Grace in Grief
Lamentations • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 35:21
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· 124 viewsGreat is His Faithfulness
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Intro
Intro
Hope springs from truth rehearsed !!
Pour out heart… anchor heart
Great is thy faithfulness
pushing his heart what he knows to be true despite what he sees with his eyes…
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21-33 = center
Message
Message
Perspectives on Hardships
Lam 3.1-20… Bitter Hopelessness … focused on what God has done it is hard v18
17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18 so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”
Lam 3.34-66… God Centered Hopefulness … v58
57 You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ 58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.
V21 = hope… hope can be dangerous
Lam 3.21 “21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:”
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Tim Keller, in his book Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, suggests that suffering requires self-communion and disciplined thinking:
We must be disciplined in our thinking. You must meditate on the truth and gain the perspective that comes from remembering all God has done for you and is going to do. You should also do "self- communion." This is both listening to your heart and also reasoning and talking to your heart. It means saying, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Forget not his benefits, his salvation" (Ps. 42; Ps. 103). This is not forcing yourself to feel in a certain way, but rather directing your thoughts until your heart, sooner or later, is engaged. Much of the thinking and self-communing that we must do has to do with Christian hope. Heaven and the resurrection and the future-perfect world are particularly important to meditate on if you are dealing with death--your own or someone else's. But it is crucial in all suffering
Meditate on His Mercies
Meditate on His Mercies
God’s mercy never ends
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Hesed = steadfast love = God’s Covenant Love…
Every Morning = grace of waking… V39
Lord is portion = Levites.... what else do you need ??
Practice Faith-filled Patience
Practice Faith-filled Patience
Waiting on the Lord is never wasted
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; 29 let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; 30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.
Hebrew = GOOD - 3
What is so good about waiting ??
What if you could go back to youth with what you know now ???
Cling to His Compassion
Cling to His Compassion
This is not the end
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.
The semi colon of your life… this is not the end !
Clear your play-dogh off the table its time for the birthday cake !!!
Pain is an amazingly strong attention getter....
39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Remember His Redemption
Remember His Redemption
God is ALWAYS good
33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.
55 “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; 56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ 57 You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ 58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.
Preach to yourself today…tomorrow
Close
Close
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Hesed =
Mercies never end = Meditate on Mercies
Waiting on the LORD is not a waste = Practice Faithful Patience
This is not your end = Cling to Compassion
God is always good = Remember Redemption
Great is His Faithfulness !!!
Group Questions
Group Questions
What do you do when you feel like God is the enemy? Where are you most tempted to turn?
Discuss a time when you felt like God was thwarting you.
Describe the poetic trajectory of this chapter. How does it move?
What are the poetic metaphors Jeremiah uses for God in verses 1-18? Which of these can you relate to and how? What do these metaphors teach us about God?
What connections do you see between Lamentations 3 and Psalm 103?
Jeremiah is broken. How, in light of the beatitudes (Matt 5), can that be a good thing?
How does this passage teach us more about Christ? When did Christ quote a song of lament?
Prior to this sermon what was your perspective on Lamentations 3:22–23 or the song “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”? How has this message changed your understanding of the context of this text?
What comfort can we take from different perspectives on suffering in Lamentations 3?
Describe a time in your life when you would swing from “There’s no hope” to “I can trust you, Lord!” What was that experience like?
Does the phrase “dare to hope” resonate with you? What is risky about hope when you are suffering?
Which of the three heart shaping truths are most applicable to your life right now? Why?
In your own lament, what other truths do you need to rehearse? Take some time to write them down and pray over them.