                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                              The Pain of God!

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By David Wilkerson
June 5, 1995
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          According to Scripture, we are never to think of God as
          a cold, unfeeling Father. Our God feels deeply! He is
          touchable. His heart can be moved upon. In fact, He is
          touched with the feelings of our infirmities (see
          Hebrews 4:15).

          God not only feels pain, but grieves as well. You
          remember that Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb. Here is a
          picture of God in flesh weeping! It shows us that the
          Lord feels with us and weeps with us. After all, Jesus
          said, "...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father..."
          (John 14:9).

          We catch another clear glimpse of God's pain in the
          Garden of Gethsemane. Just hours before the guards came
          to deliver Jesus to the high priest, He wept so
          profusely and so feelingly that blood was mixed with
          His tears. God was in pain over the sins of humankind!

          Have you ever wondered why Jesus wept in the garden -
          why He had such pain in His heart? It wasn't because of
          the pain He would face on the Cross. No, Jesus wasn't
          longing to reject the cup.

          Rather, I believe Jesus was looking down all the years
          of humankind to the Second Coming. And as He looked
          through those years, He saw the unthinkable. He saw
          multitudes of people rejecting His free offer of full,
          complete salvation. And He saw the pain and suffering
          they faced as a result of their rejecting Him.

          Jesus didn't wail, "I'm about to shed My blood and go
          through such pain - but you're going to reject Me. I'll
          get even with you on the Judgment Day. You'll have a
          payday coming!"

          No! Jesus was weeping over the multiplied millions yet
          to come - those who would know of His free offer of
          salvation, favor, blessing, unction, anointing - and
          yet would not avail themselves of any of it. Christ was
          weeping that so many were going to be lost, despite
          having a remedy so available to them.

          This is the pain of God! It's the pain that humankind
          brings upon itself. Jesus didn't just carry our sins to
          the Cross. He also carried the pain of the whole world!

          Here in New York City, we meet people everywhere who
          are nervous, depressed. We meet drug addicts,
          alcoholics and homeless people who sit outside the
          doors of our church. All these people have the gospel
          freely preached to them - and yet many reject it!

          In the garden, Jesus was picturing in His God-eyes the
          great masses of humanity and all their pain. And in
          that moment, it all was heaped upon Him - your pain, my
          pain, the pain of every person who rejects Him at any
          time.

          Yet I also believe Jesus had sorrow of heart for
          another reason. He knew that people were going to mock
          Him, ridicule Him, make Him the song of drunkards. And
          He was pained because of the justice that would have to
          be meted out to all who denied His sacrifice!

          When Christ said to His disciples, "...could ye not
          watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40), I believe it
          was out of pain. He wasn't rebuking them. Rather, He
          was pained because He knew their flesh was weak. And He
          knew what their weakness would bring down upon them.

          In the very next verse, Jesus says, "...the spirit
          indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (verse 41).
          In His all-knowing eyes, Jesus foresaw the disciples
          forsaking Him and fleeing. He foresaw their emptiness
          and pain after rejecting Him, and their return to their
          former lives as fishermen.

          He knew that the events to follow would bring Peter to
          a denial of Him. Jesus saw this once-bold disciple
          running to the hills, crying, "How could I have denied
          Jesus? How could I have done such a horrible thing?"

          So, when Jesus said to these men, "Could you not watch
          with Me?", He wasn't saying, "I need a pal during My
          trying times." No - He was God! He didn't need someone
          to stand by Him and encourage Him.

          Rather, Jesus was in pain for His disciples. He was
          saying, in essence, "If you don't watch with Me, you
          won't be prepared. You won't be able to handle what's
          coming!" He knew the apostasy that would spring up in
          their hearts because they were too lazy to gird
          themselves up. And the thought of their consequent
          suffering brought great pain to His heart.

          Don't think for a moment that Jesus did not grieve over
          Judas. Nothing in His heart could simply dismiss that
          man, saying, "Oh, devil, go do your work." Rather, I
          believe Jesus wept inside as Judas walked out of the
          Upper Room to betray Him.

          Christ's all-knowing eyes foresaw that disciple casting
          thirty pieces of silver to the ground, crying, "I've
          betrayed the living God!" And surely Jesus felt Judas'
          grief as that tormented man went out to hang himself.

          I want to share with you something the Lord recently
          revealed to my heart:

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                           God Takes No Pleasure
                          in Meting Out Justice!

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          Every time we sin against God, His justice demands that
          He chasten His children. Yet this is God's most painful
          work - to bring judgment upon those who break His laws!

          "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth,
          saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live
          ye" (Ezekiel 18:32).

          God says, "Do you think I receive pleasure when people
          die - even wicked people? Never! I get no pleasure from
          the downfall of any sinner."

