Worship service 12/28/25.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints and beloved brethren. Grace, mercy and peace be with you through the love of the Father and the peace purchased for us by the obedience of the Son. We come before Him once more to worship His holy and awesome name on that day which He hath set apart for our consecration and blessing, to offer ourselves before Him in service and worship. Psalm 105:1-4 says,
“O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” The Lord is worthy to be praised for who he is and what he hath done for us, and therefore it is the height of ingratitude to deprive Him of the sincerity of our hearts on this His holy day of worship. A Puritan minister writes, “‘The holy [day] of the Lord, honourable.’ In the Hebrew, it is glorious. To call the Sabbath honourable, is not to be understood so much of an outward honour given to it, by wearing richer apparel, or having better diet on this day, as the Jewish doctors corruptly gloss. This is the chief honour that some give to this day; but by calling the Sabbath honourable, is meant that honour of the heart which we give to the day, reverencing it, and esteeming it as the queen of days. We are to count the Sabbath honourable, because God has honoured it. All the persons in the Trinity have honoured it. God the Father blessed it, God the Son rose upon it, God the Holy Ghost descended on it.”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
Full of all glory, justice, and righteousness,
Merciful and faithful—The Covenant God who will by no means clear the guilty, taking vengeance on them that follow after other gods, yet showing mercy to thousands that love thee with the whole heart and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee solemnly and sincerely, as those whom thou hast elected from before the creation of all worlds and purchased by the precious blood of thy Son, called out of darkness and brought into the fellowship of the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We bow in all reverence before thy throne, knowing the severity of thy law, the holy requirements of the gospel, as well as our own vileness and unworthiness to draw so near unto thee.
We freely confess, O Lord, that apart from the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are denied access to the covenant promises, are under the wrath and curse of God, and must be cast from thy presence as an abominable thing. Moreover, we confess that without faith in the Mediator, consent to sound doctrine and a repentant heart, endeavouring to walk evenly and zealously for thee, which is the gracious work of the Spirit, we have no evidence of fellowship with thee. For we are by nature guilty and polluted, unable of ourselves to repent or return, and altogether unfit to render thee any service that is not defiled by sin. Therefore, do we confess our utter dependence on the Father’s love, the Son’s righteousness and the Spirit’s work in our hearts. We believe that thou art our God, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thy face. Therefore, inasmuch as we are convinced of our sin in Adam and the redemption in Jesus Christ alone, we cry out to thee for mercy: For pardoning mercy to cover our iniquities, And sanctifying mercy to make us meet for thy presence. Hear our prayers, deliver us from all trouble, cleanse us by the blood of Christ and the washing of the Spirit by the word. Sanctify us by the truth of thy word. Defend us from all evil, Strengthen our faith, subdue the lusts of the flesh that swell within us, And enable us to perform this holy service, Not in our own strength, But in the virtue which thou dost supply of thine own free goodness. And now, O Lord, as we come to the reading of thy holy word, we pray for a special blessing upon this portion of Scripture, that it may be effectual to build up thy holy church, which thou hast called thy special possession, and thy little flock. Open our hearts to receive it with meekness; Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and cause us by thy grace to live by it; And may the same Spirit who breathed life into the church in all ages; the fathers, apostles and prophets, the reformers and Puritans, so guide our whole lives, That we may grow up in Him in all things, even He who is the Bridegroom and Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King. All this we ask in his most worthy name, Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 27 [12] (Verse 5): 1 David maketh this Psalm being delivered from great perils, as appeareth by the praises and thanksgiving annexed: 6 Wherein we may see the constant faith of David against the assaults of all his enemies. 7 And also the end wherefore he desireth to live and to be delivered, only to worship God in his Congregation.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I request; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, seek ye my face; my heart answered unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not therefore thy face from me; nor cast thy servant away in displeasure: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 Though my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a right path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as speak cruelly.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Exposition:
We saw previously the singular zeal and devotion of the servant of God, how that we long for the courts of God, and yearn for the comforts of God more than our daily food. As it is written, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” and again, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” and again, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” and again, “desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.” And we also saw how the Christian in delighting in God delights in the word of God, which is the true revelation of Himself, as the Reformers have said, “God is His word, and what He has revealed about Himself.”
