lamentations 3

--Lamentations 3:1-18

Oooooof, what do you think? How do you respond to something like that?

Hear again to what he says about God….

--made him a prisoner

--refuses to listen

--chased him—tore him to pieces

--shot arrows, broke teeth on a rocks

Is that God? Is that our God?

How would you describe this person? A believer? Someone with strong faith? Or Someone who has confused notions at best of who God is?

Here’s the thing….these words are from the bible. They are written by one of the great men of the bible, the prophet Jeremiah. They are inspired by the same Holy Spirit that gave us John 3:16, and Psalm 23.

Jeremiah wrote these words at an incredibly devastating time in his life.

His homeland had just been invaded and destroyed by the Babylonian Army.

He was walking around what used to be the great city of Jerusalem but now just a pile of rubble.

He was stepping over bodies.

He was watching foreign soldiers desecrate his peoples most sacred places.

He was dirty, he was tired, he was alone, he was sacred. And as he was seeing and feeling all those things, he wrote the Book of Lamentations. Which is where you will find this passage.

It’s my favorite chapter of the bible.

Some folks think it shouldn’t be there. That it doesn’t sound like bible stuff. But this passage has taught me so much about who God is and how we are to approach him.

I love the raw emotion of this passage. You can’t just read it, you’ve got to feel it.

I am one who knows…

I AM ONE WHO KNOWS!!!!!

Jeremiah is hurting and he’s letting everyone know. He’s holding nothing back. This is how I feel right now!!!

Now what Jeremiah says, is wrong, isn’t it?

God doesn’t rub peoples faces in the ground. He doesn’t break peoples teeth on rocks. If Jeremiah wrote this stuff on a theology test he’d fail. This passage is full of bad theology and profound misunderstandings of who God is, but that’s not the point. That’s not the important thing in this passage.

For me, what’s important is God’s reaction to Jeremiah’s rant.

Does God reprimand Jeremiah?

Does he yell at or punish Jeremiah for saying all of those bad, untrue things.

Does he shut him up or sue him for slander? Hi,dad

What did God do?

I’ll tell you what He did. He took those words that Jeremiah said, and he put them in the bible. He chisled them into granite so that every generation, every culture, every person who walked this earth would have the opportunity to read them for themselves.

He memorialized them for eternity. That’s what he did.

Whether you like it or not, Lamentations 3:1-18 is in the bible. And this isn’t the only instance where something like this happens. Unflattering, unaccurate rants about God are all over the psalms. They’re all over the book of Job. You see stuff like this throughout the bible.

God not only allows people to give him the badmouth, but he seems to reward them for it. “I’m gonna take what you said and I’m gonna put it in a book about me and people who live thousands of years after you will read your words and know your story and trust you to be their spiritual father.

Whats the point? Why does God include this, these venomous rants in his bible?

The point of this is that it is OK to be honest to God about what is going on in your heart.

“God, this is how I feel right now. It might not be right. It might not be rosy. It might not be Christian, but it is where I am at. I am not in a good place.”

I think God would rather have that than some smiley faced, cheerleader throwing rose pedals and gold dust when inside they are broken up.

I think a lot of people think they need to chipper and positive because they think that that’s how good, spirit-filled Christians are. That anything less shows lack of faith.

In other words, I’m going to pretend I’m better…..

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a soldier. I found his story remarkable and asked him if I could share it with others. He told me if anything positive could come from it than fine.

He sat in my office, told me that his dad committed suicide when he was 8, his mother drank herself to death 3 years after that, and his brother, his only living relative was killed by a drunk driver when he was 16.

He ended his life story by telling me that right now, he hated God. He said he hated God, but felt guilty about hating God and wanted to know what to do. He said he hated God, but something inside was telling him that God was his last best hope.

So I did two things for this guy.

#1 is that I showed him this passage. We read Lamentations 3 together. I said, “man, I don’t know what you are going through, but Jeremiah seems like he does, and his reaction sounds a lot like yours. It’s ok that you feel that way. That’s where you are at right now. It’s ok that you have questions for God….concerns, even frustrations. Don’t ignore them. Don’t fake it. God can handle it. As a matter of fact, the bible says there is healing in it (Ecclesiastes 7:3).

Your life has been hard. It’s all right to be sad, to be mad, to feel the way you do.

So the first thing I did was show him this passage. To let him know that it was ok to be honest with God.

The second thing I did was show him the rest of this passage (Lamentations 3:19-27)

In the midst of his agony, surrounded by destruction, Jeremiah has a revelation, a close encounter of the divine kind

He’s going off about how bad God has treated him, than he turns on a dime and breaks into perhaps the most beautiful song about the faithfulness of God in the entire bible.

