Flight JLA01 - Part B

He stood in the temple precincts as people are going to worship said trust not in line vanity sink, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are things they were trusting in a ritual in a place rather than a relationship with a person.

The Bible reveals that God prioritizes holy people, holy places today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how you can deepen your relationship with the Lord and nourish your spiritual growth than at the end of today's program Skip and his wife one share how you can cultivate your spiritual health and enjoy a richer relationship with Jesus by word of advice is before you read the good news what's going on.

The neighborhood. The good news what was going on in God's kingdom and get get into God's work first and foremost before you access anything else to get your heart ready to hear whatever news comes your way through those other outlets.

Thank Skip millennia, be sure to stay tuned after today's message to the full conversation. Now we want to tell you about a resource that shows you how the truth of Jesus resurrection transforms your life. The aftermath of 2020 has left many of us wrestling with questions about the future and wondering what's next step. I think that's a question by the way that people ask anytime there is a catastrophe any kind of catastrophic event causes people to ask the question, what's next. There's a car accident that happens about what's next guy to be able to walk after this disease strikes someone.

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That's why it's called a living hope the morning that changed everything with skip. I think it's a DVD collection of six life-changing Easter messages and our thanks for your gift of $35 or more today to help connect more people to the living hope of Jesus Christ to get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888 book of Lamentations Skip tickets into today's message. It is poetic whale lamentation fact there are five songs altogether five funeral churches in the five are the five chapters somebody is even noticed there are five voices in the book of Lamentations. Can I give them to you. In chapter 1 is the voice of the city personified as if the city is crying out in chapter 1 the Lord is speaking it's his voice, as if he is answering the city's cry and antiphonal sort of what in chapter 3, the longest of the chapter or chapters of the book 66 verses in that chapter is the voice of the prophet speaking in chapter 4.

It is the voice of possessions talk. That is, the things people accumulated the gold and silver. The stuff stuff is talking and then finally, chapter 5 it's the voice of the captives, as they feel the chains around their ankles and around the wrist and there taken to captivity. So you really do have to read this book with as much emotion as you can and if you're a musician to put music to it. Make sure you use the minor key for this book is not a lot of joy in there are some high points but not a lot out you might be asking the question, why is a book like this even in the Bible out what what's the whole point of reading such a sad sad who wants to wants to sit on a read a funeral poem a funeral dirge what's beneficial because it will help you focus on ultimate realities. Yes, you are going to die. Yes, unless the Lord comes back every one you know and love typically older than you will eventually dock so this book kind of tethers as a grounds as it brings us to these these inevitable realities. Remember what Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes was a chapter 7.

I think he said he said it's better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting because that is the end of all men, and the living will take it to heart so as you go through this book.

It's good to take these words to heart. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist over a century ago and he said a grave preaches a sermon to the soul. Now I do a lot of funerals and I take those sermons not my sermons at the funeral, but the sermon of the funeral and death to heart and the older we get, the more we think of that ultimate reality.

Billy Graham was now in heaven when he was asked what is the most surprising thing about life's classic answer was its brevity.

This is the ultimate reality. Okay, something else this book. The book of Lamentations as part of a section of the Bible called the make the law and pronouncing it American rising it on purpose.

Make the loss or make he looked is the Hebrew pronunciation and some of you will remember, the term means the five scrolls because we mentioned it when we went through the book of Ruth. The book of Esther.

Those are books that are in that little five scrolls make you look, Ruth, Esther, song of Solomon Ecclesiastes and Lamentations of the short poetic books are books read in the synagogue of the Jews from antiquity to this present day on some of the notable feast days throughout the year.

The book of Lamentations is read on the ninth of all, to tell you about in a moment. The ninth day of the Jewish Hebrew month of of because that is the date that they commemorate the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem and it is still read to this day in synagogues. Okay the temple fell on the ninth day of a V in the Jewish calendar, you write the date first and then the month in our calendar.

The Gregorian calendar we write the month first than the day. So what is today what is the date today's that the 810 I'm I'm a preacher queso so it is 710 correct. If this were if we were doing Hebrew calendar. We would say 10 seven. Is that right yet 10 seven on which I can I'm a preacher. I don't these things can elude me. Sometimes, so they put the date first than the month. So why am I telling you this because 9 August is such a horrible day because it's the memory of everything they held sacred.

Being destroyed so they commemorate that horrible day they call at 911, the ninth day of the 11th month ninth of their 9/11 is the destruction of the temple want to hear something even more interesting is really interesting.

That's just an eerie coincidence. I know but what's scary about is the temple of Solomon fell on the ninth of off 9/11. Guess what day the temple that was rebuilt was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. the exact same day, the ninth of off so they celebrate unto on the same day two consecutive temples being destroyed burned with fire. It was mid July that the city fell.

