This week’s talk is an exhortation given by Brother Joe Pommer given at the Pittsburgh Ecclesia earlier in 2026, entitled “The Union of Sorrow and Joy.”
We hope this strengthens your Faith and brightens your day!
Thank you for listening, God bless, and talk to you next week.
Send talk suggestions or comments to: [email protected]
For Show Notes, visit our website: GoodChristadelphianTalks.com
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Welcome to good christophian
talks.
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Thank you for joining us this
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Daily News feed.
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Each week we post a talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent
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world.
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Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized
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recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.
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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.
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Hey everyone, it’s Jason
Hensley.
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This week we are going to be
listening to a very recent talk
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given just in the last few weeks
at the Pittsburgh Ecclesia.
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It’s by brother Joe Palmer.
And what I really loved about it
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is the paradox that he
considers.
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So the talk is called the Union
of Sorrow and Joy.
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And what he looks at is just the
interaction between these two
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emotions.
I find this really powerful
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because I think sometimes we
find ourselves in life thinking,
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well, I just wish I could avoid
all sorrow.
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And yet there’s actually
something between these two
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emotions, sorrow and joy, that
the two of them really work
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together and the two of them are
valuable.
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And that’s not to say that when
sorrow goes away, we won’t be
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excited about it.
That’s, that’s our hope.
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But here in this life there is a
value in sorrow and joy, and
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ultimately we see that sorrow
and joy in the Lord Jesus.
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And in discussing that, Brother
Joe very powerfully brings us to
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the emblems and what we think
about when we are taking that
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bread and that wine.
So I hope that you find this
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encouraging and that it helps
you in your remembrance of the
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Lord and in appreciating what
God brings into our lives.
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This is Joe Palmer, the union of
sorrow and joy.
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Good morning brothers and
sisters.
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Gives me great joy to have this
opportunity once again to come
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up and speak to you all this
morning on the topic of the
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union of sorrow and joy.
And now you might be thinking,
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let’s, it’s a bit paradoxical,
isn’t it?
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Those seem to have a rather
inverse relationship, and you
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would be right, but I think that
there’s certain instances in
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life in which they can coexist,
which we’ll explore in a short
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while.
And I’ve been considering this
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topic for a few years now,
trying to to make sense of it,
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exploring biblical references,
seeing how both of these actions
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and emotions play out in my own
life, and it’s been an
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interesting journey thus far.
What really birthed this thought
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process, though, was the time
that we have around the table of
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remembrance as we partake of
these emblems.
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It certainly should evoke some
specific emotions, so we’ll dive
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into that first.
And after we’ve considered the
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basis of these emotions, we’ll
touch on some scriptural
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examples of those who came
before us experiencing the same
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blend of emotions.
We’ll take a look at some of the
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Old Testament references that
speak to this union and show how
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they can exist together in
harmony as they pertain to our
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Father’s plan.
And finally, to wrap things up,
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we’ll look a little bit into
what this looked like in
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Christ’s life, the examples that
we can take from Him, and what
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we can walk away with today,
feeling like we have a better
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grasp on our relationship to
these emblems before us and the
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emotions that they evoke.
So I think the first and most
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important aspect of this to
understand is the personal
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aspect.
Now, I could stand up here and
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run through a list of biblical
examples, but what does sorrow
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and joy really look like in real
life, in our lives?
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And I think the first step is
acknowledging that these two may
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be opposite in real life, but
they very often occupy the same
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moments.
We’ve all experienced situations
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in our lives in which we were
deeply happy and deeply sad at
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the same time.
And so finding this union of
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sorrow and joy at the memorial
table is not seemingly unnatural
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for us to feel.
It’s a very real and a very
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human experience.
Sometimes it happens in rather
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quick succession, and other
times it’s drawn out over longer
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experiences.
So let’s let’s shed some light
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on both of these.
