A Broken World & A Holy God

I'd invite you to join with me in prayer as we begin.

The prophet Isaiah has you, O great God, recording these words.

You're the one who declares that you form the light and you create darkness.

You're the one who brings prosperity and you're the one who creates disaster.

You, O God, do all of these things.

Your word to us, Lord, is that you are the one whom we are to flee in your wrath,

but you are also the one to whom we are to flee too.

You are both the one who brings disaster and you are the refuge.

You are the one who causes the anguish and yet you are the one who provides the mercy.

Lord, you are more complex than any God that we could possibly formulate in our own minds,

offensive even to our own hearts.

And so as we come to your word, give us hearts that are tender to you,

that lay aside idolatry, false views of you,

and that we would see you as you are in this world as it is.

Particularly, Lord, we would pray that you would help us to see our sin

and Jesus Christ in the gospel as the resolution to that sin.

And we ask that you would work in our hearts today as we open your word.

Amen.

Friends, we have just marked the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States

on September 11, 2001.

Do you remember where you were when you first heard that news?

Do you remember how many people died on that day?

Something like 3,000 people.

Most of them were in the World Trade Centers in New York City.

As a shock as that was, and it's still marked into our memories,

is sadly one of just a small event, really,

in what some people have called the conveyor belt of corpses of human history,

of depravity and atrocities.

World War II, for instance,

resulted in the death of between 70 and 85 million people,

the majority of whom were civilians.

Tens of millions of people died due to genocides,

disease, starvation in those five years.

The Holocaust in Germany alone caused the death of 11 million Jews

between 1933 and 1945.

One and a half million Armenians died at the hands of the Turks

between 1915 and 1923,

as well as a further 750,000 Assyrians

and one million Greeks at the same time.

Three million casualties

as a result of the Cambodian genocide.

Another one million dead in Rwanda in 1994.

The Soviet slaughter of 250,000 Polish people

in 1937 and 1938,

another couple of hundred thousand Poles by the Ukrainians,

less than a decade later.

Between 1824 and 1908,

white settlers and mounted police in Queensland

murdered more than 10,000 Indigenous members of this country.

Do you remember?

Do you remember any of that?

Do you remember Stalin?

Idi Amin?

Pol Pot?

Hitler?

What about the 60 million lives

that were lost in the Mongolian massacre?

Do you remember any of that?

What about the latest atrocity that appears on the TV?

How do you respond?

How quickly it is over

as we move on to the next news event?

Then there are a multitude of man-made disasters

like Chernobyl.

Natural disasters like 250,000 lives lost

in a tsunami.

Or four and a half million deaths to COVID-19.

This world is a broken world.

No amount of freedom days

and being able to stand up in pubs and drink beers

and holiday destinations

can remove that fact.

It is a broken world.

And we should feel it.

We should feel the stunning reality

that each one of those lives is no longer with us.

Every time you go to a funeral,

it should be a stunning reality

that this is a life lost.

Gone.

That merry-go-round has ended.

Death is not good.

No matter how many great stories you tell at a funeral,

how many humorous antidotes,

death cannot be made to look good.

And eternal disaster is beyond comprehension.

Over 50 million people a year

slip into a Christless eternity

where there is no comfort.

There is just increasing anguish.

Lamentations is a book

that's designed to help us

into that space,

to feel it.

It's designed as a memorial.

It helps us to remember.

It helps us to process

and it helps us to go to God.

The source of all hope

in times of despair.

Now, if you've got the St. Paul's app,

I'd be grateful if you could go there now.

You'll see I've got three points here.

The lament,

the comfort,

and what does it mean to lament

and to be comforted as a Christian.

And Lamentations 1,

it'd be great if you could open up that.

Now, Lamentations

is a collection of five poems.

Each chapter

is a poem in itself.

And four of the five chapters

is composed

as an alphabetic acrostic,

which means

that each of the poems

is divided

into 22

separate sections.

You'll notice that

for most of the

Lamentations chapters,

they're all 22 verses,

except for the middle one,

which is 66.

