So Long Sorrow
I.
Sorrow manifested because
of sin, Jesus redeemed you from it, and it is to have no place in your life
A. Genesis 3:16-Sorrow was
one of the first things that showed up after Adam sinned
1.
Sorrow-Grievous; pain, hurt,
toil, sorrow, labor, hardship, displeased, sorry, to feel grieved, be vexed
2.
It’s
like the joy had been sucked out of life
B. Sorrow showed up a result
of sin and when Jesus got rid of sin, got rid of sorrow
1.
Isaiah
53:4-A big part of the work of Jesus on the cross was to bare our griefs and carry our sorrows
a. AMP-Surely He has borne
our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)
and carried our sorrows and pains
b. If sorrow showed up as a
result of sin and he took our sin then he took our sorrow
2.
John
10:10-I have come that they might have and enjoy life
a. Jesus wants you and I to
live a life in joy
3.
Sorrow
was part of the curse and it manifested the moment Adam sinned
a. Whatever Jesus has
redeemed me from, I’ve got no business living in
b. Galatians
3:13-Deuteronomy 28:65-We’ve been redeemed from sorrow
1)
If
Jesus wanted to in sorrow, he wouldn’t have redeemed you from it
II.
Satan endeavors to infect
your life with sorrow a little bit at a time; he wants to get you practicing it
and get it in your mouth so that he can cultivate it in your life
A. This stuff doesn’t start
off as heavy depression; it’s the everyday sorrow; it’s the bad moods, the
negativity, it’s the overall blahness where life is
concerned; you just don’t feel like you’re in a good mood so you just yield to
sorrow
1. Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, 3:13-14-17 So I hated
life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it
is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I
hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them
to the one who comes after me. 19 And
who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have
control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and
skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So
my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom,
knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has
not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and
anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and
pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. 24 A person can do nothing better than to
eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from
the hand of God, 25 for
without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To
the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to
the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over
to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I know that there is nothing better for
them than to be glad and to get and
do good as long as they live; And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the
good of all his labor—it is the gift of God
2.
If
the enemy can get you to practice a little sorrow daily, then it won’t be long
before it manifests in a battle
B. Nehe 2:2, Pr
15:13-We know people are yielding to sorrow just by looking at their faces
1.
If
you’re yielding to sorrow you can’t hide it; your face will tell on you
III.
In the Word we continually
see God delivering His people from sorrow, because he doesn’t want them
sorrowful
A. Psalm 116:3-4,7-8-The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat
hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the
LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul. 7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul;
for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. 8 For thou hast delivered
my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and
my feet from falling.
B. Isaiah 14:3-And it shall come to pass in the day that the
Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow and from your fear and from the hard
bondage (God’s people had just been delivered)
C. Isaiah 25:8-He will swallow up death in victory; and the
Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces
D. Isaiah 35:10-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 mourning shall flee away. (Just delivered)
E. Isaiah 51:11-Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return,
and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
F. Jeremiah 31:12-13-Therefore they shall come and sing in the
height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat,
and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and
their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at
all. 13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and
old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them,
and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
G. John 16:20-Your sorrow shall be turned into joy
H. Revelation 7:17-For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
I. Revelation 21:4-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.
IV.
Dangers of yielding to
sorrow
A. Joy is a spiritual force
that works life the same way sorrow is spiritual force that works death-2
Corinthians 7:9,10
1.
Death
is the power force from which all bad flows
2.
Life
is the power force from which all good flows
3.
Yielding
to sorrow puts the death force to work, but choosing joy puts life to work
4.
This
is more than just laughing and giggling even though joy will manifest in those
ways; these are spiritual forces that we’re dealing with here
B. Isaiah 13:8, Psalm 107:39-Sorrow
will take hold of you if you allow it to and it takes hold of you to bring you
down where they enemy can defeat you
C. 2 Corinthi
2:7-If you allow it to sorrow will swallow you up, destroying, devouring you
1.
Sorrow
is a destructive force
D. Yielding to sorrow drains
your spirit of strength
1.