The primary example we’re
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obviously focusing on today is
the parent child example, the
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relationship that God and Christ
share, which we will discuss a
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bit later on.
But from the human perspective,
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we can consider the emotions of
parent experiences when their
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child goes through a major life
change.
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When a child leaves home, I
believe that parents are filled
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with both sorrow and joy.
At at least I hope.
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I suppose it depends on how
broken up you are about it.
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But to to focus on the emotions
though the parents are filled
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with sorrow that something has
changed.
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The daily routines are no longer
the same.
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Their room in the house becomes
empty.
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The noise of their voice is no
longer present every day.
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But inversely, they’re joyful.
Joyful that their child is
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stepping into a new chapter of
their life, whether that’s going
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off to college, moving into
their own home, moving in with
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someone whom they married, which
presents a whole nother set of
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emotions.
In these moments, the parents
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are not choosing one emotion
over the other.
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They’re experiencing both
together.
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The sorrow doesn’t lessen the
joy, and the joy doesn’t lessen
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the heartache they might
experience.
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And really, both of these
emotions deepen one another.
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They both join together to
display a different emotion
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entirely.
They they display love.
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And so that’s what it looks like
externally between two parties.
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But what about internally?
What about when we’re
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experiencing sorrow and joy for
ourselves?
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So think about a time when you
worked tirelessly to achieve a
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goal that might be finishing
your degree, building your
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business, recovering from some
life altering illness, or maybe
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restoring A damaged
relationship.
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When that breakthrough finally
comes, there’s an immense amount
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of joy that follows, joy that
the theoretical battle has been
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won.
But this is where we start to
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explore the timeline of the
longer experiences.
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The sorrow is or or was present
on the journey that got you
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there.
I suppose it’s present at the
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time of success, when you
reflect on how you got there.
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Sleepless nights, repetitive
failures, sunk cost, battle
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after battle.
It’s been kind of interesting
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writing this exhortation around
the time of the Winter Olympics
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when when an athlete wins their
event, 99 times out of 100,
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they’re crying when they win the
the tears present at the moment
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of victory.
And not because of sorrow alone,
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and not because of joy alone,
but because the weight of their
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journey that they felt, the
effort that they put into
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achieving their goal has finally
been realized.
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And I think that that mixture of
emotion is much more full than
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just pure celebration ever could
be.
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The last personal aspect we’ll
consider this morning is the
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example of reconciliation after
a time of conflict, mainly
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focusing on some longer term
issues.
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And this is also an example
we’ll explore in just a bit in
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our scriptural application
section.
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So consider the example of of
two people or groups of people
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that have estranged themselves
from one another.
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I’m purposely not attributing
this section to anything
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specific because I want you to
think of your own example.
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And ideally, for one reason or
another, they choose to
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reconcile.
And in this reconciliation, we
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see both of these emotions
present.
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Once again, there’s joy about
the opportunity of restoration
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the the forgiveness it’s given
and received, and the peace that
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follows all of this.
But there’s also commonly
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present sorrow, maybe regret for
wasted time, a loss of
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opportunity.
Maybe it’s pain over words, sad
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and anger.
Or maybe it’s the awareness of
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what was lost if the
relationship isn’t exactly the
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same.
And really, reconciliation is
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rarely one emotion or the other,
because it takes the
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identification of both to truly
allow the issue to come to a
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head.
And I think the summation of
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this section of this morning’s
exhortation can really be boiled
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down into a few practical
takeaways.
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When these emotions unite, we
see them one develop.
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Depth 2, We see them evolve into
greater emotional experiences.
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And three, we see the benefit of
this union.
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But what happens if they’re
separated?
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So let’s consider sorrow without
joy for just a moment.
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Sorrow without joy can become
bitterness.
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It can become self condemnation,
especially around the table of
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remembrance.
It becomes a sort of heaviness
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that we carry without any real
hope for anything in the future.
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What about joy without sorrow?
