Lamentations - A cry for God - Which Kingdom will you serve?

Israel are a nation that has been taken over by the Babylonians and as a result are living in an occupied city. Instead of staying true to the Godly heritage, they have forsaken (2:1) God and have followed the ways of the occupiers – resulting in God forsaking them! We live in a post Christian nation, a nation where we have seen revivals and the rapid growth of Gods church followed by its decline. We are a people that has put its comfort and personal splendour ahead of its devotion of God. We live in a Godless nation. God’s people lived in the same state – they were to all accounts a Godless nation.

Jeremiah speaks into this situation and writes in Lamentations of the process of Jerusalems destruction.

Around 150 years before Jeremiah and the Babylonian destruction of Gods people, comes another prophet, Isaiah speaking to the people of God about an imminent invasion by this time the Assyrians but also of a ruler of the nation unlike any other.  Read Isaiah 9:6-7

In Jeremiahs day, the people were looking for a perfect earthly kingdom and they never found it - as individuals and as a nation, we look to another earthly kingdom to satisfy and rule over us instead of a new true and better kingdom – and we always side with the occupiers – with the earthly kingdom.

Isaiah 61 paints this new heavenly kingdom in contrast to the earthly kingdom of Jerusalem and the UK.
Isaiah 61:1 and Lamentations 2:2,4,9,21:
Lamentations paints a picture of destruction and removing of the status, wealth and power of the earthly Kingdom.  Isaiah speaks of a new kingdom that brings freedom and release for all those in bondage to the earthly kingdoms.

Isaiah 61:2 and Lamentations 2:3,7,11,17,21
God is a God who demands justice.  The new king of the new kingdom makes a way for those who come in to receive the full favour of God because he has satisfied the full vengeance of God toward them, toward us. For God to be a God of love means he has to be fair.  To be fair means he has to treat us, as our sins deserve – which means we all deserve to die.  The new king takes our death, conquers it and allows us to receive the favour of the Lord.

All of this is given in the new Kingdom – why?

Isaiah 61:3 and Lamentations 2:1
So they will be called Oaks of righteousness- a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour – the reverse of what is happening in Lamentations!  Not living for God only ended in destruction for Gods people in 586BC as Jeremiah prophesied.  But Jesus stands as the new King so we will not be destroyed.  Jesus begins his ministry by defining himself as the new king prophesied in Isaiah and so desperately needed in Lamentations.  Read Luke 4:16-21

Lamentation teaches us that there is no answer to the immediacy of disaster – and our prayers should reflect that – for we are not immune to pain and suffering – But that life in the new Kingdom, according to Isaiah gives us hope and safety during those times.  Our strength in dark times comes from the new king and his kingdom - in Christ and the kingdom of God.

How are you finding the book of Lamentations (truthfully)?
What earthly Kingdom do you follow (money, sex, power etc)?
How do you follow the new Kingdom?
In what ways does your mission group display the splendour of the Lord?
Do you live in the reality that Christ received all the wrath of God destined for you?

Image Creative Commons Copyright: Jeremia.

Lamentations - A cry for Comfort

Lamentations 1:1-22 All around the world, people experience grief, day in, day out. Over 100 people a minute around the world breathe their final breath. Sadly one day, if you’ve not experienced it so far in life, you’ll find yourself expressing the same painful cry as you find in the book of Lamentations. Essentially it is a book that offers the A to Z of grief.

The author Jeremiah is mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. Sadly the destruction of their precious homeland wasn’t swift and sharp.  But long and drawn out.
The city was under siege.  With people running out of food, paralyzed by fear, facing death inside the city and outside.
Lam 1:20 “See, O Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.”

The grief is intensified for three reasons:
i) It has been mourning brought on by Israel’s sinfulness (verse 5) - The people deserve God’s judgement
ii) It is hopelessness brought on by loneliness (verse 2,7,16,19) - Everyone deserts Jerusalem, including her lovers, her friends, her priests and elders.
iii) It is destruction brought on by God’s judgment (verse 5) - The result is that God leaves her to experience her fate alone.

God has become her enemy. She has no hope.
Sadly, this is the predicament the bible casts all of mankind – we are as responsible for our plight as much as Israel.  Ultimately, the bible teaches us that we are without God, without hope in our present state (Rom 1).  This is the lament of Lamentation Chapter 1.

You may think I’m not that bad, but the reality is that even at your best, the moments in life when you absolutely nail it, when you love well, when you serve, when you’re selfless, when you help the helpless - all of that is stained with our sin (Rom 3:23; 6:23).  Therefore we face His judgement for our thoughts and actions.  We’re all guilty.

The good news however is:
If you divine justice condemns you, only divine grace can rescue.
If you can’t save yourself, you must look to someone else.

