I'm going to go ahead and get
started, so if you would turn with me to Lamentations 3. Lamentations
3. I'm going to basically read the
whole chapter, but I won't do that right off at first. I'm
going to start with a verse, and I'm going to go through a
few verses. I'm not going to go through all
of them, but I'm going to go through a few verses that just struck
me and I wanted to talk about. So Lamentations chapter 3 and
verse 1. I am the man that hath seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath. The scripture says that we are
the children of wrath even as others. But this is not what
this is talking about. The wrath spoken of us is that
wrath that we exhibit or show toward God in this flesh. We,
as God's people, will never see the wrath of his wrath. Why? Because of this man that hath
seen affliction by the wrath of his wrath. I agree with Robert
Hawker, and not that me agreeing with Robert Hawker means anything,
but I do agree with Robert Hawker when he says about this passage,
he says, quote, I am free to allow that the mournful prophet
might truly say, in reference to his own personal calamities,
that he was a man of affliction. But still I think the personal
afflictions of Jeremiah would not have been considered sufficiently
remarkable to have demanded a book of elegies, and that is a serious
poem or lament. But they would not been sufficiently
remarkable to have demanded a book of elegies in the volume of scriptures." Neither you or I will see, if
we are in Christ, we will never see the wrath of God. We will
at times be corrected by God, and maybe for a time it might
feel like God's wrath is coming down on us. But we soon come
to find out that this is not wrath, but love. Because those
chastisements always point us to Christ. Revelations 319 says,
as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore,
and repent. There is one who has felt the
wrath though, and it was a man. For those whom he loves, this
one man felt this in their place. He did it in love. This is what
he endured because he did love us, and he does love us. This
is what we can see in this scripture, what Christ had to endure in
my stead because I cannot endure such a thing, nor would I be
accepted of God even if I could endure such a thing. This he
done for his people in their stead. Substitution, a doctrine
this world knows nothing about. What do you think it would be
like for a man that when God did this to his son because he
loved them and then they turned from him. What wrath would they
find one day? God Almighty did this for those
he loved so that he would never see his wrath. Those people that
are his, they would never see his wrath. That's what he did
this for. He also causes them to love him
in the day of his power. Those who continue on in believing
that God loves everybody and that he did this to make it possible
for man to be saved will have a rude awakening one day. Should he not intervene, that
is, and intervene only because of what his son did for them,
if he did anything for them. I want to go through some of
these verses and show the person and work of Christ as best as
I can. And I will certainly miss some things, but my point is
to lift Jesus Christ the Savior up. We have already talked about
one of the verses, but the first verse, and I'm going to go through
that a little bit more here. We as believers do see tribulation,
or that is affliction, come our way. We may see this in correction,
as I've already said, or we may see this come from promises of
God, that we may learn patience through tribulation. But in Acts
14.22 we read, confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting
them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much
tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. So entering into the
kingdom of God will be through much tribulation. This will be
tribulation that maybe no one else even sees, as it will be
an inward thing for sure. but it might also bring with
it physical or outward things that happen. But we also read
in Romans 5.3, and you heard this recently, and not only so,
but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation
worketh patience. We see there in those passages
that these tribulations are not there to cause us harm, but they
are sent by God for our good. although they may not feel good
at the time. Romans 8.35 says, who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? The answer is, they will not,
nor will anything if he loves us. What he did in suffering
the wrath of God in my stead is his love manifested. Those
things he sends as promised, which will do us good, will not
separate us from that love. But we have never seen affliction
from the rod of his wrath. And thank God, we never will.
All because of what he did. What we see is in love, correcting
us and teaching us and pointing us to Christ. Our Lord has felt
this wrath, which we read of in Habakkuk 3. Walter preached
on this one time, good message. Habakkuk 3, 2. Oh Lord, I have
heard thy speech and was afraid. Oh Lord, revive thy work in the
midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make
known in wrath, remember mercy. It was in this wrath which Jesus
Christ endured that God is able to show mercy to those he loves.
What does this tell me in Lamentations verse 1 about what I can say
about this verse? We can say this about ourselves
only and only in our near of kin who did suffer this in our
state. Verse 2 of Lamentations 3. Verse
2 of Lamentations 3. He hath led me and brought me
into darkness, but not into light. We, as we are born in Adam, are
already darkness itself, and we are led, if you will, into
light. Because if we are just like everyone else, and we are,
if we are like everyone else, then that comes into this world,
then we are darkness. We are born as corrupt as anyone
else. No matter who it is, we are just
as corrupt as we are born in Adam. John 1 verses 4 and 5 says,
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the
light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it
not. Because of this, as we are born, we love darkness. John 3, 19. And this is the condemnation
that light is coming to the world. And men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. But what he did on
that tree was so that we might be turned to him. Acts 26, 18,
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. It was and he is, he that is
light, to be led into darkness. And he was, but this was done
willingly by him, trusting in the father that he would be raised
again, just like the picture we see with Isaac and Abraham. Abraham was going to kill Isaac,
but Isaac trusted his father that they both would return.
