WEBVTT 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:14.240 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:16.519 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:19.739 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:22.920 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:27.160 you are through our website ecb .asia or our 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:31.000 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:35.060 by this week's sermon. We are going to start 00:00:35.060 --> 00:00:37.880 a new series of studies that will take us through 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:43.130 the rest of the month because as christians we 00:00:43.130 --> 00:00:45.950 are entering this season of celebrating easter 00:00:45.950 --> 00:00:49.109 and the events that led to the death and resurrection 00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:54.130 of our lord jesus christ and this study is a 00:00:54.130 --> 00:00:56.710 series of studies that we have entitled living 00:00:56.710 --> 00:00:59.969 hope and you will get to hear from a few of us 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:05.489 pastors as well today we are going to open the 00:01:05.489 --> 00:01:08.980 series and begin with the first study on John 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:11.760 chapter 11. Before we start, would you please 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:17.099 join me as I pray? As we were remembering, Lord, 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:24.840 the symbols of our salvation, we remember that 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:28.980 all of these events happened and we have them 00:01:28.980 --> 00:01:33.599 written in your word. And as we begin to explore 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:36.599 the things that happened during those weeks, 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:41.480 would you open our eyes to see the things you 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:45.099 want us to understand and draw our hearts closer 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:49.260 to you. I ask that you will use me in the power 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:52.739 of your spirit and in your grace. In Jesus' name, 00:01:52.819 --> 00:01:59.599 amen. Each one of the studies on living hope 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:04.239 has a very specific title based on an aspect 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:10.300 of who Jesus is. And I have entitled the one 00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:14.819 for today, The God Who Weeps. When was the last 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:19.080 time you asked the question, does God weep? It's 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:20.740 a very interesting question because the way we 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:24.520 answer it determines the ways we think of who 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.889 God is and how he relates to us. And what is 00:02:27.889 --> 00:02:30.389 interesting is that in the Bible, it describes 00:02:30.389 --> 00:02:35.409 Jesus weeping two times. And because Jesus is 00:02:35.409 --> 00:02:38.689 God incarnate, the answer is yeah. We know that 00:02:38.689 --> 00:02:42.030 Jesus at least wept two different times. And 00:02:42.030 --> 00:02:45.590 the two times where this happened reveal an aspect 00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:49.870 of God's heart for his people when we who follow 00:02:49.870 --> 00:02:52.770 Jesus experience suffering in our lives. And 00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:55.610 the way we think of God in the midst of our suffering 00:02:55.610 --> 00:02:58.469 will determine Whether we are going through our 00:02:58.469 --> 00:03:01.289 suffering in a healthy way or in an unhealthy 00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:06.430 way. That's why this study is so important. We 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:10.229 will discover by looking at John 11 that this 00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:13.710 is the beginning of the end of Jesus' ministry. 00:03:15.530 --> 00:03:18.729 These are the events that marked the beginning 00:03:18.729 --> 00:03:22.669 of Jesus' time in going to Judea and Jerusalem 00:03:22.669 --> 00:03:26.870 and facing his death. Trial, crucifixion, resurrection, 00:03:27.090 --> 00:03:31.129 and then ascension. This chapter is the beginning 00:03:31.129 --> 00:03:34.569 of that. Therefore, we are going to take a closer 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:37.189 look at the events that happened. And first, 00:03:37.229 --> 00:03:41.530 I want to show you the area we are going to be 00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:46.009 looking into. In an area that is close to Jerusalem, 00:03:46.129 --> 00:03:52.289 about less than two miles or so from that area 00:03:52.289 --> 00:03:55.259 of Jerusalem, There's going to be this town called 00:03:55.259 --> 00:03:59.300 Bethany. Now Bethany is an ancient town that 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:01.560 is no longer called Bethany because it's in the 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:04.219 West Bank and it has an Arabic name that I do 00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:06.139 not know how to pronounce. But the meaning of 00:04:06.139 --> 00:04:11.039 it is the place of Lazarus. And you can visit 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:13.379 that place, you can visit that region, you can 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:17.579 even visit what is believed to be the tomb where 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:27.189 Lazarus was buried. All this area is a section 00:04:27.189 --> 00:04:30.970 that is going to be the center of Jesus' last 00:04:30.970 --> 00:04:35.970 days on earth. You can see here a deeper map 00:04:35.970 --> 00:04:39.449 into the region. And the town Bethany, which 00:04:39.449 --> 00:04:41.629 is right there on the bottom of the picture, 00:04:41.870 --> 00:04:45.529 is where the events that we're going to read 00:04:45.529 --> 00:04:49.569 in John chapter 11 took place. Jesus is going 00:04:49.569 --> 00:04:52.149 to meet. his friends during a time of grieving. 00:04:52.209 --> 00:04:57.329 He's going to perform the last big public miracle 00:04:57.329 --> 00:05:01.050 of the ones that he has been doing so far. He 00:05:01.050 --> 00:05:05.470 is also going to do the seventh of the I Am's 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:08.209 in the book of John, where he's going to reveal 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:11.649 himself as the resurrection and the life. And 00:05:11.649 --> 00:05:13.290 all of this is going to take place right there 00:05:13.290 --> 00:05:16.009 in Bethany. But then he's going to leave that 00:05:16.009 --> 00:05:18.850 place for a few days. going to a village in the 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:21.790 area. Then he's going to be invited back into 00:05:21.790 --> 00:05:25.290 Bethany for a dinner in his honor with the friends 00:05:25.290 --> 00:05:28.750 that are there, including Lazarus who resurrects 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:33.790 already. And after that time, he's going to start 00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:38.189 his journey up to Jerusalem. He's going to get 00:05:38.189 --> 00:05:41.370 to the top where the area of the Mount of Olives 00:05:41.370 --> 00:05:44.949 is. And from that, he's going to look down and 00:05:44.949 --> 00:05:47.819 he's going to see this view. And he's going to 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:51.339 see Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. And then 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:56.339 he is going to then go down into Jerusalem and 00:05:56.339 --> 00:05:58.980 experience what we call the triumphal entry, 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.420 which is what is celebrated during Palm Sunday, 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:05.959 which is next week. This is the region and these 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:10.040 are the events. But it is during this time, if 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:14.160 you see those two red dots, that is the time 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:20.209 in which Jesus, And when you think about God 00:06:20.209 --> 00:06:25.970 crying, this is the time in which it happens. 