A People of Sorrow...

There is a most dreary subject and a mournful theme approaching. It is

referred to as the last days. As great as were the woes of our Redeemer,

with sacred patience he endured and as severe will be our last days, we

must enter agonizingly into our expiring suffering with this hope; that God will

bring us through our Gethsemane experience. Our sorrow will birth in travail

and sow in tears. But, oh how the double reflection of our sorrow will know

the recompense and the fellowship in its finishing.

Sorrow

Our sorrowing will be expressed very emphatically in our peculiarity. A bitter

cup is forthcoming. And in the singularly harmony of our character there will

be one quality predominated…our faith. Excessive weight will press upon

our spirit. We will be warriors in black armor. Search yourself…what burdens

have you to bear?

The subject of our sorrows will be our Jesus and he will be the comfort in the

tossing that compasses us. No greater tribute can be shown for God than to

accept affliction for His glory. In all our attitudes in knowing the consolation

of Jesus, we will be a people of sorrow valuing reproach more than pleasure.

We will walk wearily in the fullness of our woes as our characters emit the

sweetest perfume, for there is no better balm, no surer remedy than the life

that bled on that tree. In Christ our griefs are light that brighten the shadow

of death. For in our mourning we are in communion with him who has known

affliction. We will not stray but will keep our sorrow close, knowing there is

everything important in it. We are the last to keep the Sabbath holy in time.

Angels will camp around us as men hide their faces in contempt. We are a

mystery of godliness…some better thing. Our place of highness in the

heaven is assured as we humblingly take our place as the lowliest of the

least. We remember Jesus Christ, the real and substantial God. We must

have a sorrow that is absent from sin differing in no respect from that of our

human Savior save that he was never defiled by sin. There is no greater

sorrow than when there is no admixture of sin. If our sorrowing is of God,

then sin must become the source of wretchedness to us. Jesus was made in

our likeness that we may regard his humanity in its perfectness and think on

him in that aspect honoring him in our sorrow. This condescending

participation in our nature brings our Jesus very near to us in relationship

and this matchless man, suffering in sorrow, and sorrowing in suffering,

found joy in God’s redemption of us.

Our eyes are wet with tears of sorrow, tears of pity, tears of thankfulness as

we gaze into that deep gash in his side. That wound shows us his heart for

us and how he was so excited with compassion in making amends for us

with his Father, our Father. I know in our sorrow we tremble, and in our

mourning we abound in weakness, but in this we touch his sympathy for we

are in his presence and we can ask for no greater place to be. We are always

beneath his eye. And as the Father looked upon him, the Father was also

looking upon us. Don’t look at self, look at the cross. Our groaning is not in

vain, neither will it be long.

Our sorrow is going to rack us in much pang. We will experience a sufficient

hell as long as we are among the wicked. Their shameful deeds of vice seize

us with dismay today. But know that you are not alone; Jesus is a fellow-

feeling who in every season comforts beyond mortal endurance. In our

sorrow we know his sorrow was greater. In our grieving we know his grief

was surpassing. In our repining we know he fainted not. Jesus could see sin

where we cannot see it and feel its heinousness as we cannot feel it. In this

last day, assuredly, we can bear poverty, slander, contempt, bodily pain,

sorrow or death itself, because Jesus Christ our Lord has borne it. By his

humiliation it shall become pleasure to sorrow for his sake. For this cause,

we surrender our life to Christ. He enables us to bear our sorrows.

Our sorrow deepens even further with the painful sensitiveness of the evil of

sin, for sin deserves sorrow, as we graciously offer tenderness towards the

sorrows of others. In this last day the descending spirit of the people will

show us as women and men most miserable. Our sorrow will not be a

common thing as we are moved to sympathy in love for others in grief who

are saddened by the effects of sin. Many, many will forsake us, but our

sorrow will not leave us till our Lord comes.

Be ready! Our sorrow grows as we actively struggle to obey. Our sorrow

grows as we passively sit still and cry not. Our sorrow grows as we weep in

memory the times we failed to witness for God. Our bitterest sorrow will be

connected with the work. We are sent of God to announce His love and His

truth and the people will reject this offered advantage. We will teach and

hearts will be hardened…we sorrow. We will do God’s good and they will

hate us…we sorrow. We will sacrifice for them and they will transact our

demise…we sorrow. We see the midnight of trouble and prepare for the

winepress; crowning sorrow in this life. Lastly we say, here are we, servants to the man of sorrows having not just hurt, but a profound sadness because the world rejoices.

John 16:20

The prophecy of approaching sorrow is sure, the word about a subsequent

joy is even more certain. Out of the sorrow of our souls we will be satisfied.