I'd like to give you all a warm welcome to our worship here this evening. Let us ask the Lord's blessing in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven and of earth, we ask thy blessing upon our worship here this evening. Do grant us the help of thy Holy Spirit and the power of God that bringeth salvation. May our souls be precious in thy sign, those that gather here and those with us online, we ask this blessing through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn: 956, Tune: Newington 884. This evening we shall read from two portions of God's holy word. Firstly, the book of Psalms, Psalm 30. If you are joining with one of our free Bibles, that is page 559. Psalm 30. A Psalm and song at the dedication of the House of David. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave. Thou hast kept me alive. that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, O give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment, in his favour is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity, I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favour, thou hast made my mountain to stand strong. Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. I cry to thee, O Lord, and unto the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me. Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing, Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever. Now let us turn to Paul's second epistle to Timothy. 2 Timothy and chapter 1. It's page 1105, if you have a Ruby Bible. 2 Timothy, chapter 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of Thee in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see Thee, being mindful of Thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in Thee, which first dwelt in Thy grandmother Lois and Thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee, by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God, who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, for the which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the foremost sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. that good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are frivolous and homogenies. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, He oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. In how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus thou knowest very well. The Lord bless this reading of his holy word and help us now in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven and of earth, we come to Thee through Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast appointed to be the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, appearing in the presence of God, for us we do thank thee for that provision and that we as sinners may approach and come boldly and to thy throne, and that we might seek those blessings that thou hast to give and that we need. O Lord, may our souls be precious in thy sign. Lord, we need thy quickening power. We need the bread of life sent down from heaven. We need thy word to dwell in us richly. And we come, Lord, to receive it this evening, that thy blessing might be upon it, that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow within. O Lord, do deliver us from our own sin and from this world of sin and wickedness, and do grant, Lord, that we might be made more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee for Thy Word that we have read, that Thou hast been pleased to provide that way and that remedy to bring immortality and life to light in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, abolishing death, delivering us from the power and dominion of death. Lord, what a word and what a wonder is this, that in the gospel and in thy work thou hast overcome that which is the terror of the human race that awaits every one of us to pass through it, that Lord, that we might by faith pass through it as that enemy that has been destroyed. and that is to be destroyed in our own personal experience. O Lord, do grant unto us that faith here below that shall assure us that we have been quickened into divine life, that we are spiritually minded, that we do mind spiritual things and that we do not mind those things which are of this world. Lord, do grant that we might not let this world, our rest appear. Lord, for we know it shall soon be burned up. We know that we soon must depart from it. We know it is filled with sorrows and so much misery. through sin, and Lord we know that thou hast purchased for thy people an everlasting home in heaven where there is no weeping, no sin, no sorrow, no sighing. No Lord, we would that we might be partakers of that home and that we might give every evidence here below that we do desire a city that is to come, that we might profess that we are strangers and pilgrims here below, that Thou art preparing us for a heavenly home, an eternal home. O Lord, we do pray that Thou wouldst grant us a daily witness, that we might walk by faith, that we might feed upon Thy Word, that we might live a life of prayer, that Thou wouldst grant unto us that union with Thee, the hatred of sin, O Lord, help each poor, struggling pilgrim that struggles against the corruptions of their own evil heart, that Thou hast helped them another day. Strengthen them with faith to wrestle against wind and storm and tide, and to gain the harbour at last. O Lord, leave us not weary in well-doing. We know that is well-doing. that does resist the devil, mortify the deeds of the body, and give us grace to keep under our bodies, and to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. O