00:06:26.069 --> 00:06:28.889 This is the area in which it happens. One in 00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:31.209 Bethany and the second one in the Mount of Olives 00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:34.009 as Jesus is looking down in Jerusalem. And we're 00:06:34.009 --> 00:06:35.730 going to take a look at both studies because 00:06:35.730 --> 00:06:40.589 the implication of that is very deep for our 00:06:40.589 --> 00:06:43.550 own relationship with the Lord as we follow him. 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:49.089 So what we know in John chapter 11 is that as 00:06:49.089 --> 00:06:55.170 Jesus gets to that region of Bethany, in that 00:06:55.170 --> 00:06:58.790 town there's a couple of friends that live there 00:06:58.790 --> 00:07:01.129 that are very close to his heart. And now if 00:07:01.129 --> 00:07:03.290 you are new to the Bible, if you don't have much 00:07:03.290 --> 00:07:06.209 background about the events of Easter, let me 00:07:06.209 --> 00:07:08.970 take a few moments just to explain the background 00:07:08.970 --> 00:07:14.920 so that you are in the know. Jesus has these 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:19.040 friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and they 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.800 are siblings. They are very close to each other, 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:26.139 and Jesus has visited them in the past. Sometimes 00:07:26.139 --> 00:07:30.279 he stays with them. They are close friends. Well, 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:34.420 it happens that Martha and Mary start getting 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:36.319 concerned because they see their brother getting 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:40.620 sick, and now he's not getting better. And they 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:43.040 know that Jesus is their friend and he loves 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:46.079 them. He has stayed with them in the past. They 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:49.339 know that Jesus performs miracles. So they decide 00:07:49.339 --> 00:07:53.040 to send a message to Jesus. Say, hey, your friend 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:56.360 Lazarus is sick. Meaning, can you please come 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:00.339 right away and heal him? Well, Jesus gets the 00:08:00.339 --> 00:08:03.459 message. He's in a different town, a different 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:08.949 area. And to the surprise of everybody, He doesn't 00:08:08.949 --> 00:08:11.170 leave right away. In fact, he waits two days. 00:08:11.589 --> 00:08:15.670 It's like no urgency. It's just everything is 00:08:15.670 --> 00:08:17.970 going to be okay, fine, you know. And he doesn't 00:08:17.970 --> 00:08:21.009 show any urgency to go and see his friends and 00:08:21.009 --> 00:08:24.470 help. And as he is with the apostles talking 00:08:24.470 --> 00:08:27.629 about these things, he says, look, this illness 00:08:27.629 --> 00:08:33.710 is going to have a purpose to bring glory to 00:08:33.710 --> 00:08:37.389 God. Nobody knows what that understands except 00:08:37.389 --> 00:08:44.289 Jesus and the Father at that time. But Mary and 00:08:44.289 --> 00:08:46.909 Martha waiting for Jesus to show up and he doesn't 00:08:46.909 --> 00:08:50.690 show up. And then from getting sick to getting 00:08:50.690 --> 00:08:55.409 worse to dying. And now Lazarus is dead. Then 00:08:55.409 --> 00:08:59.409 they bury him on this tomb which is carved in 00:08:59.409 --> 00:09:02.820 the rock, this deep. place where they put the 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:05.659 body and they put a rock in front of the tomb 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:11.220 and now four days have passed since Lazarus has 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:14.759 died and now his body starts decomposing and 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:17.320 then starts smelling as well during that time 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:22.200 so this is the time in which Jesus decides to 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:26.340 show up And he's going to come to the outside 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:31.279 of the village of Bethany, and he's going to 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:35.820 meet his friends, Mary and Martha, right there 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:39.860 at the outskirts of the village. And we are told 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:44.200 right there in chapter 11, verse 18, Now Bethany 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:48.460 was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many 00:09:48.460 --> 00:09:51.799 Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them. 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.940 In the loss of their brother. So this was a time 00:09:56.940 --> 00:10:00.519 in which the community came together. They were 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:03.659 grieving together. They were comforting the sisters. 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.700 But many of them came from Jerusalem. Which is 00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:10.820 significant. Because whatever happens now as 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:13.419 Jesus encounters them. Is going to spread out 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:15.600 to Jerusalem. People will start hearing about 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:17.960 it. Because many people that live in Jerusalem 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:20.820 came to help Martha and Mary during this time 00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:27.549 of grief. And this is where the story starts 00:10:27.549 --> 00:10:37.789 getting very personal and very human. Because 00:10:37.789 --> 00:10:40.990 you have these two sisters that have been waiting 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:44.830 for Jesus to show up, and he decides to show 00:10:44.830 --> 00:10:49.230 up a little bit too late. And as Jesus arrives 00:10:49.230 --> 00:10:53.759 to Bethany, we are told that Martha heard that 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:57.460 Jesus was coming and she went out to meet him. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:03.080 But Mary, no, she didn't show up. She decided, 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:08.559 I'm staying home. Which is interesting because 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.299 in the previous time where you see Jesus visiting 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:14.480 them, Mary was the one that wanted to be so close 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:17.419 to Jesus and Martha was so busy working and getting 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:20.860 everything done. We know that there was a level 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:26.820 of closeness, so this is surprising. But then 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:29.980 Martha decides to go and meet Jesus outside Bethany, 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:36.820 and this is what happens. The moment Martha arrives 00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:42.000 to see Jesus, she says, Lord, if you had been 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:48.340 here, my brother would have not died. And now 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:51.340 you can immediately see what's in their minds. 