I think that joy without sorrow,
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especially in the context of
this morning’s content, can
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become superficial, really
lacking any real depth can be
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rooted in naivety, not
understanding the full picture.
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It’s, I guess, a celebration of
outcome without a consideration
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of cost.
And we’ll explore this imbalance
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later when we come back around
to our approach to the table of
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remembrance.
And so now that we’ve explored
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what this union looks like in
our own lives, and I’m sure that
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I’ve left out some valuable
examples, so I’d, I’d love to
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hear more if anyone would like
to share later on.
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Let’s let’s consider the
scriptural aspect of the union
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of sorrow and joy.
This is certainly not something
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discovered by man.
This is something that God
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recognized as such an important
balance that he would coat his
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scriptures in an array of
examples for us to consider and
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to learn from.
Some demonstrations of both
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emotions clearly present
together and and not
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sequentially, but intertwined.
After brother Bill Fulkert’s
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exhortation that he gave a few
weeks ago on Romans 10 and 11,
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the the topic of being grafted
into the tree.
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We chatted a bit afterwards
about some of the other recent
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happenings in the daily Bible
readings and one of those was in
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Genesis 45.
But firstly focusing on Romans
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10.
In Romans 10, verse one, Paul
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says, brethren, my heart’s
desire and prayer to God for
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Israel is that they might be
saved.
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And so Paul was focused on the
salvation of others.
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And in the same vein, taking a
look at the actions of Joseph,
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let’s take a look at Genesis 45.
But before we read there, let’s
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set the scene for this topic,
kind of taking a look at some of
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the sorrow and the joy that
Joseph has experienced up to
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this point.
So in sorrow, we know that he
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was betrayed by his own
brothers, he was sold into
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slavery, he was falsely accused
by Potiphar’s wife, and he was
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wrongly imprisoned for years.
And I feel like if I was in this
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situation, it’s going to be
nearly impossible for me to see
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the joyful aspect of this.
But Joseph, true to his name to
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increase, increases his faith
and his joy despite his grievous
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journey through life thus far.
Enjoy.
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Joseph recognizes God’s
Providence.
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He’s reunited with his brethren.
He gets the opportunity to
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preserve his family, to preserve
the line of Israel.
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And so again looking at Genesis
45, verse 5, I believe we see
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what I’ll coin as the union
moment.
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Genesis 45 five says now
therefore be not grieved, not
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angry with yourselves that ye
sold me hit her, for God did
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send me before you to preserve
life.
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So he tells his brethren to not
be grieved, which to me seems a
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bit rich coming from the man who
weeps bitterly several times in
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this chapter.
But the tears are not pure grief
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or pure happiness.
They’re both.
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He remembers the betrayal of his
brothers, but he recognizes his
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place in the salvation of all
the land, not just his family.
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And the sorrow in the injustice
that he experienced coexists
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with that divine purpose that
God had bestowed upon him.
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And it would be easy to stand
defeated in Joseph’s shoes many
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times over if our sole focus was
sorrow and despair.
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In the same manner, it certainly
wouldn’t be easy to stand in
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00:13:53,280 –> 00:13:56,280
Job’s shoes either.
All through the book of Job, we
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00:13:56,280 –> 00:13:59,240
see the incredible amount of
sorrow that was heaped on him
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00:13:59,240 –> 00:14:02,400
chapter after chapter, and
starting at the very beginning
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00:14:02,400 –> 00:14:05,800
of his story, he loses basically
everything but his own life.
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00:14:05,800 –> 00:14:08,880
He loses his offspring, he loses
his great wealth and
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00:14:08,880 –> 00:14:11,240
possessions, he even loses his
good health.
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00:14:11,840 –> 00:14:14,240
And so this obviously puts him
at an all time low, just
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00:14:14,240 –> 00:14:16,720
absolutely writhing and
spiritual anguish.
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00:14:17,120 –> 00:14:20,320
And as icing on the cake, even
his friends turn against him,
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00:14:20,360 –> 00:14:23,320
sending railing accusations
chapter after chapter.
