Sermon – "The Steadfast love of the Lord Never Ceases"
Scripture - Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
Introduction – These words, written amid deep sorrow, remind us of God’s steadfast love and mercy. Even in the darkest moments of life, God’s faithfulness sustains and renews us. The historical setting for Lamentations 3:22-23 is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire around 586 BC. The prophet Jeremiah likely wrote the book during time, while witnessing the siege, destruction of the temple, famine, and mass exile of the Jewish people. The verses' theme of hope and God's mercies provides a contrast to the surrounding despair, as they were written amidst unimaginable suffering.
One can only imagine what it felt like to witness the siege and fall of Jerusalem. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II began his final siege of Jerusalem in 588 BC. After 18 months, the city's walls were breached in July 586 BC, and the First Temple was burned in August 586 BC.
Not only did Jeremiah witness the fall of Jerusalem, but he also witnessed the extreme suffering of God’s people. The surviving population faced extreme famine, disease, and violence. Some accounts suggest conditions were so dire that parents resorted to cannibalism. Many are complaining and rightfully so about the temporary shutdown of the Government. Can imagine 18 months of a national shutdown and famine, shut up like a bird in a cage with no hope of relief.
Our hearts are moved with compassion as we witness undocumented workers being captured and deported, families torn apart being exiled to who knows where. Yet Jeremiah witnessed his friends, relatives and many other Jewish people taken as captives and led into Babylon. Jeremiah had faithfully fulfilled his role as God’s prophet and watchman on the wall. The prophet Jeremiah, having witnessed these events firsthand, recorded the devastation in the book of Lamentations. The book's third chapter, which includes verses 22-23, shifts from despair to an expression of hope based on God's faithfulness, even in the midst of the city's ruin.
What Jeremiah and the Jewish people experienced was the fulfilment of prophecy. The destruction was the fulfillment of the covenant curses that the people had brought upon themselves through their repeated disobedience and rebellion against God, which Jeremiah had warned against. Because God is slow to anger, merciful in His Judgment doesn’t mean that our sin will be overlooked forever. God always keep his promises.
Lamentations 3:22-23 teaches believers to rest in the mercy and faithfulness of God. These verses provide hope in the midst of suffering and remind us that God's love and compassion are always available, no matter how difficult life may become. The birth of Jesus is the ultimate expression of His compassion—a Savior sent to redeem and restore us. Each day, we are invited to rest in the hope that God’s mercies are as fresh as the morning. His faithfulness never falters, and His promises remain sure, no matter what trials we face. We should give thanks for the constant hope found in God’s great love. Listen to Lamentations 3:22-23 again, “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
This passage is a powerful witness that even in the midst of suffering, God's love and mercy are constant and new every morning. The passage provides hope by emphasizing God's unwavering faithfulness, compassion, and covenant love, which is not dependent on human actions but is a source of daily renewal. This assurance offers comfort and strength by reminding believers that their hope is grounded in God's character, not just their circumstances.
1. God’s Mercy Withholds the Punishment We Rightfully Deserve. “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed…Just like the Jews of old who deserve punishment for their sin, we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have missed the mark. There have been many sins that seem to go unpunished in our lives. The judgment of God is sure. We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. We are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love. Jeremiah reminds us that it is the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed. The phrase "it is the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed" means that God's constant love and compassion are the reason people are not destroyed. Despite hardship, God has not rewarded us according to our sin. He has tempered every judgment with his mercy. God's mercies are new every morning, and his faithfulness never fails, giving a fresh start each day. This verse is a source of hope for all believers. We have hope in the face of devastation and hardship, even when things are bad, we know they could be worse, and there is still a reason to have faith. God’s mercies are described as "new every morning," meaning that each new day is a fresh opportunity to experience God's grace and to receive forgiveness. Beside that, His mercies are unconditional. The mercy is a gift, not something earned, and is extended even when people fail, rebel, or are weary. It means God's compassion is available to those who seek it, regardless of their mistakes.
2. God’s Showers Us With Compassion We Could Never Earn…"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases."
Jeremiah highlights God's enduring and faithful love which He freely give. God love, grace, and mercy are always present, even when life is difficult. His compassion never fails even when people fail. The Jewish people believed that it was all over, God was finished with them, yet He sends Jeremiah with an assurance of God's compassion. God's compassion is deep, wide and abundant, never running out. The word for "compassions" is sometimes linked to the tender love of a mother for her child. God’s showers us with new compassion every morning. This is God’s core message of hope that each new day brings a fresh start and a new supply of God's mercy and grace, regardless of the previous day's struggles. Believers can be sure that God’s mercy withholds the punishment we rightfully deserve. David reminds us in Psalm 103:10, “he (God) does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” Secondly, God’s continually showers us with compassion we could never earn. Jeremiah points to the theological concepts of grace, mercy, and God's faithfulness found throughout the Bible. It emphasizes that divine love and kindness are freely given, not earned or deserved by human merit. God's compassion and mercy are unearned and unfailing compassion. God's compassions "never fail" and offers fresh hope and a new start each day, regardless of past failures. God’s mercy withholds the punishment that people justly deserve for their sins. God’s compassion allows God to be moved by human suffering, and He joins us in pain. God’s Grace is an unearned gift and undeserved favor: The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God". This passage underpins the idea that salvation and God's favor are gifts, not rewards for human effort. It is "unmerited, undeserved, and unearned favor—freely given by a God who loves us beyond measure". This grace is what sustains believers even in their moments of weakness.
3. God’s Faithfulness is Great! "Great is Your faithfulness!" This is an affirmation of God's reliability and commitment to His promises. It is a reminder that His faithfulness is the foundation of His love and mercy. Because of His faithfulness, believers can have hope in hardship. The book of Lamentations was written during a time of great destruction and despair for the Israelites, making this passage a powerful beacon of hope amid suffering. This passage encouraging the believer to meditate of God's character rather than their immediate circumstances. Believers must shift their attention from their despair to the unchanging reality of God's love and faithfulness. The daily renewal of God's mercies provides an opportunity to start over and find strength to face the challenges of life with renewed hope. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
Songwriter, Thomas O. Chisholm captures this idea is his hymn, “Great is thy faithfulness” he writes,
Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hast provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never have come to an end. They are new every morning New every morning, Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord. Great is Thy faithfulness. Amen
