Things worth crying over
The shortest verse in the NT in the English language is found in
John
This verse is often used for a memory verse for
young children however it gives us great insight of the human side of Jesus.
For us to fully understand why Jesus was weeping we need to take a look at the
context. In this chapter we learn that Lazarus had died and been dead for 4
days and his sisters are mourning over their brother. Lets pick up this story
in,
John 11:19 And many of the Jews had joined the
women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she
heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the
house. 21 Then Martha said to
Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 "But even now I know that
whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your
brother will rise again." 24
Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at
the last day." 25 Jesus
said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me,
though he may die, he shall live. 26
"And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe
this?" 27 She said to
Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is
to come into the world." 28
And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary
her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for
you." 29 As soon as she
heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into
the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her
in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and
went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep
there." 32 Then, when
Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to
Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have
died." 33 Therefore,
when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned
in the spirit and was troubled. 34
And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord,
come and see." 35 Jesus
wept. 36 Then the Jews said,
"See how He loved him!"
First of all these Jews were wrong. Jesus was not
weeping because he loved Lazarus after he knew that he about to bring him back
to life. Now Jesus was weeping because he saw Mary and those around weeping.
You see he had great compassion for them and the heartache that they were going
through at this time. The text says it troubled his spirit which caused him to
cry. By Jesus example we can see that it ok for us to cry for those who are
hurting and yes that includes us men. Paul says,
Romans
You know in other
countries it totally acceptable for men to cry. The United States is one the
few places that have made it wrong for men to show emotion. Our society teaches
that if a man cries that he is mamas boy or a wimp but this simple is not true.
I don’t know of anyone who would label Jesus as such yet he was man that showed
his emotions or several occasions. So, shedding a tear or two out of compassion
for another is certainly worth crying over.
Another thing that we
find Jesus crying over was
Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the
city and wept over it, 42
saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the
things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your
eyes. 43 "For days will
come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround
you and close you in on every side, 44
"and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will
not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of
your visitation."
In the section of
scripture Jesus is referring to the destruction of
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who
kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to
gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
but you were not willing! 38
"See! Your house is left to you desolate;
39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you
say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' "
You see even though the Jews rejected him over and
over again he really wanted them to be saved and when they refused be saved he
cried over this. I am sure everyone us has been through similar circumstances
because we all have people that we love and would love for them to be saved but
no matter what we say to them we cannot seems to convince them that they must
become Christians they the way the Bible says or they will be lost. I know that
there are many parents that wish they convince their children to accept God
saving Grace and there are many children that wish they could convince their
parent to be saved as well and just as Jesus wept for those who refused to
listen to him we to should weep for those who refuse to listen to the Word of
God.
Now let’s turn our attention to the apostle Paul.
Paul had this to say about himself in
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need,
for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
What Paul has said is very true because he was man
who had faced all kinds of hardship and when he wrote this letter to the
Philippians he was in prison. Yet, he uses the word REJOICE and JOY around 18
times making them the key words of that epistle. Every Christian should have
this same out look on life. No matter what this life my give us we should learn
to be content and to rejoice and great joy in the Lord. Even though Paul had
learned to be content and joyful he still served God with tears in fact Acts
20:19 says he served him with many tears. So, let us now take a look at several
things that made the apostle Paul cry.
First we need to take a look at Acts 20 starting
in verse 17 in order to get the entire context. In these verses Paul is
speaking to Ephesian Elders.
Acts
Here Paul is letting these men know that he has
been busy for the lord and that he has not neglected to teach both Jew and
Gentile the whole council of God and because of this he says I am innocent of
the blood of all men. But now notice what he tells them beginning in verse
Acts
Paul is very concerned for the church and he warns
these elders to be on the watch out for false teachers and false doctrine. He
even tells them that even some of their own men will rise up and begin to teach
false doctrine and notice in verse 31 that Paul had warned them day and night
with tears that they should watch out for these type of people. Paul understood
that the church would be destroyed by such men and this made Paul weep and it
should make us weep as well today. There have been numerous churches that used
to be sound in Gods Word that have allowed themselves to be invaded by wolves
in sheep clothing. These wolves have been coming from those who preach and from
those who call themselves Elders. These men should know better than to make
light of Gods word but that is exactly what they are doing. It makes me very
sad to see so many churches moving away from what the word of God tells us to do.