          Jesus took no pleasure in Judas' death. He didn't
          gloat, saying, "See what happens to traitors!" Nor does
          the Lord receive any pleasure from the death or
          destruction of drug pushers, abortion doctors, even
          murderers. He is not happy when anyone dies in sin.

          Yet how different we are from the Lord in this matter!
          We clasp our hands and say, "Thank You, Lord - You
          dealt with that evil." We feel none of God's pain when
          a sinner falls!

          You may ask, "But doesn't God say in Proverbs 1:26, 'I
          also will laugh at your calamity'?"

          No! The context of this passage begins in verse 20. It
          reads, "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice
          in the streets ...saying, How long, ye simple ones,
          will ye love simplicity?..." (verses 20-22). Wisdom is
          still speaking in verse 26, which reads, "I also will
          laugh at your calamity..."

          It is wisdom - not God - that mocks the sinner. This
          passage is addressing those who cast aside all wisdom
          and mock its counsel. You see, there's a law involved -
          a fixed principle of God - that we call wisdom. If you
          cross the street when the light is red and are hit by a
          car, the wisdom present in that streetlight mocks your
          calamity.

          God could never laugh at the calamity of even the most
          wicked person. He cannot mock those who are being
          destroyed by their sins. On the contrary, He tells us
          He receives no pleasure from the death of any sinner.

          Yet His wisdom cries out to everyone. It is crying out
          right now on the streets just outside Times Square
          Church. Those who should be hearing the voice of God -
          who instead are mocking that wisdom - will be mocked by
          wisdom on Judgment Day. At that time, wisdom will cry
          out, "How foolish you've been!" "Then they shall call
          upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me
          early, but they shall not find me" (verse 28).

          Yet this same chapter in Proverbs also offers hope. It
          reveals God's heart in the final verse:

          "But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and
          shall be quiet from fear of evil" (verse 33).

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                      We See Another Picture of God's
                         Pain When Jesus Wept Over
                          the City of Jerusalem!

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          "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and
          wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou,
          at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto
          thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For
          the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall
          cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and
          keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even
          with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they
          shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because
          thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Luke
          19:41-44).

          Who is weeping here? It's Jesus - God in flesh!

          He wasn't standing on some soapbox, pointing His finger
          and shouting, "One day an army will come and kill your
          wives and children!"

          No - Jesus was weeping as He prophesied. He was looking
          forty years ahead, to the time when Titus's army would
          invade Jerusalem, rape the city and destroy the temple.
          It would be a holocaust beyond all holocausts. And as
          Jesus foresaw this happening, He wept over the city.

          The inhabitants of Jerusalem shortly were going to
          reject Him - spit on Him, mock Him, rail against Him,
          curse His name, crucify Him. Yet here He was, weeping
          in pain over them - because God's justice demanded
          judgment! Justice was going to bring a heathen army
          into their streets - and men, women and children were
          going to be slain without mercy.

          Yet I believe Jesus also was weeping over what
          Jerusalem could have experienced: a visitation of God.
          They could have had blessings, forgiveness, a new
          heart. But they rejected it all! The next verse tells
          us why Jesus' pain was so great:

          "And he went into the temple, and began to cast them
          out that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying
          unto them, It is written, My house is the house of
          prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves" (verses
          45-46).

          Jesus went into the temple with a whip and drove out
          all the money changers. Why this serious scourging? He
          did it because He knew these were the very sins that
          were hastening the coming judgment!

          Jesus was feeling the pain of that horrible future
          scene. He was hearing all the cries of the women who
          would have a knife stuck into their bellies. He was
          hearing all the screams of the children who would be
          trampled underfoot by Titus's army. And He was grieving
          as He saw stone after stone being pulled down from the
          temple.

          Jesus foresaw all of this and said, "Don't you money
          changers understand? What you're doing here is bringing
          down God's judgment!" God was in pain over His chosen
          people - because their sin was going to destroy them!

          There had to be tears in Jesus' eyes as He snapped that
          whip. I don't believe a single stroke touched anyone in
          that temple. Instead, it struck tables and carts,
          snapping in the wind. He used the whip as a rod of
          love. It was His way of saying, "Wake up! You're
          forcing God to bring down on you what pains Him most!"

          Let me show you another glimpse of God's pain:

          "And the Lord said unto Moses...thy people, which thou
          broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted
          themselves: ...they have made them a molten calf, and
          have worshipped it, and have sacrified thereunto....I
          have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked
          people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may
          wax hot against them, and that I may consume them...
          And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord,
          why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which
          thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with
          great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should
          the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring
          them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume
          them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce
          wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people....
          And the Lord repented [changed His mind] of the evil
          which he thought to do unto his people" (Exodus
          32:7-14).

