I'd like to give you all a warm
welcome to our worship here this evening. Let us ask the Lord's
blessing in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven
and of earth, we ask thy blessing upon our worship here this evening. Do grant us the help of thy Holy
Spirit and the power of God that bringeth salvation. May our souls
be precious in thy sign, those that gather here and those with
us online, we ask this blessing through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. Hymn: 956, Tune: Newington 884. This evening we shall read from
two portions of God's holy word. Firstly, the book of Psalms,
Psalm 30. If you are joining with one of
our free Bibles, that is page 559. Psalm 30. A Psalm and song at the dedication of
the House of David. I will extol thee, O Lord, for
thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoice over
me. O Lord, my God, I cried unto
thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up
my soul from the grave. Thou hast kept me alive. that
I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints
of his, O give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a
moment, in his favour is life. Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity, I said,
I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favour, thou hast
made my mountain to stand strong. Thou didst hide thy face, and
I was troubled. I cry to thee, O Lord, and unto
the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood
when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall
it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy
upon me. Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning
into dancing, Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with
gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee
and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks
unto Thee forever. Now let us turn to Paul's second
epistle to Timothy. 2 Timothy and chapter 1. It's page
1105, if you have a Ruby Bible. 2 Timothy, chapter 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which
is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dearly beloved
son, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus
our Lord. I thank God whom I serve from
my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance
of Thee in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see
Thee, being mindful of Thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. When I call to remembrance the
unfeigned faith that is in Thee, which first dwelt in Thy grandmother
Lois and Thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance,
that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee, by the
putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the
power of God, who hath saved us and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath
brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher,
and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, for the which
cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the foremost sound
words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is
in Christ Jesus. that good thing which was committed
unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. This thou
knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from
me, of whom are frivolous and homogenies. The Lord give mercy
unto the house of Onesiphorus, He oft refreshed me, and was
not ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought
me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that
he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. In how many things
he ministered unto me at Ephesus thou knowest very well. The Lord bless this reading of
his holy word and help us now in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven and of earth,
we come to Thee through Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast appointed to be the one mediator between God and
man, the man Christ Jesus. Our advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous, appearing in the presence of God, for us
we do thank thee for that provision and that we as sinners may approach
and come boldly and to thy throne, and that we might seek those
blessings that thou hast to give and that we need. O Lord, may
our souls be precious in thy sign. Lord, we need thy quickening
power. We need the bread of life sent
down from heaven. We need thy word to dwell in
us richly. And we come, Lord, to receive
it this evening, that thy blessing might be upon it, that maketh
rich and addeth no sorrow within. O Lord, do deliver us from our
own sin and from this world of sin and wickedness, and do grant,
Lord, that we might be made more than conquerors through our Lord
Jesus Christ, we thank Thee for Thy Word that we have read, that
Thou hast been pleased to provide that way and that remedy to bring
immortality and life to light in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ, abolishing death, delivering us from the power
and dominion of death. Lord, what a word and what a
wonder is this, that in the gospel and in thy work thou hast overcome
that which is the terror of the human race that awaits every
one of us to pass through it, that Lord, that we might by faith
pass through it as that enemy that has been destroyed. and
that is to be destroyed in our own personal experience. O Lord, do grant unto us that
faith here below that shall assure us that we have been quickened
into divine life, that we are spiritually minded, that we do
