Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Jesus Wept

Transcript

Jesus Wept · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
We'll turn back to our reading in John 11.
0:06
And our focus this morning is on verse 35,
0:10
! And we see these two words, Jesus wept.
0:17
And it's in the light of what we read in verse 33.
0:21
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping,
0:26
he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
0:31
And he said, Where have you laid him?
0:34
They said to him, Lord, come and see.
0:37
Jesus wept.
0:39
So the Jews said, See how he loved him.
0:43
This is, of course, in light of his friends, Lazarus' passing.
0:49
It's a familiar passage, perhaps to many of us, John chapter 11.
0:55
It's a chapter full of great promise to us.
0:59
It has one of the great I am sayings.
1:02
As Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life.
1:08
He is giving a promise to those who believe.
1:11
So there's great hope in these words.
1:14
But as you look to the passage as a whole,
1:17
the context of this passage reminds us where these words come into,
1:22
the situation they come into,
1:24
it's in the midst of great sorrow, great weeping, great mourning.
1:30
But Jesus has these words of hope.
1:34
Coming back today after a time of holiday,
1:37
it's also a time knowing the pain of our communities
1:41
over these last number of weeks.
1:44
The loss of the fishing boat Kilda brought such great shock
1:48
to our communities, people deeply grieved by it.
1:53
And it's in the forefront of our minds even still,
1:56
although weeks may pass, it's still there for us.
1:59
And we know it's very much in the hearts and minds
2:02
of those who feel it most.
2:05
But it's also in the midst of pain and suffering
2:09
in other lives as well.
2:12
There have been other losses too.
2:14
In the last week I've been to three funerals,
2:18
all having their own sorrow, their own sadness.
2:24
And it's a time too when maybe for others,
2:26
wounds are reopened, wounds of the past are reopened.
2:31
And that grief that is still so real just shows itself again
2:36
in a very painful way.
2:39
We mourn with those who mourn.
2:42
And we weep together.
2:45
And as we've seen in this reading and also in the Psalms
2:48
that we've sung, tears are often seen in different situations.
2:53
There is always grief around us.
2:57
I read a quote from an American pastor this week,
2:59
Reverend Jim Baird, who said,
3:02
as he looked at his own congregation,
3:05
there's hurt on every pew.
3:08
And that will be true here and in every congregation that's gathered.
3:13
There is hurt on every pew because we all go through our times
3:18
and our experiences of hurt.
3:21
And so often when we look at situations that happen,
3:25
like we've seen recently,
3:27
we have many questions.
3:29
It's tragic.
3:30
It's cruel.
3:31
What do we do?
3:32
How do we feel in the midst of it?
3:35
We can go through all the different emotions
3:37
and they'll come in waves at different times.
3:41
The shock, the pain, the grief, the anger,
3:47
even the doubts that can come in.
3:49
In so many situations, in so many people's lives,
3:53
that's the kind of experience that we go through at different times.
3:57
They are all natural reactions.
4:00
But can we have hope in this situation
4:04
and in all our situations of grief that we find ourselves in?
4:08
What does it do to our faith?
4:11
What does it do to your faith, my faith,
4:13
as we look at these circumstances,
4:15
as we look at our own circumstances?
4:17
Where do we turn?
4:19
What do we hold on to?
4:21
One of the questions that many ask when there's tragedy
4:25
is the question that the psalmist experienced in Psalm 42
4:30
that we sung together.
4:32
Where is this God of yours?
4:36
It's a natural question from people in the midst of tragedy.
4:40
Where is this God of yours?
4:42
Why did he allow this to happen?
4:46
It's a question we have to face up to.
4:48
How do we respond to it?
4:49
How do I respond to it?
4:51
Well, we turn to God's word.
4:54
Where is this God of yours?
4:56
Well, we see where he is as we look at this passage together today.
5:01
We see that there's a reminder to us
5:04
that God is there for us and with us.
5:08
What he thinks, what he wants for us
5:10
in all of these situations that are before us here in this passage.
5:15
It's a passage about a family's grief,
5:18
but it's also about a community's grief.
5:20
There is a people who are weeping together.
5:26
What we see in the midst of this
5:29
is the Lord grieving with his people.
5:34
That's what we see in these two words in verse 35.
5:38
Jesus wept.
5:40
It's a powerful reminder to us
5:44
that the Lord is with us in all our times of need.
5:50
He wept over the people
5:52
and he wept with the people.
5:56
He knows the grief of Mary and Martha.
5:59
He knows the grief of the community.
6:01
In the same way as he knows your grief and my grief
6:04
as we go through it.
6:06
He knows all our hurts.
