TITLE: TEARS IN THE MIDST OF CHEERS
INTRODUCTION: As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in
the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” LUKE 19:37-38
TEXT: And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, who did
not know the time of your visitation.” LUKE 19:41-44
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!
I. THE MISSED OPPORTUNITY
“For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my spirit; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.” LAMENTATIONS
1:16 “Let us sit at Christ’s feet until we learn the secret of His tears” W. H. Griffith Thomas
Jonah looked on Nineveh and hoped it would be destroyed while Jesus looked at Jerusalem and wept because it had destroyed itself.
No matter where Jesus looked, He found cause for weeping.
When He looked back, He saw how the nation had wasted its opportunities When He looked within, He saw spiritual ignorance and blindness As He looked around, Jesus saw religious activity that accomplished very little. As Jesus looked ahead, He saw the judgment that was coming.
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. PSALM 11:4
JUDGEMENT-But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant!……. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ MATTHEW 25:26 &30
REJOICING- His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. MATTHEW 25:21
II. UNSEEN TRUTH
WHEN TRUTH IS REJECTED THEN TRUTH IS HIDDEN
Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:” ‘Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen. ACTS 28:25-28
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into
the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. JOHN 3:16-19
Judgement in the Greek is the word Krisis, in the English we spell it crisis.
43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, who did not know the time of your visitation.”
III. THE LORD’S TIMING
KEY IS THE LAST PHRASE who did not know the time of your visitation.”
Who did not know-strong negation which is followed by ongoing willful ignorance
In context; the result is not merely the forfeiture of salvation but historical destruction And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 20:10-11
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! JAMES 2:19