[0:00] Visiting for the first time with us, or if you're returning visiting with us, or if you're just home for the holidays over here, or everybody, thank you for being here.
[0:12] And it's good to have you here. If you have a Bible, please open it up to the book of the Psalms. And Psalm number 30 is where I'd like you to turn this morning. Psalm 30, and I'm going to dive right in and try not to keep you along today.
[0:41] I said I'm going to try. Try. No promises. Psalm 30. Hey, for some of you, if I only get one shot at you, I'm going to take my shot. Psalm 30, verse 1, the Bible says, I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
[1:00] O Lord, my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave. Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
[1:11] Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness, for his anger endureth but a moment, in his favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
[1:25] And in my prosperity, I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favor, thou hast made my mountain to stand strong. Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
[1:36] I cried unto thee, O Lord, and unto the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me.
[1:48] Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing. Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
[2:02] O Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever. Now, as always, the Bible, it's such an amazing book. It's more than just a religious book.
[2:15] It's got application. These words speak in different levels. And historically speaking, we're reading the words of David that experienced some major trials and tribulations and afflictions in his life.
[2:30] And he cried out to God for help, and the Lord heard him and helped him. And he experienced some real low points. I mean, this man was hunted like an animal for years of his life.
[2:41] Had a king and all of his army after him while he's running and hiding in hills and caves. But that wasn't the end for David. Because God did hear him, and God did deliver him, and eventually exalted him to a throne.
[2:53] To where he was now the king. And one of the greatest that Israel ever knew. And so in this psalm, David recalls the problems and the afflictions, but he also rejoices over the outcome of it all.
[3:07] And though he is rejoicing and says, he turned my mourning into dancing, in the moment it was pretty painful. As he even describes.
[3:18] In the moment it was pretty discouraging. Now, that's historically speaking, prophetically speaking, there's more in here than just David. David writes, as moved by the Holy Ghost, and expresses some truth, not only of the Lord Jesus Christ prophetically, but also of the nation of Israel, who's going to go through a tribulation themselves.
[3:40] And they're going to be hunted. You read your Bible, you'll see that they're going to be killed, a lot of them. And David represents here the nation of Israel, who's going to be persecuted in the night. But as verse number 5 says at the end of it, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
[3:57] And in your Bible, if you study the prophecies, the second coming of Christ to this earth is going to be the morning for Israel. It's when the sun, it's likened to the sun rising in the morning, and it's warm rays shed light upon the darkness and chase away the darkness that the Israelites felt and that remnant felt as they are persecuted by the devil incarnate, the Antichrist.
[4:23] Prophetically speaking, there's application to the future. But practically speaking, for us today, where we want to be this morning, in verse number 5, we read it, that weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
[4:39] It might get bad. It might have circumstances in life where there's no hope. But there's a morning coming for the believer where it's all going to go away.
[4:51] Forever, the turmoils and the stress and the exhaustion and the weeping, forever it will one day be replaced with joy. And when joy comes, sorrows will be a memory.
[5:05] And when joy comes, the emotions of pain and distress and these trials of life will just become distant, and they're just going to fade away into the past. And today, we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[5:20] And I want to consider this principle, that weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. I want to consider this promise, actually, that how it applied to the circumstances and some of the people that were followers of Jesus Christ.
[5:38] And around that scene of his death, burial, and resurrection, there were some men and women that endured weeping for a night. And I want to point these out and try to make some application that we can learn from this morning.
[5:51] So we're going to stay in the Gospels for the rest of the message. And so come with me to Luke chapter 23. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all give their version, or a different slant, on the events of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the events surrounding his resurrection.
[6:11] And so we'll skip back and forth through these different Gospels, and pull out some things. And notice the lives, how they were affected, these followers of Jesus Christ.
[6:25] And before Christ arose, there was some weeping. There was some weeping. And let's notice the first group here in Luke 23. Notice in verse 27.
