LAMENTATIONS 3:21-42 HOPE IN THE LORD AFTER JUDGMENT2016 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Lamentations 3:21-42 Hope In The Lord After Judgment

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2016.

Amen. So this morning we're in the book of Lamentations. It's where we are as we're reading through the Bible in three years. And probably if we weren't reading through the Bible in three years, we wouldn't be in the book of Lamentations. It's probably not one of your favorite books or the book that you would, you know, turn to to look for a Sunday morning message. It's a book that's full of sorrow. And in

In that, it can be kind of difficult to read, difficult to go through, and yet at the same time, it's very important for us.

many times the Word of God is compared to food or nutrition for us. And so in that, this is, you know, one of those days where, you know, you need to eat your vegetables, you know. And I don't know about you, but I like my food to be good without like explanation or question or qualification. You know, sometimes when people describe, you know, some really good food, oh no, it's

Yeah, it's a kale salad. And you're like, oh, no, thank you. No, no, no. It's actually kind of OK once you put this and that and do these other things. And hey, scratch all the other stuff. Just give me something good that I don't have to add on to it or explain it or say, this is why I got to muscle through it and eat this, because it's good for me. I just like to eat good food. And sometimes we can be like that as believers. We like to read the nice and fluffy verses and the nice and beautiful things sometimes that are easy to digest and easy to grasp hold of.

And yet, as those who walk with God, we also need to learn to choke down some vegetables from time to time and learn to process and digest some of the more difficult things and maybe some of the more bitter things and have a kale salad. And so I hope you look forward to your kale salad this morning. And we're going to get into the book of Lamentations. Now, the reason why Lamentations is so sorrowful

is because it's written by the prophet Jeremiah immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon.

And so there's a quick look at the timeline. There's also a handout on the back table of the major prophets. Yeah, and so you can check that out if you want to get a closer look. But essentially, we've been walking with Jeremiah through the last years of the nation of Judah as they continue to refuse to repent and obey God. They continue to rebel against God and refuse to listen to Jeremiah.

to the extent that now Babylon has been brought by the Lord to bring destruction upon Judah and

Jerusalem is now destroyed. The people of God are now led away captive to Babylon, the few that survived. And then the few that survived that have now fled to Egypt. And so now the nation of Judah is desolate. It's empty. There's nobody living there. There's been a great destruction that happened because of their rebellion against God.

And Lamentations is Jeremiah writing some laments after all of these events have taken place. Tradition is that Jeremiah was sitting on top of Golgotha, so the top of the peak of the mountain where Jesus was crucified, overlooking Jerusalem. That's

Jeremiah was sitting there looking over Jerusalem and the destruction that has happened and it's just dead and devastation and in that spot he writes down these laments.

these woes, these cries of sorrow. And so lamentation is a few different poems that are laments. Now a lament was a funeral song. It was a song that was meant to be, you know, read at a funeral. And so it was, you know, in that vein,

line of thought where Jeremiah was, that there was a funeral that was taking place. A great death has happened in that Jerusalem has been destroyed. And so he's crying aloud.

He's mourning, he's sorrowing over the destruction that has happened. And yet, at the same time, it's emotional, and you can see that throughout the book, but it's also very systematic and thoughtful, in that Lamentations, each of the chapters, is an acrostic.

And that might not mean a whole lot to you, but an acrostic is something that's arranged based on letters of the alphabet. And so in the Hebrew alphabet, there was 22 characters. And so in chapter one, you'll see each, well, you won't see it, but in Hebrew, each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And so here's a quick glimpse at that. So in verse one, we have, "'How lonely sits the city.'"

Well, that word how, you know, in English, it begins with the letter H, but in Hebrew, it begins with the letter Aleph. And that is the first letter of their alphabet. And so how begins the verse and begins with the letter A or Aleph. And then

Verse 2, she weeps bitterly. That word weeps in Hebrew begins with the next letter. And then Judah has gone into captivity. That gone into captivity begins with the next letter and you get the idea. And so you can see that it was designed. It was very thoughtful in putting this together. It wasn't just, you know, overwhelming cries of sorrow and great emotion. Although there is all of that in there. At the same time, there's design, there's structure to it.

And so it was on purpose. It was intentional. And that's kind of the point I'm trying to make here is that it's not just a collection of, you know, rants or ravings because of the great sorrow, but God designed it this way intentionally and on purpose. And I think it's for a very important reason. And here's what it is. Laments accurately represent God.

