When Jesus Wept: The Personal God Who Understands Our Pain

For the day that will be when my Jesus I shall see , when my Jesus lies in sin and I look upon his face , the one who saved me by his grace , and he takes me by the hand and leads me through that promised land . For today , glorious day that will be . Praise God , what a day , glorious day for me .

you want to do , where do ?

Okay , perfect , so we're going to be celebrating the resurrection of christ , you know , and I always ask myself how relevant that is to the world that we live in today , because we live in a world and a system that they overlook the resurrection of christ . It's just not that big of a deal .

Or , if you want to worship the correct Christ , the Christ in the Bible , the way , the truth and the life , the only way to God , people will call you judgmental , they will say that you're being non-tolerant , and I can give you an example of that , because we are going to be talking about why we're celebrating Resurrection Day .

I just had an incident yesterday where I have somebody that's particularly a different religion than me . It's my father , and I love my father very much . You know , because I'm just personal here , I'm sharing the story . So we went out to breakfast probably about a week ago , and I'm a Christian Flat out . My family knows it .

You know I'm the crazy preacher in the family , but I love Christ , right , my father . He's the Jehovah's Witness . So we have two different views on who Jesus Christ is , on who Jesus Christ is . They don't believe in the resurrection , they don't believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God , but God in the flesh at the same time .

So this gets interesting , and I've learned to accept people where they're at . You know , if anybody talked about wanting to argue somebody into the kingdom of heaven , I was notorious for that . I was about the worst there was .

You know , when god , god reached me in prayer and through humility and the spirit , and he taught me to look at things in a different way .

So , as we're sitting there for breakfast , you know , my dad says , josh , jesus christ is not god in the flesh , jesus christ is just the son of God and he basically doesn't have that kind of power that he says in the Christian scriptures . Okay , so I says , dad , I said you have to understand something .

I said we got to set some boundaries here , because I want everybody to know that God has a personal relationship with each one of us and in order to access that relationship , we truly have to know who our Savior is , who Jesus Christ is .

So , as we're sitting there and we set these boundaries and we had a great breakfast , we had an understanding after that and we left . We parted ways . My dad's never really been around in my life . So the way that God taught me for forgiveness is through a really broken relationship with my father .

I never really knew him , even though he lived five miles down the street . I really don't know who he is . I don't have any memories . I'm barely learning who this man is right . So I lost about 10 years in bitterness and resentment against my own father . I was that angry until God set me free .

And forgiveness is a miracle and the only way we can experience the fullness of God is by forgiving those who trespass against us . So as I go home , against us . So as I go home , my father sends me some material in the mail to join his religion .

Okay , and this is a big deal to me , because I told my dad , I said you do know I'm going to study to be a professor . You know I go , you know I'm . This is my whole life , this is all I do . I mean I love God . So I said I'm probably the last one you want to try to convert , right ? But he did it anyways .

And the reason I'm bringing this story up is because the world will try to take the true Jesus away from us . Life will , society will , tv will , everything is against the Christian in a post-modern world . So

where's this at in the Bible ? Well , jesus said it himself . So I don't like pontificating on what I think I know . I like talking about Jesus himself . And this is what Jesus says in Luke 12 , 41 . He says these are pretty fiery words from our Savior .

Right , because Jesus knew who he was the God man , the one that descended out of the heavens to bear the sins of the world so that we can inherit eternal life . And he says I came to cast fire on the earth and would that it would already be kindled . I have a baptism to be baptized with , and how great is my distress until it is accomplished ?

Jesus was stressed to a high degree , thinking about taking the weight of the world , the sin , and being crucified for our sins , because he knew he was the Savior . Do you think that I have come to bring peace on the earth ? No , I tell you , but rather division , rather division .

For from now on , in your own house there will be five divided three against two and two against three . They will be divided father against son and son against father , mother against daughter and daughter against mother , mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law that's prettyin-law against her mother-in-law .

