WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.759 my soul. 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:06.200 You may be seated. 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:16.920 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:19.980 It's good to be with you all this morning. 00:00:20.080 --> 00:00:25.900 Would you turn with me to Isaiah chapter 49, verse 14. 00:00:26.900 --> 00:00:29.480 Isaiah chapter 49, verse 14. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.840 That's page 571 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:35.820 Page 571, Isaiah chapter 49. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:38.259 If you're visiting this morning, we're glad you're here. 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:41.980 Given the heat today, our sermon will be a little shorter than normal. 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:46.500 So if you're thinking, wow, that went by fast, don't worry. 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:50.240 Once the weather cools off, we'll spend more time diving into God's Word. 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:55.799 Or you might think, wow, I hope it's hot every Sunday because that sermon went by really fast. 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:59.979 But, well, as it is this morning, we'll keep it on the shorter side. 00:01:00.059 --> 00:01:02.640 So Isaiah chapter 49, verse 14. 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:04.579 Let me pray for us as we come to God's Word today. 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:10.899 God, grant us today hearts that hear and receive your Word. 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:15.519 Encourage us and comfort us, God, with your grace and love. 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:17.900 In the name of Jesus we pray. 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:18.820 Amen. 00:01:20.160 --> 00:01:20.840 All right. 00:01:21.020 --> 00:01:24.620 Verse 14 of Isaiah chapter 49 says this. 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:29.680 But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me. 00:01:30.520 --> 00:01:33.420 My Lord has forgotten me. 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:37.879 But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me. 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:40.420 My Lord has forgotten me. 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:46.359 Have you ever been so downtrodden, so discouraged, 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:53.900 that you just can't seem to believe that God loves you, that He remembers you? 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:58.320 That's the situation we jump into here in Isaiah 49, 14. 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:01.740 Last week, Pastor Matt opened up for us the beginning of chapter 49, 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:05.539 which was all about the glorious servant Messiah who would come 00:02:05.539 --> 00:02:07.859 and bring salvation to the ends of the earth. 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:08.740 What good news! 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:13.780 And yet, here the people, upon hearing this good news, 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:18.180 are so downtrodden, so discouraged, so despondent, 00:02:19.319 --> 00:02:20.759 that they just can't believe it. 00:02:21.859 --> 00:02:24.840 But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me. 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:27.379 My Lord has forgotten me. 00:02:27.379 --> 00:02:30.819 They look at their circumstances and they think, 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:33.120 God's forgotten us. 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:36.659 Perhaps you're going through something right now. 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:40.900 A job loss, a difficult relationship, 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.019 a health crisis, a spiritual crisis. 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.579 And you think, the Lord's forsaken me. 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:50.639 My Lord has forgotten me. 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:55.219 Well, what is it that God wants to tell us today 00:02:55.219 --> 00:02:56.799 through this passage of Isaiah? 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:00.899 Well, the word that He had for Old Testament Israel then 00:03:00.899 --> 00:03:03.719 and the word that He has for you and me today is this. 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:05.039 Look at verse 15. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:09.060 Can a woman forget her nursing child, 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:12.340 that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? 00:03:13.299 --> 00:03:17.680 Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 00:03:18.459 --> 00:03:22.639 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:25.659 Your walls are continually before me. 00:03:27.359 --> 00:03:31.060 To our downtrodden hearts that just can't hear and believe God's love, 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:32.680 God comes tenderly and He says, 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:37.439 Look at that nursing mother holding her child tenderly in her arms. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.219 Do you think that mother could forget her child? 00:03:41.260 --> 00:03:43.920 Now ask any mother here and I'm sure they'd tell you the same thing. 00:03:44.760 --> 00:03:45.200 Never! 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:47.159 You would never forget that. 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:49.819 I could never forget. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:51.780 And the Lord says, 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:54.020 I'm like a nursing mother. 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:56.460 And if possible, even greater. 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:58.980 I will not forget you. 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:03.159 Like a diamond carving the most solid of stones. 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:05.719 Like a diamond carving its way into granite. 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:06.259 The Lord says, 00:04:06.359 --> 00:04:08.560 I've engraved you on the palms of my hands. 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:10.819 You know, it's funny. 00:04:10.959 --> 00:04:13.519 You can sort of always see your hands, can't you? 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:14.819 If you're kind of going about your day. 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:17.279 They're always sort of there in front of you. 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:19.439 And if you tattoo your hands, 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:21.259 you always see it. 00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:24.719 And that's why the next line says, 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:26.480 Your walls are continually before me. 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:30.819 City walls in the ancient world defined and protected the city that they surrounded. 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:32.399 So God is saying poetically here, 00:04:33.019 --> 00:04:33.860 All that you are, 00:04:34.339 --> 00:04:35.579 all that you need, 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:38.420 I have it constantly in my mind. 00:04:40.599 --> 00:04:42.480 So to those of us feeling forgotten, 00:04:42.699 --> 00:04:46.139 this passage affirms in the most unrestrained way 00:04:46.139 --> 00:04:49.439 that God will never forget His people. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:52.439 But you know, God doesn't stop there. 00:04:52.539 --> 00:04:55.399 He doesn't just sort of affirm His unforgetting love. 00:04:55.719 --> 00:04:56.639 He unpacks it. 00:04:57.399 --> 00:04:59.899 He wants to come with a healing word, 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:01.339 with a comforting word, 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.159 to those who are discouraged and despondent and bitter in soul. 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:06.139 So in the rest of chapter 49 and 50, 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:08.419 He drills down into this love. 00:05:08.539 --> 00:05:10.539 He sort of picks up the diamond of His love 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:12.020 and He starts turning it around 00:05:12.020 --> 00:05:15.319 so the rays might continue to reflect out of it 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:16.400 and capture our gaze 00:05:16.400 --> 00:05:19.360 and so that our downtrodden hearts might believe it again, 00:05:20.280 --> 00:05:21.939 this love that He affirms for us. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:24.640 So first God says, 00:05:25.640 --> 00:05:26.780 I see your losses 00:05:26.780 --> 00:05:29.120 and I will restore you. 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:32.200 This is verses 17 through 21. 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:32.660 God says, 00:05:32.780 --> 00:05:34.280 I see your losses 00:05:34.280 --> 00:05:36.220 and I will restore you. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:37.920 In verse 17, 00:05:38.020 --> 00:05:39.860 you'll notice there's an ESV footnote 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:41.240 if you're looking at the text open, 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:42.560 right there in verse 17. 00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:44.699 It's saying that the word builders 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:46.660 could also be translated children 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:48.660 and I actually think given the context, 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:49.699 that's a better read. 00:05:50.139 --> 00:05:52.560 So listen to me read verses 17 through 21, 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:53.780 picking up that alternate reading. 00:05:54.960 --> 00:05:56.600 Here God speaks to His bereaved people 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:58.100 who feel like they've lost everything 00:05:58.100 --> 00:05:59.480 and He says to them, 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:02.340 look, your children make haste. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:05.379 Your destroyers and those who laid you waste 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:06.060 go out from you. 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:07.360 Lift up your eyes around and see. 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:08.040 They all gather. 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:08.800 They come to you. 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:10.139 As I live, declares the Lord, 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:12.100 you shall put them all on as an ornament. 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:14.520 You shall bind them on as a bride does. 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:15.699 Surely your waste places 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:16.920 and your devastated land, 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:19.199 surely now you'll be too narrow 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:20.100 for your inhabitants. 00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:22.080 Those who swallowed you up 00:06:22.080 --> 00:06:23.139 will be far away. 00:06:23.939 --> 00:06:25.280 The children of your bereavement 00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:26.400 will yet say in your ears, 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:28.379 this place is too narrow for me. 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:30.139 Make room for me to dwell in. 00:06:31.379 --> 00:06:32.460 Then you will say in your heart, 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:34.259 who has borne me these? 00:06:34.259 --> 00:06:36.060 I was bereaved and barren, 00:06:36.199 --> 00:06:37.240 exiled and put away. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:39.360 But who's brought up these? 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:41.860 Behold, I was left alone 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:42.819 from where have these come? 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:45.519 So do you catch the imagery here? 00:06:45.599 --> 00:06:46.539 God's people are pictured 00:06:46.539 --> 00:06:48.459 like a childless parent here, 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:49.719 bereaved and empty. 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:50.639 But God says, 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:51.839 I see your losses 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:53.319 and I will restore. 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:54.240 I'll bring your sons 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:55.519 and your daughters back to you 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:57.279 and they will fill your land 00:06:57.279 --> 00:06:58.620 to such an extent 00:06:58.620 --> 00:06:59.399 that you'll think 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:00.300 you've run out of room. 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:03.160 It's as if the Lord comes to us 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:03.480 and says, 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:05.400 do you see the empty rooms 00:07:05.400 --> 00:07:06.620 of your home? 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:09.139 Do you see those empty rooms 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:10.259 that you wish were filled 00:07:10.259 --> 00:07:11.420 with the laughter of children? 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:13.819 Do you see those empty rooms 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:14.840 that you wish were filled 00:07:14.840 --> 00:07:16.280 with the dirty dishes 00:07:16.280 --> 00:07:17.980 and the played with toys 00:07:17.980 --> 00:07:19.860 of a vibrant and bustling family? 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:22.840 Take a look at those empty rooms. 00:07:24.019 --> 00:07:25.180 God says, I'm going to fill them. 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:27.860 I'm going to fill them so full 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:29.199 that you'll think 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:30.219 you'll need an addition 00:07:30.219 --> 00:07:31.699 just to fit them all in. 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:33.079 Those empty rooms 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:34.039 that feel so spacious 00:07:34.039 --> 00:07:34.899 and cavernous, 00:07:35.159 --> 00:07:36.659 now I'm going to fill them 00:07:36.659 --> 00:07:37.860 with so much life 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:39.019 that the rafters will feel 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:39.819 like they're going to break. 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:42.819 Now this promise 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:44.300 was spoken to a people in exile, 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:46.180 but the fulfillment 00:07:46.180 --> 00:07:47.180 is so much greater 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:49.279 than the historical return 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:50.779 from exile in the 6th century. 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:53.360 As miraculous as that return was, 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:54.779 this promise had a scope, 00:07:55.139 --> 00:07:56.439 a spiritual scope 00:07:56.439 --> 00:07:57.740 that was so much greater. 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:00.019 After all, 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:01.379 the return in the 6th century 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:02.480 didn't break the bounds 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:03.319 of the land of Israel. 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:05.360 The return was pretty meager at first. 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:06.900 No, this promise 00:08:06.900 --> 00:08:08.040 that God was making here 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:09.579 was about something greater. 00:08:10.960 --> 00:08:13.800 It was about the full flowering 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:14.900 of the gospel, 00:08:15.660 --> 00:08:16.740 the pouring out 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:19.259 of every spiritual blessing in Christ. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:21.680 It's about the sovereignty 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:22.860 of our good God 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:25.360 restoring what the locusts have eaten, 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:27.819 not just in this life, 00:08:28.580 --> 00:08:30.040 but in the life to come 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:32.120 when He will make all things new. 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:34.720 You see, Christian, 00:08:34.800 --> 00:08:36.240 there's no loss 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:38.539 that you experience in this life 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:40.740 that God will not heal 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:43.279 and restore 100-fold. 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:46.200 Will you experience 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:47.000 some of that restoration 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:47.860 in this life? 