Sermon- We cry how long, Lord?
- I know as we look around, a large scale of us can say that this Pandemic hasn’t
affected me much.
- Let’s think about the people it has affected this morning.
- To date, over 60,000 people have died from covid19 in America.
- I think of the families, the friends. Their loved one is gone.
- For all of us who knew Richard, who passed away Monday morning. We feel the
devastation of death.
- As Christians, we know we will see our dear brother again.
Q- But for how long?
Q- When will this pain stop?
- Let’s turn to the psalmist of psalm 143:1-12.
- He has come to the end of himself.
Q- How could he handle anymore?
Psalm 143:1-12
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
Q- Do you hear where he cries for help?
- Enliven me Lord. Listen, He’s saying, give me strength Lord! I cannot continue.
How can I continue?
- This virus has affected people on such a large scale.
- Think of the countless numbers of people who are starving, because they
can’t work.
- Before we pray, Listen once more to verse 3.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
- There’s literally nothing left.
Prayer
- A blanket of sorrow has gripped this world.
- I picture it like a ragged, torn, old blanket. One that you look at, & say I can’t get
warm under that blanket.
Q- Do you know what we do with those kinds of blankets?
- These weren’t blankets that we didn’t like. It has been well used, & loved.
- The blanket of sorrow is our life.
- Lord, I am undone!
Q- Do you see the whole in the blanket?
- I need a patch in this blanket!
- We all can be compared to this blanket.
- In creation, we were beautiful, & God’s delight.
- After God created all of creation. He didn’t just step back & say that it was
good. No, He said that it was very good.
- We are that beautiful creation God has made.
- Sin has stained it, life has torn it. We are nothing but rugs left in the hands of
the master.
Q- How could any comfort be found in these rags?
- Those were the words of the Psalmist, My life is done, worthless, without You.
Ephesians 2:1-7
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
- The blanket, while still in tatters, is in the hands of the Master.
- He lifts the Once beautiful blanket & rememberers how He created us, His delight.
Q- Do you think He should want any of His creation to perish?
- God says in Ezekiel 33:11.
Ezekiel 33:11
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
- The tattered blanket. If you would just call to Me, like the psalmist, I will hear you. I
will show you, you are my delight.
- Listen to Zephaniah 3:17-20
Zephaniah 3:17-20
17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.
- From out of sorrow, out of affliction, out of isolation, & shame. God will deliver you.
- The plan for this redemption didn’t begin during this pandemic, or because of it.
- People have suffered since the day sin entered this world.
Q- Where does suffering have its greatest strength?
- It’s In Death. Globally more than 200,000 people have died from this virus.
- That number makes us cringe, & the death of one closest to us, outweighs the
200,000.
- Now, Think of the billions of people who have died without Christ as their
Redeemer, & That’s probably a low number of people.
- Those are people we’ll never see again.
- People may say, well we’ll be together in torment. No, it’s outer darkness. There
is no peace, friendship, family. Only Death.
- Yet, Each one of us, God held up the tattered rags & offered to fix you through
His gift, Jesus.
- One day the curse of this virus may be put to rest, but the are still countless
numbers of lives infected with sin, & they’re dying everyday.
Q- What If the world would come together against sin, like we have for this virus?
Q- Wouldn’t it be amazing if more people were pushing for a cure that would stop
Death?
- We already have it.
- Back to the question I began with,
Q- How long, Lord?
- When we cry out, how long.
Q- What are we crying for?
- We’re not just crying out for relief from this moment, or circumstance.
- We’re crying out for Jesus’ promise of Revelation 22:7.
Revelation 22:7
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
- We know the day He comes, everything will change. Everything will be made a New
by Him.
- No longer will the pain of sin rule in our lives.
- Finally Righteousness will reign!
- Jesus says again in verse 20.
Revelation 22:20
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
- The question of how long must we suffer has been asked for many generations, &
without doubt we are getting closer to the day Jesus steps out from behind those
clouds & takes His church out of this suffering.
- That day is coming.
- Look Up, & be ready. That’s our charge.
- We can’t let the wait overcome us. Redemption is coming, at just the right time!
- Think about the things we have endured to achieve something.
- Those things don’t hold a candle to what we’re waiting for, & when we
receive it, nothing will ever be like it again.
- This is our message, don’t allow the waiting to distract you from what’s
eternal. All this will pass away, but He lasts forever.
Prayer
