Jesus Wept…
Jesus Wept. Shortest verse in the bible. You can find it in John 11:35. It is the story of Jesus resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. For those that are not familiar with the story, allow me to quickly recap. Lazarus is sick and his sisters, Mary and Martha, have sent for Jesus to come quickly to heal him. However, Jesus tarries for a few more days and Lazarus dies. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been in a tomb for four days. When he sees Mary and Martha he is deeply troubled. He weeps. He orders the stone covering the tomb to be rolled away and calls Lazarus out. Lazarus, to everyone’s surprise comes walking out.
Now I want you to notice something. Jesus is deeply troubled upon seeing the pain that these two women and indeed all those with them are in. Notice John 11:33-35: “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ’Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.” (The “her” that is being referred to is Mary, from the previous verse.)
This is an important point. Why was Jesus troubled in spirit? Was it because his friend Lazarus had died? No I don’t think so. John 11:43-44 shows why: “When he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ’Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'” Jesus knows Lazarus will be alive within a few minutes. Why cry for someone's death when they won’t be dead?
No, Jesus has another reason for tears. Notice the situation. Jesus is surrounded by people in pain. They are suffering. When Jesus experiences this, He begins to experience their grief. Despite the fact that He knows that He will raise Lazarus from the dead shortly, He is moved to tears from the pain that others are feeling.
You see we have a God who truly does “feel our pain”. We aren’t talking about a politician running for office trying to get a few votes. No, we are talking about God Almighty actually caring so much about how these people felt that He is moved to cry with them! They did not understand at the time, thinking He was crying for Lazarus' passing. John 11:36 says: “Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” They did not understand that Jesus was crying for them, not Lazarus.
And this is the point I want to make clear. We have a God that actually does care about us so much so that when you are consumed with pain, He weeps by your side. He longs to intervene if we will only let Him! He is a God of action, not inaction as John 11:43-44 show. He’s not one to sit on the sidelines just watching. He wants in the game, but He will not force Himself on you. You need to call to Him! It is at that time that God will join you. The Holy Spirit will comfort you and lift you from the muck in which you find yourself trapped. Remember this point. Jesus cares deeply about you, He cries with you, He rejoices with you, and He is always there for you. This is very important!
Now I’d like to leave that point for a moment to bring up a new topic. Many churches send missionaries to foreign lands to preach Christ. Africa is the fastest growing body of believers in the world at the moment. Millions are spent to train people, to transport and support them in this effort.
This is excellent work and I applaud it. We are a very small fellowship. We don’t have such resources to do this fine work. We do reach out to our local community and are able to send things overseas as well. Perhaps you are able to do something similar. There is one thing I have to ask though. Is missionary work truly beyond our small fellowship or for that matter, me or even you as an individual?
It is estimated that over 30% of Americans consider themselves to be born again Christians. Now when I hear this I tend to think of people that are busy sharing their faith in Christ. That they are living a Godly life and preach salvation either through word or deed. I know this is not always the case. Many people have accepted Christ and think that’s all there is to it and now I can get on with my life. I have to question that mind set. Is this a true conversion to Christ? God will decide, not me.
In any event, that 30%+ figure that I mentioned drops to 17.5% here in New England. Now whether you take the 30% or the 17.5 % figure as accurate, the point is that there is a lot of missionary work available to each and every one of us right here in our own back yard!! And I would challenge every Christian with this question. “What are you doing to spread the Gospel message to those that have not heard and understood the Good News?”
Now before you get too uncomfortable, let me state for the record, I include myself in this question. That may sound odd coming from a pastor, but I wonder how many times did I sit down to watch a little television when I could have been working on a sermon? How many times did I participate in some type of recreation when I could have been reaching out to someone? How often did I shy away from a conversation about God because the situation felt a bit uncomfortable or because I was tired and just plain wanted to rest?
