When Weeping Spends The Night - Pastor Brad DeLong

Among the things I believe the Lord has for you today is a word, what I've just called a word of clarity. you turn with me to the book of Psalm, Psalm 30. We're going to read this short Psalm together. And I believe that the Lord's going to help us. And if you're a guest, we're so glad that you are here. We welcome you and honor you. Thank you. Truly, thank you for coming. I'm so thankful that we don't have a monopoly on the power of the spirit of God. It can and should be felt everywhere.

But I'm also thankful that we feel it here and we experience it here every week, every time we gather together, which I believe is the way it should be. This psalm we're about to read was written and perhaps sung and performed at the dedication of the house of David. Some believe for his palace. Others believe he wrote it in anticipation of the the temple being built. Some also believe that it points back to a time of trouble, a time of judgment that David endured earlier in his life. He writes, "I will extol you, oh Lord, for you have lifted me up.

You've not let my foes rejoice over me. Oh Lord, my God, I cried out to you and you heard me." That'll preach just there. Oh Lord, you brought my soul up from the grave. You kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit. says, "Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name." That's how he starts it and that's how we started this day today. He reminds us for his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for life.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity, I said, "I shall never be moved. Lord, by your favor, you made my mountain stand strong. you you hid your face and I was troubled. I cried out to you, oh Lord, and and to the Lord I made supplication." And he asked the Lord, "What profit is there in my blood?" And when I go down to the pit, will the dust praise you? Will it declare your truth here? Oh Lord, and have mercy on me, Lord, be my helper.

Says, "You've turned for me my mourning into dancing. You put off my sackcloth and clothe me with gladness to to the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent, oh Lord my God. I will give thanks to you forever. One rendering of this psalm in a verse five, a verse many of us know and love. It reads like this. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. This morning, I want to key in on that verse.

I want to preach, teach, preach. And this title this morning, when weeping spends the night. When weeping spends the night. Got some men that are going to help me set a few things up this morning. As they do, I wonder if you put your Bibles down and lift your hands and let's pray for God's help and clarity today. I believe the Lord wants to help somebody. Jesus, we feel your ministering spirit here today that we are truly in the presence of an almighty and holy and wonderful and merciful God and we don't take that for granted today.

And I pray and ask among the petitions we have for you that you would speak so clearly and you would help someone that you would give clarity to a life, to a heart, to a family that needs it today to an entire congregation that's in need of your clarity in your word of truth. I pray the word of truth would dwell in us richly today. That the implanted word would help us and strengthen us. And we ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. You may be seated this morning.

We are headed quickly into the summer months and into a a mostly wonderful time when the kids are out of school and free of their scholarly obligations. I know some are ready to be out of school. There are parents who are ready to send them back to school even though they're not yet out of school. So I say mostly it is a wonderful time and for most of us and many of us especially us '9s kids that meant that it was a prime time for us to spend the night. That was the phrase that we used spend the night over at friends houses and cousins houses to have a retreat as it were with our closest companions.

And at the Dong house we would rush to the phone. It was a landline. I hear those are coming back. We rush to the phone. We'd pick it up. We would dial 636-332-5508. Anyone know where that was? Yeah. Our our cousins, the bosses, and we would call and say, "Hey, can we come over?" And then we would pick up the phone and dial 7702828, still bluegrass's number, and we would get a hold of mom. And we would do this in a sequence in order to ensure success. We would call Aunt Denise first and make sure she was okay with it.

And then we'd call mom and say, "Mom, Denise already said we could come." It really put her in a spot, you know. She said, she said, "It's okay, Mom. We can come." We were We were scheming in the background. And and off we went. And I mean, it was a it was a blast. We would run wild out on their property for days. We'd only check in to eat and maybe to sleep on occasion. The the rest of the time was spent having fun and trying trying to stay out of trouble.

Such was the case one summer when, if my memory serves me right, I spent over two weeks at their house doing everything a pre-teen boy loves to do. I recall my cousin and I decided one day we need to forge a path through the woods uh for the four-wheeler and the ATV and we're going to use this pair of garden loppers and a a dull machete and we are going to chop through this forest and forge a path. I guess '90s kids, we had machetes. I did. I think we probably cut down about 60 small trees.