6:08
And he is able to come alongside
6:10
in their tears and our tears
6:12
and there to help us in these times.
6:16
It's not a time to turn away.
6:19
It's not a time to lose faith,
6:22
to lose trust.
6:24
Indeed, it's a time to come even closer
6:26
to the Lord and just lean upon him
6:28
and upon his promises.
6:32
And so taking these words,
6:33
Jesus wept.
6:35
I want us to think of three things
6:37
that we see in his weeping
6:39
and our weeping today.
6:41
We see the weeping, first of all, is personal.
6:45
We see, secondly, the weeping is powerful.
6:49
And then thirdly, we see the weeping has purpose.
6:54
First of all, we see that the weeping is personal.
6:57
The weeping is personal.
7:02
And it's very clear to us,
7:04
just as you read through this passage,
7:06
that every time of grief is very personal.
7:12
It's something we go through by ourselves in many ways
7:16
because it relates to us.
7:18
It affects us all in a different way.
7:21
Whether it's losing a loved one,
7:24
a friend,
7:24
even maybe someone we just knew a little
7:27
or even didn't know at all,
7:28
grief can impact on us
7:30
in different ways.
7:32
It's very personal.
7:34
And that comes through in this passage.
7:38
Mary and Martha have lost a brother.
7:40
It's a personal tragedy to them.
7:43
But we see, too,
7:44
that there is a community
7:46
who are mourning as well.
7:49
Jesus saw them.
7:50
He saw the woman weeping,
7:54
but he saw the Jews
7:56
and those who had come near to them
7:57
weeping as well.
7:59
There was a sense of this personal nature
8:01
of belonging to all as well.
8:05
And we see how personal it is
8:07
in the kind of questions
8:08
that it leads to.
8:11
And the main question
8:12
that we so often see
8:14
here in this situation
8:16
and in our own situations of grief
8:18
is the question,
8:20
why?
8:22
Why?
8:24
When you look at this passage,
8:26
Martha had a plan.
8:28
That's what we read of
8:29
at the beginning.
8:31
In verse 1,
8:32
there was a certain man
8:33
who was the Lazarus of Bethany,
8:35
the village of Mary
8:36
and his sister Martha.
8:37
It was Mary
8:37
who anointed the Lord
8:39
with ointment
8:40
and wiped his feet
8:41
with her hair,
8:42
whose brother Lazarus
8:43
was ill.
8:44
So the sisters sent to him
8:47
saying,
8:48
Lord,
8:49
he whom you love
8:50
is ill.
8:51
They had a plan.
8:53
Lord,
8:53
he whom you love
8:54
is ill.
8:57
They knew that Jesus
8:58
could come
8:59
and could heal.
9:00
They had seen it before
9:01
and they had heard of it as well.
9:04
And she probably believed
9:05
that Lazarus
9:06
being Jesus' friend,
9:08
perhaps he would just
9:09
come immediately,
9:10
drop everything
9:11
and come immediately.
9:14
But what happened?
9:16
They waited.
9:18
They waited.
9:19
And they waited.
9:21
And he wasn't coming.
9:23
He didn't arrive
9:24
when they thought he would.
9:27
Instead,
9:27
what we see is that
9:28
in the time
9:29
that he waited,
9:31
Lazarus
9:31
passed away.
9:32
And what would that do
9:37
to them,
9:38
to Mary and Martha?
9:40
He hasn't come.
9:42
And here they are now
9:43
in their personal grief,
9:45
maybe asking
9:45
that question,
9:47
why?
9:49
Why, Lord,
9:50
were you not here?
9:51
You look at verse 21
9:52
and the questions
9:53
that they have.
9:55
In verse 21,
9:57
Martha said to Jesus,
10:00
Lord,
10:00
if you had been here,
10:01
my brother would not have died.
10:04
Why?
10:05
That's what's behind that question.
10:07
Why, Jesus,
10:08
were you not here?
10:10
Why didn't you come?
10:12
Where have you been?
10:14
Mary asks the same question
10:15
in verse 32.
10:17
Now,
10:17
when Mary came
10:18
to where Jesus was
10:19
and saw him,
10:20
she fell at his feet
10:21
saying,
10:21
Lord,
10:21
if you had been here,
10:23
my brother would not have died.
10:24
the same question.
10:26
Why?
10:27
Why were you not here?
10:29
Why did you delay?
10:30
Why did you not come?
10:33
It's almost like
10:34
he waited on purpose
10:36
and he did.
10:38
But why?
10:41
Well,
10:41
when Jesus finally arrives,
10:43
it's into this scene
10:44
of great sorrow
10:45
and sadness.