In these kinds of situations where destruction has taken place, where devastation has happened, where judgment has been brought for sin, I think it's important for us to be reminded that lamentation, in those cases, lament accurately represents God.

Because even when God is the one who's bringing judgment and correction and destruction as a result of sin, he never does so with a joyful heart, with a gleeful heart. He always does so with lamentation. And so lamentation actually represents God very well. And I think that's important for us to consider.

For you and I as believers today, you know, sometimes you might have authority and you have to bring correction. And I would encourage you to consider the heart of God and do it in the same manner as God and have a heart of lamentation even when you have to bring correction.

But sometimes we're observers of those that God is correcting. And we see around us judgment take place and consequences happen for sin, for people around us. And I would encourage you that, you know, as believers, we're called to be representatives of the Lord.

And we do have a responsibility to represent the Lord's heart, the Lord's mindset, the Lord's character to the world around us. And I know perhaps sometimes it's very tempting to be joyful and gleeful and happy when those who have done wrong to us experience consequences for their actions.

But I would encourage you that we need to consider the heart of the Lord and represent the Lord and hold that in higher regard than however you might be feeling about it at the moment. Because God laments even when the worst of the worst experience the repercussions and consequences for sins.

Because the results of sin, the consequences of sin are absolutely devastating. Now that's what Jeremiah is looking at. As he overlooks Jerusalem, he's sorrowful as he reflects on the devastation of sin. And I want to take us through some of that here in chapter one, just to give a little bit of a glimpse. It's not everything, but just to give us a little bit of a glimpse of the results of sin, we need to be reminded that

of the severity of sin, the seriousness of sin, and what it is so that we stay away from it.

And so what are the results of sin? Well, to highlight a few things, first of all, in verse 1, we see that sin turns fullness into emptiness. Verse 1 says, Jeremiah says, Jeremiah says,

You see the contrast? Lonely versus full of people. He's sitting up there perhaps on Golgotha overlooking Jerusalem and thinking about the times where Jerusalem was full of people. You know, several times a year, God had designed their calendar so that all of the Jews from wherever they were in the nation would come to Jerusalem to celebrate a feast. And

And in those times, Jerusalem would just be absolutely packed full of people as the whole nation would gather together there at the temple to celebrate, to feast together. And perhaps Jeremiah is reflecting on some of those days, those times when Jerusalem would be full of people celebrating the feast. And now as he looks around,

The streets are all barren. The walls are broken down. It's just rubble. There's not a person to be seen. There's no one in sight as he looks over the city of Jerusalem. Even in the later days of the nation of Jerusalem, when

Judah had been captured almost completely by Babylon and Assyria. And all that was left was the city of Jerusalem. Everybody fled to Jerusalem. And so even to the end, Jerusalem was full of people. But now it sits empty. This is one of the results of sin. It turns fullness into emptiness. Things that are full and overflowing and abundant become barren.

as sin is practiced and engaged in. Now, you can apply this in a lot of ways in your life, and you can consider it in a lot of ways, but I would just encourage you to consider that whatever is full, whatever is overflowing, abundant, and maybe it's your bank account, maybe it's your popularity, maybe it's your friends on Facebook, maybe it's your, you know, occupation, whatever. If it's full, the result of sin is

can be, will be emptiness. Sin turns that fullness and those things that once were overflowing and brought great joy into things that are empty and worthless. Well, also here in verse one, the second thing I would point out about the results of sin is that sin turns power into slavery. There in verse one at the end, it says, "...the princess among the provinces has become a slave."

Israel and Judah used to be prominent. They used to have power. They used to have prestige. They were like a princess. But now they've become a slave. They used to rule the land. They used to be a force to be reckoned with. But now they have become a slave. You know, Jesus said, he who sins is a slave of sin. Sin is

doesn't just entertain us for a little bit and then we walk away, but sin seeks to take over and become the masters of us. And the areas where we had power, the areas where we had prestige, the areas where we were strong, we become enslaved.

as a result of sin. Sin turns power into slavery. Well, jumping down to verse four, the third result of sin that I would highlight is that sin turns feasts into bitterness. Verse four says, "'The roads to Zion mourn "'because no one comes to the set feast. "'All her gates are desolate. "'Her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, "'and she is in bitterness.'"

Here, Jeremiah is considering those feasts that God had established. Those times of the year where God had said, hey, everybody come together at this time and remember this. Remember how I've done this for you. Remember how I've protected you. Remember how I've provided for you. There were these feasts that he established and they were feasts. They were not fasts.