Bullinger says, “God cannot be rightly known except by his word; and God is to be received and believed to be such a one as he reveals himself to us in his holy word. For truly, no creature can better tell what, and what kind of one God is, than God himself.” Tyndale also writes, “God is but his word, as Christ says, John 8.58 “I am, what I say to you;” that is to say, That which I preach I am; my words are spirit and life. Joh 6.63 God is only what he testifies of himself; and to imagine any other thing of God than that, is damnable idolatry. So, when we say David delighted in God or any Christian delights in God, it cannot be apart from a correct understanding of His word. Not Arminianism, Zionism, dispensationalism, Papism, or any other heresy, but the true Reformed religion alone. Now, we must remark upon the following verse, for David continues his exaltation over his enemies and says, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.” and we must recall to mind the words of our Lord, “he that heareth these sayings of mine and does them shall be like a man who built his house upon a rock, and the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not, for it was founded on the rock.” and again, “the kingdom of God is within you”. So then, when the Psalmist praises the Lord for hiding him in the secret of His tabernacle, he means nothing else than this: that God protects His people inwardly—by His own Spirit—from false doctrine, seducing spirits, and the lusts of the flesh: hatred, envy, discontent, and all such evils. It is by the Spirit that we understand sound doctrine, and by the Spirit that we are kept in that confession.
God defends His Church with a jealous eye and a mighty arm, even as an eagle guards her young.
As it is written:
“As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” (Deuteronomy 32:11,12)
And again:
“As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.” (Isaiah 31:5)
John Calvin,
Here the Psalmist promises himself that his prayer would not be in vain. Although he is deprived of the visible sanctuary for a time, he doubts not that, wherever he may be, he shall experience the protecting power of God. And he alludes to the temple, because it was a symbol to the faithful of the divine presence; as if he had said, that in making the request which he mentioned he by no means lost his labor; for every one who shall seek God sincerely, and with a pure heart, shall be safely concealed under the wings of his protection. The figure of the temple, he therefore affirms, was not an unmeaning one, for there God, so to speak, spread forth his wings to gather true believers under his protection. From this he concludes, that as he had no greater desire than to flee for refuge under these wings, there would be a shelter ready for him in times of adversity, under the divine protection, which, under the figure of a rock, he tells us, would be impregnable like towers, which, for the sake of strength, were wont to be built, in ancient times, in lofty places. Although he was, therefore, at this time, environed by enemies on every side, yet he boasts that he shall overcome them. It is, indeed, a common form of speech in the Scriptures to say, that those who are oppressed with grief walk with a bowed down back and dejected countenance, while, on the other hand, they lift up their heads when their joyfulness is restored. Thus David spake, Psalms 3:4, “Thou, Lord, art the lifter up of mine head.” But because besieging is here put in opposition to this, he meant to say, that in that divine refuge he would be as it were lifted on high, so that he might fearlessly disregard the darts of his enemies, which might have otherwise pierced him. And in hoping for victory, though he was reduced to such straits as threatened instant death, he gives us a remarkable proof of his faith; by which we are taught not to measure the aid of God by outward appearances or visible means, but even in the midst of death to hope for deliverance from his powerful and victorious hand.
Opening Prayer.
Our holy and righteous Father, eternal and immutable,
look upon the troubles of thy Church and be gracious unto us;
Not for our own sakes, nor for our own deservings,
for we are guilty and polluted,
unable of ourselves to turn our faces unto thee in love and devotion;
but for thy great name’s sake,
and for the glory of thy salvation.
For thou art just and wise, merciful and compassionate,
faithful in all thy ways.
Thou art under no obligation to benefit us,
save by thine own covenant and promise.