[6:36] Christ is on his way to the cross. He's been condemned. They cried out, crucify him, in verse 21.
[6:48] And Pilate gave sentence, in verse 24, that it should be as they are required. So go ahead, have your way with him, kill him. And so they've already beaten him. They've already whipped him, scourged him.
[7:00] They've already put a crown of thorns on him. They've already plucked his beard out. They've already put a robe on him, mocking him, calling him a king. They've already smacked him around a little bit and said, who did that, and mocked him.
[7:14] And in verse 27, it says, there followed him a great company of people and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. There's a company of women that bewailed and lamented him.
[7:30] And I want to call this first group this morning the helpless observers. The helpless observers, weeping, bewailing and lamenting him.
[7:43] What could they do to stop this? What could they do? They were helpless. The crowd is screaming, crucify him. And that hurts even more.
[7:53] No, they don't want him to be crucified. Don't say that. No, hush the crowd. Couldn't do a thing against it. The crowd's bloodthirsty. He's already been beaten, as I mentioned.
[8:04] He's already been bloodied and wounded. And as they behold this man that they had loved and that they cared about, they behold him walking and they see him wearied from the entire events of the night.
[8:17] No rest. Praying in the garden all the way to this moment. Back and forth with the trials. And then the beating and the scourging. They see him full of blood. They see the soldiers surrounding him.
[8:29] His disciples aren't helping. They're doing nothing. What could they possibly do? They behold as they watch him walk toward Calvary.
[8:39] And they know he's going toward torture. It's going to be bad up there. He's going to be nailed to a cross. He's going to die a horrible, horrible death.
[8:52] And the only thing they can do is weep. This is painful to watch. Everything inside of them wants to make this stop. But they can do nothing.
[9:04] They love this man, Jesus. The Bible says in Luke chapter 8 that these are the ones that ministered to him of their substance. That is, they spent their own money, their own time.
[9:16] And they cared for him and cared for his disciples and even followed him. And as he ministered and preached, they gave their lives and helped out. And now they're watching him in this state.
[9:29] And they're overcome with emotion. It says that they bewailed and lamented. They're not sniffling. They're vocally mourning and crying out with their voices because of the pain and the anguish of their heart.
[9:45] These women are helpless observers. Have you ever felt like a helpless observer? Have you ever felt like you've ever been faced with a situation somewhere in this life where you just couldn't do anything but had to endure it?
[10:01] A night that you had to endure? Like these women, just watching someone that you love or someone that you care about or even cared for. And watch them being taken from you.
[10:14] Maybe watching them suffer. Or even as these, watching them die. And you're helpless. You can't fix it. You can't make it go away. All you can do is weep.
[10:26] All you can do is bewail. Nothing you can do. You can't fix it. You can just curl up in a ball and cry. Helpless.
[10:37] In the Bible, there's some men, not just women, but some men that have been broken and experienced some hardships. Jeremiah, the prophet, he's called the weeping prophet.
[10:48] And he says this, he says, Behold and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me.
[11:02] That preacher knew what it was like to suffer, to feel helpless. Job, we know Job. Job said that, he made this statement, Oh, that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together.
[11:20] For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea. You talk about burden. You talk about weight on him and pain. Job knew it. David said this in his affliction.
[11:34] He cried out to God and asked the question, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?
[11:47] These men experienced heavy sorrow. They wept tears. They were helpless before the Lord. But the Bible says joy cometh in the morning.
[12:00] And while all three of those men tasted the bitter sorrow and the pain, they also felt the reviving gift of joy.
[12:12] And you may know pain this morning, and you may know what it's like to be a helpless observer. But let me tell you from the scripture, there's a morning coming.
[12:23] There's a morning coming as the song that we sing says, There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear, no sickness, no pain, no more parting over there.
[12:36] There's a morning coming. Christian, you're not promised an easy life. You're not guaranteed that you'll just be able to bypass sorrows and anguish of heart in this life. But you are promised a perfect future of peace where the tears will be wiped away.