We only stopped working to get a ham sandwich. And and I know that the environmentalists at the time, I'm so sorry, they would have been appalled, but we were getting some unnecessary work done in those woods. I remember cutting whole trees with loppers. I don't know how we did it. It took me hours. And the fun only stopped when we we got bored one day and we decided, okay, it's time to abandon the woodwork and and we grabbed some hay bales from their shed and and we put them in my cousin's large sandbox.

And we set fire to those hay bales that we positioned in the middle of the sandbox. The sandbox that was next, right next to their shed full of hay and a few gallons of gasoline. Yes, your pastor was a crazy kid. That was the day that my aunt pulled up in that red Suburban. She jumped out of the car. She grabbed the hose to put out the fire, yelling the entire time. She's putting out yelling at us, spraying the fire. It's probably I remember it was getting to the trees. I mean, and my brother was there, but all of a sudden he wasn't there.

He was gone. The fun was over. There was a pretty quick call to my mom for them to meet up and send me back home. I had officially worn out my welcome. The vacation was over that the time had come for me to leave and may have already been passed to. There was no more spending the night. I had rightfully been evicted from someone else's house. I became that unwanted house guest who is prone to pyrochnics and and the moment came for me to leave. And the truth is this morning as we uh consider our thought in this title today despite my my antics and that hairbrain idea.

Unfortunately, I was not the first house guest to overstay their welcome and I haven't been the last. You all may not have had someone set fire to your sandbox, but I think we all may be able to recall a guest or two who just stayed a little too long in the house. If that guest is in this room, don't point them out. Don't call their name. We know the feeling when someone comes over in our ideas of an appropriate time of visitation, they don't line up. They don't coincide. And maybe we want them to stay longer.

Maybe the kids are needing to get off to bed and we need them to make an earlier exit. I think we all may be able to relate on some level, which is why when I read the original rendering of this text in Psalm 30 and the way that David personifies, he makes a person out of the house guests that he names. weeping that that this illustration really stood out to me. Now in their culture, hospitality was crucial. It was foundational. You see this thread and expectation all throughout the Bible. So So when the original rendering of Psalm 30 and five says this that at evening weeping may arrive for the night, you start to get a picture of this person and house guest called weeping.

The NIV says weeping may stay for the night. New King James says weeping may endure or have a prolonged visit for the night. The ESV says weeping may terry for the night. And one scholar noted that that word terry in this verse suggests an overnight visitor, an overnight guest. Weeping is this person or a a lodger who at evening turns to terry for the night like Mary and Joseph attempted to do in Bethlehem or Abraham's servant did when finding Isaac's bride. So weeping this this character of this text comes knocking at our door longing to be perhaps the most unwanted house guest you could ever have or maybe the one that just seems to overstay their visit the most.

For all honest this morning, no one wants weeping to swing by. No one wants weeping to stay. Not a single one of us would call up weeping and and invite them over for dinner and certainly not allow them to spend the night. And as much as I overstayed my welcome at my aunt's house, I I'd have to imagine as I read this psalm that weeping of all people would be the guest that would cause everyone to hide and turn off the lights when he rings the doorbell. And he's the one that's causing you to to crawl across the floor past the window so so he doesn't see you in the house.

You've done it. Maybe not. He's one of the more undesirable guests in the Psalms and likely in our day-to-day lives. With that in mind, let me just ask you a straightforward and honest question. Anyone ever felt like weeping has overstayed his visit? Anybody? And when I say weeping, I I'm not I'm talking generally about grief and and sorrow and suffering and pain more than just the action of of crying or sobbing. And I believe that that intent is there in the psalm that there's this time of pain and struggle and it's personified in the person weeping.

Anyone ever felt like pain and grief and heartache? just stayed a little too long. Yeah. Anyone ever felt like you wanted to just forcibly remove weeping and and his companions of pain and and heartache from your life and and home and family? We'll just be real today. Weeping keeps you up longer than you wanted to stay up. Weeping seems to bring nothing but pain when it comes. Weeping is the unwanted house guest none of us ever asked for. And when he stands at that Ring doorbell and you see his face on the camera, we're just hoping he's going to go away.

We try to lock the door, but but weeping is still here. He's somehow found our address and and he knows that we're home. He's not leaving. He doesn't seem to bring the gifts and desiraables that any of us want or request. And and he often comes with a whole lot of baggage and sorrow and grief and sadness. And as soon as he arrives, we're ready to see him out the front door or maybe the back door or a window or the chimney if we got to. No one longs for a pines for weeping.

