Your Faith is Showing - August 28, 2016 sermon

By Pastor Greg

A man goes on a 2-month business trip to Europe and leaves his cat with his brother.  Three days before his return, he calls home to check on things.  “So how is my cat doing,” the traveler asks.  His brother replies, "He’s dead."  Shocked, the tourist exclaims, “He's dead!  What do you mean he's dead?!  I loved that cat.  Couldn't you think of a nicer way to tell me?!  You could have broken the news easier.  You could have said that he got out of the house or something.  Then when I called before I left, you could have said we found him, but he is up on the roof, and we're having trouble getting him down.  Then when I called you from the airport, you could have told me that the fire department was there and scared him off the roof, and the cat died when it hit the ground.”  Of course, the brother apologizes and says, “I'm sorry...you're right...that was insensitive I won't let it happen again”.  “Alright, alright, forget about it,” says the traveler.  “Anyway, how is Mom”?  So the brother replies, “She's up on the roof, and we're having trouble getting her down.” 

You may not be aware of this but your words have a greater impact than you can imagine.  What comes out of your mouth carries more weight than you may realize.  According to King David, our words are actually an offering to God.  He says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer”^[1] (Psalm 19:14).  James reminds us to take our words quite seriously.  “From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way”^[2] (James 3:10).  What we say about others is important to God.  What we say about Jesus is equally important.

The Sunday before Passover, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a young donkey – a colt.  The Church calls this “Palm Sunday” because of the crowd’s reaction to Jesus.  What they said about Him is quite significant.  In fact, their words played a major role in helping this event become the “Triumphant Entry”.  Look at how John describes this event.

¹² The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors ¹³ took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hail to the King of Israel!” ¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: ¹⁵ “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.” ¹⁶ His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. ¹⁷ Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. ¹⁸ That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. ¹⁹ Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”^[3] (John 12:12-19)

In spite of all the scheming and trickery by the Sanhedrin, Jesus was able to ride into Jerusalem claiming victory, for this is what His entry symbolizes: a peaceful victory.  In spite of all their plans, the religious leaders could not stop the crowd from quoting from Psalm 118 – a psalm that spoke of the promised Messiah.  Jesus was triumphant in that He had won a victory for the heart and soul of those who praised His name.  Soon, He would even win a physical victory as He rose from the grave.  This victory can be heard through the praise of these faithful witnesses.  Christ could claim victory here because sinners repented and praised His name.  Jesus won a victory in the battle for the hearts of men and women … something Satan desires for himself.

Do you remember how Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness?  Satan was willing to give Jesus the kingdoms of this world if only He would bow at the devil’s feet and worship him (Luke 4:6-7).  Jesus refused, yet here He is, riding into Jerusalem victorious.  He claimed victory over Satan by receiving the praise and worship He deserved.  Without compulsion or force, people freely worshiped Jesus as the Messiah, and by doing so, granted Jesus a victory.  In fact, every time a sinful person gives their heart to Jesus, every time they praise His name, and every time a person allows their faith to show, Jesus is glorified before the Father’s throne.  Satan, on the other hand, is humiliated and defeated.

Jesus is honored by your praise and worship.  Through an open, public display of your faith, Jesus is honored before the Father’s throne.  As Satan speaks lies about you, as he accuses you before the Father, Jesus hushes all of heaven as they turn their ear to the words that flow from your lips.  Those words of praise about Jesus ascend to the throne and surround the Golden Altar that stands in the presence of God (see Revelation 8:3-4).  Your words of praise become like incense that fills God’s throne. 

I’ll even go on to say that your voice of praise plays a significant role in overcoming the power of Satan in this world.  Jesus instructs us to take our confession very seriously.  In Matthew 10:32-33 He says, ³² “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven”.^[4]  This is why I believe it’s important you and I acknowledge faith in Jesus publicly.  It’s important because we live in a time when even the non-Christian displays acts of kindness, charity, and service.  It is culturally acceptable to be a good person.  This is the attitude among most American citizens.  So how might the world distinguish between a follower of Christ and a non-believer?  By the words of their mouth.

