I'm going to go ahead and get
started, so if you would, please be turning to Lamentations 3. And I didn't mark it, so I don't
know if I can find it. Oh, right there, I turned to
it. Lamentations 3. And I'm going to start in verse 21. Lamentations 3 verse 21. This I recall to my mind, therefore
have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in
him. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that
a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
Lord. There are some things said here
where it says to have been recalled to mind. The ISV, which is the
International Standard Version, says it this way for verse 21.
This is what comes to mind, and therefore I have hope. Then Jeremiah
goes through what gives a man or a woman hope, and that's eternal
hope, not just a fleeting hope. But I do want to say this, that
if it were referring to what was previously said, it would
still give me hope if I saw this as Christ. And I just want to
point this out, this one verse. If you see the first verse, it
says, I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his
wrath. If I see this as Christ taking
that in my stead, then we can see some hope there. But for
the rod of his wrath to be upon me is something I cannot withstand. So there's only hope in what
he does. But that goes right along with what is said after
this verse, verse 21. The reason we are not consumed
are because of his mercies toward those whom he chose in his son. because those mercies are compassion
brought from his bosom where we dwell in him. We see these
mercies and compassions every day. Why is this? Because he is faithful in showing
those mercies and compassion to his people who are found in
his son who has been afflicted with the rod of his wrath. What
is the result of his faithful mercies and compassion? My portion
is the Lord. So him being my portion, that
is where I place my hope. So as it goes on to say, I wait
on God and his salvation, which comes by and through his son,
Jesus Christ. So let's talk about these things,
mercy, compassion, my portion, and my hope. So first, mercy. Mercy means,
and this is from God to his sheep, but mercy means a good deed of
kindness to his people. But for his people, we can say
it is good deeds of kindness towards them. Not singular, but
plural. Now, you know, I mentioned that
in the first verse where it says, I am the man that has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath. God's people may come to a place
where they feel they are under the wrath of God, but his people
never see his wrath. I know this because His wrath
consumes. What do we read in our text?
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. Because
Jesus Christ has met with the wrath of God in our stead. We
will not see His wrath and we should be thankful for that because
His wrath consumes. It was the wrath of God that
flooded the whole earth, save eight souls. It was mercy that
was done toward those eight souls. An act of kindness toward them
that delivered them while all others were destroyed or consumed
by his wrath. His mercies toward us are too
numerous to count. We in fact do not even see or
know all the mercies he shows toward us. We're too dull to
know them. But there is mercy that we can
see and know, and it goes back to the beginning. We read in
Genesis 3, 14 and 15, this is what we read. And the Lord God
said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art
cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field. Upon
thy belly shalt thou go, and thus shalt thou eat all the days
of thy life. and I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. We can follow
that mercy all the way through scripture. Because of that promise of God,
he brought all things to come to pass. I'm just going to give
you some things that give you an idea of what I'm trying to
convey here. I'm not going to go through it
in details, but we can see this in Matthew 1 where it says, the
book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
son of Abraham. You have Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. What all happened with those men? We are talking about
the mercy of God. Lots of things, but just to mention
one, Jacob had a son named Joseph. Joseph was put in a pit and sold
by the Midianites to the Israelites, Ishmaelites, who took him to
Egypt. We all know what came of that. Joseph was not in the direct
lineage of Christ, it was Jacob's son Judah, but I'm talking about
things that happened along the way because of this lineage The
mercy of God is what we're talking about. The lineage is the mercy
of God. The people of God were delivered
by Joseph, but then they went into bondage in Egypt. Then it
goes on in Matthew, we have, Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab the
harlot. The scripture still calls Rahab
the harlot. That's what it says in Hebrews.
