Grow With Pastor Joe

Living in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, we are blessed to be able to experience all four seasons. Each year they differ in severity and overlap; but for the most part, we are able to see and feel the change that each season brings. I’m an autumn guy myself. Hobby Lobby is putting out all the Fall things and I couldn’t be happier. I tell people all the time that once I eat some grilled meat and watch some fireworks that I’m ready for the brisk Fall to show up on my front door. Nevertheless, our life too is filled with seasons. Life is filled with seasons, but the grace of God is the seasoning of life. Without grace, life would be tasteless no matter what would be put on our plate. When you don’t like what is on your plate, grace makes it palatable. Grace makes the medicine go down. It is the grace of God that carries us through every season and circumstance of life. The Bible speaks of the different seasons of time (also as The Byrds sang back in 1965 in their famous song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”) in Eccl. 3:1-8 which says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ² A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; ³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵ A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶ A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ⁷ A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” Notice that the opening and closing seasons of life are our birth and death. The key season though for all is if they have had the “new birth” so that they may be assured that after that season of physical death will be an eternal season of resurrected life. In between our bookend seasons of birth and death (our entrance and exit of life) there is the daily grinding, plowing, and plodding of ordinary living. We need grace for the grinding in the cogs of life as time marches on (also as Tracy Lawrence sang back in 1996 in his song “Time Marches On”). You and I that know Christ though can be assured that God is in every season. His grace is active in all seasons and available in all seasons.

            As Paul continues his call to gospel fueled grace filled living, he reminds us of the gospel expectations on us for the two extremes of rejoicing and weeping. Rejoicing and weeping are the two extreme seasons of life; they are summer and winter if you will. Rom. 12:15 is what we’ll be studying today, and it says, “¹⁵ Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Last week I had intended to preach it, but the Lord thought otherwise. There is a depth in this verse that plucks the heartstrings of each of us because we are acquainted with grief, but we also fondly remember our brief moments (so they seem) of rejoicing. The reality is that we will probably spend more time in one gutter or another, but so much of our daily life is spent somewhere between rejoicing and weeping. However, as I have found out, we spend a lot of time in between the two, but we seem to be constantly ricocheting like a pinball between rejoicing and weeping in our life. If we are up, then others are down. If we are down, then others are up. So, what do we do in these seasons? Well, the gospel expects us to rejoice with those that rejoice, even when we aren’t in that season ourselves. It also demands that we weep with those that weep, even when we aren’t in that season ourselves. It is the grace of God though that empowers us to do both. It is Jesus Himself who shows us how to do both (we’ll look more at this later). Think now about those around you in your local church. There are a wide variety of seasons and circumstances being presently experienced. We are united together in Christ with one another and because of this, we are to share life with one another regardless of the season or circumstance. We share ourselves with one another both in triumph and tragedy. Grace is needed for this to be a reality in our life. We need grace in and through the short-lived days of personal or corporate triumph. We need grace in and through the dog days of tragedy when life seems to overwhelm and crush our spirits. The gospel is for both seasons. It is the gospel that gives us triumph over the greatest tragedy of all, which is our sin and death that accompanies it. It is the gospel itself that shows us that the Lord Jesus Christ is very present in both seasons of life. He has grace for both triumph and tragedy. Your very testimony is one that declares the triumph over and through tragedy that the gospel and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has made a reality in your life. As grace through the gospel has been offered to us in the extremes of life, we now are able to offer the gospel hope in Jesus to others in whatever season they may be in. The gospel keeps us balanced and focused on Jesus’ victory for us. The gospel keeps us focused on Jesus, giving Him glory in both triumph and tragedy. Each season is “of Him, through Him, and to Him.” With that, let’s dive in.

