26-0104p Transcript

(0:30) Good evening. (0:32) Sticking with the New Year’s theme. (0:36) The title is New Mercies for a New Year. We’re now four days into 2026 and the excitement of (0:45) New Year’s Day is settling into reality of ordinary days again. The fireworks are over, (0:53) the calendars are hung, and life is moving forward.

Some of us are still riding the wave (0:59) of fresh resolve. Others may already feel familiar tug of old habits or lingering burdens from last (1:06) year. Tonight I want to speak to every heart in this room, whether you feel hopeful or weary, (1:15) strong or fragile, with a message straight from God’s word that is perfect in this moment.

(1:23) New Mercies for a New Year. Our key verses come from one of the most surprising places in the (1:30) Bible to find hope, the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, (1:39) wrote this book in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction.

(1:44) The city lay in ruins. The temple was gone. The people were scared or in captivity.

(1:52) And grief hung heavy in the air. And right in the middle of this book of (1:58) laments, Jeremiah breaks through with one of the most beloved declarations in all of Scripture. (2:06) The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end. (2:12) They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3, 22-23. (2:21) New every morning. Not new every year.

Not new every decade. (2:28) Not new only when we feel we deserve it. New every single morning.

That is a promise we need (2:37) as we walk into 2026. Not a one-time reset on January 1st. A daily, fresh, never failing mercy (2:48) from a faithful God.

It’s like every day we wake up, we get new mercy from the Lord. (2:58) This evening we’ll look at the promise in three parts. (3:03) The context of despair.

Why Jeremiah could say this in his darkest moment. (3:10) Two, the content of God’s mercy. What new every morning actually means.

(3:17) Three, the call to daily dependence. How we might live in light of this truth in 2026. (3:26) Let’s look at more of this passage as we begin.

Lamentations 3, 19-26. (3:33) The thought of my affliction and my wanderings. The wormwood and the gall.

(3:39) My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. (3:45) But this I call the mind and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

(3:52) His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

(3:59) The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good to those (4:06) who wait for him.

To the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the (4:14) salvation of the Lord. To appreciate the power of verses 22-23, we might have to feel the weight (4:24) of what comes before them.

Jeremiah begins chapter 3 with a raw, honest lament. I am the man who has (4:34) seen affliction under the rod of his wrath. He has driven and brought me into the darkness without (4:42) any light.

He has made my teeth grind on gravel and made me cower in ashes. My soul is bereft of (4:51) peace. I have forgotten what happiness is.

So I say my endurance has perished. So has my hope (4:59) from the Lord. This is not mild disappointment.

This is soul-crushing despair. Jeremiah feels (5:09) abandoned by God. Crushed under judgment and stripped of joy and hope.

This is similar to David (5:20) when we recall in Psalms. Psalms 6-7. I am weary with my groaning.

All night I make my bed swim. (5:30) I drench my couch with tears. My eyes waste away because of grief.

It grows old because of all the (5:37) enemies. So many of us know a season like that. We have pain and suffering, so much pain you can’t (5:47) sleep at night.

Maybe you’re in tears from grief. Perhaps 2025 brought loss, a loved one, a job, (5:57) health, a dream. Perhaps you carry secret pain, depression, addiction, marriage struggles, (6:07) wayward children, financial pressure.

Perhaps you simply feel worn down by the daily grind, (6:17) wondering if anything will ever change. I’m sure some of us experience some of this stuff. (6:25) I know it’s been a rough year for a lot of people, a lot of sickness.

(6:30) You know, even with Tom, his wife just passed away. We had other deaths. (6:34) We had a lot of people struggling with health, the political turmoil, everything else constantly (6:41) keeps us on our toes and anxious.

Near and Mine’s honesty teaches us something vital. (6:51) God can handle our darkest thoughts. We don’t have to pretend with him.

We can bring our grief, (6:58) our questions, our exhaustion right into his presence. (7:04) But notice what Jeremiah does next. In verse 21 he says, (7:10) But this I call the mind, and therefore I have hope.

(7:15) He doesn’t deny the pain. He refuses to stay stuck in it. He deliberately turns his mind to the truth (7:23) about God, and that truth changes everything.

(7:28) Despair is loud, but mercy is quiet. It is stronger. We must learn to call (7:36) to mind God’s character when circumstances scream the opposite.

(7:44) Now let’s look closely at what Jeremiah declares. First, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. (7:54) The Hebrew word has said God’s covenant-keeping, loyal, unfailing love is not based on our (8:03) performance.

It never runs out. We love this no matter what. Thankfully, because I screw up a lot, (8:13) and I’m sure many of you do too.

Even when Israel had broken the covenant through idolatry and (8:19) injustice, God’s love did not cease. Even when we fail, his love does not cease. (8:30) Second, his mercies never come to an end.

Mercy here is compassionate, tender release. (8:39) God is not a harsh taskmaster waiting for us to get it right. He is a father who pities his (8:46) children.

Psalm 103, 13, another preacher described, God’s not sitting in a cloud waiting (8:56) to strike us with a lightning bolt if we screw up. He’s merciful. He’s compassionate.

You know, (9:06) he’s long-suffering. So second, or third, his mercies are new every morning. This is the heart (9:17) of our message today.

God does not give us a lifetime supply of mercy on January 1st and say, (9:25) make it last. He replenishes it daily like manna in the wilderness. Every sunrise is a fresh (9:35) delivery of mercy.

Every new day is evidence that God has not given up on you. Every single day you (9:43) wake up, God has new mercies for us. Every morning, it’s almost like a reset.

