Not Forsaken

my soul.

You may be seated.

Well, good morning, church.

It's good to be with you all this morning.

Would you turn with me to Isaiah chapter 49, verse 14.

Isaiah 49:14

Isaiah chapter 49, verse 14.

Isaiah 49:14

That's page 571 in the Pew Bible.

Page 571, Isaiah chapter 49.

Isaiah 49 · chapter mention

If you're visiting this morning, we're glad you're here.

Given the heat today, our sermon will be a little shorter than normal.

So if you're thinking, wow, that went by fast, don't worry.

Once the weather cools off, we'll spend more time diving into God's Word.

Or you might think, wow, I hope it's hot every Sunday because that sermon went by really fast.

But, well, as it is this morning, we'll keep it on the shorter side.

So Isaiah chapter 49, verse 14.

Isaiah 49:14

Let me pray for us as we come to God's Word today.

God, grant us today hearts that hear and receive your Word.

Encourage us and comfort us, God, with your grace and love.

In the name of Jesus we pray.

Amen.

All right.

Verse 14 of Isaiah chapter 49 says this.

Isaiah 49 · chapter mention

But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me.

My Lord has forgotten me.

But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me.

My Lord has forgotten me.

Have you ever been so downtrodden, so discouraged,

that you just can't seem to believe that God loves you, that He remembers you?

That's the situation we jump into here in Isaiah 49, 14.

Last week, Pastor Matt opened up for us the beginning of chapter 49,

which was all about the glorious servant Messiah who would come

and bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

What good news!

And yet, here the people, upon hearing this good news,

are so downtrodden, so discouraged, so despondent,

that they just can't believe it.

But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me.

My Lord has forgotten me.

They look at their circumstances and they think,

God's forgotten us.

Perhaps you're going through something right now.

A job loss, a difficult relationship,

a health crisis, a spiritual crisis.

And you think, the Lord's forsaken me.

My Lord has forgotten me.

Well, what is it that God wants to tell us today

through this passage of Isaiah?

Well, the word that He had for Old Testament Israel then

and the word that He has for you and me today is this.

Look at verse 15.

Can a woman forget her nursing child,

that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

Your walls are continually before me.

To our downtrodden hearts that just can't hear and believe God's love,

God comes tenderly and He says,

Look at that nursing mother holding her child tenderly in her arms.

Do you think that mother could forget her child?

Now ask any mother here and I'm sure they'd tell you the same thing.

Never!

You would never forget that.

I could never forget.

And the Lord says,

I'm like a nursing mother.

And if possible, even greater.

I will not forget you.

Like a diamond carving the most solid of stones.

Like a diamond carving its way into granite.

The Lord says,

I've engraved you on the palms of my hands.

You know, it's funny.

You can sort of always see your hands, can't you?

If you're kind of going about your day.

They're always sort of there in front of you.

And if you tattoo your hands,

you always see it.

And that's why the next line says,

Your walls are continually before me.

City walls in the ancient world defined and protected the city that they surrounded.

So God is saying poetically here,

All that you are,

all that you need,

I have it constantly in my mind.

So to those of us feeling forgotten,

this passage affirms in the most unrestrained way

that God will never forget His people.

But you know, God doesn't stop there.

He doesn't just sort of affirm His unforgetting love.

He unpacks it.

He wants to come with a healing word,

with a comforting word,

to those who are discouraged and despondent and bitter in soul.

So in the rest of chapter 49 and 50,

He drills down into this love.

He sort of picks up the diamond of His love

and He starts turning it around

so the rays might continue to reflect out of it

and capture our gaze

and so that our downtrodden hearts might believe it again,

this love that He affirms for us.

So first God says,

I see your losses

and I will restore you.

This is verses 17 through 21.

God says,

I see your losses

and I will restore you.

In verse 17,

you'll notice there's an ESV footnote

if you're looking at the text open,

right there in verse 17.

It's saying that the word builders

could also be translated children

and I actually think given the context,

that's a better read.

So listen to me read verses 17 through 21,

picking up that alternate reading.

Here God speaks to His bereaved people

who feel like they've lost everything

and He says to them,

look, your children make haste.

Your destroyers and those who laid you waste

go out from you.

Lift up your eyes around and see.

They all gather.

They come to you.

As I live, declares the Lord,

you shall put them all on as an ornament.

You shall bind them on as a bride does.

Surely your waste places

and your devastated land,

surely now you'll be too narrow

for your inhabitants.

Those who swallowed you up

will be far away.

The children of your bereavement

will yet say in your ears,

this place is too narrow for me.

Make room for me to dwell in.

Then you will say in your heart,

who has borne me these?

I was bereaved and barren,

exiled and put away.

But who's brought up these?

Behold, I was left alone

from where have these come?

So do you catch the imagery here?

God's people are pictured

like a childless parent here,

bereaved and empty.

But God says,

I see your losses

and I will restore.

I'll bring your sons

and your daughters back to you

and they will fill your land

to such an extent

that you'll think

you've run out of room.

It's as if the Lord comes to us

and says,

do you see the empty rooms

of your home?

Do you see those empty rooms

that you wish were filled

with the laughter of children?

Do you see those empty rooms

that you wish were filled

with the dirty dishes

and the played with toys

of a vibrant and bustling family?

Take a look at those empty rooms.

God says, I'm going to fill them.

I'm going to fill them so full

that you'll think

you'll need an addition

just to fit them all in.

Those empty rooms

that feel so spacious

and cavernous,

now I'm going to fill them

with so much life

that the rafters will feel

like they're going to break.

Now this promise

was spoken to a people in exile,

but the fulfillment

is so much greater

than the historical return

from exile in the 6th century.

As miraculous as that return was,

this promise had a scope,

a spiritual scope

that was so much greater.

After all,

the return in the 6th century

didn't break the bounds

of the land of Israel.

The return was pretty meager at first.

No, this promise

that God was making here

was about something greater.

It was about the full flowering

of the gospel,

the pouring out

of every spiritual blessing in Christ.

It's about the sovereignty

of our good God

restoring what the locusts have eaten,

not just in this life,

but in the life to come

when He will make all things new.

You see, Christian,

there's no loss

that you experience in this life

that God will not heal

and restore 100-fold.

Will you experience

some of that restoration

in this life?

Many times, yes!

But none of us

will experience it

in the full

until we see

the new creation dawn

and we are raised

anew with Christ.

You know,

the older I get,

and I'm not that old,

the more I long for heaven,

to be honest.

Not because I don't love

this world,

I do,

but because I know

and what God's Word tells us

is that what's coming

is so much greater.

the consummation,

the healing,

the restoration

of all that sin

has devoured and taken away.

God's love, friend,

sees your losses.

They're not lost on Him.

He sees your losses

and He says,

I'm going to restore.

That's how much I love you.

But the Lord goes on

to those of us

who are so discouraged

and so downcast

and so despondent

that we can't believe

God loves us.

He says,

not only do I see your losses

and I'll restore you,

God says,

I see your enemies

and I'll fight for you.

This is verses 22 through 26.

God says,

I see your enemies

and I will fight for you.

Let's pick up in verse 22.

Thus says the Lord God,

Behold,

I will lift up my hand

to the nations

and raise my signal

to the peoples

and they shall bring

your sons in their arms

and your daughters

shall be carried

on their shoulders.

Kings shall be

your foster fathers

and their queens

your nursing mothers

with their faces

to the ground.

They shall bow down to you

and lick the dust

of your feet.

Then you will know

that I am the Lord.

Those who wait for me

shall not be put to shame.

Can the prey

be taken from the mighty

or the captives

of a tyrant

be rescued?

Thus says the Lord,

Even the captives

of the mighty

shall be taken

and the prey

of the tyrant

be rescued.

For I will contend

with those

who contend with you

and I will save

your children.