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00:14:24,320 –> 00:14:28,400
But as we know, by the end of
the book, Chapter 42, all is
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00:14:28,400 –> 00:14:32,440
restored to Job twofold.
As we were reading this at the
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00:14:32,440 –> 00:14:35,600
end of last year in our daily
reading planners, Sister Anna
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00:14:35,600 –> 00:14:39,280
Folkerts had mentioned that
sure, God restored all things to
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00:14:39,280 –> 00:14:41,240
Job twice as much as he had
before.
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00:14:41,600 –> 00:14:44,880
Even his sons and daughters were
given to him again, but the
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00:14:44,880 –> 00:14:48,200
memory of his first children
would have still existed.
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00:14:48,920 –> 00:14:53,040
And I agree, Job still had to
sit with the grief and the
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00:14:53,040 –> 00:14:56,280
sorrow of losing his original
posterity.
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00:14:57,520 –> 00:15:01,280
But Job was able to recognize
despite a life that included the
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00:15:01,280 –> 00:15:05,320
graves of his children, he was
still restored by God.
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00:15:06,400 –> 00:15:10,720
In this I think that he gained A
deeper knowledge of God’s power
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00:15:10,800 –> 00:15:15,840
and character.
In Job 42 verse 5, the the union
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00:15:15,840 –> 00:15:19,440
moment.
Once again, I have heard of thee
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00:15:19,640 –> 00:15:24,640
by the hearing of the ear, but
now mine eye seeth thee.
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00:15:26,080 –> 00:15:29,080
So Job knew who God was.
He had a strongly established
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00:15:29,080 –> 00:15:31,920
faith before all of these things
befell him.
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00:15:32,480 –> 00:15:38,720
But now he accepted the sorrow
and he allowed God to turn that
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00:15:38,800 –> 00:15:41,760
into joy.
And I think that’s a truly
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00:15:41,760 –> 00:15:46,560
mature form of unifying his
sorrow and his experience with
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00:15:46,560 –> 00:15:51,440
his joy and his restoration.
The last scriptural example I’ll
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00:15:51,440 –> 00:15:54,880
focus on, unsurprisingly, is our
Lord Jesus Christ.
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00:15:55,680 –> 00:15:58,280
There are several key passages
in Scripture that really
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00:15:58,600 –> 00:16:02,800
highlight this concept as a
continual experience for Christ
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00:16:03,520 –> 00:16:05,120
and going through the literal
timeline.
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00:16:05,120 –> 00:16:08,360
We’ll, we’ll take a look first
at the Last Supper held in the
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00:16:08,360 –> 00:16:12,240
upper room, fully furnished,
made ready for Christ to share
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00:16:12,560 –> 00:16:17,320
one final meal before his
betrayal, his sentence, and his
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00:16:17,320 –> 00:16:20,800
crucifixion.
And consider the blend of sorrow
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00:16:20,800 –> 00:16:23,000
and joy from Christ’s
perspective.
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00:16:23,000 –> 00:16:25,960
Obviously, he knew exactly what
was going to happen.
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00:16:26,600 –> 00:16:28,240
He knew that Judas would betray
him.
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00:16:28,920 –> 00:16:32,960
He knew that Peter the rock, the
strong foundation would deny
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00:16:32,960 –> 00:16:35,200
him.
And he knew that when he was
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00:16:35,200 –> 00:16:38,040
apprehended that all of his
followers would scatter.
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00:16:38,960 –> 00:16:41,840
And knowing all of this, I think
that it makes his actions
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00:16:41,840 –> 00:16:44,760
following that much more
meaningful.
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00:16:46,040 –> 00:16:49,160
So take a look at the account in
the Gospel of John 13.
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00:16:49,160 –> 00:16:53,720
He embraces one of the most
lone, the one of the most lowly
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00:16:53,840 –> 00:16:57,560
servant duties.