Two people work side-by-side helping Louisiana flood victims.  One is a Christian, the other is not.  The difference is not seen until Jesus is praised.  Two swimmers compete in the summer Olympics.  Both seem courteous and patriotic.  One is a believer, the other is not.  The difference is not seen until one praises the name of the Lord.  Two workers are conscientious and diligent.  Both display an excellent work ethic.  One is a believer, the other is not.  The difference is not seen until one gives glory to God; when they allow their faith to be seen AND heard.

I know there is a cost for letting your faith show through.  You will face criticism and judgment.  People will watch you, expecting you to fail.  And when you do they shout “hypocrite.”  But not everyone will respond this way.  Some will actually come to you asking for prayer.  Sometimes your openness to Jesus encourages others.  Sometimes your faith strengthens the faith of others.  Sometimes the words of your mouth plant a seed of faith in the heart of another.  Sometimes, when you allow your faith to show, others are strengthened and find hope … which is exactly why Jesus could ride into Jerusalem in Triumph.  Through His love and sacrifice, the whole world could be changed, provided you and I allow others to hear our praise.

Amen?  Amen.  Jesus is Lord.

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Ps 19:14). Carol Stream, IL.

^[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Jas 3:10). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 12:12–19). Carol Stream, IL

^[4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Mt 10:32–33). Carol Stream, IL.

An Attitude Adjustment - August 21, 2016 sermon

By Pastor Greg

A game hunter went on safari with his wife and mother-in-law. One morning, while deep in the forest, the wife awoke to find her mother gone. In a panic, she wakes her husband.  He picks up his rifle, and they both try to find her mom. In a clearing not far from the camp, they discover the mother-in-law backed up against a big rock, cornered by a large lion. The wife cried, "What are we going to do?" "Nothing," said the husband. "How can you just do nothing?" the wife screamed at him. The son-in-law replied, "Hey, the lion got himself into this mess, so … he’ll have to get himself out of it."

What kind of attitude is that?  Is that any way to treat a mother-in-law?  It sounds like this man needs an attitude adjustment.

You know, our attitude says more about us than our actions or words.  I mean, a person might say the words “I love you” but it is their attitude that conveys the feeling.  It’s the same way with saying “I’m sorry.”  My dad used to tell me “If you’re sorry, then show it.”  I heard that a lot growing up.  And I think what my father was trying to teach me was that if I were truly sorry for what I had done, I would learn from my mistakes and not continue to do the same rotten thing over and over again.

Jesus says we will be able to tell what sort of attitude a person has by the “fruit” they produce.  “So you’ll recognize them by their fruit,”^[1] He says in Matthew 7:20. What He means is, beyond the words or the actions, a person should be demonstrating “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control”^[2] (Galatians 5:22-23), AND, they should be fostering these same “fruits” in the lives of others.  A Christian, whose attitude honors Jesus, plants love and peace and patience in the lives of others, not anger, hate, and selfishness.

Let me give you an example.  The apostles and several other disciples of Jesus were gathered at Simon’s house (he was a former leper – see Mark 14:3-9).  During the meal, John contrasts the behavior of two individuals, Mary and Judas.  Once you see their actions, I think you’ll be able to see the “fruit” of their heart.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead.  ² So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair.  So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

⁴ Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief.  He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

⁷ Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial.  ⁸ For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me”^[3] (John 12:1-8).

Did you happen to notice the difference in their attitudes?  That’s the real difference here.  Mary decides to crack open an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume.  12 ounces[4] of pure nard are poured on the feet of Jesus.  This stuff was worth a whole year’s wages.  A denarius was a person’s daily wage, and Mary dumped out the whole bottle.  This was how she chose to worship Jesus.  Judas, on the other hand, felt that the poor could have benefited from the sale of this perfume (I find it interesting that Judas knew how much 12 ounces of perfume would cost).  In today’s dollars, it would have been worth about $30,000.00.  He saw Mary’s actions as wasteful.  He felt Jesus was best served by being practical, not wasteful.  The group could have helped the poor.  And he is right.  Imagine how many people a church could help if it spent $30,000.00 on the hungry, the poor, the naked, the orphan and the widow (although some today consider that wasteful as well).

