak with reverence, in forming, yea, in the matters of salvation, to a great race of people, that no man can number, whom the father had chosen and loved, should be redeemed, by and through his dear son, and also cleansed from our sins.

[26:55] great things the Lord has done, no wonder the prophet of old said, the Lord is good, a strong old in the day of trouble, and he knoweth then that trust in him, and ye now therefore have a sorrow.

[27:18] though the Lord gave them this word, before he left them, when he is about to leave them, to undertake that great work already mentioned.

[27:41] He wasn't delivered entirely from all their sorrow. Dear friends, at times I believe the Lord meets with his dear ones, I trust he's met with us at times, and perhaps given us a word, such a word as this, I have loved thee, a word like this, fear not, I have redeemed thee.

[28:08] And when the Lord has been pleased to speak into our poor hearts, with the power of the Spirit, it has removed the sorrow for a time, for a time.

[28:22] But you may be sure, there's yet some days of sorrow before us, all the time we are in this body of sin and death, it cannot be otherwise. For the apostle said, I believe I have repeated the words this morning, O let it matter I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death, or that I will in this body of sin and death, there's sure to be the path of sorrow, there's sure to be trials on every hand, through much tribulation, torture, but when the Lord breaks through sometimes, breaks through these afflictions, these trials, believe in this, and sanctifies it to us, then there's a little rejoicing, but I'm sure to this, the pathway will soon return, where we have to bear before it in sorrow.

[29:25] sorrow. So the path, as I've again mentioned, in the world, ye shall have tribulation, but the word, be of good cheer, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

[29:44] What a sweet word, given to those disciples, as the Lord was about to leave them, be of good cheer, cheer.

[29:57] I, I have overcome the world. I'm going, I'm going to Calvary, I will suffer there, I will die there, I will open a fountain there, so be of good cheer.

[30:18] I've overcome all things. be of good cheer. I have overcome the world, and that, my friends, includes everything.

[30:38] Overcome the old world, overcome Satan, overcome his temptations, overcome his power, he's overcome.

[30:53] Everything now in his hands, under his control, I've overcome. What a cheering word this is to the poor tempted soul, cast down soul, disturbed, in the heart, I've overcome.

[31:11] Dear friends, if these words have been spoken by any other, such as the disciples, he wouldn't have made a foundation, as it were, in the heart, to build upon.

[31:28] But there are very words that drop from the very lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. This older chapter, it's really a sermon, the discourse of the Lord, a little before he left them.

[31:43] These things I have spoken unto you, that ye shall not be offended, they shall put you out of the synagogue, yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God's service.

[31:58] These things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me. Oh, I do sincerely hope, dear friends, that the Lord has quickened our hearts, quickened and brought us to some knowledge of himself.

[32:18] These things have I told you. When the time come, ye may remember that I told you of them, and these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

[32:34] Oh, the wisdom of God. He was with his disciples, he was speaking to them, they heard his voice, they knew it was Christ the Son of God.

[32:46] And no doubt they did John and Peter and James, oh, what a witness they had upon the Mount Transfiguration, and the voice from heaven, this is my beloved Son, in whom I have well pleased.

[33:02] These things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. Now, he says, I go my way. Oh, what a way, dear I am the way, the truth, and the life.

[33:19] Now, I go my way to him that sent me, to my father, to return, and none of you asketh me whither goeth thou, but because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

[33:37] Nevertheless, oh, this word often, conveys, shall I say, somewhat peace in one's soul.

[33:49] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you, but I go away, for if I go not away, the compter will not come.

[34:03] So, as pleased the father, pleased the Lord Jesus Christ, to send to these sorrowful children of this traveling through this wilderness, are one to comfort.

[34:20] Now, the Lord has designed that his dear people traveling in the path of sorrow should be comforted. Oh, those words have often been with me in the prophecy of Isaiah, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, said your God, speak ye comfortably unto Jerusalem, and say unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, she received double the hand of God.

[34:49] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you, but I go away, if I go not away, the compter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you, and when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment, and so on.

[35:14] Well, dear friends, I've been rambling around this morning, and I believe I've got a few here this morning, you know the truth of the text, in your own experience, and you know, therefore, I've sorrow.

[35:31] I may not touch upon your sorrow, but if you have spirit to life in the heart, I know one of the sorrows, one of the burdens you are bearing, and that is the old card of nature, sin, sin, as one of the birds, one of the heavy burdens that the Lord reveals to his dear people, and shows them their heart, and it causes them to be burdened.

[36:04] He now therefore has sorrow, and this burden, my friends, will continue, I believe, as long as we dare, because the old nature will ever be within us, so we depart, but having the grace of God in the heart, that will give comfort, when you are walking in the paths of sorrow.

[36:33] What I mean is this, when you are feeling to be so poor, and wretched, and undone, so vile, in your own experience, in your own heart, yet, let the Lord speak a word, he now hath a sorrow, but I will see your gain.

[36:54] When we give a little of that sweet touch of this presence, of this love, of this mercy, oh, how that brightens our evidences, lifts our sorrows for a little season, and helps us to still press on, journeying along in our pathway that the Lord has designed for us, that, friends, there be no sorrow beyond.

[37:27] This earth, this time, here below, if we are bored of the Spirit and blessed of God, when we come to breathe our last, sorrow's finished, joy begins, and as our text says, and you know, therefore, have sorrow, that I will see your gain, and your heart shall rejoice, and ye and your joy do not take it from me.

[38:03] I think that is, we can say, a touch of heaven, entering into heaven, into glory, in the heaven of eternal rest.

[38:16] Well, I'll leave it with you. And ye know, therefore, have saw, still press on, dear friends, it's sure to be a path of uphill, much against tide.

[38:29] I believe, as Warburton said, the dead fish will with the stream, but living go against it. You'll be going against the stream, and there will be streams of sin, which you'll have to fight against.

[38:42]  But the peace is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.