Lord, we feel and know we have a constant adversary and a constant drawing after those things that are in opposition to Thee, that are enmity against Thee. the fruit of the flesh, the fruit of the spirit. We do say, Lord, that we might not be kindly minded, which is death, but spiritually minded, which is life and peace. No, Lord, do renew us again unto repentance and godly sorrow for sin. Give us thankful hearts for the gospel, for good hope through grace, for every temporal mercy, and blessing that thou hast given us here below. Lord, do grant unto us that help to endure unto the end. Do pray for those in affliction at this time. Do grant, Lord, thy help, thy kind healing hand, thy sanctifying hand, grace to help day by day as they go through affliction. Remember, Lord, those that the affliction is a terminal one. Do be pleased to help them, be with them, grant thy blessing that they might be able to face death, to look beyond the pathway that is before them so difficult, and Lord do give them those joys which none can take away. Be with the loved ones of those that are so afflicted. We pray also that those comfort those in bereavement. Lord do help them, be with them, those recently bereaved, those in Holland and those in this land, to help them be with them at this time. And O Lord, do make these things work together for good as we hear of them. Lord, do cause that it might have a good effect upon our souls. We pray for thy dear servant, Mr. Rutt, to be with Jabez Rutt and to grant thy kind healing hand upon him. We feel for him the disappointment, not being able to go to America today. And Lord, we do seek the commitment of thee. Also, the church at Shoto, no doubt disappointed. Lord, do be with them and do help them as well. Oh Lord, we do seek thy blessing as the churches gather, as we do tonight. that thy blessing might be upon each gathering of thy people. I do pray, Lord, thy blessing on arrangements made for ministry during the next year and even this year. O Lord, may we feel Thy guiding hand, Thy overruling hand. O Lord, how oft we are reminded that it is for us to make these arrangements, but the whole disposing thereof is of Thy hand. And who is it that saith, and it cometh to pass, when Thou commandest it not? And Lord, how oft we have been reminded that though we make plans, thou dost change them, and sometimes at a moment's notice. Lord, help us then to live dependent upon thee. We are dependent, but do grant that we might feel it so. We do pray for this town. We pray for those that know thee not, those that have no desire for the things of God. We see, Lord, that Thou has had mercy and do grant Thy quickening spirit that there might be those who are given the new birth, who are awakened, who are spiritually alive, who are in want, that do seek for the truth, that do seek for anything that will help their souls. O Lord, may we see in others what we have first felt years ago. And Lord, may we see the results of answers to prayer of parents and grandparents of many years ago in this town. You grant again a spiritual revival. Lord, may we and our brethren churches notice a difference or hear prayer that there might be a difference. Do bless each copy of thy word that is received and sent out, and do bless thy preached word as it goes forth. Lord, we pray for dear friends in other countries and those that join with us live or hear the message thou hast given another time. Lord, that thou'st be with those who do not have a church near them that is sound to provide for them. Do help them and do bless them. We do see, Lord, that Thou wouldst guide those whom Thou hast quickened into life into right paths. Leave them not to make wrong choices or to go amongst the people that shall not profit them. Be very mindful of how many false teachers there are, how many that are separate from the churches, that aren't according to thy word, and yet they have many ministries on the internet, and many that follow them. O Lord, do save thy people out of the hands of those that so bring messages from their own heart, and they are not part of thy one church. O Lord, we do pray then that thou has blessed us and build us up Thou has given a witness in this place for many years. We do pray that Thou has revived it again, and that there might be every seat in this chapel filled with hungering, thirsting souls, and that Thou has blessed us to see Thine offspring come and declare what Thou has done for their souls. So Lord, we do ask thy blessing to be upon thy word now, forgive our many sins, wash us in thy precious blood, grant that thou who art exalted to give repentance and remission of sins might bless us with that gift that we might know that humble, broken, contrite spirit and one that trembles at thy word. We ask, Lord, thy blessing that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow within. We ask through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn: 337, Tune: Nearer home 83. Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, chapter one, and reading for our text, part of verse four. Being mindful of thy tears. The whole verse reads, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. The second epistle of Paul to Timothy, chapter one and verse four. The tears that the Apostle refers to are either, or maybe both, tears that Timothy, Paul's son in the faith, shed when he learned of the many persecutions and sufferings and trials that the Apostle was going through, or It may well have been when he had taken his leave of them after he had called the church at Ephesus and how that they came and they went very sore. They knew that they as a church would not see his face anymore. And Timothy here is the first bishop of the church at Ephesus. And that's why he says at the end of this chapter, the Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day, in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. And so we read at the end of our Bible here, that Timotheus ordained the first bishop of the Church of the Ephesians. and that this letter was written from Rome when Paul was brought before Nero the second time. And no doubt Paul was soon to be taken, but here he is thinking not of himself, but he is thinking of his son in the faith, and he is thinking of his tears and his sorrows, So though he writes to him, he actually tells him this. There's many times in these pastoral epistles that the apostle doesn't just say he is praying for someone, he says what he is praying for. He doesn't just say that he is writing to them, but he thanks God for them, what he sees in them and what God has done for them and like here as well tells Timothy that he is mindful he's thinking as he is writing he's thinking where he is of the tears and sorrows that Timothy has where he is. Now when I read this and I thought what a What a feeling Apostle Paul was. And I wonder how many of us, when we know our friends or loved ones, whether in bereavement or in a path of tears and sorrow, how often are we mindful? Mindful of one another's tears. We may have seen them. We may have seen their tears. We may have heard them crying. Maybe just forget it, forget that when we're out of sight of them and they have asked that, we've completely forgotten their sorrows. That wasn't the case with Paul, and it's good for us to be reminded of this, because it will surely affect our prayers and our feeling for one another. And we have those things that we go through that do touch us, that do affect us. And, you know, we would think of loved ones if we were to have a phone call or a letter to them or communicate to them and say to them something of what had happened to us, or perhaps we've got an incurable disease, or maybe we've had an accident or something, And we may be relating that to them, but when they receive it, and they receive it as from a loved one, then it is quite possible that they will have tears, that they will hear this news and that they will cry at what they've, the news they've had. And those have been told the loved one has been taken as well. The tears over them. So it's a good lesson for us just to think on others and how they will receive even news from us and remembering what we have seen of them in their sorrows. And like Timothy here, he received from Paul this message. Paul was still mindful of his tears. He hadn't forgotten the sorrows that his son in the faith was walking through and I hope that that is so with us, that we don't forget our dear friends and brethren in their tears and in their sorrows. But then I thought past this, if this is so with one of the Lord's people, how much more so that the Lord is mindful of his people's tears. And so it is in that way I want to speak with the Lord's help this evening. I want to speak firstly of our Lord's tears as he offers himself a sacrifice for the sins of his people. And then secondly, God's promises to his people in their tears. And then lastly, there's six times, no doubt there's more, but I wish to bring just six this evening, that God was mindful of his people's tears. Six instances in the word of God. But firstly I want to speak of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll go to the prophecies, especially in the Psalms. Psalm 69, this is a Psalm, Messianic Psalm, a Psalm of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are coming in unto my soul. This is how the psalm begins. I sink in deep mire where there is no standing. I am coming to deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. My throat is dry and my eyes fail while I wait for my God. And so does that really speak of our Lord? Yes, it does. And is there any other place in the world where we hear of the tears of our Lord in that way? Yes, there is. In Hebrews chapter 5, we read this in verse 7, where our Lord is spoken of as the high priest and after the order of Melchizedek, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. So we have our Lord Jesus Christ, no doubt upon the cross, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But upon the garden, in the garden of Gethsemane, with his people's sins laid upon him. We would remember what is said of him, In the prophecy of Isaiah 53, it is said of him that he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Of course, with grief, we associate tears and crying. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. and he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. This is what is spoken of our Lord Jesus Christ. We think of when he wept over Jerusalem and a city, a people, his own people, that did not know the day or time of their visitation. They were under a covenant of works and yet had resisted every blessing and every favour that God had bestowed upon them. Very soon, as the Lord had foretold, they would crucify the Lord of life and glory. They would then have their city, burned in one stone, not left upon another, and our Lord wept as we here beheld it. Our Lord Jesus Christ then knew also that path of tears, and we need to remember this, a real man, the God-man, truly God and truly man, We'll mention another instance of his tears under our third heading. And secondly, we have