That's pretty strong words , right ? You know what ? Because Jesus was saying there's going to be people out there that are not going to accept the truth that I'm going to lay down my own life because I am God , I'm the son of God , I have the power to do so and I'm going to take it up .

And the only way to be saved , the only way for salvation , is to accept that free gift of me laying down my life . For sinners , what a beautiful God we serve , that we serve , a God that's willing to give his life for us . I remember somebody compared it one time .

It would be like you have a criminal and they committed the most egregious crimes and they were sentenced to life in prison , but on top of that , capital punishment , and it would be in the sense , at a weaker sense , but like the president , united states , walking in and talking to the ward and say , hey , I want to substitute my life for his , and then go

into that man's cell and saying I've pardoned you of all your heinous crimes in your sin , and I'm going to take your place . Why ? Because I want to , because I love you , because I'm taking the sin of the world upon me . So when we think about tomorrow and we celebrate Easter , it's a beautiful thing that I can be saved from myself .

I woke up today and I said , told my wife , thank God , he's such a glorious God and she goes . Why ? I said because he saved me from myself . Paul says I'm a wretched human being . The things that I do I don't want to do , things I don't do I want to do . Sin is alive in all my members .

Christ gave us that gift , cleansed us , baptized us when we received the Holy Spirit . So we'll get into another song and then we'll talk about what truth is and how Christ demonstrated the resurrection from his own words Praise God .

You know , I went hiking this morning for about a good hour plus , woke up really early and , uh , the thing about hiking is I have to have a gps on my phone or you get lost . I remember one time I went to white tanks and I thought I was going to carry a little bottle of water with me and the sun came up .

It was summertime and I was praying because I knew the way out . But I had about a good hour and I would have been done . I probably would have had a heat stroke and collapse and potentially died or be airlifted out . So as I'm hiking , you know I have a compass , it's a GPS . So as I'm hiking , you know I have a compass , it's a GPS .

And Pilate , in John 18 , asked Christ what is truth ? That truth guides us

through life , that truth rescues us . And I would like to read the recording of Pontius Pilate asking Jesus this question because it pertains to his resurrection . So , when life gets difficult , when life gets tough , when we feel lost , this is our GPS , this is our compass , this is what we read when we pray to our God to rescue us out of the wilderness .

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him and this is after Jesus was set up he was sold out . They captured him and he says are you the king of the Jews ? Him , and he says are you the king of the jews ? Jesus answered do you say this of your own accord or did others say it to you about me ?

Pilot answered am I a jew ? Your own nation and chief priest have delivered you over to me . What have you done ? These Jews were waiting eons , millenniums , for Christ to come , but they wanted a political revolutionary . They didn't want a person cloaked in humility and his plan was to free the slaves of spiritual slavery .

Plan was to free the slaves of spiritual slavery . Before I came to Christ , before I was saved , I know and I experienced spiritual slavery , and captivity is real . Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world .

If my kingdom was of this world , my servants would have been fighting that I may not be delivered over to the Jews , but my kingdom is not from this world . Then Pilate said to him so you are a king ? Jesus answered you say that I am a king . For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth .

What is the truth ? Think about how much money we spend in society , movies , makeup . I mean trying to people try to change their own appearance because they're trying to figure out what the truth is .

And I'm not saying that we can't look good and do our hair and all this other stuff right , but people are searching for such an identity because they don't know the truth in Christ , including this governor , this rich governor , pontius Pilate says what is truth ? And this is so fascinating . It's simple . Truth is very simple , right .

It doesn't come in a big book . We don't have to hear 20 lectures , it's not going to come from a motivational speaker . Christ says this , and this alone . Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice . That's it . When we're saved , god gives us the holy spirit , and in hebrews it says that it's a deposit .

God gives us a deposit , like when you go buy a house or you go put something down and they say , okay , you own it now and come later and pay the rest , and it's fully yours . God says I've proved that you belong to me . I proved that you're saved .

I proved that you've been resurrected before death , spiritually , by giving you the Holy Spirit and sealed you with a guarantee and a promise to spend all eternity with me . And if you can hear my voice , you know what the truth is .