Mary’s heart was humbled before the Lord.  Judas’s heart was filled with greed.  Even though what he said sounded like a good idea, his motivation was geared toward selfishness.  It was his attitude – his “fruit” – that Jesus addressed.  If he truly had the proper attitude, Judas would have recognized Mary’s sacrificial worship and given her praise.  Instead, Judas’ “fruit” poisoned the room while Mary’s perfume filled the room with its fragrance.  Judas’ “fruit” created an atmosphere of criticism.  Matthew says the other disciples became critical as well.  Because of his poor attitude, Judas picked himself up, left the house, went straight to the priests and bargained to betray Jesus (see Matthew 26:14).

This is not a lesson on practicality or extravagance.  This is a lesson in attitude.  What Mary did was valid.  She knew that Jesus was soon going to die.  Knowing this, she anointed Jesus before he died (she was not present when the women went to the grave to anoint Jesus).  What some viewed as wasteful, Jesus saw as sacrificial worship.  He saw the attitude behind the actions and knew it was done in love.

Paul says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17).  Whether we are Martha in the kitchen, Lazarus as a witness, or Mary at his feet, it is the attitude behind what we do that makes all the difference.  Whatever we do in the name of the Lord, it must be done with a heart submitted and humbled for Jesus.

As I mentioned earlier, Jesus describes this attitude as a “fruit.”  I find that description kind of interesting.  You see, others benefit from the fruit, not the “tree” that grows it.  Our attitude in life should be a blessing to others.  Our lives should be like a fragrance that fills the entire house.  As people watch you serve or teach or cook or clean or pray, they observe your attitude; your attitude is what becomes a blessing to others.  Your attitude is what makes your offering acceptable to the Lord (think of the difference between Cain and Abel).

I believe it is wise to examine our attitude from time to time.  I think a Christian should be watching how their presence in the house is affecting others.  If people are truly blessed by what we do or say, we should thank the Lord.  On the other hand, if our presence creates tension, anger, hate, and selfishness, then maybe we need an attitude adjustment.  Maybe other people are not the problem.  Maybe the problem can be found in the attitude of our heart.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Mt 7:19–20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

^[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Ga 5:22–23). Carol Stream, IL.

^[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Jn 12:1–8). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

[4] A Roman pound equaled 12 oz.

Losing Control - August 14, 2016 sermon

By Pastor Greg

So, a boss was complaining in a staff meeting the other day that he wasn't getting any respect. Later that morning he went out and got a small sign that read, "I'm the Boss." He then taped it to his office door.  Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said: "Your wife called, she wants you to bring her sign back!"

Sad, isn’t it?  We always seem to be fighting for control.  We do it at home.  We do it at work.  We see it in politics.  We even see it in the Church.  We are so resistant to control that we fight and argue about trivial things; worried that someone else might dictate what we do or where we go (or even what we eat).  Our own nation was founded on the principle that we didn’t want someone telling us how to worship God.  And so, we fought for freedom.  We still fight to keep people from controlling our lives.  However, we are not as free as we might believe.

To think that we are free is perhaps the greatest lie ever told, and I’m not talking about some conspiracy theory here.  I’m talking about a bondage that reaches past handcuffs or prison.  It reaches beyond ethnic and cultural barriers.  It affects people from all races and nations; beyond wealth and influence.  It is a spiritual bondage of such magnitude that no one can possibly break free.  It is SIN.  Everyone is born into sin, which means all are enslaved to sin.  And nothing we do can possible break those chains.  Oh, there is Someone who can set us free, yet many resist because they are afraid of losing control. 

After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, people were divided about Him.  Some believed while others did not.  The reason some people didn’t believe will surprise you.  It wasn’t because He performed lousy miracles.  I mean, think about what Jesus did.  He cared for people, healed people, fed the hungry, gave sight to the blind, and brought people back from the dead.  Jesus literally straightens a bent and twisted world.  Which of the miracles of Jesus were truly offensive?  Okay, maybe the water into wine thing, if you are part of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.  But apart from that one, Jesus made life more tolerable while He walked this earth.  Do you want to know why people rejected Jesus?  Turn with me to John 11.

(John 11:45-54) ⁴⁵ Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen [the raising of Lazarus]. ⁴⁶ But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. ⁴⁸ If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

⁴⁹ Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! ⁵⁰ You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”

⁵¹ He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. ⁵² And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

⁵³ So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. ⁵⁴ As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples. ^[1]

Did you notice what the Sanhedrin said?  These religious leaders were worried about losing control.  They felt Jesus would take away their authority, their position, and their power.  So Caiaphas suggests killing Jesus.  That way they would still be able to maintain control – which is the biggest lie humanity has ever been told.