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:48.860 Many times, yes! 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.399 But none of us 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:52.800 will experience it 00:08:52.800 --> 00:08:53.580 in the full 00:08:53.580 --> 00:08:55.379 until we see 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:56.519 the new creation dawn 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:58.080 and we are raised 00:08:58.080 --> 00:08:58.899 anew with Christ. 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:00.740 You know, 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:01.460 the older I get, 00:09:01.659 --> 00:09:02.560 and I'm not that old, 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:04.980 the more I long for heaven, 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:06.060 to be honest. 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:08.500 Not because I don't love 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:08.960 this world, 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:09.480 I do, 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:11.899 but because I know 00:09:11.899 --> 00:09:14.100 and what God's Word tells us 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:14.940 is that what's coming 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:16.019 is so much greater. 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:18.460 the consummation, 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:19.199 the healing, 00:09:19.319 --> 00:09:19.960 the restoration 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:20.960 of all that sin 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:22.379 has devoured and taken away. 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:25.159 God's love, friend, 00:09:25.379 --> 00:09:26.439 sees your losses. 00:09:26.699 --> 00:09:27.960 They're not lost on Him. 00:09:28.439 --> 00:09:29.600 He sees your losses 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:30.159 and He says, 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:31.860 I'm going to restore. 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:33.579 That's how much I love you. 00:09:36.079 --> 00:09:37.340 But the Lord goes on 00:09:37.340 --> 00:09:38.980 to those of us 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:39.860 who are so discouraged 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:41.000 and so downcast 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:41.819 and so despondent 00:09:41.819 --> 00:09:42.679 that we can't believe 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:43.319 God loves us. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:43.659 He says, 00:09:44.059 --> 00:09:45.460 not only do I see your losses 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:46.440 and I'll restore you, 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:48.040 God says, 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:48.940 I see your enemies 00:09:48.940 --> 00:09:50.759 and I'll fight for you. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.120 This is verses 22 through 26. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:54.560 God says, 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:55.420 I see your enemies 00:09:55.420 --> 00:09:56.960 and I will fight for you. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.720 Let's pick up in verse 22. 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:00.960 Thus says the Lord God, 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:01.540 Behold, 00:10:02.180 --> 00:10:03.340 I will lift up my hand 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:03.980 to the nations 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:05.000 and raise my signal 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:05.600 to the peoples 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:06.800 and they shall bring 00:10:06.800 --> 00:10:07.940 your sons in their arms 00:10:07.940 --> 00:10:09.000 and your daughters 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:09.560 shall be carried 00:10:09.560 --> 00:10:10.280 on their shoulders. 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:11.620 Kings shall be 00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:12.500 your foster fathers 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:13.800 and their queens 00:10:13.800 --> 00:10:14.980 your nursing mothers 00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:16.019 with their faces 00:10:16.019 --> 00:10:16.800 to the ground. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:18.220 They shall bow down to you 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:19.360 and lick the dust 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:19.940 of your feet. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:21.980 Then you will know 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:22.700 that I am the Lord. 00:10:23.420 --> 00:10:24.279 Those who wait for me 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:25.420 shall not be put to shame. 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:27.080 Can the prey 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:28.139 be taken from the mighty 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:29.519 or the captives 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:30.080 of a tyrant 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:30.720 be rescued? 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:32.639 Thus says the Lord, 00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:34.240 Even the captives 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:34.720 of the mighty 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:35.639 shall be taken 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:36.820 and the prey 00:10:36.820 --> 00:10:37.379 of the tyrant 00:10:37.379 --> 00:10:38.180 be rescued. 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:41.080 For I will contend 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:42.060 with those 00:10:42.060 --> 00:10:43.120 who contend with you 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:44.820 and I will save 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:45.299 your children. 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:47.159 I'll make your oppressors 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:48.039 eat their own flesh 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:49.419 and they shall be drunk 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:50.060 with their own blood 00:10:50.060 --> 00:10:50.720 as with wine. 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:52.179 Then all flesh 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:52.580 shall know 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:53.500 that I am the Lord 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:54.080 your Savior 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:55.679 and your Redeemer, 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:56.980 the mighty one 00:10:56.980 --> 00:10:57.399 of Jacob. 00:10:58.980 --> 00:10:59.960 So the picture here 00:10:59.960 --> 00:11:00.700 is of a God 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:02.220 who stands up 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:03.779 for his oppressed people. 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:04.879 They're trampled, 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:05.840 they're used 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:06.519 and abused 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:07.139 and God says, 00:11:07.580 --> 00:11:08.519 I see your enemies 00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:09.860 and I'll fight for you. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:11.259 And this imagery 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:12.000 is strong, 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:12.439 isn't it? 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:14.279 The nations here, 00:11:14.439 --> 00:11:15.319 Israel's enemies, 00:11:15.899 --> 00:11:16.460 God says, 00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:17.620 they'll bow down to you 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:18.460 and lick the dust 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:19.139 of your feet. 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:20.720 In other words, 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:21.120 God says, 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:21.639 they're going to be 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:23.080 a complete reversal. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:25.379 The first shall be last 00:11:25.379 --> 00:11:27.360 and the last shall be first. 