She was in the direct lineage of our Lord. Just think of what
all happened with Rahab, though. An entire city was brought to
the ground. And we are talking about the
mercy of God. But then we have Boaz begetting
Obed of Ruth, the Moabites. And then the last one we have
is this, and it's the end game. This is talking about mercy personified. Matthew 1 16, and Jacob begat
Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is
called Christ. God's mercy started from the
beginning and they all led to Jesus Christ, made of a woman,
made under the law. This was done for this purpose,
to redeem them that were under the law. There is no greater
mercy than that. Christ doing the work that would
set the prisoners free. Free to do what? Serve Him. This all comes from His compassion
for His people. So what about His compassion? Now, compassion from God results
in mercy. It's not necessarily the same
thing, though. And I will grant you, it's a
little bit hard for me to even give a good definition of the
difference. And maybe that's because they
go together. You will not have compassion without mercy. Not
when it comes to God towards his people. But compassion means
the womb as cherishing the fetus. We read it in several places
about God having us hedged in. We see that we are hedged in
his womb, if you will. God loves his people and it was
manifested in what he did in mercy. Just as Walter pointed
out in Habakkuk 3 too, in wrath remember mercy. Jesus Christ suffered the wrath
of God for us so that we might be loved of God. This was done
before the beginning, if you will. This was done from before
the foundation of the world. It says God loved us with an
everlasting love. His compassion has been toward
his people and his son from before the foundation of the world.
Jesus Christ is God's elect. It was manifested in the brightest
brilliance you could ever see. Jesus Christ, who is God, manifest
in the flesh. His compassion toward us is the
greatest act of mercy that could ever be done. He suffered the
wrath of God in our stead. Limitations 3.1, I am the man
that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. But we see
this love mentioned in the scripture elsewhere as well. Scripture
tells us this in 1 John 4 and on. In this was manifested the
love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten
son into the world that we might live through him. God has loved
us with an everlasting love. We are in his womb, so to speak.
We are what He desires, because those who are His are in His
Son, and He loves the Son above all things. Christ is the head,
we are the body. We are one in Him, and we are
complete in Him. He showed us his love to the
Father and his love toward us in that he experienced affliction
by the rod of God's wrath. I don't know what that's like.
And I thank God I don't know and I don't want to know. I do
believe it though, that Christ experienced it. And this is where
we see God's wrath in its fullest. My God, my God, Why hast thou
forsaken me? Being forsaken of God is wrath
against someone. We being sinful creatures, if
we were to ever experience that, would experience that for eternity
because we cannot stand. We are imperfect. We are corrupt. We are evil as we are born in
Adam. So because our sacrifice would
not satisfy God, it would be forever if we had to sacrifice
ourselves. It will be forever if someone
pays the debt of sin themselves. It will be forever. Some, those
in Christ, will live forever. Others, those outside of Christ,
will die forever. Strange, maybe, but true. But thank God we do not have
to do that because Jesus Christ did this in our state. He is
our portion. So we have next, my portion. Now this word means allotment
or inheritance. So I have an allotment. What
is the allotment? The Lord is my portion. We get
Jesus Christ as our allotment. What else could you ask for?
I know you hear a lot of folks talk about seeing their loved
ones one day. But folks, if we do not desire
to see him, then our desires are placed on the wrong thing.
I do look forward to seeing God's people again one day. We are
to love the brethren. So I don't believe that it's
wrong that we want to see his people again. but we will not
see them in the relationship that we had with them here. My
desire is to see him and in seeing him, if they are in him, then
I will also see them because his body is not going to be maimed. All of his will be there. I desire
to see him. I know I've used this verse before,
but it still lays hold on me. It's like Paul said, and turn
with me to Philippians 3. I want to read more of the passage around
it. Somebody might have to help me
find Philippians because I didn't mark it either. Philippians 3, and I want to
read verses 8 through 14. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but done, that I may win Christ. and be found in him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made
conformable unto his death. if by any means I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after,
if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended
of Jesus Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, his mercies
and compassion cause me to see him. It causes me to look to
Him, to reach forth that I might apprehend Jesus Christ as He
has apprehended me. He is my portion. He is God the
Father's delight, and He is His people's delight. My allotment
is Jesus Christ, and what more could I ask for? What does Christ
pray for? John 17, 20 and 21. Neither pray
I for those alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word, that they all may be one as thou, Father,
art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that
the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Reading that,
it is the Lord Jesus Christ who says, that it is his prayer that
we will be one in God. His prayers are always answered
in the affirmative. If he asked for us to be one
in God, then we will be one in God. It's like that saying, Christ
is the only one that could touch God and not be consumed and touch
man and not be defiled. But here's the thing, he brings
them both in himself. So what am I going to do without
him? But it is he when he works in us and gives us of himself
and he causes us to be joined to our inheritance himself. Turn with me to Acts 26, Acts
26. Acts 26, I'm gonna read 15 through
18. And I read this account last
week, I think, but here's a little more. This is where Christ met
Saul on the road to Damascus. So verse 15, starting in verse
15. And I said, who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest. But rise and stand upon thy feet,
for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee
a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast
seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee.
delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom
now I send thee, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness
to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which
are sanctified by faith that is in me. We can say that our inheritance
is eternal life. We can say that. But where does
our life come from? God's people do have eternal
life. But it is not a life which is
energized, if you will, by them on their own. Jesus Christ is
our life. So if we do not have him as our
inheritance, then we do not have eternal life. Colossians 3, 4
says, when Christ, Who is our life shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory. Anything we might have will come
from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is all and in all,
the scripture says. If I have Jesus Christ, I have
all things. Romans 8.32 we read, he that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Therefore, because
of this, because of everything God does and who he is, it means
Jesus Christ is my hope. So next we have my hope or our
hope. This is not a fleeting hope.
The word means to wait. This hope is such that it calls
us to patiently wait for him. I don't need to try and hurry
God along, not for anything. God does not need my help. We
are saved, we are being saved, and we shall be saved by Jesus
Christ. We are not called upon to keep
any moral law for salvation or because of salvation. It says
here, it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for
the salvation of the Lord. This is good instruction even
now for those of us here who named the name of Christ. He
does not save us in time so that we can then in some measure save
ourselves. He is all of our salvation. Not
a drop of it will be of our doing. I wait for him to open the scriptures
to me concerning himself. I wait for him to return so that
where he is there I will also be. I wait for that marriage
supper of the lamb where we will then be with him forever. Then there will be no reaching
forth for him, as we will be totally joined with him. And
don't get me wrong, we are now, but then we will know even as
we are known. That I look forward to. I, by his grace, patiently wait,
and that is hope for it. Problems come and problems go,
but his mercies and compassion fail not. I can have joy in my
heart when tears of grief are rolling down my face. It is that
hope that He will wipe away all tears when we are with Him. It's
all about Him. There is no hope outside of Christ. Outside of Him, there is nothing
but the rod of His wrath. Give me Christ because if Christ
is for me, then God is for me. And who can be against me? So what do we conclude from this? God is full of compassion and
mercy. They are new every morning as
we read. It says, great is thy faithfulness. Not my faithfulness, his faithfulness. When I wake up, he is faithful
to remind me every morning that he is in total sovereign control
and that he has done what is needed to bring me into himself.
There's nothing for me to do. I have been set free to worship
God. He has done it all and will continue
to do it all. You want to talk about doing?
Then repent and believe God. Because salvation, as some preachers
have said, is not do, salvation is done. I'm not gonna drag anyone to
God. Who am I but a sinner saved by grace? If anyone's going to
be dragged to God, it will be God doing the dragging. This
he will do in love. Some have said that all the records
of one being a Jew were destroyed. And I know what they mean and
agree with what they're saying. But there is one who still has
the record recorded that he not was, but is a Jew. We looked at it a little. Jesus
Christ is a Jew and we have it recorded, his lineage, which
was the very mercy of God in action. That record will never
be destroyed. It is fact, Walter, and it is
truth, and the result of his lineage is the gospel. He is
our hope and our portion. We can always see his mercies
and compassion because he is faithful to show us that in the
scripture. We can read it, we can hear about
it, and yes, we can experience it. But we know it is all because
of his faithfulness. Wait for him, seek him. Someone might say, but I already
know him. Seek him, seek him, seek him. Isaiah 55, six says, seek ye
the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. He is full of mercy and compassion. He is faithful to perform that
which he has promised. Great is his faithfulness unto
me. Amen. Thank you, dear Lord God,
for allowing us to be here once again, dear Lord. Teach us of yourself, dear Lord,
and be with those who are not here and are ailing, dear Lord.
Just comfort them. in the way that you only know
how, dear Lord. All these things we ask in Christ's
name. Amen.