Weeping for a Night -- 6/3/07 (The Lord's Church)

Sunday, June 3, 2007

WEEPING FOR A NIGHT

In recent weeks we have been through the first ten and a half chapters of Acts. Praise God for this wonderful account of the working of the Holy Spirit. Luke’s gospel gives Luke’s account of what Jesus did while He walked on the earth. Acts is Luke’s account of what Jesus did after He returned to the Father’s right hand, as He worked through the Spirit.

People differ about whether we should try to pattern everything after the early church. After all, we live in a different day. On the one hand, some would like to turn the clock back and refuse all modern advancements and technology. Others would say that we don’t need to try to model our churches after the first century churches. Rather, we should ask, "What would Jesus do, if He were living on the earth today?"

Regardless of where various individuals and groups would stand on such issues, we can all agree that we see things in these early chapters of Acts that we long for in our lives and in our churches. We have been focusing on the powerful witness of these early disciples. They were able to witness effectively because of the power of the Spirit, the truth of their message, the fear of the Lord, and the unity of the body. Surely we can all agree that these are vital in any church where God will be glorified. Though we may not understand or agree on some specifics, we can cry out with one voice, "Lord, do these things in us."

In these chapters of Acts, we see the Lord glorified. We see the church’s deep devotion to her Lord. We see the truth of the gospel preached with power. We see the Holy Spirit carrying out His primary ministry of bringing glory to Jesus. And we see the unity of the Spirit being kept in the bond of peace. God is feared both by those inside the church and those on the outside.
Now let’s move forward about 2,000 years to the present, right were we are today. God has been good to us. We have seen Him save people, have we not? We have seen Him answer prayer. Some of us have tasted the truth of Ps. 133:1, "How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity." Does God not continue to strip from us that clinging to outward forms that so grieves His heart? Praise God for His faithfulness.

Nevertheless, who of us can look at and pray over what we see in the early church and not cry out, "Lord, do it again. ‘Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?’ (Ps. 85:6). ‘Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved’ (Ps. 80:3,7,19)."

Most all of us are familiar with the story Jesus told about Lazarus and the rich man. In hell, the rich man lifted up his eyes and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame" (Lk. 16:24). Now listen to the answer the rich man received… (Lk. 16:25-26)
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Between heaven and hell there is a great gulf fixed. It is like a huge ocean that no one can cross. In the same way, there is also a great gulf, a huge ocean fixed between what we see in Acts and what we see today. This morning I want to remind us of one of the leading components of that great gulf. I want us to understand one reason why we don’t see today what we saw in Acts. I am not speaking primarily about the outward manifestations and miracles. No, I am speaking of the powerful and effective witness that resulted from the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, their demonstration of unity, their proclaiming of the truth of the gospel, and their fear of the Lord.

We must acknowledge that the picture in Acts is not being portrayed in the church in America today. Yes, mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers of blessing we plead. I am not saying that God is not among us. I am not denying the work that He has done and is doing, but I am saying that what we see is not a drop in the bucket compared to what we see in Acts. While some would say it’s just a sign of the times, I’m not content with that. The problem isn’t the times; the problem is our conformity to the world of our times.

Now let me be more specific. So what is this component of the great gulf between us and what we see in Acts? Please turn to Psalm 130. Many of us took a look at this Psalm last Sunday afternoon. For now, I just want to read the first two verses. "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications." Most of us have cried to God out of the depths at some point in our life. Let some crushing circumstance rain down upon us, and we cry out of the depths. But when it comes to the spiritual conditions that confront us, do we cry out of the depths?

Now let’s come to another blessed passage of scripture from the Word of God. Let’s read Psalm 30…
I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. 2. O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3. 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. 4. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 6. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 7. LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. 8. I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication. 9. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10. Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. 11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12. 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 for ever.

You may have noticed that I didn’t read the superscr iption, those words before verse 1. I remind you that these words are part of the Word of God. These are not chapter headings added by man, but these are part of the divine record. "A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David." Some would take the Psalm like this. David was able to build and dedicate his house, after God gave him rest from the persecution of Saul. You will remember that Saul, who was the king, chased David all over the country trying to kill him.

I much prefer the suggestion of Charles Spurgeon, that the "house" spoken of here is none other than the temple that David’s son Solomon would build. By the way, that temple was most often designated by the term "house," rather than "temple" (see II Chr. 6-7). While David didn’t actually build that temple, he devoted himself to gathering the materials for it and making as many preparations as he could. If this is indeed the occasion of this Psalm, the key is in verse 5, where we read, "For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life…" When Saul was pursuing David, the Lord wasn’t angry with David. But do you remember what is recorded immediately before the record of David making preparations for the temple? It is the story of how David numbered the people of Israel. Joab, the captain of his armies, tried to persuade him not to do it. I Chron. 21:3, "And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?" Joab recognized David’s sin in this matter. Apparently, David wanted to take pride in the great strength of his army. Then we read in vs. 7, "And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel." And because the anger of the Lord burned against David and Israel, 70,000 people died in the plague that followed.

