Mike texted me Friday night and
he said, do you know what your text is going to be? And I sent
him that and within about five minutes he replied back and said,
I think I've got a song to go with that text. So Mike, I appreciate
that so much. Open your Bibles back to Isaiah
chapter 49, Isaiah 49. The title of the message this
morning is this. Hath the Lord forgotten me? Hath the Lord forgotten me? Look beginning with verse 13
of Isaiah 49. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful. O earth, and bring forth into
singing, O mountains, for the Lord hath comforted his people,
and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, the
Lord hath forsaken me. My Lord hath forgotten me. I believe if we're the least
bit honest, we would admit that there are times, many times,
in which we feel that the Lord has done just that, that he has
forgotten us. I'm talking about times of heavy,
heavy trial. Our brother just sang about that,
when afflictions just flood our souls and the waves of trouble
just roll over us. Back in Isaiah 48.10, just a
chapter back, we read this. He said, Behold, I've refined
thee, not with silver, but I have chosen thee in the furnace of
affliction." God's people are a tried people. Peter wrote this,
he said, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial, which is to try you, as it was such, as it was a strange
thing that happened to you. God's people are going to be
tried. We're promised that in Scripture.
And so for those who believe, we're not to be surprised when
difficult trials and afflictions come upon us. These afflictions,
listen, these trials and suffering are common to all of God's people. God had one son without sin,
only one. But all of his children are going
to suffer. The Lord Jesus Christ, he suffered
hatred, he suffered reproach, he suffered contradiction, The
trials in the life of a believer are not by chance, but rather by appointment, according
to the will and purpose of Almighty God. It's given, that's what
scripture says, it's given on behalf of Christ, not only to
believe on Him, but also to suffer for his sake. Trials and afflictions
try the graces of a believer. In Hebrews 12, Paul wrote this. He said, if you be without chastisement,
whereof we are all partakers, then you're bastards and not
sons. times of difficulty, times of
sorrow, times of heartache. And when these times come, we
often do feel deserted. And just as Isaiah wrote here,
we ask that question, whether we say it out loud or not, we
ask it within ourselves, has the Lord forsaken me? Has the Lord forgotten me? You know David. David felt that
way. Turn with me to Psalm 77. Hold your place there in Isaiah,
but turn back to Psalm 77. Look at verse 7 of Psalm 77. David asks this question, will
the Lord cast off forever? Will He be favorable no more? Is His mercy... Think about that. David's asking this question.
Is God's mercy clean going forever? Does His promise fail? forevermore. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in His anger shut up
His tender mercies? Sealeth it. Stop and consider
those things. And when those times come, when
that feeling crosses, goes through our head and goes through our
heart, The Lord hath forsaken me. The Lord hath forgotten me. Know this. Know these things. One, you're not the first one
to feel that way. You're not the first believer
to feel that way. We just read the words of David.
David, who was a man after God's own heart. And let's look at
a few other examples of this. 15, we read of the prodigal son. You know, he had taken all his
inheritance. We know that story, don't we?
