Sermon: "Learing To Cry Before It's Too Late"
How many of you have used or heard the expression, “Don’t cry over spilled milk?”
I’m sure most of you know what it means. It means … “Don’t get upset over something that has happened and cannot be changed.”
If it’s over and done with, you can’t affect it any more. No amount of tears will bring the milk back into the glass or container.
Crying over spilled milk is a waste of tears, but there is a time for us to cry and our tears will not be wasted. The Bible says …
PSALM 126:5-6 –5Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
This is not a “feel good” lesson this morning. It is a lesson that calls for self-examination and action. It is a lesson for believers and non-believers. It is both a warning and an encouragement from God’s Word.
If you are here this morning and have never received Jesus as your Lord, this message is for you.
If you are a Christian and have never helped someone else come to trust in Jesus, this message is for you.
If you are a Christian and are not serving Jesus by reaching out to others, this message is for you.
If you are a Christian but are allowing sin to control you, this message is for you.
If you are a Christian and you know God has been calling you to do something but you have not responded, this message is for you.
If you are being temped to commit a certain sin and find yourself growing weak, this message is for you.
This is a very different lesson because I am going to give you the end of the message now. Here it is … “Now is the time for you to cry because a time is coming when it will be too late for you to cry.”
You may need to cry tears of sorrow for sin, either your own or others.
You may need to cry tears of sympathy for those Jesus called, “the least of these,” that is, for the poor, the lonely, the sick, and the imprisoned.
You may need to cry tears of repentance.
You may need to cry tears of submission to the Lord’s will for your life.
Your milk has not yet been spilled, so now is the time to cry. If you wait, there will come a time when it is too late to cry. At that point you will be crying over spilled milk and your tears will be worthless.
To help drive this truth home to the center of your soul, we are going to first look at … Some biblical characters who cried too late.
And after that, look at two … Times when it is too late for us to cry.
You can learn to sow in tears so that one day you will be able to reap with joy instead of crying over spilled milk, by allowing God’s Word to direct your steps.
We will begin by looking at …
I. SOME BIBLICAL CHARACTERS WHO CRIED TOO LATE
First we see that …
A. ESAU CRIES TOO LATE FOR HIS BIRTHRIGHT
Many of you know that Esau was the twin brother of Jacob. You may also know that Esau was the firstborn of the twins, and thus, all the rights and privileges of being the firstborn rightfully belonged to Esau. However …
1. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob
Here is how it happened.
GENESIS 25:29-34 –29Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Eau despised his birthright.
Years later we find …
2. Esau crying over his lost birthright.
GENESIS 27:36-38 –36Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”
37Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”
38Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
Esau was crying over spilled milk. Here is what the writer of Hebrews, who lived hundreds of years later, had to say about Esau.
HEBREWS 12:16-17 –16See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Esau cried too late for his birthright. The next biblical character who cried too late was Joab.
B. JOAB CRIES TOO LATE FOR MERCY
Let’s look first at …
1. Joab’s background
Joab was David’s nephew. He became the captain of David’s army. At one point Joab’s men defeated an army led by a man called Abner. When Abner saw the battle was lost he turned and ran away. One of Joab’s brothers chased after him. Here is what happened.
II SAMUEL 2:19-23 – 19He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”(A’sa-hel) “It is,” he answered.
21Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel(A’sa-hel)would not stop chasing him.
22Again Abner warned Asahel (A’sa-hel), “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
23But Asahel (A’sa-hel) refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s (A’sa-hel’s) stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel (A’sa-hel) had fallen and died.
You can see why Joab would hate Abner, but things got worse. Later Abner switched his allegiance to David and wanted to serve with him. That brings us to …
2. Joab’s sin
II SAMUEL 3:24-28 –24So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! 25You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements andfind out everything you are doing.”
26Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah(Si’-rah).But David did not know it. 27Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway, as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel (A’sa-hel), Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.
28Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.
Many, many years passed and Joab never repented of his sin. When King David was on his deathbed this is what he said to his son, Solomon.
I KINGS 2:5-6 –5“Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah(Ze-roo’-yah)did to me – what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa(A-ma’sa)son of Jether(Je’ther). He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.”
A short time later King David dies and King Solomon started to carry out the requests his father had made. Here we see …
3. Joab’s attempt to save his life comes too late
Joab runs to the tabernacle and grabs on to the horns on the corner of the altar. He does this as his way of seeking mercy, but it is too late. Listen to what happened.
I KINGS 2:29-31 –29King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah(Ben-ai’-ah)son of Jehoiada(Je-ho’-ya-dah), “Go, strike him down!”
30So Benaiah(Ben-ai’-ah)entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he answered, “No, I will die here.” Benaiah (Ben-ai’-ah) reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”
31Then the king commanded Benaiah (Ben-ai’-ah), “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father’s house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed.”