But not only has he come, he's come to spend the night. He's come to Terry. He's come to lodge and live with us. He's he's come to remain. We're hoping he drops off like a like an Amazon delivery driver. If he's got to come, we want him to just stop in momentarily and leave. But instead, Weeping's brought a bag. And not just an overnight bag, not a Walmart bag. He's he's got a big bag. You don't need that bag if you're not sticking around. And here comes weeping. He's here to stay.

He's here to endure. Truthfully, that's the word that first caught my attention in the psalm. It's the one that came screaming into my heart and my mind. What does it mean when weeping endures? In the context of this psalm, weeping was sent there by God himself. Something we'll address in a moment. And and weeping is the result of God's judgment and and anger. The psalmist uses this imagery to say that that God's anger only lasts for a moment. That that his joy and victory lasts far longer than the night. Again, another theme that we're going to address in a moment.

But the hope is that the anger of the Lord will subside momentarily and and joy will be infused again. But I also I noted something interesting in the psalm. We're told in this verse that weeping only spends the night. But we're never actually told how long the night lasts. Anyone notice that? I just thought it was a summer night that we have this literal expectation that there's this 10-hour window of darkness and and then joy. But again, just being honest, how many of you have ever been through a night that just never seemed to end?

Anybody? How many you have had one of those literal sleepless nights that seemed like it was an eternity and you look at the clock thinking it's got to be 6:00 a.m. and it's 1:45? How many of you have had a a season of darkness that lasted a little more than 10 hours? I don't want to be the bearer of bad news when I remind us that David's words in this psalm, they aren't poetic and and they're illustrative and and there's just some nights that last longer than our summer parameters allow.

In fact, we're given no parameters. We're given no length of a night in this psalm. There's no definition given that there's no agreement and and fixed arrangement for weeping's visit and endurance and tearing. We just know he's here to stay for the night. A night that may be longer than any of us ever wanted. Considering this, I thought the Apostle Paul said this of that horrendous shipwreck that he was in and those nights that he endured. He said, "Neither sun nor stars appeared for many days. There's someone living this right now.

I can't see the sun, not even the stars for many days. And and no small tempest. It's not some small thing I'm going through. It's night after night. It seems to be day after day. I can't see the sun. All hope that we would be saved was finally given up. There are some nights that seem to last longer than others. And and our unwanted house guest starts to take up residence in our home, in our lives. And Paul's testimony reminds us sometimes the night can envelop our days. And not every literal morning comes embedded with joy.

Some of you live some mornings where it was just weeping all over again. And the psalmist said in Psalm 42, "My tears have been my food day and night." They continually say to me, "Where is your God?" When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For for I used to go with the multitude. I I went with them to the house of God with a voice of joy and praise with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why? Why are you cast down, oh my soul? Why are you disqued within me?

Hope in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Some of us are wishing that weeping stopped by just to drop off a cup of sugar and leave. Instead, he's got a bag and he's decided to stay a while and he sits with us for prolonged periods of time. He reminds us of sorrow and pain and and grief. He can be unrelenting at at times and he can be the epitome of a drain at times. Not lolo, but weeping. And just when we're about to relax and we're trying to forget or we're trying to rest, he asks for another thing.

He reminds us that he's present. He's he's seemingly seemingly as ever present as the God who sits in the same room with us and the and as the God who sent him to our address in the first place. Here in lies another difficulty. How did weeping get my address? How did he find me? How did he know I was home? Why is he come to me? A child of God, someone walking with the Lord. Why was he sent here to my house? In the Psalmist case, he was sent because of the judgment and the decree of the Lord.

But let me expound by saying that weeping doesn't just come when God's mad at us. Weeping may also come when he's pleased with us. Weeping isn't always the result of a mistake. Let me help somebody. It's not always the result of mistake or or God's mediation. Weeping may come because we are right in the middle of the perfect will of God. Truthfully, those times may perplex us the most when we just come from a prayer meeting in a moment with the power and the glory of God and we show up to the house to find tragedy and weeping and sorrow waiting for us at the door.

If that's your story today, let me remind you of a few things that I believe were encouraging. They may not seem at first too, but if you listen, first of all, let me remind you weeping is promised. Thank you very much, pastor. You're welcome. Weeping has made house calls to every Bible character and child of God you could list. Weeping has been a fixture in humanity since the fall of man. Weeping, grief, godly sorrow, pain have had a part to play in Christianity from Acts one and beyond. Jesus on the heels of his own execution, he says this.

