TEARS OF LIFE

The Ministry of Tears.

Tears play a vital part of our life. They reflect our capacity for sympathy, our capacity for compassion, and our capacity for understanding the joys and sorrows of life. We show tears when we are hurting (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) and when we are happy.

So today, we are going to study "The Ministry of Tears."

Romans 12:15
"Rejoice with them that rejoice; and weep with those that weep."

Although the Christian has peace and joy and knows that he/she is bound for heaven, the Christian life is not all happiness.

There are times of weeping and times of burdens and sorrows.

There is a ministry of faith and love...but today we are going to speak on the ministry of tears.

The Bible tells of many kinds of tears.

TEARS OF HYPOCRISY AND DECEPTION
- Judges 14:16, 17 state that Samson's wife wept. She wanted the answer to Samson's riddle. She wept seven days. The weeping, the tears flowing, finally did the work, and she deceived Samson.
- Deceptive tears...Potiphar's wife cried and screamed that Joseph tried to "make sport" (take advantage) of her and caused her husband to place Joseph in prison. In reality, she was the pursuer and Joseph was the one that said, "How can I do such a wicked thing as this and sin against God?" Genesis 39:8-20.
- Not all tears are sincere.
  Malachi 2:13, "...And this have you done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that the Lord does not regard the offering any more, or does He receive it with good will at your hand."
  Actually, the Lord was upset because Judah had married the daughter of a
  strange God (clung to false gods)...leaving the wife of his youth...
  and dealing with her treacherously (unfaithfulness).
  What is this saying to us?
  Watch and be careful how and for what reason we go to the altar. When it is plain in God's Word about how to handle some of life's perplexities, always do what the Bible (the Word of the Lord) tells us to do.
  
  Are all your tears sincere tears? Do you weep for your family who are not in God's will? Do you weep for America...in that we are catering to false gods?
WASTED TEARS
- Esau wasted his tears...Hebrews 12:17 declares that Esau "found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."
  Esau waited too late.
  Matthew 24:51 states that "...there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
- David wasted his tears for the time...2 Samuel 12:22-23, David said, "while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live. But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
- Tears of repentance will not be wasted if shed in time.
  Two aged men that had been foes for life.
  Met by a grave and wept,
  ...and in those tears
  They washed away the memory of their strife,
  They wept again the loss of all those years.
  Tennyson
  
  Wasted tears.....wasted years!
TEARS OF PETITION
Petition = to beg, ask, seek; any formal asking or begging; a prayer; a solemn request; a prayer to the Supreme Being.
Examples in the Word:
- "...Esther ...besought the king with tears to put away the mischief of Haman..."
  Esther made her earnest and tearful petition to him. The king held out his scepter. He granted her request.
- Isaiah 38:3-5 says that "Hezekiah wept sorely (grievously; painfully)...and God said, "...I have seen your tears...I have heard your prayer..."
- Hannah prayed and wept for a child. 1 Samuel 1:7-10. God granted her petition.
- Job 16:20: "My friends scorn me: but my eyes pour out tears unto God."
- Psalm 6:6 tells of David’s cry for deliverance, "I am weary with my groanings; all the night I made my bed to swim with my tears. I water my couch with my tears..." And the Lord delivers David.
- Mark 9:24: "...The father of the child cried out, and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."
  This is sincere praying...sincerity and honesty to the Father God.
  Reality weeping...reality groaning in the Spirit.
TEARS OF THANKSGIVING
- Mary wept and cried out to the Lord...washing Jesus feet with her tears... wiping His feet with her hair...kissing His feet. She loved much because she had been forgiven of much. Luke 7:38-47.
- Psalm 126:5, 6: "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."
TEARS OF WARNING
- Be aware of imposters...those who proclaim to be of God and are not.
- Be aware of those that are destined for destruction and their glory is their shame. Paul said in Philippians 3:18, "...As I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ."
  
  This is a warning that if we are not preaching the cross of Christ...and not preaching and teaching that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ...then we are enemies of the cross of Christ. In other words...if we believe that there is another way to heaven except through Jesus, then we are saying that Jesus did not have to die...He died in vain. God forbid that we ever get to that point. We need to stop preaching what is good to the ear...and start warning people of the pending doom of a person, country, or church that does not "want their children to hear about hell"...or that "if they don't give their heart to Jesus, their soul will burn in hell."
  It is odd to me that the same people that just want to hear about the love of God...and don't want their children to understand the wrath of God...that those are the same people that let their children watch the doom and gloom of America... and murders and gory details on television.
TEARS OF COMPASSION
- Weeping of the prophet Jeremiah over the slain brothers and sisters of Israel...and the unfaithfulness of the people of the covenant.
  Jeremiah 9:1... "Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people."
- Weeping over the adultery and unfaithfulness of the people of Zion because of turning to other Gods.... "....That our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with water." Jeremiah 9:18
- Jeremiah 13:17, "...My soul shall weep in secret places for you pride; and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive."
- "Let tears run down like a river day and night...Arise, cry out in the night...pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord." Lamentations 2:18,19
- "Jesus wept." John 11:35
- Luke 19:41, "....He (Jesus) beheld the city, and wept over it."
  
  "The gospel of the broken heart demands the ministry of bleeding hearts." J. H. Jowett
TEARS OF RECONCILIATION AND FORGIVENESS
- Genesis 33:1-4 tells about Jacob coming back home to meet Esau, whom he had cheated many years before, Verse 4 says, "And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept."
  
  Wasted years...wasted years...oh, how foolish! Forgiveness is like a fresh breath of spring air...a refreshing drink of water at the end of hard workday.
- Genesis 45:14, 15....The story of Joseph and his brothers is a thrilling one. "And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them..."
  
  Colossians 3:13, "Forgive as the Father has forgiven you."
  Matthew 6:14, 15..."For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
  
  Do you have someone....a brother or sister that you need to forgive today? Don't waste another day....make it right!
  For your sake as well as the one you have problems with....forgive and then live in peace.

Conclusion:

The ministry of tears is powerful in its persuasion and effectiveness.

Hypocritical and psychological tears cannot fool God nor man.

Jesus has pronounced a special blessing upon those who "weep now: for you will laugh." (Luke 6:21)

"Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him" (Rev 1:7)