Those who wept

… Could we turn to the Psalms? Psalm 126 Verses 5 and 6, Psalm 126 The rich soul in tears shall reap in joy, or shall reap with rejoicing. He that goeth forth and weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheafs with him. Verse 2 in Luke's Gospel, Gospel according to Luke. 19th chapter, 19th chapter of Luke's Gospel. Verse 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and he wept over it. A verse in chapter 7 of the same Gospel. Verse 38 Verse 37 And behold a woman in the city, which was a sinner. When she knew that Jesus sat at meet in the Pharisees house, she brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with ointment. The same Gospel, chapter 22. Verse 60 And Peter remembered the words of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and he wept bitterly. Just one more verse in the epistle to the Hebrews. I think it's chapter 5. Yes, chapter 5 of Hebrews. And it's verse 7. 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. They were sung, he was resung, yet learned he obedience by the things that he suffered. That's all I wish to read. I read a statement by John D. a few months ago, that really impressed me greatly. He said, Christianity was sung in the tears of the Son of God. It was an article in the Psalms. Well, you know, you and I have been privileged this week, haven't we? To be reminded by the Spirit of God, and by the Word of God, that the man we've been considering, the Son of God, he was the man of sorrows. He was the man of sorrows. I sometimes wonder how sensitive our feelings have been this week, how we've considered him in that lovely chapter in the book of Isaiah 53. I wonder how many of us have sown in tears. We have much to say sometimes. But this is a solemn verse, isn't it? He that sows in tears shall reap in joy, or shall come rejoicing. Weeping doth endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning. I suppose when Mr. Darby made that statement in the Psalms, he would have a few Psalms, I suppose, before his heart and mind and soul. And I was just reading in the 69th Psalm today, where it says about the Lord prophetically, he was weary with crying. And he says, I wept and was fasting. Christianity was sown in the tears of the Son of God. What a statement, isn't it? The man of sorrows, and the grief-acquainted one. I suppose we'll get a touch of this in the morning meeting. The man of sorrows, what a name. For the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to rejoin. What can we say? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. For a Savior. I want you to turn with me, just for a minute, to a few verses in Job, before we go to the New Testament. In the 16th chapter of Job. 16th chapter of the book of Job. Verse 16. My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death. I suppose the shadow of death was ever before the Lord in his pathway. Because he reminded them time and time again that he must needs die. Must suffer, and he must die, and be buried, but he would rise again the third day. Not only the shadow of death, but the sorrows of death was his. How deep the sorrow, who can tell? The sorrows of death was his. Is it nothing to you? While you get passed by, behold and see the sorrows. The Lord Jehovah has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Not only the sorrows of death was his, but the sufferings of death was his. And this is what we've been enjoying this week, and I'm sure it has affected everyone of our hearts. As we've considered him, in that wonderful pathway of his. And his death, and resurrection, and ascension to God. But it goes on to say, in verse 19. Also now, behold my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friend scorned me, verse 20, mine eyes, poured out tears. He poured out tears unto God, to God. That little cross has affected me, he poured out tears unto God. If you carefully take a study, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. How many people have wept, have shed tears. And in the Psalms we're told, the 56th Psalm, we're told that God takes account of them, and he's put them in a bottle. Puts them in a bottle, takes account of all tears. You think for instance of Joseph. I counted it seven times that Joseph wept. He wept. Joseph wept. He wept so loudly, and real was his weeping. That you remember when he made himself known to his brethren. They heard it, the Egyptians heard it. David and Jonathan. You remember the last time they had a talk together. David loved Jonathan, and Jonathan loved David. It says they embraced themselves, kissed one another, and they wept together. They wept until David acceded. God takes account of our tears. You think of Ezra, Nehemiah. You think of the Revolver with them. They were men who shed tears before God. I wonder if we are real enough to shed tears. It's not witness, because God takes account of our tears. Ezra wept, Nehemiah wept and mourned and prayed before God. When Hezekiah shed his tears, God says, I have seen my tears. It takes account of them, you see. I have seen my tears. And I believe there are many saints who shed tears in their closet. No decision, but God takes account of them. I was thinking about Hannah, you know. Hannah, she was misunderstood, wasn't she? She prayed before the Lord. And it says, she poured out her soul and wept, wept, she wept. But the impression that I got in this verse is this. Is in verse 20. Mine eyes, mine eye poured out tears, notice. The tears were poured out unto God, unto God. And I believe that links up with my second scripture. When the Lord wept over the city, the city. O Jerusalem, he said, Jerusalem, how oft would I have gathered thee as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, but you would not. He wept, he wept over the city. The city didn't see his tears, but his tears was poured out to God. God his father took account of those tears, that is Sheryl Willis said. We are about to consider that verse, he poured out his soul unto death. I have been impressed at the prayer meetings this week, brethren pouring out their soul to God. Meeting exercises now, bringing them before the brethren and bringing them