Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction:
"My Life in Ruins", is the title of a little known 2009 movie about a Greek-American tour guide whose life is in ruins as she attempts to guide people through the ruins of ancient Greece.
It would also be an appropriate title for the book of Lamentations.
Most scholars believe that Jeremiah is the author of Lamentations.
Lamentations is a poetic response to the horrors of the Babylonian seige and sacking of Jerusalem.
It was written by a man literally sitting in the ruins of all that he loved and held dear.
Weeks ago as we began this series of messages from the book of Jeremiah, I told you that Jeremiah is known as "the weeping prophet."
His ministry spanned a period of over 40 years--from the impressive, but ineffective reforms of Josiah to the horrors of the Babylonian seige and exile.
Jeremiah's eyes had seen it all and they were filled with tears at what he saw.
Pull up a stone from the ruins of Jerusalem and sit down with Jeremiah and listen to his lament.
Experiencing Bitterness in the Ruins
Sooner or later all of us will experience the bitterness of life in the ruins.
Last week, we as a congregation were shocked to learn that our former pastor Nick Protos is suffering from a brain tumor.
In the coming weeks he will begin an aggressive steroid and radiation treatment.
For pastor Nick and family this is their life in the ruins.
Over the last several years, thanks to the "War on Coal", members of our church and community have sat in different ruins--the ruins of lost employment and vocation.
Other of our congregation have sat in the ruins of children or grandchildren destroying their lives through drugs.
Some have known the ruins of an untimely death of a loved one.
Still other have know the ruins of mental illness.
The list could go on and on.
Life is filled with the ruins of broken dreams and hopes.
In the midst of these ruins God can seem like a enemy.
Jeremiah describes feeling this way.
He describes God as being like a wild beast, waiting to tear him apart.
He goes on to describe him being like a cruel warrior who tortures his victims.
In the end, Jeremiah confesses that both his endurance and hope in the Lord has perished.
Such talk seems shocking coming from the mouth of a prophet!
Such honesty with God and man is not allowed according to the rules of "Politically Correct" evangelical Christianity.
Where is the "Victorious Christian Living" in such talk?
Doesn't Jeremiah know he is making a "negative confession"?
Perhaps he risks offending God and making him even more angry.
If Jeremiah was being "Politically Incorrect" them all the other authors of Scripture were as well!
From Job, Moses, the psalmists, the prophets and even Jesus, who cried out, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?", honesty with God is not only allowed, but encouraged.
Remember, every book of the bible has two authors.
The human author and the Divine.
As He did with Jacob, God is willing to get down on the mat as He did with Jacob and wrestle with us through the night.
He does this because He knows that if we wrestle with him long enough we will Find Hope in the Ruins.
Finding Hope in the Ruins
In verses 21-23 there is suddenly a change.
What happened?
Jeremiah suddenly remembered something--he remembered God's covenantal love and faithfulness towards His elect.
He remembered the vastness of God's mercy.
The funny thing about hope in God is that it is impossible to have it as long as we have hope in anything else.
Jeremiah says something quite significant in the very next verse:
Remember that Jeremiah was from a priestly family.
As a Levite, Jeremiah had no inheritance but God.
Asaph was another Levite.
He was one of the three musicians David appointed for worship.
Psalm 73 was his "My Life in the Ruins" psalm.
Asaph wrestled with God as well, listen as he describes what happened.
Asaph was only able to find hope in God when he remembered that God was his only hope!
It is only when we have hit rock bottom that we are prepared to Rise Up From the Ruins.
Rising Up From the Ruins
Listen to the words of Jeremiah:
Notice how Jeremiah described his situation: "the depths of the pit"!
It is in the depths of the pit that Jeremiah able to hear the still quiet voice of God saying, "Do not fear!"
Isn't it significant that even prophets, who "heard" God voice in a way that average believers do not, still had to be taken down to "the depths of the pit" to really heard God's voice?
I think of the great prophet Elijah, who after his victory over the priest of Baal had to be taken down to "the depths of the pit" to really hear God's voice.
What happens at the bottom of the pit that allows us to hear God's voice and climb out?
I think the answer is found in verses 40-41 of our text.
Even the best of us, even prophets need to test and examine his or her ways and return to the Lord!
I think of Job for example.
Even though all the disasters that came upon him were not the result of any particular sin, Job needed to test and examine himself, repent of some bad attitudes and theology and return to the Lord.
Suffering is not intended by God to destroy us, but to perfect us.
To bring us closer to Him.
In the end we "lift up our hearts and hands to the God of heaven."
These words speak of both worship and prayer.
Sadly when life is easy, there is very little of either worship or prayer in our lives.
I think most of us would agree that it is in the ruins that the most fervent prayers are said, but what we often miss is that it is also in the ruins that the most holy worship takes place.
Conclusion:
There has probably been no Thanksgiving more worshipful and joyous than that first Thanksgiving in 1621.
It was so joyous because during the previous year the Pilgrims' Life was in the Ruins!
During the winter and spring of 1620-21 Forty-five of the 102 immigrants died of hunger and disease.
That was over forty percent!
Perhaps you feel you life is in ruins this morning.
It is a hard place to be and I know that God can seem far from you there, but don't stop wrestling with God.
It is only in the ruins that we remember that God is our only portion and hope.
It is only in the ruins that we can hear God's voice whispering to us, "Do not fear!"
It is only in the ruins that we can truly lift our hands and voices in praise and prayer!
Let us pray.
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