Tears of Mercy

When was the last time you cried?   
Imagine, almost every one of us, came to this world crying. 
When a baby is born, whether through normal or Caesarian del Valle delivery, the first thing the baby does is crying. By the first cry the baby will take some air into the lungs for the first time in the baby’s life.  
Now that we´re grown-ups, we still need to cry.  Medically, we need tears.  Besides lubricating the eye and flushing away dirt, tears serve the same purpose in the eye that blood does elsewhere in the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products.
In my case, I probably need to cry more because I use this artificial tears to lubricate my eye. Emotionally, we also need to cry sometimes. Otherwise we’ll just explode and probably go crazy.

The title of our message this morning is TEARS OF MERCY
and later on we shall read from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 19.

There are four kinds of tears:
1. Basal Tears - lubricates and cleans eyes to protect vision. 
2. Reflex Tears -  associated with environmental irritations like onions or pollen. Whenever we volunteer at Fraser Valley Gleaners, the first question is – are we slicing onions?
3. Emotional Tears – comes from the mind; these are the horrible sobbing tears or the merciful happy ones. Some people cry when they’re sad, or when they are happy, or when they are excited or when they are nervous.
4. Crocodile Tears - these fake tears are specific to people with excellent acting skills, of course. The term comes from the ancient Greek anecdote about crocodiles who fake-cry in order to deceive their prospective prey. Crocodiles do appear to produce tears, but this may be due to their third eyelid, which requires a great deal of lubrication.

Studies say that women cried more often than men, about five times.  The reasons for women crying more often than men are not because they are more emotional than men but this is largely biological. Women have 60% more prolactin in their bodies than men. Prolactin is the protein that affects the endocrine system, which may cause women to cry more often than men. 
Women also have smaller tear ducts than men, which means their tears spill over easily and, thus, are more visible than men’s tears.  Studies also say that women in wealthier Western cultures cry more frequently than women in other countries. Simply put, excessive emotional crying is more evident in first-world countries.  Studies say that women poor countries are emotionally stronger and cry less than their counterparts in the Western culture. Ladies do you cry more now here n Canada?

When was the last time you wept over something?
When was the last time you cried?  I mean emotionally, not when you´re slicing onions.  Like what I said earlier, some people cry when their sad or happy or when they´re nervous or excited.  The most common cause of crying is sadness. 

The Bible tells us that “Through Jesus Christ all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”  Jesus is not only 100% God but He is likewise 100% human and our Scripture today tells us something very personal about Him. He cried, He shed tears, He´s got emotion like you and me… He can understand when you are sad and when you are shedding tears because He had experienced the same.  Isn´t that interesting?  The God that we worship knows how it feels to be sad and knows how to cry?

Please stand and we shall read from Luke 19, Verses 29 to 44:
29   As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 
30  “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 
31  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 
33  As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34  They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 
36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 
42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 
43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 
44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” 


BACKGROUND:

• Luke 19:41 records the second time Jesus wept.  The first time was during the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) 
Jesus did not cry not because Lazarus died and He just missed him.  Jesus knew that He has the power to bring Lazarus back to life.  
He cried the second time when He was about to return to Jerusalem, not because He knew that He will be crucified and will be killed.  He didn’t cry because of that. 

• On both occasions, Jesus wept because of the Jews´ stubbornness, unbelief and because of their impending destruction
Jesus cried because He knew that the people are perishing because of their hard hearts.  He cried not for Himself but because of His compassion for others.  This is the reason why the title of our message is morning is TEARS of MERCY.  Jesus cried out of His mercy.
• Jesus coming to Jerusalem riding on a donkey was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9

There is a prophetic significance why Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  The Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 tells us “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Jesus is perfectly aware of what’s waiting for Him in Jerusalem.
Obviously this message looks forward to the coming Holy Week which starts on Sunday. We called it Palm Sunday.  The people of Israel welcomed Jesus back to Jerusalem by laying their cloaks and palm branches on the street.  This was a customary gesture in those days to welcome a king.  It´s a day of joy and jubilation for most of them, especially for those who knew the prophecy. 
Most of them think, this is it.  He is the promised Messiah.  He will give them freedom from the oppression of Rome.  What they don’t understand was the kingdom that Jesus will establish was not a physical kingdom, it´s a spiritual kingdom where Jesus must reign in their hearts.

The crowds were shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" 
The Pharisees in the crowd on the other hand said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples."  Basically the Pharisees were telling Jesus, “Hey don’t let them call you KING, teacher yes,  but not king, go ahead and rebuke them!” 
Jesus knew that eventually the Pharisees were going to convince the Jews.  He would be rejected, mocked, crucified and and within a generation, this city would be destroyed. This was the reason why Jesus shed His tears.

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, as a Jew, to Jerusalem.  The Bible says  "he came to his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). The people of Israel, in general, did not know that God has visited them, in the flesh, but they did not recognize Him.  The Bible says  “they stumbled over the stumbling stone.”  Jesus saw this sin and this rebellion and this blindness when He was about to enter Jerusalem. 

In verses 41 and 42, it says “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”  Jesus wept over the blindness and the impending misery of Jerusalem. 

LESSON POINTS:

Donkey’s were the primary mode of transportation at that time. It´s funny when Jesus commanded His disciples to take the donkey, it’s like carnapping, or maybe to donkey-napping.  
Jesus said “Go to the village and you will find a donkey tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  

They obeyed Him and as they were untying the donkey, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”  They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

What if I ask some of you to go across the Agnes street and take one of the cars parked in front of the houses there, and when the owner asks, just tell them, Pastor Ramil needs it.   Two things will most likely happen:  
FIRST, you will most likely not obey me, “ano ka sinuswerti?”.  SECOND, if in case you obey me because I´m very charismatic, I am almost 100% sure you´ll get into trouble with the owner of the car.  You´ll probably end up in jail.

But let´s change the scenario a bit. What if a few days ago, I left my car in one of the houses there, let them use my car for a few days and you are aware of it.  Then this morning, I send you to go there to get my car and when they ask, you say, Pastor Ramil needs it.  You´ll probably get the car, right?  Here´s our first point:

God can anytime command us to offer our skills, our resources and even our lives in service to Him (v.33-34)
Why is that?  Does God have the right to do that?  Yes, of course, because He created each one of us. He gave us our skills.  He gave us our resources.  He gave us life.  The Bible says “the earth is the Lords and everything in it.”  So the owner of the donkey cannot say “no” because just like each one of us, he is only a steward or a caretaker of God´s resources.  He knows that, no wonder he did not refuse the disciples.  He didn’t sue them.  He didn’t even argue with them.  

Jesus, being the Creator of everything, has all the right to use His creation in whatever way He chooses.  If we are able to internalize this important principle, then our concept of giving, serving and even sacrificing for the Lord will certainly change. 

Let´s dig deeper on this.  God can anytime command us to offer our skills, our resources and even our lives because He owns them in the first place.  But that´s not the only reason why we should offer our selves back to Him.  REMEMBER, that JESUS offered His own life for us first.  He sacrificed His life for us so we can have eternal life so He expects us to offer our lives back to Him.
The Apostle Paul said…
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship”. Romans 12:1
 In the Old Testament, sacrifices are made through killing of animals.  These are dead sacrifices.  During the time of Jesus, in the New Covenant, He expects us to offer our bodies, our lives, as a living sacrifice.  It means that we should live our lives in obedience to Christ.  A life that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is the kind of sacrifice that Jesus expects from each one of us.

Sometimes, those who shout the loudest praises are the ones who can quickly turn their backs on God. (v38)
I said sometimes, ok? Hindi naman lagi.  Can you say that to the person beside you?  “Hindi Naman Lagi.”  

You know what I think?  Most people who shouted praises to Jesus, those who cried out “Hosanna, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” were the same people who shouted “crucified Him” a week later.  
What does this tell us?  It´s not all about emotion.  Jesus tells us to worship Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.  It simply means that our life of worship should involve a good balance of emotion and our understanding of the Scripture.

I always tell people, before they come to church on a Sunday, they have to prepare their hearts and ask the Lord beforehand to make them ready to worship.  You don’t come to church with all those baggage inside of you… with all those burdens in your heart… with all those issues… that when we start to worship through singing… when our musician just started with a few notes or minsan nagtotono pa lang, and you are already bursting with emotions.  The worship leader was just about to start to open her mouth…. And here you are “WAAAAHHH!”  wala pa e… hindi pa naguumpisa eh…nangaano ka eh!  Why? 

Because you have all these burdens inside of you.. Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  So even before Sunday, you should have done that.  You don’t need music in order to be convicted of your sins or let go of your burdens.  
Go to JESUS any time during the week! 

Remember that worship is not about YOU, it´s about God.  Don´t make the Sunday Worship about YOU, or about your problems or about your issues or about your worries.  Worship is about the Lord.

In verse 40, When the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke the people for calling Him as king, he answers, "I tell you, if the people were silent, the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40). Why? Because he will be praised no matter what!  The whole design of the universe is that Christ be praised. If people won’t do it, God will see to it that rocks will do it. In other words, Jesus is sovereign. He will get the worship He deserves.  If we refuse to praise, we miss the opportunity, and the rocks will get the joy of worshipping God.