But they're all broken

into 22 separate sections,

one

for each letter

of the

Hebrew alphabet.

And so if you like,

each one,

each verse

starts with the first letter of the Eve,

and then the next section,

the second letter,

and all the way through

for 22 verses,

or 22 sections.

So Lamentations,

if you like,

describes

the suffering

of God's people

from A to Z.

It's the

totality

of

human suffering.

Also,

Lamentations

is not just

simply

the cry

from the heart

of someone

who's

having a tough time

in life right now.

You know,

this is not

for the person

who's struggled

with four months

of lockdown

and they're feeling frustrated

and they're

waving their fist

to God.

That's not what

Lamentations is.

Now,

I don't want to minimize

that for you

if that is you.

I just

want us

to go

to a much

bigger picture

here

and to go

to a deeper

tragedy

than four months

of

lockdown.

Lamentations

is not

an emotional

outburst.

It is a

theodicy.

It's an attempt

to explain

the ways

of God

to humanity.

The writer

here is

doing so

much more

than just

venting

their emotions

and you

can see

that

because it

is so

structured.

it is

so clear

and thought

through

in the way

it's put

together.

This is not

just a

random

bunch

of ideas.

The writer

is seeking

to gain

perspective

on

suffering

and sharing

that perspective

with others.

lamentations.

The other

thing we

should know

is that

these five

poems

are

communal

rather

than

personal

laments.

And this

is what

makes

lamentations

a little

bit different

than Job.

The other

significance

between Job

and lamentations

is that Job

is about

the suffering

of a

righteous

man.

Lamentations

is about

deserved.

suffering.

It's about

deserved,

predicted

desolation.

And so

in a world

of overwhelming

human suffering

this book

gives voice

to the

deepest

agonies

of grief

with the

hope

that there

is some

comfort

when we

cry out

to God

for mercy.

Now

lamentations

is a

response

to the

events

that are

recorded

for us

in

2 Kings

verses

chapters

24 and

25

or as

Gary just

read to us

2 Chronicles

36.

It's a much

shorter version

of the

circumstances

that lay

behind

lamentations.

things 24

25

2 Chronicles

36

are the

facts

of the

event.

Lamentations

is the

reflections

on it

by someone

who was

there

and

experienced

it.

And the

scene

is the

fall of

Jerusalem

to the

Babylonian

army

between

588

and

587

BC.

Terrible

calamities

as we will

see as we go

through

lamentations

fell upon

the citizens

of Jerusalem

over that

18 month

period.

The

Babylonians

destroyed the

temple,

the palace,

the walls,

the city,

everything

eventually,

but the

process of

the people

slowly dying

up to that

point is

just

horrendous.

The

Babylonian

army,

they

plundered,

they pillaged

the city

and its

inhabitants.

The elite

of society

were forcibly

marched

down to

Babylon

some

1500

kilometers

away from

their home

as slaves.

And so

lamentations

is written

in response

to these

calamitous

catastrophic

historical

events.

you see

for the

people of

Israel

losing

Jerusalem

meant

losing

all that

represented

them as

a people.

Everything.

The

monarchy,

the ruling

line of

David,

the priests,

the sacrifices,

the temple,

the promised

land themselves,

losing the

land meant

that they

had lost

God's

promise

and losing

God's promise

meant they

lost their

special relationship

with God

who made

and defines

all things.

God is

gone

for them.

And so

this first

lament

is from

an eyewitness

perspective

and a

description

of the

terrible

desolation.

The poet

here

presents the

city of

Jerusalem

as a

woman

in the

deepest

depths of

mourning

and pain.

Lady

Zion.

She calls

out to

God.

She calls

out in

fact even

to the

nations

around her

to look

upon her

and see

her

suffering.

Her

suffering

was great

and in

her mind

no one

was noticing.

God

was not

even looking

on her

and the

nations

ignored

her.

the very

verse

of

lamentations.

