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God\u2019s Grief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tom Edwards<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, we considered how special we are to God. That though we are so unworthy and have nothing in ourselves, apart from Christ, to be deserving of eternal life, yet God has treated us as having tremendous value by sending His Son Jesus to suffer and die that we might be saved. We noted that God regards His people as being \u201cmuch more valuable\u2026than the birds!,\u201d as being \u201ca treasured possession\u201d (Deut. 26:18), as being \u201ca people for God\u2019s own possession\u201d (1 Pet. 2:9), as being \u201cprecious\u201d (\u201cvaluable,\u201d James Strong) in God\u2019s sight (Isa. 43:1), and as being \u201cthe apple of His eye\u201d (Zech. 2:8), which Webster defines as \u201csomeone or something very precious or dear to one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something else that also indicates God\u2019s affection toward us is in knowing that He can be grieved by our sin and ungodliness. We are first made aware of that in Genesis 6:5,6: \u201cThen the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bible sometimes uses \u201caccommodating language\u201d or what is also referred to as \u201cspeaking in the fashion of man,\u201d such as when it says in Genesis 11:5, \u201cThe LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.\u201d Did God have to literally come down? Even from heaven, the LORD \u201csees all the sons of men\u201d (Psa. 33:13). And surely, the Lord knew \u2014 before He even made man \u2014 of what man would do, which would result in the need for a Savior. For Jesus\u2019 death on the cross is said to be according to \u201cthe predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God\u201d (Acts 2:23); and when speaking of being \u201cnot redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold\u2026but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ,\u201d Peter goes on to say, \u201cFor He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you\u201d (1 Pet. 1:18-20).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, apparently, God wanted to have a people for Himself \u2013 even though it would also include some grief on His part along the way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Psalm 78:40, a historical psalm, declares, \u201cHow often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them\u201d (Isa. 63:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to WebMD, \u201cGrief and grieving are the natural response to a major loss, such as the death of a loved one.\u201d How, therefore, could God be grieving over others unless they had been of importance and value to Him, and were now a great loss?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being a God of justice, the Lord cannot condone or overlook transgression. So those who remain in their sin, refusing to repent, will have to suffer the consequences; but that is not what the Lord desires to carry out \u2013 but He must! For as He says in Ezekiel 33:11: \u201cSay to them, \u2018As I live!\u2019 declares the Lord GOD, \u2018I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And what about when man dies \u201cspiritually,\u201d as Adam and Eve did on the day they took the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? (See Gen. 2:17.) Sin results in spiritual death, which has been defined as a separation from God. See Isaiah 59:1,2. James writes: \u201c\u2026each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death\u201d (James 1:14,15). \u201cFor the wages of sin is death\u2026\u201d (Rom. 6:23). So the point is, would not God be just as grieved over those who have spiritually died because of sin as He was toward those whose sin had resulted in a physical death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To grieve over those you love is also seen of Jesus in Luke 19:41-44: \u201cWhen He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, \u2018If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.’\u201d The Lord\u2019s heart had gone out to these who were heading toward suffering. He wanted to save them, but they were unwilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is also seen in Luke 13:34 where the Lord probably said bemoaningly, \u201cO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus came to this world to also show what His Father in heaven is like (cf. Jn. 14:7-11). For His love and concern for others is identical to that of Jesus. Notice also the compassion Jesus manifested toward those emotionally suffering over the death of Lazarus. Jesus was there to raise Lazarus from the dead, but when He saw Mary \u201cweeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, \u2018Where have you laid him?\u2019 They said to Him, \u2018Lord, come and see\u2019\u201d (John 11:33-34). Then the next verse so tenderly tells us that \u201cJesus wept.\u201d Some who saw that had said, \u201cSee how He loved him!\u201d (v. 36). Yes, Lazarus was a good friend of the Lord\u2019s whom He loved; but was not the Lord\u2019s weeping because of these others \u2014 or at least also \u2014 and out of love and sympathy for them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah prophesied about 700 years prior to Jesus\u2019 birth into this world and shows the extent to which He was willing to go, due to His love for His Father and for humanity: \u201cFor He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken; Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him\u201d (Isa. 53:2-6). God loved us that much \u2013 and still does!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To express the grief God had toward His wayward people of Old Testament times, He is sometimes depicted as a husband toward them, and they as an unfaithful and adulterous wife, such as when God speaks of \u201cthe day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them\u201d (Jer. 31:32). And by their going after the false gods of idolatry, they were then referred to as not only unfaithful, but also as adulterers and harlots. \u201cTherefore, thus says the Lord GOD, \u2018Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries\u201d (Ezek. 23:35). \u201cFor they [Samaria and Jerusalem, v. 4] have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to them as food\u201d (v. 37; See also Jer. 32:35).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To better understand the grief that God went through by His people being disloyal toward Him and going after false gods, the Lord had Hosea marry a woman prone to harlotry, \u201cfor the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD\u201d (Hos. 1:2). Her name was \u201cGomer\u201d (v. 3), and she did go after other lovers (Hos. 2:5); but God said He would \u201chedge up her way with thorns\u201d and \u201cbuild a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths. She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, \u2018I will go back to my first husband, For it was better for me then than now!\u2019\u201d (Hos. 2:6-7). And in spite of all the wrong she had done and all the grief she had brought to Hosea, he still took her back \u2014 having paid the fee to do so (Hos. 3:2)! How much more meaningful Hosea\u2019s message to the people of His day \u2014 of God\u2019s love for them and His desire for them to repent and return to Him \u2014 must have been for all those who had known of Hosea\u2019s love for Gomer. For they were like her, in a manner of speaking, being spiritual adulterers by their unfaithfulness to God and going after the false gods of idolatry. But God still loved them and wanted them to come to their senses, repent and return, that He may welcome them again and His grief be turned to joy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let us each live, according to the gospel, so that we will not bring grief to the Father, to the Son, nor to the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30)! For they do greatly care for each of us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(All Scripture from the NASB.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1) Hear<\/strong> the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31). Tebeau Street \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) God\u2019s Grief (Tom Edwards)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- God\u2019s Grief Tom Edwards Last week, we considered how special we are to God. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":595,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions\/595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
2) Believe <\/strong>in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith <\/strong>in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized <\/strong>in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday <\/strong>services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: <\/strong>7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor: <\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com<\/strong>
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"