After he had said this , he went back out and told the Jews I find no guilt in him , but you have a custom that I should release one man at Passover . So who do you choose ? And , long story short , they wanted a murderer , a barbarian . Barabbas . That's who they chose , because they couldn't accept that Christ is the truth .

It except that christ is the truth . You know , I was reading a book by supposedly the world's greatest philosopher , stephen carwell . It's called the beginning of everything and he's a declarative atheist and a physicist and astronomer and everything else .

He got all these titles and it was fascinating because this is like supposedly the most brilliant man in the world , right ? And he said it pains me that when I die , that I know I'm going back to non-existence , that my families , my friends , my memories are going to flee back into utter darkness .

And as a declared atheist and a person that rejects a cosmic bully , rejecting God , this is the fate that I've chosen to live with . And that's supposed to be the most brilliant philosopher in our country today . And Christ says all you have to do is hear my truth . People always say , pastor , what is true ? This is stronger than a conscience .

I mean when God speaks to you in your heart and moves your spirit . It's like he screams into you and he talks to us and he speaks to us . I could defy my conscience all day long . People can even sever their conscience . They can get rid of it , they can ignore it , but when you're saved , you have a relationship with Christ .

You're redeemed by his blood and you know truth . With Christ , you're redeemed by his blood and you know truth . It's immovable . It's a beautiful blessing and you just feel loved .

Even though I have my family members , my dog that I love , my friends that I love , there is no satisfaction in this world knowing that my Savior loves me , satisfaction in this world knowing that my savior loves me , and that is the most special

relationship I will ever have in my entire life . People will fail me , people have failed me , I have failed myself , but god is so faithful he never fails us . There's no turning of shadow , the Bible says in God there's no darkness , there's only light . There's no mistakes . There's no going back and having a do-over . For him , everything he does is perfect .

And guess what ? He laid his life down , chose to pick it up . He laid his life down , chose to pick it up . Raise Lazarus and we get to spend eternity raised and meet Lazarus , be with Christ and see God with our own eyes . That's what Resurrection Sunday is about . That's what tomorrow is about . That's what today is about .

We , as Christians , will not let nobody distort the truth , take the truth away from us , call us non-tolerant , non-acceptable . The most loving thing we can do is tell somebody what Christ did in our own personal life . Now , if that's not tolerant , then I don't want to be tolerant and I don't want the world to tolerate me . Ain't that right ?

Call me what you want , because of Jesus' own words . You know we're going to sing another song .

Hey , you know what ? Be patient this time , don't say a word . This time , it's time to speak up . It's time to show love . It's time to be strong . Right , that's our guide , it's our compass in the dark . Always compare , before we sing a song , always compare a person that does not have the light of Christ as a person stumbling around in the dark .

You're just stumbling , have you ever woken up ? And it's completely dark and you're just searching and groping for the light switch and right when it turns on , you go oh , finally . I didn't like the dark that much . It didn't feel good being trapped in here , but the light came and the dark fled and you know when I was saved .

The only way I can describe it is that light switch being turned on and I can see , not in darkness anymore . That is a beautiful gift , something money cannot buy , something . The world cannot give us this most precious gift to be made alive when I was once dead , for I was blind . Now I can see . Would that the truth ?

Yes , jesus is the light of the world .

Meaning truth is defined by me and I am life , I am the resurrection . That is what Christ is . So , as we worship in word and song , he demonstrates that in the book of John , chapter 11 , in raising Lazarus from the dead . And it's fascinating . I have some situations where I get some calls in my family .

My aunt right now is not doing too well and she's ill and we don't think she has a whole lot longer . She's saved , and I was talking to a friend recently about it and I go . It's fascinating that we're buried right . You go to a funeral I've done funerals and we're put in the ground .

It's because that's a symbolic of death , which is we're meant to come back out of the ground . The opposite side of that is resurrection . It's not normal to perish . It's not normal to grow old . It's not normal to die . Look , I'm 43 this year , when I was 23, . Things were a lot different . You know , I'll testify to that .

