May 21, 2017

A week or so back. We had some technical glitches. And while those glitches are going on. Someone said from the congregation tell a joke, and I just wasn't quick enough. I'm sorry, so I have a joke for you this morning. This gentleman's walking in to his house and right when he gets to the door. There's a snail right there on his porch. And so he's a nature lover. So he picked up the snail and he walks around the corner of the house and pet-sitting a flower bed and goes back into his house two years later. There's a knock on his door. He opens the door and it's the snail. He looks down the snail says hey, what was that all about?

I didn't say it was a good joke. I just said it was a joke. We are we're finishing up some of that some of you'll get that at lunch today. You'll just start laughing the middle of your meal. We're finishing up a series on knowing god on the character of God and looking into core scripture passages some that have been from here to us perhaps already but we've looked at him with the lens of saying what do we learn about God's character and how does that help us know him more in this morning. We're looking at Lamentations chapter 3 kind of a familiar passage, but I want to start by talking a little bit about the background of Lamentations before we read the passage so that we can appreciate a little bit the the book of the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah is a book of warning if you were to summarize Jeremiah, it's all about him prophesying to Israel and Jerusalem, especially that God is warning them to repent or judgment and destruction is coming. Now Jeremiah is also the author of the book of limitation and his book limitations is a book of morning. Because Jeremiah when he writes his book Jeremiah, he is warning the people of coming judgment and when he pins the book of Lamentations, the Judgment has already come and it's a book of morning. When you look in the book of limitation it consists of Five Points written for communal morning for the death of a city. And in some ways at least in their mind, there's this fear and this anxiety. Is this the death of a nation is this the death of a people is this the death of our faith because the destruction that comes to Jerusalem is so massive and heartbreaking and so let Lamentations might be in some ways the most depressing book in all of scripture because it's this record this account of what goes on on the Judgment of Jerusalem. It recounts the Fulfillment of the warnings from God in Jeremiah which include the city's destruction Ezekiel and Daniel and many others become victims of slave trafficking and were taken back to Babylon as part of this judgment and this Siege and destruction of the city the enemy Siege Warfare 1 Victory by breaking a people When cities in that time were fortified with great walls and traditional Warfare wooden bear fruit. The way you wanted then The Siege Warfare was what was implemented and that meant breaking a people by isolating them from the supplies they needed and so the city was isolated from everything it would need to keep surviving by Babylons armies. So Siege Warfare led to starvation it led to infighting within the walls it led to rampant crime and it led even to cannibalism and you see this in the book of Lamentations when Jeremiah accounts with heartbreak what happened to the people of God and the city as judgment fell upon them the enemies Victory when Babylon one included the Public Relation of leaders They took the Kings and the leaders and removed their eyes publicly so that they would be unable to leave again and executed their children in front of them before they removed their eyes as a way of devastating a nation and saying you will never stand again as a nation you'll never exist as a nation again. We have completely defeated you look at your children. They said two leaders as they slaughtered them and then remove the eyes of the leaders in front of all the people publicly to say we have devastated you and in that time part of Devastation included defeating that Nations God and so they went into the temple and desecrated everything in the temple stole everything. They wanted to steal and said, where is your god to stop us until the destruction? was horrible This is the context of some of the songs like Psalm 102. So I'm 56 Psalm 137. You read Psalm 137 in the Samus is saying Lord. Why don't my enemies babies die up on rocks? Why don't my enemies starving have to make horrible decisions? It's not advocating that but it's the Heartbreak of Israel during this type of Devastation sang. I am so defeated so destroyed that I wish upon my enemies these horrible things that they have inflicted upon us and we have a god with broad shoulders who will allow us to bring to him. Whatever is in our hearts our struggles. Our anger are paying we can bring it all to him. It doesn't mean it's all okay, but it means he's okay hearing it. Is our heavenly father. He lets us bring to him whatever we need to bring to him in our heart whether it's struggle or anger or sadness we can bring it to him. And those songs are just glances of that limitations is whole collection of poems of Jeremiah saying my heart is broken. City is gone. Are we gone as a people is our is our faith defeated to It's overwhelming book when you read the entire book beginning of chapter 3. He says I am the man familiar with misery and when you've read chapter 1 and 2 already and all of 3 and 4 and 5 you realize what an understatement this is Does Jeremiah predicted it he prophesied it? He warned he begged. He pleaded and Israel refused to listen to God refuse to obey him refuse to heed the warnings and then he saw all of the Judgment come to pass around him. He walks through the city that is devastated. It is very much. Like what we would imagine a post-apocalyptic world to be like Bodies throughout the city destruction everywhere. And so he begins chapter 3. I am the man familiar with misery.