Proverbs 15:13-By sorrow the spirit is
broken
2.
Jeremiah 45:3-You did say, Woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow; I fainted
in my sighing, and I find no rest (I am weary with my groaning and sighing)
3.
Psalm 6:6-I am weary with my
groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears
4.
Jeremiah 49:24-Damascus has become
feeble; she has turned to flee, and terror and panic have seized her; anguish
and sorrow have taken hold of her, like a woman in child birth
E. Job 17:7-Yielding to
sorrow will dim your spiritual eye
1.
Sorrow
keeps your spiritual eyes from being able to see what God sees
a. You can’t see what God
sees from that place/seat of sorrow
1)
If
you could see what God sees you wouldn’t be sorrowful
2)
You
can’t receive the light and the wisdom you need-1 Samuel 30
3)
The
more you yield to sorrow the less you can see this working out in your favor
b. Sorrow will work on until
you are blind spiritually
1)
As
we choose joy over sorrow our spiritual eyes begin to be opened and we begin
seeing this thing the way God sees it
2.
2
Kings 6:15-His sorrow dimmed his spiritual eye and he couldn’t see the truth
a. He’s sorrowful because
he’s thinking we have no hope
b. 1 Timothy 4:13-Sorrow is
for those who have no hope
1)
No
hope means they can’t see any way this is going to work out
3.
Psalm
127:2-Yielding to sorrow will not increase anything good in your life
4.
Psalm
39:2-One of the quickest ways to still sorrow up in your life is just sit there
and listen to the enemy talk for a while and keep your mouth shut
5.
Jeremiah
49:23-Evil tidings attended to will bring sorrow
a. KJ-Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil
tidings: they are fainthearted; there is
sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
b. Jeremiah 15:16-The word
of God stirs joy, the word of the enemy stirs sorrow
c. Proverbs 23:29-It’s that
wrong wine that makes you sorrowful
V.
Sorrow is never to be
yielded to and it’s to always be resisted
A. Jesus is my example and
when sorrow/heaviness tried to come on Him, he resisted it
1.
Psalm
13:2-David is an unborn-again man and he is not my example
2.
Matthew
26:37-44-He didn’t yield to this sorrow and just say well I don’t know what to
do; He prayed in faith resisting it
3.
Luke
22:43-44-Why did he pray more earnestly? Because he knows if this sorrow
attaches itself to Him he’s finished
B. Hebrews 12:2-Jesus knew
the importance not letting the enemy steal his joy
1.
So
rather than focusing on what he was going through, he stared focusing on the
end result
2.
He
sees your face and he sees my face and sees the Father face with a big smile
being pleased; he sees mankind redeemed, he sees Satan defeated in hell and the
more he thinks about it the more stirred his joy gets and consequently the
stronger he gets and as a result he was able to endure in such an abounding way
that he disesteemed the shame
C. ***Joy is a key issue in
every spiritual war and if you don’t win the on the battle where joy is concerned
you cannot win the war; Satan targets your joy
VI.
Other Good stuff
A. Ecclesiastes 4:1-Tears of
sorrow are for those who have no comforter
1.
Ecclesiastes 4:1-So I returned, and
considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the
tears of such as were oppressed, and
they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
2.
2
Corinthians 1:2-4, John 14:6-I have a comforter and he comforts me
3.
Are
you preaching against crying? I’m preaching against yielding to sorrow
B. Some people think if they
cry long enough God will feel sorry for them and do it (They’re favorite verse
is Jesus wept) – Jesus would rather laugh with you over your victory than
cry with you over your defeat
1.
Psalm
126:5-Sow in tears, not sow tears; reap in joy, not reap joy but reap whatever
they sowed in joy
2.
Malachi
2:13-You’ve cried a lot, but you haven’t been obedient
C. Jeremiah 31:16-Stop
crying everything is going to be alright
D. Leviticus 26:14-16,
Isaiah 50:11, 29:2, 5:30, 65:14, Psalm 16:4-Sorrow of heart is always a
manifestation that the person with the sorrow is not running with God