God's promises to his people in their tears. In Psalm 126, a sign of expectation for us really as a church here, and a desire that we might come to that time the Lord had done great things for us, whereof we are glad, and to have the heathen say the Lord had done great things for them. But here we have in this psalm, Psalm 126 and verse 5, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seeds, your darkness come again with rejoicing, bring his sheaves with him. What an encouragement for real prayer, weeping prayer, sowing in tears, real heartfelt petitions for the blessing of the word. But what a word of promise, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. The Lord said to his disciples, you now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice. Your sorrow shall be turned into joy. And then we have in the prophecy, Isaiah. Really, some have referred to it as the gospel, according to Isaiah. We have many beautiful promises to those in their weeping. In chapter 25 and verse 8, he will swallow up death in victory and the Lord will wipe away tears from off all faces and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for the Lord has spoken it. Then if we go a few chapters on to chapter 30 and in verse 19 we read for the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. Thou shalt weep no more. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry. When he shall hear it, he will answer thee. Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more. But thine eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way. Walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. And then going on a few more chapters to chapter 35. And we have this word in verse 10. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. And then going to the end of the prophecy, to chapter 65, we read these words. In verse 18, or verse from 17. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and join my people, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not fulfilled his days. For the child shall die an hundred years old, but the sinner being an hundred years old. shall be accursed. And we have the promises here, looking forward, looking forward to the new heavens and new earth, looking forward to heaven. And we would expect then, when we come to the revelation, that we would also find these same promises to the people of God. And we do, in Revelation 21, in verse 4, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these words are faithful and true. And these things are set before us. Here below it is sorrow and sighing, it is tribulation. But in heaven what the Lord has prepared again and again has said there shall be no more sorrow, no more crying, no more distress, no more pain there. But here below it is to be mindful of our text as From the Lord's point of view, not from Paul, but the Lord thinking of his people, being mindful of thy tears. What would we think of the Lord, who is a sympathising high priest over the house of God, as if he was never mindful of the tears of his people? He was not touched by their sorrows, by their distresses, but he is. He is, and He is laying up in store in heaven where there will be no more sorrow. They will prove that, that as they reap here below times of sorrow and in heaven it shall be joy. May we think upon these promises in our sorrows, in our weeping, in our distresses. May we think upon the Lord, you who may weep now. The Lord remembers your weeping. He remembers your sorrows. He is mindful of them. He thinks of them. And these things are written for our comfort. Want to look then in our third place at six times where the Lord was mindful of his people's sorrows. Those are recorded in the Word for our comfort. The first one is at the grave of Lazarus. Lazarus had been sick And his sisters, Mary and Martha, had sent message to the Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick. But the Lord stayed where he was, and Lazarus died. His sisters had sorrow, and so did many others. But when our Lord came to the grave, He wept. The shortest verse in the word of God. Jesus wept. You read of it in John 11, verse 35. But what was the end of that? Their sorrows, their distress, the weeping. So real, but the Lord was mindful of it, and you can see that by his own weeping. He felt for them. But then with a word he raises Lazarus from the dead. Loose him and let him go. What a command before that, Lazarus come forth, mindful of their tears. He carried on in that course of what he was doing. Because it was better, it would be a more remarkable miracle than healing Lazarus, was to raise him from the dead. And the Lord did that. Mindful of the tears of his people. The second one is that of Hannah. You may read this in the first book of Samuel, and we have Hannah coming with her husband regularly up to Shiloh, but Hannah could not have any children. The other wife, Benina, she had children, many children, but every time they went up to the house of God, This lack was aggravated. You might have something that at a particular time in the year aggravates your sorrow, highlights it, or a particular event that happens, whether to someone else or to you, and it triggers this sorrow. It was so with Hannah. Every time they went up to Shiloh, her husband gave gifts. and he gave gifts unto the children, but to Hannah he gave a worthy portion, but the bitterness and sorrow. And so you find in verse 10, she comes on one occasion and she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore. You can really picture it, can't you? Maybe you've walked that path yourself. You've