He washes his disciples feet and
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00:16:58,600 –> 00:17:02,720
these are the feet that would
run to betray and to deny and to
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00:17:02,720 –> 00:17:05,720
abandon.
He spends the next few chapters
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00:17:05,720 –> 00:17:09,160
after that speaking to his
disciples of peace, of promises
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00:17:09,160 –> 00:17:12,240
of the future and and prayer for
their unity and their future
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00:17:12,240 –> 00:17:14,440
glory that they would
experience.
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00:17:15,079 –> 00:17:18,960
And looking at the joy piece of
this example, we can take a look
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00:17:18,960 –> 00:17:23,160
at John chapter 15 verse 11
where Christ speaking to his
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00:17:23,160 –> 00:17:25,480
disciples.
He says these things.
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00:17:25,480 –> 00:17:30,600
Have I spoken to you that my joy
might remain in you and that
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00:17:30,600 –> 00:17:36,600
your joy may be full?
And here Christ is Speaking of
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00:17:36,600 –> 00:17:39,120
joy on the night that he was
betrayed.
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00:17:40,240 –> 00:17:44,440
I think that this is the union
moment in the upper room, but
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00:17:44,440 –> 00:17:47,240
it’s not the only one.
So let’s move forward a little
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00:17:47,240 –> 00:17:50,680
bit in the story to the Garden
of Gethsemane and we’ll switch
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00:17:50,680 –> 00:17:53,600
over to the Gospel of Matthew.
John doesn’t have much to say
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00:17:53,600 –> 00:17:58,120
about this encounter, but in
Matthew 26, verse 38, Jesus
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00:17:58,120 –> 00:18:01,800
speaks exactly about one of
these emotions.
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00:18:02,840 –> 00:18:06,040
He says.
Then he saith unto them, That
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00:18:06,040 –> 00:18:10,120
being Peter, James, and John in
the garden, with him my soul is
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00:18:10,120 –> 00:18:13,360
exceeding sorrowful even unto
death.
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00:18:13,840 –> 00:18:19,720
Tear ye here and watch with me.
We know that this is a serious
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00:18:19,720 –> 00:18:22,280
event in this evening of Jesus
life.
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00:18:22,280 –> 00:18:24,600
It’s not language to be taken
lightly.
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00:18:24,600 –> 00:18:27,680
He truly was exceeding
sorrowful.
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00:18:28,520 –> 00:18:32,600
Luke tells us that his sweat was
as great drops of blood.
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00:18:33,960 –> 00:18:39,800
But in the same prayer, excuse
me, in the same prayer, Christ
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00:18:39,800 –> 00:18:45,200
exhibits the acceptance of His
Father’s plan, the joy that was
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00:18:45,200 –> 00:18:49,680
to follow these cursed events.
So looking forward, just a few
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00:18:49,680 –> 00:18:54,800
more verses, in Matthew 26,
verse 42, he went away again the
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00:18:54,800 –> 00:18:59,440
second time and prayed, saying,
O my Father, if this cup may not
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00:18:59,440 –> 00:19:04,120
pass away from me except I drink
it, Thy will be done.
300
00:19:05,920 –> 00:19:09,320
In this there is sorrow.
There’s deep, overwhelming
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00:19:09,320 –> 00:19:14,880
sorrow, but here He displays
trust and obedience in His
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00:19:14,880 –> 00:19:18,520
Father’s command, having
confidence that there was joy to
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00:19:18,520 –> 00:19:22,000
come.
And you might be wondering now,
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00:19:22,000 –> 00:19:24,280
I don’t know.
I’m not really seeing the joy
305
00:19:24,280 –> 00:19:27,160
aspect of this example, to which
I would agree.
306
00:19:27,160 –> 00:19:30,200
It’s not expressly found in
Matthew chapter 26.