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:57.019 They are not just grieving, but they feel deeply 00:11:57.019 --> 00:12:00.620 disappointed that Jesus didn't come when they 00:12:00.620 --> 00:12:04.679 asked for him. And because they are hurting and 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:08.000 they are disoriented, because this is not what 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.139 was supposed to be part of the script, you see. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:13.419 It was supposed to go like this. Hey, Jesus, 00:12:13.539 --> 00:12:16.059 we have a message for you. Your friend who you 00:12:16.059 --> 00:12:19.080 love is sick and you come and heal him. Jesus 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:21.740 shows up, heals him. Everybody's happy and all 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:25.779 glory to God. That was the script. And Jesus, 00:12:25.860 --> 00:12:30.039 you didn't follow it. If you would have been 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:34.460 here, my brother would not have died. And you 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:37.139 can see the pain and the disappointment in her 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:43.419 voice. And Jesus talks to her and then he's going 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:46.919 to reveal in a very deep way who he is. And we'll 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:50.419 go back to that later in the story. But then, 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:56.179 after Jesus talks to Martha, he is waiting for 00:12:56.179 --> 00:12:58.379 Mary to show up and she doesn't show up. So then 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:01.299 Martha goes to the house and says, hey Mary, 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:04.559 Jesus is asking for you. I think it's time for 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:08.970 you to show up. And Mary says, okay, I'll go. 00:13:09.110 --> 00:13:14.029 And then she goes to meet Jesus. But she's grieving. 00:13:14.570 --> 00:13:17.649 She's sad. And she's also disappointed that Jesus 00:13:17.649 --> 00:13:23.230 didn't show up to heal the brother. And then 00:13:23.230 --> 00:13:26.309 it says there in verse 32, when Mary reached 00:13:26.309 --> 00:13:32.129 the place where Jesus was and saw him, she couldn't 00:13:32.129 --> 00:13:36.750 hold it in anymore. She was overcome by grief. 00:13:38.309 --> 00:13:42.549 And she just falls at the feet of Jesus. And 00:13:42.549 --> 00:13:48.070 as she weeps, as she sobs, she says, Lord, if 00:13:48.070 --> 00:13:51.009 you had been here, my brother would not have 00:13:51.009 --> 00:13:59.570 died. Why were you not here? We sent a message 00:13:59.570 --> 00:14:03.809 for you. I thought you were going to come and 00:14:03.809 --> 00:14:06.789 heal him and you didn't. Why didn't you show 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:09.330 up? If you did, this wouldn't have happened. 00:14:09.629 --> 00:14:13.129 You could have prevented it. But you didn't. 00:14:14.190 --> 00:14:21.409 Why didn't you show up? All of this is going 00:14:21.409 --> 00:14:24.750 on in her mind. And the only thing that she could 00:14:24.750 --> 00:14:28.289 just get out of her mouth in the midst of the 00:14:28.289 --> 00:14:34.820 sobbing is Jesus. If you would have been here. 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:43.100 I do not know if you have experienced the death 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:49.039 of a loved one. But the sobbing and the grief 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:54.080 become so deep. But yes, you don't want to sit 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:57.440 down. You don't want to lie down. You just want 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:08.049 to collapse and sob. And weep. And as Jesus is 00:15:08.049 --> 00:15:15.870 seeing all of this happen. He starts now absorbing 00:15:15.870 --> 00:15:20.870 everything that is going around. And he starts 00:15:20.870 --> 00:15:28.929 feeling things which are going to come out. In 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:32.769 that moment where Jesus is described as weeping. 00:15:34.289 --> 00:15:38.629 We are told right there in the following verse. 00:15:38.950 --> 00:15:41.789 That as Jesus is observing everything that is 00:15:41.789 --> 00:15:44.269 going on. By the way there, thank you. Verse 00:15:44.269 --> 00:15:48.049 33, when Jesus saw her weeping. And the Jews 00:15:48.049 --> 00:15:51.769 who had come along with her also weeping. He 00:15:51.769 --> 00:15:57.279 was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. And 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:02.100 this word of being troubled, this idea of being 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:06.820 deeply moved in spirit, is a specific Greek word 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:10.379 that is translated in other places as being angered. 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:13.740 And in fact, some translations will say that 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:18.620 here. Jesus felt deeply angered by what he was 00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:25.740 seeing. Because it was wrong in every level. 00:16:26.730 --> 00:16:32.169 First of all, death, which is the enemy, had 00:16:32.169 --> 00:16:36.809 touched the home of these people that he loved. 00:16:37.889 --> 00:16:42.049 And now he sees them suffering because of it. 00:16:43.769 --> 00:16:49.610 Secondly, he sees the people that he loves judging 00:16:49.610 --> 00:16:54.279 him and saying, He called for you. You didn't 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:56.360 show up. Why didn't you show up? You could have 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:01.220 prevented this. And you didn't. And they are 00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:09.680 not seeing him. For who he truly is. And this 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:13.140 is important to understand. Because if you forget. 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:17.140 That death is the enemy. It's not just your enemy. 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:21.440 It's Jesus' enemy. And he came to the world. 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:25.920 Specifically. To defeat it. So that it will be 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:28.660 removed. And the power of death over our lives 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:31.440 will be completely removed. He came for that 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:35.220 purpose. And a few days from this event. He is 00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:39.259 going to solve it. They do not know that yet. 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:43.799 They just are experiencing Jesus from that place 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:49.880 of feeling abandoned. So this feels wrong in 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:54.220 every level. And now Jesus looks at all of them 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:58.640 and he says, where have you laid him? Where is 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:03.779 Lazarus? Come and see, they replied. And they 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:06.279 are going to lead him where they have placed 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:12.099 Lazarus' body. And at that moment, Jesus wept. 00:18:13.299 --> 00:18:17.880 This is the most significant verse in this story 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.009 because you do not expect. That Jesus, who knows 00:18:21.009 --> 00:18:24.710 what's going to happen, who knows why they are 00:18:24.710 --> 00:18:28.049 thinking this way, will feel so moved as to weep 00:18:28.049 --> 00:18:31.569 in this moment. But the Greek word that is used 00:18:31.569 --> 00:18:35.730 here to describe the weeping is literally saying, 00:18:35.890 --> 00:18:39.589 and tears came out. He was shedding some tears. 00:18:40.069 --> 00:18:44.430 This is not an emotional moment of weeping, like 00:18:44.430 --> 00:18:49.829 sobbing like the sisters were. But there's these 00:18:49.829 --> 00:19:04.950 tears that start coming out of his eyes. I remember 00:19:04.950 --> 00:19:11.450 that something that surprised me when I was going 00:19:11.450 --> 00:19:14.430 through the grieving in my own life journey. 00:19:19.630 --> 00:19:22.630 When we were preparing everything. And the memorial 00:19:22.630 --> 00:19:25.069 service for our daughter Sophia. During those 00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:29.509 days. People started emailing us. Calling us. 00:19:29.569 --> 00:19:33.950 Sending messages. Talking to us. And there were 00:19:33.950 --> 00:19:39.730 many people. That cried with us. Some of them 00:19:39.730 --> 00:19:44.069 we did not know. Some of them we knew. But the 00:19:44.069 --> 00:19:47.690 moment they heard the news. That Pastor Pablo's 00:19:47.690 --> 00:19:55.890 daughter Sophia. Had died. They cried. And that 00:19:55.890 --> 00:19:58.089 surprised me. Because I was not expecting that 00:19:58.089 --> 00:20:02.329 people. Even strangers. Will be moved. To share 00:20:02.329 --> 00:20:05.829 our pain. And at that moment. Those tears. Told 00:20:05.829 --> 00:20:12.549 me something. You see my pain. You don't even 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:18.319 know me. But you see my pain. You care. And now 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:21.039 as Jesus is seeing what's happening and tears 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:25.319 are coming out of the creator of the heaven and 00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:29.980 earth, of God incarnate, the one who defeated 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:34.539 Satan and death, yet he sees all these things 00:20:34.539 --> 00:20:40.920 happening and yet the tears come out. And those 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.539 tears can only come out of the heart of someone 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:52.430 who sees you. Who cares for you? And that's obvious 00:20:52.430 --> 00:20:55.250 to some of the people that are around. So some 00:20:55.250 --> 00:20:59.650 of them, after Jesus Christ, some of them that 00:20:59.650 --> 00:21:06.009 are there say, see how he loved him? Yet all 00:21:06.009 --> 00:21:11.369 the people look at him and they said, yeah, but 00:21:11.369 --> 00:21:14.230 could not he? Who opened the eyes of the blind 00:21:14.230 --> 00:21:18.730 man. Have kept this man from dying. Isn't this 00:21:18.730 --> 00:21:21.049 Jesus. That's supposed to be his friend. Someone 00:21:21.049 --> 00:21:23.589 that had power to prevent it. And he didn't. 00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:31.630 And yes. Jesus is surrounded by people. That 00:21:31.630 --> 00:21:36.490 are blaming him. For the tragedy. That happened. 00:21:38.670 --> 00:21:45.430 And it's understandable. When you and I face 00:21:45.430 --> 00:21:49.069 those moments, either in our past or in our future, 00:21:49.630 --> 00:21:55.369 we will be confronted face to face with the reality 00:21:55.369 --> 00:22:01.230 that we are sinners and mortal. We will have 00:22:01.230 --> 00:22:04.250 the natural tendency to turn to God and say, 00:22:04.349 --> 00:22:09.130 God, I don't get you. Why me? Why now? Why this? 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:15.200 Aren't you powerful to prevent this from happening? 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:22.000 Why did you let it happen? And that first initial 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:26.299 reaction of blaming God is the place where you 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:28.900 are going to take the first step in the wrong 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:33.539 direction. Because blaming God for our suffering 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:37.140 is not only something that has lack of theological, 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:41.319 biblical understanding. It's not based on real 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:44.740 understanding of truth. But also it's something 00:22:44.740 --> 00:22:47.140 that is going to start misguiding you into the 00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:49.240 direction that is going to take you more and 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:52.720 more away from God. And that is going to take 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:59.480 you not to a better place. These two things will 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:02.630 always come out. Of that attitude of blaming 00:23:02.630 --> 00:23:05.609 God for our troubles. You're going to start shutting 00:23:05.609 --> 00:23:08.230 down from God. And you're going to start becoming 00:23:08.230 --> 00:23:12.150 distant from God. But let me tell you something. 00:23:14.369 --> 00:23:19.369 Humans. To be a human. It's a very difficult 00:23:19.369 --> 00:23:22.769 experience because the Bible says that even though 00:23:22.769 --> 00:23:26.049 God created us in His image and likeness to be 00:23:26.049 --> 00:23:29.170 in close relationship with Him, when we, first 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:32.309 humans, decided to not love God and disobey God, 00:23:32.690 --> 00:23:35.329 at that moment, two things entered the world 00:23:35.329 --> 00:23:41.490 that were not there before. Sin and death. Which 00:23:41.490 --> 00:23:44.750 means that from that point on, we, humans, became 00:23:44.750 --> 00:23:50.829 sinners. Sinners and mortal. Which means that 00:23:50.829 --> 00:23:54.109 we sinful people make decisions that hurt others. 00:23:54.890 --> 00:23:58.170 And other sinful people make decisions that hurt 00:23:58.170 --> 00:24:04.630 me. And also, being mortal means that any of 00:24:04.630 --> 00:24:11.930 us can get sick or die for any reason. At any 00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:18.269 moment. In any place. And therefore to be a sinful 00:24:18.269 --> 00:24:23.309 and mortal human is tough. Because inevitably 00:24:23.309 --> 00:24:27.390 at one point or another we will be hit by this 00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:32.910 reality and we will suffer. And if it's in that 00:24:32.910 --> 00:24:36.029 place of suffering when you become disoriented 00:24:36.029 --> 00:24:38.970 because your expectations of what God should 00:24:38.970 --> 00:24:41.980 or shouldn't have done. when the expectations 00:24:41.980 --> 00:24:44.880 of the script that you had created for your life 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:49.259 doesn't get fulfilled, in that moment of disorientation, 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:55.539 you have to remember the God who weeps. Because 00:24:55.539 --> 00:25:01.920 the God who weeps sees you in your pain, and 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:05.920 he is not the responsible person for that pain. 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:12.299 Sin and death. came because humans introduced 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:16.200 it into the creation that he had created. So 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:19.240 what Jesus comes to do, the Bible says, is that 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:23.579 he came. To destroy the power of death. He came 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:26.920 to destroy the power of Satan. So those that 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:30.180 are living under that influence. Will no longer 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:33.039 have to be living under that influence forever. 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:37.660 Because he will destroy that power. To one day 00:25:37.660 --> 00:25:42.400 restore all things. Including our mortal bodies. 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:50.549 Jesus is not to blame. Jesus is the solution, 00:25:50.750 --> 00:25:56.950 not the problem. And that is something that Mary 00:25:56.950 --> 00:26:01.069 and Martha will have to understand. And Jesus 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:05.009 is going to take them through this journey for 00:26:05.009 --> 00:26:09.390 them to get out of that space. So the Bible says 00:26:09.390 --> 00:26:13.890 that as Jesus then walked to where Lazarus had 00:26:13.890 --> 00:26:19.500 been buried, he's going to speak. Out loud with 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:23.140 a voice of authority. And the word of God says 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:28.400 when he said this. Jesus called in a loud voice. 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:34.140 This is literally like a yelling. Like a very 00:26:34.140 --> 00:26:44.319 strong voice. Jesus says Lazarus. Come out. Just 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:49.490 that. Authority. Like the world had not heard 00:26:49.490 --> 00:26:55.170 in thousands of years. And just with those words. 00:26:58.349 --> 00:27:05.990 Lazarus comes back to life. He comes out of the 00:27:05.990 --> 00:27:10.730 tomb. And Jesus simply says. Take off the great 00:27:10.730 --> 00:27:22.519 cloths. And let him go. You would expect that 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:24.920 at this moment, everybody now believe in Jesus 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:29.539 because of who he was. He showed his power. He 00:27:29.539 --> 00:27:32.700 showed that he had authority over death. He showed 00:27:32.700 --> 00:27:35.940 that the father heard him. He showed that he 00:27:35.940 --> 00:27:38.900 cared for his people. He showed everything that 00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:44.039 he needed to show. But you know what the Bible 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:49.500 says? Let's keep reading. When the friends that 00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:52.079 were there in Bethany went back to Jerusalem, 00:27:52.259 --> 00:27:54.559 everybody knew what was happening. Everybody 00:27:54.559 --> 00:28:00.279 heard what Jesus had done. Verse 47 says, when 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:03.039 the leaders and some of these people got together, 00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:06.640 they started saying, what are we accomplishing? 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:10.680 Here is this man performing many signs. Look 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:14.359 at what he just did with Lazarus. If we let him 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:17.779 go like this, everyone will believe in him. Can 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:21.279 you believe it? And then the Romans will come 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:24.380 and take away both our temple and our nation. 00:28:25.579 --> 00:28:30.599 And now these guys, because of Jesus performing 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:38.279 this amazing miracle, now want to kill him. And 00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:42.380 that's very telling about we humans. Put yourself 00:28:42.380 --> 00:28:47.490 in the shoes of Jesus for a moment. Okay, so 00:28:47.490 --> 00:28:49.470 you think I abandoned you because I didn't show 00:28:49.470 --> 00:28:53.390 up when you called me? And now you feel that 00:28:53.390 --> 00:28:56.470 I let you down because if I would have been here 00:28:56.470 --> 00:29:00.309 on time, this would not have happened? So you're 00:29:00.309 --> 00:29:05.190 upset with me? Disappointed? Okay. I didn't prevent 00:29:05.190 --> 00:29:07.309 the illness from leading to death, but guess 00:29:07.309 --> 00:29:10.130 what? I'm going to reverse things and I'm going 00:29:10.130 --> 00:29:12.569 to bring Lazarus back to life. Come with me. 00:29:12.869 --> 00:29:19.319 Lazarus out. Okay, here. Happy now? Good. But 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:23.980 wait. Now you want to kill me? Because I raised 00:29:23.980 --> 00:29:30.819 him from the dead? I don't get you humans. It's 00:29:30.819 --> 00:29:33.359 very hard to be a savior for you. There's no 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:37.019 win -win here. I show up and you want to kill 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:39.779 me. I don't show up and you blame me. Come on. 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:45.259 Make up your mind. You see that the problem really. 00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:50.619 It's not the circumstances. The circumstances 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:56.279 can go this way or that way. The problem is that 00:29:56.279 --> 00:30:03.539 we do not know Jesus for who he truly is. Because 00:30:03.539 --> 00:30:08.299 when you know who he truly is, you will stop 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:11.279 the blame game and you will stop playing the 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:19.470 victim. That's why Jesus is going to take the 00:30:19.470 --> 00:30:25.930 time to be very personal with both Mary and Martha. 00:30:27.329 --> 00:30:30.490 And he's going to remind them, I am the solution 00:30:30.490 --> 00:30:34.609 here, not the problem. And until you see me for 00:30:34.609 --> 00:30:37.990 who I am, things are not going to go well between 00:30:37.990 --> 00:30:46.759 us. So yes. There's a very different way of facing 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:49.519 our mortality and the suffering that comes with 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:54.859 it. There's a healthier way of facing our sorrows 00:30:54.859 --> 00:30:59.019 when they come. And the way to face these sorrows 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:02.220 in a healthy way have to be determined by truth. 00:31:03.700 --> 00:31:09.019 The first truth is that you need to turn to God, 00:31:09.039 --> 00:31:15.119 not away from Him. You have to invite God into 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:19.779 your pain and sob in his presence and tell him 00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:23.220 how disoriented you are and tell him how disappointed 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:26.920 you feel and tell him all the words that you 00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:30.740 managed to say in the midst of the sobbing. You 00:31:30.740 --> 00:31:35.140 need to turn to God because if you do not turn 00:31:35.140 --> 00:31:39.710 to God, you will turn to something else. And 00:31:39.710 --> 00:31:42.069 whatever that something else you turn to is not 00:31:42.069 --> 00:31:46.549 God. And will not be able. To reach you in the 00:31:46.549 --> 00:31:49.490 deepest part of your soul. And heal that wound 00:31:49.490 --> 00:31:55.269 that you carry. Only God can do that. The book 00:31:55.269 --> 00:31:58.650 of Psalms says that God is the one that heals 00:31:58.650 --> 00:32:01.549 the broken hearted. And bandages our wounds. 00:32:02.250 --> 00:32:08.670 Only God can do that. You have. To turn to God. 00:32:08.750 --> 00:32:12.970 Not away from him. And that is what Martha did. 00:32:13.910 --> 00:32:17.089 In the midst of the grieving. She just left home. 00:32:17.250 --> 00:32:21.930 And went to Jesus' feet. And she opened her heart 00:32:21.930 --> 00:32:25.269 to him. And she said what she was thinking. And 00:32:25.269 --> 00:32:28.849 in that moment. While Mary had chosen to stay 00:32:28.849 --> 00:32:33.829 away. Jesus is going to reveal himself to Martha. 