“Weep for yourself”
Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, 13 Sep 2015
Luke 23:27-31
27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Here the Lord Jesus is carrying the Cross on the way to Golgotha. A great crowd surrounded Him, some with love and pity, but others with hate and mocking Him. And then there were those who were just inquisitive, wanting to see what was going on.Along the way there was a man called “Simon of Cyrene”. When Jesus’ strength was failing under the Cross, they looked for a person to carry the cross and they got Simon to carry the Cross. He was, according to some Bible commentators, the father of Alexander and Rufus who became members of the New Testament church. He didn’t want to but he was forced to. He was born in North Africa. Through his carrying the Cross there was blessing upon his children. It’s a pity when Africans say that Jesus is for the white people. We find so other instances where Jesus identifies with those of Africa, like in this instance, and also when Joseph had to flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus, Africa gave Jesus refuge.
They cruelly beat Jesus so that his back was “ploughed like a field”. They put a crown of cruel thorns on His head and beat him on the head so that the thorns wounded his head. Yet the Lord Jesus said, “daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me but for yourself and your children”. Have you ever wept for yourself? When you gaze upon Him, then you should weep for yourself, your sins, realising that it’s because of your sin that He suffered in this terrible way. He did it for you.
There are those who superficially apologise without godly remorse, but it doesn’t go deep. The Bible says that godly sorrow brings repentance (2Cor 7:10). We should all be familiar with the tears of remorse because of our own sins. The Bible says that God is not mocked, that which we sow we will reap, and the wages of sin is death (Gal 6:7; Rom 6:23).
A certain girl at Maphumulo, met a boy who told her that she was the first girl in his life. But after she got AIDS, she discovered that he had fifteen other girlfriends. There is truth in the saying that there is no one who can lie like a boy that woos a girl.
God brings His wrath from Heaven on people who do these things. He wants to bring you into marriage in a pure way, without sexual immorality. The veil a bride wears signifies virginity. Woe to you if you do not keep God’s Word. Don’t just be one who hears but one who keeps the Word of God.
Jesus said, “weep for yourself and your children”. Do you know how to die, and have you taught your children? If you receive a call that your child have died, would you be fearless knowing that you’ve taught your child the Gospel? Teach your children what the Bible says, “it is appointed unto man once to die and thereafter the judgement” (Heb 9:27).
German Translation
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