mind spiritual things and that we do not mind those things which
are of this world. Lord, do grant that we might
not let this world, our rest appear. Lord, for we know it
shall soon be burned up. We know that we soon must depart
from it. We know it is filled with sorrows
and so much misery. through sin, and Lord we know
that thou hast purchased for thy people an everlasting home
in heaven where there is no weeping, no sin, no sorrow, no sighing. No Lord, we would that we might
be partakers of that home and that we might give every evidence
here below that we do desire a city that is to come, that
we might profess that we are strangers and pilgrims here below,
that Thou art preparing us for a heavenly home, an eternal home. O Lord, we do pray that Thou
wouldst grant us a daily witness, that we might walk by faith,
that we might feed upon Thy Word, that we might live a life of
prayer, that Thou wouldst grant unto us that union with Thee,
the hatred of sin, O Lord, help each poor, struggling pilgrim
that struggles against the corruptions of their own evil heart, that
Thou hast helped them another day. Strengthen them with faith
to wrestle against wind and storm and tide, and to gain the harbour
at last. O Lord, leave us not weary in
well-doing. We know that is well-doing. that
does resist the devil, mortify the deeds of the body, and give
us grace to keep under our bodies, and to walk after the Spirit
and not after the flesh. O Lord, we feel and know we have
a constant adversary and a constant drawing after those things that
are in opposition to Thee, that are enmity against Thee. the
fruit of the flesh, the fruit of the spirit. We do say, Lord,
that we might not be kindly minded, which is death, but spiritually
minded, which is life and peace. No, Lord, do renew us again unto
repentance and godly sorrow for sin. Give us thankful hearts
for the gospel, for good hope through grace, for every temporal
mercy, and blessing that thou hast given us here below. Lord,
do grant unto us that help to endure unto the end. Do pray
for those in affliction at this time. Do grant, Lord, thy help,
thy kind healing hand, thy sanctifying hand, grace to help day by day
as they go through affliction. Remember, Lord, those that the
affliction is a terminal one. Do be pleased to help them, be
with them, grant thy blessing that they might be able to face
death, to look beyond the pathway that is before them so difficult,
and Lord do give them those joys which none can take away. Be
with the loved ones of those that are so afflicted. We pray
also that those comfort those in bereavement. Lord do help
them, be with them, those recently bereaved, those in Holland and
those in this land, to help them be with them at this time. And
O Lord, do make these things work together for good as we
hear of them. Lord, do cause that it might
have a good effect upon our souls. We pray for thy dear servant,
Mr. Rutt, to be with Jabez Rutt and
to grant thy kind healing hand upon him. We feel for him the
disappointment, not being able to go to America today. And Lord,
we do seek the commitment of thee. Also, the church at Shoto,
no doubt disappointed. Lord, do be with them and do
help them as well. Oh Lord, we do seek thy blessing
as the churches gather, as we do tonight. that thy blessing
might be upon each gathering of thy people. I do pray, Lord,
thy blessing on arrangements made for ministry during the
next year and even this year. O Lord, may we feel Thy guiding
hand, Thy overruling hand. O Lord, how oft we are reminded
that it is for us to make these arrangements, but the whole disposing
thereof is of Thy hand. And who is it that saith, and
it cometh to pass, when Thou commandest it not? And Lord,
how oft we have been reminded that though we make plans, thou
dost change them, and sometimes at a moment's notice. Lord, help us then to live dependent
upon thee. We are dependent, but do grant
that we might feel it so. We do pray for this town. We pray for those that know thee
not, those that have no desire for the things of God. We see,
Lord, that Thou has had mercy and do grant Thy quickening spirit
that there might be those who are given the new birth, who
are awakened, who are spiritually alive, who are in want, that
do seek for the truth, that do seek for anything that will help
their souls. O Lord, may we see in others
what we have first felt years ago. And Lord, may we see the
results of answers to prayer of parents and grandparents of
many years ago in this town. You grant again a spiritual revival. Lord, may we and our brethren
churches notice a difference or hear prayer that there might
be a difference. Do bless each copy of thy word
that is received and sent out, and do bless thy preached word
as it goes forth. Lord, we pray for dear friends
in other countries and those that join with us live or hear
the message thou hast given another time. Lord, that thou'st be with
those who do not have a church near them that is sound to provide
for them. Do help them and do bless them. We do see, Lord, that Thou wouldst
guide those whom Thou hast quickened into life into right paths. Leave them not to make wrong
choices or to go amongst the people that shall not profit
them. Be very mindful of how many false
teachers there are, how many that are separate from the churches,
that aren't according to thy word, and yet they have many
ministries on the internet, and many that follow them. O Lord,
do save thy people out of the hands of those that so bring