[12:54] These women this morning, we're looking at them in Luke 23, we're just helpless observers. And I wonder if anybody in here feels that way. I want to tell you that weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
[13:09] There's another group we can see in Luke chapter 22. It's a person, actually. Come back to Luke 22. Our first group is helpless observers.
[13:27] But this second one is an individual, and I'm going to call him a heartless outcast. And you'll see why. This is Simon Peter. Simon Peter, seemingly the bravest, the toughest, the baddest of all Christ's disciples.
[13:42] The one who always had something to say. Never backed down from anything. Simon Peter. In verse number 60, if you're familiar with the story that he denied Jesus Christ three times in the events of this night when Christ was apprehended.
[14:02] Verse 60, Simon, and Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.
[14:13] And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
[14:27] And oh, how Peter ate his words that night. How he must have hated himself at that moment, sneaking out where no one else was and just sobbing tears, weeping bitterly.
[14:42] He thought he was so strong. He thought he was such a man, such a leader. So unintimidated, he said to Jesus Christ that very night that he's ready to fight.
[14:54] He displayed it. He even said, I'm willing to die for you this night. Though all men should betray thee, yet will not I. And then he does. Three times.
[15:04] He blew it. What a coward. He's so weak. No integrity. No loyalty. He's just heartless. And now, he's an outcast.
[15:18] Could he ever be forgiven for what he just did to the Lord Jesus Christ? I believe in that night, Satan saw Peter weeping bitterly and sensed an opportunity.
[15:31] If you're in chapter 22, look earlier at verse 31, something Christ said to Peter that very night. In Luke 22, verse 31, the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat.
[15:48] Satan's after you, Peter. He's coming for you, but I've prayed for you. I don't want your strength to fail.
[15:59] I don't want your faith to fail, he said. And in that moment, as Peter wept bitterly, perhaps his lowest moment, Satan slithered in beside him and reminded him, yeah, Peter, you should be crying.
[16:15] And you're worthless. You're the one. Do you remember how back in Matthew 16, how you denied, or that's not the word, how you rebuked Jesus Christ?
[16:27] You rebuked him. When he told you something was going to happen, you said, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee. And he said, get thee behind me, Satan. You remember how you rebuked him?
[16:39] Peter, you're not cut out for this. You're a wicked man. You should just walk away from all this right now. How could you ever go back? How could they ever receive you after what you did tonight?
[16:51] The devil reminded him, you said you'd never deny him. And then three times, just moments ago, three times you denied him this night. And you know what?
[17:03] Two out of the three was to a girl, to a maid, to the Bible calls a damsel. You're no man, Peter. You're weak.
[17:15] You're not a leader at all. You can't even stand up for Jesus Christ to these damsels, these maids, these little girls. You ought to just go back to fishing.
[17:29] Peter wept that night as a heartless outcast. How could he ever get back? I wonder this morning have you ever felt like a heartless outcast before the Lord?
[17:43] You ever felt like you blew it again? You're unworthy to be called a child of God? Not the way you've been acting? Undeserving of his forgiveness again and again and again?
[17:57] You ever felt like that? You ever felt those feelings of guilt and shame that pull you down low and Satan can slip right in there and tell you how you should just walk away? Just forget it.
[18:09] Give it up. Forget it. It's Christian life. You can't live up to Jesus Christ. You're no good anyway. Well, if that's you, if you felt that, let me tell you this morning, hold on.
[18:22] Fight the good fight of faith in the night because joy cometh in the morning. I believe Peter's tears that night were not just tears of sorrow but they were tears of repentance.
[18:35] He didn't want this to be the end. He wanted to get it right. If we would go to John's gospel in chapter 20 when the ladies came and said to Peter and John that the tomb's empty.
[18:50] The Bible says Peter just got up and went and then John followed behind him and John younger and faster outran Peter to the tomb and John got there and he came to the door of it and he looked in and when Peter caught up he just burst right through there, didn't stop, didn't peek.
[19:07] He went straight in there looking, what's going on? Something inside of Peter wanted to get some resolution. In John chapter 21 he's out there fishing on a boat with some other disciples and Christ is on the shore and he says, children, have you any meat?
[19:28] Are you catching anything? And he says, cast your net on the right side of the boat and they do and John says to Peter, he's like, it's the Lord. And when Peter hears that he doesn't say, guys, pull up the anchor, pull in the nets, we're going in.
[19:43] He dives into the water and heads to shore. I think Peter wanted to get things right with the Lord. As a matter of fact, if you read to the end of that gospel, that event there when he got to shore and they ended up sitting down together, the scene ends with Peter getting up and following, once again, following Jesus Christ.
[20:04] Peter writes in his first epistle, he writes to believers about going through tribulation and he says that you can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
[20:16] Peter's tears were tears of repentance and I want to challenge you this morning, Christian, don't give in to those feelings of shame and of unworthiness.
[20:32] Allow the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you from all sins. Allow the Spirit of God and the Son of God as the Scripture declares to make intercession for you before the throne of grace.
[20:44] You're not worthy. You're not good enough. You don't deserve it. But allow the Lord God to do what he wants to do. Allow him to make intercession for you.
[20:58] You're undeserving but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us hath quickened us together with Christ.
[21:09] The Bible says having forgiven you all trespasses. don't be like Peter. Don't let the weeping that endures for a night take you out.
[21:21] But stand up and fight because joy cometh in the morning. Jesus Christ told these disciples that his joy could, that it'll be full in John chapter 15.
[21:32] That's your joy. My joy will remain in you that your joy might be full. These guys had a promise of God that this weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. You can get back up, confess your sin, get up and move on.
[21:47] Paul says this in Romans 8. He said, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. And if God has declared you righteous through Jesus Christ your Savior, who can charge you with anything?
[22:02] Who's greater than God if he's forgiven you? So confess your sin, get up and move on. That's the answer to that, Peter. Maybe you feel like an outcast, a heartless, how could I do this again to God?
[22:19] How could I slip again? How could I give in again? How could I deny him? How could I not live up to what he wants me to live up to? If that's you, weep and get it right and let the joy of the Holy Ghost fill your heart once again and go on for God.
[22:33] Now come back to Mark chapter 16. Mark 16. And here's a group. Because Christ is gone, they're weeping.
[22:46] They're weeping in this night. Mark 16. And look at verses 9 through 11.
[22:59] Verse 9 reads, Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast seven devils.
[23:15] And she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept. That's the disciples of Christ. And they, when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, believe not.
[23:34] Believe not. They're mourning in verse 10. They're weeping. Still, three days, three nights past the crucifixion. And I want to identify these disciples as some hopeless outsiders.
[23:51] These guys, they were faithful followers of Jesus Christ but they can no longer show their faces in public. They associated themselves openly with public enemy number one.
[24:03] They're out. They're hiding. They're in a room closed up. And they didn't believe the women. Luke said that their words seemed to them as idle tales.
[24:14] They believed not. They're hidden away mourning and weeping over a multitude of feelings of disappointment, embarrassment, confused, empty inside.
[24:25] I mean, think from their standpoint. Put yourself in their shoes. Where do they go from here? What do they do now, the one they've dedicated their lives to, disappeared and is gone and were afraid to go out in public?
[24:43] What would you do? Let's back up three and a half years and think about something. Look at Luke chapter 5, just a few pages to your right. Luke chapter 5.
[24:54] Back up three and a half years when this man, Jesus Christ, comes on the scene preaching and calling disciples to follow him. And these men took him up on this offer and this calling.
[25:10] Luke chapter 5, and here's a few of them, in verses 10 and 11, these guys, they catch a lot of fish. And in verse number 10, and so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon.