to God, pouring out their tears and their prayers to God. See God takes account of it, doesn't he? Not a matter of gift there, not a matter of knowledge, a matter of affection and of exercise before the Lord. Oh, he wept, he wept over the city. We see him standing at the graveside, don't we? Lazarus, Lazarus is dead. He could weep with those who weep, he could mourn with those who mourn. It's better to go to the house of mourning, you know, than the house of laughter. We've discovered this by experience. We are drawn to the Lord in a closer, in a deeper, in a fuller way in the house of mourning than in the house of laughter. Jesus wept. Blessed are they that mourn, they shall be comforted. What a comfort he was to them, wasn't he? What a comfort, what a comfort when a loved one passes away, when Jesus comes in. Especially when we know they have gone to be with Christ, which is far better. He wept. He wept because of death and the result of death is sin, isn't it? The reason of sin is death. He had grown in spirit. Oh, what feelings of compassion were seen and heard and displayed by his tears by the Son of God. Oh, I wish God had more feelings like the feelings of Jesus. I confess this. I went to God. We had feelings like the feelings of Jesus. Jesus wept over the city. When we come to our next scripture, in Luke. And he beheld the city and he wept over it. Well, we've commented on this verse. We'll come to chapter 7 now. Verse 37. Chapter 7 of Luke. There's many tears shed in Luke. In this chapter, I just draw your attention to it in verse 13. When the widow's son was being buried, do you remember? The widow was being brought out to the city. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her. And said unto her, weep not. And he came and touched the coffin, and they that bare him stood still. And he said, young man, I say unto thee, arise. He had compassion on her. Oh, feelings of Jesus. But here in this verse 37, which I want to draw your attention to. Here was a woman, she was a sinner. It says, she stood at the feet behind him, weeping. And began to wash his feet with her tears. And invite them with the hairs of her head. Kissed his feet, anointed them with the ointment. She came to the right person, didn't she? She came to Jesus. This man received those sinners, and he did with them. She came to the right person. And she was found at the right place, at the feet of Jesus. He took account of her tears, didn't he? He spoke to Simon about them. She had her alabaster box. And I do hold these meetings and Bible readings and ministry. And they affect us like this woman, she had something to give to the Lord. Will we have something to give him? Surely after such readings and ministry, we'll have something to give him. She had her alabaster box. It was something for the Lord. We're always looking for something for ourselves, aren't we? But you know, the Lord appreciates tears. And he appreciates those wee alabaster boxes that we can break. And we can pour it out before the Lord. Oh, that the order of the house might be filled. That the ointment might fill the house. He says to Simon, he says in verse 40, Simon, I have something to say to thee. I told Simon with a rebuke he had for Simon. This woman has washed my feet with her tears. You see how much he appreciated the tears. You see how valuable they are in the sight of the Lord. You see how he appreciates them. And this woman had a deep appreciation of Christ. She gave him all her attention. She was found at her feet in adoration. While thinking about that word adoration, I was thinking about Mr. McBroom when he used to sing that hymn, We adore thee evermore, hallelujah. I could see him standing yet. Oh, that her alabaster boxes might break in bursts of praise and worship and adoration to this blessed, glorious person. Jesus, the Son of God. The Son of God who loved me, Paul says, and gave himself for me. Now we go to the next scripture, chapter 22, verse 16. I should have read further up. 44, being in an agony, he prayed. This is the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed more earnestly and he sweat was it where great drops of blood had fallen to the ground. And when he arose up from prayer and came to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. And he said unto them, Why sleep ye? I suppose that none of us could enter into those sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane. Which was something we cannot enter into. But we can appreciate what the Lord went through. And when we come to Peter here, it says he went out and he wept bitterly. He denied the Lord three times. And the cop crew, it says, Peter fell on the far off. And he wept bitterly. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. What a look that was. He never forgot that look. He never forgot that look. Did you sing about it in your hymn? And Peter remembered the word of the Lord. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord. And he wept bitterly. In Matthew's account of the garden, it says about the Lord Jesus, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. All the sorrows and the sufferings of Christ, how they have affected our souls this week. And here Peter, you know, it was referred to quite a few times this afternoon, about Peter quoting those lovely verses in connection with the sufferings of Christ. And I thought when we went into the bookshop last night, we were told that the book on the sufferings of Christ by Mr. Darby was sold out. But you know, if you want a good copy of the sufferings of Christ, you read the epistle of Peter. He speaks 15 times about suffering. That's where he got the title, wasn't it? The sufferings of Christ. He mentions them time and time again. The sufferings of Christ and the glory to follow. And Peter never forgot this look. And he wept bitterly. You see, he was following afar off. I wonder if there's anyone here following afar off. This is the tears of a backslider, isn't it? What did you do today following afar off? We had an old man who worked with us. And one day we were speaking to him about his soul. He said, you know, he says, I'm a backslider. He told us