2.
Learning to deal with grief will enable us and those we train to enter into our community with a witness of both the judgment and the restoration of Almighty God.
E.
The time frame of Lamentations does not nullify the messages in that Book for us or our people today.
1.
Yes, we do live in this age and it is somewhat different from the age in which Lamentations was written. Eternal principles do not cease at the passing of any age.
2.
But the same God in charge of that age is the God in charge of this age.
3.
The same sin nature as then is the same sin nature we face in this day.
4.
That age was full of tears that brought grief and this age will continue to be full of tears.
a.
The events of September 11, 2001, have left us shaken and we have learned nothing. There will be bigger and harsher days to come. Sin will pay the price demanded of it. God has spoken, we continue to refuse His message and we shall soon be asking the question “why” again and we will like now not accept them that sin demands a price we do not want to pay but folks, we will pay the price for sin.
b.
The likelihood of further incidents is high, and who knows which of us will have personal cause to pour out our hearts in grief.
c.
That is why we always look to the return of our Savior and the new age that He will create.
5.
But for now, in this age, we can take comfort in Paul's perspective when he so greatly wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:38-39:
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
6.
Jeremiah was amazed and greatly saddened by the sin of Judah. I am not a Jeremiah but I am amazed and saddened by the sin of the United States of America. I often wonder which is the greater fool. Is it the one elected to the high political offices of the land or is it the ones voting to put them into the office. I have so often heard some say “I would not do that.” I then ask then, vote into office those that do hate God and everything about God? Preachers running for political office will say I believe God but in 39
essence say I will promote the godless laws of the land over the laws of God. You figure it out.
Conclusion For Chapter 5: