WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.723 --> 00:00:05.023 Grace, mercy and peace, be unto you from God, our Father and our Lord, 2 00:00:05.023 --> 00:00:06.423 and Savior Jesus, the Christ. Amen. 3 00:00:07.823 --> 00:00:12.323 The text for our meditation 4 00:00:12.323 --> 00:00:16.223 this morning is the first three verses from Lamentations chapter 3 5 00:00:16.223 --> 00:00:17.223 that were just read. 6 00:00:18.323 --> 00:00:22.223 The steadfast love of the Lord, never ceases. 7 00:00:22.223 --> 00:00:25.723 His mercies, never come to an end. 8 00:00:25.723 --> 00:00:27.723 They are new every morning. 9 00:00:27.723 --> 00:00:30.323 Great is your faithfulness. 10 00:00:30.323 --> 00:00:34.123 The Lord is my portion says my soul 11 00:00:34.123 --> 00:00:37.023 therefore, I will hope in him. 12 00:00:37.023 --> 00:00:39.123 Thus far the text. 13 00:00:40.223 --> 00:00:47.523 Trials and tribulations, they come in all shapes and sizes from, I 14 00:00:47.523 --> 00:00:48.823 have a headache to 15 00:00:49.923 --> 00:00:52.623 you have a brain tumor. From 16 00:00:52.623 --> 00:00:57.023 I lost my keys to dad 17 00:00:57.023 --> 00:00:57.723 I wrecked 18 00:00:57.723 --> 00:00:59.823 the car. From 19 00:00:59.823 --> 00:01:03.523 I'm frustrated with my coworker to 20 00:01:03.523 --> 00:01:06.023 honey, I just lost my job. 21 00:01:08.423 --> 00:01:11.923 These trials and tribulations that we experience 22 00:01:12.923 --> 00:01:16.423 can be responded to bios in a couple of different ways. 23 00:01:17.323 --> 00:01:19.223 Setting it, very simply 24 00:01:19.223 --> 00:01:27.223 it's we can trust in our Lord, in the midst of them or not. 25 00:01:29.023 --> 00:01:35.723 Well, the book of Lamentations teaches us that we can trust in our 26 00:01:35.723 --> 00:01:36.423 Lord 27 00:01:37.523 --> 00:01:44.823 when we face trials, big ones, or small ones because this book deals 28 00:01:44.823 --> 00:01:45.923 with a big one. 29 00:01:47.423 --> 00:01:52.723 And then it also would then apply to lesser ones that we deal with as 30 00:01:52.723 --> 00:01:52.923 well. 31 00:01:52.923 --> 00:01:58.023 So we have a very simple goal today that I like for you to come away 32 00:01:58.023 --> 00:02:03.723 from here pondering in that is that you can respond to any trial that 33 00:02:03.723 --> 00:02:07.723 you face confidently trusting in the Lord. 34 00:02:07.723 --> 00:02:14.123 Because as we learned in our text with him, there is always always 35 00:02:14.123 --> 00:02:15.223 hope. 36 00:02:16.823 --> 00:02:17.323 Well. 37 00:02:18.723 --> 00:02:23.923 The book of Lamentations, I think it was written by Jeremiah, but we 38 00:02:23.923 --> 00:02:26.023 can't be sure that it's Jeremiah's name 39 00:02:26.023 --> 00:02:29.523 does not appear there, it fits, it would make sense. 40 00:02:30.923 --> 00:02:35.223 But I'm not going to say it because I I can't say for sure, but it's 41 00:02:35.223 --> 00:02:39.123 written by a prophet who lived when Jeremiah did, who responded to 42 00:02:39.123 --> 00:02:41.223 situations that Jeremiah responded to 43 00:02:43.123 --> 00:02:46.723 and it was one of the worst times and Israel's history. 44 00:02:46.723 --> 00:02:53.523 I would say the worst time in ancient Israel's history in 586, BC, 45 00:02:53.523 --> 00:02:56.323 everything collapsed. 46 00:02:57.223 --> 00:03:00.123 The national-religious, physical, 47 00:03:01.523 --> 00:03:02.423 family, 48 00:03:04.123 --> 00:03:10.423 the lives of all the people and Israel were destroyed by war. 49 00:03:11.723 --> 00:03:13.323 The temple was destroyed. 