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June 24, 2022 6:00 am
Pastoral author and Bible teacher I will remind your soul grieve only what is to rejoice in the goodness of God. For those pictures of great hope that faster Allen welcome to another message of good view that will help you see your life in old I'm being excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series remain as presented in an old church in North Carolina that I will stay with us throughout the entire program today. Mr. will make sure you know how to get our special resource right now you can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright so as you listen to the page message go deeper as we send you today's special openness contact as a Pastor Alan.org that's Pastor Alan who are G or call 877-5448 60 really be more on all this later in the program but right now let's dig in and get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright you know that were there is without translation for us because it means he was in his inmost intestines.
Like in his bowels. He was moved in trouble. I think Jesus wailed. I think he shook and he wailed and then the text says and then he wept. I think he shook and he wailed and then he softly stopped and he knew he was gonna raise Lazarus from because he was God and yet he was human and he said I am not going to shirk the humanity. I'm a walk right into it. So Rachel is on the one hand, a picture of reality that in Rama as they carried off their sons and daughters into exile under a wicked pagan ruler people mapped sound sound of the pain of exile God, and run from it, but there's a problem there's a problem in this grief that we then see in verse 15 and that is that she refuses to be comforted and then the statement they are no more. And this is where the grief that on the one hand is so essential becomes harmful because the voices become despair. It is become self curse. What was me. I'll never be happy again.
There is no joy there is no chance of having joy again see that that's the voice of despair. That's not the voice of Greek we grieve, but not as those who have no hope.
That's the voice of grief without hope. And so this is turned.
This is what God is going to address into a grieving voice that doesn't have hope and it the message that says there's no hello is just as false as the message that says peace peace when there is no peace. The problem is that Rachel figuratively cannot see beyond the loss and that it blinded her to reality when she says they are no more. It is not true that they are no more. The truth is that they are but they are in exile. They are but they're not where they're ultimately going to be. They are coming back in my wife and I always try to remind each other in life grieve what is not what you imagine something to be grieve what has happened, not what you fear could happen. There is very little grace for hypothetical situations, but there is abundant grace for whatever you actually face is why if you hear of someone else's tragedy and you think what if it were me you can't even bear the thought, but when you're walking in that there will be grace for you and so there is grace for those there is restoration for those who have been in exile and that is the reality they are being disciplined.
But it is not their final in they are coming back and catch yourself in this beloved, when you are grieving. That which has not actually reflected the truth.
I know how I walk around. This is what happens in grief.
I walk around and I have thought about about my mom and catch myself feeling sorry that she's not for her that she's not here we have on our back deck atrial artificial tree and at Christmas time we decorate for Christmas and the tree lives out there and that Easter we come in to put Easter eggs on and we decorate for Easter and my mother always love being part of decorate for Easter and from the time that my kids were toddlers. My mother would come over sometime during Easter week and dye Easter eggs with the kids.
She'd started when they were to and she came last year when they were 2824 and they died. Easter eggs last year in our kitchen and so Easter is coming and and I know my mother loved Easter and I catch myself going. I'm so sorry she's going to miss this Easter and then the Holy Spirit.
Of course, speaks to me. Allen son side will have a better Easter have a better answer. We sing songs about Christ is risen. On the one who is standing in the presence of the risen Lord Christ does not have a better worship service will have some good wars of user services will have a better one.
We hear singing prices risen today are see standing up, circled around the throne of glory with angels and archangels in a heavenly choir grieve what is remind your soul grieve only what is to rejoice in the goodness of God. For those pictures of great hope.
So that's comes this was the Lord of verse 16 keep your voice from week that we been Rama, when you see the exile, but when you think about the restoration is time to keep your voice from weeping I'm saying is, sometimes the Lord is going to tell us now as a Democrat, now's the time to rejoice we get mixed up. Don't know what to do with all of this and he says for. There's a reward for your works, declares the Lord. They shall come back from the land of the enemy.
You don't pay attention when God says stop crying because it means there's some new information and these are some good news there is something that's going to displace the grief and I don't I don't know what this exactly means there's reward for your work. Some commentators think that it may be that it is placing a value on Rachel's tears as if she were a paid professional mourner which was common in the ancient Middle East is still in some places. To this day, which in a time of grief you would hire someone who could come in and help you cry skilled women who knew how to wail and you pay them to come help you all right sometimes I think is what I am. I'm just a paid mourner who loves you and can cry with you, you can always find some I willing to cry with you, maybe it's that there's a reward for all your morning Rachel, or maybe it is just all the labor of childbirth, or, but he saying that there's a blessing that's coming in. Allen right will have more teaching moment from today's important series. Many Christians in America today. You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one can make you feel like an alien in your own culture. There's a lot to learn from Danielle when he was exiled to the pagan land through our special offer. This night you can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel did you give before the end in mind. The senior Pastor Alan's idea series, Daniel favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is God should favor to Daniel and his four man God's grace is upon you as well. Nation will not only help you navigate through these troubling times. It will also help someone else links for your partnership with our night ministry.
