Topics – Judgment, Love, God's Will
When Jesus entered Jerusalem he wept as he foretold its destruction. This is important because we gain an profound awareness of how it pains God when we resist him.
Focus Scripture – Luke 19:41-44HIDESHOW
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.
Extended SummaryHIDESHOW
When Jesus finally arrives at Jerusalem, he weeps and pronounces a prophecy about its destruction. As Greg pointed out, this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. The three main points Greg drew from this passage were:
1. God doesn’t always get his way.
2. Jesus is our fullest revelation of God, and here Jesus weeps.
3. It is God’s desire to gather and protect us, but if we are not willing God allows us to resist and face the consequences (Luke 13:34).
The common thread here is that how we respond to God’s love matters both to God and also to us. God does have desires and purposes for our lives and if we resist God, there are consequences (Luke 7:30, Isaiah 30:1). As we learn from Jesus’ weeping, God is deeply saddened when we resist God’s love and purposes for our lives.
Greg built a case from these points that God’s judgment is not a matter of venting wrath, but rather is the inevitable consequence of our having resisted God. This is spoken of in Scripture as God “giving us over” to our desires and the consequences of our actions (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). Other examples of God giving people over to the consequences of their actions include the Passover event in Egypt (Ex. 12:12 and 23) even the crucifixion of Christ (Acts. 2:23). Greg emphasized that it is important to always keep Jesus in mind as we picture God in times of judgment—weeping over the sin and separation experienced as a result of our resisting God.
Practical Applications (homework)HIDESHOW
Some people have a difficult time imagining God weeping over situations because they either see him as angry and punishing, or believe that he’s in complete control of everything that happens in the world. The Bible shows us a different perspective of God, however: one in which he doesn’t cause evil things to happen, but when people reject him, at times he withdraws his protection with great sorrow. Choose one of these assignments for your homework this week:
- If you’ve been breaking God’s heart and pushing him away, decide to repent (turn around) and accept his love and acceptance! Talking and working with someone you trust, make a list of the things that have become habits in your life that you believe are outside of God’s plan for you – things that make him weep. Choose one or two areas to begin to work on and prayerfully commit to specific steps to change your habits. It may be a painful process, but rely on God’s grace, patience and strength.
- Do you have an angry, punishing view of God? When you imagine him, is he anything but loving toward you and those around you? Talking and working with someone you trust, make a list of things that you believe God is angry about in your life, in the lives of those around you, or in our society in general. Pray through this list together and imagine how much sorrow these things cause God. Picture him weeping over them. Any time you begin to see him as angry, remind yourself and each other that his heart is broken any time we’re rebellious.
Reflection QuestionsHIDESHOW
1. What stood out to you most from this message and the supporting texts?
2. If you were one of Jesus’ contemporary followers and truly believed he was here in Jerusalem to free the city from Roman rule, how would you respond to Jesus’ prophecy of devastation at this point?
3. If you were one of Jesus’ contemporary followers and truly believed that Jesus was God, how would you respond to Jesus weeping?
4. What are the consequences of resisting God?
5. How does knowing that Jesus wept impact how you relate to God?