I'll make your oppressors

eat their own flesh

and they shall be drunk

with their own blood

as with wine.

Then all flesh

shall know

that I am the Lord

your Savior

and your Redeemer,

the mighty one

of Jacob.

So the picture here

is of a God

who stands up

for his oppressed people.

They're trampled,

they're used

and abused

and God says,

I see your enemies

and I'll fight for you.

And this imagery

is strong,

isn't it?

The nations here,

Israel's enemies,

God says,

they'll bow down to you

and lick the dust

of your feet.

In other words,

God says,

they're going to be

a complete reversal.

The first shall be last

and the last shall be first.

And in verse 26,

there's talk of

the oppressors

eating their own flesh

and being drunk

with their own blood.

And that's a graphic image,

is it not,

of utter self-destruction.

Like a skyscraper

kind of crumbling

from the inside out,

collapsing under the weight

of its own decay

and deterioration.

These enemies

seem so powerful,

so invincible.

Those who trample you

underfoot

despise you

and use you.

But God says,

I see

and I know.

You might feel like

he's forgotten you,

but far from it

he will fight for you.

And then in verse 24,

this promise of God,

it just seems too impossible

to believe that people say,

can the prey be taken

from the mighty

or captives of a tyrant

be rescued?

You know,

can a squirrel be saved

from the jaws of a wolf?

I don't think you'll find

anything left

after you pry that thing

from its mouth.

Can an evil tyrant

be expected

to just release

their captives?

And humanly speaking,

the answer is no.

Perhaps some of the opposition

you feel up against

seems just as insurmountable.

The ravages of sin,

the rain of the wicked,

and the ever-present

shadow of death.

But God says,

listen,

I will contend

with those

who contend with you.

So I had the privilege

of growing up

with two older brothers.

Not just one,

but two.

And of course,

you know,

there is a cost

to being the youngest

of three boys.

Whenever my brothers

wanted to try out

a new wrestling move

that we had just watched

on WWF,

guess who was the recipient?

You know,

when Jimmy the Superfly Snooka

jumped off the top rope

to body slam

and pin his opponent,

you guessed it.

I was often the opponent,

right?

But I say I had the privilege

of growing up

with two older brothers.

Because out in the world,

you know,

when we were done

sort of playing,

I knew that anyone

who wanted to contend

with me

would have to contend

with them.

They weren't going

to let anyone mess

with their little brother.

They would step in

and fight for me.

Now,

maybe you didn't have

older brothers like that.

But here's the good news.

You do have a God

like that.

This is the God

who contends

for his people,

who fights for them.

This is the God

who enters the battle

against sin and death,

who triumphs

and who wins the victory

on our behalf.

And so do our downtrodden hearts,

our hearts that feel forsaken

and forgotten.

God comes and says,

I'll never forget you.

I see your losses

and I promise to restore.

I see your enemies

and I promise to fight for you.

But our text from Isaiah

goes even deeper.

It's tempting to doubt

God's love

when we've experienced loss.

Sometimes we experience

grave loss

and feel forgotten.

And it's tempting

to doubt God's love

when we've experienced defeat,

when we're feeling trampled

and ridiculed

and we feel forgotten.

But you know,

these external circumstances,

real as they are,

they perhaps don't touch

the deepest place

of our despair,

the deepest place

of our doubt.

Because the heart

that cries out,

the Lord has forsaken me,

my Lord has forgotten me,

the heart that makes

that cry,

from the most despondent place,

from the most

kind of wretched place,

is the heart that does so

not merely because

of external losses

or because of external opposition.

The deepest despairing

of God's love

comes from a place

of our own internal failures.

when our sins

and our wrongs

feel like a wave

crashing over our heads,

then our heart cries out

with despair,

surely the Lord

has forsaken me

and my Lord

has forgotten me.

Not because of what

others have done to me,

but because of what

I have done

or failed to do

before God.

And in that bitter place

of despair,

we think,

surely God

has forgotten me.