messages from their own heart, and they are not part of thy
one church. O Lord, we do pray then that
thou has blessed us and build us up Thou has given a witness
in this place for many years. We do pray that Thou has revived
it again, and that there might be every seat in this chapel
filled with hungering, thirsting souls, and that Thou has blessed
us to see Thine offspring come and declare what Thou has done
for their souls. So Lord, we do ask thy blessing
to be upon thy word now, forgive our many sins, wash us in thy
precious blood, grant that thou who art exalted to give repentance
and remission of sins might bless us with that gift that we might
know that humble, broken, contrite spirit and one that trembles
at thy word. We ask, Lord, thy blessing that
maketh rich and addeth no sorrow within. We ask through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn: 337, Tune: Nearer home 83. Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to the second epistle of Paul
to Timothy, chapter one, and reading for our text, part of
verse four. Being mindful of thy tears. The whole verse reads, greatly
desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled
with joy. The second epistle of Paul to
Timothy, chapter one and verse four. The tears that the Apostle
refers to are either, or maybe both, tears that Timothy, Paul's
son in the faith, shed when he learned of the many persecutions
and sufferings and trials that the Apostle was going through,
or It may well have been when he had taken his leave of them
after he had called the church at Ephesus and how that they
came and they went very sore. They knew that they as a church
would not see his face anymore. And Timothy here is the first
bishop of the church at Ephesus. And that's why he says at the
end of this chapter, the Lord grant unto him that he may find
mercy of the Lord in that day, in how many things he ministered
unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. And so we read at
the end of our Bible here, that Timotheus ordained the first
bishop of the Church of the Ephesians. and that this letter was written
from Rome when Paul was brought before Nero the second time. And no doubt Paul was soon to
be taken, but here he is thinking not of himself, but he is thinking
of his son in the faith, and he is thinking of his tears and
his sorrows, So though he writes to him, he actually tells him
this. There's many times in these pastoral
epistles that the apostle doesn't just say he is praying for someone,
he says what he is praying for. He doesn't just say that he is
writing to them, but he thanks God for them, what he sees in
them and what God has done for them and like here as well tells
Timothy that he is mindful he's thinking as he is writing he's
thinking where he is of the tears and sorrows that Timothy has
where he is. Now when I read this and I thought
what a What a feeling Apostle Paul was. And I wonder how many
of us, when we know our friends or loved ones, whether in bereavement
or in a path of tears and sorrow, how often are we mindful? Mindful of one another's tears.
We may have seen them. We may have seen their tears.
We may have heard them crying. Maybe just forget it, forget
that when we're out of sight of them and they have asked that,
we've completely forgotten their sorrows. That wasn't the case
with Paul, and it's good for us to be reminded of this, because
it will surely affect our prayers and our feeling for one another. And we have those things that
we go through that do touch us, that do affect us. And, you know,
we would think of loved ones if we were to have a phone call
or a letter to them or communicate to them and say to them something
of what had happened to us, or perhaps we've got an incurable
disease, or maybe we've had an accident or something, And we
may be relating that to them, but when they receive it, and
they receive it as from a loved one, then it is quite possible
that they will have tears, that they will hear this news and
that they will cry at what they've, the news they've had. And those
have been told the loved one has been taken as well. The tears
over them. So it's a good lesson for us
just to think on others and how they will receive even news from
us and remembering what we have seen of them in their sorrows. And like Timothy here, he received
from Paul this message. Paul was still mindful of his
tears. He hadn't forgotten the sorrows
that his son in the faith was walking through and I hope that
that is so with us, that we don't forget our dear friends and brethren
in their tears and in their sorrows. But then I thought past this,
if this is so with one of the Lord's people, how much more
so that the Lord is mindful of his people's tears. And so it
is in that way I want to speak with the Lord's help this evening. I want to speak firstly of our
Lord's tears as he offers himself a sacrifice for the sins of his
people. And then secondly, God's promises
to his people in their tears. And then lastly, there's six
times, no doubt there's more, but I wish to bring just six
this evening, that God was mindful of his people's tears. Six instances in the word of
God. But firstly I want to speak of
our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll go to the prophecies,
especially in the Psalms. Psalm 69, this is a Psalm, Messianic
Psalm, a Psalm of David. Save me, O God, for the waters
are coming in unto my soul. This is how the psalm begins.
