Tag: crying

30.q. “Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”

 

Matthew 5:4  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 Luke 6:25    “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

Psalm 13:1  How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? 

 Psalms 30:7-11    Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

 Isaiah 30:19   For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

 Zechariah 12:10-14    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

 2 Corinthians 1:4-7   who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

 Revelation 21:4   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

There two kinds of situations by which we will mourn. We will mourn over the loss of something we love and we will mourn over our sin in the light of Jesus Christ and His grace, mercy, glory, and honor. We can mourn over the loss of our freedom, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of financial stability, loss of position, loss of authority, etc… We mourn over something we once had and now do not. This is worldly mourning and for the most part it is temporal and just integrated into life this side of eternity. All of this mourning is based on love of a current state, relationship, or person, but may also include pride. Anyone with a heart will mourn, at times, throughout their lives. It is a natural response. Mourning should not be our destination but rather a path. This path can and should lead us into trust, reliance, and comfort that is only found in and through Jesus Christ. 

There is another kind of mourning. It is so deep, hurtful, and overwhelming. It is the mourning that arises out of the understanding and knowledge of our personal sinful nature and God’s holiness.  When we are given glimpses of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, we are or should be, overwhelmed with mourning our condition. We are overwhelmed because we now understand our sinfulness in the light of holiness. We understand, on our own, we are without hope. Our sin seems to be so great, in the light of holiness, that there is nothing we can do to wipe it away. This is true. There is nothing we can do to wipe away our sin. We should be mournful. Our heart should ache. Our soul should weep. But glory to God this is not how this type of mourning will last.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”   

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”  

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” 

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Seeing our sin in the light of God’s glory and grace should lead us to mourn deeply, but this path of mourning should lead us to trust, obedience, reliance, and faith in Jesus Christ which yields humbleness, thankfulness, hope, joy, comfort, courage, and rejoicing.

30.a. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

 

Matthew 3:1  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

 Matthew 4:17   From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 Matthew 11:20    Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

 Matthew 12:41  The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

 Matthew 21:31-32    Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

We can’t come to the kingdom of heaven unless we leave our sin – turn away from it – believe in Jesus Christ and have faith, trust, and reliance in His sacrifice on the cross for our sin.  We are born with a basic understanding of God. Rom 1:19  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

We have free will to choose to repent, believe, surrender, serve, follow, and obey Jesus Christ. Every single person is born into sin. We have a sinful nature. Try as hard as we might we will never be able to cleanse ourselves of this sin stain.  We can try to be good and do right, but all of our efforts apart from Jesus Christ fall short and do nothing to make us right before God.  The Judgment for sin is eternal torment in Hell. Without repentance from sin and faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ our destination is eternal hell. 

The light of the Gospel is life to the lost.  It gives them hope and faith in eternal heaven. Those, who’s have seen and securely taken hold of the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (believed in, trusted, rely on, cling to and repent). I am at a loss for words that can explain how the conversion, new birth, takes place upon repenting and believing in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. We are born again and the eyes to our hearts and minds are opened and we see right and wrong, good and bad, love and hate, peace and fear, mercy and anger ……. We see it through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Heaven and Hell await the free will choice that each and every person makes this side of eternity. 

8.p. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Isaiah 65:17-19    “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.  I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

2 Peter 3:13     But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

John 14:23    Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Ezekiel 37:27    My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We hear people speak of heaven as the final resting place of those who die.  This is true for those who believe, (rely on, cling to, and trust in) repent, (acknowledge and turn away from their sinful nature) and by faith live with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength committed to obey, follow, and humbly serve to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all they think, do, and say.  What is not going to ring true is the thoughts of many who live shallow lives, giving no more than a passing thought, if that, about what it means to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ each moment of every day.  Their hearts and minds, have been seduced by lies of this world into believing they are good enough and as such have done what is required to “deserve” eternal life in the “New Heaven and New Earth”.  They do not see that they have all but taken the “Mark of the Beast” in how they live, think, and follow the ways of this world.  They have adopted it into their make-believe “Christian” lives as what they believe it means is to be a “Christian”. There is no difference in their heart.  There is no desire and seeking to hear the whispers of God speak into and lead them through each day.  They may know of Him but they certainly do not know Him as savior, redeemer, and forgiver of their sins in a personal and heart and soul-deep way.  The New Heaven and New Earth are not prepared for these.  The New Heaven and New Earth are prepared for those who believe and anticipate it’s coming with expectant and rejoicing heart, mind, and soul.  It is prepared for those who long for the return of Jesus Christ with a humble, grateful, and thankful heart and an end to sin in both their heart and the world.

7.c. “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth”

Revelation 8:8   The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

One-third of the grass and trees, sea creatures, ships, water, sun, and moon are affected in ways that only can point to the God of creation.  All of this follows wars, famine, disease, earthquakes and other life taking actions within God’s purpose and plans.  You would think this is the end of these terrible events, but no.  John heard an eagle crying, woe, woe, woe.  Much worse is to come.  All of this comes upon those who have rejected God, despise God, hate God, and are suffering consequences of their disbelieve and of God’s wrath and anger.  This wrath and anger have been stored up by God.  For sure it will come upon mankind at a time they do not see coming.  Those that are alive will suffer greatly at the hands of God for their rejection.  There is much to be said about living now in the time of grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ, where there is the time right now to repent and turn away from sin and rely on, cling to, and trust in Jesus Christ.

Wipe away every tear

” He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.””

Psalms 30:11  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,  that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

2 Chronicles 20:3   Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD,

2 Chronicles 20:12   O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Isaiah 25:8   He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

John 16:20   Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Revelation 7:14-17   I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 21:4   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Ecclesiastes 3:4   a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Jeremiah 31:13-14  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.  I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

Nehemiah 8:10  And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Psalms 126:5-6   Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

2 Corinthians 7:10  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Luke 6:21-25  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

There are times to mourn and weep and times to laugh and dance.  Such is life this side of eternity.  We know not when times of mourning and weeping will come but surely they are part of our life.  They hurt and burden our heart to the point of despair.  We are given words of encouragement for both our selves and friends in these times.  We are to mourn with those who mourn and weep with those weeping.  Times of despair seem to occupy everything aspect of our life, it consumes us and we seem to be carrying a burden so heavy it can break us at any moment.  But God gives us hope, our despair will be turned in to joy and praise.  Our tears will be wiped away and the darkness we are in will be turned in to light and our pain will be taken away.  There is joy in the morning.  This joy is found in seeking Him, waiting for Him, trusting Him and calling upon Him.  There is no other with power to lift us out of our despair.