[25:25] And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all. The most fish perhaps they've ever caught in this passage here.
[25:39] It was a great multitude of fish that their net break, in verse 6, they forsook all. That's a payday right there. And followed him. In Matthew chapter 4, it's not just Peter and Andrew, it's also James and John.
[25:59] Here it says in Matthew 4 that James and John left the ship and their father and followed him. They left the family business, they left their dad to fend for himself, sorry, but he called us and we're following him.
[26:11] Now that's a, that's not a, just a, kind of a, little thing to leave your job. You know who else left his job more than just a fisherman?
[26:23] It was Matthew. Look at Luke 5 and verse 27. Matthew's name is also Levi. And in verse 27 it says, after these things he went forth and saw a publican, he's a public servant that collects custom or taxes, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom.
[26:43] Means he receives the custom from the people, their tax money. And he said unto him, follow me. And he left all, rose up and followed him and Levi made a great feast in his own house and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
[27:00] What's that mean? That means that Matthew, Levi, is having a retirement party right then and there. Inviting his co-workers, these other publicans and saying, I am quitting my government job and leaving my pension and all that I've earned and I'm going to follow that man right there.
[27:19] Wherever he goes, he called me and I'm leaving all of this behind. And they thought, Matthew, you crazy fool. You're going to leave this job working for the government to go, what?
[27:34] Come again? This is a retirement party for Matthew. These men, they weren't teenagers. They weren't college age kids just kind of drifting around.
[27:47] They were grown men, established careers and they went all in on this supposed Messiah, this healer, this deliverer, this Christ.
[28:01] He talked, all this talked and they believed him. But here they are at the end and he's gone. And they're left mourning and weeping.
[28:12] These men gave their lives to this ministry. They walked away from everything, including their families or their fathers in that case. And look where they are now, hiding in fear, afraid to show their face, confused, hurt, and empty.
[28:29] And how can they go back after years, three and a half years of their life? How can they go back? What do they do now? You know what they do?
[28:40] They weep. They weep. They're not looking for a risen Savior, by the way. Even the ladies that morning that were on their way to the sepulcher, the Bible says on their way that they talked amongst themselves, who's going to roll the stone away?
[28:56] They were going with prepared ointment to anoint the body. As far as they knew, that dead body was still there. They weren't looking for a resurrected Jesus at all.
[29:08] Nobody was. As far as these men go, they are hopeless, outsiders, and it's over. You ever felt what it's like to be a hopeless outsider?
[29:21] To give yourself to something or someone and just pretty much hit a dead end and don't know where to go from here? I don't know how I ended up here.
[29:32] It's not what I expected. It's not what I hoped. It could be a death or a divorce or lose a job or career or a home where there's so many things that can make you feel like you're just, you're getting blamed for it.
[29:47] You're looked down upon by others and you have no idea where to go and how to proceed. Just lost and confused and embarrassed and so you just weep.
[29:59] Because it hurts and you're hopeless. And in that moment, I didn't read you the verse, but in that moment, the disciples, they didn't know what God was doing.
[30:12] They really didn't know. Their eyes were shut to what God was doing. When Jesus Christ came back in Mark 16 and He appeared to them, it says that afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them that had seen as He was.
[30:34] He got on their case for not believing the good news that He was alive. You know why He got on their case? Because He expected them to exercise faith and to trust the Lord and to believe His word that He had spoken to them.
[30:49] Isn't that what the angel said? He is not here as He said. Or for He is risen as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. He said He was doing this. Why are you so slow to heart to believe?
[31:03] In that moment the disciples didn't know what God was doing. It kind of reminds me of a man named Joseph back in the book of Genesis who was hated of his brethren. They threw him in a pit thinking to kill him and then they send him and sell him into slavery and he goes to Egypt and gets himself in a bad situation that lands him in prison and just down, down, down his life goes and he has no idea what's really going on.