It's like , man , this knee hurts , my shoulder hurts , my neck gots a kink in it . Now , right , and we'll be dancing on streets of gold with our creator brought back to our youth , worshiping him for all eternity . People say , josh , you're still relatively young . I said there's a lot I still miss .

Sometimes , when I think about things in the past , I miss it drastically . Sometimes it makes my heart churn when I think about my kids and how little they were . You know , it just makes me want to cry some days . I said , man , I miss them days . Man , if I could just go back and just live them one more time .

See my kids when they were little , stumbling around , falling Daddy , I need you , I love you . Right ? She says , guess what ? I got something better than that . I got something better than that . I will raise you from the dead . Chapter 11 . Now there was a certain man that was ill , lazarus of Bethany , the village of Mary , and her sister , martha .

It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair , whose brother , lazarus , was ill . So the sister sent to him saying Lord , he whom you love is ill . Christ is always demonstrating his love . That's his mark . You loved him , christ , you could have came here beforehand . He's ill . This illness does not lead to death .

It is for the glory of God , so that the son of God may be glorified in it . As we're going to see , jesus has the king , the keys of life and death , in his hand . Now . Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus . So when he heard that Lazarus was ill look at this he stayed two days longer in the place he was . He meant for Lazarus to pass . Why ?

Look what we have . It's recorded for us . You can go to secular history , even Josephus . He's a Ebonite Christian which he didn't believe in the full deity of Christ , but he even records in secular history . There was a man named Christ , a secularist , raising people from the dead . He's considered the greatest Jewish historian .

And he said it Did he cause a ruckus ? Christ did yeah , he did . So we don't only have it acknowledged through the Bible , we can acknowledge it through secular history . So he stayed two days longer than after this . He said to the disciples let us go to Judea again . The disciples said to him Rabbi , the Jews were just now seeking to stone . You .

Are you going there again ? Jesus answered are there not 12 hours in a day ? If anybody walks in the day , he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world , but if anyone walks in the night , he stumbles because the light is not in him . You know what Jesus is saying . I got work to do . It doesn't matter what you , what you say .

Yeah , I know they want to kill me . There's a bunch of unsaved souls all over the place . Everybody's stumbling , groped around in the dark . Nobody can see . The light switch ain't turning on . I'm here to save humanity . After saying these things , he said to them our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep , but I go to awaken him .

The disciples said to him Lord , if he has fallen asleep , he will recover . Now Jesus had spoken of his death , but they thought that he meant taking a restful sleep . Then Jesus told them plainly Lazarus has died and for your sake , I am glad that I was not there so that you may believe . But let us go to him .

So Thomas called the twin said to his fellow disciples let us go , that we may die with him . And that's what we are celebrating today the way , the truth and the life . Nothing else . I know society this is my personal beef that I have with society we take the day of Jesus and we like to dumb it down . I mean , you watch TV .

It's all about a rabbit now , I get it . The kids got to find Easter eggs , I get all that , but there's nothing . There's not even nothing about God anymore , nothing about resurrection anymore . And I told my wife , I said this world has just dumbed everything down . And Jesus says I have to go because people are in darkness .

Jesus says I have to go because people are in darkness , they're walking in the dark . And this is the day where we get to proclaim the lights are turned on , the darkness is no more , the captives are set free . He took captivity and liberated it because he chose to lay down his life and pick his life up once again for all of our benefit .

So as we celebrate the resurrection of christ , christ says I am the resurrection and the life . And the reason why he says that is because he knows death is the enemy . It just is . You know , I'll give you an example , my personal life . You know . I was laying next to my wife one day and I said man , I'm sad today .

I said just , you know , I'm in love with you . Things are so good . Things are going great right now . You know we're aging and I know eventually one of us aren't going to be here . You know it really breaks my heart , but thank God for the hope that , no matter what , I will be reunited with my wife one day again in heaven .