          In reading this passage, many Christians mistakenly
          attribute more grace and mercy to Moses than to God.
          They think, "Moses is pleading for great mercy upon
          Israel, while God is ready to destroy them."

          Nothing could be further from the truth! There was only
          one reason Moses could pray as he did here: It was
          because He knew God's heart of mercy!

          You see, God was speaking here out of His justice - and
          justice demanded that the people be consumed. But Moses
          knew it would pain God too much to destroy His
          children. He knew God loved these people. So he pled,
          "Lord, I know that Your justice is crying out, and You
          have to proclaim it. These stiffnecked people should be
          wiped out.

          "But I know something else too, Lord. It's that You
          wouldn't be able to stand the pain if You did it! You
          may destroy 10,000 or 12,000 - but the more You
          destroy, the more pain You'll have. I know Your heart,
          God - and I know You can't destroy Israel, because You
          love her!"

          The Bible says God "repented" - which means, He changed
          His mind about how He would judge Israel. He wasn't
          going to destroy them. Instead, the people would waste
          away in the wilderness. Yet God never removed His mercy
          from them. Although the people would continue to pain
          His heart for thirty-eight more years with their
          unbelief, the Lord would still protect them, lead them,
          feed them and clothe them to their dying day.

                      -------------------------------

                       When I Think of What Job Went
                       Through, I See How God's Heart
                          Must Have Been Pained!

                      -------------------------------

          I wonder how many times the Lord saw Job and longed to
          say, "Enough! I can't let My servant undergo any more
          of this horrible pain. I've got to stop it!"

          If you think Job suffered, you have to know how much
          God suffered with him. I imagine God saying, "Just make
          it through, Job, and I'll give back all you lost. Just
          hold steady, and I'll increase you one-and-a-half
          times." Finally, when Job's suffering was over, God
          said, "I'm going to double everything for you, Job.
          I'll give you twice as much as you had before!"

          We see God's pain also when He had to mete out justice
          upon David for numbering Israel. God had commanded
          David not to number the people, so he would never be
          tempted to rely on the arm of the flesh.

          Yet David did just what the Lord had forbidden. And it
          pained God's heart:

          "And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he
          smote Israel" (1 Chronicles 21:7).

          God had to judge David. The king had prided himself on
          having an abundance of mighty fighting men. So the Lord
          sent an angel to mete out His justice by slaying Israel
          by pestilence. Soon the proud people were dying like
          flies.

          David listened as messengers brought him awful reports
          - 10,000 dead in Hebron; 5,000 dead in Benjamin; 6,000
          dead in Judah. The death toll just kept rising.

          Before long, 70,000 Israelites were dead. The death
          angel had gone up and down the land, slaying people
          left and right. And now he was standing over Jerusalem,
          with his sword drawn, ready to strike. The remainder of
          David's mighty fighting men were on the brink of total
          destruction!

          God was striking at the very heart of David's pride. He
          was trying to save this man - to rescue him from the
          enemy of his soul. And, Scripture tells us:

          "...Then David and the elders of Israel, who were
          clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces" (verse
          16).

          When David heard about all the deaths in Israel, he
          fell on his knees in repentance. He wailed, "Oh God,
          it's my fault! These people are guiltless. Please,
          Lord, spare them. Put Your judgment on me!"

          God couldn't stand to feel David's pain any longer.
          Finally, He cried to the angel: "Enough! Put away your
          sword. The pain is too much for Me!"

          "And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his
          sword again into the sheath thereof" (verse 27).

          It was as if God were saying, "If I allow justice to
          continue, I won't be able to stand David's awful pain.
          He'll die of a broken heart!"

          Here is an incredible picture of God's heart of pain.
          David had grieved Him, and God's justice demanded
          chastening. But God didn't stand over David, gloating,
          "Have you learned your lesson yet?" No - David's tears
          had reached God's tender heart! The Lord was feeling
          David's pain, touched by the feeling of his infirmity.
          And He said, "Enough!"

                      -------------------------------

                   I Believe When We Force God to Chasten
                  Us and Judge Us for the Sins We Commit,
                       We Cause Him a "Double Pain."

                      -------------------------------

          The first part of God's terrible "double pain" is when
          we sin in His presence, against His light and love.

          Yet it isn't just the sin itself that grieves God. It's
          that He knows the consequences of our sin will soon
          follow. God knows the price we're going to pay: Our sin
          is going to drive us to grief and misery! And that
          pains His heart greatly.

          The second part of God's "double pain" is that our sin
          causes Him to keep His Word in judging us. He has to
          stand by like a loving Father and listen to our cries
          of anguish as He chastens us - all for the purpose of
          producing godly character in us.

          Not long ago, I came to a crisis - to the end of my
          rope. I had been hearing slanderous things said about
          me and about an associate pastor who ministers with us
          at Times Square Church. It was awful, hurtful gossip. I
          couldn't believe people were saying some of the things
          they did. It all hurt me so badly.