[31:34] He's just a hopeless outsider. But God was at work. The outcome of Joseph's life proves that God was at work the entire time. When his brethren come and they're afraid of him at the end of the book he says, hey, you meant it for evil but God meant it unto good.
[31:53] They had no idea that God was working in this situation the whole time. I don't know if your situation seems hopeless this morning. What Christ upbraided his disciples for was their unbelief because he expected them to believe and to trust God and he does for you too.
[32:12] You need to get yourself a verse in this Bible. A verse from Romans chapter 8 and verse 18 that teaches us that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
[32:26] Or maybe good old Romans 8, 28. I think you know that one, don't you? Maybe at the end of Romans chapter 8 if you're not sure get into that one that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus and that's tribulation and famine and nakedness and the sword and things present and things to come.
[32:47] The whole gamut can't separate us. You need to get a verse and exercise faith and trust the Lord. You feel hopeless? You feel like things have come to a standstill or a dead end in life?
[33:00] You feel like an outsider with your own family? You feel like you're stuck in a situation you can't get out of? You need to exercise faith and trust the Lord. The disciples felt like they were hopeless outsiders so they wept and weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.
[33:20] Joy cometh in the morning and little did they realize how close they were to experiencing the joy and to having the risen Savior show himself to them and to have all of this go away and realize it was real.
[33:34] I didn't throw away my life on this. He's alive. Everything he said is coming to pass and I made the right choice to walk with him. Boy, you can turn that hopelessness into joy pretty quickly.
[33:48] I want to give you one more mention of some weeping and someone from this very night and this situation and come to Matthew 25 just to pull a few phrases out of some verses but before we get there when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ he did it for 30 pieces of silver and then in Matthew it says that he repented himself and he went back and tried to make it right it was too late he threw the money down in the temple he threw the pieces of silver in the temple departed and went and hanged himself.
[34:26] That's his response to the situation. Later in Acts chapter 1 Peter stands up among some disciples and he quotes a prophecy about that very event about Judas Iscariot and being one of the twelve and then what he betrayed the Lord and how he did it and went and killed himself and he quotes a few of the psalms Psalm 69 and Psalm 109 he quotes some verses there as he's telling the men hey this is what happened he's fulfilled scripture he was the one.
[34:58] In Psalm 109 the passage reads when he shall be judged let him be condemned. let his prayer be sin referring to the one that would betray Christ Peter said in Acts chapter 1 that Judas by transgression fell that he might go to his own place Judas is going to his own place and it wasn't paradise with Jesus Christ like the thief on the cross when Christ said today thou shalt be with me in paradise Judas that day hung himself he didn't go to paradise he went to his own place the scripture says in Matthew 26 verse 24 Christ said woe unto that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it had been good for that man if he had not been born he's not in paradise he's not at rest he's not experiencing the grace of God and the glory of God and the blessings of God in the afterlife not Judas Iscariot no what he's experiencing is a weeping and a night and look at Matthew 25 just to pull a few phrases out about this place
[36:12] Judas went in verse 30 it says and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth it's a place of torment look at verse 41 then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels verse 46 says these shall go away into everlasting punishment you know where Judas Iscariot ended up that night a place where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth an everlasting fire a place of the cursed a place prepared for the devil and his angels a place of everlasting punishment he went to that place of outer darkness it's a description of hell there's weeping in hell and the exception to the principle this morning of weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning the exception is there's no mourning to those in hell it's only darkness there's no light coming in the morning there's no joy arriving there's no escape there's no hope and there's no help it's everlasting fire and everlasting punishment it's only damnation and torment and I finish with this place because if you're here this morning and you've never trusted the Lord
