Sermon Tone Analysis

Lamentations 4

TEST

“The setting is Ohio State University about six or seven years ago in a huge lecture hall (approximately 1000 students) for a Calculus final.

Apparently this particular calculus teacher wasn't very well liked.

He was one of those guys who would stand at the front of the class and yell out how much time was remaining before the end of a test, a real charmer.

Since he was so busy gallivanting around the room making sure that nobody cheated and that everyone was aware of how much time they had left before their failure on the test was complete, he had the students stack the completed tests on the huge podium at the front of the room.

This made for quite a mess, remember there were 1000 students in the class.

During this particular final, one guy entered the test needing a decent grade to pass the class.

His only problem with Calculus was that he did poorly when rushed, and this guy standing in the front of the room barking out how much time was left before the tests had to be handed in didn't help him at all.

He figured he wanted to assure himself of a good grade, so he hardly flinched when the professor said "pencils down and submit your scantron sheets and work to piles at the front of the room".

Five minutes turned into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into forty...almost an hour after the test was "officially over", our friend finally put down his pencil, gathered up his work, and headed to the front of the hall to submit his final.

The whole time, the professor sat at the front of the room, strangely waiting for the student to complete his exam.

"What do you think you're doing?" the professor asked as the student stood in front of him about to put down his exam on one of the neatly stacked piles of exams (the professor had plenty of time to stack the mountain of papers while he waited) It was clear that the professor had waited only to give the student a hard time.

"Turning in my exam," retorted the student confidently.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," the professor gloated, "Your exam is an hour late.

You've failed it and, consequently, I'll see you next term when you repeat my course."

The student smiled slyly and asked the professor "Do you know who I am?"

"What?" replied the professor gruffly, annoyed that the student showed no sign of emotion.

The student rephrased the question mockingly, "Do you know what my name is?"

"No", snarled the professor.

The student looked the professor dead in the eyes and said slowly, "I didn't think so", as he lifted up one of the stacks half way, shoved his test neatly into the center of the stack, let the stack fall burying his test in the middle, turned around, and walked casually out of the huge lecture hall.

“

If Jesus can use a conniving steward to make a point about how smart we should be in the use of our money, I want to use this illustration to make a point.

You can have peace when enemies surround you.

Each chapter in Lamentations has focused on one aspect of a difficult life.

Chapter 1 spoke about “she” the ruin.

Many are living a bummed out life.

Some choice they have made or someone else made has hurt them and those they love.

Chapter 2 focused on the awareness of God’s judgment.

The key word was “he.”

We reap what we sow.

This sounded like a meaningless platitude, but now we are living it, we see the ruin, realize it is our fault, and don’t know what to do.

The Bible tells us to come to Jesus.

The starting point for a new life is putting your faith in Jesus.

The key word in Chapter 3 is “I.”

Jeremiah was depressed.

He realized that with all the ruin around him, that his hope would need to be firmly placed in God.

The key to dealing with depression was to take our eyes off the ruin, hope in God and wait.

We suggested that you learn

Lamentation 4

The key word in Chapter 4 is “they.”

The “they” are the enemies.

They are the unreasonable calculus teacher.

They are the ones who are after you and are very happy that you have gotten what they think you deserve.

Jeremiah highlights this, especially in

It was bad for Israel.

People who once respected them now acted as though they were dirty or unclean.

No one would let them stay in their territory or homes so they wandered.

The Israelites looked for some nation to help them but no one stepped forward.

The Babylonians came after them in the streets, followed them to the mountains and ambushed them in the wilderness.

In verse 20, they had trusted in the king, called here the “Lord’s anointed.”

They trusted that the king would guide them through the problem.

The political system failed them.

Some of you either have been or are where Jeremiah was.

The bill collectors are hounding you.

The judicial system has either condemned you or let you down.

Because of your actions, homes and places that you used to be welcome have locked the doors to you.

They won’t answer your phone calls or answer your texts.

You may be cut off from seeing your children or grandchildren.

“They” are out to get you and are making life even more difficult for you than you think it should be.

You might have become a Christian during this time.

You are now a follower of Jesus.

You have recognized that you have sinned against God and owned up to your bad decisions.

You are working on that new life.

You struggle with depression, but you know that God can be a light of hope for you and you are pursuing that.

Yet there are those enemies.

You know whom the “theys” are in your life.

They won’t let up.

What are you to do?

The answer is this:

Sit down at the table with God.

sat down and ate when his enemies surrounded him.

When you are working to change your life around, you have to ask this question, “Who is the most important person in my life?”

When you were heading in a downhill direction, the answer may have been that you were most important to yourself.

When you realized how bad you had done, the most important people were the ones you hurt needlessly.

You desperately want their forgiveness and you want to be reconciled to them.

The Bible’s answer is that God needs to be the most important person in your life.

When your enemies surround you, your first job is not to please them in hopes that they will become your friends, you first priority is to sit down at the table God has prepared for you in the presence of your enemies.

Please catch this.

In the Old Testament, when you ate at someone’s house, it implied protection.

When the men of Sodom wanted the angels to come out, Lot provided protection.

When the men of Benjamin wanted to do harm to the prophet, the old man protected him.

When you sit at God’s table, he provides protection from your enemies.

Your enemies may be able to take your house, your spouse, your children, your job, your money, and even your life, but they cannot take you.

Your soul, the real you, is in the hands of God.

God invites you to come and sit at his table.

Even though your enemies do not accept you, God accepts you.

One way that guests were honored was to pour some oil over their head.

If you didn’t, that was a form of insult.

Simon did not do that when Jesus came to his house.

If your faith is in Jesus, you are not only invited in, you come in as an honored guest.

Furthermore, your cup is overflowing.

God has prepared a rich cup of spiritual blessings for those who trust Jesus.

These spiritual blessing come to you no matter what might be in your past.

Your enemies will bring up the past and throw it at you.

When you sit at God’s table, he talks about the present and the future.

You are forgiven.

You have a new life.

If anyone is in Christ, you are a new creation.

The old has passed and the new has come.

You are now in God’s family.