We have been deceived into believing that we are free.  I mean, look at these religious leaders.  They honestly felt they were free.  They honestly felt Jesus would take away their freedom.  Did you see what they said?  “The Roman army will come and destroy our Temple and our nation”; implying that at present they were safe; they were in control.  Seriously?  By what standard or measure were they free?  There was an entire Roman garrison posted just outside the Temple.  At present, they were under Roman rule.  Rome had even appointed Caiaphas as High Priest.  They did this every so often so one man would not gain too much power.  And they are worried about Jesus?  Talk about deceived!!!

In the same way, we have been deceived.  We think we are free, but we are not.  We are held captive; ensnared by Satan whose chains produce fear, doubt, anger, hate, worry, envy, lust, and a whole list of things that haunt our soul.  Go ahead.  Examine your heart.  Do you find these attitudes lurking within your heart?  If so, you have not really been set free.  Either that, or you are still living like a captive.

Do you remember what Jesus said about being a slave to sin?  “Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵ A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” ^[2] (John 8:34-36).  Well, if a person is a slave, then they must have a master.  In John 10, Jesus describes that “master” as a thief whose sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  The truth is, we are either still enslaved by Satan or set free by Jesus.  Those who watched Lazarus come back to life and believed in Jesus were set free.  Those who watched Lazarus come back to life and chose not to believe were still slaves.  They were still held captive by sin, not “free”.

The Apostle Paul expands on this by teaching us the difference between a slave and one set free.  A slave follows the desires of his or her sinful nature.  They are enslaved by “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these”.  On the other hand, those whom Christ has set free demonstrate “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” ^[3] (Galatians 5:19-22).

The Jewish Religious Leaders who were afraid of losing control were, in fact, allowing their sinful nature to control them.  They were not keeping their freedom by rejecting Jesus, they remained enslaved.  They were still being controlled.  On the other hand, those who accepted Jesus were set free to live a life dominated by love.  By their faith in Jesus, sin no longer held them in its grasp.

You and I are given this same option as well.  We can resist the message of Jesus and the testimony of His followers, or we can accept Him as Lord and Savior.  The great lie we have been told is that Jesus makes us His slave.  That simply is not true.  To resist is to remain a slave.  To accept is to be set free.

What Caiaphas said in ignorance is indeed true (verse 50).  Jesus died so all people everywhere might be spared – set free from sin and death.  It’s important you and I know this, especially if we have resisted Jesus for fear of losing control.  As I said, to resist is to remain a slave.  If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, you are a slave to sin and death.  And one day you will lose the opportunity to be set free.  I beg you to let go and find freedom as a Child of God.

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 11:45–54). Carol Stream, IL.

^[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 8:34–36). Carol Stream, IL.

^[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Ga 5:22–23). Carol Stream, IL.

I Saw His Tears - July 31, 2016 sermon

By Pastor Greg

A shipwrecked sailor had spent several years on a deserted island. Then one morning he was thrilled to see a ship offshore, and a smaller vessel headed toward him.  When the boat is grounded on the beach, the officer handed the marooned sailor a bundle of newspapers and told him, "With the captain's compliments. He said to read through these and let us know if you still want to be rescued."  In light of what’s happening in the world today, I don’t know, I’d probably stay.

This world is a real mess.  Oh, I know it used to be such a lovely place.  It really was, and God put Man on this planet as an overseer – a steward who was to watch over this world.  However, all that changed one day.  Humanity rejected God and instead aspired to become like God (Genesis 3:5).  Through this disobedience, not only did sin enter this world but so did death.  And where there is death there is the reminder that sin is also present.

Down through the ages humanity has demonstrated just how ugly, dark, and evil it truly is.  In the early years, this ugliness dominated the world.  Evil was everywhere.  The darkness of Mankind nearly overcame the world.  In those early days, “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” ^[1] (Genesis 6:5-6).