then 20 verses in the chapter 3 he starts to two. In this point or account the words that were most familiar with that we most often go back to Lamentations Andre. They know that that LifeWay will needlepoint and put on a plaque and put on the wall in charge you fifty bucks for it, but you don't see that this verse on needlepoint LifeWay. Do you know one hangs that on there while I am familiar with misery? Isn't that beautiful? Where did you get that? You know where the Christian bookstore go? Wait, we go ahead 2 verses 23 and 24 and we latch on to them, but the power of those versus need everything that I just shared. You need to understand the context and the heaviness of heart that surround what he says to be amazed the way we should be why what he says in these next versus and verse 20. He says I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me. He's just talked about everything. He said all over it already the destruction the sadness the Heartbreak and he says, I remember it all I can't forget it. I just walked through the city and surveyed it against the destruction and the Heartbreak and it depresses me to think about it. Then he continues yet. just an amazing word yet in this context other translations use the word but I a joke to the friend friend wants that I wanted to do a sermon series called. I like big butts.

Because there are so many powerful passages in Scripture that have the word but in it that is such a huge and key transition some translations talk about this passage in that uses the word but you know, he says look I'm depressed. I'm overwhelmed. I'm downcast I see nothing but destruction. but can you see how big that is that turn in the sentence in Jeremiah's words and it is hard yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope so in the midst of this Devastation and destruction he has this moment where he says yet.

If I call this to mine. There's this little seed of Hope. in the midst of this devastation That I see and he continues in the next verse. He says because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed.

Daniel maybe in Babylon Ezekiel, maybe gone I'm walking the streets of Jerusalem there other still alive. Even though I'm looking at judgement all around me. I'm also looking at Grace. Because we have not been completely devastated or consumed. We are still here even in the midst of filling pain and heartbreak and anguish. Guess what you're alive.

About an amazing moment just devastated by his pain devastated by sadness, but he still says yet. I guess I'm here to fill it, aren't I? When I whine and complain which I do pretty good guess my wife you need lessons and whining and complaining I can I can help you do that. Sometimes when I want to complain about getting older. I turned 50 a few weeks back my wife appropriately it reminds me. She says Hey turning 50 is a whole lot better than not turning 50. Amen. So even the fact that I can say man, you know, my back is sore. I also have to say I've got feeling in my back. Thank you God that I have feeling in my back. Thank you that I can feel my knees ache sometimes when I get up and I think what I do, I'm just sitting down all I did was stand up and my knees ache. I'm like, what did you thank you Lord that I can feel my knees ache even in the midst of this Jeremiah says but I have this thought because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed for his compassions. Never fail. They are new every morning. Great Lord is your faithfulness. So he has this thought and it begins to turn all of this.

Sadness this point that he's writing he continues I say to the self the Lord is my portion. Therefore. I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him to the one who seeks him. He remembers. You know what Not only would we not be here if it had no compassion van us would be completely gone. But or does have compassion upon us. That's his character. And so I can wait. Right you ever have you ever have something said about a friend or family or loved one or somebody whom you knew to be good and trustworthy and in that moment. It seems not right and you decide you know what I'm awake.

I know BJ imma wait and learn more. I'm going to give it time. I'm going to see more of the story before I just draw a conclusion. Jeremiah summons up this hope in the midst of his Devastation and says you know what? None the less. I know that God is faithful. I know that this can be everything you continues. It is good to wait quietly for the Salvation of the Lord.

Here's the verse again from the n i r v that was for the NIV. I want to really give the nir because I like some of the language that uses. So here's his versus again. I remember very well the sadness my spirit is very sad deep down inside me, but here is something else. I remember and it gives me hope I like the fact that he's remembering a sadness sure. She didn't say just over look at glasses over don't focus on it. You're supposed to just stuff it down and not think it exists. He is remembering the heartache on the Sabbath, but then he says but I remember something else also. Do we ever get in the the mistake of just focusing on the negative? He never make that mistake. All you can see is what's wrong. All you can see is how much money you don't have. When a little change of attitude would make you realize I'm wealthy, aren't I? Well, they aren't I? I'm eating. The roof over my head. Can I go to the doctor when I need to a little Global Perspective and you realize I'm in the top 5% of the globe if I've got a house and I've got food and I've got health care. I'm in the top 5% of the globe. ever Focus exclusively on your spouse's Downfalls shortcomings again always always she leaves that cabinet door open the tier 2 bin cherubi anybody else. She just leaves it open.

You do that and then you just obsess. You don't think well, she loves family. care for the children works how's the house? Loves me. Service at church. It's kind of the neighbors sell those huge things that our spouses have going for him. But know sometimes we can just say.

We can just get kind of obsessed with that sort of thing.

Places. I remember what makes me sad. But I also remember something else and it gives me hope the lord loves us very much. So we haven't been completely destroyed his loving concern never fails. His love is new Every Morning Lord. How faithful you are. I say to myself the Lord has everything I will ever need so I put my hope in him. The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him. He is good to those who look to him. It is good when people wait quietly for the Lord to save them. I like this passage so much when you understand the full context that I want to read it to you again, is that okay? And this is from the message translation?

I remember it all. Oh how well I remember the feeling of hitting the bottom.

But there's one other thing I remember and remembering I keep a grip on Hope. God's loyal love couldn't have run out his merciful love couldn't have dried up their created new Every Morning how great your faithfulness I'm sticking with God. I say it over and over. He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits to the woman who diligently seeks it is a good thing to quietly. Hope quietly. Hope for help from God. And that amazing. I love that passage. Now one of my favorite devotionals and devotional Riders rode a little paragraph on Jeremiah. It's just a little Little Pony book in a paragraph not that big but when you put it on the screen and you want everybody to be able to read it and I was like 36 slides. So hang with me when I thought he had such that I just wanted to give you word for word what he says devotionally when you read this passage uses look when we are faced with visible contradictions to our faith with what appears to be evidence that God isn't good or that his promises aren't true after all. We have a choice to make sure we can trust our own vision and lean on our own understanding or we can decide that God is who he says he is regardless of what we see and understand Jeremiah does the ladder He knows God's people have rebelled and that his severe judgment against them is warranted. But he also knows that God does not abandon his purpose or the compassionate nature of his own heart Jeremiah seems to understand that the strongest Devastation in front of him is not the end of the story. Whatever trials we go through today aren't the end of the story either. He can be tempting to judge God in the middle of the story, but all good stories have moments when all seems lost. See the wisdom of what he's pointing out there to us be continued. It's the ending that makes it good the overcoming of the impossible odds on his threats with heroic deeds and great victories and fine redemption in that have a great story is portrayed. Sometimes never seen a movie where the first 5 minutes is just incredibly insane situation. I mean, I mean, I like I love some of JJ Abrams movies and some of the Mission Impossible movies because they'll start out with this insane situation you think All Is Lost I mean All Is Lost look there's no way. And then when the movie and the camera widens and you see the whole picture there's this victory at the end. And this author is saying we don't need to be quick to judge in the middle of the story. God and what is going on because there's more to the story and it's the end. That tells the story Paul talks about the end of Philippians 2, right? He says one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and the truth of his Beauty and who he he is as our savior will be seen and known by all. And for those who've already bowed their knee and confessed his goodness and his identity with their tongue. That day will be a day of Celebration. We almost always think of Judgment Day as this bad day.

If you've accepted Christ as your lord and savior, do you realize that your judgment day has already occurred?

