For example, he said in Psalm 55:6-8, "And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness…I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest."
The questions we ask ourselves sometimes are:
• WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE PROBLEMS?
• WHY CAN’T THE WORLD BE A PERFECT PLACE TO LIVE?
For example, in a perfect world:
• A person should feel as good at 50 as he did at 17
• We would actually be as smart at 50 as we thought we were at 17
• We would have as much energy at 70 as we did at 4
• Pro baseball players would complain about teachers being paid contracts worth millions of dollars
• Potato chips might have calories, but if you ate them with a dip, the calories would be neutralized
• If the guy from the government said to you, "I’m here to help," not only would he mean it, but also he’d do it
• Highway patrolmen would never be around when you’re running late, but would always be at your side when a BMW blows past or a Mac truck won’t get off your bumper
• The better food tasted, the less calories it would have
• Warranties would be for 13 months and products would fail at 12
That would be the perfect world, but sin has affected this world and it is less than perfect. We all have to learn to deal with the PROBLEMS OF LIFE.
God has a purpose in us living in an IMPERFECT WORLD! If the world in which we live was perfect and there were no problems to deal with --- WE WOULD NOT NEED A GOD TO TRUST IN TIMES OF TROUBLE!
Illus: Abraham Lincoln said, “Many times problems have driven me to my knees!”
The people we most admire in this life, are men and women who have learned to ENJOY THE GOOD TIMES and TRUST GOD DURING THE HARD TIMES.
Illus: Everyone can not run a hundred yard dash in 4 seconds, but if everyone could run a hundred yard dash in 4 seconds there would be no one to admire.
What David suggested would be nice, but we can not fly away from our problems. God has designed a life for us that consists of LAUGHTER and SORROW.
Solomon said, in Ecclesiastes 3:1a & 4, “To every thing there is a season…A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”
Many people who have been raised watching movies and television think life is all about LAUGHING and having a good time. BUT NOT SO! There are times for LAUGHTER, but there are also times for MOURNING.
In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon tells us that in all areas of life, wisdom requires that we understand what’s going on and respond to it appropriately. For example, Solomon writes that there’s, “…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”
Illus: A lot of men wish their wife would learn this lesson. One man said “I haven't spoken to my wife in nearly 18 months — I don't want to interrupt her!”
There is a time to keep SILENT and a time to SPEAK, but also there is a time to LAUGH and a time to CRY.
Illus: When the times of WEEPING come into our life, the Lord wants to teach us that when we are given a LEMON in life, He can turn it into LEMONADE if we trust Him.
Look at Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted."
Illus: Bill Gaither wrote a song that says it this way:
Something beautiful something good,
All my confusion Jesus understood.
All I have to offer him is brokenness and strife,
But he made something beautiful out of my life.
Life is a mixture of many things, but many times it is a life of HAPPINESS and SADNESS. Let’s look at the times of SADNESS. These times in our life cause us to MOURN!
I want to show you FOUR KINDS OF MOURNING from the scriptures. Some are GOOD and some are BAD!
I. THERE IS A GENERAL MOURNING - IT IS GOOD!
People mourn when they lose a loved one. It is a normal reaction. The Bible says in John 11:35, that when Lazarus, the Lord’s good friend died, “Jesus Wept.”
But this kind of mourning comes with a caution. That is, we can lose a loved one and grieve ourselves to death. We have to realize, as David who lost his son, that death is not the end for believers.
Look at 2 Samuel 12:16-23, we read, “David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
Before the death of David’s son, David did everything he could do.
• He gave him the best of care
• He fasted and prayed before God
Everyone who saw him before the death of his son was concerned about what would happen to him if his son died.
But after the death of his son, he immediately went back into the routine of life and they were shocked. When he was asked about this he said, “…I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
He is saying that death is a ONE WAY STREET and he has crossed over and can not come back, but I can go to him.
