Your Grief Will Be Turned to Joy

In one paragraph

This sermon walked through the final hours before Jesus' arrest, covering the upper room, the institution of the Lord's Supper, the garden of Gethsemane, and Judas' betrayal. Pastor led the congregation through the synoptic gospels and John side by side, showing how those accounts fill each other in. The thread running through all of it was the difference between what was spoken to individuals and...

Read together

1. Psalm 63 opening encouragement leading into worship, 'your love is better than life'
2. John 8:12 prayer referencing Jesus as the light of the world
3. Psalm 42 worship leader reflecting on discouragement and choosing to put hope in God
4. Psalm 121 referenced before singing Always, 'I lift my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from'
5. John 13 upper room discourse, Judas has left, Jesus gives new commandment to love one another
6. John 13:33-38 Jesus tells disciples where He is going, predicts Peter's denial
7. Luke 22:31-32 Satan demanding to sift the disciples like wheat, Jesus praying for their faith
8. 1 Peter 5 referenced in relation to the enemy as a roaring lion
9. 1 John 5:4 whoever is born of God overcomes the world, the victory is our faith
10. Luke 22:35-38 Jesus asks disciples if they lacked anything when sent out, now tells them to take money belt, bag, and sword
11. Matthew 26:26-29 institution of the Lord's Supper, bread and cup, blood of the covenant for forgiveness of sins
12. Mark 14:22-25 institution of the Lord's Supper, blood of the covenant poured out for many
13. Luke 22:17-20 institution of the Lord's Supper, new covenant in my blood, do this in remembrance of me
14. Exodus 24 Moses sprinkling blood on the people, 'behold the blood of the covenant', foreshadowing Christ
15. Zechariah 9:11 prophecy of the Messiah, prisoners freed because of the blood of the covenant
16. John 6 foreshadowing of the Lord's Supper, eating flesh and drinking blood, many walked away
17. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Paul recounting the Lord's Supper, do this in remembrance, proclaim the Lord's death until He comes
18. John 14 Jesus answers questions about His destination, the Father, the Holy Spirit, 'I am the way, the truth, the life'
19. John 15 the vine and the branches, apart from Jesus can do nothing, bear fruit by abiding
20. John 16:5 arrival and ministry of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, good that Jesus goes away
21. John 16:20 disciples will weep and mourn but grief will be turned to joy
22. John 17 Jesus' high priestly prayer for disciples and all who would come to believe through their testimony
23. Psalm 114-119 identified as the hymn sung before going to the Mount of Olives
24. Matthew 26:31 Jesus tells disciples they will all fall away, 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered'
25. Zechariah 13 strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, quoted by Jesus regarding the disciples fleeing
26. Matthew 26:36-46 Gethsemane, Jesus praying for the cup to pass, disciples sleeping
27. Mark 14:32-42 Gethsemane, Jesus calling God Abba Father, disciples sleeping, spirit willing flesh weak
28. Luke 22:39-46 Gethsemane, Jesus praying not my will but yours, angel strengthening Him, disciples sleeping from sorrow
29. John 18:1-11 garden across the Kidron, Judas leading the crowd, Jesus saying I am he, Peter cutting off Malchus' ear
30. Matthew 26:51-56 one with Jesus drew sword and cut off the high priest's slave's ear, Jesus rebukes, scriptures fulfilled
31. Mark 14:43-52 Judas kisses Jesus, ear cut off, disciples flee, young man escaping naked
32. Luke 22:47-53 Judas betraying with a kiss, disciples asking permission to strike, Jesus healing Malchus' ear
33. Jeremiah 31:31-34 new covenant, God's law written on hearts, sins forgiven and remembered no more
34. Philippians 4:6-7 closing benediction, do not be anxious, present requests to God, peace that transcends understanding

Talk about it

1. Josh read a poem that said 'I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day.' Where in your own life have you seen someone's actions teach you something about faith that words alone could not have?
2. The pastor pointed out that when Jesus told the disciples 'you will all fall away,' and when he told Peter about the denial, he was speaking to individuals and to the whole group in different ways. How does it change things for you to hear that Satan's request to sift them 'like wheat' was aimed at all of them, not just Peter?
3. Jesus said 'my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death' in Gethsemane, and then prayed 'not my will but yours be done.' Have you ever faced something where you genuinely asked God for another way around it? What did that prayer look like for you?
4. The pastor described how the disciples fell asleep from crying themselves out over what was happening to Jesus. How do you personally handle the tension between grief and staying present and watchful in hard seasons?
5. The closing point of the sermon was that standing up and saying 'even if everyone else falls away, I won't' is exactly the kind of thing Peter said right before he denied Jesus three times. What does it look like practically for your group to trust the 'y'all' together rather than relying on individual spiritual confidence?