Have you thought about that in Jesus as your lord and savior your judgment day has already occurred. It occurred on the cross while you and I were yet sinners Christ died for us. He bore our sins. He bore our judgment. So that the Judgment Day that comes at the end for us is a celebration of Christ's righteousness because guess what we're in Christ and that what Paul says again and again throughout the scriptures. I think 90 different times in the Epistles. He uses that language in Christ. So far us Judgment Day is this celebration of what we've already known and believe that bowing down that we've done in our lives at one point about her knee and confess with her tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord and so for us Judgment day will be this big celebration. Yes. Yes, Jesus is good good and holy and righteous, and I'm with him. I'm with him. He's attributed his goodness to me. It's the ending that makes it good the overcoming of impossible odds, the ominous threats with heroic Deeds great victories and Final Redemption. He continues this is where God story is headed both on a global scale and at the very personal level and each of Our Lives the ending will prove that the devastating setbacks and dilemmas of the journey worthwhile so that we can say with Jeremiah that God's mercies are new every morning and that his faithfulness is great because of his great love we never need to lose heart. In fact, we can have hope even in the midst of our greatest crisis those prices are always temporary, but God's Deliverance is eternal the middle of the story is only for a moment.

So I don't know what you may be going through this morning. or this year or this past decade in your life

but learn from Jeremiah but even in the midst of hardship even in the midst of Devastation, even the mist of what looks like a landscape with no hope anywhere to be seen that you can have the sort of defiant nonetheless. Play that's Faith. That's this deliberate Act of Faith that says I see this but I see this yet. I know I'm a sinner. But Christ has died for me and change that reality. I know I'm in the midst of a time. That seems hopeless yet. I will trust God and hope will come in the morning. His mercies are new every morning and his faithfulness does not fail.

Scripture says that God is faithful in the seasons of this Earth of this globe. As long as the Earth endures seedtime and harvest cold and heat summer and winter day and night will never cease God is faithful. We see it in The Season's around us. We see it in everything that occurs and it's just a reminder a testimony that God is faithful. Scripture says that God is faithful in pardoning us for send one of my favorite verses is this verse in Jude the last two verses of the book of Jude 24 and 25 the author celebrating God's faithfulness. He says now to the one who is able this is Jesus to the one who is able to keep you from falling and cause you to stand rejoicing without blemish before his glorious presence, and that awesome. He's not saying we're doing it on our own he sang Let's give glory and praise and honor to Jesus. He's the one who can cause us to stand in his presence on that Judgment Day with without blemish. Not a blemish on us is pure and holy bride washed in his blood. He's paid the price had knee he said from the cross. It is finished and he said before he left his disciples how much Authority has been given to him? How much? How much? How much? All authority has been given to me. where on Earth and in heaven Century language in flipping through Paul says, it doesn't matter above the earth below the Earth anywhere every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, so he's got all authority. And so if we accept him as our Lord and savior, and he attributes his blood to us, He can cause us to stand before his presence one day without blemish. And with the author ads great joy in that amazing is how wrong we get Judgment Day a lot of it so often I'm on we just think Judgment Day is this day that we're supposed to grovel into the presence of the Lord Dragon. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I sure hope I get saved. I sure hope I was good enough. I'm terrified. I just I read this story some Baptist preacher. There's a store where you going to get to have it said they're going to play a video of everything you've done wrong and they're just seeing just braver by the seat. That is heresy scripture Denton Pizza It is a common myth among Christians that that's what Judgment day will be God's going to line you up and say well Gary. I know where buy down there thought the world of you, but you and I know you weren't perfect and every imperfect moment in your life. I've got an HD on the 4K TV here or I'll just going to play it for everybody in judgment on flashlight. That is

Judgement day for those who are in Christ is the celebration of who Jesus Christ is in Revelation that tells us the same thing. Everyone starts singing right? It's the lamb who was Worthy is the Lamb will fall down and worship and celebrate Christ. The pardon is promised to us from God. To the only God our savior Jude continues to Jesus Christ Our Lord be glory Majesty power and authority before all time. And now and for all eternity. Amen. He promises us his presence in John Chapter 14 verse 16, Jesus. Look, I'll ask the father when they're all anxious about him leaving. I'll ask the father and he will give you another friend to help you and be with you forever and he goes on to talk about the holy spirit being with us forever a tennis. So the seasons speak to God's faithfulness. He promises us pardon through Jesus Christ. He promises us his presence. Flip is 413. He promises us strength Paul says in the midst of prison in the context of discussing his whole life where he's learned to be someone without any food at all or any support and he's learned to be someone who's treated with great respect called an apostle or Roman citizen. I've learned to be with and I've learned to be without I've been in prison and I've been out of prison. I've been praised that as an apostle and I've been beaten as a heretic and I've learned it all those situations Paul says But I can do it. Because Christ gives me strength he promises us that strength. Play promises us a bright. Hope for the future this verse.