They were feasts. They were celebrations. They were joyful occasions. There were times where they would feast. I mean, when you look at the sacrifices that they would offer at the feasts, it's not like you would picture, like there's this whole cow, you know, on the altar before the Lord. There was a little piece of the cow that was offered before the Lord. The rest of it, they ate, they feasted, they barbecued, they celebrated. It was a time of gathering and rejoice and celebration. And

And Jeremiah is looking back, the roads used to be packed. I mean, it was a traffic jam trying to get into Jerusalem to celebrate the feast, but now the roads are in mourning because nobody's coming to the feast. Instead of that celebration, instead of that gathering of great joy, he says there in verse four, she is in bitterness. That great joy has been turned to bitterness. That's a result of sin. It will result in,

in turning joy and feasts and celebrations to bitterness. Now, maybe there's some immediate, you know, kind of application or consideration for that as we head into October now. You know, we're doing already in the countdown. It's how many days till Christmas? You know, we have Thanksgiving coming up. We have some holidays coming up. And I think it's probably not difficult for you to imagine or understand sin in our lives is

can take those holidays where once we gathered together with our family, it was a joyful celebration. It was a great thing and we would feast together. And yet perhaps this year, it's not a feast of celebration. It's a time where you're just dwelling in your bitterness. Or maybe there's those family members where families are divided now because of sin.

And it's torn apart, it's ravaged, it's destroyed. And so those times that were intended for celebration, those times that were intended for great joy and love expressed between family, now there's mourning. Now there's not that celebration. That's a result of sin. It destroys families. It turns the joys of our life into times of bitterness.

Well, verse 5 also goes on. Well, the highlight is sin turns enemies into masters. Verse 5 says, Her adversaries have become the master. Her enemies prosper. For the Lord has afflicted her because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy. Her adversaries, he says, have become the master. Now, it's one thing to go into slavery.

But it's another thing to be enslaved by your enemy. I mean, if you can imagine, you know, if you have some kind of rival, let's say in the workplace, someone who is really out to get you, someone who wanted, you know, to end your career, and then they become your boss. You can understand, like, that would be bad, right? It's already bad enough that you have a boss. But when your enemy is your boss, then you can understand that's, it's extra hard. It's extra hurtful. And

And that's their condition now. The nation of Judah, their enemy, Babylon, has now become their master. And they are forced to be submitted to their master. It's a hard thing. It's a harsh thing. And that is the result of sin. When you are involved in sin, when you continue to engage in sin, it will turn your enemies into your masters. We also see in verse 5 that sin turns children into

into captives. There at the end of verse 5, he says, her children have gone into captivity before the enemy. Now, parents, I want you to think about this. I want you to pray about this and consider this quite a bit. There's nine-year-old kids, 10-year-old kids, 11-year-old kids that are now captives in Babylon because their parents refused to repent.

Because their parents insisted on continuing in sin. God gave them many opportunities. One of the opportunities was to surrender. They didn't have to go through the atrocities that Jerusalem went through, the devastation of sin. They could have submitted and surrendered to God. And these children suffered because their parents would not turn from their sin. Parents, you guys have a great, huge responsibility. And your sin can turn your children into captives.

And you might be playing around with alcohol, let's say, and you're like, hey, it's no big deal. I have freedom. I have liberty in Christ. But you better be careful that you don't enslave your children. You have a huge responsibility. Your sin impacts your children greatly. Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy. Jumping down to verse 8, the next highlight. I keep using the word highlight. It's not quite the right word, right? Maybe dark streak. I don't know what's the opposite of a highlight. But

Verse 8, Jerusalem has sinned gravely, therefore she has become vile. All who honored her despise her because they have seen her nakedness.

Yes, she sighs and turns away. So here we see that sin turns honor into despising. Jerusalem used to be honored. Remember back in the good old days under King Solomon, the nation was glorious. The city was glorious, filled with gold, the glorious temple. I mean, it was amazing. Remember the queen of Sheba came from a great distance just to see what was happening there in Jerusalem.

But now those who honored despise. It has turned that honor into shame. And that's what sin will do. It turns any honor that we might have, any reason why there might be admiration or recognition or

It turns it into despising and shame in our lives. And one last one, we'll jump down to verse 14. Here, sin turns strength into failure. Verse 14 says, Here, Jeremiah says, where we were strong, we failed.

Our strength was turned into failure. This is the reality of the results of sin. If you continue in sin, if you practice sin, those areas where you think you're strong, those areas where you're convinced, I'm okay, I can handle this, I've got it under control, I'm going to do it.