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:29.039 And in verse 26, 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:29.759 there's talk of 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:30.580 the oppressors 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:31.960 eating their own flesh 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:32.740 and being drunk 00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:33.779 with their own blood. 00:11:34.779 --> 00:11:36.620 And that's a graphic image, 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:37.100 is it not, 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:39.200 of utter self-destruction. 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:41.120 Like a skyscraper 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:42.120 kind of crumbling 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:43.299 from the inside out, 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:44.940 collapsing under the weight 00:11:44.940 --> 00:11:45.840 of its own decay 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:47.220 and deterioration. 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:48.740 These enemies 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:49.860 seem so powerful, 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:50.879 so invincible. 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:52.779 Those who trample you 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:53.460 underfoot 00:11:53.460 --> 00:11:55.060 despise you 00:11:55.060 --> 00:11:55.840 and use you. 00:11:57.419 --> 00:11:58.220 But God says, 00:11:58.320 --> 00:11:58.779 I see 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:00.419 and I know. 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:02.919 You might feel like 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:03.799 he's forgotten you, 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:05.620 but far from it 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.440 he will fight for you. 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:10.100 And then in verse 24, 00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:11.379 this promise of God, 00:12:11.420 --> 00:12:12.379 it just seems too impossible 00:12:12.379 --> 00:12:13.379 to believe that people say, 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:14.200 can the prey be taken 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:14.820 from the mighty 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:16.159 or captives of a tyrant 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:16.720 be rescued? 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:18.040 You know, 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:19.779 can a squirrel be saved 00:12:19.779 --> 00:12:20.960 from the jaws of a wolf? 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:22.279 I don't think you'll find 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:22.899 anything left 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:23.879 after you pry that thing 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:24.540 from its mouth. 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:26.259 Can an evil tyrant 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:26.940 be expected 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:28.100 to just release 00:12:28.100 --> 00:12:28.940 their captives? 00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:31.139 And humanly speaking, 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:32.300 the answer is no. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:36.120 Perhaps some of the opposition 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:37.100 you feel up against 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:39.420 seems just as insurmountable. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:42.180 The ravages of sin, 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:44.180 the rain of the wicked, 00:12:45.180 --> 00:12:46.259 and the ever-present 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:47.180 shadow of death. 00:12:49.220 --> 00:12:50.159 But God says, 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:50.500 listen, 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:53.200 I will contend 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:54.460 with those 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:55.540 who contend with you. 00:12:57.779 --> 00:12:58.820 So I had the privilege 00:12:58.820 --> 00:12:59.600 of growing up 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:01.180 with two older brothers. 00:13:01.540 --> 00:13:02.200 Not just one, 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:02.860 but two. 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:05.159 And of course, 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:05.399 you know, 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:06.200 there is a cost 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:07.720 to being the youngest 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:08.820 of three boys. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:10.500 Whenever my brothers 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:11.659 wanted to try out 00:13:11.659 --> 00:13:13.060 a new wrestling move 00:13:13.060 --> 00:13:14.480 that we had just watched 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:15.620 on WWF, 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:17.300 guess who was the recipient? 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:18.200 You know, 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.899 when Jimmy the Superfly Snooka 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:21.500 jumped off the top rope 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:22.419 to body slam 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:23.340 and pin his opponent, 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:24.899 you guessed it. 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:26.340 I was often the opponent, 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:26.980 right? 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:30.480 But I say I had the privilege 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:31.480 of growing up 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:32.320 with two older brothers. 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:35.320 Because out in the world, 00:13:36.120 --> 00:13:36.379 you know, 00:13:36.420 --> 00:13:36.980 when we were done 00:13:36.980 --> 00:13:37.620 sort of playing, 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.920 I knew that anyone 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:40.900 who wanted to contend 00:13:40.900 --> 00:13:41.420 with me 00:13:41.420 --> 00:13:43.640 would have to contend 00:13:43.640 --> 00:13:44.100 with them. 00:13:46.560 --> 00:13:47.460 They weren't going 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:48.260 to let anyone mess 00:13:48.260 --> 00:13:49.080 with their little brother. 00:13:49.260 --> 00:13:50.240 They would step in 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:51.340 and fight for me. 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:52.640 Now, 00:13:53.640 --> 00:13:54.940 maybe you didn't have 00:13:54.940 --> 00:13:55.920 older brothers like that. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:58.220 But here's the good news. 00:13:59.180 --> 00:14:00.300 You do have a God 00:14:00.300 --> 00:14:00.800 like that. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:03.040 This is the God 00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:04.180 who contends 00:14:04.180 --> 00:14:04.960 for his people, 00:14:05.060 --> 00:14:06.100 who fights for them. 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:07.320 This is the God 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:08.340 who enters the battle 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:09.620 against sin and death, 00:14:09.780 --> 00:14:10.800 who triumphs 00:14:10.800 --> 00:14:11.960 and who wins the victory 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:12.800 on our behalf. 00:14:14.260 --> 00:14:16.040 And so do our downtrodden hearts, 00:14:16.100 --> 00:14:17.300 our hearts that feel forsaken 00:14:17.300 --> 00:14:17.879 and forgotten. 00:14:18.060 --> 00:14:18.900 God comes and says, 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:20.260 I'll never forget you. 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:24.259 I see your losses 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:25.939 and I promise to restore. 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.120 I see your enemies 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:29.240 and I promise to fight for you. 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:32.819 But our text from Isaiah 00:14:32.819 --> 00:14:33.580 goes even deeper. 