THERE IS A GENERAL MOURNING that takes place when we lose a loved one. But the Lord wants to teach us that even when we walk through the “Valley of Death”, He is there to help us.
But while mourning is a part of God’s plan in the loss of a loved one, it is also meant to bring CLOSURE to our life. This GENERAL MOURNING IS GOOD and necessary in our life. But also-
II. THERE IS A LUSTFUL MOURNING --- IT IS BAD
The scriptures are filled with men and women who lusted for that which they did not have.
• Achan in Josh. 7- lusted for a wedge of gold and silver - his entire family was destroyed because of his lust for things
• Samson in Judges 16- met a harlot in Gaza, eventually this lust cost him his eyes, strength, pride, and life
• David in 2 Sam. 11:2 - lusted for Bathsheba - it cost him the lives of his men, his sons and almost his kingdom
Some of the best men and women in the scriptures began to love SOMEONE or SOMETHING more than they loved the Lord and it cost them greatly.
1 John 2: 15-16 we read, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
We are to LIKE THINGS and LOVE GOD, but today men LIKE GOD and LOVE THINGS! They go through life MOURNING because they want SOMEONE or SOMETHING so much, they feel they can not live without this PERSON or THING in their life.
A good example of this kind of mourning can be seen in the life of King Ahab.
Look at 1 Kings 21:1-6, we read, “And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.”
It is amazing how grownups can act so much like children. Have you ever seen a child that wanted something they could not have, so they laid on the floor and cried, and made life miserable for everyone?
Illus: A crowded airliner is about to take off, when the peace is shattered by a 5-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.
Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy's ear.
Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother's hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.
As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. "Excuse me, General," she asks quietly, "but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"
The old man smiles serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my pilot's wings, and explained that my wings entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose. And I was seriously considering him!"
Naboth had a piece of land and Ahab saw it and wanted it. He went to Naboth and asked him to sell it to him, and he told him he did not want to sell this land he had inherited.
This did not make Ahab happy, and he went home mourning. His wife Jezebel said, “…Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?…”
Much of the sadness today is due to someone seeing something that someone else has, and like a small child, they are mourning because they can not have it.
General mourning is weeping over something we no longer have, but lustful mourning is mourning over something we never have had - we just want it and we mourn because we do not have it.
Listen, I know people whose whole life consists of “I WANT THIS” or “I WANT THAT!” If they can not get what they want, they are miserable to live with.
Many times what they want is not a THING but a PERSON. This can get you in trouble as much as mourning for things.
Illus: Reader’s digest tells about a man who went shopping with his wife. He said, “While my wife and I were shopping at a mall, a shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress strolled by. My eyes followed her. Without looking up from the item she was examining, my wife asked, "Was it worth the trouble you’re in?" (Drew Anderson (Tucson, AZ), Reader’s Digest
Illus: One man told his wife on her fortieth birthday he was going to trade her off for two 20’s. She looked at him and said, “You aren’t wired for 2-20!”
The Lord Jesus said to avoid focusing on people and things with a lustful eye. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matt. 5:27,28)
People who live their life always wanting what they do not have are just like King Ahab. They go through life mourning and they won’t SNAP OUT OF IT!
God designed this life where WE CAN NOT ALWAYS HAVE WHAT WE WANT! Now you can put that in your pipe and smoke it because that is a fact of life.
Illus: Jackson Brown, Jr. said, I’ve learned that if you give a pig and a boy everything they want, you’ll get a good pig and a bad boy. (Jackson Brown, Jr., Live and Learn and Pass it On.)
THERE IS A GENERAL MOURNING, THERE IS A LUSTFUL MOURNING and …
III. THERE IS A SPIRITUAL MOURNING --- IT IS GOOD
The Lord Jesus was the most manliest man who ever walked on this earth. Yet the Bible says, in Luke 19:41, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it."
Weeping for the souls of lost men and women should be as much a part of our life as breathing is. At one time you could hear much weeping in the church for lost souls.
