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All right, we're here in Lamentations chapter 1, and the name of the sermon is Lack of Comfort from a Sinful Life. Lack of Comfort from a Sinful Life. And I didn't want to start a new book until after the missions trip, so I decided to preach a couple standalone sermons. So we're here in Lamentations chapter 1, and what it's talking about is referring to Jerusalem. And so throughout the Bible, Jerusalem's just going against the ways of the Lord, being rejected by God, you see, throughout the Old Testament. But even though this is referring to an area and a location, we can still make applications to us in individuals in our lives. As a country or as a nation or as a city that would become wicked, the same sorts of things apply to our lives, okay? If we were to start living a very sinful life. Now I want you to notice here in Lamentations 1 verse 1, and the first point we have is this, that when things are going good, you will have lots of friends. When things are going good, you will have lots of friends. Notice what it says in Lamentations 1 verse 1, how doth the city sit solitary that was full of people? And it says it was full of people, but now it's solitary. There's a famous card game in the U.S. called Solitary, and it gets its name because you're just playing solo, okay? It's by yourself, okay? That's why it gets the name. But it says it was full of people, there were a lot of people, and now it's solitary. There's nobody there anymore, okay? Now turn to Esther chapter 5, Esther 5, and here's the application I want to make with this first point, that if you were to decide, you know what, I'm just going to get out of church, and you backside and get out of the ways of the things of God, you know, all of your office mates will like you more. All the people out there will think you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, like oh yeah, you want to hang out, you know, watch these sporting events now and everything. It used to just be like a stick in the mud, you just always wanted to go to church and read the Bible. You'll probably have lots of friends if you start living a sinful life, and you know, that is the reality in this world that, you know, quite honestly, when you're living godly, the only real friends you're going to have are the people in church, okay? But if you live a sinful life, you live a worldly life, you'll probably have lots of friends, okay? I remember when I first started living for God, and you're just different than the people you used to be friends with. You just can't find yourself talking to them about anything. It's like every single conversation you just get in arguments now, you just disagree because your life perspective is just different. And so they were full of people, and now they're solitary. Now in Esther chapter 5, we're going to look at someone, Haman, who we know was a reprobate. He was a really evil person, and you know what, he was a guy who had a lot of friends. Esther 5 verse 10, nevertheless Haman refrained himself, and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends and Zaresh his wife. And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. And so Haman's like pretty much that annoying person that you don't like to talk to. He just comes in and says, man, I got lots of money, everybody, you know, I've been advanced in my company, man, I've been promoted. I mean, someone who's just obnoxious that you don't like. But he has a lot of friends because he's very powerful. He has a lot of friends. Now when you look at his personality, he just comes across as being obnoxious. People that always are bragging about how great their life is going, they're kind of annoying to be around. Now the Bible says to rejoice with those that rejoice, but when someone is always just bragging about how great their life is, it's a little bit annoying. And that's what basically Haman is. Verse 12, Haman said moreover, yea Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared, but myself, and tomorrow am I invited unto her also with the king. Now keep in mind as he's telling them this, he's saying you're not invited either, but I am, okay? I mean, this guy's obnoxious, okay? Verse 13, yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. He's like, it doesn't matter, I'm the second most powerful man in the world. He's like, you know what, it avails me nothing as long as Mordecai is alive. And this guy's just obnoxious when you look at his personality. Verse 14, then said Suresh, his wife, and all his friends unto him, let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon. Then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet, and the thing pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be made. So they basically come up with a plan to basically kill his enemy, Mordecai, okay? Now the reason why his wife says this and his friends support this is because they just want to say what Haman wants to hear. Why? They want to be friends with Haman. And his wife obviously doesn't really care about him very much. I mean, I'm assuming he probably married her for her looks, and she married him for his power. And so basically she's just saying, well, what does Haman want to hear? Because as long as I'm married to him, I've got lots of money. I got everything I want in life. And she's like, well, let's just kill him. Okay, now go to chapter six, chapter six. Now I don't have time to explain the whole story. I think most of us, or if not all of us, are familiar with the story. We went through Esther just like a couple months ago about how Haman basically wants to kill Mordecai. Things come back around on him, and he gets killed. And in chapter six, all of a sudden, he went from everything going great in his life to basically things aren't going so well. Esther 6, verse 13, and Haman told Zorash his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. This is when Mordecai gets basically promoted, and he's basically being lifted up. Then said his wise men and Zorash his wife onto him, if Mordecai be of the seat of the Jews before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. Now notice what Zorash his wife and the wise men say onto him. It says before whom thou hast begun to fall. They're saying you're the one who's going against him. Now it wasn't his idea to have Mordecai put to death in the gallows. That was his wife. But amazingly, when things are going bad, immediately it's like, well, we're not really your friends anymore. It's like you're just going to have to figure this out yourself. Why? Because they know what's about to take place. And it says in verse 14, and while they were yet talking with him came the king's chamberlains and hasted to bring Haman onto the banquet that Esther had prepared. And so our first point we saw was basically that when you're living a sinful life or worldly life, you're going to have lots of friends, but it kind of leads to the second point, and that is the fact they're not real friends. You've got lots of friends, people you hang out with, people you go to the bar with, but they're not really friends that actually care about you. And when things aren't going well, they're not going to be there for you. Turn back to Lamentations 1. And so you have to realize as a godly person, if you want to find godly good friends that care about you, you're going to find them in church. That's just the