Lamentations 3

07-14-2019

Recap

This might be the chapter you and I have waited for today in the Lamentations Study

But if you will recall a few wks ago when we started with we had seen that the nation had sinned and sinned greatly

We talked a lot about how God would judge and pour wrath out on the city that once walked with God

Oh how the mighty have fallen

Then in we see in great detail how God determined to destroy the city walls

How their safety net had fallen and how we see because they had remained in sin and not repented God will judge that

should serve as a warning for you and I, for our church, and for our nation

That if you and I continue in sin and continue to sin without repenting we will experience the wrath and judgement of God

I did tell you that the best part of was that follows

This morning we will cover

This particular chapter starts out like the rest of them with more of Gods wrath

Here though we see the author identify himself

We see that he is the man that has experienced the wrath of God and has observed this

If you will recall they are experiencing Gods wrath because they have sinned and sinned greatly

They have sinned and there was no repentant heart

Again this should serve as a reminder to use that if we are going to continue to sin we will experience the wrath of God

God has determined the destroy the gates of Zion

This is Gods punishment directly to the Nation

God used the Babylonians to destroy the nation because of their sin

Towards the end of the section we get the lostness and the emptiness

as a result of the sin on the nation

Church do you understand that sin only ever leads to death and that nothing good ever comes from sin

you may be here today and you may think you have everything figured out and think you don’t need Jesus

Much like the nation had thought up to this point

Their is only brokenness and death with sin

But in the midst of sin and death and emptiness and lostness

There is hope in the Lord

See maybe you are here and you have realized that you are headed for death and destruction

and there is hope in Jesus

No matter what there ia always hope in the Lord

In the midst of our out right disobedience there is hope in the Lord

God is still very much seated on the throne in Heaven

It is so easy to get wrapped up into the things of this world and start to get anxious and upset when we start to talk about politics

These verses are setting up what is going to come next

But this should serve as a reminder that God is seated on the throne in heaven

Here we read promises about Gods character

notice church that he does not pout out His wrath on those who do not deserve it

Israel is not innocent in this story

You and I are not innocent in our own story

Church you and I need to use lamentations as a call to repent and turn to Jesus

The first question is yes

God causes the rain to fall on the just and the un just alike

Rather then getting angry at God because of their current predicament

They need to turn inward

vs 39

How can you be complaining about this current situation its because of your sin

Often times we find our self asking these questions

We say how could a loving God do this to me?

When we need to be saying God show me the sin in my life and get ride of it

Jeremiah the auther is even calling them to repent

He is calling us to repent

Church you and I should be on our faces before the God in heaven repenting of our sin and running back to Him

Because if we don’t

The author goes on to explain the consequences of the sin in their lives

They even say they havnt repented

vs 46 says that their enemies have eaten them consumed them and destroyed them

God has used another nation to pour out the wrath on His people

God has poured out His wrath on them because they sinned and refused to repent of that sin

Please use this study as a warning and to turn back

Almost the Lords response

Don’t misunderstand Gods love for you for weakness

Don’t misunderstand Gods love for you for grace and forgiveness for all without repentence

Church This will happen what is said at the end here but it will only happen when the Lord

Who is still seated on the throne in Heaven determines it

I love vs 58

God will redeem His people whent eh time is right and we know that happens becasue we read about it later

But church this should be a warning to us to repent and run to Jesus

Because when we repent and turn from our sin and run to Jesus

guess what He is there

These last few verses say just that

The nation would have to go searching for God

You and I don’t have to go and search for God we do have to repent and turn to Jesus

Closing

So maybe you are here today and that is you

Maybe you have come here and you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus that can change today

you can walk out of this building with a redeemed life

Or maybe you are here and your heart is hard with sin and God is pouring out some wrath on you because of it

Would you use lamentations as a warning and repent of that sin and run back to Jesus

Because there is hope in Jesus