Hope returns when he remembers/when he calls this to mind

Looking at a wall up close….taking a step back

1. where you are is temporary

2. transformation is possible

Rest of the story: temporary—where you are at right not, not where you will be forever

That transformation is possible. Where you are now is just that—where you are now. It’s not where you have to stay. As a matter of fact, God doesn’t want you to stay there. He understands you’ve got anger, he understands you’ve got fear, confusion, hurt, but they were never meant to be life sentences.

Though he puts up with it for a time, God really doesn’t want you thinking that breaks teeth on rocks and rubs faces in the ground.

For Jeremiah the turnaround was a mind thing—his circumstances didn’t miraculously change between verses 20 and 21—nothing changed—except what Jeremiah was focusing on.

Our battlefield is in the mind. When Jeremiah took control of his thought life, its there he found victory---that is where transformation took place.

The devil is so good at convincing, at throwing lies in our ears and (_______) us that things will never get better, that now is all that there is, that no one cares, that we’re all alone, that we’ll die like this.

He’ll take our anger, our hurt and he’ll tell us to make a house and live in it.

But Jeremiah says no. That there’s more to life than that. I might not see it now—but God is in control/this/here/with me.

Standing close to a wall---limited vision/can’t see…this is all that there is

Take a step back—things change, see more…Jeremiah did this and that is where he saw God. That is where things began to change. That, in his own words, is where he rediscovered his hope.

Love v. 22

Faithfulness v. 23

Enough v. 24

This passage is the whole picture.

A God who accepts us where we are---how we are—as we are. We don’t have to lie—don’t have to pretend—GRACE

But at the same time it is a love that doesn’t leave us where it finds us. It desires to bring us to a better place.

from John 1:10-18--Jesus rejected

A few years ago, Keri and I went to a weekend parenting seminar. The title was “Shepherding a Child’s Heart“ and the presenter was Dr. Ted Tripp—expert on Christian parenting, author of tons of books, one of the best in his field. His book, Shepherding a Childs Heart is one of the greatest books on parenting you could read.

We were late in getting to the first session—so as Keri took care of the registration stuff, I tried to find a couple of seats in the sanctuary.

The place was packed, hundreds of people filled the sanctuary. The only place I could find seats was the immediate front row. So I sat there and asked the guy next to me when they were starting. They were running late so we had a couple of minutes.

As I was waiting for Keri, that little guy next to me starting asking me questions—did I come alone, how many kids did I have, was I staying for the whole weekend. This guy had nerd written all over him: he was short, bald, big thick glasses, a thick sweater straight out of the 80’s, and a birthmark that covered the left part of his forehead.

And while I wasn’t exactly rude, I made it clear to him that I was more interested in flagging Keri than I was in becoming his best buddy.

So Keri makes her way to our seat, she’s all sorts of psyched because this is her thing, the pastor steps up to the pulpit and begins introducing the speaker. Author, expert, tv shows, yadda yadda yadda, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters in Christ I present to you Dr. Tedd Tripp.

Who do you think gets up and walks to the pulpit? The bald guy sitting next to me. The guy that I ignored. The guy that I pretty much told to keep quiet. I just sat there for the first 15 minutes saying to myself that I couldn’t believe I just dissed Tedd Tripp.

The thing was, he didn’t look like Tedd Tripp. Or at least how Ted Tripp was supposed to look. He wasn’t tall, scholarly looking, he didn’t have a suit on, and famous authors don’t have birthmarks like that on their faces.

For the next day and a half, he absolutely blew my doors of with some of the best parenting advice you could hear. Yet if I saw the guy on the street, I wouldn’t have given him the time of day.

I could have been Ted’s buddy, but I whiffed because he didn’t meet my criteria of what a famous author should be.

I think a lot of folks, a lot of Christians sit right next to God just like I did with Tedd Tripp, but fail to pay attention or get close because of their idea of who or what God should be.

This is the heart of the gospel lesson I just read. Let’s start at v. 18 and work our way backwards and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

In v. 18 we’re told that Jesus came to earth to reveal who God was

vv. 12-17 tell us what it was about God that Jesus revealed to us…a word you see 4 times in those verses is the word grace, another word you see a lot is the word truth. Jesus came to show us that Lord God almighty is a God of grace and a god of truth. In .vv 12-13 it tells us that Jesus showed us that God was a Father who wanted us as his children.

But then there’s vv. 10-11. V. 11 tells us that Jesus was rejected, people listened, and said “ahhhh, he’s full of garbage”. V. 10 tells us that he was unrecognized, some folks didn’t even bother to listen, they didn’t even give him a chance to share who he was and why he was here.

Jesus came as God in human form to reveal who God was to us. In some ways his mission was a failure. He was rejected and unrecognized by the very people he came to help.

Well what went wrong and how will it impact you in 2011?

Was it Jesus’ fault? Did he just not do a good enough job in revealing God?

Probably not.