Along with many others, we can remember years ago seeing the altars filled with the saints of God as they mourned for lost loved ones to be saved.
Illus: After Dr. Odell Belger got out of high school, he worked for Sears before he went off to Bible College. He worked in the delivery department, delivering furniture and kitchen appliances. One day they pulled up at a home and the driver asked him to go to the door to see if anyone was home. When he got to the door, he could hear a mother inside, praying for her children. She was crying before God, “God save my children, O God, I can not stand the thought of one of my children going to hell, save my children!”
He did not push the doorbell because he did not want to disturb her praying. He went back to the truck and told the driver he could not ring the doorbell because she was praying for her children with a broken heart. The driver understood. They made all the other deliveries and came back to her house later that day.
Listen parents, suppose you knew your child was facing a dangerous situation that would cause them a lot of misery. Knowing this, what would you do? You would immediately get into your car and get to them as fast as you could.
Yet we have parents that have children that are only one heart beat away from a devil’s hell, and they let day after day slip by without praying for them. They set a bad example before them by carelessly missing church.
Listen, we need some good old CRYING and WEEPING moms and dads today. The Word of God says, in Psalm 126:5-6, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
After reading this verse, it makes us wonder how many people will be lost because not many people know anything about this SPIRITUAL MOURNING.
• When it comes to GENERAL MOURNING - WE NEED TO GET OVER IT
• When it comes to LUSTFUL MOURNING - WE NEED TO GET OVER IT
• But when comes to SPIRITUAL MOURNING - WE DO NOT NEED TO GET OVER IT
THERE IS A GENERAL MOURNING, THERE IS A LUSTFUL MOURNING, THERE IS A SPIRITUAL MOURNING and -
IV. THERE IS A REPENTANT MOURNING --- IT IS GOOD
Today we have too many dry-eyed conversions. We have too many today that mistake CHURCH MEMBERSHIP for SALVATION. Listen, joining a church will not make you a child of God any more than going to a garage will make you a mechanic.
I want to tell you what will make you a child of God.
• Recognize you are a lost sinner bound for Hell
• Recognize you can not save yourself
• Recognize there is a loving Savior who came and died for your sins
• Recognize that since He died for you, if you will by faith put your trust in Him for salvation, the Bible says, “Whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved”
It is a marvelous thing to see a lost person come to the Lord for salvation. They have come to realize they have sinned against God almighty, and if they could live their life over again they would not live it in sin.
But now they come to the Lord, sorry, NOT THAT THEY GOT CAUGHT, but sorry they have sinned.
2 Cor. 7:10, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worked death." Godly sorrow over sin brings repentance and life. Jesus was not saying blessed are those that are lonely or discouraged.
When we truly come to know the Lord, it will bring tears to our eyes because we sinned against Him.
Conclusion:
The Lord has purpose in the trials we face. The Bible says, in Isaiah 61:1-3, that he will give us beauty for ashes.
Illus: In Bible times, it was the custom for the people of that day in times of mourning and difficulty to lay in ashes.
Just think about that. You’ve got a problem in your life and you just sit down in a pile of ashes. There is nothing beautiful about ashes. But the scripture says He is going to take our difficult, disgusting, depressing and horrible situations, and turn them into the oil of joy. He is going to pick you up out of the ash pile of life and make something beautiful out of you.
The lost world certainly knows nothing of the happiness that can come from sadness. God lifts up those that mourn over sin. They have no one to turn to with all their problems. Life is filled with problems, this is not a perfect world, but the Lord wants to give us BEAUTY FOR ASHES!
There are FOUR KINDS OF MOURNING.
I. THERE IS A GENERAL MOURNING - IT IS GOOD
II. THERE IS A LUSTFUL MOURNING - IT IS BAD
III. THERE IS A SPIRITUAL MOURNING - IT IS GOOD
IV. THERE IS A REPENTANT MOURNING - IT IS GOOD