Now , when Jesus came , he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days . Bethany was near Jerusalem , about two miles off , and many of the Jews had come Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother . So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming , she went and met him , but Mary remained seated in the house .

Martha said to Jesus Lord , if you had been here , my brother would have not have died . But even now I know that whatever you ask from God , god will

give you . Jesus said to her your brother will rise again . Martha said to him I know that he will rise again in resurrection on the last day . So what is the whole point of Sunday ? What is the whole point of Jesus coming ? What is the whole point of why we worship him ? Jesus said to her I am the resurrection and the life .

Whoever believes in me , though , he die in the last day . He said I am . Whoever believes in me , though he die , he shall live , and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die . Do you believe this ? She said to him yes , lord , I believe that you are the Christ , the son of God , who is coming in to the world . Isn't that amazing ?

I mean , I believe this . I mean , this is not . This is not a book of fiction . I believe this and I know it's true . I live my life by this . What would the world look like without a savior , without resurrection ? It'd be cruelty , right . We would just look up in the sky and say what's the point of all this ? This doesn't mean anything .

I feel lost like a speck of sand on the seashore . Mean anything ? I feel lost like a speck of sand on the seashore . But God says I am the way , the truth and the life . I'm the resurrection . When she said this , she went and called her sister , mary , saying in private the teacher is here and he is calling you .

And when she heard it , she rose quickly and went to him . Now , jesus had not come into the village , but was still in the place where Martha had met him when the Jews who were with her in the house consoling her , saw Mary rise quickly and go out . They followed her , supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there .

Now , when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him , she fell at his feet saying Lord , if you have been here , my brother would have not died . You see , in a lot of other religions they don't have a personal God .

You know , even Muhammad said in his Muslim Koran that he doesn't even know if he's going to go to heaven , and he was supposed to be the leader of Islam . He said God cannot be known , it's impossible . When I die , I don't know if Allah is even going to accept me , because God is impersonal .

In other religions God is impersonal , and I'm going somewhere with this , even though I disagree a thousand percent with that Religion . Look what the Bible records here in history . When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping , he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled and he said to them where have you laid him ?

They said to him Lord , come and see . And Jesus wept . The creator of the world broke down crying and wept profusely Because he can identify with our pain , with our suffering , with our loss with our hopes , with our dreams , and he is the resurrection . So the Jews said see how he loved him .

But some of them said could not he who opened the eyes of a blind man and also kept this man from dying ? Then Jesus deeply moved again , again came to the tomb . It was a cave , a stone laid in front of it . Jesus said take away the stone .

Martha , the sister of the dead man , said to him lord , by this time there will be an odor , for he has been dead four days . Jesus said to her did I not tell you that if you believed , you would see the glory of God ? So they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes , said father , I think that you have heard me .

I knew that you always hear me , but I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me . When he had said these things , he cried out with a loud voice Lazarus , come out . The man who had died came out , his hands and feet bound with linen straps and his face wrapped in cloth .

And then Jesus said to them unbind him and let him go . When we're resurrected , god's going to say come out , even though we die and we're present with God in the spirit and we get to be with him in the spirit .

We never experienced death , but there is a time when he will open every grave up in this world , in this city , in every small town , and say come out and reunite our spirit with our body that is perfected , the same one that he could walk through walls with , he could transfigure , he could leave . He says you get that gift . Lazarus , we know , died again .

He got sick again because the end has not came . But guess what ? We're already saved , we've already been resurrected . What a glorious God we serve .

So if we would bow our heads and we can pray , say our final prayer Lord , we thank you for giving us the ultimate gift , which is you laying down your life , you deciding to pick it back up and giving us the gift of resurrection , also on the last day , so we can spend eternity with you .

I pray that you bless everyone here in their moments of joy , sadness , happiness and comfort every single person , because only you know where they're at on any given day . Lord , we glorify you , we love you and use us in your kingdom in mighty and powerful ways . In

Jesus' name , amen .