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:36.259 It's tempting to doubt 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:36.860 God's love 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:38.179 when we've experienced loss. 00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:40.480 Sometimes we experience 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:41.360 grave loss 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:42.740 and feel forgotten. 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:44.600 And it's tempting 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:45.519 to doubt God's love 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:46.679 when we've experienced defeat, 00:14:46.939 --> 00:14:47.980 when we're feeling trampled 00:14:47.980 --> 00:14:48.659 and ridiculed 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:49.680 and we feel forgotten. 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:51.700 But you know, 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:53.480 these external circumstances, 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:54.759 real as they are, 00:14:55.920 --> 00:14:57.420 they perhaps don't touch 00:14:57.420 --> 00:14:58.759 the deepest place 00:14:58.759 --> 00:14:59.980 of our despair, 00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:02.940 the deepest place 00:15:02.940 --> 00:15:03.779 of our doubt. 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:06.100 Because the heart 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:07.039 that cries out, 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:08.720 the Lord has forsaken me, 00:15:08.779 --> 00:15:10.100 my Lord has forgotten me, 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:10.920 the heart that makes 00:15:10.920 --> 00:15:12.019 that cry, 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:14.919 from the most despondent place, 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:15.620 from the most 00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:17.120 kind of wretched place, 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:20.379 is the heart that does so 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:21.919 not merely because 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:22.919 of external losses 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.740 or because of external opposition. 00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:29.759 The deepest despairing 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:30.919 of God's love 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:33.199 comes from a place 00:15:33.199 --> 00:15:37.120 of our own internal failures. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.720 when our sins 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:41.100 and our wrongs 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:42.340 feel like a wave 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:44.299 crashing over our heads, 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:46.240 then our heart cries out 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:46.940 with despair, 00:15:48.419 --> 00:15:49.200 surely the Lord 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:50.200 has forsaken me 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:51.340 and my Lord 00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:52.340 has forgotten me. 00:15:53.019 --> 00:15:54.139 Not because of what 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:55.659 others have done to me, 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:57.340 but because of what 00:15:57.340 --> 00:15:58.240 I have done 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:00.000 or failed to do 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:01.080 before God. 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:05.320 And in that bitter place 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:05.860 of despair, 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:06.340 we think, 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:07.919 surely God 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:08.700 has forgotten me. 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:11.860 But listen, 00:16:12.820 --> 00:16:14.460 as our text continues 00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:15.700 into chapter 50, 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:16.500 God says, 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:18.279 I don't just see 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:18.779 your losses 00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:20.879 and I don't just 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:21.639 see your enemies, 00:16:22.180 --> 00:16:23.639 but I even see 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:24.300 your sin 00:16:24.300 --> 00:16:26.060 and I haven't 00:16:26.060 --> 00:16:26.680 forgotten you. 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:29.019 I see your sin 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:30.740 and I will 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:31.759 redeem you. 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:34.060 Let's pick up 00:16:34.060 --> 00:16:35.379 in Isaiah chapter 50, 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:35.980 verse 1. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:37.980 Thus says the Lord, 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:39.899 where is your mother's 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:40.879 certificate of divorce 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.240 with which I sent her away? 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:44.899 Or which of my creditors 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:45.299 is it 00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:46.960 to whom I have sold you? 00:16:47.439 --> 00:16:47.659 Now, 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:48.320 the answer 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:49.899 to these rhetorical questions 00:16:49.899 --> 00:16:51.379 is that 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:52.939 there is no certificate 00:16:52.939 --> 00:16:53.600 of divorce. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:56.139 God has 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:57.759 no creditors. 00:16:58.759 --> 00:16:59.700 How could the God 00:16:59.700 --> 00:17:00.360 of the universe 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:01.840 owe anyone anything? 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:03.759 The people in exile 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:04.519 might feel 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:05.620 utterly forsaken, 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:06.840 but God has not 00:17:06.840 --> 00:17:07.400 given up 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:08.279 His covenant love 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:08.700 with them. 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:10.799 They might feel 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:11.960 sold off into slavery, 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:12.960 but God doesn't have 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:13.519 any debts 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:14.539 that He has to pay. 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:16.420 So He says to them, 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:17.400 where is the 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:18.420 supposed certificate 00:17:18.420 --> 00:17:19.120 of divorce 00:17:19.120 --> 00:17:19.920 that I gave you? 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:20.920 Who are the supposed 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:21.640 creditors 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:22.920 that I had to sell you to? 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:23.579 There are none. 00:17:23.579 --> 00:17:26.179 So why are they there? 00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:29.059 Let's pick up. 00:17:29.179 --> 00:17:29.539 Behold, 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:31.500 for your iniquities 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:32.159 you were sold, 00:17:32.939 --> 00:17:34.539 and for your transgressions 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:35.559 your mother was sent away. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:36.939 Why, 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:37.659 when I came, 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:38.259 was there no man? 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:38.639 Why, 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:39.279 when I called, 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:40.699 was there no one to answer? 