10:49
It's amazing
10:50
how Jesus says,
10:51
I am glad
10:52
I wasn't there
10:54
at the beginning
10:54
of the chapter.
10:56
Why?
10:59
Does Jesus
11:00
really care?
11:02
Is maybe the question
11:03
that they had.
11:05
As each day passed
11:06
and he didn't come,
11:07
does Jesus
11:07
really care?
11:10
And that's maybe
11:11
the question
11:12
that you've had.
11:14
And we've had it
11:14
maybe in different ways
11:15
and at different times.
11:17
Does Jesus
11:18
really care?
11:21
Why
11:21
wasn't he there?
11:22
why didn't he bring
11:24
a different outcome?
11:27
Why didn't things
11:28
turn out
11:29
more successful?
11:30
Why didn't
11:30
people live
11:32
instead of die?
11:34
We often have
11:35
that question,
11:36
why?
11:36
Why
11:37
when so young?
11:39
Why
11:39
when they have families?
11:41
You think of
11:42
approaching
11:42
the time of remembrance
11:45
once again
11:46
and we look back
11:46
to the aisle
11:48
a thing before
11:49
our time
11:50
and yet we can
11:51
still ask questions.
11:53
Why?
11:53
After all they had
11:54
been through,
11:55
why so close
11:56
to home?
11:58
Why like that
11:59
does God
12:00
not care?
12:02
Well,
12:02
we are reminded
12:03
in this passage
12:04
that grief
12:05
is personal
12:06
and that God
12:08
does care.
12:10
That God
12:10
sees
12:11
and God
12:12
knows.
12:12
You only have to go
12:13
back to Exodus
12:14
chapter 2
12:15
verse 24
12:16
and 25
12:17
when the children
12:18
of Israel
12:19
are there in Egypt
12:20
in slavery
12:20
under hard labor
12:22
and what does it say
12:23
in these verses?
12:24
God heard
12:25
their groaning.
12:26
God remembered
12:27
his covenant
12:28
with Abraham
12:28
and Isaac
12:29
and with Jacob.
12:30
God saw
12:31
the people
12:32
of Israel
12:33
and God
12:34
knew.
12:36
And it ends
12:37
there.
12:37
God knew.
12:39
What did
12:40
he know?
12:41
He knew
12:42
their need
12:43
and he knew
12:44
that he had
12:45
to take action.
12:47
From the beginning
12:48
God has cared
12:50
and God
12:51
has prepared
12:53
a way.
12:56
We live
12:57
in a broken
12:57
world.
12:59
We live
12:59
in a world
13:00
of sin
13:01
and grief.
13:02
But we can
13:03
remember
13:04
that God
13:04
does care.
13:07
The gospel
13:08
of John
13:09
itself
13:09
is full
13:10
of those
13:11
reminders.
13:13
It's full
13:14
of those
13:14
reminders
13:15
to us
13:16
that he
13:16
loves.
13:17
You think
13:18
of the
13:18
greatest
13:19
verses
13:19
in scripture
13:20
about the
13:21
love of God.
13:22
John 3
13:22
16.
13:23
God so
13:24
loved the
13:24
world
13:25
that he
13:26
gave
13:26
his own
13:27
son.
13:30
So he
13:31
does care.
13:33
And his
13:33
our grief
13:35
is personal
13:36
to him
13:37
as well.
13:39
And what
13:40
we see
13:40
in this
13:40
passage
13:41
then is
13:41
this
13:42
weeping
13:42
is personal.
13:44
Jesus
13:45
wept
13:46
and he
13:48
weeps
13:48
with us
13:49
in our
13:50
grief
13:51
as well.
13:54
But what he
13:55
is saying
13:55
here is
13:56
he didn't
13:57
just hold
13:58
back for
13:58
no purpose
13:59
at all.
14:00
but there
14:02
was a
14:03
purpose
14:03
in it.
14:04
And we
14:05
see that
14:05
secondly
14:05
as we
14:06
see his
14:06
weeping
14:07
was
14:08
passionate.
14:09
His
14:10
weeping
14:10
was
14:11
passionate.
14:11
You look
14:12
at these
14:12
verses
14:12
that we
14:13
read
14:13
verse
14:14
33.
14:15
when Jesus
14:16
saw their
14:17
weeping
14:17
and the
14:17
Jews
14:18
who had
14:18
come
14:19
with
14:19
her
14:19
also
14:20
weeping
14:21
he was
14:21
deeply
14:22
moved
14:22
and in
14:23
a spirit
14:24
greatly
14:25
troubled.
14:26
Deeply
14:26
moved
14:27
and
14:27
greatly
14:28
troubled.