So how does God save us? We believe he sends his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for our sins, even though he was innocent – he would receive the punishment for our sinfulness. Jesus suffers and dies, all alone on the cross so that when we feel alone in our suffering we can know God with us.  Jesus faces death inside the city and outside the city. When Jesus cries out ‘my God my God, why have you forsaken me?’ it so we never have to utter those words.

1 Timothy 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

There is no other religion whose diagnosis of our condition is more penetrating and true to life than Biblical Christianity. And there is no other religion that offers a remedy for real suffering, real loneliness, real rebellion, deserved alienation from God, and real, deserved fear of death. This is life, this is true life. To experience this gift of God, through Jesus Christ, you must receive it as the treasure of your life. You must accept it gladly and willingly.

Mission Group Questions:
1) Can you remember the context of the book of Lamentations?  Try to read a commentary together to understand the background to the story.
2) Why is it important to study a book like Lamentations?
3) What do you think you will find helpful?
4) Can you explain the phrase ‘If you divine justice condemns you, only divine grace can rescue’ in your own words, using other bible verses?
5) How is the message of Lamentations helpful to the World?

Tools for Change

Here is the PowerPoint from Rich D's preach a few weeks back. I thought people find the list of disciplines/ideas helpful.

From a position of grace…How do we engage with the change process?
1.  Intentionality
2.  Not Sowing to please the sinful nature
3.  Sowing to please the Spirit = saying yes to whatever strengthens my Spirit-inspired desires
- Bible reading
- Prayer
- Worship
- Community
- Service

Sowing to the Spirit: Bible
  Bible study (Follow references, word study with concordance etc)
  Memorisation
  Imagination
  Close Reading
  Bible in a year
  Meditation on scripture
  Reading a chapter on waking
  Bible audiobooks/podcasts

Sowing to the Spirit: Prayer
  Requests in the morning
  Thanks in the evening
  Intercession
  Praying in tongues (1 Corinthians 14)
  Palms down / breathing out = surrender
  Palms up / breathing in = receiving
  Opposite prayers when tempted
  Receiving prayer ministry
  “Dialogue with God” (Mark Virkler)

Sowing to the Spirit: Worship
  Re-focuses on God’s worth
  Draws us into an awareness of God’s presence
  Can bypass the brain
  Can be individual (with dancing, crying, lying down, kneeling)
  Can be corporate

Sowing to the Spirit: Service
  Sin is essentially orientation towards self
  Serving God & others helps us to look outwards

Sowing to the Spirit: Community
  Reminding one another of truth
  Praying together
  Accountability
  Opportunities for serving
  Model change and holiness to one another

God is Good - so we don’t need to look elsewhere.

MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM SPIRITUAL GROWTH SERIES - 11/5/10 Genesis 1-3

We asked five questions of the text:
1) What needs does God create us with?
Food, water, intimacy, community

2) Why are we created with needs?
• Gives God a regular opportunity to show us what he is like – that he is good.
• Look to him to fulfill those needs
• Reminds us of a deeper truth – we are dependant on him.

Why so many different things? Why so many good things? Why so many ways of meeting our needs? What does it tell you about Him? - God is Good
Can you see these rhythms of needs that God created us with are meant to act as signposts, that point us back to him. He could have made it that we didn’t have to drink, eat, make love, create, sleep.  It is like these physical needs remind us of a deeper spiritual reality.

3) What was at the heart of the lie that made Adam and Eve choose to eat the fruit? (Gen 3:1-7)

They believed God wasn’t good enough to provide for them. You can almost hear Eve saying that to herself “I will be more satisfied if I have the thing that God hasn’t given”
In other words, God isn’t that good. What he has provided wasn’t enough.

4) What are the results of Adam and Eve not trusting the goodness of God? (Gen 3:16-19; 23-24)
Death, pain, Separation, fear, relationship breakdown.
Can you see – it is a distortion of a ‘good’ thing into an ‘ultimate’ thing. Another word for this is idolatry.
2 types of idols:
External idols are the presenting object or person on whom the idolatry manifests itself whereas the Internal idol is the underlying reason for the idolatry. 

5) What would be the fruit in our lives if we truly believed that God was Good?

• Wouldn’t chase other stuff
• Less debt
• Marriages stronger – priority of time, relationships,
• Security - Identity issues
• Trust – wouldn’t run to the quick fix.
• No fear
• Obedience -
• chastity and purity – for sex to be enjoyed to it’s fullest, needs to be in context of marriage.
• friendships better –
• intimacy and fulfillment in relationship with God.
• Handling exams and essays?
• The kingdom!