He says, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said that in a little while and you you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me? Most assuredly I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice." He's talking about when he's gone, but I think the general rule applies that you'll be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman when she's in labor has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she's given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

Therefore, you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. Ecclesiastes 4 says, "There is a time to weep. There's a time to laugh. There's a time to mourn, a time to dance." Revelation 21 tells us that someday weeping is going to go into forced retirement. there'll be no more need for him. But until that time, the implication is that the world will continue to turn and night times will still come and that weeping is here to stay.

That he will be present in our lives. In fact, Psalm 56 reminds us that that the Lord puts our tears in a bottle, that they're recorded in his book, and there'd be no need for the bottle and no need for the book if weeping was not on assignment. If weeping was not still being sin in the world, you'll have tribulation, he said. And he said, "Be of good cheer. I I've overcome the world." But he did promise it's coming. And Romans 12 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice." And we know there's going to be rejoicing.

But it also says, "Hey, don't forget, weep with those who weep." Weeping is a part of the package, a part of the pattern. Weeping is part and parcel to life and following Christ himself. Weeping is imprinted in the very fabric of Christianity. It's it's assured and promised. Even Jesus wept. It's a verse we love to quote. Shortest verse of the Bible. And yet we miss it so often. Jesus was not exempt from all the ails and discomfort of we want to know why you can come boldly before the throne of grace because he was tempted in law in all points like we were.

He understands that even Jesus endured weeping's visits and their pain. And even Jesus succumbed and submitted himself to sorrow and grief. Even Jesus entertained the unwanted house guest named weeping. Weeping stopped by after Lazarus passed and and weeping overcame Jesus as he looked over Jerusalem in Luke 19. And weeping came to him in the mountains and and out in the wilderness. He never seemed to escape unsolicited companion. And in one of his more critical moments when all the disciples were asleep and unconscious, weeping was awake and weeping came to him again in Gethsemane.

He wouldn't relent and accompanied him to the brink. The writer of Hebrews describes us when he says this that in the days of his flesh. When Jesus had offered up prayers and supplications, he did it with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death was heard because of his godly fear. Though he was a son, yet he learned disobedience or rather obedience by the things which he suffered. weeping came knocking and of all the responses that the God of heaven could have had, he opened the door and he let him in and embraced him.

Jesus didn't hide from weeping, pain, suffering, grief. Jesus allowed weeping to visit, to terry, and endure. Why does weeping have my address? Can I tell you often times weeping is sent to you with as much God ordained purpose and eternal weight as joy. That's hard. Often times there may be more purpose and growth in your weeping than there is in your joy, which we'll get to in a moment. There are sometimes when weeping is to be embraced even more so than joy. Let me help someone today when I say that weeping and pain and and all the stuff he packed in that giant suitcase, it may not be to your detriment at all, but if God has sent him like he did in Psalm 30, weeping may be there uh to help you for your growth and your journey towards Christ likeness.

Weeping has a purpose. It's not always your enemy. It may be a part of God's plan. And weeping may have been given your address by the Lord of heaven himself. And he brought a bag, but weeping can bring clarity in that bag. Brother Stone King, I remember him saying one time that times of prayer, he said, "I'm not averse to weeping before the Lord because he said, "I felt like those tears washed my eyes and I could see clearer after the fact." Again, I'm not just talking about the act of sobbing continually.

I I know that there's a place and a time for that. But but his point was by the time that prayer and suffering and pain was over. He could see more clearly than before. Weeping did not come to the house empty-handed. He brought something to the table. He brings clarity. Anyone ever found that weeping brings closeness with God? Weeping and his ordained companions of pain and suffering, they they bring growth with him. Weeping when coupled with wisdom brings Christlikkeness and spiritual maturity. Weeping which I define again as more than just that action of sobbing or lamenting but as the personified face of God's plan for growth through hardship, suffering, pain brings more to the table than we often realize and takes less from us than we often surmise.

went on assignment because of the grace and providence of God of all persons. It's weeping that may bring more to our home and family than any of us care to admit. I'll read you from 2 Corinthians 4. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen, they are temporary. But the things which are not seen are eternal. That night may seem to last forever. When in the grand scheme of things, it just lasts for a moment. It's it's just tonight. But that night, that that season of sorrow, that test of your endurance, that tearing, that longsuffering, that neverending visit from God's servant and messenger named weeping. It's that night that may be working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Romans 8, for I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy.