            First, we need to see that we need grace for triumph. Any victory that you have in life is the work of His grace for, in, and through you. If you take away grace, then you are an eternal loser that only knows defeat. As Paul writes, he has already reminded the believers that their life not only belongs to Jesus, but to one another. They are to rejoice and suffer with one another. Considering the previous verses, we can see that the early church had much to rejoice in, but also much to weep over. Things haven’t changed in that regard. The word rejoice has already been used in this chapter of Romans. The word for rejoice is the word “chairo” meaning to be cheerful or joyful or glad. It is in the present tense signifying that it should be a habit, pattern, or lifestyle for the believer. Joy is a mark of our faith in the Lord. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit within us. As we yield to His work within, He produces joy from the inside out. As has been said, joy acts as a thermostat whereas happiness acts as a thermometer. Joy is Jesus in you. Joy is Jesus operating in you and through you throughout all of life’s circumstances. The gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus produces gladness in the believer in all circumstances that life brings. Grace grows the grapes of gladness to the glory of God. True gospel fueled grace filled rejoicing comes from the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit as we yield to His work in us. Rejoicing in our life should be much more natural than it is. Sometimes we are surprised by joy, but the gospel allows us to experience and expect it to be known in all of life. Here in this verse, we aren’t being told to just be joyful ourselves, but to do something impossible in the flesh. We are called by God to rejoice with those that rejoice. It is easy to rejoice when things are going your way, but things don’t always go your way. It is easy and even enjoyable to rejoice over your own triumph, but what about the triumphs of others? Rejoicing with and for others (even when you don’t feel like it) requires us to put ourselves not just aside, but to put our flesh to death. Envy, jealousy, and pride are crushed by the gospel, but these issues try to take over when we see the successes of others. Don’t believe me? Ask a pastor about the struggle when he sees the “Oh man! What a Sunday we had and here’s the pictures to prove it” Facebook posts on a Sunday afternoon. Ask the couple struggling with infertility for years when the wicked prosper and bear children. Ask the man who lost his wife see some dirtbag man celebrate his alleged freedom after divorcing his faithful wife. Ask the mother who struggles to provide for her kids when she sees other moms get to stay at home or take their kids on vacation. You get the picture don’t you. This is you. This is me. Grace empowers us to enjoy the triumphs of others. It allows us to genuinely rejoice with the rejoicing while grieving our own losses or nursing our own wounds. Sometimes it is your season to rejoice and sometimes it is your season to rejoice for others. However, grace is in every season and is needed in every season. Grace is there to rejoice for others when we weep for ourselves. Grace is there to forgive us when jealousy wells up from within. The gospel reminds us that we can rejoice in all circumstances because the eternal victory in Christ has been given to us. The gospel calls us to examine if we are able to enjoy the joy in the live of others or if we are stuck in the mud of envy. Where are you? If you are struggling, then rest in the grace of Christ that empowers you to rejoice with the rejoicing. Celebrate God’s work in the lives of others and look to the eternal triumph that you have in Him!

            Second, we need to see that we need grace in tragedy. We know that we need grace to get through and over things in life, but it is only through the depths of our grief that we see the depths of His grace. Grace grows in the garden of grief. Glory springs forth from the vine of those that grieve with gospel hope. The second half of Rom. 12:15 says that we are to weep with those who are weeping. Once again, we are reminded of the extreme seasons of life where we spend our time in the in-between. Triumph doesn’t last forever but neither do tragedies. Highs and lows are just that. When the season of tragedy comes to you or others, weeping is not a bad thing. It is actually a human thing and a Biblical thing. The gospel has us weep over our sin to then soar with grace to rejoice eternally in the glory of Jesus Christ. Weeping is natural but weeping with those that weep is supernatural. It is all by the grace of God that we can weep for ourselves and others. The word “weep” is the word “klaio” which means crying, wailing, and external manifestations of grief. Everyone grieves, but all grieve differently. Tears aren’t a bad thing in tragedy, but the truth of the gospel is able to empower us to grieve with grace for ourselves and others. Grief is good when we look to the gospel, depend on grace, and then long with hopeful assurance of the glory to come. As Rom. 8:18 says, “¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” God is in tragedy as much as He is in the triumphs of life. Affliction in your life does not mean that God is absent in your life. Rest in the fact that grace is active and available in tragedy and affliction. 2 Cor. 1:3-4 says, “³ Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; ⁴ Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” The gospel and grace of God are there to give help and hope in the tragedies of life. Your tragedy though is to deepen your dependence upon both the gospel and grace of Jesus so that your trial becomes a testimony of grace. Others are counting on you to suffer well with gospel hope. As we learn to suffer faithfully, then we are able to help others learn to do the same in their time of affliction. When we talk about both the triumph and tragedy of others, we must understand that there are three typical responses. Imagine first with me that when tragedy hits an individual, they often feel that they are drowning in the endless sea of grief without the ability to plant their foot down again. It feels in the midst of affliction that the current is too strong and the shore too far away. Now imagine that someone is drowning and you are on the shore. There are three responses that are normal. One, there is apathy. Apathy doesn’t care about the problems of a drowning man; they are just selfishly relieved that it isn’t them. This response keeps walking, ignoring the cries of the drowning while offering no help or hope. The apathetic response never weeps for another. The apathetic response lets the drowning drown without being impacted by the tragedy because it is not their own. Two, there is empathy. This is the other extreme. While apathy doesn’t care at all, empathy cares too much and ends up drowning with the drowning man. While apathy has no tears, empathy is all tears, yet still not offering help or hope. Both sink down into despair which is its own tragedy. In both cases, the gospel and grace of Jesus Christ are outright ignored or rejected. Three, there is Biblical sympathy, or compassion as Jesus often expressed. Biblical sympathy recognizes the tragedy, weeps with the weeping while pointing to the hope of the gospel and help that grace offers. It hears the cries of the drowning being moved with compassion for the hurting but seeking to help and give hope with the only thing that can, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself is our hope and help. Biblical sympathy is tears in the tragedy with truth for triumph. Weeping with those that weep keeps the help and hope of the gospel and grace of Jesus while anticipating the glory to come when we leave this world of sorrows behind.