Questions for Mission Group:
1) Tell the story of the creation of the world, mankind and the instructions given to Adam and Eve, in your own words.
2) Describe the difference between internal and external idols
3) Why do we make good things into ultimate things?
4) Talk about how you can spot when you’ve made good things ultimate things by using the checklist below.
Look at the fruit of your decisions:
Perhaps look at the fruit of your decisions:
Does your down time truly restore you?
Does it result in a greater love for others and God?
Is it best for the people you love?
Is t your agenda or the family’s agenda?
Are you growing in self control, joy, patience, faithfulness etc..(Gal 5:22-23)

5) What have you most enjoyed/learnt about during this spiritual growth series - how is your life different?

GOD IS GRACIOUS - so I don’t have to prove myself

We are looking at the 4 G's of God and what it means to live in light of them. Here they are -

(1) God is Great - so I don’t have to be in control
(2) God is Glorious - so I don’t have to fear others
(3) God is Gracious - so I don’t have to prove myself
(4) God is Good - so I don’t have to look elsewhere.

We looked at number 3 last Sunday from the story of the Prodigal Son’s (Luke 15.1-2 & 11-32). It is a story of TWO Son’s, one of them is transformed by the father’s grace towards him and the other is not.

Here are the symptoms that follow if you do not know God is Gracious.

Younger Brother’s feel…
(1) Inadequate (guilt and shame)
(2) The need to pay God back (punish themselves and repay debt)

Elder Brother’s
(1) Restless anger (grace offends…when others are blessed and you are not)
(2) Joyless Obedience (God is a master who you must slavishly obey and never disobey his orders)
(3) Anxious Performance (in whatever area you rely on to “prove yourself’ = make yourself acceptable, valuable and worthwhile)
(4) Proud Comparison’s (Superiority at all those who haven’t proved themselves like you have)

Reflection and Application

(1) How does the context (vs1-2) and the 2 groups of people help us understand the story Jesus tells (vs11-32)? What was Jesus implying? What was Jesus hoping would happen? Why does the story end on a cliff hanger (does the elder son go into the feast?)

(2) What is the younger brother’s sin? What does it look like? How does he relate to his father? How does he relate to the wider community?

(3) Do you think he is genuinely repentant?

(4) How does he try and prove himself to his father?

(5) How does the father act graciously towards the younger son (throughout the story)?

(6) What is the older brothers sin” What does it look like? How does he relate to his father? How does he relate to the wider community?

(7) How does he feel he has proved himself? What attitude does that leave him with? Why?

(8) How is the father gracious towards the elder son (throughout the story)?

(9) Which Son do you most look like? Why?

(10) How does knowing the grace of God affect the way you try and prove yourself?

(11) What does repentance and faith look like for you today?

- If you want to read more on this story and the grace of God then please buy Tim Keller’s short book called “The Prodigal God”

- If you are struggling to forgive someone who has sinned against you then you will need to talk this through with someone. To be free from bitterness you will need to know the grace of God (that he forgave you) that gives you the power to forgive. However the pain and consequences of that person’s actions may be so deeply entrenched that you will need to talk this through with someone. You should not feel bad for finding it hard to forgive but you do need to start moving forward to forgive them.

*****PLEASE NOTE***** these reflections and application questions are to be tailored by whoever is leading the study. You do not have to do all the questions and you can add in extra questions. If it says that you are to “meditate or reflect” on a bible passage that is to be done during your time of sung worship (not in the study).

MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM SPIRITUAL GROWTH SERIES - 25/04/10

Jeremiah 17:5-18 If God is Glorious then I don't need to fear

Many of us would agree that God is glorious – everything that is good, pure and holy, and beautiful is found most fully in Him. There is no one like him. Nothing can compare with him. But we don’t believe it at a day to day level –otherwise our lives would look different.

We sin by believing a lie that something is more glorious than God.  However we will fear whatever we think is most powerful.  Therefore if other people are the most glorious thing in our lives we will spend all our time:
• craving their approval,
• fearing their rejection,
• desiring their acceptance.

We can have a downward cycle of sin and fear in our lives:
I don’t share my faith because I fear others > Because I don’t share, I don’t feel God’s approval > Makes me want people’s approval

If you are a Christian we need God – ‘The Consuming Fire’ - to fill our gaze, let his glory, love, goodness and wrath invade our lives.  Biblical word for this is the ‘fear of the lord.’ To fear God means to treat him reverently with respect, worship, awe, trust and submission.  If you trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection our terror can turn to worship.  Also our fear of man can be defeated because Jesus broke the power of sin at the cross.

Mission Group Thoughts:

1) Can you think of a funny story that illustrates how much you can fear people?
2) What or what do you think is more glorious than God?  Or what are your biggest fears?
3) Study Jer 17:5-6.  Jeremiah says that if you trust in man, other people, or anything other than God you’re like a tree in the desert.  What does your fear produce in your life?
4) Study Jer 17:7-8.  How can you be like the tree by the River? what does that mean practically for you?
5) What does the bible (especially Proverbs) say about ‘The Fear of the Lord’?
6) How can the Fear of the Lord be a good thing? How can you grow in it?
7) How does Jesus’ life, death and resurrection set us free from the power of sin and fear?
8) What practical steps can you take to overcome fear in your life?
9) Is it sinful to be fearful?
10) Pray for each other.  Confess your fear, ask God’s forgiveness, pray for the Holy Spirit to set you free from it’s grip on your life, ask God to reveal his glory and acceptance to you.