That’s right, those are the thoughts of a pastor. You aren’t alone. Nothing special about you. We ALL could be doing more for Christ. We ALL could be preaching the Gospel more often and more effectively. That will be the case until we stand before God’s throne with our intercessor, Jesus Christ. We are never going to be perfect until then. And until then, we can do more.
We can be the missionaries to America. We can be the missionaries to our own state, county or home town. Family, neighbors, friends, colleagues or relatives makes no difference. All need to hear the message of hope and healing. “But I’m not a pastor!”, you might say. Doesn‘t matter. “I’m not important enough!”. Yes you are. Keep in mind that God loves you so much He died on a cross to save you from your fate.
If you don’t know what to say or how to explain it, open your bible and start reading. That’s what it’s there for!! Nobody is born knowing this stuff. God grants us understanding through His Holy Spirit. As we move closer to God, He gives us a better grasp of what He means and what to say. And quite frankly, nothing says you have to stand on a street corner preaching!
Ever hear the phrase, actions speak louder than words? Anybody can talk about Christ, but not everybody lives Christ. You see, being Christian is not just something to talk about. It is a way of life. A GOOD life. Many, many people preach the gospel through their actions rather than words. Consider the following scenario: The boss comes and chews someone out for something that is not their fault. Perhaps they are even fired. Now think about this. Which reaction displays the embodiment of Christ better: the person that starts bad mouthing their boss, looking for a way to exact revenge or the person that expresses concern for their boss that perhaps something has happened to them that is causing him or her to act this way? Second example, obviously. An attitude of compassion rather than anger is certainly going to turn heads.
Now we all know individuals who act as this boss did. Sometimes people are rather prickly. They are hard to get to know. Some people take out their frustrations on others. Still others are just plain thoughtless when it comes to someone other than themselves. What’s the answer in dealing with those people? Jesus wept. We show them the human face of Jesus. We show them the light of Jesus shining through each of us. I think a member of our own fellowship put it best when he said, “Kill them with Christian love.”
What an interesting phrase. What we are talking about is showing them a different choice that is available to them. We are showing them that God really does care about them and that they don’t have to go through life alone and angry any longer. You see the first part of this sermon focused on Jesus’ humanity. The scripture quoted proves that Jesus does indeed grieve, not only for us but with us as well. He truly does care about our pain and actually experiences that pain with us.
It does not take a lot of effort to expose people to Jesus when you are busy living a Godly life. To express compassion for people, to be concerned with their failures and successes, to treat people with respect and dignity, these are all ways of caring for others in a way that expresses Jesus Christ to those that haven’t heard the good news, or don’t want to hear. And it expresses a Jesus Christ that is concerned about personal problems, not simply some distant, nebulous ruler of the cosmos that is unknowable or unreachable. Your efforts for others show a King of kings that is at your elbow!
You may wonder if people actually notice this Godly living. Will they respond? Some do, some don’t. We have to remember that we can’t force Jesus on anyone and we certainly can’t force people to accept Jesus. Our job is to show Christ and explain to the best our understanding allows. The decision to accept Christ is between them and God alone. The one thing that you can be sure of is that people will notice the light that is coming from Christ through you!
How do you start? Pray. Pray, pray and pray some more. Pave the road with prayer before you travel it. You will be surprised at the opportunities that God will bring to you for witnessing. Maybe through word or deed. More likely a combination of both. You need not be nervous about trying. Let God take you by the hand, one step at a time. As you move closer to God, you will note that witnessing becomes easier. Let God put the words on your lips. Look to live a Christ like life, not only at home but everywhere you are.
So many people are suffering in silence. They live their lives in pain. We have the opportunity to do missionary work right here in our own backyards, helping others to heal, to find a better life, to know that God cares so much for them that he sent his only Son to die so we wouldn’t be eternally separated from our Father. We have that chance to show hurting people the love, concern, compassion and peace that Jesus Christ embodies. We have that chance to show the world.
Jesus Wept!
In His name…
© 2005 Church of Hope, Inc.
