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God's Tears

God's Tears

And God Cried
Introduction

Ch. 1 - And God Cried
Ch. 2 - Many Feel God Is Unjust
Ch. 3 - Why Does God Permit Evil?
Ch. 4 - Another Look At Sin
Ch. 5 - A Suffering Savior and Suffering Christians
Ch. 6 - God Is Not Trying to Convert the World Now
Ch. 7 - God's Kingdom
Ch. 8 - Supposed Objections

And God Cried

Chapter 5

A Suffering Savior and Suffering Christians

Jesus is our assurance. He is the "surety of a better covenant" (Heb. 7:22), the New Covenant which will bless all mankind in God's Kingdom. As King, Priest and Judge in that Kingdom, his name will be called "Wonderful" (Rev. 20:6; John 5:22; Isa. 9:6). Yes, Jesus will be a "Wonderful" success.

Not only did Jesus die to provide the payment, a perfect human life that will eventually release the human race from death; but during his lifetime he suffered at the hands of his fellow man so that he could fully sympathize with their every need.

The Prophet Isaiah anticipated the suffering of Jesus. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows acquainted with grief... Surely he has borne our grief, and carried our sorrows... He was wounded for our transgressions … and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53: 3-5). Therefore, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus is a sympathetic high priest who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Jesus continually permitted himself to be afflicted through contact with sinful man.

Every time Jesus healed, it was at the expense of his own strength. We read that "virtue [strength] went out from him" (Mark 5:30) as he healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the lepers. He was expending his own strength so that he might be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Further, Jesus was mocked; he experienced brutality, violence and murder at the hands of his fellow men. As a Jew, he tasted the racial scorn of the Romans. He identified himself with poverty, drudgery and obscurity. Full of compassion, his heart was moved for the mentally ill, the physically sick, the lame, the deaf and the blind. Why? So that in God's Kingdom Christ will know just what lessons mankind will need. "Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity" (Heb.5:2). Jesus assumed upon his shoulders the ills of this world. Indeed, he can have compassion on the ignorant and them that are out of the way. Those whom he ransomed, he will know how to restore.

Jesus died nearly 2,000 years ago. The question naturally arises, Why the long delay before setting up his Kingdom for the blessing of all mankind? One thing is clear throughout the Bible: God has not been attempting to convert the world since Jesus' death and resurrection.

The Scriptures speak of God dealing with only a few for a specific purpose. Christ's followers are spoken of as a little flock. "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). God is only calling a few; a representative of every type of the human race is being called into the church of Christ. The Greek word translated "church" in the New Testament means "called out ones."

What is this special calling or selection of the church? Christians are called to the multiple profession of judges, priests and kings of mankind in Christ's Kingdom. What an honor! At first our faith staggers. But the Scriptures are explicit on this point. First Corinthians 6:2 states that "the saints shall judge the world." First Peter 2:9 shows Christians are called to be a "royal [kingly] priesthood." Similarly, Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 states we are called of God to be "kings and priests" and "we shall reign on the earth." Revelation 20:6 states that Christians "shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Judges, priests, kings! What a profession Christians have been called to! But what a rigorous training course the Christian must pursue to attain this profession.

For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;…and the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence
(1 Cor.1:26-29).

For the most part, God is bypassing the world's standards of greatness and calling the ordinary of the human race to compose the "little flock." How will this "bring to naught things that are?" Down through history, man's wisdom has tried every conceivable philosophy and political and/or economic ideology, but man has failed to solve humanity's problems. Each page of history is a record of man's inhumanity to man. The flaw is not so much the ideology, but man's selfish heart. History confirms the Biblical teaching that man is born in sin and "shapen in iniquity" (Psalm 51:5). The 20th century started with great expectations. Through science and technology, utopia would be attained! Alas, this century is closing in disillusionment. Communism has failed. Capitalism is on the verge of bankruptcy. Unprecedented teen suicide, vice, drugs and immorality are the symptoms of a civilization self-destructing. In the meantime, the earth is becoming a wasteland of pollution. With over five billion people thinking of self first, could it be otherwise?

Thus the Lord has "brought to naught things that are." Human history has proven the futility of man's efforts. No flesh can glory in his [God's] presence. No president, prime minister or statesman, or anyone, can boast that he has the solution for all man's individual or collective ills.

But there are a few who have learned early not to trust in the arm of flesh for solutions. Through faith in God's word they realize that only God's Kingdom will completely solve man's ills. They have accepted Jesus as their savior and made a full consecration to do God's will. Their calling is to be judges, priests and kings with Christ in God's Kingdom.

These Christians are not relieved of their share of the tragedies common to man (1 Cor. 10:13). Although many of mankind become bitter or hardened by the tragedies of this life, consecrated Christians have the peace  of God which passeth all understanding (Phil. 4:7). Their faith realizes that tragedy provides the Lord an opportunity to develop in them a tender and understanding heart.

The loss of a loved one, husband, wife, parent, child can mentally scar. Physical tragedy such as being crippled, blind or deaf can leave one a forgotten member of the human family. Drug addicts, alcoholics, the mentally ill have found that few can understand. There are the scars of mental or physical abuse by a stranger or even a loved one. To those in economic poverty, nothing could be worse. Then there is loneliness. Some have experienced a darkness of loneliness that no human hand could reach. To consecrated Christians these various experiences provide a unique opportunity to patiently endure, while the Spirit of God transforms them day by day into the likeness of Christ (1 Peter 1:7; 2 Cor. 4:16-18).

Foremost is the struggle of subduing sinful flesh and its interests. These are the "fightings within" (2 Cor. 7:5; 10:4-6; Heb.12:4). The Christian's struggle against his own fallen flesh gives him compassion and understanding concerning the sin ingrained in the hearts of men. A priest is one "Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that  he  himself  also is compassed with infirmity" (Heb. 5:2).

This can be illustrated by the noble work of Alcoholics Anonymous. An essential step of A.A. therapy is to assign a former alcoholic to each alcoholic that comes for help. The victim being driven by alcohol will not readily accept help or advice from just anyone. How could anyone know his agony, his depression, his desperation if he has not shared the same experience? But the alcoholic will accept help from a former alcoholic because he knows that this person can understand his agony. And this former alcoholic stands ready at any time to come to his side to plead with him, encourage him and make good suggestions for overcoming. It requires a former alcoholic to rehabilitate an alcoholic. Psalm 51:13 beautifully portrays this principle. Because the followers of Jesus were once sinners and transgressors they will be able to say of their work in the Kingdom—

Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways;
and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.

Finally, the church will be united with Christ during his return and share the glory of his Kingdom. Like him (1 John 3:2) they shall be compassionate priests, understanding judges, and benevolent kings (Rev. 20:6; 1 Cor. 6:2). As a composite they will fully understand the sin sick, mentally warped, emotionally scarred and physically marred world of mankind.