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00:19:30,560 –> 00:19:35,480
We’ve got to turn over a few
books to Hebrews 12 to see this
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00:19:35,480 –> 00:19:39,360
a little bit more clearly.
And I think if you were to take
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00:19:39,360 –> 00:19:44,360
this idea, the idea of the union
of sorrow and joy, and boil it
310
00:19:44,360 –> 00:19:47,680
down into one piece of
Scripture, I think that this is
311
00:19:47,680 –> 00:19:50,560
it.
On the heels of the faith
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00:19:50,560 –> 00:19:54,520
chapter, we come to Hebrews 12
verses one and two.
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00:19:56,240 –> 00:19:59,680
Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a
314
00:19:59,680 –> 00:20:04,000
cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight and the sin
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00:20:04,000 –> 00:20:08,400
which doth so easily beset us.
And let us run with patience the
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00:20:08,400 –> 00:20:12,720
race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author
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00:20:12,800 –> 00:20:17,240
and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before
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00:20:17,240 –> 00:20:23,400
him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at
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00:20:23,400 –> 00:20:25,120
the right hand of the throne of
God.
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00:20:27,560 –> 00:20:32,360
The cross was sorrow.
It was physical agony.
321
00:20:32,360 –> 00:20:36,600
It was public humiliation.
It was abandonment by those
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00:20:36,600 –> 00:20:41,280
closest to Him.
But the endurance of that sorrow
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00:20:41,280 –> 00:20:45,440
was fuelled by joy, The joy set
before Him.
324
00:20:46,440 –> 00:20:49,520
That joy was his Father’s will
being accomplished.
325
00:20:49,560 –> 00:20:52,520
It was a way of redemption being
offered.
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00:20:52,520 –> 00:20:55,720
It was bringing sons and
daughters into glory to his
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00:20:55,720 –> 00:20:59,280
Heavenly Father.
The sorrow was real.
328
00:20:59,280 –> 00:21:04,760
It was tangible and witnessable.
But so is the joy, and neither
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00:21:04,760 –> 00:21:08,120
cancelled each other out.
Now Christ had the power of the
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00:21:08,120 –> 00:21:10,320
Holy Spirit.
He could have easily denied the
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00:21:10,320 –> 00:21:12,440
feeling of pain.
He could have removed Himself
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00:21:12,440 –> 00:21:17,720
from the cross, but He chose not
to because of the joy beyond it
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00:21:17,720 –> 00:21:19,640
as it pertains to His Father’s
plan.
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00:21:21,160 –> 00:21:25,240
I think this is the truest
display of the union of sorrow
335
00:21:25,240 –> 00:21:30,240
and joy.
Isaiah 53 verse 3 calls Him a
336
00:21:30,240 –> 00:21:32,840
man of sorrows, acquainted with
grief.
337
00:21:33,360 –> 00:21:38,720
Yet Hebrews one verse 9 says,
Therefore God, even thy God hath
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00:21:38,720 –> 00:21:42,880
anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows.
339
00:21:43,720 –> 00:21:47,960
God has given him more honor and
joy than anyone like him.
340
00:21:49,440 –> 00:21:52,600
What a remarkable pairing of
verses to describe our Lord.
341
00:21:54,600 –> 00:21:56,640
And to start to bring this
morning’s exhortation to a
342
00:21:56,640 –> 00:21:59,520
close.
I want to get to the crux of why
343
00:21:59,520 –> 00:22:02,640
this topic has been on my mind
for so long now.
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00:22:02,640 –> 00:22:06,680
When I was baptized just a few
years ago, I knew that when I
345
00:22:06,680 –> 00:22:10,360
approached the table of
remembrance and partake of these
346
00:22:10,360 –> 00:22:14,480
emblems before us, I’m supposed
to utilize that time to seek
347
00:22:14,480 –> 00:22:18,240
forgiveness for my sins, to
repent to God through Jesus
348
00:22:18,240 –> 00:22:22,080
Christ.