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:41.859 You see, 00:17:41.919 --> 00:17:42.839 the exile wasn't 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:44.019 because of some lack 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:44.659 in God, 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:45.839 a lack of God's power 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:47.220 or a lack of God's 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:48.939 covenant marital faithfulness 00:17:48.939 --> 00:17:49.659 to His people, 00:17:49.659 --> 00:17:51.399 or even a lack of God 00:17:51.399 --> 00:17:52.519 pursuing them, 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:53.900 coming to them, 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:55.160 calling to them. 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:57.720 The exiled people 00:17:57.720 --> 00:17:58.500 were there 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:01.180 because of their unfaithfulness, 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:04.379 because when God called, 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:05.139 no one answered. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:09.039 So God sees their sin, 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:11.019 and He sees ours. 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:13.579 But is that the end? 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:16.039 The passage continues. 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:16.799 God says, 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:18.599 Is my hand shortened 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:20.440 that it cannot redeem? 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:22.720 Or have I no power 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.299 to deliver? 00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:23.779 Behold, 00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:25.220 by my rebuke, 00:18:25.320 --> 00:18:26.620 I dry up the sea. 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:28.039 I make the rivers 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:28.559 a desert. 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:30.100 The fish stink 00:18:30.100 --> 00:18:31.059 for lack of water 00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:31.880 and die of thirst. 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:32.779 I clothe the heavens 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:33.700 with blackness 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:35.000 and make sackcloth 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:35.640 their covering. 00:18:36.820 --> 00:18:37.299 God says, 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:39.019 Don't think for an instant 00:18:39.019 --> 00:18:40.779 that I can't rescue you. 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:42.420 The imagery here 00:18:42.420 --> 00:18:42.980 in these verses 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:44.039 is from the Exodus. 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:46.299 God drying up the sea, 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.100 turning the daylight black 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:49.480 to save His people 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:50.099 in power. 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:54.699 But the power of God, 00:18:55.459 --> 00:18:57.339 the power of God, 00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:59.859 isn't the ultimate expression 00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:02.480 of God's redeeming love. 00:19:04.439 --> 00:19:05.799 The Almighty God 00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:07.240 sees your sin, yes, 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:08.059 and what does He do? 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:11.219 Well, at this point 00:19:11.219 --> 00:19:12.139 in the text, 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:14.119 on to the stage 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:16.579 after God has just declared 00:19:16.579 --> 00:19:18.159 His boundless power, 00:19:18.739 --> 00:19:20.019 on to the stage 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:22.339 steps the servant. 00:19:24.239 --> 00:19:25.159 In verse 4, 00:19:25.959 --> 00:19:28.019 the third of Isaiah's 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:30.079 servant songs begins. 00:19:31.199 --> 00:19:32.679 The first of these texts, 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:33.719 these songs, 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:34.799 as they're sometimes called, 00:19:34.979 --> 00:19:36.959 the first of these servant songs 00:19:36.959 --> 00:19:38.379 was back in chapter 42, 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:39.479 verses 1 through 9, 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:40.659 where the servant was seen 00:19:40.659 --> 00:19:41.719 bringing justice, 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:42.879 that is bringing rightness 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:43.420 and wholeness, 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:44.360 bringing justice 00:19:44.360 --> 00:19:45.000 to the nations. 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:47.060 And then the second servant song 00:19:47.060 --> 00:19:48.260 was in chapter 49, 00:19:48.600 --> 00:19:49.840 verses 1 through 13, 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:50.840 that we looked at last week, 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:52.460 where the servant is seen 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:53.900 bringing salvation, 00:19:54.320 --> 00:19:54.840 not just to Israel, 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:55.880 but to the ends of the earth. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:58.460 And now the servant steps 00:19:58.460 --> 00:20:00.240 back into view here 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.440 in chapter 50, verse 4. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:04.820 Just when God has exposed 00:20:04.820 --> 00:20:05.440 our sin, 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:07.900 just when God has exposed 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:08.840 our unwillingness 00:20:08.840 --> 00:20:10.040 to listen when He calls, 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:11.280 just when God has exposed 00:20:11.280 --> 00:20:12.080 our unwillingness 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:14.139 to respond and turn 00:20:14.139 --> 00:20:15.000 when He comes, 00:20:16.439 --> 00:20:18.099 just when our sin is open 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:18.720 and exposed, 00:20:18.919 --> 00:20:19.500 God says, 00:20:20.419 --> 00:20:21.539 I'm mighty to redeem, 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:23.720 and redeem you I will. 00:20:24.439 --> 00:20:25.679 And how will I do it? 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:27.980 Through my servant, 00:20:28.679 --> 00:20:30.659 the servant who will listen 00:20:30.659 --> 00:20:32.619 and who will obey 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:34.500 and who will suffer 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:36.659 and who will be vindicated 00:20:36.659 --> 00:20:38.359 for your redemption. 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:41.159 Let's read verses 4 through 9. 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:43.259 The servant comes onto the stage 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:44.320 and now speaks and says, 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:45.460 The Lord God has given me 00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:46.700 the tongue of those 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:47.220 who are taught 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:48.840 that I may know 00:20:48.840 --> 00:20:50.340 how to sustain with a word 00:20:50.340 --> 00:20:51.140 him who is weary. 00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:53.140 Morning by morning, 00:20:53.220 --> 00:20:53.980 He awakens. 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:55.519 He awakens my ear 00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:56.500 to hear 00:20:56.500 --> 00:20:57.920 as those who are taught. 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:00.860 The Lord God has opened my ear 00:21:00.860 --> 00:21:02.040 and I was not rebellious. 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:03.500 I turned not backward. 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:06.040 I gave my back 00:21:06.040 --> 00:21:07.100 to those who strike 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:08.419 and my cheeks 00:21:08.419 --> 00:21:09.339 to those who pull out 00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:09.759 the beard. 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:11.939 I hid not my face 00:21:11.939 --> 00:21:12.719 from disgrace 00:21:12.719 --> 00:21:13.679 and spitting. 00:21:15.139 --> 00:21:16.639 But the Lord God helps me. 