I could preach a sermon just on this verse alone. There's so much richness behind this little verse here. The whole context is Hebrews discussing Jesus as the high priest and his authority and his completeness of accomplishing everything that God needed him to accomplish in order for us to be justified to be safe to fulfill the law and do everything that God had always planned Christ met all the criteria is part of what this chapter is about and added to that authority of Christ as the acceptable height is the authority that this was all God's idea. It was done under his authority and it was his word that commanded and caused all this to happen in the midst of that discussion. The author says talking about this promise that we have from God's that's based on two unbreakable thinks the character of God's cuz he don't lie. And the Fulfillment that Christ achieved of everything God asked him to do in order to secure our Salvation so that double fold makes it so secure that he's talking about the holy of holies how Jesus Christ tore that down overcame it all that was fulfilled. Until 1 translation 6:19 says this about this promise we have from God for our future it is it's an unbreakable spiritual life line reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God. And then amazing. When were talking about the security of our future our Salvation the author says look it's been secured Christ it as the high priest and God's word is behind it. And neither of those things can be broken. It is this secure. It's this life line. Is this anchor through everything that the adversary in the world would say what you can't you can't go to heaven. You're not all those things all those think about you appearances. We are not the right. You're not a Jew or you're not this or you're not that or you're not a preacher. You're not going to throw it away. Christ is Authority God's word and promise behind the activity of Christ. Gives us this anchor to goes right into the presence of God.

And secure is our salvation and our future. It's a God promises us that. I'm going to buy the worship team to come forward now. And I want us to to Connor respond to this message in the song. We're going to sing. Okay? I'll be in the back and they'll be folks in the back and the front for prayer if you have prayer requests were available for prayer. We have a decision to make give your life to Christ would love to celebrate that come find me answer any questions you have pray with you. But everybody's invited to respond right now as you sing this song. practice that sort of yet that sort of but that we talked about earlier and remember

I don't know what you're going through. You may not be going into something devastating right now if you're not you probably have in the past and if you haven't yet, you're probably going to

That's just the way life unfold. Can I get an amen from anybody old enough to say right? You just don't get the roll from Cradle to grave fat dumb and happy as we wish life would unfold. So either either gone through something overwhelming or you're going through it right now or you will at some point in the future. And I challenge you during this song to learn from Jeremiah. And a store up in your heart and in your mind. That memory that you can call on in the mist of that hardship in the midst of what looks like nothing but Devastation you need to be able to say but I also remember something else. I also see something else. I also recall God's faithfulness God's grace and his goodness as you sing this song. I want you to remember the things that God has done for you in your lifetime. I want you to remember your salvation that day in which you first pleaded for pardon from God as someone who knew that you were Center and God reply was yes. Yes, welcome welcome Revelation 3:22 says I stand at the door and knock if you open the door, I will come in and fellowship with you. Remember at Salvation remember God's faithfulness in all of life, whether it's the seasons or your own salvation or the strength that he's giving you at times when You Face something you thought there's no way I can get through this. And now you're on the other side of it. And God provided that strength weather is a time when your heart was filled with loneliness or fear and you felt God's presence even in the midst of that loneliness or fear. Thank him for that present. Or time when you were anxious about the future be reminded of the hope that he gives us because God is faithful. Great is his faithfulness? true Legends are written about his faithfulness great stories that are true are contained in the scriptures about his faithfulness songs are written about his faithfulness prophets who stand in the middle of Devastation are able to still say but That's mercies are new every morning. This is not the whole story. This is not the end of the story. If you keep reading pass limitations you see the day when Israel celebrates being restored. As a nation has a people a temple rebuilt called to continue God's faithful work into the time of Christ.

Use the song Simply to praise God for his faithfulness and to shore up for yourself right now if you need it or store away for the future when you will. That knowledge of his faithfulness.