Sunday November 29, 2009
Tears On Her Cheeks (Part 2 of 2)
Text: Lamentations 3:19-27,37-50,55-57
19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter
beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I
grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I
remember this: 22 The unfailing love of the LORD never ends!
By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I
will hope in him!" 25 The LORD is wonderfully good to those
who wait for him and seek him. 26 So it is good to wait
quietly for salvation from the LORD. 27 And it is good for the
young to submit to the yoke of his discipline. 37 Can anything
happen without the Lord's permission? 38 Is it not the Most
High who helps one and harms another? 39 Then why should we,
mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? 40
Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn again in
repentance to the LORD. 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands to
God in heaven and say, 42 "We have sinned and rebelled, and
you have not forgiven us. 43 "You have engulfed us with your
anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy. 44
You have hidden yourself in a cloud so our prayers cannot reach
you. 45 You have discarded us as refuse and garbage among the
nations. 46 "All our enemies have spoken out against us. 47
We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, desolate, and
ruined." 48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the
destruction of my people! 49 My tears flow down endlessly.
They will not stop 50 until the LORD looks down from heaven
and sees. 55 But I called on your name, LORD, from deep within
the well, 56 and you heard me! You listened to my pleading;
you heard my weeping! 57 Yes, you came at my despairing cry
and told me, "Do not fear."
1. Their tears are due to believing the wrong things --
Foolish Philosophies/Prophecies +
Failed Policies + Fallacious Pathways = Fallen People
(righteousness vs. unrighteousness)
2. Their tears are due to staying on the wrong pathway --
(Jeremiah 6:16-30)
Always choose....truth over falsehood, discipline over chaos,
good over evil, eternal over
temporal, kingdom over culture, absolute over exception,
simplicity over extravagance,
spiritual over carnal, industry over inactivity, wisdom over
ignorance, forgiveness over
bitterness, obedience over obstinance, character over charisma,
deeds over dialogue,
accountability over secrecy.......
3. Their tears will diminish as they begin recognizing God's
unfailing love, repenting of
their sins, and realizing that their "captivity" is part of
God's redemptive process.
Lamentations 3:22,23,40 (see above)
Matthew 1:17 (NKJV) 17 So all the generations from Abraham to
David are fourteen
generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are
fourteen generations, and from
the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen
generations.