Lamentations 3:17-26

Lamentations 3:17-26

It is 575 BC when Jeremiah writes this poem. It is a sad song like one written for a great tragic event. It is a World Trade center, Sandy Hook, Colorado fire or Moore Ok, kind of poem. Yet in the midst of it is this little bit of faith and trust in God. It is ironic that from a book of sorrow comes one of the great hymns of hope, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”

1. Context
               Jeremiah has just witnessed one of the worst sieges in history. Starvation, cannibalism, the slaughter of the people, the burning of the town. It is to much.
Jeremiah has been beaten, arrested, his words burned, disregarded, imprisoned, thrown down a well, and now leaves for Egypt watching the city he fought to save burn.
Even as he leaves and is proven right, the people, the nobles, the King, do not apologize, repent, say “I am sorry Jeremiah for our actions.

2. Perhaps you have been in the same place?
Outcast by your family, society, the school click, a spouse, or at work.
It could be a physical loss, a parent, a child, a friend, or part of your own physical abilities.
Anger and outrage give way to mourning, to a Lament.
aware of what has happened vs 17-20 Jeremiah has not forgotten.

3. Hope
vs 21 This I call to mind and I have hope
Vs 22 Because of God great Love We are not consumed
His compassions never fail
His love is new every morning
Great is His faithfulness
The Lord is my portion, (Good enough)

I am like Jeremiah, angry, broken, hostile biting at others, often the wrong people, only seeing injustice. For this I am sorry.
Our church is like Jeremiah, we hurt because of those who have died, and changes that have come. We have won great battles, yet carry the stress. Some are quick to find fault and few repent of their actions.
I must find a way to vs 21 -24, to forgive, to forget, to stop complaining about what has happened to allow God to bring a new day.
We as a church need to stop picking at each other, stop finding faults so we can experience Gods’ compassion, His healing.

What will we experance as a church, as individuals, exile and mourning? Or will we find a way to:

 

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 52:1-5 "God has Spoken"

Jeremiah 52:1-5

We have come to the end of Jeremiah. All throughout the book i looked for hopeful things. God’s saving of the remnant, hope for those who repent, looks forward to the return and even the coming of Jesus. Yet here in the end what God has said does happen. What God has spoken about judgment has become reality. The end of Jeremiah reminds us that God is not safe. While loving and offering forgiveness, God angry, vengeful and not afraid to bring destruction to those who do not repent.

1. The certainty of judgment
            a. Psalm 33:12-19 “a horse is a vain hope”
            b. Jeremiah 8:5-7 “no one repents”
            c. Jeremiah 38:14-15 “if I tell you the truth you will kill me”
            d. Matthew 23:27-36
            e. Jeremiah 52:8-11

2. False hope
            a. Jenn and drugs
            b. Jason with mental and physical strength
            c. Phil and her money
            d. Mayson and political power
            e. Hide under the rocks revelation 6:15-17
                        fallout shelters, tornado shelters

3. A sure hope
            a. John 1:11-12
            b. John 3:15-17
            d. Don’t push God off to the side of your life
            e. Pray for the lost around you

Judgment is coming, God is angry, we must listen to the words of Jeremiah and avoid the mistakes of Zedekiah, for God has spoken, and it will come to pass.

Jeremiah 50:31-34 "A Strong Redeemer"

Prayers for Fran Wood family, Sally Swanson family, Marion Hutson, Barb Boettcher, Connie Olf, Ken Van Camp Family, Kay Parker Family, Fay Carlsen’s brother Francis Steininger family, Dorothy Hotzel family, Bill Gustin’s brother died.

Jeremiah 50:31-34  A Strong Redeemer

In this last month we have seen many families dealing with loss, we have watched news of fires, tornadoes, and war.  Who can overcome this? This is the question of Israel and Judah. Babylon has been ruthless in it’s attack, defeat, and treatment of Israel and Judah. Though directed by God to take over the land, God is angry with the manor in which it has been done. It is a classic case of doing the right thing in the wrong way. (a wrong way to kill a rattle snake)

1. The Arrogant one
               a. Babylon then
               b. Babylon to come Rev 14:8, 16:19, 17:5
               c. A government, or world system, that is the base for the Antichrist and Satan

2. The Judgment of Babylon
               a. Vs. 31-33
               b. Daniel 5:25-31
               c. Rev 18:2-10

3. The strong Redeemer
               a. Movies and Books, the could, should and might work
               b. For Israel, the Medes and Persians, who let them return
               c. Revelation God sets the world right
               d. We have a strong redeemer
               e. no matter our life situation
               f. John 3:16, 1 John 1:9, Revelation 3:20

You have a strong Redeemer, one who died to save you, one who can cast away all the sin that oppresses you. Not a might work, could work, should work, it will work, God’s guarantee.

Jeremiah 33:1-5

This week has been one of watching the rubble that was More Ok. On TV. Heroic stories of people holding their child by their hair to save them and teachers putting their arms around frightened children, even a woman in the OR of the hospital who opened her eyes to see the side of the building gone. If you could put yourself in their place you would have some idea of where Jeremiah finds himself. His prophesies of destruction have come true. The people are angry with God so they lash out at Jeremiah and his warnings. Soon he will be in prison, his words burned, then tossed down a dry well.