How

deserted

lies the

city

once so

full of

people.

We are

told she

who was

a queen

has become

a slave.

Verse 2

bitterly

she weeps.

All her

friends

have betrayed

her.

As you

continue

through the

chapter we

see the

suffering,

the mourning,

the abandoned

religious practices,

the desolate

city,

pilgrims no

longer flock

there for

their feasts,

merchants no

longer walk

through the

gates,

her princes

have fleed

the city

and they

have been

pursued by

their attackers,

the palace

treasures have

been looted,

the temple

has been

violated,

in her

streets,

desperate

people negotiate

for their

very lives,

they are

concerned to

go out and

buy food,

to try and

scavenge for

food,

lest they

become food

for others,

her army

is defeated,

the princes

and the

leaders have

all perished

in their

search for

food,

we are

told Lady

Zion weeps

bitterly,

you can see

it's a little

bit more

than just

four months

of lockdown,

a greater

disaster is

happening here,

my goodness

I still

get cold

delivering

food to

my door,

verses 2,

9,

16,

17 and

21,

we have

the repetition

of a

statement

that forms

the anguish

of this

whole chapter,

there is

no one

to comfort

her,

she cries

out,

she reaches

out to

those who

pass by,

she groans

looking for

a comforter,

but there is

no comfort,

no one

will help

her,

no one

will restore

her,

all of her

friends,

all of her

lovers,

all of those

who are

associated

with her

have abandoned

her,

but she

should have

seen it

coming,

she should

have seen

it coming,

the prophet

Jeremiah,

the poet

behind

Lamentations

had warned,

warned Jerusalem

for decades

and for decades

the city

laughed him

off,

God's

word had

been cleared

of the

city

again

and again

and again

and again

tragedy

will befall

you,

turn,

turn

back to

the living

God,

so why

has this

tragedy

befallen,

what was

the essence

of

Jeremiah's

message,

William

Westmore's

story

was a

19th

century

American

who

carved

some

great

sculptures

and one

such

sculpture

is of

a woman

sitting

amongst

some

ruins

slumped

slightly

to one

side,

her elbow

rests on

the arm

of her

throne,

she gazes

downward

with a

resolute

frown,

she's

despondent

and engraved

on the

sculpture

is Jerusalem

in her

desolation,

it's a

fairly famous

sculpture,

the most

significant

detail

of the

sculpture

is almost

unnoticeable

to the

passing eye

when you

look at it,

it's this

down,

right at the

bottom of the

sculpture

near the

feet of

Lady Zion

is this

small

snake

slithering

along,

it represents

sin,

Jerusalem's

destruction

was because

of her

sin,

have a look

at verse

5,

the

Lord

has

brought

her

grief

because

of her

many

sins,

the

word used

for sins

in verse

5 is a

word that

actually suggests

outright

rebellion,

it's because

of her

outright

rebellion

against God

that she

has been

ruined,

grief has

come upon

her,

that is

what this

lament

tells us

is that

Jerusalem

got what

she

deserved

and in

fact Lady

Zion

herself

confesses

it in

verse

18,

the

Lord is

righteous

and yet

I

rebelled

against

his

command

and again

in verse

20,

see Lord

how distressed

I am,

I am in

torment

within

and in

my heart

I am

disturbed

for I

have been

most

rebellious

so if

you

want

one

understanding

if you

like of

the book

of

lamentations

is that

it's one

long

illustration

of the

eternal

principle

that a

person

reaps

what they

sow

the

Bible

gives

us

the

Christian

faith

if you

like

gives

us

gives

the

world

the

bleakest

most

comprehensive

panoramic

picture

of the

human

condition

outside

of God

and what

we have

here in

Lamentations

1 is

a

microcosm

version of

that

of the

universal

human

condition

Jerusalem

lady

Zion

represents

our

position

outside

of God

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

in the

New Testament

makes it

real clear

for us

it's quite