50 00:03:13.323 --> 00:03:15.523 They couldn't say what we just said 51 00:03:15.523 --> 00:03:17.223 I love the habitation of your house. 52 00:03:17.223 --> 00:03:20.723 Oh, Lord, the place, where your glory dwells. 53 00:03:21.923 --> 00:03:23.123 Because it was no more. 54 00:03:24.823 --> 00:03:29.523 And it didn't matter whether you were rich or poor, whether you were a 55 00:03:29.523 --> 00:03:31.123 priest or a layman, 56 00:03:32.223 --> 00:03:35.223 everybody suffered the same fate. 57 00:03:36.423 --> 00:03:37.123 Killed in battle. 58 00:03:37.123 --> 00:03:42.423 Sieged into starvation. 59 00:03:43.923 --> 00:03:47.523 And then of course, maybe deported to Babylon. 60 00:03:48.623 --> 00:03:53.223 It was by all accounts the lowest point in ancient Israel's history 61 00:03:54.923 --> 00:03:58.023 and not only had their homes and livelihoods been taken. 62 00:03:58.023 --> 00:04:02.623 As I mentioned, one of the significant things was the temple was 63 00:04:02.623 --> 00:04:08.223 systematically destroyed and they were removed from the promised land, 64 00:04:08.223 --> 00:04:09.323 the Land of Hope. 65 00:04:10.323 --> 00:04:14.123 So, God's promise, that they would go to a land flowing with milk and 66 00:04:14.123 --> 00:04:19.023 honey, that he would abide with them in his Temple that his 67 00:04:19.023 --> 00:04:25.323 presence in his, their lives would be, would be steadfast that was 68 00:04:25.323 --> 00:04:25.923 over. 69 00:04:25.923 --> 00:04:32.923 They were left to deal with their trials and tribulations themselves 70 00:04:34.323 --> 00:04:36.323 or so, it seemed. 71 00:04:37.323 --> 00:04:39.523 It seemed that God had forsaken them 72 00:04:40.523 --> 00:04:43.823 but in Lamentations, we read that was not the case. 73 00:04:45.723 --> 00:04:47.023 Contrary to everything 74 00:04:47.023 --> 00:04:53.523 they saw everything, they experience the prophet proclaimed, the 75 00:04:53.523 --> 00:04:55.523 steadfast love of the Lord 76 00:04:55.523 --> 00:04:57.423 never ceases. 77 00:04:57.423 --> 00:05:01.923 His mercies, never come to an end. 78 00:05:01.923 --> 00:05:04.323 They are new every morning. 79 00:05:04.323 --> 00:05:08.423 Great is your faithfulness. 80 00:05:11.023 --> 00:05:13.323 Lamentations is a neat book. 81 00:05:13.323 --> 00:05:18.823 It it's only five chapters. You can you can read it 82 00:05:18.823 --> 00:05:22.923 and I love listening to my Bible app and reading it at the same time, 83 00:05:22.923 --> 00:05:25.223 doesn't take very long at all. 84 00:05:25.223 --> 00:05:29.623 Just 10-15 minutes, I would highly recommend it. 85 00:05:29.623 --> 00:05:32.523 Realizes you're doing it, it's, it's great 86 00:05:32.523 --> 00:05:39.523 poetry, these five chapters, the first four, use the poetic device of 87 00:05:39.523 --> 00:05:40.223 an acrostic. 88 00:05:41.423 --> 00:05:46.423 And the fifth chapter is not an acrostic, but it also reflects the 89 00:05:46.423 --> 00:05:49.123 length of the Hebrew alphabet has 22 verses. 90 00:05:50.323 --> 00:05:52.423 And in the center of it 91 00:05:53.523 --> 00:05:58.923 by design, is our text. In the center of it 92 00:05:58.923 --> 00:06:02.623 is this message of God's love and mercy. 93 00:06:04.423 --> 00:06:06.323 And that's very significant. 94 00:06:06.323 --> 00:06:10.423 In fact that third chapter is a triple acrostic. 95 00:06:10.423 --> 00:06:16.423 And in that third chapter we hear this message that God steadfast 96 00:06:16.423 --> 00:06:16.723 love 97 00:06:16.723 --> 00:06:18.223 never ceases. 