Because, well, I've got a good amount in the bank. And so, you know, I have some stability. I have some strength. Or I have, you know, a strong back. And so I can continue to work. I can continue to make money. Or I have this or I have that. I've got a strong, you know, marriage. I got a strong whatever. The results of sin will be those strengths will be turned into failures. There will be destruction and devastation. This is just some of the results of sin.

Just a glimpse. As you read through Lamentations, you see many of the others listed and mentioned. There's great devastation that comes from sin. Charles Swindoll says, Sin, in spite of all its allurement and excitement, carries with it heavy weights of sorrow, grief, misery, barrenness, and pain. Sin is set before us as desirable. It's alluring. It's exciting.

It's pleasurable, but it carries with it sorrow, grief, misery, barrenness, and pain. That is the result of sin. And that is what Jeremiah is looking at as he looks over the city of Jerusalem in all of its devastation. And he cries out in woe, in lament, in sorrow for what has taken place. And that's what he goes on to continue to do in Lamentations 2, 3, 4, 5-11.

He gets into some of the details dealing with the great difficulties and hardships that come from sin. But there's something interesting that happens in the middle of chapter three. And so we're going to jump to Lamentations chapter three verse now. And here's the real title of the message, Hope in the Lord After Judgment. In the midst of all this lamentation and woe and observing what they've experienced in judgment from the Lord, there's a glimmer of hope.

that Jeremiah experiences. And so as we look at these things today, and as you consider the results of sin, and maybe you've experienced those or are experiencing those, maybe you've seen people experience those, here's what we need to know. Even then, at the results of sin, when it's at its worst, when the full judgment has come down, what Jeremiah recognizes here is it's not hopeless. Don't give up if you're experiencing the results of sin.

Don't give up because there is reason to hope in the Lord even after judgment has come or even right in the midst of that judgment that is taking place. Now, just to throw out a quick side thing that I always like to point out, not every difficulty and hardship is a punishment for sin. So we shouldn't take it that way. You know, don't be Job's friends.

and accuse people of sin every time there's a hardship in their life. That's, you know, Job was a righteous man, and yet he experienced severe hardship. And so that is definitely possible. At the same time, though, it is worth considering for our own selves. As we experience difficulty, as we experience affliction and hardship,

Is there something that God is seeking to speak to us about and direct us in through the midst of this trial and affliction that we go through? And is there some sin that we do need to repent of? And so it's a good reminder for us to do that. But even in the midst of that, when we've rebelled, when we've sinned, there is hope in the Lord that

after judgment. I like what Thomas Nelson says about the book of Lamentations. He says, rather than explaining away pain, the book helps us face pain. By avoiding cheery cliches, the book of Lamentations provides companionship for those who are suffering and plants seeds of hope for rebuilding after the suffering is over.

There is suffering from sin. That is part of the results and the consequences of sin. But God is so merciful and gracious, we can have hope. And that's part of what the book of Lamentations is here for. Not just to cry out the woes of sin and the results of sin that happened on Jerusalem, but there is this hope.

that God will restore and rebuild and begin to do a good work once again. And so let's begin in verses 21 through 24 with point number one, and that is the Lord's mercies are new every morning. Good news for those who need hope. The Lord's mercies are new every morning. Verse 21 says, this I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord's mercies, we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. Jeremiah says, this I recall to mind. As you read through Lamentations, you can get the impression of hopelessness and great depression and terrible sorrow and wailing of all the atrocities that happen to the people of God because of their sin. But Jeremiah doesn't stay there. In the midst of that,

Jeremiah focuses his mind. He turns his mind to something that gives him hope. He says, this I recall to my mind. Now that idea is he purposely goes out of his way and grabs hold of this thought and brings it to his mind. It's not just a thought that occurs to him, but he's bringing this to his mind. And that's something that we need to be reminded of.

You set the subject. You set the attention and the focus. You can change the channel in your mind. And so if you need hope, do like Jeremiah did. Change the channel to verse 22. Through the Lord's mercies, we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. Jeremiah begins to have hope and he holds on to hope in the midst of this as he thinks about the Lord's mercies. The mercy of the Lord. Mercy means

is God holding back judgment that is deserved? And so Jeremiah says, through the Lord's mercies, we're not consumed. Now, it sounds pretty comforting and encouraging this way. I guess you could maybe put it a little less discouraging by saying, hey, it could be worse. That's a little bit what Jeremiah was talking about. It's not exactly, we'll get into, but it could be worse. It

Now, I would encourage you not to share that kind of exhortation with someone who is suffering. You know, hey, cheer up, man. It could be worse. That's not usually very encouraging. But sometimes it's good for encouraging yourself, reminding yourself. He says, through the Lord's mercies, we are not consumed. Here's what Jeremiah is thinking. You know, we deserved even greater judgment than we received. And that's always the case. That's always true.