been in prayer and it's been in floods of tears as well, crying to the Lord. Well, Eli, he marked her mouth. He thought she was drunken. He mistook her. But she had asked of the Lord and made a vow that if the Lord gave her a man child, she would loan him. unto the Lord for all the days of his life." Well, when Eli understood and how Hannah said that she'd poured out her heart unto the Lord, poured out my soul before the Lord, Eli says, go in peace and the Lord, God of Israel, grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. Well, in the due time, in time of life, she comes back. But even at that time, even with those words from Eli, the Lord gave her faith. She went away. She was no more sad. She believed the Lord had answered her prayer, and he had. But then she comes and she says, For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition. which I asked of him." It's good for us to remember that. Something we may have been crying over, pleading with the Lord, and many tears. And here we have dear Hannah, yours might be a child, it might be something else, that you lay before the Lord continually, and it's such a thing that it brings forth the tears. The Lord was mindful. of Hannah's tears, being mindful of thy tears, the Lord granted her the child and later on other children as well. And may we be encouraged in that when we pray that the Lord is mindful of those tears that are shed in prayer as we seek the Lord for that blessing. Then thirdly, we have David at Ziklag. The Philistines had given David Ziklag for him to dwell in and his men. And when they were fighting against Israel, and David at first had wanted to join with them, and they were sent back to Ziklag. But the Amalekites had come, and they had taken the women, the children, captives, and all the livestock. They'd burned the city with fire, and they'd gone on their way. They hadn't killed any. But we read that David and his men, they wept till they had no more power to weep, each one that they were so distressed. for their children, their wives. And the men even speak of stoning David. But we read that David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Be mindful of thy tears. David, a man after God's own heart. David, the one that God had anointed to be the next king in Israel. And the Lord appeared for him. I believe David, as a man of war, would have even taken as an encouragement that these Amalekites had not killed anything. They'd taken them captives. No encouragement in man, but encouragement in the Lord his God. And very soon he had another encouragement because they found the Egyptian that had been left by his master because he fell sick. They revived him and he was able to show them the way to the camp. Another token for good. What was the end result of those tears and of encouraging in the Lord their God this very distressing time for them. They recovered all. They recovered all. every one of their wives, their children, and they had great spoilers as well from the enemy. This you can read in 1 Samuel and chapter 30. Beautiful chapter of the Lord being mindful of his people's tears. But you know really what the Lord did there. The Lord made sure David had his hands full and as much as he could handle and to keep him busy so he didn't meddle with the battle where Saul was slain. It proved that many times in my life where the Lord has made sure that I'm not in one place where I could have meddled or done wrong The Lord has made sure I had my hands full in some other place, and it's not until afterwards, and sometimes it might be a sorrowful thing that keeps us away from where we thought we would be or wanted to be, but afterwards we can look back and we can see God's wisdom and why he has ordered it in that way. So, not just in one matter, but in several, We would say the Lord here was mindful of David and his men, their tears. Be mindful of thy tears. But then we come to Hezekiah, the godly king of Judah. The ten tribes had been taken captive. And Sennacherib, the Assyrian leader, king, was seeking to take Judah as well. And at that very time, Hezekiah was sick, sick unto death. And we read that the prophet Isaiah came to him and said to him, to set thine house in order, thou shalt die and not live. You read it in 2 Kings. chapter 20 or in Isaiah 38. And we read, How he turned his face to the wall, prayed unto the Lord, I beseech Thee, O Lord, remember now, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight, and Hezekiah wept sore. Then we read that the Lord spoke to Isaiah, told him to go back, and there was added to Hezekiah 15 years. And he was blessed with a child in that time, though Manasseh might say, well, he was a very wicked king in the end. But it was the line to Christ, and the Lord did turn Manasseh's heart before the end of his days and convert him. And the Lord also delivered Judah out of the hand of Sennacherib. But the Lord was mindful of Hezekiah's tears. We read in Isaiah, Hezekiah saying, by these things men live. And in all these things is the life of my spirit, a life received from the dead. When there's an expectation of death, and yet the Lord lengthened by 15 years. The Lord doesn't always do that, of course, but the Lord is always mindful of the prayers of his people and mindful of their tears. in their prayers. Hezekiah then is another example to us. Then we have recorded in Luke 7 of a woman, we're not told her name, it was not Mary Magdalene, but a woman that came to our Lord, he came behind him, And we're told that she was a sinner, that is, a notorious sinner, one that the