But here is the darkness, I believe, at least one of the things we
can see as it pertains to him being led into darkness. Matthew
27, 45, we read, now from the sixth hour there was darkness
over all the land until the ninth hour. Now this was a physical
darkness, but he was also made seen. He was made the very thing
I am, bearing our sins in His own body. So He was made as dark
as me, yet without sin. But we see the real darkness
that He experienced for us in the next verse, Matthew 27, 46.
And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. That is to say, my God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? Christ is the light, and he was,
is, and ever will be that light. He is eternal. Yet he experienced
this darkness of being forsaken of the Father, and this is not
explainable by us, only believed by us by his power. Verse three, verse three. Surely against me as he turned,
he turneth his hand against me all the day. Simply put, God
has never been turned against me. Although, as said before,
those things he has purposed for us, they may seem severe,
and it may seem at times as if God has turned against us. But
rest assured, he has never and shall never turn against his
people. Why? Because of the kinsman-redeemer.
It is he that we read about when it says in Zechariah 13, 7, Awake,
O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my
fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered, and I will turn mine hand upon the little
one. Not only this, but no man would
or could help him in that time when the sword was falling on
him. And this is Christ speaking in Psalm 22, 11. Be not far from
me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. Those
are the words of Christ in Psalm 22. There is no doubt. The whole
purpose of God depended on Jesus Christ the Lord going through
this all the way to the finish. Had he been stopped, man would
have perished. There was none to help, as it
was not God's purpose for anyone to help. But there was no man
born of Adam that could have helped nor would have helped.
But God the Father turned his back on the Son, and we know
this because it was the cry of Christ as we read, my God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? Verse four, verse four. My flesh
and my skin hath he made old, he hath broken my bones. I know
we read in scripture that not a bone of his body was broken,
but that's not what this is talking about, I don't believe. We read
in 1 Corinthians 11.24, I think this will kind of give the sense
of what this is saying. 1 Corinthians 11.24 we read,
and this is Paul when they're doing communion. When they were
doing communion, he's talking about Christ's words. And when
he had given thanks, he break it and said, take eat. This is
my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of
me. This is talking about his sufferings. His body was so battered and
bruised, the exhaustion he must have felt. But even during this
time, Jesus Christ is the eternal God. We must keep this in mind
when we read these things that even when we think of that which
he was made, he was at this time the eternal God. That shame that
he endured, he despised. These things we can only say
we have experienced them in our substitute. We may at times feel
weak, feel as if we are broken, but this breaking we have as
a child of God is that broken heart and contrite spirit, which
those are the kind of people God saves. Those who have had
their eyes opened mourn for that which it took the holy sovereign
God to do in order to set them free, set me free. This giving
me liberty to serve Jesus Christ. But from that, that enabling
to serve Christ, we also find joy in what he did for us because
we could not have done this ourselves and survived. We know we would
have been destroyed by the rod of his wrath had the God-man
not took our place. So now let me just read verses
5 through 21, 5 through 21. He hath billowed against me and
compassed me with gall and travail. He hath set me in dark places
as they that be dead of old. He hath hedged me about that
I cannot get out. He hath made my chain heavy. Also, when I cry and shout, he
shutteth out my prayer. He hath enclosed my ways with
hewn stone. He hath made my paths crooked.
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a line in secret
places. He hath turned aside my ways
and pulled me in pieces. He hath made me desolate. He
hath bent his bow and set me as a mark for the arrow, Christ
speaking. He hath caused the arrows of
his quiver to enter into my reins. I was a derision to all my people
and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness.
He hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken
my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace, I forget
prosperity. And I said my strength and my
hope is perished from the Lord, remembering my affliction and
my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still
in remembrance as is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind,
therefore have I hope. Now verse 22. It is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail
not. The whole existence of this world
is to give glory to God. That is the meaning of life,
if anyone was wondering. We see here that it says that
it is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed. God is a
gracious God, even though most may not see it. God is both good
and severe. For those whom he has been pleased
to show mercy, and the whole reason why Jesus Christ, our
kinsman and redeemer, was sent, goodness to them. But to those
who do not believe, severity. But it is because of those mercies
that we are not destroyed in hell. His compassions do not
fail. Why? He is sovereign, what God
says he is. He is faithful in all he does
because it is who he is. What does it say next? They are
new every morning. Hearing about Jesus Christ and
what he has done never gets old to the believer. not because
they themselves are so good, but because he is faithful to
do that which he has said he would do. Verse 24, the Lord
is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him. My portion is Jesus Christ and
him crucified. My soul delighteth in hearing
his word proclaimed, no matter who it might be that proclaims
it. We are but broken clay pots. We as clay pots add nothing to
his glory. All we do is proclaim his glory. God must and does apply his word
by his spirit. The soul of the believer yearns
for Jesus Christ. But listen, this is still all
only because this is what God the Son feels about God the Father. I can only do this because he
is my light and my life and in him because of what he gives
and all this based on what he did, not what I do or you do. Scripture says God loved Jacob
and hated Esau, but this was before they were ever even born
or before they had done any good or evil. So God loving us has
nothing to do with what we would do or not do. whether those things
be good or evil. It is all because of his purpose,
all being based on what Christ would do. It is if he wills,
he can make us clean. Verse 25. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. I'm not very good
at waiting. But God, remember, he sends us
tribulations. This brings patience. He will
make us wait on him. All of his power. He gives that
sweet desire to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Those of
his knowing that they have no righteousness of their own, but
they hunger and thirst after that righteousness which is without
the law and that glory that excels. It is a righteousness that gives
them communion with God. God sees those that he has done
this for on that tree as absolutely righteous before him. Although
we cannot see this, but we seek that one who we know who has
done it by his grace. We reckon it to be so. I want
to go ahead and just read the rest of Lamentations. Start in verse 27, I think we're
at. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne
it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust,
if so be there may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that
smiteth him, he is filled full with reproach. For the Lord will
not cast off forever, but though he cause grief, yet will he have
compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not
afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. to crush
under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the
right of a man before the face of the Most High, to subvert
a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Who is he that
saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the Most
High proceedeth not evil and good. Wherefore doth a living
man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and
try our ways and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our
heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed
and have rebelled. Thou has not pardoned. Thou has
covered with anger and persecuted us. Thou has slain. Thou has
not pitied. Thou has covered thyself with
a cloud that our prayer should not pass through. Thou has made
us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All
our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and snares
come upon us, desolation and destruction. Mine eye runneth
down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter
of my people. Mine eye trickleth down and ceaseth
not without any intermission, till the Lord look down and behold
from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart
because of all the daughters of my city. Mine enemies chase
me sore like a bird without cause. They have cut off my life in
the dungeon and cast stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head,
then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O Lord,
out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice. Hide
not thine ear at my breath, breathing at my cry. Thou drewest near
in the day that I called upon Thee. Thou saidst, fear not. O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the
causes of my soul. Thou hast redeemed my life. O
Lord, thou hast seen my wrong. Judge thou my cause. Thou hast
seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against
me. Thou hast heard their reproach. O Lord, and all their imaginations
against me. The lips of those that rose up
against me and their device against me all the day. Behold, they're
sitting down and they're rising up. I am their music. Render
unto them a recompense. O Lord, according to the work
of their hands. Give them sorrow of heart, thy
curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in
anger from under the heavens of the Lord. Jesus Christ is
that man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. It is
he that has suffered all this, and it is he that causes us to
see this. This he does for those he loves.
God enabled us to see Jesus Christ in the scripture. His afflictions
were to our benefit. I don't mean to make light of
any of God's people's afflictions. God does all things for his people
on purpose and they are for our good. We should be helpful to
one another and consider what one another is going through.
But I often think of Paul and Silas when I think of afflictions.
Our afflictions, although we might not know it, may be to
the benefit of others. God, through those afflictions,
we see Paul and Silas going through, where we read of them praying
and singing praises to our God. I pray he enable me to be this
way. But we see through their afflictions,
God was bringing another to himself. Is this always the case? I don't
know, I don't think so. Is it always the case, but I
don't really know what God had in store. But it is the afflictions
of him who is our substitutes that we are made brethren of
the thrice holy God. May it be that he, the one with
absolute power, gives someone life so that they will then be
able to hear his gospel. May he then cause them to cry
out, Lord, propitiate me. Him that is stricken, smitten,
and afflicted by the rod of His wrath in love for me, raising
to life and being seated at the Father's right hand, where He
is faithful to those for whom He died to cause them to wait
on Him and look for Him, calls me to see Him.