Joab waited too long to cry out for mercy. He should have done that many years before. Once David died Joab was crying over spilled milk for his fate had already been determined by David’s instructions to Solomon.
Let’s look at one more biblical character who cried too late.
C. JUDAS CRIES TOO LATE TO STOP HIS BETRAYAL
Most everyone knows that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Here is the biblical account.
MATTHEW 26:14-16 –14Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests 15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Many people are also aware that Judas hanged himself, but often we overlook the fact Judas wanted to stop or undo his betrayal. Here is the biblical account …
MATTHEW 27:1-5 –1Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 2They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4“I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
5So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Once Judas betrayed Jesus it was too late for him to stop what he had set in motion. His returning the thirty silver coins was the same as crying over spilled milk. It was too late.
Now that we have seen three examples of biblical characters who cried too late. Let’s look at some …
II. TIMES WHEN IT IS TOO LATE FOR US TO CRY
Here is the first one.
A. IT’S TOO LATE TO CRY ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN WHEN YOU ARE REAPING THEM
First, I want to look at a biblical example of this. For hundreds of years God sent his prophets to his people living in the Promised Land calling for them to turn from their sinful ways. They refused to listen and finally God had them captured and carried away to a foreign land. Listen to what they did.
PSALM 137:1 –By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
They sat and cried … but it was too late. Jerusalem had been destroyed. Many people had been killed and they were prisoners in a far-away land. God would forgive them, but they still had to deal with the consequences of their sin.
Examine yourself this morning. If you are sinning against God; if you are getting close to yielding to a temptation; now is the time to cry out to God for forgiveness or help. If you wait until you start reaping the consequences of your sin, that is like crying over spilled milk.
Listen to what Job said about those who choose to live in sin.
JOB 4:8 –As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.
And in Proverbs we read …
PROVERBS 22:8 –He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
Do not be so foolish as to think that you can sin against God and get away with it. Listen to what the Bible says.
GALATIANS 6:7-8a –7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8aThe one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.
If you know there is something wrong with the way you are living your life, now is the time to cry out to God. Now is the time to change your ways.
Fathers, if you aren’t being the spiritual leader in your home, now is the time to cry out to God for help. Don’t wait until your children follow your example and put God way down the list in their lives. Now is the time for you to give God first place in your life.
Husbands and wives, if you aren’t being the biblical mate you are called to be, now is the time to cry out to God for wisdom. Don’t wait until your marriage is falling apart.
Remember, it’s too late to cry about the consequences of sin when you are reaping them. God will forgive you if you seek his forgiveness, but you still must live through, and with, the consequences of your actions.
There is another time when it’s too late to cry …
B. IT’S TOO LATE TO CRY FOR MERCY WHEN YOU ARE IN HELL
Those are hard words to speak, but some of you here this morning need to hear them. You know you have never received Jesus as your Lord. Others of you have friends and relatives who are not believers and you have not talked to them about Jesus.
Some of you know about the rich man who died and found himself in hell. Here is the account from the gospel of Luke.
LUKE 16:19-26 –19There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, “Father Abraham,have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”
25But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”
Crying out from hell is like crying over spilled milk. It will do no good.
CONCLUSION
That brings us back to where we started … a time for self-examination and action.
Have you received Jesus as your Lord?
If you haven’t, now is the time for you to cry out to God and tell him you want to receive Jesus as your Lord.
Are you a Christian but have never invited another person to receive Jesus as their Lord?
You may have children, grandchildren, parents or grandparents, friends and coworkers who are on the path that leads to eternal hell. Now is the time for you to cry out to them. Crying over their eternal destiny after they die is crying over spilled milk.
Are you a Christian living a comfortable life, but are doing nothing to minister to the needs of Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said …
MATTHEW 25:35-40 –35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
40The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Now is the time for you to cry out for a spirit of compassion and concern so you overcome the selfishness and apathy that wants to rule our lives.
Are you a Christian but have been offering your body to sin as an instrument of wickedness. Now is the time for you to cry out to God for forgiveness and change the way you are living.
Remember there is a day coming when it will be too late to cry. To cry then will just be crying over spilled milk.
Earlier we read how the children of Israel cried out too late about the consequences of their sin of turning away from God. Jerusalem had been destroyed, many people had been killed and they were captives in Babylon.
Thankfully while it was too late to cry about what had happened it was not too late for them to return to God. They cried out to him and he responded to their cries and many of them were able to return to their homeland after spending 70 years in Babylon. Of course in most cases it was the children of those who had been carried away who returned home.
I would like to close by having us read responsively all of Psalm 126 which tells how the people felt when they returned to their homeland and demonstrates the importance of crying out to God before it is too late.
Pastor When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion
Congregation we were like men who dreamed.
Pastor Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.
Congregation Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things
for them.”
Pastor The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Congregation Those who sow in tears
Pastor will reap with songs of joy.
Congregation He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow,
Pastor will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
INVITATION
CLOSING SONG
CLOSING PRAYER