That night you are in right now is not worthy to be compared with the glory that's in this room and the glory which shall be revealed. And I know no one wants a night like that. No one longs for weeping to sit at the table and never leave. No one pines for pain and sorrow and grief. And and we all may be straining to see the sunrise hoping for the day and the relief. But can I help someone by saying that weeping the night, the grief, it may be the very thing that ends up opening the door for rejoicing and victory and the sunrise to come again in the first place.

when it's directed by God's love and plan. It may just be that the night of all things, the night that weeping carries and spins at your place, the night itself may be the thing that gives way for and prepares for the morning of rejoicing that is sure to come. And if that's the case, I believe the word will have something to say about it. And it does. From Psalm 126, I need someone that is in a time in a season, a nighttime, a season of sorrow. I need you to hear these words.

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sewing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheav with him. I'm going to read it again so someone can really hear it. Those who sew in tears are going to reap in joy. Those who continually go forth weeping, bearing seed for sewing, will doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheav with him. What if weeping and rejoicing are tied together and one inevitably follows the other?

An answer to that question, I bring you hope this morning from our text. Hear it loud and clear. For his anger is but for a moment, but his favor is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy. I notice we all amen that part. No one says yes. Weeping. There's a reason though some of you are amening because you've lived it. You endured weeping for a long time. But you remember the day that joy came knocking to the door. Help me out. Joy. I want to tell somebody weeping may have your address, but can I encourage you?

Joy, joy has also been given your address. Weeping, I know he's there. He seems to be ever. But joy is coming. Joy is on its way. Joy does have your that weeping will end. Joy is coming with the morning. I believe joy is on its way. I believe joy is coming to stay with you. I believe joy has also packed a bag. I believe joy is coming with the sun itself. And as surely as that sun will rise again in the physical realm, joy, joy unspeakable and full of glory. The joy of the Lord, fullness of joy, joy is coming.

Rejoicing is coming. Triumph and celebration are coming. Delight and jubilation are on their way. There will be a morning. And joy is going to be waiting at your door when the sun rises on your life. Someone hear me. I don't know how long your night is. I wish it would end right now in some ways, but can I tell you that it will end? Someone's been going through a night for years. Can I tell you definitively today? It will end. It will end. Someone that's experienced that, I wonder if you just help me for the sake of someone else that's on your pew.

It will end. That night will end. That night is going to stop. It will. It is tied to the pattern of creation itself. A pattern that only stopped one time when a man named Joshua asked for it. But until that day, every night, no matter how long it's lasted, and some of you are thinking of the uh the exceptions like in Alaska, those nights end too. They end. No matter how long that night has lasted, it has ended and been accompanied by sunrise while it moves to the other side of the earth.

The morning is coming and Lamentations tells us while we wait through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, oh God. Great is your faithfulness. There is an expectation. Morning is coming and with it joy and with it rejoicing and with it triumph and with it marrynt and strength. Joy is coming and I believe he's going to pull up a chair and I believe he's going to stay a while and I hope he stays as long as he can.

He really never has to leave. Even when night comes he doesn't. Some of us might as well make up that guest bedroom and make him comfortable and get ready for joy to come. Some of us are ready to give up the master if joy will stick around a while. We want true and unending joy found only in the presence of God. We want joy to sit at the table always and for him to be a fixture in our home, in our family. We want the day and sunrise to never end and joy to stay in an indefinite manner.

That's what we're looking for. And I pray someone's making room for joy to come. I believe joy is coming. I believe joy is on its way. Even as I prepared this week, I just felt almost a prophetic word. And I believe it is a prophetic word because it's right here. Joy is coming. Joy is coming, somebody. You hold on. Joy is coming. Why don't you just lift your hands right now if you believe that and call on the name of the Lord and believe for joy right now. Jesus, we make room for joy in our hearts and minds and spirits.

Some of us haven't felt joy the entirety of our night. But we make room for joy right here and now. We receive your joy, oh God. Your promised joy. Joyy's coming. And I'm coming to a close in just a moment. Musicians can get ready. As he does, as we prepare to invite joy in, I've got one more piece of news for us. One that could encourage us greatly. Some others it might discourage you may say just leave it alone pastor I wish I could. Truth is I scanned this text looked at the original wording and multiple translations the commentaries all I know it's poetry and this particular one is using the morning and night and maybe isn't the one that we take the most literally.