Therefore, in thy matchless condescension and free grace,
do as thou hast spoken in thy word.
Save us from trouble;
deliver us from all evil.
Arise against our enemies;
smite them and bring their counsels to nought.
Make us righteous, as thou art righteous;
pure, as thou art pure.
Work truth into our inward parts,
and grant us sincerity of heart to seek thee wholly and without guile.
Be thou a God unto us,
and we shall be thy people.
Amen.
Lesson 64. [1.2.38.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Lamentations.
Westminster Confession of Faith 1.2.
Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments,
Genesis—Jeremiah. Lamentations.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
Lamentations.
Intro to Lamentations.
I. Historical Context and Occasion
The Book of Lamentations arises (as it were) from the ashes of fallen Jerusalem. It is the funeral dirge of the covenant nation after the destruction of the city and the burning of the temple by the Chaldeans in 586 B.C. The walls are broken, the sanctuary defiled, the king led away blind and in chains, and the people scattered among the nations. What Moses had long foretold in the curses of the covenant has now come to pass in full measure. Deuteronomy 28:49–52
“The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far… a nation of fierce countenance… And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates…”
Deuteronomy 29:24–28
“Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land?… Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers…”
The book is traditionally attributed to Jeremiah, and this accords with both ancient testimony and its internal character. The prophetic voice that weeps here is the same voice that once warned, pleaded, and was rejected in the book of prophecy that bears his name. Lamentations is therefore not an abstract meditation on suffering, but a prophetic interpretation of Israel’s judgment—a righteous exposition of why these things have occurred upon God’s people.*
This is not a heathenism lament, nor the weeping of those who mourn without understanding, but the godly sorrow of the servant of the LORD, who confesses:
“The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment” (Lam. 1:18).
Jerusalem is personified as a widow, once beloved, prosperous, and full of people, now desolate, solitary, and despised. The city that boasted in the temple now sits in solemn silence, because she trusted in the ordinances without the sincerity of faith and in her own way rather than the word of the LORD. *
II. The Nature and Purpose of Lamentations.
Lamentations teaches the Church how to grieve according to godly sincerity.
The right manner of grief, sorrow and lamentation is guided by the word of God, and directed against sin, and the breach of God’s covenant. It is the precursor to true repentance and the evidence of a heart humbled by the Spirit of God. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Holy sorrow submits to divine judgment and gives God the glory and praise for His hand, even when it is heavy upon us, and we are afflicted by foreign enemies. God is righteous, and we are worthy of that which He inflicts upon us. “Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?” (Lam. 3:39)
The sorrow displayed in Lamentations, therefore, is first a theological grief. Sin must be acknowledged. God must be glorified and justified in all his ways. Man must be humbled and must not lift up his voice against God. Hope is not utterly denied, but it is delayed, refined, and purified. The book, therefore, does not end with hope fulfilled but hope expected. The church must wait for the Messiah for their expectations of mercy and lovingkindness to be met. In the same way, our hope is not yet fulfilled but we wait for the coming of our Lord in judgment.
Thus, godly sorrow and lamentation is an act of faith, rather than the sorrow of the wicked which springeth of unbelief. It is faith deprived of all earthly supports, clinging to the righteousness and mercy of God alone. The church lies desolate, wounded and afflicted, but her hope is in God her Savior.
III. Reformed Doctrine in Lamentations.
1. The Sovereignty of God in Judgment
The destruction of Jerusalem is attributed not ultimately to Babylon, but to the hand of JEHOVAH, who is jealous of His name, and avenges Himself upon those who depart from Him to serve other gods.
“The Lord hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old” (Lam. 2:17).
This accords with the doctrine of providence: God governs every calamity and every vexation according to His righteous decree, unto a most just and holy end.
2. The Total Depravity of Man
The book offers no moral defence of the people or flattery of them in their idolatry. Their sins are not excused by circumstance, ignorance, or good intentions. Jeremiah never once tells the people they are not as wicked as they can be. On the contrary, “thou hast spoken and done evil as you were able.” and because of sin, wrath is on the people and on their children. God is just to punish the children with the Fathers. How great is His mercy towards us, then, if He has delivered us from the traditions of our fathers!
“Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities” (Lam. 5:7).
The heart of the nation and its king and its priests and its people is corrupt; therefore, its judgment and destruction is just.
3. Justification of God, Condemnation of Man
“The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled” (Lam. 1:18).
This is the evidence of a repentant heart. Confession of sin, vindication of God’s righteous ways. Jeremiah does not say, “the LORD is righteous” here in the time of prosperity, but in the time of sorrow, grief and forsaking. This is when faith is truly tested. And this must be our confession in affliction if we ever call ourselves Christian.
4. The Church preserved from ruin by mercy.
Though judgment falls heavy upon them, hope is not extinguished. For our hope rests not in man’s repentance, but in God’s covenant mercy to grant His church repentance and restoration.
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lam. 3:22).
The Church is founded and preserved by the sheer mercy of God apart from works.
IV. Messianic Expectation and Christological Hope.
Although Lamentations does not name the Messiah explicitly, yet this divine book is saturated with messianic longing.
The book is a spiritual lesson that no earthly king can save, no strong city can endure, no glorious temple can protect a people from ruin and apostasy. All visible glories fail. Names trusted in fade away. This prepares the way for a doctrine and kingdom that is not of this world.
The tears of Jeremiah anticipate the tears of Christ over Jerusalem. The suffering of the city anticipates the suffering of the Savior outside the gate. What Jerusalem could not bear, Christ bore fully.
Jerusalem, in Lamentations, fallen and forsaken, cries out for a better Mediator, a truer Prophet, (to teach the mind) a faithful King who will not break covenant (to rule the spirit), and a Priest whose sacrifice is accepted for the complete atonement of sins. Heb. 10
Lamentations points us to Christ, who suffered as innocent. Israel suffered being judged by God as a sinful nation. Christ was the obedient servant, punished for our sins. Israel was disobedient and rebellious punished for their own. Christ was forsaken and experienced the wrath of God in full measure. Israel suffered only national calamities to show us a picture of the wrath of God. Lamentations points us to the cross, “My God, my God.”
V. The Structure and Literary Form.
Lamentations consists of five poems, corresponding to the five chapters:
- Chapters 1–4 are acrostic, ordered according to the Hebrew alphabet, teaching that all of our grief and sorrow is governed by divine order and providence. We are made to be acquainted with sorrow as with our own letters. “man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”
- Chapter 3 stands at the center, containing the clearest expression of gospel hope.
- Chapter 5 abandons the acrostic form, reflecting the disorder of exile and the plea for restoration amidst national destruction.
This structure teaches that sorrow must be disciplined, hope in God central, and prayer persistent even when order in Providence and history seems lost. “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint…” Luke 18:1
VI. Present Relevance and Application.
Lamentations falls like a heavy hammer upon the ungodly and complacent in the church today.
It warns against:
- Trusting in outward ordinances without sound doctrine.
- Confusing national prosperity with divine favor, or national judgments with the hatred of God.
It teaches that:
- Judgment begins at the house of God
- God does not spare those who reject His truth
- Tears are most appropriate and fitting when sound doctrine is abandoned and the purity of worship corrupted
Yet it also comforts the faithful remnant, teaching them to wait, to hope, and to confess:
“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD” (Lam. 3:40).
The book does not teach escape from affliction, but faithfulness within it, until the Lord restores according to His own mercy in His own timing.
Conclusion.
Lamentations stands in the canon as a most necessary book of godly sorrow, not of despair, but of hope under affliction. It teaches the Church how to suffer under God’s hand without murmuring, how to confess without despairing, and how to hope without presumption.
It prepares the soul for the gospel by stripping away all false confidence, leaving only this confession upon the lips of the faithful:
“Great is thy faithfulness.”
Closing Prayer.
Fearless Puritan: 