I sink in deep mire where there is no standing. I am coming to
deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my
crying. My throat is dry and my eyes
fail while I wait for my God. And so does that really speak
of our Lord? Yes, it does. And is there any
other place in the world where we hear of the tears of our Lord
in that way? Yes, there is. In Hebrews chapter
5, we read this in verse 7, where our Lord is spoken of as the
high priest and after the order of Melchizedek, 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, though he
were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. So we have our Lord Jesus Christ,
no doubt upon the cross, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? But upon the garden, in the garden
of Gethsemane, with his people's sins laid upon him. We would remember what is said
of him, In the prophecy of Isaiah 53, it is said of him that he
is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. Of course, with grief, we associate
tears and crying. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. and he was despised and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God and afflicted. This is what is spoken of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We think of when he wept over
Jerusalem and a city, a people, his own people, that did not
know the day or time of their visitation. They were under a
covenant of works and yet had resisted every blessing and every
favour that God had bestowed upon them. Very soon, as the
Lord had foretold, they would crucify the Lord of life and
glory. They would then have their city,
burned in one stone, not left upon another, and our Lord wept
as we here beheld it. Our Lord Jesus Christ then knew
also that path of tears, and we need to remember this, a real
man, the God-man, truly God and truly man, We'll mention another instance
of his tears under our third heading. And secondly, we have
God's promises to his people in their tears. In Psalm 126, a sign of expectation
for us really as a church here, and a desire that we might come
to that time the Lord had done great things for us, whereof
we are glad, and to have the heathen say the Lord had done
great things for them. But here we have in this psalm,
Psalm 126 and verse 5, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seeds, your darkness come again with rejoicing,
bring his sheaves with him. What an encouragement for real
prayer, weeping prayer, sowing in tears, real heartfelt petitions
for the blessing of the word. But what a word of promise, they
that sow in tears shall reap in joy. The Lord said to his
disciples, you now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you
again and your heart shall rejoice. Your sorrow shall be turned into
joy. And then we have in the prophecy,
Isaiah. Really, some have referred to
it as the gospel, according to Isaiah. We have many beautiful
promises to those in their weeping. In chapter 25 and verse 8, he
will swallow up death in victory and the Lord will wipe away tears
from off all faces and the rebuke of his people shall he take away
from off all the earth for the Lord has spoken it. Then if we go a few chapters
on to chapter 30 and in verse 19 we read for the people shall
dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. Thou shalt weep no more. He will be very gracious unto
thee at the voice of thy cry. When he shall hear it, he will
answer thee. Though the Lord give you the
bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not
thy teachers be removed into a corner any more. But thine
eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee saying, this is the way. Walk ye in it when ye turn
to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. And then going
on a few more chapters to chapter 35. And we have this word in
verse 10. And the ransomed of the Lord
shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy
upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. And then going to
the end of the prophecy, to chapter 65, we read these words. In verse 18, or verse from 17. For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come
into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem
a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and join my people, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard
in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence
an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not fulfilled his
days. For the child shall die an hundred
years old, but the sinner being an hundred years old. shall be
accursed. And we have the promises here,
looking forward, looking forward to the new heavens and new earth,
looking forward to heaven. And we would expect then, when
we come to the revelation, that we would also find these same
promises to the people of God. And we do, in Revelation 21,
in verse 4, And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former
things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write,
for these words are faithful and true. And these things are
set before us. Here below it is sorrow and sighing,
it is tribulation. But in heaven what the Lord has
prepared again and again has said there shall be no more sorrow,