We read it in context. It's got to be we're not necessarily looking for a physical person called weeping. And I'm sorry that Lo even got tabbed with weeping. He's not a weepy guy. It occurred to me though when I read this text. I never saw a moment when weeping left the building. Weeping is the house guest which implies that there will be a day when he leaves. Revelation tells us the Lord will wipe every tear from every eye. Weeping will lose his job. occur to me further that the body of evidence in scripture tells us weeping and joy may visit and occupy the same space at the same time.

Hear me somebody. Just because joy arrives and stays and just because weeping arrives and stays, that does not mean that the other is kicked out or removed. Joy is eternal. We're going to have true joy for eternity. Weeping doesn't seem to be eternal for the saints of God. That said, as long as we're in the world, we will have tribulation. And as long as we eagerly await for the coming of the Lord, Romans says that the whole of creation will continue to groan as we persevere. I love to tell you that the two weeping and joy can't be at the same place at the same time.

I love to tell you that because I love for joy to just kick weeping out sometimes. I am thankful to tell you that joy can always come in, but they can be in the same place at the same time. The further context of that psalm that we read, some believe was David's response to the Lord's judgment after David's senses. That context would tell us that the joy David received in the morning, it did not negate and remove the weeping and the nights that came after. Many of you know David takes a census, the Lord's upset.

70,000 people die after that census. I don't think that weeping left anytime soon after that. What's probably most remarkable is that joy came at all. And there's a lesson in there for us. You can have joy in your life, home, any time. You ought to have joy at any moment. Someone has been robbed of your joy. And I've come to tell you, you can have it back. You can have it back, church. The very same table. You can have all the wonders of the spirit of God and his fruit. You can have all the good things that the spirit provides.

But notice with me in one setting, you can have love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, self-control. That's eight. Anyone know the one I missed? It's the forgotten fruit. Brother calls it longsuffering. the fruit of the spirit. Same table, spirit of God and weeping's there. This morning, I know I may not have done the best job of it, but I have come to encourage you and give you clarity. Best way I know to do that is to remind you of the words before we close of two men who spent many nights with weeping.

The first one is believed to be the brother of Jesus who endured much suffering, many nights of sorrow. He writes to a church under persecution, a scattered church. My brethren, someone hear this. Count it all joy. I read that sometimes and think, what? Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. His companion and count counterpart Peter writes from experience and to another persecuted church when he says, "Beloved, don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try as though some strange thing happened to you.

All of us are facing it, but rejoice. Rejoice while weeping is here." Yes. Yes. Weep while I'm supposed to have joy. Yes. Rejoice in the extent that you partake in Christ's sufferings. That when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. Joy is coming. It's a strange thing that weeping, suffering, pain, and heartache can sit at the same table with joy. James and Peter and Jesus and the writer of Hebrews convince us it's probable and likely part of the plan and providence of God. So, if you are looking around the table today and all you see is weeping, my encouragement for you is start making room for joy, pull up a chair, get a plate ready.

Joyy's coming. Joyy's coming. Open the door for the fruit of the spirit and for joy to come. It's promised to you that you'll have joy. And if you're weeping for Christ's sake and as a part of his plan, as difficult as it is to say and do, don't be too quick to run weeping off and remove him from the table, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. When patience has has its perfect work, you'll be perfect and complete, lacking. Let's stand together. as you sit at that table today and maybe maybe you ske it and it's just joy.

Some of us envy you. I want you to remember the words the writer of Hebrews. Therefore, we also he just he just got done talking about the saints of God who never saw the full joy. Talks about how they were sawn in two. He says, "Therefore, we also since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ens snares us, and let us run with endurance the race that's set before us." looking unto Jesus who for the joy that was set before him.

Joy. Can you imagine any amount of joy in Gethsemane? There was a measure of joy sat before him at that table as he wept and blood poured from his brow. For the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of God. It hadn't occurred to me to this moment, but as you sit with joy and weeping, you may also, I believe, you are sitting with God as well. The God who's come to visit with you today, it's that God who gave me a word some time ago from a man that many of us love from first Peter, same letter.

He says, "May the God of all grace who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you've suffered through the night. May he perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." I believe that's what the Lord wants to do today. If you're in a season of struggle and weeping and you want the Lord to perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle, I want to open this altar. And I wonder if you just be so bold and vulnerable to say, "You know what? I've been in a night time and I need God's strength and I need God's help."