It was mid August that the city was burned. Jeremiah was there to see it. Lamentations chapter 122 versus all explained that maybe if we have time and in and out in a while the first half of the chapter is different from the second half of the chapter 1st Avenue of the chapter. It's as if you're on the outside looking in and beginning in verse 12, the second half of the chapters like you're on the inside looking so Lamentations 1 verse one how lonely since the city that was full of people. How like a widow. Is she who was great among the nations, the princes of the Princess among the provinces has become a slave. Jerusalem normally is a very crowded city.

There's a song that I repeated my mind when I walk around the ramparts the walls of Jerusalem as the buildings are just on top of each other and so smashed together and the psalmist said Jerusalem is a city compacted together. The tribes go up and it always feels crowded in compacting the site manners.

A lot of people in this little place that's Jerusalem on a normal day, the prophetess, noticing how deserted the city is as people have fled runaway Oregon taken A few years ago I got a little taste of this I don't want to scare you off on a tour to Israel because I just entice you with seeing the stones from 586 BC, but let me just say years ago when it was I think less safe than it is today. There are a riot broke out while I was in the old city of Jerusalem. It was fabulous to watch because you know you you you hear the commotion. You see crowds running and then you see the Jeep sent tanks rollup in the of the soldiers get out and there is huge gate called Damascus gate that the close the gate of the city while I'm in the city and the city gets closed so you did your kind of in the midst of the commotion. But then the streets are cleared and after a while that same section is a ghost town site people the windows get buttoned up doors or close everybody's gone and you know you hear crickets so Jeremiah sees this city like that desolate after or during this destruction verse two she weeps bitterly in the night. Her tears are on her cheeks among all her lovers. She has none to comfort all her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They had become her enemies, the lovers mentioned here are all of those nations that they sought to form alliances with to gain strength against Babel nations like Egypt. I nations like Needham to the east tire inside and those Phoenician cities of North those are called lovers and there they failed her in her time of need.

Verse 14. Go down to that verse.

The roads to Zion mourn so descriptive because no one comes to the set feasts, feast of Passover feast of Pentecost feast of Tabernacles these with a set feasts. All her gates are desolate. Her pre-side perversions are afflicted and she is in bitterness now.

Not only was the city alive, teeming with people, but on the set feasts. All of the roads leading into Jerusalem packed full of pilgrims usually singing, playing games and typically reciting Psalms. The Psalms of Ascent. The Halal song by the city's morning. The roads are empty and you just have to think of it this way when somebody is morning they sometimes let themselves go in Judaism one mourns for 30 days and would you mourn the death of a loved one, like a parent you according to tradition that you just let your hair go you let your hair grow for 30 days you don't cut it. Your facial hair grow you sorta look like you look interested. Your disheveled so these roads teeming with people. The roads to Zion have just grown up the weeds and grasses have grown up alongside of the note. Nobody's visiting them anymore because of the desolation done verse 10.

The adversary is spread his hand over all her pleasant places for she has seen the girl you name the Gentiles the nations enter her sanctuary.

Those whom you commanded not to enter your assembly how disheartening for the Jew to look up and see the temple that they believed was sacred and and supernaturally protected by God, God would let anything happen to his temple member what Jeremiah did in chapter 7, eight, nine, 10, that the the him the temple sermons that he gave we mentioned last week, he stood in the temple precincts as people were going to worship and he said trust not in lying vanities, saying temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are the they were trusting in a ritual in a place rather than a relationship with the person they lost the fear of the Lord, and soon they would lose the temple of the Lord. It is a warning to those if there are any who look to a place mention of holy places last week versus holy people member the conversation that our Lord had with a woman at the well of Samaria and she said look, it's all about the place. She said our fathers worshiped in this mountain, pointing to mount kerosene in Samaria. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain and you Jews say Jerusalem is the place were one out to worship Jesus said woman. The hour is coming and now is when neither here nor in Jerusalem will one worship the father, for God is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth they made it all about the place all about the art rather than the heart all about the place, rather than the person all about the ritual more so than the relationship. The problem was there disobedience. The disobedience brought destruction when it comes to buildings. I've always thought that buildings are important, but their secondary. What's important about this place, or about Calvary is in the structure. It's you it's it's like it's like a lunch sack or a lunch pail member when you go to school anybody of lunch pails. Did you read lunch pails directed you not do much feels very distilled lunch sacks okay either way whether he had a paler sack recipe Starbase but I feel really bad for you but what you are, the lunch pail or lunch sack. What was important what may be the you the lunch pail was important because it is cool. Look at Scott where you have I of the Beatles online.