00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:37.900 In a new way that she had not encountered him 00:32:37.900 --> 00:32:42.619 before. And this is what the Bible says. That 00:32:42.619 --> 00:32:47.839 at that moment. Jesus looks at Martha. In the 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:54.519 midst of her pain. And has a very intimate. Tender 00:32:54.519 --> 00:33:10.089 hearted conversation. Martha. I know. I know 00:33:10.089 --> 00:33:15.190 you're feeling abandoned. That if I would have 00:33:15.190 --> 00:33:18.650 come, this wouldn't have happened. I know that 00:33:18.650 --> 00:33:22.109 you are thinking that I should have prevented 00:33:22.109 --> 00:33:28.869 this and I didn't. I know. But do you know who 00:33:28.869 --> 00:33:41.819 I am? I am The resurrection. Death will not be 00:33:41.819 --> 00:33:53.599 the end of your story. I am life. Death will 00:33:53.599 --> 00:34:00.779 never be the end of your story. The one who believes 00:34:00.779 --> 00:34:06.319 in me will live even though they die. And whoever 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:13.260 lives by believing in me will never die. Do you 00:34:13.260 --> 00:34:17.940 believe this, Martha? Do you understand who I 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:27.280 am? I see you. The question is, do you see me? 00:34:29.670 --> 00:34:33.269 Because until you see me for who I am, you will 00:34:33.269 --> 00:34:37.889 continue to misjudge me and think that I'm against 00:34:37.889 --> 00:34:47.610 you. And Martha looks at Jesus and suddenly in 00:34:47.610 --> 00:34:52.449 the midst of her pain, it's like this veil comes 00:34:52.449 --> 00:34:57.239 off. And she can see Jesus no longer just as 00:34:57.239 --> 00:35:00.500 the friend who performed miracles, this rabbi. 00:35:01.059 --> 00:35:07.699 Now she sees him and she says, yes, Lord, I believe 00:35:07.699 --> 00:35:12.440 that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who 00:35:12.440 --> 00:35:19.179 is to come into this world. I believe. And for 00:35:19.179 --> 00:35:22.599 the first time in the midst of the pain, as Jesus 00:35:22.599 --> 00:35:26.360 encounters her there, she's able to have an encounter 00:35:26.360 --> 00:35:33.480 with God. And now she's not only seen, but she 00:35:33.480 --> 00:35:41.639 also sees. That's why you need to open your heart 00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:46.599 to God and walk to Him, not away from Him, because 00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:49.969 it's in that place. When God encounters you in 00:35:49.969 --> 00:35:54.050 your pain, that he will reveal himself to you 00:35:54.050 --> 00:35:56.889 in a whole new deeper way that you couldn't understand 00:35:56.889 --> 00:36:02.090 before. I was listening to the story of Tim who 00:36:02.090 --> 00:36:06.610 grew up as an immigrant in Canada, the son of 00:36:06.610 --> 00:36:12.469 Russian refugees. And he's talking about his 00:36:12.469 --> 00:36:15.409 story as an adult and he says, you know, it was 00:36:15.409 --> 00:36:19.659 very hard to grow up in my home. Because now 00:36:19.659 --> 00:36:22.300 looking back, we realize my father had PTSD. 00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:28.019 He was an angry man. And when I say angry, very 00:36:28.019 --> 00:36:33.679 angry. He would hit me all the time. He did things 00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:37.679 that were considered like torture. And it became 00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:40.579 so unbearable that when I was 11 years old, I 00:36:40.579 --> 00:36:43.400 decided that I could not take it anymore and 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:47.659 I had to leave home. So I left home as an 11 00:36:47.659 --> 00:36:50.840 -year -old, and as I was walking on the streets 00:36:50.840 --> 00:36:55.159 looking for a place to go, I happened to meet 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:57.440 this guy that says, hey, I know some people. 00:36:58.420 --> 00:37:01.280 Let me call, made a phone call, say, okay, yeah, 00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:04.219 this lady said that they could open a place for 00:37:04.219 --> 00:37:06.480 you to stay temporarily. I can take you to them. 00:37:07.260 --> 00:37:10.159 So the 11 -year -old Tim says, sure, I'll go 00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:12.929 with you. And as he goes with them, they never 00:37:12.929 --> 00:37:15.170 get to the house of these ladies. Instead, they 00:37:15.170 --> 00:37:18.670 get to his apartment. And at that moment, from 00:37:18.670 --> 00:37:21.369 being in the hands of an angry father, now he's 00:37:21.369 --> 00:37:27.650 in the hands of a pedophile. And that took Tim 00:37:27.650 --> 00:37:32.989 into a hold -down spiral that marked many years 00:37:32.989 --> 00:37:42.199 of his life. And now, as a 47 -year -old, He 00:37:42.199 --> 00:37:44.860 confesses and he says, I always felt angry with 00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:49.679 God because I felt that just he hand me over 00:37:49.679 --> 00:37:58.000 a, he dealt me a bad hand. He wrote this script 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:02.300 and gave me this role. Why me? Could you have 00:38:02.300 --> 00:38:05.380 placed me in a loving home? Could you have given 00:38:05.380 --> 00:38:08.900 me a father that would love me and care for me? 00:38:09.880 --> 00:38:12.360 Could you have? place someone that prevented 00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:14.519 me from going into the hand of that stranger? 00:38:15.420 --> 00:38:17.960 Could you have done a whole different story? 00:38:18.039 --> 00:38:26.079 Why this story? And it was precisely because 00:38:26.079 --> 00:38:29.800 that anger of blaming God for his suffering had 00:38:29.800 --> 00:38:32.920 marked all his adult life is that he was in that 00:38:32.920 --> 00:38:37.800 place of distance until God encountered him. 00:38:40.559 --> 00:38:42.699 And on that day when God encountered him, it 00:38:42.699 --> 00:38:45.300 happened to be a time in which he had started 00:38:45.300 --> 00:38:49.639 following Jesus now. And in his church, there 00:38:49.639 --> 00:38:52.340 was an event that was something about a ministry 00:38:52.340 --> 00:38:54.619 with men that they called the Band of Brothers. 00:38:55.059 --> 00:38:58.300 And as he went there, they started talking about 00:38:58.300 --> 00:39:03.760 the father's wound. That there's a pain that 00:39:03.760 --> 00:39:06.719 sometimes we carry that has a very specific shape. 00:39:07.719 --> 00:39:10.760 And it's that shape of those of us who have felt 00:39:10.760 --> 00:39:15.780 abandoned by our fathers. That paternal abandonment 00:39:15.780 --> 00:39:18.539 is what is called the wound, the father's wound. 00:39:19.960 --> 00:39:24.820 And that night, as Tim went back home, he says 00:39:24.820 --> 00:39:27.639 that out of the blue, he could not explain it. 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:31.940 Just could tell what happened. He says, I was 00:39:31.940 --> 00:39:37.739 suddenly surrounded like in a cocoon. By God's 00:39:37.739 --> 00:39:44.659 love. And in that moment, God spoke to me. And 00:39:44.659 --> 00:39:48.179 said, Tim, would you trust me with your pain? 00:39:51.320 --> 00:39:54.139 Because at that moment, he realized that he believed 00:39:54.139 --> 00:39:58.179 in God. But what was keeping him distant from 00:39:58.179 --> 00:40:01.840 God is that he did not trust God with his story. 