no more crying, no more distress, no more pain there. But here
below it is to be mindful of our text as From the Lord's point
of view, not from Paul, but the Lord thinking of his people,
being mindful of thy tears. What would we think of the Lord,
who is a sympathising high priest over the house of God, as if
he was never mindful of the tears of his people? He was not touched
by their sorrows, by their distresses, but he is. He is, and He is laying
up in store in heaven where there will be no more sorrow. They
will prove that, that as they reap here below times of sorrow
and in heaven it shall be joy. May we think upon these promises
in our sorrows, in our weeping, in our distresses. May we think
upon the Lord, you who may weep now. The Lord remembers your weeping. He remembers your sorrows. He
is mindful of them. He thinks of them. And these
things are written for our comfort. Want to look then in our third
place at six times where the Lord was mindful of his people's
sorrows. Those are recorded in the Word
for our comfort. The first one is at the grave
of Lazarus. Lazarus had been sick And his
sisters, Mary and Martha, had sent message to the Lord, he
whom thou lovest is sick. But the Lord stayed where he
was, and Lazarus died. His sisters had sorrow, and so
did many others. But when our Lord came to the
grave, He wept. The shortest verse in
the word of God. Jesus wept. You read of it in
John 11, verse 35. But what was the end of that?
Their sorrows, their distress, the weeping. So real, but the
Lord was mindful of it, and you can see that by his own weeping. He felt for them. But then with
a word he raises Lazarus from the dead. Loose him and let him
go. What a command before that, Lazarus
come forth, mindful of their tears. He carried on in that course
of what he was doing. Because it was better, it would
be a more remarkable miracle than healing Lazarus, was to
raise him from the dead. And the Lord did that. Mindful of the tears of his people. The second one is that of Hannah. You may read this in the first
book of Samuel, and we have Hannah coming with her husband regularly
up to Shiloh, but Hannah could not have any children. The other wife, Benina, she had
children, many children, but every time they went up to the
house of God, This lack was aggravated. You might have something that
at a particular time in the year aggravates your sorrow, highlights
it, or a particular event that happens, whether to someone else
or to you, and it triggers this sorrow. It was so with Hannah.
Every time they went up to Shiloh, her husband gave gifts. and he
gave gifts unto the children, but to Hannah he gave a worthy
portion, but the bitterness and sorrow. And so you find in verse
10, she comes on one occasion and she was in bitterness of
soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore. You can really
picture it, can't you? Maybe you've walked that path
yourself. You've been in prayer and it's
been in floods of tears as well, crying to the Lord. Well, Eli,
he marked her mouth. He thought she was drunken. He
mistook her. But she had asked of the Lord
and made a vow that if the Lord gave her a man child, she would
loan him. unto the Lord for all the days
of his life." Well, when Eli understood and how Hannah said
that she'd poured out her heart unto the Lord, poured out my
soul before the Lord, Eli says, go in peace and the Lord, God
of Israel, grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
Well, in the due time, in time of life, she comes back. But even at that time, even with
those words from Eli, the Lord gave her faith. She went away.
She was no more sad. She believed the Lord had answered
her prayer, and he had. But then she comes and she says,
For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition. which I asked of him." It's good
for us to remember that. Something we may have been crying
over, pleading with the Lord, and many tears. And here we have
dear Hannah, yours might be a child, it might be something else, that
you lay before the Lord continually, and it's such a thing that it
brings forth the tears. The Lord was mindful. of Hannah's
tears, being mindful of thy tears, the Lord granted her the child
and later on other children as well. And may we be encouraged
in that when we pray that the Lord is mindful of those tears
that are shed in prayer as we seek the Lord for that blessing. Then thirdly, we have David at
Ziklag. The Philistines had given David
Ziklag for him to dwell in and his men. And when they were fighting
against Israel, and David at first had wanted to join with
them, and they were sent back to Ziklag. But the Amalekites
had come, and they had taken the women, the children, captives,
and all the livestock. They'd burned the city with fire,
and they'd gone on their way. They hadn't killed any. But we
read that David and his men, they wept till they had no more
power to weep, each one that they were so distressed. for
their children, their wives. And the men even speak of stoning
David. But we read that David encouraged
himself in the Lord his God. Be mindful of thy tears. David, a man after God's own
heart. David, the one that God had anointed
to be the next king in Israel. And the Lord appeared for him.