98 00:06:18.223 --> 00:06:23.123 What I think is interesting, if you just look like quantity of words, 99 00:06:23.123 --> 00:06:27.323 you say, Okay Lamentations is all about acknowledging 100 00:06:27.323 --> 00:06:34.623 our sin and God's judgment on it and it doesn't minimize that at all 101 00:06:34.623 --> 00:06:35.423 which is important. 102 00:06:36.623 --> 00:06:41.423 One of the classifications that councillors might put people into who, 103 00:06:41.423 --> 00:06:42.823 who need some therapy 104 00:06:42.823 --> 00:06:44.123 is you're a minimizer. 105 00:06:44.123 --> 00:06:47.923 Jeremiah whoever wrote Lamentations did 106 00:06:47.923 --> 00:06:50.823 not minimize what happened to Israel. 107 00:06:50.823 --> 00:06:53.123 It's it's tragic. 108 00:06:53.123 --> 00:06:58.123 And it doesn't minimize the fact that it was due in large part to 109 00:06:58.123 --> 00:07:00.323 their own sin and it was God's judgment on that. 110 00:07:00.323 --> 00:07:07.023 But right in the middle of all of this reality is this new reality. 111 00:07:08.323 --> 00:07:10.723 This reality, that's new every morning. 112 00:07:12.623 --> 00:07:18.823 The steadfast love of the Lord, his love and mercy is at the center in 113 00:07:18.823 --> 00:07:19.723 the heart, right 114 00:07:19.723 --> 00:07:21.623 in the midst of the trials and tribulations. 115 00:07:24.423 --> 00:07:26.923 And that's the real take away from this. 116 00:07:26.923 --> 00:07:29.523 Yes, it doesn't minimize trials. 117 00:07:29.523 --> 00:07:36.123 But yes, God is right there in the center of those giving his people, 118 00:07:36.123 --> 00:07:41.023 his mercy and Grace, his faithful promise to be with them 119 00:07:41.023 --> 00:07:45.223 even when there isn't a temple to go to at that time. 120 00:07:47.823 --> 00:07:50.423 Well your life has trials and tribulations 121 00:07:50.423 --> 00:07:53.223 I know cuz you're like me 122 00:07:53.223 --> 00:07:58.323 and this fallen world with this sinful body with the devil prowling 123 00:07:58.323 --> 00:08:03.623 around as a roaring lion and our trials and tribulations come in all 124 00:08:03.623 --> 00:08:04.323 shapes and sizes. 125 00:08:06.223 --> 00:08:11.723 I pray not as big as the one Israel experienced at that, the 126 00:08:11.723 --> 00:08:12.623 destruction of the Temple. 127 00:08:14.623 --> 00:08:16.923 But big ones, none the less. 128 00:08:18.423 --> 00:08:18.823 I 129 00:08:18.823 --> 00:08:22.623 I remember years ago, and in this sticks, in my mind, when I read this 130 00:08:22.623 --> 00:08:29.423 text, I was in Ministry serving a young man named Jason 131 00:08:30.623 --> 00:08:34.323 whose wife had just left him and their children. 132 00:08:34.323 --> 00:08:40.223 She had run off with her boss and it came totally out of the blue, 133 00:08:40.223 --> 00:08:42.623 unexpected. 134 00:08:42.623 --> 00:08:48.623 Well, hindsight looking back, you can see how some of this could have 135 00:08:48.623 --> 00:08:51.223 happened but it wasn't expected at the time. 136 00:08:52.223 --> 00:08:56.023 And he was devastated, didn't know what he was going to do. 137 00:08:56.023 --> 00:09:00.623 How could he raise these three children, three young children? 138 00:09:02.123 --> 00:09:07.123 And she was not open at all to coming back to reconciliation. 139 00:09:07.123 --> 00:09:09.323 It was a tribulation. 140 00:09:11.223 --> 00:09:12.223 More on that in a minute. 141 00:09:13.423 --> 00:09:16.423 But also little trials, beset us. 142 00:09:17.823 --> 00:09:19.823 Like an argument with your spouse. 143 00:09:21.223 --> 00:09:24.123 Like a bad grade on a test. 144 00:09:26.723 --> 00:09:31.623 Anything that happens, you test positive for covid, you have minimal 145 00:09:31.623 --> 00:09:34.923 symptoms, but your quarantine for, for 2 weeks, 146 00:09:38.123 --> 00:09:40.523 In the midst of those little trials 147 00:09:40.523 --> 00:09:44.923 God, still comes with his love and mercy right in the middle of those 148 00:09:44.923 --> 00:09:45.723 to you. 149 00:09:47.623 --> 00:09:50.523 But his love and mercy is not an abstract concept. 150 00:09:53.223 --> 00:09:57.923 because it is about him even though the temple was destroyed, 151 00:09:59.823 --> 00:10:04.223 Yahweh was still with his people through his word. 152 00:10:05.223 --> 00:10:11.323 And we know that that word was not abstract that word became 153 00:10:11.323 --> 00:10:15.123 enfleshed, in the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 154 00:10:17.523 --> 00:10:24.123 And Jesus came right into the middle of this fallen world, right into 155 00:10:24.123 --> 00:10:25.123 the midst of it. 156 00:10:25.123 --> 00:10:31.123 And again, if you just look at quantity, there's one little Jew from 157 00:10:31.123 --> 00:10:31.823 Nazareth 158 00:10:33.123 --> 00:10:37.423 this big world with all of its trials and in temptations and 159 00:10:37.423 --> 00:10:37.823 tribulations. 160 00:10:37.823 --> 00:10:45.123 And here comes this human being who happens to be God in the flesh, 161 00:10:45.123 --> 00:10:49.623 the mercy of God, incarnate, right in the midst of it. 162 00:10:51.523 --> 00:10:59.123 And he goes in and he says, all right, God's judgment on sin is also 163 00:10:59.123 --> 00:10:59.523 real 164 00:11:01.123 --> 00:11:02.723 and my body is the temple. 165 00:11:04.723 --> 00:11:11.023 And he gives himself into death to be destroyed under the judgment of 166 00:11:11.023 --> 00:11:17.923 God, for the sins of the world, for your sins, for my sins for ancient 167 00:11:17.923 --> 00:11:21.723 Israel sins for the sins of the entire world. 168 00:11:24.123 --> 00:11:27.823 Now, if you go back to Israel's history the temple was rebuilt, 169 00:11:27.823 --> 00:11:28.523 right? 170 00:11:30.223 --> 00:11:31.223 But it was destroyed. 171 00:11:31.223 --> 00:11:33.123 It's not here to this day, 172 00:11:35.223 --> 00:11:37.323 But the Temple of Jesus's body 173 00:11:38.623 --> 00:11:44.723 was rebuilt in three days and at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 174 00:11:44.723 --> 00:11:52.423 God's presents his mercy, his steadfast love his Chesed. 175 00:11:52.423 --> 00:12:01.123 That was present in abundance in the person of the resurrected. 176 00:12:01.123 --> 00:12:02.423 Lord Jesus Christ. 177 00:12:05.923 --> 00:12:07.923 He is the new Temple. 178 00:12:09.623 --> 00:12:16.423 And you have been baptized into him and have become his Temple where 179 00:12:16.423 --> 00:12:21.423 God comes to dwell through the power of his name, to the promise of his 180 00:12:21.423 --> 00:12:23.323 word, in the midst of your life 181 00:12:23.323 --> 00:12:26.923 with all of its trials and challenges and tribulations. 182 00:12:28.823 --> 00:12:32.523 And that is what sustains us as we continue this journey 183 00:12:34.023 --> 00:12:37.323 toward the promised land. 184 00:12:37.323 --> 00:12:40.423 The one that will not go away. 185 00:12:42.023 --> 00:12:47.023 The promised land that will come with the Resurrection on the last day 186 00:12:47.023 --> 00:12:52.123 with the new creation, with the ultimate restoration of life. 187 00:12:53.423 --> 00:12:58.323 Yeah, and yes, life hard for us to imagine it really is where there 188 00:12:58.323 --> 00:12:59.723 are no more trials and tribulations. 