LAMENTATIONS & EZEKIEL

1) WEEPINGS- Lamentations means "weepings".  Jeremiah is weeping for the city of Jerusalem.  Remember that when Nehemiah asked about the welfare of Jerusalem, he also wept.  We ought to have godly sorrow when we hear of someone or some church, or some work of God that goes through hard times.  We don't know who deserves what, but we know we are treated by God much better than we deserve.

2) SHOCK! - Just as Jeremiah 50 tells of the shock of Babylon's demise, In Lam. 2:15 it reads: "Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?"  Well, it was... before their sin caught up with them.  Before God's judgment, this is what the people of the earth thought about Jerusalem.  This is what people used to think about America too!!

3) WARNING!!  Lam. 4:22 has one serious phrase we will close with today:  "he will discover thy sins."  Don't wait until God has to "discover" your sins, confess them to Him right now and turn from them.  When God discovers something, He has a way of showing everyone your dirty laundry!!  Confess and find forgiveness seems so much better!!

Ezekiel is not my favorite book, but it has all throughout it verses that speak to you.  The general theme is judgment on the nations, but there are rays of blessing scattered throughout.  Let me show you some:

4) SOUL-WARNING!  We go soul-winning when we tell people about Christ in hopes of seeing them trust the Savior, but in reality, we are only responsible to warn them or to share the Gospel.  The response is between them and God.  Ezekiel 3:17-19 tells us that.  It also tells us that if we fail to warn them, their blood is upon our hands!!

5) GOD KNOWS HIS OWN!  Ezekiel 9:4 says he will set "a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."  vs. 4  God knows who we are and where we are, and even in times of judgment, He will be with His own!!

Have a blessed day!