But listen,

as our text continues

into chapter 50,

God says,

I don't just see

your losses

and I don't just

see your enemies,

but I even see

your sin

and I haven't

forgotten you.

I see your sin

and I will

redeem you.

Let's pick up

in Isaiah chapter 50,

Isaiah 50:1

verse 1.

Thus says the Lord,

where is your mother's

certificate of divorce

with which I sent her away?

Or which of my creditors

is it

to whom I have sold you?

Now,

the answer

to these rhetorical questions

is that

there is no certificate

of divorce.

God has

no creditors.

How could the God

of the universe

owe anyone anything?

The people in exile

might feel

utterly forsaken,

but God has not

given up

His covenant love

with them.

They might feel

sold off into slavery,

but God doesn't have

any debts

that He has to pay.

So He says to them,

where is the

supposed certificate

of divorce

that I gave you?

Who are the supposed

creditors

that I had to sell you to?

There are none.

So why are they there?

Let's pick up.

Behold,

for your iniquities

you were sold,

and for your transgressions

your mother was sent away.

Why,

when I came,

was there no man?

Why,

when I called,

was there no one to answer?

You see,

the exile wasn't

because of some lack

in God,

a lack of God's power

or a lack of God's

covenant marital faithfulness

to His people,

or even a lack of God

pursuing them,

coming to them,

calling to them.

The exiled people

were there

because of their unfaithfulness,

because when God called,

no one answered.

So God sees their sin,

and He sees ours.

But is that the end?

The passage continues.

God says,

Is my hand shortened

that it cannot redeem?

Or have I no power

to deliver?

Behold,

by my rebuke,

I dry up the sea.

I make the rivers

a desert.

The fish stink

for lack of water

and die of thirst.

I clothe the heavens

with blackness

and make sackcloth

their covering.

God says,

Don't think for an instant

that I can't rescue you.

The imagery here

in these verses

is from the Exodus.

God drying up the sea,

turning the daylight black

to save His people

in power.

But the power of God,

the power of God,

isn't the ultimate expression

of God's redeeming love.

The Almighty God

sees your sin, yes,

and what does He do?

Well, at this point

in the text,

on to the stage

after God has just declared

His boundless power,

on to the stage

steps the servant.

In verse 4,

the third of Isaiah's

servant songs begins.

The first of these texts,

these songs,

as they're sometimes called,

the first of these servant songs

was back in chapter 42,

verses 1 through 9,

where the servant was seen

bringing justice,

that is bringing rightness

and wholeness,

bringing justice

to the nations.

And then the second servant song

was in chapter 49,

verses 1 through 13,

that we looked at last week,

where the servant is seen

bringing salvation,

not just to Israel,

but to the ends of the earth.

And now the servant steps

back into view here

in chapter 50, verse 4.

Just when God has exposed

our sin,

just when God has exposed

our unwillingness

to listen when He calls,

just when God has exposed

our unwillingness

to respond and turn

when He comes,

just when our sin is open

and exposed,

God says,

I'm mighty to redeem,

and redeem you I will.

And how will I do it?

Through my servant,

the servant who will listen

and who will obey

and who will suffer

and who will be vindicated

for your redemption.

Let's read verses 4 through 9.

The servant comes onto the stage

and now speaks and says,

The Lord God has given me

the tongue of those

who are taught

that I may know

how to sustain with a word

him who is weary.

Morning by morning,

He awakens.

He awakens my ear

to hear

as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear

and I was not rebellious.

I turned not backward.

I gave my back

to those who strike

and my cheeks

to those who pull out

the beard.

I hid not my face

from disgrace

and spitting.

But the Lord God helps me.

Therefore,

I have not been disgraced.

Therefore,

I have set my face

like flint

and I know

that I shall not

be put to shame.

He who vindicates me

is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who is my adversary?

Let him come near to me.

Behold,

the Lord God helps me.

Who will declare me guilty?

Behold,

all of them will wear out

like a garment.

The moth will eat them up.