when he had been converted. And all those years, about 40 or 50 years had been wasted. He was a backslider, he was following afar off, he was into the world. But all the compassions of Jesus. As he lay on his dead bed, he wept, he wept. He was like Peter, he wept. But he was restored to the joy of God's salvation. Peter wept bitterly. I think there's a lesson in it for us. That we might keep close to the Lord. This afternoon we should be like John, we should be on his bosom. And this was the result of a backslider, wasn't it? Following afar off, denying the Lord, in the wrong company, at the wrong fire. And all hearts go out to me, to me even in this village. In this whole coast, that's the meaning. Away from the law, away from the touch of the law. From the enjoyment of salvation. And the need to be healed. And Peter, he got gloriously healed, didn't he? Gloriously healed. If you read his epistles, it's lovely, isn't it? When he speaks about Christ suffered for our sins, he says. Not only died for our sins, Peter says Christ suffered for our sins. Depreciation, the just for the unjust. Substitution, and he's born as the God. Reconciliation, that's Peter, isn't it? Ah, Peter never forgot this look. When he comes out in the book of the Acts, he's on fire, isn't he? For the Lord stood up and preached. Thousands of sailors were saved. But he never forgot this experience. And he wept bitterly. And he never forgot the look Jesus had on him. He says, Christ has left us an example that we might follow his steps. The one who knew no sin, did no sin. When he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he fretted not. But he committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. And you know, if we suffer godly, if we live godly, we shall suffer persecution, suffer. In fact, it's one of the callings of Peter, that we should suffer. But there's one thing you can say, that if we suffer, he'll be with us in the suffering. You may not depend upon brother so and so, or sister so and so, but you can depend upon the Lord being with you in the suffering. And he'll carry you through. And Peter was a perfect example of this. And if you want information, where Mr. Darby got his information about the sufferings of Christ, you'll get it in his book. You'll get it in his book. And you'll get it in Peter's epistle. Read it for yourself, just check it over. And you'll see how often Peter speaks about the sufferings of Christ. And how we will suffer, if we live godly in this present evil world. He says, the spirit of glory shall rest upon you. Mark of approval, if we suffer for him. If we suffer for him, we shall reign with him. God has not promised skies ever blue, flowers strewn pathways all our lives through. God has not promised sun without rain, peace without sorrow, joy without pain. But he has promised strength for his day, rest after labour, light for our way, grace for all trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. Peter experienced that. And there's many here who have experienced that. Oh, the love of Christ constrains us, doesn't it? Constrains us. The compassionate Christ. Here we have it. We get the feelings of Jesus in the book, don't we? Real feelings, compassionate. Well, we come to chapter five of Hebrews. Hebrews 5 Who in the days of his flesh, when he doth up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, was heard in that he feared, though he were of a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. I was impressed with this statement, the days of his flesh. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh, dwelt amongst us. We beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, all the days of his flesh. Well, the impression I got here, dear Brian, was this. It doesn't speak about the weeks, or the years, it speaks about the days. I believe that in the Gospels, the Lord impresses this upon us, the value of a day, the value of a day. Every day is precious to God, and every day that the Father would bring upon this glorious man, it was a wonderful day, wasn't it? The days of his flesh. When he talks about taking up the cross, he says it's a daily thing, doesn't he? Doesn't he? Daily. When he speaks about his temptations, it wasn't so many weeks, it was forty days, forty days. A day at a time, you see. Forty days. Oh, the value of a day in the sight of God. I believe this was pleasurable to the Father, every day when he looked down upon this glorious man, a day at a time, every day. It reminds us of a verse in the Psalms, doesn't it? Oh, teach us to remember our ways that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom. It was the days of his flesh. Strong crying and tears, no doubt, was Gethsemane's garden. When you come to the sufferings of the cross when he was forsaken of God, well, there's not much we can say about it because it was only between God and Christ. We could never enter into those sufferings. We can enter into the sufferings at the hand of men, infillingly, sympathetically, but never as Jesus felt them because he was holy, he was harmless, he was under fire, he was separate from sinners. With this I close. When Mary Magdalene came to the sepulchre early in the morning, it says she stood weeping. The Lord comes along and he says to her, Mary, why weepest thou? You see, he took account of her tears. He took account of her tears, you see. He takes account of her tears right to the very end. Why weepest thou? So if we shed tears and if we weep, the Lord's there and he takes account of them. Why weepest thou? Dear brethren, we are going on to ascend in the new heavens, in the new earth when there's no more tears. No more tears. He's going to wipe all tears away from our eyes. He's swearing on death and victory. We're on the victory side and we're going on. No more tears. Revelation 21. No more sorrow. No more death. No more pain. Former things will have passed away. Weeping doth endure for a night but joy joy cometh in the morning. He's going to bring his sheaves with him, you know. Bring him in the sheaves. You know when that will be? At his appearing. He'll bring his sheaves with him. The bride. Come on, Joy. …