189 00:13:01.623 --> 00:13:06.823 And that is not just some kind of abstract concept as well. 190 00:13:06.823 --> 00:13:14.223 Faith teaches us at that will be real physical, spiritual, holy and 191 00:13:14.223 --> 00:13:16.823 wonderful. A feast 192 00:13:16.823 --> 00:13:18.623 the Bible says. 193 00:13:21.623 --> 00:13:24.823 In the midst of this time though, I told you we're going to return to 194 00:13:24.823 --> 00:13:26.723 Jason and the reason I thought of this. 195 00:13:28.323 --> 00:13:32.823 And it's interesting that I do cuz I still remember saying, the words 196 00:13:32.823 --> 00:13:37.823 where I was at on the phone in the parsonage in Southwest Missouri. 197 00:13:39.223 --> 00:13:43.323 And saying these words through the office of the Pastoral Ministry. 198 00:13:43.323 --> 00:13:48.423 And I say it that way because if you just look at what was going on in 199 00:13:48.423 --> 00:13:54.923 his life and and, and the prospects of of things, I would have to say 200 00:13:54.923 --> 00:14:00.323 that there is no reason for Hope for their marriage, for their for 201 00:14:00.323 --> 00:14:02.123 their, for his life at that time for the children. 202 00:14:02.123 --> 00:14:03.423 I mean, 203 00:14:04.323 --> 00:14:06.323 no reason for hope in something good 204 00:14:06.323 --> 00:14:07.223 we'll put it that way. 205 00:14:08.423 --> 00:14:10.123 And yet, I found myself 206 00:14:11.523 --> 00:14:16.023 thinking about God's word and saying these words which kind of 207 00:14:16.023 --> 00:14:16.623 surprised me 208 00:14:16.623 --> 00:14:21.423 as I heard myself say them. Jason there is always hope in Jesus. 209 00:14:22.723 --> 00:14:27.823 I know right now this seems like the worst thing, but I want you to 210 00:14:27.823 --> 00:14:32.723 know that Jesus is with you and through the promise of his death and 211 00:14:32.723 --> 00:14:32.823 resurrection 212 00:14:32.823 --> 00:14:34.723 he will abide with you forever. 213 00:14:34.723 --> 00:14:40.223 And again, these words there is always hope in Jesus and I just kept 214 00:14:40.223 --> 00:14:40.723 saying that. 215 00:14:42.023 --> 00:14:44.323 And I thought wow, that's true. 216 00:14:44.323 --> 00:14:48.423 Even though the evidence around me doesn't look that way, but God's 217 00:14:48.423 --> 00:14:49.823 word testifies to it. 218 00:14:51.623 --> 00:14:53.723 And the same of course is something 219 00:14:53.723 --> 00:14:57.923 we should remember every day when we are beset by guilt because of 220 00:14:57.923 --> 00:15:02.123 something we said or didn't say or something we did or didn't do well. 221 00:15:04.023 --> 00:15:05.523 There's always hope in Jesus. 222 00:15:05.523 --> 00:15:09.923 He's right there in the midst of our trials and tribulations small and 223 00:15:09.923 --> 00:15:10.123 big. 224 00:15:11.823 --> 00:15:16.123 So they're going to come, we can acknowledge that, we can say that. 225 00:15:16.123 --> 00:15:16.823 It'll happen. 226 00:15:18.523 --> 00:15:22.623 But thanks be to God that Jesus is with you in the midst of them. 227 00:15:22.623 --> 00:15:26.223 And his steadfast love, never ceases. 228 00:15:26.223 --> 00:15:29.123 His mercies, never come to an end. 229 00:15:29.123 --> 00:15:34.523 They are new every morning and great is his faithfulness. 230 00:15:35.923 --> 00:15:38.923 And so you can confidently say with this prophet 231 00:15:38.923 --> 00:15:40.923 the Lord is my portion 232 00:15:40.923 --> 00:15:47.623 I will hope in him. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all 233 00:15:47.623 --> 00:15:47.823 understanding 234 00:15:47.823 --> 00:15:50.823 keep your hearts and minds, hoping in him 235 00:15:50.823 --> 00:15:52.423 unto life everlasting. 236 00:15:52.423 --> 00:15:53.923 Amen.