way it works. And look, you know, the great thing now, you know, after years gone by, you know, our church really isn't small anymore. There's plenty of people here every single Sunday. It's not like we're running. I mean, when we started, we weren't small to begin with either. We're definitely a lot bigger than we were a year ago. There's a lot more people you can become friends with. It's not like we're just running like five or six people. Okay, we got plenty of people here you can be friends with. And so look, when you're someone who's living godly, it's going to be the people that are also living godly that you can talk to about things that you look just you look at the world with the same perspective. Because even when you talk to save people, it's just bizarre sometimes when you're talking about situations how they look at the world so much differently than you do. Because when you're really living for God, your perspective on everything just changes a lot. Okay. As we said recently, because most people are living closer to what's bizarre, what's common than what's actually normal. And so even someone who saves sometimes you just don't have a lot you can talk to them about. Notice what it says in Lamentations 1 verse 2. She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers, she hath none to comfort her. See Jerusalem had many friends when it was living sinfully as a location, but now she has none to comfort her when things are going bad. See that is the reality that look, if you live a worldly life, you're going to have a lot of people at the office that you can talk to about sports or the, I don't know, the Oscars. If you guys in the Philippines, I don't know what's the equivalent to the Oscars, but here's the thing. They're not really close friends. Okay. They're not really people that actually care about you. Okay. Go to Proverbs 17, Proverbs 17, Proverbs chapter 17. I mean, I used to work at an office and, you know, quite honestly, you know, Monday morning rolls around, the weekends gone, especially during like sporting season when you got football and basketball and all these sports, and you can just tell that pretty much every single person is living their lives almost the exact same. Whether they're Christian or whether they're not, they're all just the same thing. They talk about the same commercials, the same movies, the same music, the same TV shows, and it's like, I'm not really seeing much of a difference between like the Christians or Christians and just the world. They seem the exact same. Like everybody at the office, they watch the same things and look, everybody at my office, you know, they liked me because I was quiet. I worked hard, but everyone just thought I was kind of strange because during lunchtime I just read my Bible and I was just sitting there quietly with my food. It's like, you know, after work, they're like, Hey, you want to go hang out with us? I'm like, no, I'm just going to go home. It's like, what are you going to do? I'm just going to do some reading, you know, just relax. And it's just like, here's the thing in this room, you guys understand this, right? But see the world, even just normal, decent people, they're just not going to understand because they're living their lives differently. Okay. Nobody ever comes up to you at your office and says, Hey, I was reading Jeremiah chapter 35 last night and I was wondering what you thought about this verse. I mean, this is what my perspective is. What's your thoughts that never happens in the secular world? Okay. Why? Well, very few people have actually even read the Bible. Okay. What it said in Lamentation one was none to comfort her. And in Proverbs 17 verse 17, I want you to notice it says a friend loveth at all times, a friend loveth at all times. See a true friend, a real friend is going to love you at all times. So if things are going well or things are going bad, okay. And when things are going bad, they're going to be there to comfort you. Not just when you're rich or you have lots of money or you know, whatever. But even when things are going bad, okay, a friend loveth at all times. And look us as people, this is what we should strive to be like at a church because you know what, with us, our closest friends are in this room pretty much right in our church. These are our friends. But you know, there's always people at our church that are going through trials and you might not know that, but realize when those trials come, it's our job as their friends and people that care about them to be there to help them out because a friend loveth at all times. But then it says, and a brother is born for adversity. A brother is born for adversity. And so what it's basically saying is that, you know, think of a family with lots of kids and you know, you have two sons and a brother's born to help out his brother when things are going bad or help out his sister. And a great example of this is with my dad, he used to tell me this story because he had one sibling. He had a younger brother and you know, there was one time that basically, you know, his brother rushed home and he's on the porch and like he's knocking on the door frantically and my dad steps outside and there's like three other kids there to beat him up, right? Beat up his brother. And my dad had absolutely no idea why. And my dad's immediate reaction, and here's the thing, what the Bible is saying is a brother is born for adversity. It's saying, yeah, in situations like that, you're there to help out. When things are going rough, that's what you're born for. That's your purpose. Us as believers, think about when we're spiritually born into God's family, we're born for adversity to help out those that are struggling when they are going through adversity, okay? But what my dad, you say, what did your dad do? Well, my dad beat them up. No, I'm just kidding. But my dad basically, you know, he told his brother, get inside and shut the door. And my dad just handled it himself and it didn't end up leading to a fight. But it's like, you know, that's kind of what a brother's there for. You know, brothers and sisters, they're there to help each other out. But us as believers, you know, there's a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, the Bible says. And we're talking about people that are godly and love each other even more so than this. Turn to Proverbs 19, Proverbs 19. And so the implication of being born for adversity is it's basically your duty. It's your obligation. That's what's so bizarre about the story of Joseph. It's not just that his brothers basically, you know, didn't help him out when they went into trouble. They actually sold him into slavery. And they were thinking about killing him. And look, when it comes to being brothers, it's like, you know, they're born for adversity. They're actually supposed to be helping out when things are going rough. Not doing exactly what, not doing the exact opposite of that like they did. Proverbs 19, verse 4. It says in Proverbs 19, verse 4, wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor. And the Bible says that if you have money, you're going to have a lot of friends, okay? It's known that when people win the lottery, all of a sudden everyone's like their best friend. You know, that's just the way it works. Or somebody makes it into the NBA, because you'll see these NBA players. They play for like 10 years and make $80 million. And then they're bankrupt after like, you know, five years after they're done playing. You say, how does that happen? Because they always have their entourage of like 50 people that they pay for all their tickets to come to the game. They go to a restaurant. I got the tab. It's like they go to this fancy restaurant and they pay for a tab for like 50 people. And it's like all these rich athletes, many of them end up being dead broke just five years after they retire. It's like, man, that is so stupid. But how do they do that? Well, here's the thing. When you have money, you have a lot of friends. And then what do they say afterwards? They're always like, yeah, I used to have a lot of friends. Now I don't really have many friends. Why? Because when you have money, you're going to have friends. Now they're not real friends, but you'll have a lot of people that want to hang out with you. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. Many will entreat the favor of the prince. Why would you entreat the favor of the prince? Well, because he's the prince, not you. It's because they can basically help you out there in a powerful position. And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. Of course, you want to be friends with people if they always give you gifts. Verse seven, all the brethren of the poor do hate him. How much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him. Turn to Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two. And so I want you to realize that there are ways that you can... If I were to try to preach a three-part series on how you can have a lot of friends in your life, you could make changes in your life, and you could have a lot more friends than you do now. But are they really going to be real friends? That's what you have to ask yourself. And what is the real purpose of having a bunch of people as friends if they're not actually there to help you out when you actually need them? Okay. Philippians chapter two, verse one, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bows and mercies, fulfill you my joy that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. We're talking about tonight the lack of comfort from a sinful life. Here the Bible speaks about the comfort of love. And if people love you and they care about you, they should be there to comfort you when you're going through trials. Now turn to Lamentations one, Lamentations one. And the Bible says when you get saved, God's put a new song in your mouth, but pretty much everything should be new when you get saved. You know, your friends should probably be new friends, unless you can win them to the Lord and they'll start coming to church, but you should probably just get new friends in your life. Okay? New song, new friends, new everything. Okay? Now the first two points were more generic, and we're going to spend more time on point three and four. And point three especially is something I really want to drive home. I don't know what that sound is. We got like a UFO going or something like that. But we're here in Lamentations one, and first thing we saw is this, that you know, when someone's living a sinful worldly life, they're going to have a lot of friends. We saw they're not real friends. The third thing I want you to see here in Lamentations one is that when it comes to people that are miserable or not happy, it's at nighttime is when that's revealed. It's not during the day. Notice what it says in Lamentations one verse two. It said in Lamentations one verse two, she weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. She weepeth sore in the night. She doesn't weep sore during the day, she weeps sore at night. This is the way it is with people. When people are miserable, they don't cry during the day for everyone to see them. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, they go to a quiet place where nobody sees them, and they weep sore, especially at night, and here's what you need to understand, and turn to Genesis 45, Genesis 45, here's what you need to understand. People that are living worldly and sinful lives, when they go home at night, they hate their lives. It's a terrible life, but the most miserable people on the planet are the reprobates that are out there. They hate their lives. That's why they commit suicide so often. Because on TV, oh, they're so funny, they're always laughing, making jokes, they're so much fun in public, and yet they're the ones that commit suicide. Why? They're not really happy. It's an act. It's fake. They're pretending like they're happy. People that live sinful lives, they hate their lives. They're miserable. Sin doesn't make you happy, and when people weep, they weep during the night. They don't weep during the day. When it comes to any of us, if you think of times in your life when you've cried, you probably cried when nobody was around. You probably cried during the night time. You probably usually didn't let people know that you were sad. Why? That's just what people do. Genesis chapter 45, Genesis 45, then Joseph, Genesis 45 verse 1, then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, cause every man to go out from me. When it says he cried, he's crying aloud, because that's what cry means in the Bible, okay? He's crying aloud. He's telling everybody to go out, and there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Verse number 2, and he wept aloud. Weeping or wept is what we would look at as crying. So he cries out for everybody to leave, and then he weeps out loud, and the Egyptians in the house of Pharaoh heard. So nobody's in the room, but everybody hears. Imagine crying so loud that everybody upstairs could hear. Man, there's somebody on the floor below crying. Because he's weeping out loud, but he asks everybody to leave before he starts crying. Why? That's just what we do, isn't it? When you cry, you cry when nobody's around. You put on a face and act like you're happy, and then when everybody's gone, guess what? That's when you cry. Notice verse 3, and Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph, doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. And realize, until this point, they didn't realize he spoke their language. He was using a translator the whole time. Then all of a sudden he says everyone to leave, he starts crying, this powerful person. Then he starts speaking to them in their language, and they're like, what's going on? Because before that he had a translator, okay? And they didn't know that he actually spoke the language. And then all of a sudden he's just weeping out loud, but he asks the other people to leave first. Okay? Turn to 2 Samuel 18. 