14:30
Greatly
14:31
troubled
14:31
there
14:32
and deeply
14:33
moved
14:33
they've
14:33
got a
14:33
powerful
14:34
sense
14:35
behind
14:35
them.
14:37
It's
14:37
like he
14:38
let out
14:38
a cry
14:40
a snort
14:41
is the way
14:42
it's put
14:42
the way
14:43
the word
14:43
is used
14:44
like a
14:44
harshest
14:45
grant
14:46
is what's
14:46
behind
14:46
that word.
14:48
He let
14:48
this noise
14:49
out that
14:49
was audible
14:50
to all
14:51
who were
14:51
around.
14:53
He was
14:53
troubled.
14:55
He was
14:55
moved.
14:57
And then
14:57
when you
14:58
read these
14:58
words
14:59
Jesus
15:00
wept.
15:01
It's
15:01
different
15:02
to the
15:02
weeping
15:02
the word
15:03
for weeping
15:04
that's used
15:04
of the
15:05
others.
15:05
This is
15:06
Jesus
15:06
with tears
15:07
flowing
15:08
down
15:09
his face.
15:11
He
15:11
wept.
15:13
So in
15:14
this scene
15:14
of great
15:15
sadness
15:16
Lazarus
15:17
had been
15:17
dead
15:18
for four
15:18
years.
15:19
People
15:19
had come
15:20
from Jerusalem
15:21
to mourn
15:21
with them.
15:22
Mary,
15:23
Martha,
15:24
the crowd
15:24
weeping
15:25
broken
15:26
people.
15:28
This is
15:28
a scene
15:29
that Jesus
15:29
comes into
15:30
and weeps
15:31
and is
15:32
troubled
15:32
over.
15:34
And today
15:34
there are
15:35
people all
15:36
over the
15:36
world
15:37
in the
15:38
same
15:38
situation.
15:39
Providence
15:40
events
15:40
always remind
15:42
of the
15:42
reality
15:43
that we
15:44
are a
15:44
broken
15:44
and a
15:45
weeping
15:45
people
15:46
as well.
15:48
We are
15:48
a people
15:49
who mourn
15:50
with those
15:51
who mourn
15:51
and at such
15:52
times as
15:53
these
15:53
it's
15:54
natural
15:55
to have
15:56
tears.
15:58
But
15:59
Jesus'
15:59
tears
16:00
are different
16:01
to ours.
16:03
Jesus'
16:03
tears
16:04
here
16:04
are full
16:05
of passion.
16:07
When it
16:08
says
16:08
Jesus
16:09
wept,
16:10
these words
16:11
just need
16:12
to be
16:12
unpacked
16:13
a little.
16:14
Was
16:15
Jesus
16:15
weeping
16:16
with them?
16:17
Yes.
16:19
He was
16:19
deeply
16:20
moved
16:20
and
16:21
greatly
16:22
troubled.
16:23
But
16:24
there's
16:24
two sides
16:25
to it.
16:26
He loved
16:27
Mary,
16:27
he loved
16:28
Martha,
16:28
he loved
16:29
Lazarus.
16:30
And the
16:31
crowds were
16:31
there,
16:32
he was
16:32
mourning.
16:33
They were
16:33
tears of
16:34
compassion.
16:35
Tears
16:36
that ran
16:36
down his
16:37
face,
16:38
but they
16:39
were
16:39
tears
16:39
also
16:40
of
16:41
anger.
16:45
Jesus
16:45
was
16:45
greatly
16:46
troubled.
16:48
Why?
16:49
Because
16:50
what he
16:50
saw
16:50
before him
16:51
was not
16:51
just
16:52
mourning,
16:54
but
16:54
hopelessness
16:55
and
16:56
unbelief.
17:00
People
17:01
had become
17:01
accustomed
17:02
to Jesus
17:02
being one
17:03
who does.
17:06
One
17:06
who does
17:07
something.
17:07
something.
17:08
That's
17:08
what Mary
17:08
and Martha
17:09
expected.
17:11
Lord,
17:11
if you
17:11
had been
17:12
here,
17:12
my brother
17:13
would not
17:13
have died.
17:15
They were
17:15
expecting him
17:16
to come
17:16
and to
17:16
heal him,
17:17
to make
17:18
him well
17:18
again.
17:21
And this
17:22
is
17:22
unbelief.
17:25
Because
17:26
instead of
17:26
just wanting
17:27
something
17:27
done,
17:29
that's what
17:30
they expected
17:30
of Jesus.
17:31
What's at
17:31
the heart
17:32
of this
17:32
passage is
17:33
Jesus
17:33
who is
17:34
something.