Until we're in eternity, eternally separated from God in hell, that's the only time that we would receive the judgment that we deserve. Anything short of that is less than the judgment that we deserve. No matter what we experience in this life, no matter what we go through, the hardships that we face, I always deserve more judgment than I receive. I always deserve more consequences, more repercussions, more discipline, always.

And so Jeremiah is thinking about that. Through the Lord's mercies, we're not consumed. We still have hope. We still have life. There was a small remnant preserved through the midst of this destruction and this attack. It was more than the nation of Israel deserved because of God's mercies. Verse 23, he says, As he thinks about the mercies of God, he thinks about

Man, God is really good. He's really faithful because we deserve absolute and total judgment. And God's only given us parts of the judgment that we deserve. His mercies are so great. He says they're new every morning. Now, you can look at that and see, wow, we get a new batch of mercy every day, right? They're new every morning.

So even if you used up all your mercy yesterday, today you have a whole new batch of mercy from God. He is working with you and in your life in a way that you are not receiving everything that you deserve. He's working in good ways, in good things in your life today.

in ways that you don't deserve. And it's new every morning. His grace and his mercies towards you are never exhausted. They're always refreshed and they're new every morning. But I also think there's another aspect to this in that he says they're new every morning. And here's what I would say. Every day of life is a demonstration of God's patience. The very fact that you woke up this morning, it's God's mercies towards you. It means that God hasn't given up on you.

You see, if God was done with you, he would have just allowed you to not wake up this morning. You were nearly dead for six to eight hours anyways. He could have just, yeah, they're not going to open their eyes this morning. But because you opened your eyes and you saw the sun was rising and you have life today, that means that God's not done with you. God's not given up on you.

He's not through with you. He still has plans for you. He still has good he can do in your life. He still wants to work with you. He still wants to walk with you. He still is with you. He hasn't given up on you, and that's why you had a morning this morning. That's why we can say good morning, because his mercies are new every morning, and great is his faithfulness.

He is faithful to demonstrate this mercy to us day after day. You can count on God to be merciful. I like Psalm 147 verse 11. It tells us, The Lord takes pleasure in those who hope in his mercy. I think this is good. I think this is important for us. Sometimes,

Well, we kind of run from God because we know we deserve consequences, penalties, punishments for our sin. But you know what God really loves? He loves it when you, knowing that you deserve judgment, knowing that you deserve the consequences of your sins, He loves it. He finds pleasure when you hope in His mercy. When you cry out to the Lord and say, Lord,

I know I'm wrong. I know I've sinned. I know I deserve so much more, but I'm hoping that you'll be merciful. I'm trusting that you're a merciful God. He loves it when we come to him. And so many times when we know we've done wrong, we run from him, but he loves it when we come to him and hope and trust in his mercy.

His mercies are new every morning, and so we can do that. Verse 24, the Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in him. Jeremiah says, Lord, you are my portion, and so I'm hoping in you. My whole life is devastated. All my family, gone, taken captive. Many people died. Many people are destroyed. The city is a wreck, but Lord, you're my portion. My hope isn't in Jerusalem. My hope is in you, Lord. That's what Jeremiah is saying.

you are my portion. Notice he doesn't say the Lord gives me my portion. He says the Lord is my portion. And if you want to have hope, even in the midst of judgment or even after severe judgment, you need to learn to make the Lord your portion. That we don't seek the Lord just to get good stuff, to get food on the table or get provision or to get this or to get that. But you need to learn what it means to have the Lord be your portion.

Think about what Jesus said. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. He didn't say, I provide to you. Here is the way. It's over there. You know, go that way. Or here is the life. Or here is the truth. He said, I am. The Lord is your portion. If you're looking for the way, the truth, and the life, it's Jesus. It's Jesus that we need. It's Jesus that fulfills us. It's Jesus that satisfies us.

In John chapter 17, as Jesus was there in that closing prayer with the Father, he was praying that we would have eternal life. And he says, this is what eternal life is. It's knowing the Father and the Son. Knowing God, relationship with God is, well, it's what we need. It's what fulfills us. It's what gives us hope, even in the midst of judgment. And that's the amazing thing. This is the connection to the Lord's mercies are new every morning.