1. Where Jeremiah is at.
            a. Jeremiah personally, house arrest, words rejected, prison, Cistern
            b. Jerusalem in ruins, starvation, destruction, siege works and swords
            c. Our life, people around us, our nation
            D. The rubble of life and spiritual starvation

2. The word God gives.
            a. “I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know
            b.  Vs 6
            C. It sounds to fantastic, unrealistic, how can God ever break through this?
            d. Yet God will bring His blessing, the people return, and vs 15 Jesus comes

3. The coming blessing
            a. Memorial Day
            b. our own broken Jerusalem
                        friendships, marriages, finical, jobs, health
            c. God’s promise of blessing
                        it seems great, unsearchable, unknowable, unrealistic, fantastic, impossible.
                        Yet it will come to be
                        Live to bring faith and hope to those who will follow us
                        Live through the troubles of today because God’s blessing will come

The great, unsearchable, and unknowable blessing of God is coming, and we live for it.

Jeremiah 24:1-10

Jeremiah 24:1-10

We were sitting with friends the other day one of them said that while many churches have been preaching good times for believers, her experience is that the most Godly people she knows have gone through times of injustice, and suffering. This is the experience of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah has been the prophet of Judah who proclaims the occupation, destruction and exile of the people of Judah. Jeremiah wanted better for his people, to be a prophet who wins the people back to God. The first exile takes place. All the best and godly are taken to Babylon.  Soon the evil people left in Judah will suffer one of the worst siege attacks of Israel’s history. To understand this Jeremiah is given a vision of two baskets of figs.

 

1. Past

            a. righteous to exile but protected

            b. the evil to destruction

            c. restoration

 

2. End times

            a. the righteous are taken, Matthew 24:40-44

                        a. taken through rapture or sword

            b. evil go through tribulation

            c. restoration rev 21:1

 

3. our lives today

            a. times of trouble

                        a. Jesus predicted it. john 16:13

                        b. Paul wrote of it. 2 Cor 4:6-18

 

Conclusion: Where do you find yourself today? Being blessed, being stressed, in exile? Know that where ever you are in this moment, God is watching over and protecting you. What times lie ahead we do not know. What we do know is that we have not been abandoned, and a time of restoration is coming, for those who put their trust in God.

Jeremiah 18:1-10

Jeremiah 18:1-10

It is a short hike from the top of Mt. Whitney (highest spot in the lower 48) to Death Valley (the lowest place). It is a short 50 mile hike. As I was walking in Death Valley I came across a patch of clay. Not all desert is sand, and in this spot was clay, hot, dried and cracked. With the help of a pick and a few hours work enough is dug out for an art project. Soaking it in water for a few weeks while beating it with a hammer made it useful again. With this clay I applied all my pottery skill and got a D on the project.

Jeremiah is lead by God to the potter’s house. He watches as a pot is being made, then crushed and remade. It is shaped and reshaped until the potter is finished.

Jeremiah is told several things that are important for all of us.

 

1. First is that God is the potter and we are the clay.

            We do not mold and shape God by our design, that is idol making.

            The world around us and even many Christians are in the God making

            Isa 29:16 God ask the question “Who made Who?”

 

2. We must cooperate with God

            The pot is marred because part of the clay was not pliable.

            We are pushed down to the wheel and raised back up

            As the potter desires

            Isa 45:9 “What do you think you’re doing”

            “I want to be a vase not a vase. “

 

3.  The potter has a reason.

            Describe the person with one word, possible, unfinished, clay, potential.

            God is still at work

            Be the clay

            Isa 64:8 you are the work of the potter’s hand

 

Will you soak up the water of life, leave behind your hard dried out life and attitudes? Will you become pliable, moldable? Will you dare to place yourself on the potter’s wheel and say “God, I am willing, make of me what you will.” You may be surprised to find that you really are a vase not a vase.

Boston

            Yesterday was Sunday the 21^st of April. I preached my scheduled sermon because I was still in shock from all the events of last week. People killed and injured by bombs, car chases, shoot-outs, first responders killed at a fire, how do we handle all that. I have struggled to get past the world is headed to and end thought. All through history that has been the answer and yet history has gone on. I can only find my answer in two very similar pictures that happened in two very different events, that I want to share with you.

               The first is a picture of a man at the finish line in Boston. The man is carrying a woman to his car to drive her to the hospital. Just before the picture was taken he had used his belt as a tourniquet to stop her leg from bleeding, saving her life. Seeing the crowd of people he was not going to wait for help he picked her up and carried her. One man carried one woman to where she would be safe.

               The other picture was taken on a bridge during the Vietnam War. A South Vietnamese soldier was the last one across, assigned with blowing the bridge. That is when he saw someone struggling to carry a baby across to safety. Seeing they would not make it, he took the baby, blew the bridge, and ran. He took the baby girl to an orphanage and left her in their care. Only a month ago were they reunited. One man took one baby to where she would be safe.

               Both of these pictures were taken in extreme conditions. But there are people all around us fighting for their lives. They are beside us injured in many different ways. They need someone to carry them to where they are safe, Jesus. We cannot stop their addiction, fix their broken marriage, or heal their live’s brokenness, but we can carry them to someone who can, Jesus.

               It’s really not that hard, God will show you how. They really are not that heavy, God will help you lift them if you try. Stop and look around you. Pick up the person God has placed in your arms and carry them to Jesus. No sermons, no scripture quoting, or finger pointing needed, just your time and love will get them there.

               Nothing can make sense of the events of last week. No law or government will have the answers, but God does. The answer to the people fighting for their lives all around us is in those two pictures. One person carrying another person to where they are safe.