Now,

this third passage

about the servant

portrays him

in verses 4 through 5.

Did you catch that?

As perfectly innocent.

He hears God's word

and he obeys.

But nevertheless,

in verses 6 and 7,

he's willing to be struck

as a result of that obedience.

To take the disgrace

and shame for Israel.

But he's able to take on

this substitutionary role

with God's help.

In verses 8 through 9,

his vindication

comes from above

and any accusers

who might try

to condemn him

or declare him guilty,

their case will be devoured

like a cloth

by the moths,

full of holes

with no substance at all.

Now,

what does this mean for us?

Well,

first,

is it not clear

that this servant song

is speaking about

the work of Christ

who gave his back

to those who strike,

his cheek

to those who pull out

the beard,

who didn't hide his face

from disgrace and spitting?

And Christ did this

for you

and for me.

So how should we respond

when our sins

testify against us?

When we're tempted

to doubt God's love

in light of our many

transgressions,

our only comfort

comes in such moments

from looking

to the suffering servant.

He was innocent

yet stricken

on our behalf

so that we might be free

from condemnation.

That's why Paul can say,

who will bring any charge

against God's elect?

It's God who justifies.

Who is to condemn?

Jesus Christ

is the one who died.

More than that,

who was raised,

who is at the right hand

of God,

who is interceding for us.

You see, friends,

God won't forget

your losses

and he won't forget

your enemies,

but he will

forget your sins.

What matchless grace!

Because of the servant's

suffering obedience

in our place,

God can forget

our sins

without forgetting us.

Do you doubt

God's love, friends?

Are you feeling

forgotten?

Look to the cross.

Do you see

what God was willing

to give up for you?

Do you see

how God was willing

to have his hands

pierced for you?

I've engraved you

on the palms

of my hands,

Isaiah 49, 16 says.

And of course,

for hundreds of years

before Christ,

every reader of the Bible

thought that was

just a metaphor.

But when the risen Jesus

comes to his frightened

and despairing disciples

and says,

look,

do you see the scars?

I've literally

engraved you

on the palms

of my hands.

For eternity,

the Lord Jesus

will bear

the marks

of his love

for you.

Forgotten?

Ever.

You are loved

forever

in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ.

And so,

how will we respond

this morning?

Well,

our passage ends

by saying

there's only two ways

to respond

to this great display

of God's love.

We can trust

in the name

of the Lord

or we can try

to build

our own fires

and light

our own paths.

Look with me

at verses 10 and 11.

Who among you

fears the Lord

and obeys

the voice

of his servant?

Let him

who walks

in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name

of the Lord

and rely

on his God.

But behold,

all you

who kindle

a fire,

who equip

yourselves

with burning

torches,

walk by the light

of your fire

and by the torches

that you have

kindled.

This you have

from my hand.

You shall lie

down in torment.

You see,

if we harden

our hearts

to God's love,

if we try

to walk

by the light

of our own fire

or by some other torch

that we've kindled,

the end won't be joy

but torment.

No other love

can rescue us

from sin.

No other love

can rescue us

from shame

and guilt.

No matter how brightly

we try to stoke

some other fire,

it will never be able

to light our darkness.

But God's love can.

The love of Christ

certainly can.

His love

that will never

forget you.

His love

that will never

forsake you.

The Father's love

that was willing

to send His Son

to suffer

and rise again

for you.

This is a love

that will light up

your life.

This is a love

that's worth living for.

This is the love

that will restore us

and fight for us

and redeem us.

Let's pray together.

Father, we open up

our hands

before You

this morning

and we open up

our hearts to You

and we pray

that by Your Holy Spirit

You would give us

eyes to see

the depth

of Your compassion

and love

and faithfulness

to us,

Your people.

Lord, I pray

especially for those

who are downcast

and burdened

and despairing.

Would Your comfort

draw near to them?

Help them, God,

to look up to Christ

and see the love

that can light their path

and grant them the faith

to trust in You.

We pray this

in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Friends, let's stand

and let's sing together.