THE VIRTUE OF TEARS

SERMON STARTER

 

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”        2 Chronicles 7:14

 

At our Harvest Network, International Annual Conference this year (June of 2003) something happened that caught us all off-guard.  When Jesus’ Holy Spirit has something to say to our hearts He often uses off-guarded moments as His opportunity.  Pastor Paul Laursen of North Olmstead Christ the King Church in Cleveland’s Westlake area was leading the assembly in a moment of sacred communion.  To illustrate his point he picked up a beautiful long loaf of baked bread with the intention of breaking it. 

That’s when it happened.  Pastor Paul quoted Jesus who said, “This is my Body, broken for you.”  As Pastor Paul attempted to break the loaf, it wouldn’t break.  It was plastic.  Brother Paul is a very deliberate, careful brother in all he does.  He was stopped cold.  He said almost under his breath, “I should have checked this out beforehand.”  He was chagrined.  A chorus of laughter lifted the solemn mood of the moment.

Then it happened again.  Dorothy Langstaff, the wife of our presiding elder and leader of the Apostolic Oversight Team, stood up, asked for the microphone and began to speak.  Her voice trembled with emotion.  An exact reproduction of what she said can be obtained from the HNI offices in Minneapolis.  Typical of all moments when the Holy Spirit has our undivided attention, He spoke to each of us somewhat uniquely.  What I heard as an eyewitness or more succinctly, a heart witness is what I now relate.

          As a regional representative for HNI I was at the front to assist communion.  A man at the front row of this very large church began to weep.  To be exact he began to sob.  He cried deeply from his gut as though his heart was breaking.  His tears poured over his spread fingers that covered his face.  His anguished cries caught the hearts of a number of persons who joined him in weeping over their own sins.

The Virtue of Tears, cont., p.2

 

          Dorothy was operating under a prophetic mantle as she spoke.  This is not an exact reproduction of what she said, but what I heard in my heart as she spoke.  “Our hearts are like this plastic bread and grapes.  They are only for show.  They can’t help anyone.  They won’t nourish or sustain life.  They look good on the outside, but inwardly they are devoid of life.  Brother Paul has demonstrated the basic problem of our hearts.  They are unbroken.  Our eyes have not shed tears over our own sins, much less the sins of lost humanity.  May God forgive us and grant us hearts that are genuine and can be broken over our own sins.”  Then she sat down and I began to ponder.

We live in a dry-eyed, tearless culture.  Crying, especially for men, is regarded as a sign of weakness.  “Wimps,” women and insecure souls freely loose their tears.  Public tears are frowned upon.  It’s tacky to cry in public or private.  Yet, the Psalmist reminds us that God holds our tears in His bottle. (Psalm 56:8 NKJV)  Jesus stands before the grave of his friend, Lazarus and according to the shortest verse in the Bible, He sheds tears. (John 11:35)

We live in a plastic, pietistic religious culture of lacquer, shellac and polyurethane.  Our churches are filled with dry-eyed saints.  We have performed the church’s required rituals, but our eyes are devoid of tears and our hearts remain unbroken.  Roy Hesson wrote a book over forty years ago.  It is easily read in a single setting.  “Calvary Road” is a classic that advances brokenness as the path to God. 

In behavioral psychology tears are seen as a pathway to healing.  Their term, “catharsis” is from the Greek word, “To Pour Out,” or “To Empty Out.”  Long before psychology “discovered” the truths about the inner workings of mankind, God’s Word had set the pattern.  Deep soul searching, gut-wrenching examination of personal sin and a contrite seeking of God’s forgiving love has always been the path of order in Christ’s Kingdom.

 

 

The Virtue of Tears, cont., p.3

 

HEAVENLY FATHER:

Forgive us for our proud, vain, futile attempts to seek You without searching our hearts first.  Forgive us for plastic bread that does not break, plastic grapes that cannot be crushed, human eyes that do not weep, and hardened hearts that do not break before You.  Free us from our need to be self-controlled.  Deliver us from our fear of exposing weakness before You and our fellow man.  You have given us a pathway to You that is wet with tears.  Let some of those tears be our own.

In Jesus Name we pray,

A-Men

Pastor Phil  <><<

 

June 12, 2016 - Sheepfold Ministries

                                                                                                           Pastor Phil Roland

 

THE VIRTUE OF TEARS

WEEPING LEADS TO BLESSING IN GOD’S KINGDOM

Jeremiah 14:17-20 - Various Texts

“God can seldom use an individual who feels they must own and control all of life’s circumstances.  Admitted Helpless is a virtue in Christ’s Kingdom of Love, He allows to Bleed what He wishes to Bless.”     Pastor Phil Roland

 

BACKGROUND:

There has been a great drought in the Southern Kingdom, Judah. The Northern Kingdom, Israel has fallen to the Assyrians (Iraqi's today) and most of Judah has fallen to the Babylonians (Chaldeans). In this text we see and understand why Jeremiah is called the "Weeping Prophet." His intercession for his people approaches Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in John 17. One of the places Jeremiah would retire to weep and pray was a grotto (cave-like depression in the hillside) above Jerusalem. 600 years later it is where the Cross of Jesus stood.

