John 16:16–24 “The Joy That Cannot Be Taken Away”
The Word is Powerful.
The Word transforms our lives.
Let us desire the Word.
In the dictionary, joy is defined as “a pleasant or satisfying feeling that comes when our desires are fulfilled.”
Desires are what we want to gain or achieve.
So, in a worldly sense, joy happens when we get what we want.
But the Bible defines joy very differently.
In Scripture, joy means a state of peace, contentment, hope, and delight within the soul.
In other words, worldly joy is about a feeling, but biblical joy is about a state of being.
Worldly joy fades.
It’s like enjoying a good cup of coffee—sweet for a moment, then gone.
But the joy that God gives is not a passing feeling.
It is a permanent condition of the soul. It is who we are in Christ.
In John 16:16, Jesus said,
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”
To the early Christians who faced persecution from Jews and Romans, these words were a deep comfort.
Jesus was arrested, crucified, and killed. The religious leaders rejoiced at His death.
The disciples, terrified and heartbroken, hid for three days in sorrow.
But then—Jesus rose.
He conquered death and appeared to His disciples.
Their sorrow turned into overwhelming joy.
Yet soon after, Jesus ascended into heaven, and again the disciples were troubled.
But Jesus kept His promise—He sent the Holy Spirit.
Now, instead of being near them, Jesus was in them.
The presence of Christ in them turned their very existence into a state of joy.
They became people of joy.
That’s what salvation is.
To be saved is to have the living Christ within us—our identity transformed into joy itself.
But many of us today, though saved, do not live in that joy.
We are redeemed, yet we do not understand our salvation deeply enough to rejoice in it.
So how can we recover the joy of salvation?
First, by remembering God’s grace.
We are not saved by our works, effort, or goodness.
We are saved only by the grace of Jesus Christ.
We had no qualification for salvation, but He gave it freely through His love.
That truth alone should fill us with joy and gratitude.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 says:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”
Rejoice—always. Even when life is painful.
When anger rises, when things go wrong, when disappointment hits—remember:
Jesus has saved you. His Spirit lives in you.
That truth can turn anger into joy, frustration into peace.
When we see that Christ is working in us, even discomfort and dissatisfaction can become joy.
Because we are people who have been made new.
Our faith is a journey of joy.
Even when we walk through suffering, it is a joyful road.
Even when we face hardship, it is hardship filled with hope.In the dictionary, joy is defined as “a pleasant or satisfying feeling that comes when our desires are fulfilled.”
Desires are what we want to gain or achieve.
So, in a worldly sense, joy happens when we get what we want.
But the Bible defines joy very differently.
In Scripture, joy means a state of peace, contentment, hope, and delight within the soul.
In other words, worldly joy is about a feeling, but biblical joy is about a state of being.
Worldly joy fades.
It’s like enjoying a good cup of coffee—sweet for a moment, then gone.
But the joy that God gives is not a passing feeling.
It is a permanent condition of the soul. It is who we are in Christ.
In John 16:16, Jesus said,
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”
To the early Christians who faced persecution from Jews and Romans, these words were a deep comfort.
Jesus was arrested, crucified, and killed. The religious leaders rejoiced at His death.
The disciples, terrified and heartbroken, hid for three days in sorrow.
But then—Jesus rose.
He conquered death and appeared to His disciples.
Their sorrow turned into overwhelming joy.
Yet soon after, Jesus ascended into heaven, and again the disciples were troubled.
But Jesus kept His promise—He sent the Holy Spirit.
Now, instead of being near them, Jesus was in them.
The presence of Christ in them turned their very existence into a state of joy.
They became people of joy.
That’s what salvation is.
To be saved is to have the living Christ within us—our identity transformed into joy itself.
But many of us today, though saved, do not live in that joy.
We are redeemed, yet we do not understand our salvation deeply enough to rejoice in it.
So how can we recover the joy of salvation?
First, by remembering God’s grace.
We are not saved by our works, effort, or goodness.
We are saved only by the grace of Jesus Christ.
We had no qualification for salvation, but He gave it freely through His love.
That truth alone should fill us with joy and gratitude.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 says:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”
Rejoice—always. Even when life is painful.
When anger rises, when things go wrong, when disappointment hits—remember:
Jesus has saved you. His Spirit lives in you.
That truth can turn anger into joy, frustration into peace.
When we see that Christ is working in us, even discomfort and dissatisfaction can become joy.
Because we are people who have been made new.
Our faith is a journey of joy.
Even when we walk through suffering, it is a joyful road.
Even when we face hardship, it is hardship filled with hope.
The joy that Jesus gives cannot be taken away.
It cannot fade, because it comes from Him—and He never leaves.
We often don’t feel joy simply because we forget what we already have.
We forget who lives in us.
But hear this:
You are filled with eternal joy.
Even when your situation looks impossible,
the joy of Christ in you remains unshaken—because He is holding it.
Remember Jesus.
He is in you.
He strengthens you.
He lifts you up.
The world says joy comes when your desires are met.
But we say: Jesus Himself is our joy.
Because of His grace, we can live in joy—no matter what.
So if you are struggling,
if you are hurting,
if you are facing a problem that seems impossible to solve—
remember: the Lord will restore your joy.
And as you walk with Him,
you will discover that the road you’re on, even if it’s a road of tears,
is actually a road of joy.
May our church be a community that lives this truth—
a people who rejoice not because life is easy,
but because Christ lives in us,
and His joy can never be taken away.
The joy that Jesus gives cannot be taken away.
It cannot fade, because it comes from Him—and He never leaves.
We often don’t feel joy simply because we forget what we already have.
We forget who lives in us.
But hear this:
You are filled with eternal joy.
Even when your situation looks impossible,
the joy of Christ in you remains unshaken—because He is holding it.
Remember Jesus.
He is in you.
He strengthens you.
He lifts you up.
The world says joy comes when your desires are met.
But we say: Jesus Himself is our joy.
Because of His grace, we can live in joy—no matter what.
So if you are struggling,
if you are hurting,
if you are facing a problem that seems impossible to solve—
remember: the Lord will restore your joy.
And as you walk with Him,
you will discover that the road you’re on, even if it’s a road of tears,
is actually a road of joy.
May our church be a community that lives this truth—
a people who rejoice not because life is easy,
but because Christ lives in us,
and His joy can never be taken away.