17:35
not
17:36
who does
17:36
something
17:37
all the
17:37
time,
17:38
but
17:38
who is
17:39
something.
17:40
And he
17:41
is the
17:41
one we
17:42
are to
17:42
believe
17:43
and to
17:43
trust.
17:45
And that
17:45
when things
17:46
don't go
17:47
the way
17:47
we hope,
17:48
we can
17:48
still
17:48
trust in
17:50
him.
17:51
In
17:51
verse 15
17:52
in this
17:52
chapter,
17:53
it says,
17:53
I am
17:53
glad I
17:54
was not
17:54
there,
17:55
that you
17:55
may
17:55
believe.
17:58
In
17:59
verse 26,
18:00
he asks
18:00
that question,
18:01
do you
18:02
believe?
18:02
In
18:04
verse 40,
18:05
he says,
18:05
did I
18:06
not tell
18:06
you that
18:07
if you
18:08
believed,
18:10
there was
18:10
purpose,
18:12
there was
18:13
passion,
18:14
there was
18:14
power behind
18:15
these tears.
18:17
What is
18:18
Jesus?
18:20
What is
18:21
he to
18:21
you?
18:22
Is he
18:23
there just
18:23
to help
18:24
you as
18:24
you want?
18:26
Lord,
18:27
if you
18:27
had been
18:28
here,
18:28
this would
18:29
not have
18:29
happened.
18:30
But the
18:30
very fact
18:31
is he
18:31
was there
18:32
and it
18:32
still
18:32
happened.
18:34
That's
18:34
the way
18:34
we see
18:35
him.
18:35
And then
18:36
we question
18:36
why?
18:38
But he
18:39
is more
18:39
than a
18:39
weeping
18:40
saviour.
18:42
He is
18:42
a saviour
18:43
with
18:43
answers
18:44
for
18:45
our
18:45
grief.
18:48
And
18:48
that's
18:48
what we
18:48
see in
18:49
the great
18:50
words of
18:50
the I
18:51
am
18:51
saying
18:51
in this
18:52
passage.
18:52
Before
18:53
these
18:53
words,
18:54
he
18:54
wept,
18:55
Jesus
18:55
wept,
18:56
he had
18:56
said,
18:56
I am
18:57
the
18:57
resurrection
18:58
and the
18:58
life.
18:59
Whoever
18:59
believes
19:00
in me,
19:00
though he
19:01
die,
19:01
yet shall
19:02
he live.
19:03
And
19:03
everyone who
19:03
lives and
19:04
believes in
19:04
me shall
19:05
never die.
19:07
Do you
19:07
believe this?
19:11
He is
19:11
looking for
19:12
faith.
19:13
He is
19:14
looking for
19:15
belief.
19:16
He weeps
19:16
because the
19:17
people are
19:18
mourning as
19:19
if there is
19:20
no hope.
19:21
hope.
19:23
That
19:23
kind of
19:24
hopelessness
19:25
that Paul
19:25
speaks of
19:26
in 1
19:26
Thessalonians
19:27
chapter 4
19:28
verse 13.
19:30
But he
19:30
says this
19:30
to him,
19:31
we do
19:31
not want
19:31
you to
19:32
be
19:32
uninformed
19:32
brothers
19:33
about
19:33
those
19:33
who are
19:34
asleep,
19:35
that you
19:35
may not
19:36
grieve as
19:36
others do
19:37
with no
19:38
hope.
19:40
There are
19:40
people who
19:41
grieve with
19:42
no hope.
19:43
And that's
19:44
the saddest
19:45
reality of
19:45
all.
19:47
But that
19:47
is not who
19:48
we are to
19:49
be.
19:49
That is
19:50
not what
19:50
the word
19:50
of God
19:51
leads us
19:52
to.
19:53
We are
19:53
to be a
19:53
people who
19:54
grieve and
19:54
mourn and
19:55
weep, but
19:56
with hope.
19:58
At such
19:59
times as
20:00
this, we
20:00
have the
20:01
tears running
20:02
down, but
20:04
we see the
20:04
tears of
20:05
Jesus here,
20:06
tears of
20:07
compassion,
20:08
tears of
20:09
concern,
20:10
tears of
20:12
longing.
20:15
What's he
20:16
longing for?
20:18
That they
20:18
might
20:19
believe.
20:21
That they
20:22
might
20:22
trust.
20:25
Someone put
20:26
it like
20:26
this.
20:27
In this
20:28
brief
20:28
interaction,
20:30
we are
20:30
reminded that
20:31
in the
20:31
Bible, the
20:32
people of
20:32
God don't
20:33
get answers
20:34
as often
20:36
as we
20:36
get promises.