Many churches are turning away from what the Bible teaches on Marriage, Divorce
and re-marriage. They are making up all kinds of new rules and loop holes on
how someone can become scriptural remarried. Many of them are changing the
rules when it comes to the use of the musical instrument. Max Luccado is an
excellent example of a preacher who used to teach what the Bible taught but now
because he apparently has his eyes on numbers and fame has compromised the
truth by allowing musical instruments in service and teaching that baptism is
not essential for salvation. He also no problems with having open fellowship
with differing denominations. The same thing is true for the
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach
the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke,
exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching
ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears
away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all
things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.
This is the only way that I know how to combat
false teaching is to be ready at all times to teach the truth.
Our second of example of what Paul thought was
worth weeping over comes from.
1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that
there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not
even named among the Gentiles -- that a man has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have
not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from
among you. 3 For I indeed, as
absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were
present) him who has so done this deed. 4
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along
with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus.
We learn from these scriptures that Paul thought
is worth weeping over those who were getting involved in sinful practices and
falling away from the church. You see it a very sad thing indeed for someone
who used to be a faithful Christian has let the devil win by allowing
themselves to be entangled in sin.
Notice what Peter says about this in,
2 Peter 2: 20 For if, after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter
end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered to them. 22
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns
to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in
the mire."
Christians who have allowed
themselves to return back to sin after they have tasted the freedom found in
God grace are truly worth weeping for. David said this,
Psalm 119:136 Rivers of water run down from my
eyes, Because men do not keep Your law.
When a person goes back to sin they are making the
statement that they don’t love Christ but instead they love the pleasure of
this life more. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians he was very
forceful in his words because that church was doing many things contrary to the
word of God. But notice what Paul says about this letter in,
2 Corinthians 2:4 For out of much affliction and anguish of
heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that
you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.
Paul shed many tears because he knew that this
church was not following the word of God and this caused Paul much pain and he
wanted them to know that he didn’t write the letter to make them feel bad he
wrote it with tears because he loved them and wanted them to be in the right
relationship with God. This goes hand and hand with our finally point that Paul
wept over.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, join in following my
example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have
told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies
of the cross of Christ: 19
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory
is in their shame -- who set their mind on earthly things.
Paul is talking about Christians who had not only
fallen away but not had become enemies of the cross. Its very sad and worth
weeping over when a once faithful Christian who stood for the truth has not
turned to teaching false doctrine. Now Paul didn’t take any satisfaction is
pointing out these peoples errors in fact as we read it caused him to weep. As
Christians we should never take satisfaction or look forward to pointing out
error in brothers or sister life. However, pointing out error is necessary to
keep the church pure and to help keep a person from falling deeper in sin. Paul
told the Romans,
Romans 16: 17 Now I urge you,
brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine
which you learned, and avoid them. 18
For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly,
and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Just as Paul wept over these brethren who had
became enemies of the cross we to should find it worth weeping over such
individuals.
I hope you have learned from this lesson that is
ok to cry especially over these examples that
we looked at this morning. Anything that dishonors God or puts
Christians in danger or causes them grief are all worth weeping over. We have
also learned from Paul’s example that we should also be people of great happiness
and joy even if we are suffering persecution. One thing that every Christian
who is faithful to lord can look forward to is found in,
Revelation 21:4-5
4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more
pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne
said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me,
"Write, for these words are true and faithful."
What a wonderful hope we
have as faithful Christians to know that for eternity we will no longer
experience pain, death, sorry, or crying. While this great news for those who
are saved. The Bible also offer very sad news for those who are not saved.
Revelation 14:9 Then a third angel followed them,
saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and
receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 "he himself shall also
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into
the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in
the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 "And the smoke of their
torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his
name."
In many other places the
Bible says that these people will be going to a place where the will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth and keep mind their will be no rest from this in
hell.