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:17.439 Therefore, 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:18.779 I have not been disgraced. 00:21:19.399 --> 00:21:19.619 Therefore, 00:21:19.719 --> 00:21:20.799 I have set my face 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:21.459 like flint 00:21:21.459 --> 00:21:22.459 and I know 00:21:22.459 --> 00:21:23.139 that I shall not 00:21:23.139 --> 00:21:23.879 be put to shame. 00:21:24.919 --> 00:21:26.059 He who vindicates me 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:26.439 is near. 00:21:27.199 --> 00:21:28.519 Who will contend with me? 00:21:28.899 --> 00:21:29.959 Let us stand up together. 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:31.339 Who is my adversary? 00:21:31.639 --> 00:21:32.759 Let him come near to me. 00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:34.119 Behold, 00:21:34.159 --> 00:21:35.119 the Lord God helps me. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:37.219 Who will declare me guilty? 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:38.319 Behold, 00:21:38.379 --> 00:21:39.359 all of them will wear out 00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:39.959 like a garment. 00:21:40.819 --> 00:21:41.979 The moth will eat them up. 00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:44.239 Now, 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:45.079 this third passage 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:45.839 about the servant 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:46.879 portrays him 00:21:46.879 --> 00:21:47.899 in verses 4 through 5. 00:21:47.959 --> 00:21:48.479 Did you catch that? 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:49.659 As perfectly innocent. 00:21:50.239 --> 00:21:51.599 He hears God's word 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:52.699 and he obeys. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:53.699 But nevertheless, 00:21:53.979 --> 00:21:55.299 in verses 6 and 7, 00:21:56.099 --> 00:21:57.599 he's willing to be struck 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.539 as a result of that obedience. 00:21:59.739 --> 00:22:00.959 To take the disgrace 00:22:00.959 --> 00:22:02.639 and shame for Israel. 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:05.460 But he's able to take on 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:07.560 this substitutionary role 00:22:07.560 --> 00:22:08.540 with God's help. 00:22:09.040 --> 00:22:09.960 In verses 8 through 9, 00:22:10.040 --> 00:22:10.800 his vindication 00:22:10.800 --> 00:22:11.820 comes from above 00:22:11.820 --> 00:22:13.259 and any accusers 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:13.940 who might try 00:22:13.940 --> 00:22:14.780 to condemn him 00:22:14.780 --> 00:22:16.160 or declare him guilty, 00:22:16.560 --> 00:22:18.400 their case will be devoured 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:19.780 like a cloth 00:22:19.780 --> 00:22:20.920 by the moths, 00:22:21.800 --> 00:22:22.620 full of holes 00:22:22.620 --> 00:22:24.080 with no substance at all. 00:22:26.580 --> 00:22:27.140 Now, 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:28.160 what does this mean for us? 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:29.040 Well, 00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:30.500 first, 00:22:30.540 --> 00:22:31.300 is it not clear 00:22:31.300 --> 00:22:33.340 that this servant song 00:22:33.340 --> 00:22:34.740 is speaking about 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:35.680 the work of Christ 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:38.100 who gave his back 00:22:38.100 --> 00:22:39.140 to those who strike, 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:40.279 his cheek 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:41.240 to those who pull out 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:41.680 the beard, 00:22:42.300 --> 00:22:43.500 who didn't hide his face 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:44.820 from disgrace and spitting? 00:22:46.220 --> 00:22:47.480 And Christ did this 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:48.460 for you 00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:49.840 and for me. 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:53.360 So how should we respond 00:22:53.360 --> 00:22:54.700 when our sins 00:22:54.700 --> 00:22:56.500 testify against us? 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:57.380 When we're tempted 00:22:57.380 --> 00:22:58.559 to doubt God's love 00:22:58.559 --> 00:22:59.380 in light of our many 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:00.380 transgressions, 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:02.299 our only comfort 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:03.759 comes in such moments 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:06.240 from looking 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:07.380 to the suffering servant. 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:09.519 He was innocent 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:10.119 yet stricken 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:10.940 on our behalf 00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:12.539 so that we might be free 00:23:12.539 --> 00:23:13.579 from condemnation. 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:16.359 That's why Paul can say, 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:17.980 who will bring any charge 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:19.039 against God's elect? 00:23:19.779 --> 00:23:20.500 It's God who justifies. 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:22.119 Who is to condemn? 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:22.940 Jesus Christ 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:24.079 is the one who died. 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:24.779 More than that, 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:25.799 who was raised, 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:27.119 who is at the right hand 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:27.500 of God, 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:29.240 who is interceding for us. 00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:32.779 You see, friends, 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:34.319 God won't forget 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:35.180 your losses 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:37.240 and he won't forget 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:38.159 your enemies, 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:40.379 but he will 00:23:40.379 --> 00:23:41.940 forget your sins. 00:23:43.419 --> 00:23:46.220 What matchless grace! 00:23:48.379 --> 00:23:49.879 Because of the servant's 00:23:49.879 --> 00:23:50.799 suffering obedience 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:51.720 in our place, 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:53.299 God can forget 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:54.220 our sins 00:23:54.220 --> 00:23:56.079 without forgetting us. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:23:58.779 Do you doubt 00:23:58.779 --> 00:23:59.720 God's love, friends? 00:24:00.339 --> 00:24:00.920 Are you feeling 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:01.460 forgotten? 00:24:02.460 --> 00:24:03.579 Look to the cross. 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:04.819 Do you see 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:05.600 what God was willing 00:24:05.600 --> 00:24:06.740 to give up for you? 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:08.500 Do you see 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:09.339 how God was willing 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:10.200 to have his hands 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:11.100 pierced for you? 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:13.339 I've engraved you 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:13.819 on the palms 00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:14.460 of my hands, 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:15.960 Isaiah 49, 16 says. 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:17.120 And of course, 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:18.100 for hundreds of years 00:24:18.100 --> 00:24:18.779 before Christ, 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:20.019 every reader of the Bible 00:24:20.019 --> 00:24:20.579 thought that was 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:21.099 just a metaphor. 00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:23.819 But when the risen Jesus 00:24:23.819 --> 00:24:25.099 comes to his frightened 00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:26.439 and despairing disciples 00:24:26.439 --> 00:24:26.919 and says, 00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:27.299 look, 00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:30.159 do you see the scars? 