In that you have opportunity every morning to have relationship with the creator of the heavens and the earth, with your heavenly father. Because of what Christ has done for us. No matter how bad you've been, no matter how far you've gone, no matter how much you've rebelled, by faith in Jesus Christ, because he died upon the cross and paid the full price, the penalty for our sin, we have access to God. That's what his mercy provides for us.

We have access to God. You can enter into the presence of God at any time, no matter what, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been or how long ago you did it. You have access to God. Learn to make the Lord your portion. Learn to live your life to know God and walk with God. The Lord's mercies are new every morning. And so you can have hope in the Lord after judgment because you walk with him, because you have access to him.

Well, we can also have hope in the Lord after judgment. As we move on to verse 25 through 31, we hope in the Lord after judgment because the Lord will not cast off forever. Whatever we're in, in the midst of the consequences of sin, as Jeremiah is sitting there and looking at the devastation on Jerusalem, he says, you know, this isn't permanent. This isn't the end of the story. He gives us a new day in his mercy.

which means he still has good plans for us. There's still opportunity for redemption. There's still opportunity for abundant life. Let's read verse 25 through 31. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent because God has laid it on him.

Let him put his mouth in the dust. There may yet be hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him and be full of reproach. For the Lord will not cast off forever. Here, Jeremiah, as he goes on, he is reflecting on how good God is in the midst of all this tragedy and difficulty. He realizes the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. This verse is true no matter where you're starting from.

So if you're Pastor David and you barely sin at all, I mean, even when you sin, it's just like, I wouldn't even really call that a sin. Of course, then we know when David waits on the Lord, the Lord is good to him. But for the rest of us, no matter where you're starting from, if you're in a place where you are like Jerusalem, just devastated and wracked with just destruction because of sin, if you start now to wait on the Lord and to seek the Lord,

The Lord is good to those who wait for him. And you can begin to experience the goodness of God as you seek the Lord. God is good. He will not cast off forever. Again, we have breath today because he's merciful towards us because he still has good things in store for us. And so you can start now. It's not hopeless. It's not over. He's given you chance again. That's why you have breath today. So start to wait on the Lord and seek the Lord and make the Lord your portion.

He says in verse 26, it's good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Now that's an important one because there you are in misery having experienced the consequences of sin. The city is destroyed. And here Jeremiah says, now stop complaining and whining about it. He says, it's good that you should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Hope on the Lord and wait on the Lord and seek the Lord, but stop complaining about

all you're experiencing because, well, that's the results and the consequences of your own sin. You brought this on yourself, in other words. Now, again, this isn't true of every affliction, but when it's the results and the consequences of sin, he says, it's good. You know, just wait quietly. Stop mumbling, stop grumbling, stop complaining, and just seek the Lord. Wait on the Lord. And he goes on in the next few verses to kind of even say, hey, you know what?

Be open and receive the correction that's being offered to you. In verse 27, he says, it's good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. This heavy burden that's been put on you, he says, it's good. It's good for you to bear that in your youth. And maybe you're thinking, well, I'm not a youth. Well, you're younger today than you will be tomorrow. So it's good for you right now to learn the lesson soon, to learn the lesson early. Receive the correction as soon as possible.

And so he says in verse 28, let him sit alone and keep silent because God has laid it on him. Be quiet, receive it because God has laid it on you. He even says in verse 29, let him put his mouth in the dust. There may yet be hope. Putting your mouth in the dust, that's that complete humbling, that bowing down before the Lord. Humble yourself greatly. And he says there may yet be hope. There may yet be hope.

It's not over. It's not the end of the story. And God might bring great redemption. You remember in 2 Samuel chapter 12, David was confronted by Nathan the prophet after he had sinned in his relationship with Bathsheba and then the killing of her husband. And he was confronted by Nathan and he repented. But the Lord spoke through Nathan and said, you've brought great shame. You've brought cause for the enemies of the Lord to speak evil.

And so there's going to be consequences. You're forgiven, but there's consequences. And so the child, the product of this adulterous relationship, that child is going to die. And David from there went into a time of mourning and fasting. As the child was sick, in its final days, David was mourning and fasting. But then as soon as he heard the child was alive, or I'm sorry, the child was dead, he got up, he washed himself, he ordered a good meal, and the servants were really confused. They said, you're acting kind of strange because...

