GOD'S BEEN GOOD
(Great is Thy Faithfulness - June 6, 2021)
Series Big Idea: "Man's hope is not in other fragile creatures, but in the eternal God"
Sermon Big Idea: "Because of God's faithful, loyal love, there is always hope"
Key Scripture (Lamentations 3:19-24)
God has certainly been good to us! For those of us that trust in Christ, He has forgiven our sins; never to remember them again (Psalm 103:12). In (1 Corinthians 13:1-8) the Apostle Paul describes what the concept of love is. It seems he is talking about the faithfulness of God's love when he says, "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails." I want to read you the words of a prophet of God in the Old Testament named Jeremiah. These words inspired writer Thomas Chisholm to write the song "Great is Thy faithfulness."
(Lamentations 3:19-24)
19 Remember my affliction and my homelessness, the wormwood and the poison. 20 I continually remember them and have become depressed. 21 Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! 24 I say: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.
We can almost feel Jeremiah's emotion in chapter three as he describes his outward affliction and his inward turmoil. It had almost pushed him to totally despair. His life is actually a parallel with what was going on in Judah. But the thought of God's faithful love in verse 21 crowed out all the hopelessness that was threatening to destroy him.
Although God was punishing Judah for their sin, He did not reject His chosen people. We can see His faithful love in the fact He was preserving a remnant of His people to carry on. But could Judah push God so far that God would abandon them forever? Jeremiah's answer is no! God's supply of loyal love and compassion are not limited! He said God's mercies are new every morning. God offered a fresh supply of loyal love every day much like He did for their ancestors in the wilderness. This caused Jeremiah to call out in praise "Great is Thy faithfulness!" He was in wonder of the limitless supply of God's love that was offered to him.
CONCLUSION
How about you? Are you speechless and in awe when it comes to God's limitless supply of grace He offers you? You see, Jeremiah had made up his mind to wait for God to act in bringing about restoration and blessing. He could trust God despite his circumstances. He now understood how inexhaustible God's endless supply of loyal love really is. Do you?
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideals for this message, are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord/Roy B. Zuck
The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by Jerome H. Smith
Water, Mark, ed. Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.
NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, eBook: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Duane Garrett, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
NIV, First-Century Study Bible, eBook: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context
Zondervan, Kent Dobson, and Ed Dobson
Hughes, Robert B. and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. Revised edition of New Bible Companion.
Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887. Print.
Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933. Print.
MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006. Print.
Hays, J. Daniel. Jeremiah and Lamentations. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2016. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.
Wood, Fred, and Ross McLaten. Holman Old Testament Commentary: Jeremiah, Lamentations. Ed. Max Anders. Vol. 16. Nashville, TN.: Holman Reference, 2006. Print. Holman Old Testament Commentary.
Dearman, J. Andrew. Jeremiah and Lamentations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.
Walker, Larry L., Elmer A. Martens. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Lamentations. Vol. 8. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2005. Print.
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