Intro.
-When God created the universe, He used His fingers: Psalm 8:3 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;"
-When God delivered Israel, it was by His strong hand - Exodus 13:3 "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place:"
-But to redeem lost sinners, He “revealed” or uncover His mighty arm (Power) and yield to death, even the death that signified a curse, death of the Cross. For me, He revealed His arm! What a God I have. Now look at verse 3.
We see the Man of Sorrows - From the Cradle to the Cross, a life of sorrows faced Him. From the search by Herod and the little babies killed as Rachel mourned for her children, to the day He laid down His life - He was acquainted with grief!
1. God’s Regard of our tears - Psalm 56:8 "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?"
2. God’s Removal of our tears - There will come a time Rev 7:17 "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes". But what about our attitude toward His? Since a Righteous God, by His grace has even regarded lowly man and been concerned with our tears, should we not be concerned over His?
There are three places I want to notice the tears of Christ.
I. His Tears of Sympathy - John 11:35 “Jesus wept” - He shed tears.
A. For the Trouble of a Friend - Mary fell at His feet, and verse 33 says:
John 11:33 "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled," What a comfort! God mourns with us - Here God in the flesh, was PAINED over the grief that Mary felt.
B. For the Truth Mankind Faces - Death would not end with this short occurrence, as He walked toward the tomb, Jesus knew why - He knew His Word before it was given to man - Romans 5:12 "and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"- It is true and Jesus knew it - And God in the flesh, was grieved, acquainted with our sorrow over the death of a loved one.
II. His Tears of Sorrow - He burst into tears over the city! - Luke 19:41 "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,"
A. Tears of Pain - Israel refused the Messiah.
He was not crying over the mere landscape before Him. This should have been a triumphant time as the Messiah was going to enter Jerusalem, but not this time. HE had come to die, but Jerusalem was full of lost souls!
B. Tears of Perception - In around 35 years, This City where He had chosen to put His name, where He had chosen to give His life - would be trampled. BUT IT IS WORSE THAN MERE ARCHITECTURE! The place of His Temple, where He met with His people, would be destroyed. But it is even worse. Many would die, never knowing Him!
C. Tears of Pity - He loved them, it is bewildering, amazing, unexplainable and undeserved, but when all of the theological debates are over, when all definitions have been exhausted, we can only repeat - Jesus loves the world!
III. His Tears of Submission - Hebrews 5:7 7 "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." Luke 22:44 "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
A. His Resignation to the Flesh - (In the days of His flesh) He bound Himself in time. 1Ti 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,"
B. His Realization of His Fate - He did not dread paying the price, but in His humanity He was about to surrender to death! Joh 10:18 "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."
1. Jesus would surrender to Death.
2. Jesus would face the Wrath that should have been mine.
God the Father would pour His wrath upon His own Son, in my stead!
3. Jesus would face Death, separated from the Father.
C. His Reverence to the Father - Feared (Godly piety or reverence)
Jesus is and has always been God. Some doctrines use His submission to the Father to show He is not God Himself. That is their own ignorance of the Scriptures and understanding that Jesus - SUBMITTED TO HIS HUMANITY, and therefore, SUBMITTED TO THE FATHER.
Concl. Jesus Cares!
He Cares about where you are today - Just like Mary and Martha.
He Cares about your destiny - Just like Jerusalem.
He Cares about your Soul - that is why He submitted to die for you.