Jesus Wept. Shortest verse in the bible. You can find it in John 11:35. It is the story of Jesus resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. For those that are not familiar with the story, allow me to quickly recap. Lazarus is sick and his sisters, Mary and Martha, have sent for Jesus to come quickly to heal him. However, Jesus tarries for a few more days and Lazarus dies. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been in a tomb for four days. When he sees Mary and Martha he is deeply troubled. He weeps. He orders the stone covering the tomb to be rolled away and calls Lazarus out. Lazarus, to everyone’s surprise comes walking out.
Now I want you to notice something. Jesus is deeply troubled upon seeing the pain that these two women and indeed all those with them are in. Notice John 11:33-35: “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ’Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.” (The “her” that is being referred to is Mary, from the previous verse.)
This is an important point. Why was Jesus troubled in spirit? Was it because his friend Lazarus had died? No I don’t think so. John 11:43-44 shows why: “When he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ’Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'” Jesus knows Lazarus will be alive within a few minutes. Why cry for someone's death when they won’t be dead?
No, Jesus has another reason for tears. Notice the situation. Jesus is surrounded by people in pain. They are suffering. When Jesus experiences this, He begins to experience their grief. Despite the fact that He knows that He will raise Lazarus from the dead shortly, He is moved to tears from the pain that others are feeling.
You see we have a God who truly does “feel our pain”. We aren’t talking about a politician running for office trying to get a few votes. No, we are talking about God Almighty actually caring so much about how these people felt that He is moved to cry with them! They did not understand at the time, thinking He was crying for Lazarus' passing. John 11:36 says: “Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” They did not understand that Jesus was crying for them, not Lazarus.
And this is the point I want to make clear. We have a God that actually does care about us so much so that when you are consumed with pain, He weeps by your side. He longs to intervene if we will only let Him! He is a God of action, not inaction as John 11:43-44 show. He’s not one to sit on the sidelines just watching. He wants in the game, but He will not force Himself on you. You need to call to Him! It is at that time that God will join you. The Holy Spirit will comfort you and lift you from the muck in which you find yourself trapped. Remember this point. Jesus cares deeply about you, He cries with you, He rejoices with you, and He is always there for you. This is very important!
Now I’d like to leave that point for a moment to bring up a new topic. Many churches send missionaries to foreign lands to preach Christ. Africa is the fastest growing body of believers in the world at the moment. Millions are spent to train people, to transport and support them in this effort.
This is excellent work and I applaud it. We are a very small fellowship. We don’t have such resources to do this fine work. We do reach out to our local community and are able to send things overseas as well. Perhaps you are able to do something similar. There is one thing I have to ask though. Is missionary work truly beyond our small fellowship or for that matter, me or even you as an individual?
It is estimated that over 30% of Americans consider themselves to be born again Christians. Now when I hear this I tend to think of people that are busy sharing their faith in Christ. That they are living a Godly life and preach salvation either through word or deed. I know this is not always the case. Many people have accepted Christ and think that’s all there is to it and now I can get on with my life. I have to question that mind set. Is this a true conversion to Christ? God will decide, not me.
In any event, that 30%+ figure that I mentioned drops to 17.5% here in New England. Now whether you take the 30% or the 17.5 % figure as accurate, the point is that there is a lot of missionary work available to each and every one of us right here in our own back yard!! And I would challenge every Christian with this question. “What are you doing to spread the Gospel message to those that have not heard and understood the Good News?”
Now before you get too uncomfortable, let me state for the record, I include myself in this question. That may sound odd coming from a pastor, but I wonder how many times did I sit down to watch a little television when I could have been working on a sermon? How many times did I participate in some type of recreation when I could have been reaching out to someone? How often did I shy away from a conversation about God because the situation felt a bit uncomfortable or because I was tired and just plain wanted to rest?
