Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon. I am once again grateful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message. I hope that everyone had a nice week.
I had a very busy week. I was able to get several days of work this week at my part-time job. I was also able to complete several writing projects. I am thankful for the work that the Lord has provided.
In prayer this week, please remember to pray for those in the US in the grip of the heatwave. Where I live, the heat index was 110 degrees yesterday. Please pray that cooler weather will come.
Please pray for those in Congo who are dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Pray that those who are sick will recover, and pray that this illness will not spread to others.
Pray for those recovering from storm damage in the United States and in Mozambique. Puerto Rico is still experiencing some problems from the hurricanes last year.
I would also like everyone to pray for an end to the racist attitudes that are becoming so prevalent in my country. I am so tired of this. The Bible is very clear that we are all one in Jesus. Pray for an end to racism.
Please pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Libya, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan all need our prayers. Also, pray that the tensions between the US and Iran will quiet down.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in Benin and Sri Lanka. Pray that many will hear about the love that Jesus has for all people everywhere.
Last week, we finished a series of messages on false teachings that were confronted in the New Testament. Today, we turn our attention to the Old Testament book of Lamentations. This is a very difficult book of the Bible to present a message about. At least I feel that way. However, I felt as if the Lord wanted me to bring a message about Lamentations. So, that is what I am doing.
Lamentations is located right after the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. Most Bible scholars believe that the prophet Jeremiah is the author of this book. Some believe that Jeremiah's assistant Baruch wrote the book. There are other scholars who believe that the book was written at a much later date than the events related in the book. I hold to the position that Jeremiah is the author of Lamentations.
Lamentations is a book that contains five chapters. Each chapter is poem in the Hebrew language. In this book, the prophet Jeremiah expresses the anguish that he feels as he looks out over the city of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians. The city is left desolate. The people have been taken captive. Others have been left to starve. The situation described is very bleak.
Let's step back and see what led up to the events described in the book of Lamentations. For many years, the prophet Jeremiah, and other prophets, had predicted that the nation of Judah would come under the punishment of the Lord if the people did not repent of their sin and idolatry.
According to prophetic books such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, the people were worshiping idols and false gods. They were not following the commands given to them by the Lord. The Lord was very patient giving the people many years to repent. He sent prophet after prophet to call the people to repentance. The Lord told the people through the prophets that the nation would be invaded by the Babylonians if they did not turn back to Him.
In the year 586 BC, the nation of Judah fell to the Babylonians. The city of Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Many were carried away into Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah and some others were left behind in the ruins.
In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah expresses the realization that the tragedy that he is witnessing is a result of the people's turning away from the Lord. However, Jeremiah also realizes that the Lord still loves His people. Lamentations 3:22-23 states this, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
Jeremiah knew that one day, the people would turn back to God. God would bring His people back to the land of promise again. And this is what happened. The people did turn back to God. The people came back from captivity. The city of Jerusalem was rebuilt, and the Temple was rebuilt. You can read more about this in books such as Ezra, Nehemiah and Haggai.
Now, what does this book have to teach us today. I believe that Lamentations has four important lessons for us. First of all, Lamentations shows us that God is holy and He will not let sin go unpunished. The Bible is very clear that there are eternal consequences to sin.
Lamentations also teaches us that God is patient. He gave the people many opportunities to turn back to Him. The Lord is patient with people today. One of the reasons that the Lord has not yet returned is that He is giving people time to come to Him.
The book of Lamentations teaches us that God is merciful. If we repent of our sins, the Lord will forgive us.
Finally, the book of Lamentations teaches us that the Lord will restore those who come to Him. Those who put their faith and trust in Him will come into the land of promise. For us now, that is Heaven with the Lord Jesus.
Humanity sinned. God in His mercy sent His Son the Lord Jesus to provide redemption and atonement. Whoever places his or her trust in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. The Lord asks us to repent of our sins and turn to Him for forgiveness. Those who trust in the Lord have been promised eternal life with the Lord Jesus forever. I urge you to turn to Him today.
Next week, I will post the sermon on Saturday again. I am not yet sure what that message will about. On Monday, I will post the verses. I hope to post a review on Wednesday. I may post another poem. May God bless you all. Amen.
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