blunt

but it

says very

clearly

we are

all

human

beings

every one

of us

are dead

in our

transgressions

and sins

as for

you

you were

dead

in your

transgressions

and sins

in which

you used

to live

when you

followed the

ways of

this world

and of the

rule of

the kingdom

of the

air

the spirit

who is

now at

work in

those who

are disobedient

all of

us

all of

us

lived

among them

at one

time

gratifying

the cravings

of our

flesh and

following its

desires and

our thoughts

and like the

rest we

were by

nature

deserving of

wrath

let's be

clear here

in Ephesians

2 death

is not a

figure of

speech

the state

of spiritual

death is

universal

Paul is

not describing

a segment

of society

a particular

group of

people

you know

who are

decadent

depraved

he's describing

all of

humanity

from

from bottom

to top

from the

so-called

unrighteousness

righteous to

the so-called

righteous

all of

us

and the

key idea

is in

verse 3

of

Ephesians 2

we are

gratifying the

cravings of

our flesh

and following

its desires

and thoughts

literally means

there

it refers

to

self-centered

human

nature

our hearts

inside

are

driving us

mastering

us

controlling

us

self-centeredness

making

ourselves

the world

according to

the bible

the reason

we are

dead in

our

transgressions

and sins

is because

every single

one of us

is profoundly

self-centered

the 16th

century

reformer

and theologian

Martin Luther

said that

the very

nature of

humanity

is so

deeply

curved

in

of itself

into

itself

he

wrote

we are

wickedly

curvedly

and

viciously

seek to

use all

things

even

God

for our

own

sake

the

framework

for every

human being

begins

with

is you

give your

life

for me

it's me

first

you

exist

for me

my

interest

first

and that

is even

how we

relate

to our

creator

our

sustainer

our

God

me

first

and if

you

do not

give me

the life

that I

want to

have

then

curse

be upon

you

and so

the

consequences

at the

end of

verse 3

of

Ephesians

2

is really

shocking

to our

modern

sensibilities

we are

not only

dead

but we

are also

condemned

it says

like the

rest we

were by

nature

deserving

of

wrath

that is

deserving

of God's

righteous

anger

see God's

anger is

not like

human

anger

it's not

bad

tempered

it's not

spiteful

it's not

malice

nor is it

animosity

nor is it

revenge

nor is it

arbitrary

it is

God's

personal

righteous

constant

hostility

towards

evil

injustice

and sin

it is

his

settled

refusal

to

compromise

with

sin

and his

resolve

to in

fact

condemn

all that

is evil

and so

we come

to

lamentations

one

and we

see this

played out

for lady

Zion

it led

to her

destruction

and it

will lead

to

ours

too

is it

any wonder

she cries

out is

there

anyone

anyone

to comfort

me

when the

sovereign

God

is

against

me

some

70

years

after the

devastation

of

Jerusalem

and after

Babylon

itself

had been

conquered

by the

Persian

empire

for its

sin

the Jews

made their

way back

to rebuild

the city

once again

lady

Zion

returns

home

they

promised

to

not make

the same

mistake

of their

forefathers

they promised

to walk

in obedience

to God

and yet

a mere

500

years

later

we see

nothing

has changed

for Jerusalem

Jesus

Christ

500

years

later

bursts

in on the

scenes

of the

Middle

East

and declares

himself

to be

God

himself

amongst

us

son of

God

dwelling

amongst

his

people

and he

backed

up

that

remarkable

claim

by living

a perfect

life

and performing

incredible

miracles

bringing hope

and healing

to thousands

thousands

and so

what

happens

when

God

himself

rocks

up

to

Jerusalem

Luke

19

we read

Jesus

approached

Jerusalem

he saw

the city

and he

wept

he wept

over it

and he

says

if you

even you

had known

only known

on this

day

what

could

bring

you

peace

or

what

could

bring

you

comfort

but

now

it is

hidden

from

your