I believe David, as a man of war, would have even taken as
an encouragement that these Amalekites had not killed anything. They'd
taken them captives. No encouragement in man, but
encouragement in the Lord his God. And very soon he had another
encouragement because they found the Egyptian that had been left
by his master because he fell sick. They revived him and he
was able to show them the way to the camp. Another token for
good. What was the end result of those
tears and of encouraging in the Lord their God this very distressing
time for them. They recovered all. They recovered
all. every one of their wives, their
children, and they had great spoilers as well from the enemy. This you can read in 1 Samuel
and chapter 30. Beautiful chapter of the Lord
being mindful of his people's tears. But you know really what
the Lord did there. The Lord made sure David had
his hands full and as much as he could handle and to keep him
busy so he didn't meddle with the battle where Saul was slain. It proved that many times in
my life where the Lord has made sure that I'm not in one place
where I could have meddled or done wrong The Lord has made
sure I had my hands full in some other place, and it's not until
afterwards, and sometimes it might be a sorrowful thing that
keeps us away from where we thought we would be or wanted to be,
but afterwards we can look back and we can see God's wisdom and
why he has ordered it in that way. So, not just in one matter,
but in several, We would say the Lord here was mindful of
David and his men, their tears. Be mindful of thy tears. But then we come to Hezekiah,
the godly king of Judah. The ten tribes had been taken
captive. And Sennacherib, the Assyrian
leader, king, was seeking to take Judah as well. And at that
very time, Hezekiah was sick, sick unto death. And we read
that the prophet Isaiah came to him and said to him, to set
thine house in order, thou shalt die and not live. You read it
in 2 Kings. chapter 20 or in Isaiah 38. And we read, How he turned his
face to the wall, prayed unto the Lord, I beseech Thee, O Lord,
remember now, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with
a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight,
and Hezekiah wept sore. Then we read that the Lord spoke
to Isaiah, told him to go back, and there was added to Hezekiah
15 years. And he was blessed with a child
in that time, though Manasseh might say, well, he was a very
wicked king in the end. But it was the line to Christ,
and the Lord did turn Manasseh's heart before the end of his days
and convert him. And the Lord also delivered Judah
out of the hand of Sennacherib. But the Lord was mindful of Hezekiah's
tears. We read in Isaiah, Hezekiah saying,
by these things men live. And in all these things is the
life of my spirit, a life received from the dead. When there's an
expectation of death, and yet the Lord lengthened by 15 years. The Lord doesn't always do that,
of course, but the Lord is always mindful of the prayers of his
people and mindful of their tears. in their prayers. Hezekiah then is another example
to us. Then we have recorded in Luke
7 of a woman, we're not told her name, it was not Mary Magdalene,
but a woman that came to our Lord, he came behind him, And
we're told that she was a sinner, that is, a notorious sinner,
one that the people around they knew the kind of life that she
lived. And their Lord was in the house
of one of the Pharisees, and she came with an alabaster box
of ointment, you read in Luke 7, verse 36, stood at his feet
behind him, weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears. Then he'd wipe them with the
hairs of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with
the ointment. What a picture, this woman, with
her long hair and tears. doing that which they would have
done to a traveller or one that come in and sat at me to wash
their feet. Was the Lord mindful of her tears
and what she was doing? The Pharisee was. He said, This
man, that is the Lord Jesus, if he were a prophet, would have
known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him,
for she is a sinner. But you know the Lord didn't
take his part. He gave the parable of two debtors,
one that owed 500 pence, the other 50. When they had nothing
to pay, frankly, he forgave them both. And he asked the Pharisee,
he says, tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? And
Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast
rightly judged. And then our Lord turns to the
woman, but he doesn't speak to her straight away. He speaks
to Simon. He says, Seest thou this woman?