[37:56] Jesus Christ as your savior if your faith is not in what Jesus did on the cross for your sins and believing on him as your savior no church no family no baptism no money no anything but Jesus Christ alone this is where you're going you'll experience weeping like you've never experienced in this life you'll experience helplessness far worse than those women did and hopelessness far worse than those disciples did you'll be stuck it was prepared for the devil and his angels it wasn't prepared for you but if you die without Jesus Christ you die without forgiveness of sins you'll go pay for your sins and it's not something I want to happen to you so I want to tell you there's a way out the way out is not getting in the way out is take Jesus Christ as your savior he I quoted it before he was delivered to death for our offenses the bible says
[39:02] Christ died for our sins he didn't die for his sins did he he died for yours he died for your sins you're a sinner oh I'm not a bad sinner you don't have to be a bad sinner to be a sinner you commit one sin you're a sinner you steal one thing you're a thief the bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God how about you this morning are you prepared to face God if you're in your sins you're going to be condemned and your prayer like the psalm said will be sin to God you can't say well please just forgive me now or please just make it better now will you let me by no your chance is in this life your chance is to hear the gospel that Christ died for your sins he took the punishment you deserve a holy God will punish sin every time he will not let you get by he will not exercise grace towards you if you reject his son believe on the Lord
[40:12] Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved you want to be saved you want to you want to escape this place of weeping and night darkness punishment and fire believe on Jesus Christ take him as your savior we're going to close here in just a moment I'd like to ask you to bow your heads all of you around this place and with everybody bowing their heads just for the moment and take a take a second here I want to talk to you but don't look around I want this to be a private moment if you could you consider right here and right now am I ready to face God are my sins forgiven do I know it and what am I basing that upon if you think that you can stand before God and tell him you've been good you're not going to get past it if you think you can get to heaven because you've not really done anything terribly bad you're not getting in Christ died because you fall short the scripture teaches us we need to believe on him that is exercise faith in the person of Christ and in what he accomplished for your sins and then call out to him as a sinner and say
[41:29] Lord I'm guilty and I don't want to pay for my sins in hell I believe you paid for him on the cross I believe you suffered for my sins and the best way you can you call out to Jesus Christ believing on him and say I want you to be my savior that you take Jesus Christ there's no room for anything else to take Jesus Christ as your savior you don't take him and try to be good you don't take him and give money you don't take him and do something to please God you just take him alone that's exercising faith in Jesus Christ Christ alone how about it this morning are you saved?
[42:19] have you called on the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and to save your soul? I don't want you to go to hell Christ died so that you wouldn't have to go to hell but if you reject it you will go to hell I wonder in this place is there anybody here that would say I'm not sure that I'm saved but I'd like to make sure today could you slip up your hand with nobody looking just slip it up and say I'm not sure I'm saved but I really want to make sure today this is important stuff it's your soul it's eternity you can't get out do you want to be saved?
[42:58] I can have somebody take a bible and in five minutes show you the scripture of how you can trust Christ and call on him and believe on him for your salvation your personal salvation nothing to do with anybody else just you and God you can get it fixed today do you want that?
[43:19] don't leave this church without it you may not get another opportunity Christian have you felt like you're helpless?
[43:32] have you felt hopeless? have you messed up and felt heartless toward God? you can restore the joy you can get it restored joy cometh in the morning today could be the morning for you if you need to talk something over with God talk it over with him get it right lay it at his feet exercise faith in his word if you feel helpless feel like it's too much remember there's joy coming in the morning when he'll wipe away all tears believer it's a principle God will honor his word Father as we come toward the end of the service this morning I pray that your spirit would have liberty to deal with every single heart in this place from the youngest to the oldest Lord we're not immune to sin we're not immune to pain and to trouble and trials in this life people hurt us help us to respond right
[44:35] God I pray you'd restore the joy of salvation in some saint today I also pray that you'd put the fear of hell in some sinner and show them how Christ died for them and what they need to do and give them the courage and boldness to act upon it today before it's too late we'll trust you and thank you for all that you see to do in Jesus name I pray amen let's stand together we'd like to sing a hymn of invitation that is I invite you to come up here if you you