You've been in a time and a season of struggle. Would you just step out of where you are? Come and find a place at the front of this building. And I believe that the God of heaven will meet you here. That the God of heaven will strengthen and perfect and establish and settle you. You're in a season of struggle. You're in a time where weeping is tearing. I wonder if you again just be honest and bold with the Lord today and say, "You know what, Lord? I need your help. Would you come right now and lift your hands and expect for the power and the strength of God to come to you?

And I know we've got some that have already come and some that are already seeking God. And here's what the writer of Romans tells us. Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. So this altar call in just for these. But if you want to come right now and pray and fulfill that scriptural mandate, would you step out and find someone who's in a nighttime and a season of weeping and would you call on the name of the Lord with them? Maybe what they need is just a hand on a shoulder.

They just need someone to come alongside. Face that pain with them. Joy is coming, somebody. God's going to keep me until that day. I will not help you. My God will make a way. I am not afraid. May I am in the fire. I will not feel the flame. I'll stay before the giant declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. I have this confidence because I've seen the faithfulness of God still inside the storm. The promise of the shore. I trust the power of your word.

enough to seek your kingdom first beyond the barit place beyond the ocean way. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the child declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. You keep the promises you made. There isn't one that is delayed. So I will not lose heart. Here I will lift my arms and start to sing it into the night.

My praise will call the sun to rise. Declare the battle won. Declare that it is done. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the child declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid before me, behind me. Always beside me. No shadow, no valley. Where you won't find me though I am not afraid before behind me always beside me.

No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No I am not afraid. before me, behind me. You're always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not afraid. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid before me behind me.

You're always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. Oh, I am not away from before me, behind me, and always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not afraid. No, I am not afraid. When I walk through the water, I won't be overcome. When I go through the valley, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. Oh, I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the child, declaring victory.

My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. Heat. Heat. You indulge me. I want to pray one more prayer this morning. preparing this week, I just had the sense that someone in a night or season of weeping. If I could just put it this way, that joy has been at the door knocking. And maybe you felt like you couldn't have joy right now. Maybe it just seems like, well, it's inappropriate for me to open that door and to have a time of joy considering what I'm facing. Or what will others think?

Or or it really isn't joy. It's just more weeping. I want us to take a moment to open that door today because again that joy is promised to you and joy unlike weeping never has to leave. Joy can be with you as long as the spirit the Bible says in his presence there's fullness of joy. As long as you've got the presence of God, you have access to the joy of the Lord. As long as you've got his spirit, the fruit of that spirit is joy. So, I want to right now if we could just take a moment and open the door and let the Lord's peace and strength and joy come into our lives.

I believe God has this in store for someone today. If you believe that and you want that, would you just lift your hands right now and invite the Lord's presence and invite the Lord's joy and invite his peace that only he can give into your heart and into your life. It doesn't just have to be weeping today, but you can leave here with joy. And you can leave here with God's peace. You can leave here with God's clarity today. Lord, we do it together. We know that the joy that we're talking about is promised as even as we pray right now that someone would start to feel the joy of the Lord.

Come on then, oh God, that joy would step into someone's home, into someone's heart. Oh, someone receive the joy and the power of the Lord right now. Let joy step into our lives today. Oh God, I pray anything that would impede it. Any enemy, any adversary, any cow, Lord, any flesh that would get in the way of joy, Lord, that you would remove those even now as we pray. Oh, and I I wonder if you're feeling the joy of the Lord if you just start to rejoice. Maybe you don't feel it yet, but why don't you rejoice anyway, Jesus?

We know we see weeping, but we do rejoice. We do praise you. We do rejoice even in the night. Hey, there's precedent for this. Paul and Silas rejoice at night in prison. You can rejoice. You can have joy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, we praise you, Jesus. We praise you, Jesus. The end of the song said, "You have turned my mourning into dancing." And God is able to do that today. He's able to. You're not going to be able to manufacture it on your own, but God is able to do it.

I wonder if you just clap your hands to him at least one last time. Jesus, we praise you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We're going to weep with those who weep. But we also, we got to get good at this. We're going to rejoice with those who rejoice. We rejoice with Karen uh already in this service. We rejoice with her for everything that God has done in your life. We rejoice with what the Lord is doing. We've got a reason to rejoice. I know I spent 90% of the time talking about weeping, but weeping will end in joy.

We thank the Lord for that day, but the cardon described that also day. We're going out of here with joy.