He saw her, her arrive. That's why he made this observation. He says, I entered into thine
house, thou gavest me no water for my feet, but she hath washed
my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss, but this
woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my
feet. My head with oil thou didst not
anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. And he
says this, wherefore I say unto thee, her sins which are many
are forgiven, for she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven,
the same loveth little. And then he speaks straight to
the woman, thy sins are forgiven. The woman heard that twice. She
heard it said to Simon, And then, directly to her, that her sins
were forgiven. And then there were those that
sat at meat, they objected. They said within themselves,
who is this that forgives us sins also? He said to the woman,
thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace. Those tears, that which
she did, it was done in faith, she could view. Jesus of Nazareth
as the Christ. He could come before him to worship
him, to know what he was to do for her at Calvary. Very often, tears, they indicate
a reality, a real feeling. You know, friends, we need a
feeling religion, don't we? We need one that touches our
heart. Some of us know when the Lord
has blessed us, it causes tears to flow. Sometimes they're tears
of joy. Sometimes when we see our sins
in the true light of Calvary, then they're tears of sorrow,
weeping either over our sins or after Him. Do we know something
of weeping, that like this dear woman, though she was a sinner,
you and I, We feel our sins as well, yet the Lord is mindful
of those tears. Mindful, I believe in this case,
because he's given them. He's given that feeling heart.
He's given those sorrows. But then we have dear Mary. Mary
at the grave of our Lord. John chapter 20. The resurrection
day. Our Lord appears to Mary. She has stayed at the sepulchre
and she is weeping. As she stoops down, she looks
into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white sitting,
the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of
Jesus had lain. They say unto her, Woman, why
weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because
they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have
laid him. You know what it is to weep at
the grave, weep at the grave of a loved one. Here is dear
Mary weeping at the grave of one whom she dearly loved. When she had thus said, she turned
herself back and saw Jesus standing, knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the gardener,
saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me
where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. And the
Lord answered her with just one word, her name. Jesus saith unto
her, Mary. She turned herself and saith
unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. What a time for
that dear woman. Her weeping turned to joy. A
risen saviour. No more slain, no more suffering,
but risen. How many the people of God have
wept when they could not find the Lord. We hear, dear Job,
O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even unto
his seat. They've longed after him. They
have taken away, my Lord, the world and my sins and all of
those that crowd that throngs about. All of my busy cares,
they've taken away my Lord, I know not where. They have laid him,
cannot find him, and there's his sorrows. But Jesus comes. A risen saviour, a living saviour,
a saviour who's appeared for his people. I remember, dear Mary, we need
that risen saviour to appear for us. And soon all of the dead
that are in the graves, they shall rise because our Lord rose
and he is the first fruits from the dead. And because of that,
his people, the end of the world, they shall rise. They shall be
given new bodies, celestial bodies, bodies to be forever with the
Lord. May we remember these weeping
times, these sorrow times. Ye now therefore have sorrow,
but I will see you again. Your hearts shall rejoice and
may be a help to us. to be able to think of the Lord
being mindful of us, mindful of our tears, just like Paul
was mindful of Timothy's tears. Greatly desiring to see thee,
being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. Our Lord Jesus Christ, came to
this world and as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, he
accomplished and he wrought a salvation for his people. The whole message
and work of that salvation is to deliver from death, deliver
from sin and sorrow and all that it brings forth. to answer the
demands of a broken law, to pay the debt that we owed, and to
give to us a robe of righteousness that we do not have of our own,
to fit and prepare us for heaven, where there shall be no more
weeping, no more sighing, no more crying. May we remember
these things. in our weeping and in our sorrows,
may quicken our steps for that land afar off and yet very near,
where we shall enter, where there will be no more weeping, and
where loved ones have already entered and already ceased to
weep. Hymn: 760, Tune: Ulpha 693 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
Be with you all now and evermore. Amen.