How I Pastor My Kids?

Here is a helpful article from an Acts 29 church pastor in the US explaining in detail his nightly routine with his kids.

The link:
How to Pastor my kids?
This isn’t the only way to input your kids but it is always helpful to be asking the question.  I would like to encourage all Mosaic dad’s to have thought this through and agreed with their wives how they will pastor their kids.  We have such a wonderful responsibility to bring up our kids knowing Jesus however it is easy to forget about it due to the busyness of life.  If anyone has some other helpful ideas about pastoring their kids, please feel free to comment on this blog.

Here’s another free resources for Dad’s if you’re interested:
Pastor Dad by Mark Driscoll

MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM SPIRITUAL GROWTH - Isaiah 40: God is Great

We are ending our series on spiritual growth by looking at the 4 G's of God.

Why is this? Because as our minds our renewed we will be transformed (Romans 12.1-2). Sin came into the world (and the Shalom of God was broken) because we believed a lie (Genesis 3.1ff). We therefore need the truth that sets us free because the devil is still speaking lies (John 8).

(1) God is Great - so I don’t have to be in control
(2) God is Glorious - so I don’t have to fear others
(3) God is Good - so I don’t have to look elsewhere
(4) God is Gracious - so I don’t have to prove myself

Isaiah 40.12-31 gives us a picture of the greatness and sovereignty of God which climaxes in verse 31 with a promise of “changing your strength” or “gaining new strength.” There are 4 things we know about the people of God

(1) Their Enemies - previously the Assyrians and now the Babylonians
(2) Their Circumstances - living in exile in Babylon
(3) Their Hopes - The other nations and their idols
(4) Their Physical and Emotional state - tired and weary

And into this situation God asks them the question (twice - vs18/25) - To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Imagine how getting a picture of the greatness of God (having their minds renewed - vs21-28 = do you not know, have you not heard) would have transformed their lives and each of these 4 things. It wouldn’t mean their circumstances would have changed necessarily (there were still enemies and exile etc) but they would have had hope, strength, perspective and reassurance. They would have been able to sleep at night (see Psalm 3) and had confidence for the trials. They would have realised that their idols (what they put their hope in) could easily topple as they would eventually grow tired and weary.

Here are 7 negative (and their counterparts) fruits that come from not believing the truth ‘that God is great and I am small’ but believing the lie that “I am in control”

(1) Manipulations/Patience - people and circumstances
(2) Busyness/Ability to say “no” and “I can’t do that”
(3) Fearful/Confidence
(4) Anxiety/Peace
(5) Obsession with an inability to switch off/Freedom and being able to sleep at night
(6) Pride/humility
(7) Complaining/joyful

Do you see that if you believe the lie then you become tired and weary? And do you notice how the passage ends - Soar….Run…Walk - why the anticlimax? Because in life sometimes we’ll soar…often we’ll run…BUT WE’LL ALWAYS WALK. We still live in a broken world so even though we put our hope in the everlasting God and not ourselves sometimes we cannot expect to always soar and run but we can always expect to walk….and if the weight is on God’s shoulders and not ours….we’ll never be faint.

Practically - see Philippians 4.6-8 - give your requests to God and leave them with him. And read Isaiah 40. Job 38-42.

Reflection + Application

(1) Meditate on Isaiah 40.12-31 (or part of Job 38-42) as a way of focussing on God and his greatness. Thank him for everything it says about his character and his actions.

(2) In what areas of life do we most want to “be in control” and ensure things happen the way we want them? How does this leave you physically, mentally, emotionally + spiritually?

(3) What did the people of God want control over in Isaiah’s day? How did they go about trying to get control? How did that leave them?

(4) Read Isaiah 40.12-31 - How would have hearing this truth have set them free (see 4 things above if you are the leader)? How could it set you free in the areas you want control over (pick one verse that helps you…and explain why)?

(5) List the 7 fruits….which one’s do you see in your life? How might the truth of the greatness of God and his control over all things transform your life? What does it practically (day to day) mean to remind yourself of this truth?

(6) What do people feel anxious about at the moment? Use Philippians 4.6-8 as a way of praying about these issues.

*****PLEASE NOTE***** these reflections and application questions are to be tailored by whoever is leading the study. You do not have to do all the questions and you can add in extra questions. If it says that you are to “meditate or reflect” on a bible passage that is to be done during your time of sung worship (not in the study).