Well then was it the people of Israel’s fault? Were the folks back then such space cadets that they were unable to see God when he was standing right in front of them? Maybe. Probably.

But before I poke my finger in somebody’s ribs, I need to remember that I’m not very different than the Jews in Jesus day. We might wear different clothes and speak a different language, but our heart issues are the same and as they failed to see the God sitting next to them we do the same thing today.

John 1 isn’t just an account of a group of people with an epic fail. It’s a snapshot of the heart of man in general.

When it says that the world did not recognize him and his own people did not receive him—that’s talking about us.

What has God placed right before me that I’ve missed because of a preconceived notion of who God is and how he should act.

How have I missed God as he’s tried to reveal himself to me?

What do you think it was? What do you think it was that Jesus revealed about God that caught the folks off guard and caused them to miss out?

Could have been a lot of things—but let’s focus on our passage in John.

The bible says that the word became flesh and dwelt among us and that he was full of grace and truth. Let’s look at those two things.

Jesus revealed a God of grace. A God who would rather redeem than judge—who would rather forgive than punish. Jesus developed a reputation for hanging out with political enemies, moral enemies, and religious enemies. The religious folks in his day wanted a God who would judge the wicked. They wanted a messiah to come and overthrow the godless Romans. They were the good guys. They were the ones who stood for God. And they expected God to come like a body guard, pat them on the back and eliminate all the villains who were making their lives so hard.

A God of justice and vengeance. A God of the law.

V. 17 tells us that this is the God Moses revealed and it’s true. God is a God of justice. And vengeance IS his. But Jesus came to show us that there was more to God than that, than just the law.

Jesus loved the Roman soldiers that treated the Jews so poorly.

He forgave the prostitute and the addict and the corrupt politicians who exploited the Israeli economy.

These things drove the Jews nuts.

Perhaps they did not want to hear about forgiveness and mercy.

Perhaps they wanted a God who would treat the enemy just as they would.

Perhaps I do.

How would I feel if Jesus started hanging out with those folks who’ve hurt me, who’ve left scars on my life?

How would like watching him extend his arms out to those whom I think are monsters?

What if I knew in my heart that I was right?

How great would it be for God to come down and smite the Taliban, smite the drug lords, and smite the New York Yankees?

That’s the visit from God that the Jews expected. And to be honest, there’s a large part of me that expects a similar visit as well.

Sometimes it’s hard to see a God of grace. Oh, I’ll get mine. If it’s me who needs grace, than I’m looking hard for God. Anyone else he’s giving it to…hard to see.

What about a God of truth, who really wants a visit from a God of truth? Maybe a God who tells the truth about my enemies or my competitors-but what about me? Do I really want to come face to face with my hidden motivations, my fears, my weaknesses, my heart?

Some of you might think you’re brave, and you’re saying “yeah, I want that. Show me my fears, my hidden motivations, I want the truth.”

You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!

I’m a good guy. All right I’m a halfway decent guy. Gimme a god who will pat me on the back, tell me I’m doing the right thing and I’m good to go. But that’s not Jesus. And it’s not because he’s the unpleaseable parent. It’s because he cares so much for us.

I’ve heard it said before, Jesus receives us just as we are, that’s the God of grace. But he loves us too much to let us stay there, that’s the God of truth.

There’s a good reason why 12 step programs save the fearless moral inventory until the 4^th step. Cause hearing the truth can be difficult.

Look at this prayer, Psalm 139:23-24. There are a number of what I like to call “I dare you” prayers in the bible. Prayers where God says “I dare you to pray this way…” this is one of them:

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

--Psalm 139:23-24

What would happen if you really prayed this prayer?

What would happen if God really answered it?

I think of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah had a face to face encounter with God. What do you think the first words out of his mouth were as he looked at the Almighty?

“Wow, he’s so big?”

“Wow, he’s so beautiful?”

No.

How about, “oh my goodness, I’m so dirty”

“Woe is me. For I am a man of unclean lips.”

In looking at God’s purity, his sinfulness was highlighted.

The presence of God served as a mirror for Isaiah, and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant image.

This is what Jesus revealed. To the Jews back then. And to us today.

Grace and truth.

They missed it—missed a God interested in their growth, their healing and wholeness.

But He didn’t look like the God they were looking for.

And as Tedd Tripp reached out to me, God reaches out to us.

I ignored Tedd Tripp because he wasn’t what I thought an author should be.

Jesus was rejected and ignored for similar reasons.

Back then…and today.

I need to stop assuming I have God figured out.

I need to let Jesus tell me who he is.

I need to be humble enough to receive this God of grace…and bold enough to receive this God of truth.

Happy New Year

gonna attach a sermon pretty soon. I think I'm gonna use this as a storage for sermons and such. We'll see. If you are reading this, well, uumm, "Hi!"