20:39
We don't
20:40
get answers
20:40
as often
20:42
as we
20:43
get promises.
20:45
And this
20:46
is a
20:46
promise that
20:47
Jesus gives
20:48
here.
20:49
I am
20:50
the
20:50
resurrection
20:51
and the
20:52
life.
20:54
Though he
20:54
die, yet
20:55
shall he
20:55
live.
20:56
And everyone
20:56
who lives
20:57
and believes
20:58
in me
20:58
shall never
20:59
die.
21:01
That is
21:02
what he is
21:02
longing for,
21:03
the people
21:04
of faith.
21:06
Do you
21:07
believe?
21:10
Grief is
21:11
very personal,
21:13
but so is
21:14
that question.
21:15
it's for
21:16
you today.
21:17
Do you
21:18
believe?
21:20
That is
21:21
what he is
21:21
looking for.
21:23
Are you
21:23
grieving
21:24
without hope
21:25
or are you
21:26
grieving
21:27
believing?
21:29
Believing that
21:30
he is the
21:31
resurrection
21:32
and the
21:33
life.
21:33
love?
21:36
Because the
21:37
third thing
21:38
we see
21:38
here is
21:39
the
21:39
weeping
21:39
shows
21:41
purpose.
21:43
The
21:43
weeping
21:44
shows
21:44
purpose.
21:47
Yes,
21:47
Jesus could
21:48
have come
21:48
and done
21:50
just as the
21:51
sisters had
21:51
said.
21:52
If you had
21:52
been here,
21:53
my brother
21:53
would not
21:54
have died.
21:54
You could
21:55
have restored
21:56
him in
21:56
health.
21:57
Yes,
21:57
he could.
21:58
But there
22:00
was a
22:00
purpose in
22:01
this
22:01
weeping
22:01
too.
22:03
He allowed
22:04
things to
22:05
go on
22:05
so that
22:07
he could
22:07
show his
22:07
greatest
22:08
power.
22:09
His power
22:10
over death.
22:12
His power
22:13
over the
22:14
weeping and
22:14
the grief of
22:15
the people
22:15
that he
22:16
would show
22:16
in me
22:17
there is
22:17
life.
22:19
Because I
22:19
am the
22:20
resurrection
22:21
and the
22:22
life.
22:24
There's a
22:25
place in
22:25
northern Chile
22:26
between the
22:27
Andes
22:27
mountains and
22:28
the Pacific
22:28
Ocean where
22:30
there's a
22:30
narrow strip
22:31
of land.
22:34
And the
22:34
sun shines
22:35
there every
22:37
day.
22:38
Sounds like
22:39
bliss.
22:41
Clouds gather
22:42
so seldom
22:42
that you can
22:44
say it almost
22:44
never rains
22:46
there.
22:46
Morning by
22:47
morning there's
22:48
a beautiful
22:48
sunrise.
22:49
Evening by
22:50
evening there's
22:50
a beautiful
22:51
sunset.
22:53
Sounds
22:54
idyllic.
22:55
perfect.
22:56
But you
22:57
know what
22:57
kind of
22:58
place it
22:58
is.
22:59
It's not
23:00
a paradise.
23:01
It's a
23:02
wilderness.
23:04
Why?
23:06
Because there's
23:07
nothing to
23:08
give growth.
23:10
It's barren.
23:11
It's dry.
23:12
It's sterile.
23:14
There's no
23:14
water so
23:15
nothing grows
23:16
there.
23:18
Sounds
23:18
perfect but
23:20
it's far
23:20
from it.
23:22
And that's
23:23
the reality
23:23
of our
23:24
lives.
23:24
We would
23:24
love it
23:26
if things
23:27
were different
23:28
so often.
23:29
If there
23:30
was no
23:30
sorrow.
23:31
If there
23:32
was no
23:32
sadness.
23:33
If Jesus
23:34
would just
23:34
heal every
23:35
time.
23:38
What would
23:38
it be like
23:39
then?
23:40
We would
23:41
be barren.
23:43
We wouldn't
23:44
have faith
23:45
because things
23:46
would be too
23:47
easy.
23:49
It's only
23:50
when things
23:50
are hard.
23:52
And when
23:52
we realize
23:53
we cannot
23:54
cope by
23:55
ourselves.
23:56
That we
23:57
cannot overcome
23:58
this grief
23:59
without him.
24:02
That's when
24:02
we realize
24:03
that what
24:05
we see
24:05
with Jesus
24:06
is there
24:07
is purpose
24:08
in his
24:08
weeping.
24:10
He is
24:11
weeping
24:11
over them
24:12
and with
24:12
them so
24:14
that they
24:14
might believe.