We missed you as I don't know.
We are in our final days of offering the special product policy 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.org today's teaching now. Can you once again is now telling about the restoration. As of now is time to rejoice. Like when Nehemiah and those in the restoration work of the walls in the temple found the book of the law, which might've been the book of Deuteronomy and they read it out and and Nehemiah chapter 8 the people wept as they heard the word the law but Nehemiah verse 10 said to them, go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine is important, as anyone was nothing ready for this day is holy to our Lord and do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So there's weeping but there's a time to wait no more their coming back from the land of the enemy as I wanted to start now rejoicing in the restoration hope. Let the prophetic promise of restoration, and be the hope that guide you in the midst of your grief so that the joy that you have in restoration transcends the sorrow you have in this loss and then it shifts in verse 18.
Since this is beautiful poetry.
This is poetic prophecy in verse 18. Now the Lord says I've heard Ephraim grieving Ephraim. Speaking of the tribe of Ephraim, which becomes a symbol for the people God as if the people in our send you discipline me and I was discipline like an untrained calf bring me back that I may be restored for your the Lord my God, so this is the people doing what the Lord is said this is him hearing them. I think prophetically in the future. Voices from exile who receive restoration.
Hope you are saying bring me back. I want you God because the Lord prophesied that after this momentary discipline you want me you love me you going to talk to me you are drawing near to me you're going to seek me and you're gonna find me is creating thirst and the people got so that's what there, but then it verse 19.
This is what happens with authentic repentance becomes tainted by shame Frederick turned away. I relented and after I was instructed I struck my five think of like beating my breast were just I was ashamed I was confounded, confused, ashamed and confused and worried because I bore the disgrace of my youth. So this now is a voice of shame in this poetic conversation, and the Lord wants to say something to the shame, and so he comes back it verse 20 and now the Lord speaks again as it is either Fram my dear son, is he my darling child for as often as I speak against them.
I do remember them still therefore my heart yearns for him surely have mercy. Ephraim should not of been one of the tribes to get land because Ephraim was not Jacob's son Ephraim was Joseph's Jacob and Rachel's grandson, but those of you hear me preach hear me talk about it from Manasseh may be my favorite Old Testament story when Jacob old Jacob was dying. Joseph, his son, who'd been providentially reunited with brings Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's two sons so that their grandfather Jacob could blast amongst the Hebrew patriarchs happens repeatedly, the number one thing, the children and grandchildren want from their dying father or grandfather is blessed that powerful. So Joseph rushes in with Ephraim and Manasseh, and Jacob rouses himself from his deathbed and the first thing he does is he said Ephraim and Manasseh will be my just as Reuben and Simeon my and in that moment. By the power of a patriarchs speech. He adopted his grandsons as his sons, so they were treated, along with the sons of Jacob as if they were sons of Jacob, and so they received a portion of the land and perhaps you remember the story of preach. When Jacob went to bless these two boys.
He did an unusual thing.
He took his right hand which symbolize the strong blessing for the firstborn that was on Manasseh's head and he crossed his arms and he put his right hand onto the younger son's head.
Ephraim and he blessed and Joseph tried to correct him and pulled his arms. I said no dad that this is the firstborn Manasseh. You put your right hand here, and Jacob crosses arms again is that I know myself I know what I'm doing and thus the Bible says the Lord put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh and every Sabbath ever sense that time on Friday nights Hebrew dads bless their boys and say May God make you Ephraim, and the mass. I tell you that to invite you to look at this question of the Lord. Again, it verse 20 is Ephraim my dear son, is he my darling child yes so one who didn't deserve favor receiving it.
Yes is the one who didn't deserve to be assigned treated as a sign yes he's my side. They adopted one will never be disowned is mine a friend. He's speaking now. Of all the people of God and is speaking therefore of you and me prophetically. This is all of us who are in Christ is Allen my dear son, yes. Is this my darling child yes and if so if this is my child. If this is my air. How could you ever think that I would forget him.
I will not forget him. In fact, the text says my heart yearns for him.