Usually you would be fasting in mourning after the death and not feasting after the death. And David said, hey, while the child was still alive, there was opportunity. That's what David was doing. He's putting his mouth in the dust saying, hey, there may yet be hope, God, even though I deserve it. God may preserve this child. Now, in that instance, God didn't, but he might have. And David didn't want to leave that up to, you know, well, always be thinking, if I only would have repented, really, if I only would have just bowed down and just said,

Kiss the dirt. Maybe. Maybe God would have done something different. Don't leave that up. Don't leave a question mark there. Humble yourself. Fully repent. Verse 30, let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him and be full of reproach. Even when we know we deserve it, we don't like to be full of reproach. But here Jeremiah says, offer your cheek. I know I deserve it. Go ahead. I know I deserve it. Bring on the reproach. I deserve it. Receive the correction. Receive. Because

It's from the Lord. And really the implication here is, listen, the sooner you learn the lesson from your sin, from your rebellion, the sooner you learn the lesson, the sooner the Lord brings you out of it. And so you can dilly-dally and drag your feet if you want, and it's just going to drag out the punishment. But if you'll turn in and just accept it and receive it and let God teach you, let God show you with the correction that he's bringing, it's good for you to bear the yoke in your youth. So sit alone, be quiet, and

Because God's laid it on you. Receive that correction. Verse 31, for the Lord will not cast off forever. Receive the correction because the whole point is God's not done with you. That's why he's correcting you. The author of Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 12, talks about this quite a bit. The Lord chastens the ones that he loves. And so he brings correction because he loves you. And if he didn't love you, he wouldn't bring correction.

Again, he wouldn't even give you breath today. He would just give up on you and you wouldn't have life. But you have life because his mercies are new because he has not cast off forever. And so receive the correction. The Lord will not cast off forever. You can have hope. This isn't the end. This isn't how it's always going to be. This isn't the permanent condition. God can do good and bring restoration in the midst of this.

Well, going on to verse 32 through 40, we have point number three, and that is the Lord causes grief and shows compassion. Verse 32 says, Now I like these kinds of verses when these two ideas and concepts are brought together in one verse because it's a really good reminder for us that God is not just one thing.

He doesn't only cause grief, and he doesn't only show compassion. Sometimes we wrestle with that, you know, how can a God of love, and so we think, well, God is love, and we forget that God is other things also, like he is holy. And some people just focus on God is holy, and they forget that God is also love. And there is the balance of the two, that he is more than just one thing. And we might wrestle with that a bit in our heads, and we might wrestle with that in our minds, but

But we can demonstrate these characteristics. I don't know if you saw this week, but CNN was publishing this article and sharing the story of an officer who pulled over a guy on his way to visit his mother after his sister died. And this officer, you know, pulled him over. This guy was taken into custody. He was, you know, they were going way too fast, and there was all kinds of warrants and, you know, that kind of stuff. And so the car was impounded, and

But as the young man was telling the story to the officer, it quotes in the article, the Facebook post that the young man put online. And he said, I was telling my story to the officer and I was crying and he began to reach over. He began to pray for me. And then he offered to drive me a hundred miles as I'm on my way to Detroit to visit my mom after my sister has died. So here's a law enforcement officer responsible for giving tickets, putting people in prison, bringing down the law,

and yet he's also able to show compassion. So if he could do it, of course God can do it. God is not just one thing. He causes grief. Yes, he deals with sin. He brings judgment. He has to do that, but he also shows compassion. That word compassion, it means to feel what someone else feels. So you see what they're going through. You see the hurt. You see the pain, and you feel that pain also.

And many times throughout the ministry of Jesus, you see that word used. As Jesus saw what was happening in the lives of people and people who were hurting, it says that he had compassion on them. He felt for them. He ministered to them because of that compassion. And so he causes grief. Yes, the Lord has brought this correction, this instruction, this destruction, but he will also show compassion. He doesn't only cause grief.

In Jeremiah chapter 46, verse 28, the Lord speaks through Jeremiah to his people, and he says, God has to bring correction.

And he tells his people, look, I'm going to deal with those nations that I've taken you to, and they're going to be completely wiped out. But yet somehow, miraculously, I'm going to preserve you in the midst of that. Because I can't leave you uncorrected. I must punish you because I love you. Again, the Lord chastens those that he loves. But notice what he says in verse 33 here. He says,

When God brings correction, when God brings judgment for sin, he never does so willingly. He never does so joyfully. He never does so gleefully. He does so reluctantly and with lamentation. That's not his desire. Now, if God had great joy in judging people, whoo, we would be in trouble, right? Because, well, he can judge whoever he wants to, whenever he wants to, and we deserve it.