That’s right, those are the thoughts of a pastor. You aren’t alone. Nothing special about you. We ALL could be doing more for Christ. We ALL could be preaching the Gospel more often and more effectively. That will be the case until we stand before God’s throne with our intercessor, Jesus Christ. We are never going to be perfect until then. And until then, we can do more.
We can be the missionaries to America. We can be the missionaries to our own state, county or home town. Family, neighbors, friends, colleagues or relatives makes no difference. All need to hear the message of hope and healing. “But I’m not a pastor!”, you might say. Doesn‘t matter. “I’m not important enough!”. Yes you are. Keep in mind that God loves you so much He died on a cross to save you from your fate.
If you don’t know what to say or how to explain it, open your bible and start reading. That’s what it’s there for!! Nobody is born knowing this stuff. God grants us understanding through His Holy Spirit. As we move closer to God, He gives us a better grasp of what He means and what to say. And quite frankly, nothing says you have to stand on a street corner preaching!
Ever hear the phrase, actions speak louder than words? Anybody can talk about Christ, but not everybody lives Christ. You see, being Christian is not just something to talk about. It is a way of life. A GOOD life. Many, many people preach the gospel through their actions rather than words. Consider the following scenario: The boss comes and chews someone out for something that is not their fault. Perhaps they are even fired. Now think about this. Which reaction displays the embodiment of Christ better: the person that starts bad mouthing their boss, looking for a way to exact revenge or the person that expresses concern for their boss that perhaps something has happened to them that is causing him or her to act this way? Second example, obviously. An attitude of compassion rather than anger is certainly going to turn heads.
Now we all know individuals who act as this boss did. Sometimes people are rather prickly. They are hard to get to know. Some people take out their frustrations on others. Still others are just plain thoughtless when it comes to someone other than themselves. What’s the answer in dealing with those people? Jesus wept. We show them the human face of Jesus. We show them the light of Jesus shining through each of us. I think a member of our own fellowship put it best when he said, “Kill them with Christian love.”
What an interesting phrase. What we are talking about is showing them a different choice that is available to them. We are showing them that God really does care about them and that they don’t have to go through life alone and angry any longer. You see the first part of this sermon focused on Jesus’ humanity. The scripture quoted proves that Jesus does indeed grieve, not only for us but with us as well. He truly does care about our pain and actually experiences that pain with us.
It does not take a lot of effort to expose people to Jesus when you are busy living a Godly life. To express compassion for people, to be concerned with their failures and successes, to treat people with respect and dignity, these are all ways of caring for others in a way that expresses Jesus Christ to those that haven’t heard the good news, or don’t want to hear. And it expresses a Jesus Christ that is concerned about personal problems, not simply some distant, nebulous ruler of the cosmos that is unknowable or unreachable. Your efforts for others show a King of kings that is at your elbow!
You may wonder if people actually notice this Godly living. Will they respond? Some do, some don’t. We have to remember that we can’t force Jesus on anyone and we certainly can’t force people to accept Jesus. Our job is to show Christ and explain to the best our understanding allows. The decision to accept Christ is between them and God alone. The one thing that you can be sure of is that people will notice the light that is coming from Christ through you!
How do you start? Pray. Pray, pray and pray some more. Pave the road with prayer before you travel it. You will be surprised at the opportunities that God will bring to you for witnessing. Maybe through word or deed. More likely a combination of both. You need not be nervous about trying. Let God take you by the hand, one step at a time. As you move closer to God, you will note that witnessing becomes easier. Let God put the words on your lips. Look to live a Christ like life, not only at home but everywhere you are.
So many people are suffering in silence. They live their lives in pain. We have the opportunity to do missionary work right here in our own backyards, helping others to heal, to find a better life, to know that God cares so much for them that he sent his only Son to die so we wouldn’t be eternally separated from our Father. We have that chance to show hurting people the love, concern, compassion and peace that Jesus Christ embodies. We have that chance to show the world.
Jesus Wept!
In His name…
© 2005 Church of Hope, Inc.