It could have been worse. God actually sent an angel to destroy the city of Jerusalem, but then said to the angel, "No, it is enough." That was the divine side of God’s mercy, but then He sent the prophet Gad to David, telling him to build an altar to God on the threshingfloor of a man named Ornan. David did so, and God answered by sending fire from heaven upon the altar. And then the Lord commanded the destroying angel to put away his sword. Now let’s read the verses that follow in I Chron. 22:1-6…
Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. 2. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. 3. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; 4. Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. 5. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death. 6. Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.

Here are two critical events in the life of the people of God. In the first, 70,000 Israelites died because of the sin of David. No wonder he spoke of the anger of the Lord. But then just a few verses later, we find a joyful David making preparations for the house of the Lord. How can these two events be set so closely together in the scripture? I suggest that the key is in Ps. 30:5, "For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." David knew something about weeping. David cried to God out of the depths of his own sin. Weeping endured for a night, but joy came in the morning.

Many of you know those words, don’t you? They are precious words. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Our problem is that we want to claim the joy of the morning without the weeping of the night. We quickly pass over the one in order to claim the other. But it was not so with David. When the Lord began to kill the people with the plague, David realized the sinfulness of his actions and cried out to God, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly" (I Chr. 21:8). God answered David by giving him three choices. While the Lord was gracious to forgive, there were consequences for his sin. The Lord told David he could choose between these three options…
1. Three years of famine
2. Three months of being destroyed by the sword of the enemy
3. Three days of the sword of the Lord in the form of the plague (pestilence)

David chose to fall into the hand of the Lord, rather than the hand of the enemy, for the Lord’s mercies are great. In those three days, 70,000 died.

Please hear me. That was a long night for David. In reality, it was three days and nights of gut-wrenching agony, as he watched thousands die because of his own sin. And then imagine the depth of his sorrow, when he saw the angel of the Lord draw his sword and stretch it over Jerusalem. Let’s read it in I Chron. 21:16-17…
And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17. And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

It was then that the Lord told David what to do, to go and offer the sacrifice on the threshingfloor of Ornan. But before the joy of the morning, what agony of soul David endured. Long before he saw the joy of the morning, he cried out of the depths of the night.

Many in our day would say, "But Christ has come. The Prince of Peace has come. The Son of man has come to seek and to save the lost. Immanuel is with us. We are the sons of God, and God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father’ (Gal. 4:6). We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. Surely there is no room for crying and sorrow in our day." Try telling that to a Martin Luther or a John Wesley or a Richard Wurmbrand. How foolish we are to think that we can rewrite the scriptures and 1900 hundred years of Christian history to suit our own fancies.

Yes, some of us here this morning have eternal life in Jesus Christ. But what is eternal life? In the final analysis, it is none other than the life of Jesus. 1 John 1:1-2…
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)…" Yes, Jesus, the Word of life, is that eternal life.

I remind you that Jesus, our eternal life, wept over Jerusalem. Listen to His words in Luke 13:34-35…
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Did Jesus know joy? Of course, He did. The night before He was crucified, He said to the eleven apostles, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (I Jn. 15:11). But even in the midst of His joy, there was sorrow. His joy did not prevent Him from weeping over Jersusalem.

Remember those words that describe Jesus in Heb. 12:2, "Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross." Joy came in the morning, but what weeping during the night. Hear Jesus cry out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus knew a depth of sorrow that we have never realized. But as deep as was His sorrow, so would be His joy in the morning.

O that our eyes would be open to see reality, even as Jesus saw reality. David watched thousands killed by the plague. Are our eyes open to see the thousands dying around us? I recently heard a statistic, reporting that 146,000 people die every day in our world. That means that in 3 days almost half a million people die in this world. Someone will say, "Well, many of those people live in third world countries. At least they are out of their suffering now." No, the great majority of them are now in hell, where they will suffer forever and ever. Does that move us at all? A half century ago, A. W. Tozer is quoted as saying, "America is laughing its way to hell." Are we laughing too? Do you think there is a place for weeping?