But what was really important wasn't the sack of the pail. But what's inside the lunch, the nourishment.

What's important isn't the building. What's important is the people in the building and the nourishment the spiritual food. The spiritual growth to change lives that occur so building serve a purpose, but a secondary purpose.

You being the primary purpose now we have a better speed up from the inside looking out verse 12. Is it nothing to you all you who pass by behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow which is been brought on me, which the Lord is inflicted in the day of his fierce anger. Verse 16 for these things. I weep rights. The prophet my eye my eye overflows with water because the comforter who should restore my life is far from me.

My children are desolate because the enemy prevailed Zion spreads out her hands, but no one comforter, the Lord is commanded concerning Jacob that those around him, become his adversaries. Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them. Now here is where we see Jesus.

I believe in the book of Lamentations 1 of the rumors circulating around the country. When Jesus was on the earth is that maybe he was Jeremiah Matthew 16 and parallel passages Jesus and who do men say that I the son of man am answer.

Some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Why would they say he's Jeremiah. Well, maybe it's a strong denunciations, but I think it was his compassion. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet Jesus will stand on the precipice of the Mount of olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem and the Bible said he'll weep your weed out loud like a convulsive weep sob and say, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I would've gathered you like a hen gathers her chickens but you were not will.

So compassion torn up because he saw the destruction of the temple there. 911 coming in 70 A.D. now in chapter 2 we have the second dirge. It is the details of God's judgment. It depicts the anger of God and thus the dismantling of the city and you will notice that God is the one taking responsibilities like a one man wrecking crew in the book of Hebrews. There's a verse that not a lot of us love to memorize or underline. I believe Hebrews 10 it says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, the living God is against the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC chapter 2 verse one how the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger. He cast down from heaven to the earth. The beauty of Israel that's a reference to the temple. He did not remember his footstool in the day of his anger in first Chronicles 28 and memory serves. Psalm 132.

David refers to the temple as God's footstool, the footstool of our God chapter of two verse five the Lord was like an enemy marked that he has swallowed up Israel.

He has swallowed up all her palaces.

He has destroyed her stronghold in his increase, morning and lamentation. There's that word in the daughter of Jude. Now, I mentioned the Jeremiah Wright's speaks of makes mention of the city of Babylon 164 times. Guess how many times he mentions it in the book of Lamictal Lamentations 000 he doesn't mention Babel over there. The ones doing the destruction but what I want you to notice is here. He turned to the Lord and says actually, the Lord did this actually the God in heaven. The sovereign Lord used the Babylonian so he is going all the way back to the source identifying God as the agent just like the book of Daniel chapter 1 verse one and two. It's as Nebuchadnezzar came against Judah, the Lord delivered Judah and King Jehoiada came into Nebuchadnezzar's name. Two things were happening, humans were active the other hand, God was active so the Lord. Verse five is like an enemy is swallowed up Israel swallowed up all of her palaces. What is that mean to you and I when it comes to human suffering and pain to give you a ticket. God is willing to give us hurts if it will turn our hearts the hurts he allows to come are in order to turn our hearts back to him.

He gives the hurts because he wants our hearts. He has a goal in mind. God doesn't have a mean streak. God is in getting back to you.

God is a love streak. The Lord loves he chastens the Pirates many disciplines every son that Skip the message from the series the Bible from 30,000 feet. Now with school in the studio with Skip as they share how you can cultivate your spiritual and enjoy a richer relationship with Jesus today reminded once again Holy Spirit 12 side and because of that church buildings as the people inside. That's why we must maintain our spiritual growth and nourishment skip. What are some practical things our listeners can do to stay healthy spirit remember hearing this growing up.

You are what you eat and some people feed on a lot of different things. Some people feed and entertainment people feet on a diet of new some people on social media there just that they fill up their tank on these things. So my word of advice is before you read the good news what's going on. The neighborhood read the good news. What what's going on in God's kingdom and get get into God's word. First and foremost before you access anything else to get your heart ready to hear whatever news comes your way through those other outlets and then I'll add to that.

Don't isolate yourself because if you isolate yourself and especially if you just isolate yourself and feed on all these bad things you can get wonky. The Bible says he who has friends must himself be friendly, so be friendly with the right kind of people get people around you to tell you to the throne of God and encourage you on your walk. Thank you, Skip and Lanyon. The Bible gives you foundational truths about who got it and how he works in your life these difficulties is available on the air across the US around the world. Sometimes like you can grow in concentrated support is vital to coming to Keep these messages on the new encounter.

Please consider helping to connectwithskip.com/donate to get back connected skip.com/donate or you can call 892, 892 into my Skip Heitzigs. It covers a painful time showing important insight with about why God allows Skip presentation of connection communication to go changing truth