2 Samuel 18. See, you need to understand, we can't really tell if people are happy. We can tell if somebody's sad. If somebody is crying, we know they're sad, okay? If somebody's crying, but if somebody has a smile on their face, that does not mean they're happy. If somebody acts like really, you know, they're telling jokes or they're acting really... That does not mean they're happy. They could just be masking their emotions, okay? Every single week at church we have people that show up, and I promise you, there's somebody who's depressed, there's somebody who's not happy with their life at that moment, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to know it. When I preach sermons, there have been people in this room that have cried during sermons, okay? And whenever they cry, they do their best not to make it obvious that they're crying. It's just kind of like, you know, they're doing this thing to try to stop the tears, and then it's just kind of like a quick, like, you know, this, they're trying their best, or it's like they pretend to make a cough, and then they're just trying to like quickly weep. You know, it happens. Not every week, but it does happen sometimes. And whenever somebody cries or is really sad, they try to pretend like they're not sad. And look, I would do the same thing. That's just naturally what we do. We don't want people to know when we're sad, okay? It's something we try to hide. Second Samuel 18, verse 31. Second Samuel 18, verse 31. Second Samuel 18, verse 31. And behold, this is after Absalom and David had been fighting. Absalom is the son of David, and you know, they're at war with one another. And David basically told his men to capture Absalom, but he said, do not kill him. Don't let him get hurt at all, because that's his son, okay? He loves his son. Verse 31. And behold, Cushai came, and Cushai said, tidings, my lord the king, for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. So basically, Cushai says, you won the war, king. But that's not the thing that David really cared about. Verse 32. And the king said unto Cushai, is the young man Absalom safe? This is his son. And Cushai answered, the enemies of my lord the king and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt be as that young man is. Basically, he's dead, is what he's saying. He's trying to use a lot of words to try to soften the blow, because he knows David loves his son. He's saying basically, you know what, he died like everybody else, like all of the enemies. And so this is what David really cared about. Notice what it says in verse 33. And the king was much moved. He's emotionally moved, emotionally stirred up, and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. So he basically leaves before he starts crying. He doesn't do it in front of everybody. Why? Because he doesn't do his people. When we're really sad, and this is throughout the Bible, you very rarely do it in front of other people. You want to hide that. So he goes up to the chamber and he weeps. And as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee? O Absalom, my son, my son. And so he really cares about his son. Now it's kind of interesting when you think about the story, and I'll go on a bit of a rabbit trail for a second here, because this is not the same reaction David had when his other sons died. Think about when his baby died. He was very sad and very worried for his baby, because Nathan had told him, your son is going to die. David and Bathsheba were having a son, if you go back to that story, that is his son. And David is very sad and he's fasting and everything. And then once his baby dies, he stops. He stops being sad completely. Now the people that were with him, they were worried he was basically just going to lose it. I don't know that maybe he'd commit suicide, papakamatai or something like that. I don't know. But basically all of a sudden he's perfectly fine. And the reason why he said he was fine is because he says, he shall not come to me, but I will go to him. And I'm paraphrasing this, but he's saying, I will see him up in heaven. Now when Nathan rebukes David, he gives a story about the slam and then basically David says, a fourfold punishment should be given, because that was what the punishment was, a fourfold punishment. Because a fourfold punishment, what I believe that fourfold punishment is that he had four sons that died at a young age. Because his baby dies, then there's Amnon, his son dies at a young age, Absalom, then Adonijah dies at a very young age also, but it's after David has already died. But he's also a young person when he dies. I think that logically makes the most sense for being a fourfold punishment, because he had like a million punishments that happened to him. What I think took place was within the realm of Amnon dying at a young age, his daughter also got raped and a lot of other things took place. His son tried to kill him. He had a lot of punishments, but I think the fourfold is going to line up. So he had four sons, his baby, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah all died at a young age. I think that is the fourfold punishment. But I want you to realize something that when his baby died, he wasn't sad. He was comforted. In fact, when Amnon died, he was not sad. He was comforted concerning his death. I believe the reason why is because I believe David, well, he knew, this is what he said, that his baby he would see again. Amnon, I believe he was confident. I'm comforted because he knew Amnon was in heaven. Absalom, on the other hand, I believe was a reprobate. And I think it makes a lot of sense because of the fact David is acting a lot differently than when Amnon or his baby died. Why? Because look, and here's what I believe. I don't necessarily believe, and I could be wrong, because I'm kind of giving you a guess. I'm pretty confident that David thought his son Absalom was in hell, based on how he reacted emotionally. My perspective is that David was worried or thought his son might be a reprobate, but he wasn't sure. And then basically when he died, though, he knew he was in hell because he knew he didn't believe. Because with Amnon, he doesn't cry at all. He doesn't really act sad, he's using a man who can control his emotions, but with Absalom, he reacts differently. Now remember when Absalom was first sort of brought back, David kept him at a distance. And the reason why he kept him at a distance is if you go back to the story where Absalom kills Amnon, Absalom asked for all of the king's sons, as well as David, to come with him. And then David's like, no, you know, we're not gonna all come with you. They go back and forth, and then Absalom says, well, at least let Amnon come with me. And David's like, why do you want Amnon to come with you? And so eventually what took place was other sons went as well, David does not go. But once Amnon is killed, all the other ones flee. What Absalom was trying to do was kill his father and his brothers all at one time. When you read that closely, that's what's going on, because he wants David to come, and then Absalom kills Amnon, everyone flees, because they know, because Absalom wants to take the throne. He tries to kill David a little while longer. I believe David is smart enough to figure this out, he wanted to kill me. Because at first David was told all your sons are dead. He got a false report, all of his sons weren't dead. You know, only Amnon is what Amnon's friend told him. He told David, right? Amnon's friend who convinced him to basically rape Tamar. But basically, I think David knew that Absalom was trying to kill me, and he kept Absalom at basically a distance until Joab brought him back. I think though, David, if you're looking at him, my perspective when I'm reading this, because I believe he thinks Absalom's in hell, I believe he was hoping that he could be saved, and he knew basically once he died, there's no comfort for David knowing that he was in hell. And this makes sense to me, because look, if you have a relative that dies, before they die, there's a chance. Once they die, there's gonna be no comfort for you. Because when you actually know about heaven and hell and you believe it, and look, I