 

I. JEREMIAH'S REASON FOR TEARS - Verse 17

¹⁷ "Therefore you shall say this word to them: 'Let my eyes flow with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people Has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow.

          A. His people were oppressed by the Babylonians - Hopelessness

                        1. Tributes demanded in Grain / Produce took away their food

                        2. Seed grain was confiscated leaving them no future food

            B. They were dying from natural causes

                        1. Drought and Crop Failure

                        2. Starvation and Dehydration

            C. They were dying from resisting and being slain by the sword

                        1. The city streets and fields strewn with the dead

                        2. There was no one with strength to bury them

            D. They were lied to and deceived by False Prophets and Priests

                        1. False Teaching and False Interpretations of their situation

                        2. Told Starving People that help was on the way

 

II. FOUR REASONS FOR OUR TEARS

            A. Personal Losses

                        1. Death of a Loved One - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

                                ¹ To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under

                          heaven: ² A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And

                          a time to pluck what is planted;

 

THE VIRTUE OF TEARS, cont. p. 2

 

                        2. Health Problems due to Aging or Disease

                        3. Learning to adjust or accept each situation is necessary

                                    a. Adapt to those things we can change

                                    b. Accept those things we cannot change

            B. Unexpected Tragedies

                        1. Airline Disasters

                        2. National Disasters - 2 Chron. 7:14

                                ¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,

                          and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I

                          will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

                        3. Natural Disasters / Hurricanes, Tornados, Hail, Flooding

            C. Cruel, Unkind Treatment by Others

                        1. Bullies - The strong oppressing the weak

                        2. Abusive Employers - Making unreasonable demands

                        3. Domestic Abuse - National Epidemic and Disgrace

                                    a. One in Four Women in the U.S. will experience D.A.

                                    b. Over 3 million U.S. men experienced D.A. last year

            D. One’s Own Sins

                        1. David Repents Deeply - Psalm 51:1-13

                          ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit

                            within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not

                            take Your Holy Spirit from me.         Psalm 51:10-11
                        2. Confession to God is Best - 1 John 1:9

                                ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

                          and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

III. FOUR PROMISES REGARDING THE VIRTUE OF TEARS

A.  God Restores What Has Been Lost - Joel 2:25-26

                ²⁵ "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The

                crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My

                great army which I sent among you. ²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be

                satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt

                wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.

 

            B.  God Earnestly Seeks the Lost  - Matthew 18:11

                ¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

1. We have sought false gods - Ex. 34:16

                                ¹⁶ And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your

                          sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they

                          will lead your sons to do the same.

            a. HEBREW, "I-DOL" - Anything to which man makes                                    

with his hands and ascribes worth or merit

            b. U.S. primary false god is money, fame, position

                        2. God will actively seek His Own - 2 Chronicles 16:9a

                                ⁹ For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole

                          earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is

                          loyal to Him.

THE VIRTUE OF TEARS, cont. p. 3

 

            C. God Heals The Broken in Heart - Psalm 147:3

                ³ He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

                        1. Only God heals and binds up our Broken-Hearts

                        2. God is near the broken in heart - Psalm 34:18

                                ¹⁸ The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves

                            such as have a contrite spirit.  

            D.  God’s Pervasive Promise To Be With Us

           http://www.thejourney2grace.com/index.cfm?i=11059&mid=1000&id=324730

                        1. At this link God promises TEN TIMES not to leave us

                        2. If God says something once, it's important

                        3. If God promises 10X HE MEANS IT!

                        4. No one shall oppose us, He will be with us - Joshua 1:5

                                ⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life;

                          as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor

                          forsake you.

5. No weapon the enemy forms against you will prosper

                                ¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue

                          which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is

                          the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness

                          is from Me," Says the LORD.       Isaiah 54:17
                        6. He will be with us to the ends of the earth- Matt. 28:19,20

                                ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has

                          been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make

                          disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the                                      

                        Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to

                          observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with

                          you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

 

 

HE IS ESPECIALLY WITH US IN OUR TEARS

 

If This Is Not A Place

 

Well, If this is not a place, where tears are understood,

        then where shall I go to cry?

And if this is not a place, where my spirit can take wings,

        then where shall I go to fly?

(Faster)

I don't need another place, for trying to impress you

        with just how good and virtuous I am. No, no, no!

I don't need another place, for always being on top of things.

        Everybody knows that it's a sham,   Yah! Yah! Yah!

I don't need another place, for always wearing smiles

        even when it's not the way I feel.

(Slower)

I don't need another place, to mouth the same old platitudes;

        you and I both know that it's not real.

So if this is not a place, where my heart cry can be heard,

        then where, shall I go to speak?

And if this is not a place where my questions can be asked,

        tell me where shall I go to seek?

(Faster)

I don't need another place, for trying to impress you

        with just how good and virtuous I am.  No, No, No!

I don't need another place, for always being on top of things.

        everybody knows that it's a sham. Yah, you know it!

I don't need another place, for always wearing smiles

        even when it's not the way I feel.

(Slower)

I don't need another place, to mouth those same old platitudes;

        you and I both know that it's just not real.

So if this is not a place where tears are understood

        where shall I go, where shall I go to fly?"

 

Copyright 1977 by Word Music

Ken Medema

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn7xuHsJB8s