Lamentations 3:22-24; Revelation 21:5-Sermon Notes

There is something refreshing about new things.

God promises to be faithful; His promises to never leave; He promises to take the challenges and pains that we face and not only walk with us through the struggle but bring the struggle itself to a point that will glorify Him/be for our ultimate good.

Jeremiah began to see his nation (Israel) fall. The people forgot God, and then they began to forget about each other. They forgot about the poor, they forgot about living holy and moral lives, and then finally, another army came and invaded them and destroyed everything even their church.

As you can imagine Jeremiah was asking those questions we sometimes ask when we get our worlds rocked…“Where is God?” “Has He forgotten about me?” “Is He angry with me because maybe I have done something wrong?”

True, God may have been angry but that does not mean He does not care about His people. Jeremiah’s grief ran deep.

He was the weeping prophet, and his tears flowed from a broken heart, and it was because the people had rejected God out of selfishness and sinfulness.

And Jeremiah does not hold back either. He is honest with God. Yet after he vents and is frustrated, his mood turns, and comes back to the one rock that He can always stand upon.

God’s faithfulness. Most important part of Lamentations. It is constant, yet always new.

God’s faithfulness, that constant-‘there-ness’ the fact that He is always there. That is new precisely because it does not change. The one we read who was at the table of the last supper with his disciples is the same one in who’s presence we worship here and who’s presence we eat our lovefeast.

Lamentations 3 from beginning to end, is one man’s cry out to God, in his time of need, and yet God brings him from a place of hurt to a place of hope. He had to be humble, to go from hurt to hope.

We all face our struggles, and we all have times in our lives when it seems like that walls of our cities are coming down on us. Even then, God offers us these great words of hope When we trust him day by day, we gain a greater confidence in his great promises.

We see how in Jesus, how God is faithful. We see Him coming to us, comforting and encouraging us, saying to us, “those who seek me will find life, true life, a life that is eternal, a life how it was meant to be” with Christ we always have a do-over. A chance to start newGod will dwell with his people, and he will make all things new. Friends, let us start 2015 with a sense of hope, and diligence.

Encouraging one another, that He has made us new, new creatures, new believers. Let us commit anew to follow him both here and in our daily lives. And wherever He calls us, whether it be to the familiar, or to the new…remember…Lam. 3:22-23. AMEN

SYMMETRICAL STRUCTURE OF LAMENTATIONS

1. She, Zion, is desolate and devastated: terrible reversal of Judah’s Fortunes; prosperous “days of old” (yeme qedem) are over; gates are desolate; fate of princes; desperation to acquire bread; pursuers allow no rest; reason: she has sinned (1:1-11)

2. I, Zion, was betrayed and defeated; there is none to help or comfort me; they rejoice over my fall; vain hope for help from allies; cry for vengeance (1:12-22)

3. He, Yahweh, has caused this in his anger; Yahweh has poured out his anger and wrath, which has devoured Zion’s structures like fire (2:1-8)

4. They,-princes, maidens, nurslings, children, mothers—suffer; children starve and perish in the town squares (2:9-12)

5. You, Zion, should cry out to God; let tears stream down like a river without ceasing or rest; enemies open mouths against you; Yahweh has slain without pity; prayer (2:13-22)

6. He, Yahweh, has afflicted (‘nh) me (the poet—a “man” [geber]); his complaint (3:1-20)

7. CLIMAX: YAHWEH’S GREAT LOVE (3:21-32)

6′. He, Yahweh, afflicts (‘nh) men (3:33-39) *Mitigating note: Yahweh does not enjoy afflicting men (geber); men shouldn’t complain if they suffer for sins

5′. You, Yahweh—to you I cry out; my tears stream down like a river without ceasing or rest; enemies open mouths against me; Yahweh has slain without pity; prayer (3:40-66) *Mitigating note: prayer for Yahweh’s justice

4′. They—princes, maidens, nurslings, children, mothers—suffer; children starve and perish in the town squares (4:1-10) *Mitigating note: Yahweh is just; his punishment was because Judah’s sins and iniquities were worse than Sodom’s 

3′. He, Yahweh, has caused this in his anger; Yahweh has poured out his anger and wrath, which has devoured Zion’s structures like fire (4:11-16) *Mitigating note: Yahweh is just; his punishment was for Judah’s sins and iniquities

2′. We, the people of Zion, were betrayed and defeated; our allies failed to help; Edom rejoices (4:17-22) *Mitigating note: Yahweh is just; he will restore Judah and punish Edom for her sins and iniquities

1′. We are desolate and devastated; terrible reversal of Judah’s fortunes; prosperous “days of old” (yeme qedem) are over; gates are desolate; fate of princes; desperation to acquire bread; pursuers allow no rest; reason: we have sinned  (chap 5) *Mitigating note: Poet’s prayer, “Restore us, so that we may return!”