I´ve seen people who were so passionate when they worship. When they sing songs, they were the loudest, they jump, they dance, they raise their hands, sometimes they hit the person beside them, they shout, they cry, they kick the chair in front of them…  they´re too emotional.  

When the church encounters a problem… or when the pastor makes a mistake… or when a brother or sister disappoints or offends the person… this hyper emotional person is the first one to leave the church.  They are the ones who can’t easily forgive.  Or worst, sometimes they are the ones who create trouble.  

If you remember the apostle Peter, he kept on telling Jesus that he won´t give up on Him, he won´t disappoint him, he won´t deny him but look what happened.  He denied him three times.

Be careful with superficial, highly emotional worship. Jesus said --
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Matthew 15:8
There must be a good balance of emotion or spirit and knowledge of the truth.  Our worship cannot be all emotion.

According to this very popular group in the 70s (from The Bee Gees)
In the words of a broken heart it's just emotion that's taken me over.
Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul.
I don’t even know if that is making sense at all. But anyway, here is our third point:

The mercy of God is sovereign and His tears are meant for those who do not believe and are perishing. (v41-42)

We´ve talked about this earlier.  The reason why Jesus wept was not for Himself, it was for the people who do not believe because He knows that they will perish.

In my years in the ministry, I have seen so many stubborn people.  They have been attending the church for years and yet they don’t change their ways.  They already learned the truth about idolatry, that we are saved by grace through faith, that Jesus is the only way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through HIM, they are still stubborn in their own religious beliefs.  

When I was a young boy, during Palm Sunday, we bring the PALM LEAVES which were actually made of coconut leaves to the church.  We had these leaves “blessed” and we believe that if we put these leaves in our windows, we are protected against typhoon or lightning.  This is the problem.  We get so focused on the symbols and forget that the true source of power is GOD and no one else. 
Why can´t some people give up some their old traditions? Their old practices?  You know why?  Because it´s not convenient.  People will laugh at them.  Their relatives will get mad at them.  I have heard people saying, “I was born in this religion, I will die in this religion.”  How short and narrow minded can you be?  
If you were born into a certain kind of religion, don´t you think you have the right to question it and decide for yourself? 

Becoming a Christian is a personal decision that we make.   You don’t become a Christian because your family is a Christian.  You don’t become a Christian by association like when you join a club. 
This is the problem with most people today.  They´ve been used to doing things and they don’t want to change.  Remember that if you are a Christian, the old has gone and the new has come, this is the reason why you are called “born again.”  

Jesus said…
“how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”Matt.23:37

If the heavens rejoice over one sinner who repents, Jesus weeps and cries over one person who in unbelieving.  Because Jesus knew that for this person who is stubborn and unbelieving, His sacrifice on the cross has no value for this person. He knows where this person will end up to.

When was the last time you wept over something?
If every one of us can just internalize what kind of destruction is waiting for those who will not believe, like Jesus, we´ll probably weep as well.  

Knowing that some of our loved ones can´t get to heaven because of their stubbornness we´ll probably shed tears for them. 

Do you weep over the fate of the lost?
Do you feel the burden to share Jesus to them? What can we do? One practical way is to be equipped in sharing the Gospel so we can share the love of Christ to our friends and loved ones.   

Jesus said ” The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you…because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” v43-44

This is true even in our time today.  If we do not recognize Jesus in our lives, if we do not believe, the enemy will build an embankment around us… the enemy will prevent us from hearing the truth… he will steal, kill and destroy every opportunity for us to hear the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.  

And we know what´s gonna happen to those people who will not believe.  Just like the people of Jesus´ time, they´ll be one day doomed in the eternal lake of fire. 

We know that Jesus came to this world at the perfect time and place.  The Bible tells us in Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.”  That´s God´s plan.  There´s no question in God´s calendar, the perfect time for Jesus to be born was 2,000 years ago… not a century earlier, not a century later. 

But just imagine, what  if the first advent or coming  of Jesus happen during our time today.  
Will you recognize Him when He comes?

Just like those Jews, will you be among those who will shout “Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord!” or will you be among those who will shout “Crucify Him!” or will be you both?

I would like to end with some good news.  Just like that first Palm Sunday I would like to end in jubilation and praise.  Yes, Jesus weeps for those who are lost.  Yes, Jesus sheds His tears of mercy for them but not only that, a week later He also shed his blood for those who will believe Him.  About seven days later, JESUS conquered death by resurrecting from the grave.  The Bible says
…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

God´s tears of mercy extends to anyone who needs a Saviour.

LET US PRAY.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC New Westminster during its Sunday service on  March 25, 2018.

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:  www.wordchristiancommunity.com