00:40:02.699 --> 00:40:06.099 He did not trust God with his pain. And instead 00:40:06.099 --> 00:40:08.920 of giving his pain to God and trust God's heart 00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:13.539 for him. He was holding tight to his pain and 00:40:13.539 --> 00:40:18.179 his wound. And this night God is inviting him 00:40:18.179 --> 00:40:23.039 to trust him with the pain. And he does. For 00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:29.139 the first time in 47 years of life. And then 00:40:29.139 --> 00:40:35.170 the next thing that God told him was. Tim, I 00:40:35.170 --> 00:40:42.429 want to be your father. Would you let me? And 00:40:42.429 --> 00:40:44.909 at that moment, Tim says that everything became 00:40:44.909 --> 00:40:49.610 reframed for him. He knew that God had been with 00:40:49.610 --> 00:40:53.670 him all along and that God wanted to have that 00:40:53.670 --> 00:40:58.030 place in his life that his father could never 00:40:58.030 --> 00:41:03.289 fill. And it's in that moment, that night, that 00:41:03.289 --> 00:41:06.389 Tim says, the wound, the father's wound that 00:41:06.389 --> 00:41:12.829 I have been carrying was healed. Amazing things 00:41:12.829 --> 00:41:16.489 will happen the moment you walk to God with your 00:41:16.489 --> 00:41:20.110 pain and invite him into it. And the things that 00:41:20.110 --> 00:41:22.829 God will reveal about your journey and your story 00:41:22.829 --> 00:41:26.969 and about who he is in it. So I have to ask you, 00:41:27.090 --> 00:41:31.989 who are you turning to? If you're not turning 00:41:31.989 --> 00:41:34.829 to God, whatever you're turning to is not good 00:41:34.829 --> 00:41:38.409 for your soul. And listen to me, it's not good 00:41:38.409 --> 00:41:48.190 for your soul. Turn back to Jesus. Bring your 00:41:48.190 --> 00:41:55.210 pain to him. The second truth is that we have 00:41:55.210 --> 00:42:00.639 to open our hearts, not shut down. Because the 00:42:00.639 --> 00:42:03.000 other tendency, when we start blaming God and 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:06.460 we walk away from Him, is that we start developing 00:42:06.460 --> 00:42:09.980 this resentfulness and the pain and the emotions 00:42:09.980 --> 00:42:14.000 that we have, we suppress. And when we start 00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:17.219 shutting down, the problem is that those emotions 00:42:17.219 --> 00:42:19.900 that we suppress and that disappointment that 00:42:19.900 --> 00:42:22.860 is deep in there that we have never released, 00:42:22.940 --> 00:42:26.119 this bitterness that we have towards God because 00:42:26.119 --> 00:42:29.199 He has failed us, Now it's suppressed in there, 00:42:29.340 --> 00:42:33.480 and when I shut down, that stays in there. But 00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:35.980 the problem is, is that you cannot compartmentalize 00:42:35.980 --> 00:42:40.519 it. It doesn't stay in there, neat, in a little 00:42:40.519 --> 00:42:44.679 corner. Think of it like something that stinks. 00:42:46.280 --> 00:42:49.780 Have you ever walked home, and you realize the 00:42:49.780 --> 00:42:54.119 trash now is stinking? It's not just the kitchen 00:42:54.119 --> 00:42:57.250 that stinks, is it? Every room starts sinking. 00:42:57.829 --> 00:42:59.949 And when you have all these things suppressed 00:42:59.949 --> 00:43:04.949 in your life, all these smells start coming out. 00:43:05.010 --> 00:43:10.150 You become an angry person. You are easily just 00:43:10.150 --> 00:43:14.849 angered. You become depressed. You become numb. 00:43:15.349 --> 00:43:17.670 All of these different things are simply the 00:43:17.670 --> 00:43:20.849 symptoms of you shutting down. And God doesn't 00:43:20.849 --> 00:43:23.710 want you to shut down. He wants you to open up. 00:43:24.590 --> 00:43:27.730 He wants you to open your heart to Him because 00:43:27.730 --> 00:43:31.469 He is the Prince of Peace. And unless you come 00:43:31.469 --> 00:43:35.309 to Him and open up with Him, you will not be 00:43:35.309 --> 00:43:40.750 able to experience peace. Only the stink of the 00:43:40.750 --> 00:43:42.989 bitterness and the resentfulness and all the 00:43:42.989 --> 00:43:46.469 things that you have suppressed. And this is 00:43:46.469 --> 00:43:48.750 where the second time that Jesus weeps comes 00:43:48.750 --> 00:43:54.949 into place. Because you know, As Jesus now leaves 00:43:54.949 --> 00:43:59.929 Bethany. He is going to spend a couple of days 00:43:59.929 --> 00:44:02.469 in a village. Then he's invited back to Bethany 00:44:02.469 --> 00:44:05.469 for a dinner in his honor. Where Lazarus, Martha 00:44:05.469 --> 00:44:08.190 and Mary are there. And other friends to receive 00:44:08.190 --> 00:44:11.269 Jesus. He eats with them. And now he's going 00:44:11.269 --> 00:44:14.230 to go to Jerusalem. He is getting there to the 00:44:14.230 --> 00:44:17.329 top of the Mount of Olives. And now he looks 00:44:17.329 --> 00:44:20.090 at Jerusalem. And we are told that he weeps. 00:44:21.130 --> 00:44:23.090 Did you know what is interesting is that about 00:44:23.090 --> 00:44:26.070 a thousand years earlier, King David was in the 00:44:26.070 --> 00:44:28.670 same region. He is right there in the Mount of 00:44:28.670 --> 00:44:33.929 Olives and he weeps for Jerusalem as well. The 00:44:33.929 --> 00:44:39.650 son of David weeping over Jerusalem. But we are 00:44:39.650 --> 00:44:47.489 told in the book of Luke why Jesus wept. This 00:44:47.489 --> 00:44:50.409 is what the word of God says. At that moment, 00:44:50.969 --> 00:44:54.210 As he approached Jerusalem, and as he saw the 00:44:54.210 --> 00:44:56.510 city, you can imagine the picture we saw earlier. 00:44:57.230 --> 00:45:00.269 He's seeing the temple, he's seeing the city, 00:45:00.429 --> 00:45:06.750 and it says he wept over it. This weeping, this 00:45:06.750 --> 00:45:09.230 Greek word that is translated as weeping, is 00:45:09.230 --> 00:45:12.269 not the same one as Lazarus' event. There he 00:45:12.269 --> 00:45:17.449 just shed a few tears. Here is sobbing. Here 00:45:17.449 --> 00:45:21.480 is like that. deep emotion that comes out he 00:45:21.480 --> 00:45:25.340 is crying overwhelmed by all this emotion can 00:45:25.340 --> 00:45:27.920 you imagine when you are in that space that you 00:45:27.920 --> 00:45:30.519 are like trying to speak and and the words hardly 00:45:30.519 --> 00:45:33.199 come out they are hard to understand because 00:45:33.199 --> 00:45:38.199 you are weeping and you go and all this air that 00:45:38.199 --> 00:45:41.280 comes imagine jesus now looking at jerusalem 00:45:41.280 --> 00:45:44.340 and now he's overwhelmed by this weeping and 00:45:44.340 --> 00:45:46.519 as the words come out of his mouth he starts 00:45:46.519 --> 00:45:52.690 saying If you, even you, Jerusalem, if you had 00:45:52.690 --> 00:45:57.510 only known on this day what would bring you peace. 00:46:00.449 --> 00:46:09.030 But now it is hidden from your eyes. I am the 00:46:09.030 --> 00:46:15.250 peace you need. And you could not see me. And 00:46:15.250 --> 00:46:17.829 as I look at Jerusalem, I see what is going to 00:46:17.829 --> 00:46:20.789 happen in your future. Only a few years now. 00:46:22.449 --> 00:46:25.110 And he is going to describe the prophecy of what 00:46:25.110 --> 00:46:27.550 is going to happen to Jerusalem in the year 70. 00:46:29.429 --> 00:46:32.630 And he starts saying, the days will come upon 00:46:32.630 --> 00:46:36.710 you. When your enemies will build an embarkment 00:46:36.710 --> 00:46:40.150 against you and encircle you and hem you on every 00:46:40.150 --> 00:46:44.440 side. They will dash you to the ground. you and 00:46:44.440 --> 00:46:46.880 the children within your walls, they will not 00:46:46.880 --> 00:46:50.380 leave one stone on another because you did not 00:46:50.380 --> 00:46:55.360 recognize the time of God's coming to you. God 00:46:55.360 --> 00:47:01.219 came to you and you did not see it. I was here 00:47:01.219 --> 00:47:06.739 and you thought I was absent. And you shut down 00:47:06.739 --> 00:47:10.679 your heart to the God who created you because 00:47:11.739 --> 00:47:16.760 I didn't fit your expectations. And now that 00:47:16.760 --> 00:47:20.340 you shut your heart to me. You will have no peace 00:47:20.340 --> 00:47:26.760 but destruction. So now he's weeping. Because 00:47:26.760 --> 00:47:32.039 he realizes. The outcome of the one. Who rejects 00:47:32.039 --> 00:47:37.519 him. I was there with you all along. And you 00:47:37.519 --> 00:47:41.159 didn't see me. And you still believe that I am 00:47:41.159 --> 00:47:53.340 not he. Are you shutting down? If you say, Pastor 00:47:53.340 --> 00:47:57.199 Paolo, I prefer not to talk about it. Then you're 00:47:57.199 --> 00:48:01.440 shutting down. Because that is what shutting 00:48:01.440 --> 00:48:04.099 down is. I don't want to talk about it. I don't 00:48:04.099 --> 00:48:07.969 want to touch the topic. I'm so disappointed. 