Do Not Fear: He Will Repay Our Enemies

Lamentations 3:43-66
November 1, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Last Sunday the Lord gave us words of encouragement for when we have fear before our enemies. We will have enemies because of our faith in Jesus. There will be suffering and persecution for us. Our enemies can make us feel like we are lost and without the Lord. And so we may have fear.

But our Lord encouraged us last Sunday with these wonderful and glorious words: “Do not fear!” There are two reasons why we should not be afraid. The first reason is because the Lord has redeemed us. The second reason is because the Lord will repay our enemies. If I could put it in the easiest language to remember, then I would say it like this. There is buyback and there is payback. The Lord has redeemed us and purchased us with his blood. That is his buyback. And the Lord will repay our enemies and take vengeance on them. That is his payback.

The narrator of Lamentations and the saints of old who experienced the fall and exile of Jerusalem had much to be afraid about when it came to their enemies. Their enemies brought them panic and destruction. Their enemies plotted vengeance and wrong against them. Their enemies taunted them. And their enemies hunted them down. This really happened for the narrator of Lamentations and the saints of old. And so they were very afraid.

But the Lord knew what his enemies were doing to his people. According to verses 59-61, the Lord saw all the wrong that was done. The Lord saw the vengeance and the plots of the enemies. The Lord heard their taunts. The Lord knew it all.

And the Lord promised to repay.

The narrator declared as a prophesy that the Lord will repay the enemies of his people. According to verses 64-66, he will curse them with dullness of heart. And he will pursue them in anger and destroy them. The Lord will harden their hearts so that they would be their own worst enemy. They would be unwilling to repent and avoid judgment like when the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And the Lord will hunt them down and bring them their own panic and destruction. This was his payback. The Lord will repay.

And the Lord did repay. The fall and exile of Jerusalem lasted for seventy years. But after that set amount of time, the Lord used the kingdom of Persia and Cyrus the Great to destroy the enemies of his people. The Lord did indeed repay.

This is so amazing. It is so amazing because it was so real. The Lord gave them a real reason to not be afraid. The payback was real. His repayment of their enemies was just as real, just as historical and objective for the saints of old, as when the Lord made the water of the Red Sea close over the heads of Pharaoh and his chariot army. The payback was real. This is so amazing. The Lord did what he said he would do. The Lord will repay.

But make no mistake. This repayment back then was only a picture and a preview of the ultimate repayment that is to come. The Lord will repay the enemies of his people - the Lord will repay his enemies - when he returns. On that day, the Lord will return to establish his everlasting kingdom and destroy every rule and every authority and power and put all his enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). On that day, the Lord will come and bring his recompense with him to repay his enemies for what they have done (Revelation 22:12). On that day, the Lord will manifest the glory of his justice in the damnation of his enemies who are unrepentant and wicked and disobedient to him, and he will cast them into eternal torments to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power (Westminster Confession of Faith 33-2). This ultimate repayment will come soon. This day, the Day of the Lord, will be the day of payback.

Therefore, God’s people can confess the words of the psalmist in the opening verses of Psalm 27. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

The Lord reminded his people back then about this gospel truth as they suffered from their enemies. And the Lord reminds us today about this gospel truth for when we suffer from our enemies.

Dear Highland, you will have enemies because of your faith in Jesus. There will be suffering and persecution for you. Your enemies can make you feel like you are lost and without the Lord. And so you may have fear.

But your Lord says these wonderful and glorious to you today: “Do not fear!” Do not fear because the Lord has redeemed you. And do not fear because the Lord will repay your enemies.

Therefore, dear Highland, do not be afraid when you try to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44). Do not be afraid when you try to bless them and not curse them (Romans 12:14). Do not be afraid when your enemy is hungry and your try to feed him, or when your enemy is thirsty and you try to give him something to drink (Romans 12:20).

This is not easy. But think carefully now. Can enemies become friends? Can the Lord give redemption instead of repayment to your enemies? Is it not true that you were once an enemy of the Lord?

This changes everything.

Can enemies become friends? Yes. Enemies can become friends. The Apostle Paul was one of scariest persecutors of the church. But while he was an enemy he was reconciled to God by the death of his Son.

Can the Lord give redemption instead of repayment to your enemies? Yes. The Lord can give redemption instead of repayment to your enemies. The enemy city of Nineveh received mercy and grace from the Lord. Jonah didn’t handle it too well. At the end of the day, he was wrong about the Lord.

Is it not true that you were once an enemy of the Lord? Yes, it is true. You were once an enemy of the Lord. You were once a sinner who deserved eternal punishment and wrath in hell. You deserved payback. But instead you got buyback. The Father has delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13). God shows his love for you in that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you (Romans 5:8). The Lord lamented over you. And so did your grandmother or whoever it was that prayed for you or talked to you about Jesus. You - an enemy of the Lord - you were shown mercy and grace, compassion and love. When you were hungry, the Lord fed you. When you were thirsty, the Lord gave you something to drink. It was the Lord’s kindness that led you to repentance (Romans 2:4). And now, you are no longer his enemy. Now, you are forever united with him.

This changes everything. This helps us to not be afraid before our enemies. We know what it is like to be an enemy. Why? We know that enemies can be redeemed. And we know that we will win at the end. Therefore, do not fear.

This changes everything. This helps us to not be afraid when we evangelize and share the gospel of Christ with others. Why? We know what it is like to be an enemy. We know that enemies can be redeemed. And we know that we will win at the end. Therefore, do not fear.

This changes everything. This helps us to not be afraid of suffering and humiliation and even death because of our faith in Jesus. Why? We know what it is like to be an enemy. We know that enemies can be redeemed. And we know that we will win at the end. Therefore, do not fear.

Dear Highland, may you be encouraged by the Lord this morning.

Come, Lord Jesus! Come back soon!

Soli Deo Gloria