Troubled!

 

Do you ever feel troubled? It is not fearful or worried or hopeless. It is looking at the world and what is going on and the circumstances around you, and it brings a sorrow to your spirit.

 

Jesus had those times of experiencing trouble in His spirit. What made Jesus experience trouble in His spirit?

 

Luke 13:34

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

 

Jesus was troubled over disobedience to God’s word.

Jesus was troubled over rejection of the will and authority of God.

 

Disobedience to God’s word should trouble us because it is God’s word that gives true direction for living and a real foundation for our lives.

 

Rejection of God’s will should trouble us because God’s will is always perfect and always the best for us.

 

Rejection of God’s authority should trouble us because God’s authority is the only thing that can overcome sin and the effects of sin in our lives.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is accepting the word and will and authority of God as what directs our lives.

 

John 11:33-35

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

 

The hurt and sorrow in the lives of people causes Jesus to be troubled. Jesus understands what sorrow is and what it does to our hearts as humans. Jesus can know and understand human sorrow because He was a human.

 

Jesus emptied Himself and became human and, in becoming human, became a servant and, in becoming a servant, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death on the cross for the sins of humanity.

 

So, Jesus became human so He could be our perfect sacrifice and so He could fully identify with us as humans.

 

Raise the Roof an Remove the Walls is to be troubled over the hurt and sorrow of others.  

 

John 12:27

Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose, I have come to this hour.

 

Jesus is troubled by the brokenness and evil in the world.

 

Jesus’ answer to the brokenness and evil in the world was to offer Himself as the sacrifice for sin.

 

Jesus saw those who were broken because of sin and evil because they had bought into the deceit and lies of Satan as victims, not enemies. We as the body of Christ are to view those broken and those who are evil as victims, not enemies.

 

In Ephesians 2, we are described before we became followers of Jesus as:

Dead in our trespasses

Walking in the course of this world

Following the prince of the power of the air (Satan)

Living based on our human fallen passions

Children of wrath

 

But God, through His grace, changed that through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is viewing broken people as victims and not as enemies because, before Jesus changed our lives, we were totally broken people also.

 

Matthew 26:37

And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled.

 

Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and He became troubled. He was troubled and sorrowful over the cost He would have to pay to provide salvation.

 

We should be troubled over what our sin cost Jesus.

 

Jesus gave all for our sin and we are to never take that for granted. It should motivate us to live honoring Jesus with all that we say and do.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is honoring Jesus with our lives because He died for our sins.

 

That is what troubled Jesus.

 

What troubles me?

 

I am troubled when I am not comfortable all the time.

I am trouble when I don’t get what I want.

I am troubled when I am not appreciated.

I am troubled when others don’t do what I think they should do.

 

Do you see the difference between what troubled Jesus and what troubles me? Jesus was troubled about how sin was affecting others. I am many times troubled about things that inconvenience me.

 

Jesus did something about what troubled Him. He gave His life for sin.

 

We need to be troubled over what troubled Jesus and to give our lives to living out the solution – Jesus.

 

With Jesus as Our Authority Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                               Joe