Sermon Central
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Good Grief: Expressing Grief, Finding Grace
Contributed by David Owens on Aug 10, 2020 (message contributor)
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1. Good Grief: Expressing Grief, Finding Grace
Contributed on Aug 10, 2020
Grief, suffering and loss are a part of the human experience. Although we don't grieve like those who have no hope, we do grieve. God gives us the biblical song of lament to help us express ourselves to God and receive His help.
A. One day a homeowner cut down a large shade tree in their own yard, but the tree was so big it also provided a lot of shade in a neighboring yard owned by Joe and Marylou. 1. Joe’s wife, Marylou, was lamenting that the landscaping they had put in that area of their yard was designed for shade and ...read more
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2. Keep Turning To God In Prayer
Contributed on Aug 17, 2020
Suffering, loss and grief are all a part of human experience. Learning to lament during those times will help us work through the grief while holding to our faith in God. This only happens if we keep turning to and talking with God.
A. One soldier in the British Airborne was going through his parachute training. 1. This included eight jumps. Two from a balloon at 800 feet with a cage suspended below it, and six from an airplane. 2. While standing at the door of the balloon cage for his first jump, he heard another recruit ask ...read more
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3. Bring Your Complaints To God
Contributed on Aug 24, 2020
There is a difference between grumbling and bringing our complaints to God in lament. In this second step of lament, we learn to bring out complaints humbly and honestly to God, which then transitions us to steps three and four, asking and trusting.
A. I like the story about a man who joined a monastery where the monks were only allowed to speak two words every five years. 1. At the end of five years they were given an audience and could utter their two words. 2. At the end of the man’s first five years, the novice monk simply said, “Bed ...read more
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4. Bring Your Requests To God
Contributed on Aug 31, 2020
As we continue to discover the way that lament works, we discover that after turning to God, and bringing our complaints to God, the next step is to bring our requests to God. God wants to hear our bold requests.
A. The story is told about a little boy who liked to ask the blessing before his family’s meals. 1. One day, he asked to say the prayer and was given permission to say it. 2. His dad and mom and siblings bowed their heads and closed their eyes. 3. The little boy started the prayer, but then ...read more
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5. Choosing To Trust In The Lord
Contributed on Sep 7, 2020
The fourth and final step of the lament is choosing to trust in the Lord. This step is critical and it is a decision. It is not a one time decision, but one we must continue to make. The good news is that God will help us to keep trusting Him.
A. I like the story told about the great Christian reformer, Martin Luther, who once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. 1. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in her funeral clothes. 2. Martin Luther asked her, “Who died?” 3. His wife replied, ...read more
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6. Learning From Lament
Contributed on Sep 14, 2020
In addition to the benefits we experience as we pray lament prayers, there are also important things that we can learn through our suffering and times of lament. Using the book of Lamentations, we learn at least two important lessons.
A. One Sunday, a minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his sermon, so as he stood before the congregation, he placed four worms into four separate jars. 1. He explained he was putting the first worm into a jar with alcohol, the second worm into a jar filled with ...read more
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7. Living With Lament
Contributed on Sep 21, 2020
In this last sermon of the series on grief and lament, we explore and engage in how to live with lament. How to employ it with cases of overwhelming grief, and with cases of everyday, minor grief. The sermon ends with two examples of lament prayers.
A. Back in May, during our series about hope, I opened a sermon with a story that I want to use again today as our launching point. 1. One afternoon, a man came home from work to find two young girls from the neighborhood on the steps of his building. 2. Both girls were crying very loudly, and ...read more