00:48:07.989 --> 00:48:11.570 It's so painful. It's not even worth spending 00:48:11.570 --> 00:48:15.829 any energy talking about it anymore. I already 00:48:15.829 --> 00:48:20.710 know that God doesn't exist. Because if he existed, 00:48:20.809 --> 00:48:25.389 he wouldn't allow what happened to me. If that 00:48:25.389 --> 00:48:28.449 is where you are shutting down, remember the 00:48:28.449 --> 00:48:35.559 God who weeps. Because the God who weeps It breaks 00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:38.539 his heart to see you going deeper and deeper 00:48:38.539 --> 00:48:42.579 in the depression that only he can heal. Because 00:48:42.579 --> 00:48:46.860 you refuse to acknowledge the God who is visiting 00:48:46.860 --> 00:48:58.619 you. And his name is Jesus. The final truth is 00:48:58.619 --> 00:49:03.599 that you need to suffer with hope, not with defeat. 00:49:05.099 --> 00:49:08.239 Because you feel abandoned by God. You blame 00:49:08.239 --> 00:49:10.599 him now. You shut down. You have all these emotions. 00:49:10.860 --> 00:49:15.059 And you go around life acting like the victim 00:49:15.059 --> 00:49:19.699 of the circumstances. Poor me. I have been abandoned. 00:49:20.119 --> 00:49:23.219 And that's how you suffer. You have forgotten 00:49:23.219 --> 00:49:26.260 that this is not the end of your story. You have 00:49:26.260 --> 00:49:29.320 forgotten that the resurrection and the life 00:49:29.320 --> 00:49:33.139 will overcome everything ahead of you. You have 00:49:33.139 --> 00:49:35.139 forgotten these things because they're not part 00:49:35.139 --> 00:49:39.960 of the picture. And Jesus wanted his apostles 00:49:39.960 --> 00:49:43.559 never to forget this. They have gone through 00:49:43.559 --> 00:49:46.800 the experience of Lazarus. They had gone through 00:49:46.800 --> 00:49:49.000 the weeping from the Mount of Olives. They had 00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:51.250 gone through all of that. And now that Jesus 00:49:51.250 --> 00:49:54.349 is with the apostles, a few days later, he gathers 00:49:54.349 --> 00:49:56.750 them and he says to them, I have told you all 00:49:56.750 --> 00:50:00.630 these things, guys, so that in me you may have, 00:50:00.789 --> 00:50:08.429 what? Peace. In this world you will have trouble. 00:50:10.150 --> 00:50:14.469 But take heart, I have overcome the world. You 00:50:14.469 --> 00:50:18.389 will have to remember that. Because if you forget 00:50:18.389 --> 00:50:22.420 that I have overcome, And you forget what's coming. 00:50:22.619 --> 00:50:27.079 You will start believing that your past is determining 00:50:27.079 --> 00:50:33.360 your future. And that's not true. I am determining 00:50:33.360 --> 00:50:36.980 your destiny. And your destiny has my name written 00:50:36.980 --> 00:50:43.400 in it. I am the resurrection and the life. Whomever 00:50:43.400 --> 00:50:56.590 believes in me will not die. Jesus knows the 00:50:56.590 --> 00:51:00.550 truth that being a human, we will suffer. He 00:51:00.550 --> 00:51:03.570 guarantees it. In this world, you will have trouble. 00:51:04.289 --> 00:51:07.309 You cannot get away from it. But when trouble 00:51:07.309 --> 00:51:12.530 comes, don't blame. Don't think of yourself as 00:51:12.530 --> 00:51:16.670 the victim. Instead, invite the Savior into the 00:51:16.670 --> 00:51:20.309 pain. Open your heart to Him. And then encounter 00:51:20.309 --> 00:51:23.579 the peace. That the Prince of Peace wants to 00:51:23.579 --> 00:51:29.800 give you. If you invite him in it. So I have 00:51:29.800 --> 00:51:34.780 to ask you. What is your attitude? Are you going 00:51:34.780 --> 00:51:37.000 through your suffering and your disappointment. 00:51:37.300 --> 00:51:42.300 With an attitude of victimhood. Or you have shifted. 00:51:43.480 --> 00:51:46.699 To invite God into that space. And say God even 00:51:46.699 --> 00:51:50.440 though I don't understand. Why these things happen. 00:51:51.280 --> 00:51:55.420 Why was this part of my experience? I'm going 00:51:55.420 --> 00:52:00.400 to invite you, Lord, to take this pain. Meet 00:52:00.400 --> 00:52:04.199 me in it. Reframe it. So that this will be for 00:52:04.199 --> 00:52:08.380 your glory. And that the purposes that you have 00:52:08.380 --> 00:52:13.880 will be fulfilled. Help me walk to my future 00:52:13.880 --> 00:52:18.440 with you ahead of me. Not with my past in front 00:52:18.440 --> 00:52:27.650 of me. This is what healthy sorrow looks like. 00:52:28.969 --> 00:52:34.130 So I want to conclude this study of the God who 00:52:34.130 --> 00:52:37.710 weeps with simply mentioning the three convictions 00:52:37.710 --> 00:52:41.070 of a person that has seen Jesus for whom he truly 00:52:41.070 --> 00:52:45.150 is. A person that understands he is the resurrection 00:52:45.150 --> 00:52:48.349 and the life. A person who is facing now their 00:52:48.349 --> 00:52:53.000 struggles but with truth at the core. Conviction 00:52:53.000 --> 00:52:57.599 number one, God is with me, not against me. Can 00:52:57.599 --> 00:53:06.119 you say that aloud? Did you believe that? Believe 00:53:06.119 --> 00:53:10.880 it because it's the truth. Second conviction, 00:53:11.360 --> 00:53:21.510 this struggle is not the end of my story. One 00:53:21.510 --> 00:53:25.190 more time. This struggle is not the end of my 00:53:25.190 --> 00:53:30.449 story. Do you believe it? Believe it because 00:53:30.449 --> 00:53:37.250 it's the truth. And finally, God will lead me 00:53:37.250 --> 00:53:42.030 through it for his glory. Would you say it? God 00:53:42.030 --> 00:53:46.190 will lead me through it for his glory. Do you 00:53:46.190 --> 00:53:55.780 believe it? Believe it because it's truth. The 00:53:55.780 --> 00:53:59.340 God who weeps wants to encounter you in your 00:53:59.340 --> 00:54:04.460 pain, wants to reframe you in your disorientation, 00:54:04.460 --> 00:54:06.820 and he wants to give you the peace that your 00:54:06.820 --> 00:54:12.420 soul needs. Would you let him? Lord, your word 00:54:12.420 --> 00:54:18.969 says that one day at your return, At the last 00:54:18.969 --> 00:54:26.030 trumpet. At the voice of the archangel. The trumpet 00:54:26.030 --> 00:54:30.510 shall sound. And the death in Christ will rise 00:54:30.510 --> 00:54:34.570 first. And those of us who are still alive. We 00:54:34.570 --> 00:54:37.869 will meet them. In the clouds to be with the 00:54:37.869 --> 00:54:40.170 Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another. 00:54:40.449 --> 00:54:46.289 With these words. The day will come. Where just 00:54:46.289 --> 00:54:51.519 as you said. Lazarus, come out. You will say, 00:54:51.579 --> 00:54:57.059 Pablo, come out. Death has no longer power over 00:54:57.059 --> 00:55:01.239 you. Because I am the resurrection and the life. 00:55:01.360 --> 00:55:05.940 And Lord, we will follow you. Finding the strength 00:55:05.940 --> 00:55:08.539 and the power in your name until the end of our 00:55:08.539 --> 00:55:12.139 days. Give us that strength. And today it is 00:55:12.139 --> 00:55:16.199 in your name that we stand. In Christ alone. 00:55:16.909 --> 00:55:20.269 In no other name under heaven. In Christ alone. 00:55:20.449 --> 00:55:23.989 The only one that we turn to. In Christ alone. 00:55:24.110 --> 00:55:27.269 The only one that is the prince of peace. In 00:55:27.269 --> 00:55:32.210 Christ alone. We have our hope. And we stand 00:55:32.210 --> 00:55:37.809 in one voice. And we proclaim this truth. In 00:55:37.809 --> 00:56:03.619 Jesus name. If God is calling you to support 00:56:03.619 --> 00:56:06.179 our ministries, you will find giving options 00:56:06.179 --> 00:56:10.039 on our website. And remember to join us next 00:56:10.039 --> 00:56:11.719 week. God bless you.