eyes

the

days

will

come

upon

you

when

your

enemies

will

and

here's

a replay

of

history

will

build

an

embankment

against

you

they

will

encircle

you

they

will

hem

you

in

on

every

side

they

will

dash

you

to

the

ground

you

and

the

children

within

your

walls

they

will

not

leave

one

stone

on

another

because

you

did

not

recognize

the

time

of

God's

coming

to

you

Jesus

laments

for

Jerusalem

God

laments

for

Jerusalem

and

predicts

again

its

destruction

Jerusalem

will

once

be

destroyed

because

they

did

not

recognize

the

time

of

God's

coming

that

is

God

turns

up

to

his

city

Jerusalem

and

they

reject

him

they

rejected

their

coming

king

they

rejected

Jesus

and

therefore

once

again

they

reject

God

and

this

rebellion

will

once

again

reap

its

consequences

now

that

seemed

totally

improbable

to the

inhabitants

of

Jerusalem

as it

did

in

Jeremiah's

day

even

those

who

were

so

close

to

Jesus

and

were

following

Jesus

were

proud

of

their

great

city

Jerusalem

and

they

were

especially

proud

of

their

temple

they

thought

that

because

they

had

their

temple

God

was

on

their

side

they

were

indestructible

they

had

forgotten

their

history

the

temple

was the

place

where

God

met

with

the

people

met

with

God

and

God

met

with

the

people

and

their

sins

were

forgiven

they

thought

they

could

live

any way

they

like

from

Monday

to

Saturday

turn

up

to

the

temple

and

it's

all

done

God

relationship

with

God

is

all

good

one

day

Jesus

was

walking

past

that

temple

in

Jerusalem

and

those

who

with

him

were

just

admired

how

great

that

building

was

see

the

great

stones

and

the

way

it's

put

together

Jesus

said

it's

going

to be

torn

down

and

I'm

going

to

rebuild

it

in

three

days

it's

going

to

be

destroyed

and

I'll

rebuild

it

impossible

what a

joke

impossible

how

is that

going

to

happen

Jesus

was

referring

to

his

death

and

his

resurrection

let me

just

take you

back to

Lamentations

1

really

briefly

it's

interesting

that the

structural

and

theological

center

of

Lamentations

1

is the

end

of

verse

11

and

verse

12

look

look

Lord

and

consider

for

I

am

despised

this

is

ladies

iron

speaking

look

to

me

Lord

look

and

look

at

me

I

am

despised

is it

nothing

to you

as well

the

nations

as you

pass

by

look

on

me

look

around

and

see

is

any

suffering

like

my

suffering

that

was

inflicted

on

me

that

the

Lord

brought

on

me

in

the

day

of

his

fierce

anger

now

the

crucifixion

is a

oratorio

composed

by

John

Stainer

in

1887

in

one of

the

movements

of

this

composition

Stainer

puts

the

words

of

Lamentations

1

19

into

the

mouth

of

Jesus

on

the

cross

is

it

nothing

to

you

all

who

pass

by

you

see

no

one

on

that

day

just

outside

the

city

walls

of

Jerusalem

recognized

what

was

being

accomplished

on

the

cross

namely

the

redemption

of

sin

for

the

world

people

passed

by

members

of

Jerusalem

passed

by

the

cross

and

they

considered

Jesus

nothing

Matthew

Matthew 27:39

27

verse 39

and 40

tells us

those who

passed

by

insults

at him

they shook

their heads

and they

said

you

you

who were

going to

destroy

the temple

and build

it again

in three

days

save

yourself

ha

come

down

the

cross

if

you

are

the

son

of

God

and

it's

because

he is

the

son

of

God

that

he

could

not

come

down

from

the

cross

like

Jerusalem

lady

Zion

before

him

Jesus

was not

only

despised

and

rejected

but

he was

also

ignored

lady

Zion

cries

out

is

any

suffering

like

my

suffering

that is

inflicted

on me

and the

answer

of the

New

Testament

is

yes

the

answer

of the

gospel

is

yes

Jesus

suffering

on the

cross

was

more

than

lady

Zion

suffered

suffered

physically

emotionally