24:16
Verse 4
24:17
tells us
24:18
that this
24:18
whole situation
24:19
is for
24:20
the glory
24:21
of God.
24:24
Yes there
24:25
is sorrow
24:26
but if we
24:27
see Jesus
24:28
we can
24:28
have hope.
24:31
How can
24:32
we have
24:33
hope today?
24:35
Where can
24:36
you find
24:36
hope?
24:37
Where can
24:37
we offer
24:38
hope to
24:39
those who
24:40
grieve
24:40
today?
24:42
In
24:42
Jesus.
24:44
Jesus
24:45
who weeps.
24:46
He weeps
24:50
with his
24:51
people.
24:52
He weeps
24:53
for his
24:53
people.
24:54
But he
24:55
weeps
24:55
without
24:56
purpose.
24:58
As I said
24:59
before people
24:59
had become
25:01
accustomed to
25:02
Jesus being
25:03
the one
25:03
who does
25:04
something.
25:06
So when he
25:06
doesn't
25:07
it's a
25:08
shock.
25:09
And it
25:09
leads to
25:10
the questions
25:10
why?
25:12
But the
25:13
heart of
25:13
this passage
25:14
is Jesus
25:15
who is
25:15
something.
25:16
And that
25:17
is what
25:18
we need.
25:19
Not that
25:20
he would
25:20
change
25:20
every
25:21
situation
25:22
of sorrow
25:23
but that
25:24
he would
25:25
bring us
25:25
to his
25:26
promises
25:26
in them.
25:28
That he
25:28
is the
25:29
resurrection
25:30
and the
25:31
life.
25:33
There are
25:34
so many
25:34
circumstances
25:36
that we
25:37
would long
25:38
to be
25:38
different.
25:40
There are
25:41
so many
25:41
things that
25:42
happen
25:42
that we
25:43
would wish
25:44
had never
25:44
happened
25:45
because
25:46
they
25:47
bring us
25:47
those
25:48
tears.
25:49
Tears
25:49
that at
25:50
times
25:50
can
25:50
seem
25:51
never
25:52
ending.
25:53
Heart
25:53
that
25:54
seems
25:54
so
25:55
deep
25:55
that
25:55
will
25:55
never
25:56
go
25:56
away.
25:56
!
25:57
But it
25:59
is to
25:59
bring us
26:00
to that
26:01
knowledge
26:01
of a
26:01
Savior.
26:02
Of a
26:03
Savior who
26:04
wept with
26:06
Mary and
26:06
Martha and
26:07
this community
26:07
here.
26:09
But a
26:10
Savior whose
26:11
tears are
26:12
with us
26:12
today.
26:13
wept in
26:16
every
26:16
personal
26:17
moment of
26:18
grief.
26:20
He
26:20
wept
26:21
knowing
26:22
the power
26:23
that was
26:23
his and
26:24
the purpose
26:25
that he
26:26
would show.
26:28
He is
26:28
the
26:29
resurrection
26:30
and the
26:31
life.
26:33
We
26:33
weep
26:34
but let
26:35
us not
26:36
weep
26:36
without
26:36
hope
26:37
but to
26:38
see our
26:39
hope in
26:39
him who
26:40
is the
26:41
resurrection
26:42
and the
26:42
life and
26:43
to pray
26:43
that hope
26:45
for others.
26:47
Let us
26:47
pray.
26:49
Lord our
26:50
gracious God
26:51
we thank
26:52
you that
26:52
you are one
26:53
who knows
26:54
and sees
26:54
our every
26:55
need.
26:56
Our hearts
26:57
are bare
26:57
before you
26:58
whether they
26:59
be broken
27:00
in sorrow
27:01
or full
27:01
of joy.
27:03
Lord there
27:03
is nothing
27:04
that is hidden
27:04
from you
27:05
and our
27:06
tears are
27:07
numbered by
27:08
you.
27:09
The word
27:09
speaks of
27:10
them being
27:10
bottled up
27:11
in that
27:12
way.
27:13
In that
27:13
way that
27:14
you know
27:14
every one
27:14
of them.
27:15
Our grief
27:16
is personal
27:16
to you.
27:18
Everyone's
27:18
grief is
27:19
personal to
27:19
you.
27:20
But we
27:21
thank you
27:21
that you
27:21
are one
27:22
who is
27:23
there for
27:23
us.
27:24
One who
27:25
we can
27:25
look to
27:26
and lean
27:27
upon all
27:27
your
27:28
promises.
27:29
And especially
27:30
the promise
27:31
that you
27:31
give that
27:32
when we
27:33
believe that
27:34
you know
27:35
that you
27:35
are indeed
27:36
the
27:37
resurrection
27:37
and the
27:38
life.