have relatives that are in hell, you can't change that. My granddad was an atheist, he did not believe in God. And so it's just like, you can't even make, you can't even pretend like you think they're saved. It's like, no, he died as an atheist, okay? It's like he's in hell, right? And so I want you to realize that, and I wasn't really all that close to him, but if there's somebody that you're close to that you know is unsaved and then they die, you're not gonna have any comfort. Because there's no chance for them after you die. But when David had basically sons that died that were saved, he was comforted. I think he believed Amnon was saved, and I think Amnon was saved also. And obviously his baby would have gone to heaven, okay? I had a good friend of mine who died when he was 20 years old, and at the funeral, and there's several of my friends who were good friends with him. Pastor Jason Robinson, which a lot of you know from sermons that he preaches online in West Virginia, he was good friends with him as well. We had this good friend who tragically drowned, and this guy used to go soloing with us all the time. And everybody told us at the funeral, they're just like, because we were his closest friends, they're just like, man, you guys are handling this so well. It's like, you guys don't even seem sad. And I didn't realize that, because I didn't really feel all that great at the time, but the truth was, you're kind of comforted knowing that they're in heaven. Okay? But if they die unsaved, you're gonna have no comfort. And that is why David, I believe, is reacting differently. And I definitely believe that David thinks his son is unsaved absolutely, and that's why he reacts this way. And I personally think he probably thought he might be a reprobate, because I think Absalom was a reprobate. He was a really bad guy in the Bible, okay? But I want you to realize that the reason why David's reacting like this is because he believes his son is in hell. Turn to Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31. Proverbs chapter 31. But going back to the original point of what we're talking about in point number three, that basically when people are crying or people are miserable, it's usually gonna be manifest when they're alone. You're not gonna know if somebody is really going through the storms of life, usually. Usually, people will hide their emotions and they'll mask it. And sometimes you can kind of tell at church if people seem down, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're gonna tell you. But you don't really know what they're going through. Proverbs 31, Proverbs 31, verse six. Proverbs 31, verse six. The Bible reads, give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more. And this is referring to people that are basically drunks. Okay, this is not, people use Proverbs 31, verse six and seven to justify drinking. They're like, give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish. He's ready to perish or die because of the strong drink. And basically, Solomon's mom is mocking the drinking alcohol. Saying, yeah, give strong drink unto the person who's basically at the point of death because he's destroyed his kidneys and he's getting drunk every night. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to die. It's not saying, hey, if somebody has some sickness, just try to get them drunk each night till they're dead. Okay, that's not what it's saying. It's basically mocking alcohol. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish. He's ready to perish because of the strong drink. Wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Why do they have heavy hearts? Why are they sad? Because of the wine. People that are drunks are miserable. And basically, he's about to die and he's miserable because of the alcohol. And she's like, let that guy drink away his sorrows. And that's what it says in verse six. Let him drink and forget his poverty. He's poor because he can't hold down a job because he's always drunk. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more. And this is why people drink, according to the Bible. Why is it that people get drunk all the time? Every night they're getting drunk because they hate their lives. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more. They're getting drunk because for several hours they can go to this fantasy land where basically their life doesn't suck, basically. Their life is miserable. They're at the point of death. They're poor. They hate their lives. But when they're drinking alcohol, they don't remember their misery. They feel a little bit better. But the reason why they're drinking is because they hate their lives. And for a temporary time, by drinking, they forget about it. She's not advocating drinking. She's actually mocking drinking here. Because it's not for you, O Lemuel, is what she said. But I want to highlight verses six and seven because I want you to understand that people that live worldly and sinful lives, they always act like they're having fun. When you see these wicked people, and I hope you're not sitting around watching TV, but when there's wicked people that are out there on these TV shows, they're always going to pretend like they're happy. They're always the one telling jokes. And look, the funniest person in the world, man, the sodomite in our office is like the nicest person. He's so funny. He always makes me laugh. Ha, ha, ha. That's the person who really hates his life. But he's pretending like he's happy. And look, when people are always getting drunk, the reason why is they're either addicted or basically they just hate their lives. Now, they're not going to tell you they hate their lives. But the Bible tells you they hate their lives. That is why he's trying to drink, to forget about his misery and that he's poor, okay? You have to understand that when people are living sinful lives, as we're seeing in Lamentations 1, and it's referring to Jerusalem, but we can apply it to us as individuals, they might seem and act like they're happy during the day, your office mates. But the people that leave your office to go out and get drunk on the weekends all the time, they don't enjoy their lives. That's the reason why they're doing it. They'll pretend to enjoy it. And they'll try to get you to join them. Why? Misery loves company. They want you to get drunk with them. Why? They hate their lives. They want you to hate your life. Misery loves company. That's a famous expression. And they want you to go with them, but look, they're not enjoying their lives. They'll pretend like they're enjoying it. But do you really think that people who basically are getting divorces and people whose kids hate them because of living sinful and worldly lives, do you really think that those people enjoy their lives? They don't. But they will pretend like they do. Everybody pretends like they enjoy their life. Why? Because when people weep, they weep during the night. They don't weep during the day in front of you. Okay, turn to John 13. John 13. Now in John 13, I'm gonna show you a verse that is gonna be the cure for depression. Anyone's going through depression? The Bible actually gives you the cure for depression. Okay, now there's various different cures in the Bible. Philippians 4 has a good cure. That's in a whole nother sermon, okay? But I'll give you one of the cures. Okay, it's kind of like, you know, if you've got some sort of sickness, you can eat carrots, you can eat celery or broccoli. There's a lot of different types of fruits and veggies that have like the cure you need, okay? But in John 13, verse 17, we see one of the cures for depression. It tells us how we can be happy. It says in John 13, verse 17, if ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. If you obey what God says, you're gonna be a happy person. That's what the Bible says. And look, the reality is all of us have seen that in our own personal lives, that when we're living godly, we're very happy. When we're not living godly, we're not very happy. This is the way it works. And we have the secret right here in John chapter 13, verse 17. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. You say, well, what if you don't know these things? Well, all of us in this room know these things, okay? So that's a mute point. We know what the Bible says. You're gonna be happy if you're reading the Bible and praying and living godly and going soul winning. You're gonna be very happy when you're doing these things. But if you just disobey what God says, you're gonna be miserable. You're gonna feel guilty and you'll try to justify your actions and you're gonna be sad. You're not gonna be happy. That is what it says in John chapter 13, verse 17. Now, the world won't understand this, but you know what, it is what it is. That's what the Bible teaches. Turn to Lamentations 1, Lamentations 1. I mean, when we go on these soul winning trips, and we're gonna start going on a lot of these, which is really exciting. But like when we went all day, and we had two soul winning marathons this past Saturday, but like when we were going down to Pampanga, you know, we left early, we came back late. We're all exhausted, but man, were we happy. Amen. It's like, I remember even like on Sunday, I asked both, or on Monday, I asked both brother Marlon and brother Tito, like, how was it, you know, down in Pampanga? They're both like, man, it was awesome. It was like the greatest time ever. They had so much fun. Why? Because when you're living godly, and you're seeing like church plant being started, and like soul winning taking place, and souls getting saved, man, it makes you happy. And when you're going soul winning, sometimes it can be tiring, and you're like, man. I mean, I'll be honest with you, even this afternoon, I wasn't in the best mood for soul winning. Because sometimes you're more in the mood than others. Sometimes you're like, man, I just gotta tough it out. That's why when you go out with a team, it just kinda helps you out. Because when they're preaching the gospel, you're gonna do the same thing. But you know, I got two people saved tonight. And that's not a lot, but it's like, man, that makes you excited, it makes you happy. And when you're doing God's work, it's gonna make you happy. The world is not gonna understand that. But I want you to realize that when you drive here an hour and a half to church on Sunday, and you spend all day, and you're exhausted. Look, in the back of your mind, sometimes you look at these worldly, sinful people, and they seem like they're really happy. And you can have a foolish attitude and be envious at them. And we've all been like that from time to time. But you have to trust the word of God. Those people are not actually happy. The people that are gonna be the happiest are people like us that are obeying what the Bible says. That is what's gonna make you happy in life, according to the Bible. Lamentations one. Lamentations one. And so the last point I wanna talk about is this, that there is no rest when you're living a sinful life. There is no rest when you're living a sinful life. Lamentations one, verse three. Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction. And because of great servitude, she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest. And see, the Bible tells us that when you're living a sinful life, you will have no rest. Turn to Hebrews four, Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews chapter four. And so when it comes to having rest, you could have a misunderstanding, because the Bible says that when you get saved, and we're gonna look at some verses here, you enter into that rest, okay? Basically, you rest from the works in terms of working your way to heaven, and you know you're going to heaven. That's why we don't follow the Sabbath day anymore, because when Jesus rose, you know, he pictures the Sabbath. Okay, we enter into that rest when we get saved. But just simply being saved does not mean you're gonna have rest in your life. If you have rest in terms of eternity, you know for sure you're going to heaven. But if you live a sinful life here on earth, it will destroy your life. That's what the Bible teaches. Hebrews four, verse one. Hebrews four, verse one. Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left of us entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn to my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. So the Bible says you enter into rest when you get saved. Okay, now turn to Ephesians two. Ephesians two. Ephesians two. He said, does that mean I can just skip church and skip Bible reading and just rest and sit around all day? Well, I mean, if you want to, you can, you'll still go to heaven, but you're not gonna enjoy your life, and say why? Because you know the Bible commands you to go to church. You know the Bible commands you to go soul wedding. The Bible commands you to read his word. Ephesians two, 10, and this is obviously after the verses on salvation in Ephesians two, eight, and nine. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Now I want you to notice it says at the end, we should walk in them. It doesn't say you will walk in them. It says you should walk in them. But what you have to understand is that when you get saved, God's like, all right, that's great. Now I got work for you to do. You don't have to do any work to get to heaven, but now that you're saved, I want you to do this work. It's your choice if you're gonna walk in it or not, but God has work he wants us to do. I personally am happy about that. You say why? Because it gives your life a purpose. I remember when I got saved, and all of a sudden I was like, man, I understand the meaning of life now. I was like, I've got to somehow teach other people how to get to heaven too, okay? Now I didn't understand everything that I needed to do. I didn't really understand how to go soul wedding or whatever, but I knew I needed to try to get people to go to heaven. It gave meaning to my life. Turn to 1 John 5. 1 John 5. 