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:32.519 I've literally 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:33.259 engraved you 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:33.779 on the palms 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:34.519 of my hands. 00:24:37.439 --> 00:24:38.259 For eternity, 00:24:38.399 --> 00:24:38.919 the Lord Jesus 00:24:38.919 --> 00:24:39.539 will bear 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:40.519 the marks 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:41.119 of his love 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:41.599 for you. 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:43.720 Forgotten? 00:24:44.939 --> 00:24:45.379 Ever. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:47.699 You are loved 00:24:47.699 --> 00:24:48.639 forever 00:24:48.639 --> 00:24:50.539 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:50.659 Christ. 00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:53.899 And so, 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:54.839 how will we respond 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:55.480 this morning? 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:56.879 Well, 00:24:56.919 --> 00:24:57.599 our passage ends 00:24:57.599 --> 00:24:58.099 by saying 00:24:58.099 --> 00:24:58.939 there's only two ways 00:24:58.939 --> 00:24:59.500 to respond 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:00.539 to this great display 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:01.339 of God's love. 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:02.799 We can trust 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:03.339 in the name 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:03.939 of the Lord 00:25:03.939 --> 00:25:05.899 or we can try 00:25:05.899 --> 00:25:06.319 to build 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:07.179 our own fires 00:25:07.179 --> 00:25:08.059 and light 00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:08.960 our own paths. 00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:10.399 Look with me 00:25:10.399 --> 00:25:11.480 at verses 10 and 11. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:13.179 Who among you 00:25:13.179 --> 00:25:13.919 fears the Lord 00:25:13.919 --> 00:25:15.319 and obeys 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:15.720 the voice 00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:16.319 of his servant? 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:17.919 Let him 00:25:17.919 --> 00:25:18.379 who walks 00:25:18.379 --> 00:25:19.179 in darkness 00:25:19.179 --> 00:25:20.179 and has no light 00:25:20.179 --> 00:25:21.779 trust in the name 00:25:21.779 --> 00:25:22.339 of the Lord 00:25:22.339 --> 00:25:23.519 and rely 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:24.259 on his God. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.859 But behold, 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.000 all you 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:28.419 who kindle 00:25:28.419 --> 00:25:28.859 a fire, 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:30.399 who equip 00:25:30.399 --> 00:25:30.859 yourselves 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:31.359 with burning 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:31.899 torches, 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:33.720 walk by the light 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:34.259 of your fire 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:35.059 and by the torches 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:35.439 that you have 00:25:35.439 --> 00:25:35.799 kindled. 00:25:36.679 --> 00:25:37.460 This you have 00:25:37.460 --> 00:25:38.159 from my hand. 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:39.700 You shall lie 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:40.319 down in torment. 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:42.319 You see, 00:25:42.399 --> 00:25:42.879 if we harden 00:25:42.879 --> 00:25:43.379 our hearts 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:44.120 to God's love, 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:44.800 if we try 00:25:44.800 --> 00:25:45.360 to walk 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:45.980 by the light 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:47.000 of our own fire 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:48.080 or by some other torch 00:25:48.080 --> 00:25:48.760 that we've kindled, 00:25:49.040 --> 00:25:50.220 the end won't be joy 00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:51.100 but torment. 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:54.240 No other love 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:55.120 can rescue us 00:25:55.120 --> 00:25:55.660 from sin. 00:25:56.320 --> 00:25:57.260 No other love 00:25:57.260 --> 00:25:58.040 can rescue us 00:25:58.040 --> 00:25:58.700 from shame 00:25:58.700 --> 00:25:59.280 and guilt. 00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:00.940 No matter how brightly 00:26:00.940 --> 00:26:01.960 we try to stoke 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:02.920 some other fire, 00:26:03.180 --> 00:26:04.340 it will never be able 00:26:04.340 --> 00:26:05.320 to light our darkness. 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:08.240 But God's love can. 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:11.600 The love of Christ 00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:12.460 certainly can. 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:13.640 His love 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:14.259 that will never 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:14.960 forget you. 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:16.000 His love 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:16.620 that will never 00:26:16.620 --> 00:26:17.400 forsake you. 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:19.440 The Father's love 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:19.940 that was willing 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:20.920 to send His Son 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:21.420 to suffer 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:22.220 and rise again 00:26:22.220 --> 00:26:22.559 for you. 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:23.480 This is a love 00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:24.539 that will light up 00:26:24.539 --> 00:26:25.059 your life. 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:26.559 This is a love 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:27.860 that's worth living for. 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:30.340 This is the love 00:26:30.340 --> 00:26:31.480 that will restore us 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:33.059 and fight for us 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:34.500 and redeem us. 00:26:35.340 --> 00:26:36.259 Let's pray together. 00:26:36.259 --> 00:26:43.059 Father, we open up 00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:43.519 our hands 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:43.960 before You 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:44.519 this morning 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:45.640 and we open up 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:46.440 our hearts to You 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:47.119 and we pray 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:49.180 that by Your Holy Spirit 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:50.000 You would give us 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:50.819 eyes to see 00:26:50.819 --> 00:26:52.379 the depth 00:26:52.379 --> 00:26:53.379 of Your compassion 00:26:53.379 --> 00:26:54.400 and love 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.579 and faithfulness 00:26:55.579 --> 00:26:55.960 to us, 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:56.420 Your people. 00:26:57.379 --> 00:26:57.960 Lord, I pray 00:26:57.960 --> 00:26:58.799 especially for those 00:26:58.799 --> 00:26:59.660 who are downcast 00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:00.279 and burdened 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:01.019 and despairing. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:02.599 Would Your comfort 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:03.579 draw near to them? 00:27:04.439 --> 00:27:05.099 Help them, God, 00:27:05.139 --> 00:27:06.879 to look up to Christ 00:27:06.879 --> 00:27:09.279 and see the love 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:10.439 that can light their path 00:27:10.439 --> 00:27:12.619 and grant them the faith 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:14.480 to trust in You. 00:27:15.159 --> 00:27:15.939 We pray this 00:27:15.939 --> 00:27:16.899 in the name of Jesus. 00:27:17.199 --> 00:27:17.419 Amen. 00:27:18.379 --> 00:27:19.259 Friends, let's stand 00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:20.519 and let's sing together.