            Rejoicing with those that rejoice and weeping with those that weep is best seen in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both seasons of life point us to Him. He keeps us grounded and balanced in both. He is active in both and available in both. He is the personification of the compassion of God for man. John’s gospel presents seven different sign miracles that are proof of Jesus being the “Word made flesh” come to die as the Lamb of God for sinners. The very first miracle of Jesus’ ministry was turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana in John 2:1-11. There, Jesus rejoices with those that rejoice. That’s what you do at weddings. In the miracle, not only does He begin His ministry by rejoicing for others at their wedding but typifies the marriage feast of Jesus and His Church at His coming. Jesus rejoices with them in their present season of rejoicing while focusing on a greater joy that is to come. No matter the grandness of your triumph or the joy of another, Jesus is the greater reason to rejoice and Heaven with Him will be the greatest reality of rejoicing. Jesus’ last miracle, specifically sign miracle is found in John 11 at the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus wept and felt the grief. He groaned as He approached the grave of His friend. However, the tragedy turned into a triumph. The weeping led to wonder and rejoicing. Jesus didn’t show up on the sorrowful scene with apathy or empathy. He gave biblical compassionate sympathy. He wept with the hurting while offering help and hope in the truth that He is the resurrection and life. That’s the gospel. That’s the grace of Jesus. That’s the glory that is to come. Jesus Himself was the Suffering Servant of Isa. 53 and is the sympathetic interceding Great High Priest of His people according to Heb. 4:14-16; 7:22-28.            

I’m not sure what season you are in. You are probably like me, somewhere caught in the middle of triumph and tragedy. If you are in Christ, take heart. Your life is a testimony of the triumph that the gospel has given, and that grace turns our tragedies back into trophies of His glory and grace. The gospel is the greatest picture of rejoicing with the rejoicing and weeping with the weeping. Have you lost that vision of Jesus? He knows triumph and tragedy. He is more acquainted with your triumph and tragedy than you are. Do you live as He did? Do you live by grace being able to do both of these things by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit? When others experience triumph, do you allow their triumph to become your tragedy? Do you enjoy your pity parties? Grace empowers you to rejoice and weep. Do both but do both with grace. Do both but with the gospel as your focus. Glory is coming, but your greatest triumph in this life is not as glorious as eternity with Christ, so be humble and be humbled. Your darkest tragedy is not as painful as the pain Jesus experienced on the cross, so rejoice in the coming glories of eternity in Him. Remember that in all seasons, grace is actively working and available to all who will draw from it. Make sure that you respond with grace in all seasons. Do you hear the cries of the drowning? Weep with them, but give them the life jacket of the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus. By grace, rejoice and weep for the good of the church and glory of Christ.