          After this had gone on for some time, I began to remind
          God of His Word:

             * "A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he
               that speaketh lies shall perish" (Proverbs 19:9).

             * "...A liar giveth ear to a naughty [gossiping]
               tongue" (17:4).

             * "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of
               a faithful spirit concealeth the matter" (11:13).

             * "Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness
               shall be shewed before the whole congregation"
               (26:26).

          After some time, I cried out in despair: "Oh God, how
          long will You let this go on? The lies keep changing so
          much, I don't even know what they are from day to day.
          I can't fight it. You're my defender, Lord - and You
          say You will avenge Your people. But I don't see Your
          justice being meted out. Please, Lord - how much more
          must I take before You'll move?"

          As I thought of all the slander coming against me, I
          began to think of other beleaguered pastors and
          servants. There are so many saints today - holy,
          righteous people - who are having to endure awful
          trials because evil words are being spoken against them
          by coworkers, family, even friends.

          "Why, Lord?" I prayed. "Where are Your righteous
          judgments? Why do You continue allowing Your people to
          be hurt? Why do You wait so long to bring about
          justice?"

          The Lord answered, "David, I am merciful, longsuffering
          and slow to anger because it pains Me to mete out My
          justice. If you could feel My pain, you would never,
          ever, desire to see My judgment fall. You would
          understand why I wait so long to bring it down!"

          Then God showed me a frightful picture of the judgments
          He must send on those who sin against His Word. Indeed,
          awful things will befall those who continue in their
          sin of gossip and slander.

          Yet the thought of divine retribution - of judgment
          falling on anyone - overwhelmed me. I cried out, "Oh,
          Lord, don't judge for my sake! Please, don't do this,
          even to those who have hurt me. Don't do it to justify
          me!"

          I was feeling God's pain - His reluctance to judge! And
          that pain continued in my heart for perhaps fifteen
          minutes.

          Then the Lord spoke to me: "David, you know how painful
          it is to discipline your children, because you love
          them. It's the same for Me. It pains Me to mete out My
          judgment and chastening on those I love!"

                      -------------------------------

                       Finally, God Allowed Me To See
                        the Pain He Endured All the
                        Times He Had to Chasten Me!

                      -------------------------------

          I can remember vividly four or five instances of very
          heavy chastening from the Lord. In those times I would
          say, "Oh, God, this is painful! I don't ever want to go
          through anything like this again."

          And now God was saying to me, "David, I didn't want to
          go through it again, either. It pained Me to stand by
          and allow you to hurt. I did it all unwillingly. I took
          no pleasure in it. It was a grief to My heart. And yet
          it had to be done - because I love you!"

          God has shown me the hard way that I am never to
          rejoice over anyone's chastening. Yet may the Lord have
          mercy on those Christians who rejoice in the chastening
          of another:

          "Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth, and let not thine
          heart be glad when he stumbleth" (Proverbs 24:17).

          Not only must you never be glad when you see God meting
          out His judgments. You also must feel God's pain as He
          metes it out! You simply cannot rejoice in the presence
          of a Master who weeps while He whips, before a Christ
          who's heartbroken.

          God's judgments on others ought to break your heart. It
          ought to make you cry out, "Oh God, enough! Please -
          have Your angel put up his sword."

          "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be
          joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it
          yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
          which are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11).

          God is talking about His own heart here, as well as
          ours. His chastenings are not joyous to Him, but
          grievous and painful!

          Yet when God moves in to judge, He hovers over His
          children as He chastens them. As He brings one lash
          after another, He waits to see if the last lash brought
          a tear. He looks for even the slightest sign of sorrow
          or repentance. And He lets up at the first inkling of
          one! He longs to say, "Enough - no more! It pains Me
          too much."

          Beloved, you must come to grips with this matter of
          God's pain. You have to chasten yourself - to bring
          your thoughts into captivity, and say, "Oh, Lord, let
          me pray for my enemies - for those who are trying to
          hurt me!"

          God loves the most wicked, vile sinner on the street.
          And if He loves that person, how much more does He love
          the Christian who hurts you and has made himself your
          enemy?

          Perhaps you have an idea by now of how far we are from
          the heart of God. We have so much yet to learn of His
          heart. No, He does not delight in judgment. He takes no
          pleasure in the destruction of the wicked, nor in His
          chastening of His children. On the contrary, it pains
          Him awfully.

          Let me tell you what the Lord delights in:

          "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity,
          and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his
          heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because
          he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will
          have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities;
          and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of
          the sea" (Micah 7:18-19).

          Thank God for His great compassion, available to all.
          He delights in mercy.

          Hallelujah!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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          link this site to reference these messages.

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