But nobody really tells you what
349
00:22:22,080 –> 00:22:24,400
to say or how to feel during
this time.
350
00:22:25,240 –> 00:22:26,480
So what is the right thing to
do?
351
00:22:26,480 –> 00:22:29,040
What do we say to God in these
moments?
352
00:22:29,040 –> 00:22:32,720
What do we think about as we
consider our actions and the
353
00:22:32,720 –> 00:22:36,320
life laid down for us that even
gives us this opportunity in the
354
00:22:36,320 –> 00:22:39,240
1st place?
Now obviously these answers will
355
00:22:39,240 –> 00:22:42,720
differ for everybody, but this
is what it looks like for me.
356
00:22:44,000 –> 00:22:46,640
For a few years now.
I feel that I frequently spend
357
00:22:46,640 –> 00:22:52,680
that time hyper fixating on the
sorrow in the sacrifice.
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00:22:52,680 –> 00:22:57,360
I, I think each week, wow, I
have done this sacrifice an
359
00:22:57,360 –> 00:23:00,640
incredible disservice, which is
the truth that that is the
360
00:23:00,640 –> 00:23:03,720
reality of everyone’s situation.
It’s a a standard that will
361
00:23:03,720 –> 00:23:07,400
never be lived up to.
And personally, I feel in these
362
00:23:07,400 –> 00:23:12,120
moments deep sorrow that I
failed yet again, often for the
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00:23:12,120 –> 00:23:15,920
same things as the week before.
And in doing this I have become
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00:23:15,920 –> 00:23:19,160
negligent in my recognition of
the joy.
365
00:23:20,480 –> 00:23:24,360
But how can this paradox exist
in the space of this table?
366
00:23:25,720 –> 00:23:28,760
Brothers and sisters, I think
that we again must embody
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00:23:28,760 –> 00:23:32,200
Christ.
And looking at the commonly
368
00:23:32,200 –> 00:23:34,640
quoted passage before the
emblems are shared, First
369
00:23:34,640 –> 00:23:41,240
Corinthians Chapter 11, looking
at verse 26, Paul says for as as
370
00:23:41,240 –> 00:23:44,560
he’s remembering what Christ
told them at the institution of
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00:23:44,560 –> 00:23:47,560
this meal.
For as often as you eat this
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00:23:47,560 –> 00:23:52,920
bread and drink this cup, you do
show the Lord’s death till he
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00:23:52,920 –> 00:23:56,960
come.
And in that single verse that we
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00:23:56,960 –> 00:24:02,360
read nearly every week, both
emotions are present in the
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00:24:02,360 –> 00:24:07,920
Lord’s example that he gave on
the night of his betrayal, we
376
00:24:07,920 –> 00:24:12,240
proclaim his death, and that
cannot be considered without
377
00:24:12,240 –> 00:24:15,160
sorrow.
But we also proclaim that he
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00:24:15,160 –> 00:24:19,120
will come, and that cannot be
considered without joy.
379
00:24:19,120 –> 00:24:23,400
And in recent history, I think
it’s a lot more common to hear
380
00:24:23,400 –> 00:24:26,640
funerals called a celebration of
life.
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00:24:27,840 –> 00:24:32,760
And I think that’s what this is.
Each week we aren’t here merely
382
00:24:32,760 –> 00:24:38,240
for a funeral service, but a
celebration of Christ’s life and
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00:24:38,600 –> 00:24:42,880
the life to come.
So I continually seek to find
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00:24:43,240 –> 00:24:46,960
that balance and the union of
sorrow and joy.
385
00:24:46,960 –> 00:24:50,400
And I urge you all to do the
same, if you’re not already, as
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00:24:50,400 –> 00:24:52,680
we continually await our Lord’s
return.
387
00:25:07,080 –> 00:25:09,200
Thank you for listening to the
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388
00:25:09,200 –> 00:25:11,800
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389
00:25:11,800 –> 00:25:13,320
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