Come to another precious passage with me. Let’s read Ps. 126…
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 2. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 3. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. 4. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Don’t limit captivity to the 70 years in Babylon. The Psalmist speaks of an earlier captivity and how God had delivered His people from that captivity. What joy and laughter there was, as a result of that deliverance. What praise of the Lord who had done great things for them. But then in verse 4, the writer comes back to reality. The recounting of the joy of verses 1-3 was only the background for a prayer, for cry out of the depths: "Turn again our captivity, O Lord." Then in verses 5-6, he gives the remedy from the human side. Certainly, it must be God who turns their captivity, but they have a part to play as well. What is it? "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

We have a tendency to take this passage and apply it only to evangelism, to planting the seed of God’s Word and watering it with our tears in prayer. There is nothing wrong with applying it that way, but don’t restrict its meaning to that. That wasn’t the original force of these words. They were to plant tears of sorrow, weeping, and repentance for their own sin. As it was sin that would lead to the Babylonian captivity, so it was with all captivity. The promise of joy was for those who would sow in tears of sorrow.

Please allow me to read words from A. W. Tozer, as he speaks of the Babylonian captivity of the church…
The great deficiency to which I refer is the lack of spiritual discernment, especially among our leaders. How there can be so much Bible knowledge and so little insight, so little moral penetration, is one of the enigmas of the religious world today. I think it is altogether accurate to say that there has never before been a time in the history of the church when so many people were engaged in Bible study as are so engaged today. If the knowledge of Bible doctrine were any guarantee of godliness, this would without doubt be known in history as the age of sanctity. Instead, it may well be known as the age of the church’s Babylonish captivity, or the age of worldliness, when the professed Bride of Christ allowed herself to be successfully courted by the fallen sons of men in unbelievable numbers. The body of evangelical believers, under evil influences, has during the last twenty five years gone over to the world in complete and abject surrender, avoiding only a few of the grosser sins such as drunkenness and sexual promiscuity. [The Roon of the Righteous; Essay entitled "Needed: A Baptism of Clear Seeing, p. 109]

Understand that Tozer died in 1963. These words were written some 50 years ago, which accounts for his speaking of so much biblical knowledge. It is far less in our day. But focus on those words, "…It may well be known as the age of the church’s Babylonian captivity, or the age of worldliness, when the professed Bride of Christ allowed herself to be successfully courted bythe fallen sons of men in unbelievable numbers. The body of evangelical believers, under evil influences, has during the last twenty five years gone over to the world in complete and abject surrender…" If that was true 50 years ago, how much more so today? Who can deny the truth of those words? Who can acknowledge their truth and not weep? We acknowledge that truth, but we do not weep. Surely the prophet Jeremiah will rise up in judgment against us, for when he saw the condition of God’s people, he cried out of the depths… (Jer. 8:21-9:1)
For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. 22. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered. 1. Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Are we not like the religious people of Amos’ day, who laughed and made merry, but who were "not grieved for the affliction of Joseph" (Amos 6:6).

Let me sound a warning to those of us who want to bypass the night of weeping in favor of joy in the morning. The Jesus who endured the cross before the joy that was set before Him spoke these words… (Lk. 6:20-26)
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 24. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 26. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Conclusion

Please hear me. There is certainly a place for joy, as we walk with the Lord. Is not joy a part of the fruit of the Spirit? Did not the apostles rejoice even when they were beaten for Christ’s sake? Don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that our lives should be devoid of joy. What I am saying is that the joy of the Lord does not exclude weeping and sorrow. The problem is that we are buying into the philosophy that says the life of the Christian in this world is to be one of unmingled joy, that because Jesus bore the cross, all we have to do is celebrate the victory. And the rationale for this philosophy is the cry that we are under the new covenant, not the old. I remind you that Jesus, the mediator of that new covenant, was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief (Is. 53:3).

Now hear again words from the new covenant… (Jms. 4:6-10)
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

You who truly know the Lord, there will be an eternity for us to know unmingled joy. There will be no crying there. But let’s not be deceived into thinking that God has somehow wiped away the sorrow that must endure for a night. No one who truly prays will be deceived into thinking that joy in the Lord excludes godly sorrow.

We will never know the effectiveness of the first-century church until we know the reality of sorrow, brokenness, and repentance. As Jesus wrote to the church at Ephesus… (Rev. 2:4-5)
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

I close with a quote from an English preacher that God greatly used. To understand the quote, some of us will need just a bit of background. The Lord was about to take Elijah the prophet home to glory. The younger Elisha was with him at the time. Let’s read the story in II Kings 2:8-14…
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 9. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Leonard Ravenhill was the English preacher of whom I speak. He was greatly used of God and the Lord took him home in 1994. His son David wrote these words about him…
My father was a powerfully anointed preacher who could bring down the convicting presence of God in a way that very few can… His preaching was superceded only by his passions for prayer… Prayer was his life. Prior to his death in 1994 he told me he had received a number of requests from seminary students who wanted to come and see him for the sole purpose of having him lay his hands upon them in order to receive his "mantle." With his typical dry British humor, but at the same time deadly serious, he said, "Everyone wants to have my mantle, but nobody wants my sackcloth and ashes."

If we want the powerful witness and example of the early church, we will have to know something of these sackcloth and ashes.