I would now were growing into what this passage is all about to say. My heart yearns for him is very similar language to the language that describe Jesus at the graveside to say. My heart yearns. It literally means my bowels grown for him.
Do you want to know how God feels about you when you walk through exile times when you go through your difficult times and there's the voice of weeping on Rama, do you want to know how God feels about you and you sigh. You'll love the shoe was father is a law that cannot be described in earthly terms you want better for you than you could ever want for yourself you can never forget you because you belong to him you are here is darling. And so what we realize is that the reason we have to first see Rachel weeping for her children that are no more is it God wants us to see his own heart, for he is the one who weeps for the children more than anyone and he is God who if you want to know how he feels about the lost those who have yet to come to saving faith in Christ.
Here's how he feels he feels like Rachel who wanted children God wants to say so he can adopt and take people to heaven forever. Now quickly with strange and beautiful is this text reemerges in an unlikely place. Matthew chapter 2 in the Christmas story because when the Magi were told angelic lay to not go back and talk to Herod after they'd seen baby Jesus. They went a different way and Mary and Joseph and Jesus are safely off to Egypt because they have been warned supernaturally. Verse 16. Herod, when he saw the been tricked by the wise men became furious and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that they ascertain from the wise men, every historian agrees, this would not be out of his nature. Herod had assignment of people to be killed on the day of his own death so that people would be morning everywhere. He routinely killed people by the dozens, even the hundreds Bethlehem was tiny. It's estimated there were probably about 20 children that were age to her younger and he had them all killed just in case any of them were Jesus and then see what we see it. Verse 17. Oddly, then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. A voice was heard in Rama weeping allowed lamentation reached Rachel weeping for her children. She refused to be comforted, because they are no more. What is it doing here in the Christmas story. It is though the mothers of Bethlehem, weeping, along with those who wept at the exile met and there is a mother here. Mary, who, though, is safe by the miracle of God and her baby is safe. This is a scene in which, though there are mothers that grieve the loss of their children. There is a mother here is not grieving because Jesus is spare and this Jesus who remains alive while others die remains alive to fulfill the mission that he came to share so that he could have the opportunity to die while others lived. It is here because in the voice of one commentator the time of exile is over the tears that began in Jeremiah's day are climaxed in and ended by the tears of the mothers of Bethlehem because the true son of God has arrived. Who ushers in a new covenant wherein Jesus takes the curse and becomes our exile that we might rejoice forever. There is sorrow and there's joy joy wins mustn't ignore the tears but we mustn't despair in the tears hope restoration resurrection. So I just paste around my room watching Carolyn ultimately beat the Bears not know whether to rejoice or cry at any given moment because sometimes it gets a little confusing down here on earth does in that and sometimes you just need the Holy Spirit to be with you and say okay, now's a good time for us to grieve a number grieve with you because we can walk right through this pain together.
But here's what I want you to know there's going to be joy.
On the other side. Weeping may tarry for the night but joy morning and that's the gospel. Allen right. Today's news message Rachel weeps and awards from our series remade and Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio assuring a parting good news thought for the day in just a moment, stick with us. Many Christians in America today. You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one can make you feel like an alien in your own culture. There's a lot to learn from Daniel when he was exiled to the page Amanda I. Through our special off. It is not you can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel did you give before the end of the month with senior Pastor Alan Zaidi, a series Daniel favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is God shed favor to Daniel and his four man God's grace is upon you as well.
Nation will not only help you navigate through these troubling times. It will also help someone else. Thanks for your partnership with our night ministry team as I think that we are in our final days of offering the special product policy 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.org to use your Pastor Alan sporting good news thought for the day in the closing words of the message to be. There is a bit of they may be conflicts, not the most accurate word there, but you do feel a little bit torn. You know you is that there are certainly great things and I'm learning here at the sometimes weak wish that the pain would not have to be endured so deeply. I think I can speak for all of us to say that the reason we sometimes lapse into the denial of our grief is it is just painful and we don't do it, but what I want to say is that when the Lord says weep no more. When he references all of this incredible imagery and then the the weeping of Rachel that comes back up in the Christmas story, and all that that seem so that we put all that together to remember this, that the Messiah has come, and so the time of exile spiritually is over the tip tears that began in Jeremiah's day are ended by the tears of the mothers in Bethlehem because something new is companies ushered in a new cup so we still have earthly losses but something has wonderfully forever changed in this new cup where we know that Christ has redeemed us personal law redeemed us from sin and death, and so yes were going to face painful things, but will never grieve as those who have no hope. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen right ministries