27:39
Lord how we
27:40
need it.
27:40
how we
27:41
need it
27:41
for those
27:42
around us.
27:42
How we
27:43
need it
27:43
for all
27:44
we see
27:44
around us
27:45
who mourn
27:46
and grieve.
27:47
Lord that
27:48
they would
27:48
be comforted
27:49
by you.
27:50
That you
27:50
would comfort
27:51
us with
27:52
the comfort
27:52
that only
27:53
you can
27:53
give.
27:54
Hear our
27:55
prayers and
27:55
continue with
27:56
us.
27:57
Guide us
27:58
and keep
27:58
us.
27:59
Help us
27:59
to believe
28:00
as we
28:01
ask all
28:01
in his
28:02
precious
28:02
name.
28:03
Amen.
28:03
Amen.
28:03
Amen.
28:05
We're
28:11
going to
28:12
sing again
28:13
to God's
28:14
praise in
28:14
Psalm 46a
28:16
the Sing
28:16
Psalms
28:17
version
28:17
page 60
28:21
of the
28:22
Psalm
28:22
book.
28:22
Psalm 46a
28:23
we'll sing
28:24
from
28:24
verse 9
28:25
down to
28:27
the end
28:27
of the
28:28
Psalm.
28:29
In
28:30
every land
28:31
throughout the
28:32
earth he
28:33
makes all
28:33
conflicts cease.
28:34
He shatters
28:35
bow and
28:35
spear and
28:36
shield and
28:36
brings his
28:38
reign of
28:38
peace.
28:39
Be still
28:39
and know
28:40
that I am
28:41
God on
28:42
earth exalted
28:42
high and
28:43
all the
28:44
nations of
28:44
the world
28:45
my name
28:46
will glorify.
28:47
The Lord
28:47
Almighty is
28:48
with us to
28:49
strengthen and
28:50
sustain for
28:51
Jacob's God
28:52
our strong
28:53
defense and
28:54
fortress
28:54
doth remain.
28:55
As soon as
28:56
Stroudwater we
28:57
stand to sing
28:58
these three
28:59
verses.
29:04
every land
29:06
throughout
29:07
the earth
29:10
he makes
29:13
all conflicts
29:15
cease.
29:17
He shatters
29:20
soul and
29:22
fear and
29:25
shield and
29:27
brings his
29:29
reign of
29:32
peace.
29:34
Be still
29:36
and know
29:38
that I
29:41
am
29:42
God
29:43
on earth
29:46
exalted
29:48
I
29:50
and
29:52
all
29:53
the
29:54
nations
29:56
of
29:58
the
29:59
world
30:00
my name
30:02
will
30:03
glorify.
30:09
The
30:10
Lord
30:11
Almighty
30:13
is
30:16
with
30:17
us
30:18
to
30:19
strengthen
30:20
and
30:22
sustain
30:24
for
30:26
Jacob's
30:28
God
30:29
our
30:30
strong
30:32
defense
30:34
and
30:37
fortress
30:38
will
30:39
remain.
30:45
After the
30:45
benediction
30:46
I'll go to
30:46
the main
30:47
door.
30:47
We'll close
30:47
with the
30:48
benediction.
30:49
Now may
30:49
grace,
30:50
mercy and
30:50
peace from
30:51
God,
30:52
Father,
30:52
Son and
30:53
Holy Spirit
30:54
rest upon
30:55
and abide
30:56
with us
30:56
all,
30:57
no one
30:57
forevermore.
30:58
Amen.
31:26
Go to
31:29
God
31:29
We'll
31:30
take
31:31
those
31:31
things.
31:31
God
31:32
good
31:32
love.
31:33
God
31:33
Oh
31:33
God
31:34
God
31:34
love.
31:35
God
31:35
God
31:35
God
31:35
God
31:36
God
31:36
God
31:36
God
31:36
God
31:37
God
31:37
God
31:37
God
31:38
God
31:38
God
31:38
God
31:39
God
31:39
God
31:39
God
31:40
God
31:40
God
31:40
God
31:41
God
31:41
God
31:42
God
31:42
God
31:42
God
31:43
God
31:43
God
31:44
God
31:44
God
31:44
God
31:45
God
31:45
God
31:45
God
31:45
God
31:46
God
31:46
God
31:47
God
31:47
God
31:47
God
31:48
God
31:48
God
31:49
God
31:49
God
31:49
God
31:50
fathers
31:50
God
31:51
God
31:52
God
31:52
God
31:52
fathers
31:53
fathers
31:53
God
31:53
God
31:54
God
31:54
God