1 John chapter 5. Now when it comes to people that are unsaved, people that are not born again, they do not have eternal life, they will never have rest in their lives in terms of understanding their eternal destiny, okay? Notice what it says in 1 John 5 verse 13. These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God. See, the Bible says you can know you have eternal life. And here's the thing. If you don't know you have eternal life, it's because you don't have eternal life. If you have eternal life, you know you have eternal life. But if you don't know you're going to heaven, it's because you're not going to heaven. Why? Because once you get saved, you're indwelled with the spirit of truth. Okay, that takes place and you know that you're a child of God, okay? Now, I'm not saying someone could never doubt their salvation because when you hear false preaching, it can confuse you. You hear all these Baptists preach that, well, if you're really saved, you're going to make some changes and you're like, oh man, I don't feel like I've made a lot of changes yet. You know, I'm still the same height, you know, I'm still eating the same food. It's like, I don't really see any changes, okay? But it's like, you know, they preach this. And I remember after I got saved because I got saved when I was 18 years old, but I remember after I got saved, I just started listening to a lot of Baptist preaching and I'm sure if I listened to those sermons now, some would be good, some would be complete heresy. And so I heard a lot of repentance of sins preachers. And so quite honestly, you know, I got scared and wondered like, oh man, maybe I didn't pray right, maybe I didn't really mean it because they scare you. You start doubting because you're like, man, I'm still living a sinful life. I still have changes I need to make and stuff like that. And you know, I remember just when I was listening to that sort of preaching, it basically was taking away the rest that I already had. Because once you get saved, you enter into rest. And look, when a saved person comes to a church like this, if this is the only preaching they hear and they're reading the Bible and they're not around some heretic relatives that are gonna try to teach them something else, they're not gonna doubt their salvation. They're gonna have confidence. It's gonna be validated because every time you hear preaching, it's like, yeah, even if you're living a sinful life, if you believe you're saved. But when you hear that false preaching, it can start to make you doubt a little bit. And that's why this repentance of sins preaching is so dangerous. Because it kind of takes away the rest that people have. And even saved people can get a little bit confused about it. And they can start trying to meet them kind of halfway. Well, if you're really saved, there's gonna be a change, you know, maybe, and stuff like that. That's why that preaching is so dangerous. And if saved people hear that preaching, they're gonna get a little bit confused. And I remember getting a little bit confused after I got saved because of that. I remember it was probably like six months after I got saved, I remember praying again saying, man, you know, I know I prayed before and I believe, but in case I didn't mean it, you know, and now God, it's just like, you know, it's like, why? You know, because of the fact, you know, it's just like you hear this false preaching, it makes you worry a little bit, right? But see, the Bible says that when you get saved, you're supposed to enter into that rest. In a saved person, they know they have eternal life. Now, let me just say this as a rabbit trail. Because there's a famous doctrine out there that basically teaches that you cannot know you're going to heaven, okay? And it's called Calvinism. Because there is not a single, and I've said this statement and Calvinists are lying when they go to YouTube and say that I'm wrong about this, there's not a single Calvinist that really believes in all five points that knows they're going to heaven. Say why? Because their evidence is their works. They think they're one of the elect, they don't know they're one of the elect. Why? It's impossible to know you're one of the elect if you're judging it based on your works. Say how do you know that? Because 1 John 5, 13 says you know because you believe. Any person who fully believes in Calvinism, they do not know they're going to heaven. And I said this over a year ago, and I don't care how many Calvinists comment on sermons such as this, I've not changed my opinion. You cannot know you're going to heaven if you fully believe in Calvinism. Why? That is part of their doctrine. That you can't know you're going to heaven. Because listen to John MacArthur, listen to John Piper, listen to R.C. Sproul, and they will say this in their videos. They will talk about the fact that R.C. Sproul is famous for this, because he doubts his salvation all the time, and he'll write about it. We made that clip on our old Verity channel where he's talking about there's this famous debate that basically took place, because he went to like Bible college or seminary. He's like there's this famous debate that took place on our campus seminary, and the question was can you really be 100% sure that you're on your way to heaven? It's this big debate on this Calvinist campus, and they're just arguing with one another. Why? Because their theology teaches you can't really know. The ones that say they are 100% sure, they're just more arrogant, because they know beyond a shadow of a doubt they're one of the elect. They don't know that though. They can't know that. I can't remember if it was John MacArthur or John Piper, but one of them was asked this question. I think it might have been John Piper. Is it possible though that you're deceived? That you're not really saved? And then they said yes, it is possible that even though I feel like I'm saved, and even though I'm doing the works, and I believe the right doctrines, it is possible because the Bible talks about people thinking they're saved and thinking they believe the right thing, but in actuality they're one of the ones that are deceived. But I'm not one of those people. But it is possible. It's like it is literally impossible to know you're going to heaven when you believe. And that's why when you look at the Puritans, they're very famous for this. They came from the Anglican church which split off. When King Henry VIII wanted divorce, he just split from the Catholic church. And then the Puritans came off of the Anglican line, and they were trying to purify the Church of England. They were the Protestants of the Church of England. They're purifying the Church of England. And basically when it came to the Puritans, they were Calvinists. And when they came to their deathbed, it was recorded as they're writing things throughout history about how they were all scared to death they were going to hell when they're on their deathbed. Now why would someone be scared to death they're going to hell if they know they're one of the elects? Because based on their theology, you can't really know that. How can you know you're going to heaven? What does 1 John 5, 13 say? These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God. That is how you know. That is the only way you can know you're going to heaven. Because if my salvation has anything to do with works, I can't know that. And if my validation of my salvation is based on my works, I can't know for sure. There's that video some of you guys have seen. I've shown some of you guys this where this woman comes to ask John MacArthur a question as they're having this big Calvinist forum. He's doing a question, Q and R or Q and A. And she's worried she's not one of the elects. She's like, how do I know I'm going to heaven? She's like, you know, how do I know I'm one of the elects? And she's like in tears as she's asking this question. And then what is John MacArthur's answer? Would you love God? If you love God, then you're one of the elects. Because no unsaved person loves God. Well, here's the thing. Everybody thinks they love God. What kind of an answer is that? Every single person that believes in God would say they love God. We'd run into