Please don’t miss this.  God’s heart was broken by the darkness lurking in the hearts of humanity.  Of course, this sin led to death, which is exactly what God had warned would happen.  Sin leads to death.  It’s not that God was vengeful or spiteful.  His heart was grieved.  He took no pleasure in the death of these people.  As he spoke through Ezekiel, God said “As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, I don’t want wicked people to die. Rather, I want them to turn from their ways and live. Change the way you think and act! Turn from your wicked ways! Do you want to die, people of Israel”?^[2] (Ezekiel 33:11).

In Jesus’ day, humanity demonstrated just how ugly, dark, and evil it truly was.  It seemed this ugliness dominated the world.  Evil was everywhere.  Just like His Father, the Son was grieved when He encountered death.  He wept when He saw what sin had produced in this world.  Look at how Jesus responds to the death of His friend Lazarus.  In John 11:1-35 we read, A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. ² This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. ³ So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” ⁵ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, ⁶ he stayed where he was for the next two days. ⁷ Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” ⁸ But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?” ⁹ Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. ¹⁰ But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” ¹¹ Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” ¹² The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” ¹³ They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. ¹⁴ So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” ¹⁶ Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.” ¹⁷ When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. ²⁰ When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” ²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” ²⁸ Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” ²⁹ So Mary immediately went to him. ³⁰ Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. ³¹ When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. ³² When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Then Jesus wept. ^[3]

I don’t think Jesus wept simply because He had deep compassion for those who were suffering.  I mean, He did, but His tears were for something else as well.  I think the ugliness of death broke Jesus’ heart, just as God grieved when He saw the condition of the world.  Consider that Jesus knew He would speak Lazarus back to life (verse 11).  So if Jesus knew this, then why was He angry?  Why did He weep?  Jesus was angry because He saw that humanity had been poisoned by sin and that by its contamination, good people like Lazarus would die.

In recent years, humanity has demonstrated just how ugly, dark, and evil it truly is.  This ugliness seems to have dominated the world.  Evil is everywhere.  It appears the darkness of Mankind has nearly overcome the world.  The world today continues to be just as wicked and evil as it was in Noah’s day.  Bad people are doing bad things.  People die for no apparent reason.  Some die suddenly, some die tragically; some people die innocently – too young, it seems, to experience death.  Watching people die all around us, we echo the words of Martha – “Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would not have died” (verse 21).  We want to ask the Lord why He doesn’t seem to care.  Why doesn’t He do something about all this death?

The tears of Jesus must teach us something.  They show us the Lord is grieved by a world blemished by evil, hatred, anger, and sin.  When we weep at vicious murders, so too does the Lord.  We shake our heads in disbelief, wondering how this world could be so cruel.  We know things are not as they should be.  The tears of Jesus teach us that He feels this same way as well.  The difference is, the Lord’s solution to the problem is not quite what we expected.

God is still grieved by the actions of humanity.  Yet rather than destroy the world once again, God planned to SAVE the world.  God’s answer to evil, hatred, anger, and sin is His Son, Christ Jesus, who would lay down His life to overcome sin and take death captive.  God’s plan goes way beyond removing death from our lives.  He intends to eliminate the stain of sin.  Look at the Lord’s promise to Martha.  “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die” ^[4] (John 11:25-26).

What we often forget is that those who were given back their earthly life would still eventually die.  Even if Jesus put an end to wickedness, evil, and murder, people would still die.  Lazarus eventually dies again.  Undoing the effects of death does not remove the reason for death.  The reason there is death is that there is sin.  And what Christ did on the cross was to pay the penalty for our sin so those who believe will live, even after dying.

I know it’s difficult to make sense out of all these recent tragedies.  What we are seeing is the effect of sin.  We are given a glimpse into the sinful hearts of humanity.  Protesting war and starting some human rights movement does not solve the underlying problem.  Even if we could remove every evil person from the face of this earth, the good people left would still die - still bearing the effects of sin.  Sin causes death.  Take away sin and you take away death.  This is why the world needs a Savior, who can overcome sin. 

Frankly, we should be weeping over this world just as the Lord weeps.  In all honesty, when we see the evil hearts of humanity, it should remind us just how desperately this world needs Jesus.  Help us, Jesus of Nazareth.  You’re our only hope.

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^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Ge 6:5–6). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^[2] GOD'S WORD Translation. 1995 (Eze 33:11). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

^[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 11:1–35). Carol Stream, IL.

^[4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 11:25–26). Carol Stream, IL.