people around they knew the kind of life that she lived. And their Lord was in the house of one of the Pharisees, and she came with an alabaster box of ointment, you read in Luke 7, verse 36, stood at his feet behind him, weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears. Then he'd wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. What a picture, this woman, with her long hair and tears. doing that which they would have done to a traveller or one that come in and sat at me to wash their feet. Was the Lord mindful of her tears and what she was doing? The Pharisee was. He said, This man, that is the Lord Jesus, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner. But you know the Lord didn't take his part. He gave the parable of two debtors, one that owed 500 pence, the other 50. When they had nothing to pay, frankly, he forgave them both. And he asked the Pharisee, he says, tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? And Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And then our Lord turns to the woman, but he doesn't speak to her straight away. He speaks to Simon. He says, Seest thou this woman? He saw her, her arrive. That's why he made this observation. He says, I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet, but she hath washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. And he says this, wherefore I say unto thee, her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And then he speaks straight to the woman, thy sins are forgiven. The woman heard that twice. She heard it said to Simon, And then, directly to her, that her sins were forgiven. And then there were those that sat at meat, they objected. They said within themselves, who is this that forgives us sins also? He said to the woman, thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace. Those tears, that which she did, it was done in faith, she could view. Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ. He could come before him to worship him, to know what he was to do for her at Calvary. Very often, tears, they indicate a reality, a real feeling. You know, friends, we need a feeling religion, don't we? We need one that touches our heart. Some of us know when the Lord has blessed us, it causes tears to flow. Sometimes they're tears of joy. Sometimes when we see our sins in the true light of Calvary, then they're tears of sorrow, weeping either over our sins or after Him. Do we know something of weeping, that like this dear woman, though she was a sinner, you and I, We feel our sins as well, yet the Lord is mindful of those tears. Mindful, I believe in this case, because he's given them. He's given that feeling heart. He's given those sorrows. But then we have dear Mary. Mary at the grave of our Lord. John chapter 20. The resurrection day. Our Lord appears to Mary. She has stayed at the sepulchre and she is weeping. As she stoops down, she looks into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. You know what it is to weep at the grave, weep at the grave of a loved one. Here is dear Mary weeping at the grave of one whom she dearly loved. When she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing, knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. And the Lord answered her with just one word, her name. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. What a time for that dear woman. Her weeping turned to joy. A risen saviour. No more slain, no more suffering, but risen. How many the people of God have wept when they could not find the Lord. We hear, dear Job, O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even unto his seat. They've longed after him. They have taken away, my Lord, the world and my sins and all of those that crowd that throngs about. All of my busy cares, they've taken away my Lord, I know not where. They have laid him, cannot find him, and there's his sorrows. But Jesus comes. A risen saviour, a living saviour, a saviour who's appeared for his people. I remember, dear Mary, we need that risen saviour to appear for us. And soon all of the dead that are in the graves, they shall rise because our Lord rose and he is the first fruits from the dead. And because of that, his people, the end of the world, they shall rise. They shall be given new bodies, celestial bodies, bodies to be forever with the Lord. May we remember these weeping times, these sorrow times. Ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again. Your hearts shall rejoice and may be a help to us. to be able to think of the Lord being mindful of us, mindful of our tears, just like Paul was mindful of Timothy's tears. Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. Our Lord Jesus Christ, came to this world and as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, he accomplished and he wrought a salvation for his people. The whole message and work of that salvation is to deliver from death, deliver from sin and sorrow and all that it brings forth. to answer the demands of a broken law, to pay the debt that we owed, and to give to us a robe of righteousness that we do not have of our own, to fit and prepare us for heaven, where there shall be no more weeping, no more sighing, no more crying. May we remember these things. in our weeping and in our sorrows, may quicken our steps for that land afar off and yet very near, where we shall enter, where there will be no more weeping, and where loved ones have already entered and already ceased to weep. Hymn: 760, Tune: Ulpha 693 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, Be with you all now and evermore. Amen.