You know, (9:51) you start over. You might have screwed up the night before. You might have had the worst day (9:56) of your life, but the next day is a whole new day.

You don’t know what’s going to happen. (10:03) Fourth, great is your faithfulness. Not great is my faithfulness.

God’s faithfulness is great (10:12) even when ours is small. He remains true to his promises, his character, his people. (10:20) This daily mercy is echoed elsewhere in scripture.

Isaiah 40, 31. But they who wait on the Lord shall (10:28) renew their strength. Psalm 65, 11.

You crown the year with your bounty. Joel 2, 25. God’s promised (10:39) to restore the year that the locusts have eaten.

Even the structure of creation testifies to this. (10:47) The sun rises every morning without fail. Sleep resets their bodies.

Seasons turn. (10:55) God builds daily renewal into the fabric of the world. Why do we need new mercy every morning? (11:04) Because we are frail.

We sin daily. We grow weary. We forget.

We fail. Our resolutions crumble. (11:15) But God’s mercy does not.

Think about how quickly New Year’s resolutions often fail. (11:23) Studies show most are abandoned within weeks. We talked about that this morning.

You know, (11:30) many of us want to have New Year’s resolutions, but they end up failing pretty quickly. (11:37) Why? We overestimate our strength and underestimate our need. (11:43) We think one big push will fix everything.

God knows better. He designed us for daily dependence, (11:52) not annual independence. So what does it look like to live under new every morning mercy in 2026? (12:04) Jeremiah gives us three responses in verses 24 through 26.

(12:10) One, declare God as your portion. Verse 24. The Lord is my portion, says my soul.

(12:18) Therefore, I will hope in him. A portion was an inheritance. Jeremiah had lost everything.

(12:27) City, temple, security. But he still had God, and God was enough. (12:34) In 2026, circumstances will change.

Health, finances, relationship. These are all temporary. (12:43) But God is your permanent portion.

When you wake up each morning, say with Jeremiah, (12:50) Lord, you are mine and I am yours. That is enough. Two, wait for and seek the Lord.

Verse 25. (13:03) The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. Waiting is not passive.

(13:11) It is active trust. Seeking is deliberate pursuit through prayer, scripture, worship, obedience. (13:21) Daily dependence looks like starting each morning seeking God before scrolling through your phone, (13:26) before checking email, before the demands of the day rush in.

How many of us nowadays get up and (13:34) check our phone first thing? I know I do. Every day I get up, it’s like, well, what’s on my phone? (13:43) I missed a call. Did I get an email, a text? So we got to put God first.

First thing in the morning, (13:54) we should hit our knees and pray or open our Bible. Put our phone to the side for a while. (14:02) Number three is wait quietly for his salvation.

Verse 26. It is good that one should wait quietly (14:12) for the salvation of the Lord. Quiet trust, not frantic striving, not anxious complaining, (14:22) resting in God’s timing and goodness.

(14:27) Paul echoes this forward focus in Philippians 3, 13-14. Forgetting what lies behind, (14:35) pressing on towards the goal. We don’t drag yesterday’s failures into today’s mercy.

(14:42) Matthew 6, 34. Jesus said, do not be anxious about tomorrow. (14:49) Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

That’s great advice. You know, we shouldn’t worry about (14:57) the future. We’ve got enough problems just today.

Each day has enough grades for that day’s needs. (15:08) Tomorrow will have its own fresh supply. Look at some practical steps for 2026.

(15:16) Let me close with seven practical ways to live in daily mercy this year. (15:25) One, begin each day with gratitude and surrender. Before your feet hit the floor, (15:32) thank God for new mercy.

Confess yesterday’s sins. Surrender today’s plans. (15:41) Two, feed on God’s word every morning.

Even five minutes in Psalms or the Gospels (15:48) resets your perspective. It doesn’t take much. If you commit yourself to five minutes, (15:56) oftentimes you’ll end up reading for 10 or a half an hour or even longer.

(16:02) Pray simply. Number three, Lord, I need you today. Admit dependence early and often.

(16:12) Four, when you fail, run quickly to grace. Don’t wallow. First John 1, 9 is still true (16:20) every single day.

End each day with reflection and rest. Thank God for mercy seen and unseen. (16:30) Release tomorrow to Him.

Build rhythms of Sabbath rest. One day a week to see striving and remembering (16:40) God’s faithfulness. So even though we don’t worship on the Sabbath, we can still take a day (16:47) to rest and think about God and take it easy.

Share the mercy you receive. Encourage someone else (16:57) with the same truth that sustains you. You know, we’ve done how many studies on going to others, (17:05) helping others out, bringing the word to others, encouraging.

So another thing we can do, we can go (17:14) out, tell others about Christ, spread the gospel. 2026 will not be perfect. There will be hard days, (17:28) but there will never be a day without new mercy.

The same God who sustained Jeremiah in the ashes (17:35) of Jerusalem will sustain you through whatever this year brings. The same God who raised Jesus (17:43) on the third day gives resurrection life every morning. The same God who led Israel through the (17:53) manna will lead you daily with grace.

Just as Jeremiah wrote, the steadfast love of the Lord (18:02) never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.

Great is your (18:09) faithfulness. May that be the song of our hearts all year long. If today you need to begin receiving (18:18) God’s mercy through faith in Christ, or if you need prayer to release burdens and embrace daily (18:25) grace, come forward.

Go in peace, carrying fresh mercy for this day and hope for every tomorrow.