But he is merciful and he shows compassion because he does not afflict willingly. Even when we experience great destruction, even when we greatly deserve it. This can be a little bit difficult for us to process. But if you think about the worst of the worst of the worst in this world, God loves them. He doesn't want them to perish. In Ezekiel chapter 33, God says, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

He doesn't pleasure in that. He doesn't afflict willingly. None of that brings him joy. He does it because he must, because it's needed, because there must be correction. But he also shows compassion. And so he says in verse 39, why should a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins? Again, be quiet. Stop complaining. You've brought yourself to this point by your rebellion against God, by your neglect of God's word, by your refusal to listen to what God has said. So stop complaining.

God has brought this on you because you need it, not because he wants to give it to you, but because you need it, because he loves you. There is hope because it means he's still at work in your life. He still wants to show you compassion. And so the final point found in verse 41 and 42 is turn back to the Lord. Verse 40 says, let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God and

Here's Jeremiah's conclusion, not to the whole book, but to this line of thought. God loves us. His mercies are new every morning. He has not cast off forever. He causes grief, but he will show compassion. So here's what we should do. We should turn back to the Lord. We should receive this correction that he has administered to us and examine our ways and turn back. We should lift up our hands and our hearts to the Lord and say,

and give ourselves to him once again. We should surrender to God and seek after God. We should make God our portion. That's our response. Because God has brought all these things. He's allowed all these things. He's done all these things. Because there's hope in the Lord after judgment. Not because it's hopeless. Not because he's done with us. Not because we're worthless. Because he loves us and he wants to give us.

a future and a hope, back from Jeremiah 29. He has those things in store for us. So let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and our hands to God in heaven because there is hope, because he does love us, because he is merciful and his mercies never fail. This morning we get the opportunity to close the service with a time of communion.

In the time of communion, we remember, we reflect on what Christ has done for us upon the cross. It's a reminder of the mercies of the Lord that are new every morning. As Jesus died upon the cross and paying the price for our sin, he gave us the reminder of that with the bread, which represents his body that was broken, and the cup, which represents his blood that was shed. And he says, do this often in remembrance of me.

Because he wants us to remember, this is the extent that I love you, the great extent that I went to to take care of your sin so that you can have hope in the Lord after judgment. Because I've dealt with the penalty of sin. And you're still going to receive consequences. There's still going to be effects of sin in our life. But the ultimate punishment we will never receive by faith in Jesus Christ because of what he has done for us.

Paul the Apostle, in writing about communion in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, he talks about the elements, he talks about what they mean, but then he goes on in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 28, he says, but let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. It's interesting. The mercy of God, the grace of God, the love of God, Jesus Christ crucified for you. Do this in remembrance of me. We need to do this, but don't do it casually.

There needs to be an examination. He says, examine your heart. Check your heart. And that's where Jeremiah left us also in verse 40. Let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven. And so there is a need for us to do that, to examine ourselves, to give God opportunity to search us out and to show us where there's sin, where there's rebellion, where there's issues in our lives. Listen, the prophets...

Lamentations, it's not my first choice if I were to teach a passage this morning, but I've been a pastor long enough to really believe the saying, we are where we are in the word. That is, God has us here in this passage. He has me sharing this with you this morning because you need to hear it because there is sin issues and there is a need for examination and there is a need for repentance. There is a need for humbling and turning and getting right with God.

But don't just sit there in hopelessness thinking about how terrible you are and how bad you've been and how far you've gone in rebellion. Understand that God has brought these things to light, not to finish you off, but to deliver you and give you hope even after judgment, even after rebellion. I'll finish up. The worship team can come up and get ready, but I'll finish up with a quote from Warren Wiersbe. He says, "'Let each morning be for you the dawn of a new day.'"

Start over again, no matter how many times you failed the day before. If God's mercies never fail, depend on them during the day. He is faithful and his faithfulness will not fail. This morning, we get to partake of that reminder. His faithfulness will not fail. And every day we have the opportunity to receive grace and mercy from Jesus Christ because of what he has done for us. The ushers are going to pass out the bread and the cup and hold on to those portions for a little bit.

and worship the Lord and examine your heart. And then at any time during the song, you can partake between you and the Lord. After you've examined your heart and you're saying, Lord, you're my portion. I'm going to seek you. I'm going to pursue you. Then go ahead and partake between you and the Lord and enjoy that relationship that he offers to you with a full batch of new mercies for today. Let's worship the Lord together.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.