LGBT people that would say they love God. It's not the God of the Bible, but they'd still say they love God. So what kind of an answer is that? That well, if you love God, that means you're one of the elect. It's like, that's not going to give you any comfort. Why? Because sometimes you love God and sometimes you don't. And the proof of whether or not you love God is your works. If you love me, keep my commandments. And if I'm being honest, there are times in my life I love God. There are times in my life I don't love God. So guess what? I'm sure that woman was still terrified. And I wish I could have been there to preach the gospel to her. And you know what? I hope she did hear the gospel and get saved. Because she obviously, she's never going to have that comfort. And so look, it doesn't matter if they tell you that they have this comfort. They really don't because you have to believe to know for sure you're going to have it. Now turn to Proverbs 13. Proverbs 13. Proverbs chapter 13. And I'll tell you, when I got saved, and I'm assuming it was probably the same way for all of us, I was worried I was going to hell for a couple of years before I got saved. Like I really, I was thinking about eternity. Like, am I going to heaven? What do you have to do to get to heaven? I didn't know. But I remember when I got saved, it was the biggest feeling of relief I've ever had in my life. I mean, it was indescribable. It was just like, wow. Cause I thought I was going to heaven before because I didn't drink. I didn't party. I was a good kid by people's standards. I thought I was going to heaven. But then when I actually got saved, I heard the gospel. And this feeling of relief swept over me. I was like, wow. I never have to worry anymore. And I want you to understand, obviously this is the way God wants you to feel because the Bible says you enter into that rest. He doesn't want you to worry about every night. Oh, am I going to go to hell when I die? But I want you to understand something that even though when you understand salvation clearly and you hear this sort of preaching, I don't think people in this room are going to doubt their salvation because we understand what salvation is and what is the heresy pretty well. But when you're living a sinful life, you're not going to have rest either. Now you're not going to question whether or not you're saved because we know that has nothing to do with salvation. But it's going to leave you with a life where you have no rest. Notice what it says in Proverbs 13 verse 15. Proverbs 13 verse 15. Good understanding giveth favor, but the way of transgressors is hard. See, the Bible says the way of transgressors, people that live a sinful life, it's hard. It's difficult. You could look at people that are homeless people. And I like to use the U.S. as an example because in the U.S., every single homeless person basically is a derelict and a loser. And they just drink away their lives. Pretty much every single homeless person in America is a drug addict, pretty much every single one of them. And they just live off the street just begging for food. You might say, wow, that seems like a really easy life. They just get to sit around. They don't have to do anything. No, actually the Bible says the way of transgressors is hard. And it's funny because these same people are out in the heat like 85 degrees begging for money and everything. They're working really hard just to survive out in the wilderness as they don't have a home. And it's like, you know, why don't you just get a job and your life is actually gonna be easier? It's not gonna be more difficult because when you live a sinful life, it's actually hard. I mean, you see a lot of homeless people, not really so much here, but they're always pushing these shopping carts and they're collecting all these cans because you get like, I don't know, like five cents if you return like the can or something to the government. So they're trying to find them everywhere they go and everything. They're out in the heat all day. Their skin is completely like really dark because they, you know, been out in the heat all day and everything like that. And look, the way of transgressors is hard. People that live lives, people that are drunks, that lifestyle's hard, why? You're always gonna be fighting with your spouse. Your kids aren't gonna love you and care about you if you're getting drunk every night. You're not gonna have any rest. You're gonna get fired from job after job after job. You're not gonna have any rest in your life. And when you live a sinful life, it actually leads to having no rest whatsoever. And so you kind of have your choice in life. If you decide to go all in and live for God, then you're gonna live a busy life. Right, going soul winning all the time, coming to church and everything, reading the Bible. And you might be tired all the time, but I want you to realize the alternative's not gonna give you any rest. You can either choose to just live a busy life but serve God and be happy, which you will be. Or you can basically live a sinful and worldly life and you're gonna find that your life actually gets more difficult. It doesn't get any easier. You say, how do you know that? How can I trust that? The Bible says the way of transgressors is hard. Okay, that's what the Bible says. If there's someone who's basically cheating on their spouse, they gotta put in a lot of energy to hide the fact that they're cheating on their spouse. The way of transgressors is hard. It's not easy, okay? That is what the Bible teaches. And so when it came to Jerusalem, and I understand lamentation's one, referring to Jerusalem as not us individually, but Jerusalem was basically very wicked and they had no rest, the Bible says. And I just wanna drive home the point as we're leaving here today, I want you to realize something. One, people that live sinful and worldly lives out there, they are not happy. We have the Bible that tells us that. People that are getting drunk, they are not happy. They're getting drunk because they're not happy. They just act like they're happy. People weep in the night. When you cry, you do it when nobody else is around. That is just the way it works, okay? People that are living sinful, wicked lives, don't be envious at them. And realize the foolish thought will come to our heads from time to time, like, man, I wish I could just have a little bit of a break. Just maybe go to the movies from time to time, listen to some of this music, not always just be on the go, reading the Bible and serving God. Look, that is actually what's gonna make you happy though. Serving God is what's gonna make you happy. That is what the Bible teaches. Let's close in word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here tonight and getting to see your scripture and Lamentations chapter one, God. Help us just be reminded of the fact that people that are not serving you and living sinful lives, they might act happy, but they're not happy. And their lives are actually very difficult. It's a hard life. The way of transgressors is hard. Help us realize, God, that we enter into this rest and us choosing to serve you in our free time by our free will choice, God, that will actually make us happy though. And the greatest friends you're ever gonna find are people that are inside of a church such as this, God. We just pray you help us always be reminded of this in Jesus' name, amen.