The prodigal son, he went to his father and he said, give
me that which is mine. And he took all of his inheritance
and he went into a far country. And there he wasted his substance
in riotous living. And God's Word declares this,
that when he had spent everything that he had, And keep in mind
that which he spent was his father's, it was his inheritance, it was
what was given him. When he spent everything he had,
things just got worse. There arose a mighty famine in
the land and he began to be in want. And he went and he joined
himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into
the fields to feed swine. And it got so bad he would have
filled his belly with the husk that he fed the hogs. And we
read that no man gave to him. No man was there for him. And
he came to himself. And he said, how many hired servants
are in my father's house and I perish with hunger? I'll say
to my father, I've sinned against heaven. I've sinned against thee. I'm not worthy to be called a
son. Just make me as one of your hired
servants. Luke 15, 20, I ask you this. Had that prodigal's father forgotten
him? Had he wrote him off? Had he forsaken him? No. We read that when that boy
arose and he came to his father, listen to this in verse 20, when
he was a great way off. Before that boy could even see
his dad, I don't even know if he could even see the farm, it
says, when he was a great way off, his father saw him. Had he forsaken him? Had he forgotten
him? Read on. He saw him and he had compassion
on him. And he ran and he fell on his
neck and he kissed him. Had he forgotten him? What did
he do when he got home? He said, bring forth the best
robe and put it on him. put a ring on his hand, put shoes
on his feet, and let us eat and be merry, for my son was dead,
and now he's alive again. He was lost, but now he's found,
and they began to be merry. Hath the Lord forsaken me? Hath the Lord plumb forgot me? Think about the Lord's disciples
when they were in that ship together. We read, there arose a great
storm and the waves beat on that ship so that it was full. No doubt they thought it was
going to sink along with them. And the Lord was in the hindered
part of that ship. asleep on a pillow. You reckon
the disciples, in their head, it went through their mind, the
Lord's forgotten us? They thought they were going
to perish. You reckon they asked this question, does he even care?
Does he even care that we're going to die on this ship? I don't know what they thought,
but I can tell you if I would have been there, that's what
would have went through my mind. We can relate to that, can't
we? When the storms of this life beat on us, they went and they woke him up
and they said, Master, carest thou not that we perish? I ask you, had he forgotten them?
Had he forsaken them, what was his reply? He arose and he rebuked
the wind and he said unto the sea, peace be still. And the wind ceased and there
was a great calm. And then after he got finished
talking to the sea and the wind, he turned to them. He turned
to his disciples and he said, why are you so fearful? That's a good question, isn't
it? Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? He's always, he is always near
his people. I was thinking about this, years
ago we were down in Dollywood and they were blowing glass and
they've got that hot furnace and I mean you can feel the heat
of that furnace standing 20 feet back from it, 30 feet back from
it. And that glass blower, he takes that glass and he sticks
it in there and he heats it up and I suppose it gets out impurities
and it gets it into the shape where he can make it into what
he wants it to be. You know, I've never seen him
leave the side of that furnace. Right there, beside of it, the
whole time. The Lord's always, no matter how
hot the fire is, the Lord is always near His people. Well, here's another thing to
think about. We're prone to forsake Him. We are. Isaiah 49, look back
at verse 15. Listen to the question that's
asked here. Isaiah 49, verse 15. Can a mother forsake her sucking
child? Yes. Yes, she may. This is a look at our sinful
nature. Can a mother forsake her sucking
child? You know, this is, I believe
this has to be one of the most intimate bonds that we can relate
to. The love of a mother for her
child. That child is completely, I mean
completely dependent upon the mother. That child's fed by the
mother, that child's kept by the mother, that kept warm, provided
for. Can a woman forget her sucking
child? That she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb. What's the answer? Yes. Yes, they may forget. We forget each other. In Hosea 13, 6 we read that man
forgot God. God's Word says this, therefore
they forgot God. Time and time again in the Old
Testament, the children of Israel forgot the Lord. Despite the
fact that He had delivered them time and time again, He had proved
Him to them time and time again. How many times had He delivered
them out of the hand of the enemy? And yet, He never forgot them. Listen
to these words of Moses. He was speaking to the children
of Israel as they were going to cross over into the promised
land. He said, The Lord, he it is that
doth go before thee, he will be with thee, neither will he
forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed. Despite the fact that we are
prone to wonder, despite the fact that we are prone to forget
Him, again, look at our text here, Isaiah 49, despite all
that, we're still His. Look at verse
15, yet will I not forget thee. Can a woman forget her sucking
child that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? Yes, she may. Yet I won't forget thee. They may forget. We're going
to forget, but he will not forget. He made us. He made us. Psalm 100 verse 3 says this,
Know ye that the Lord, He is God. It is He that made us. We're His people. We're the sheep
of His pasture. He made us. We're His. He made us meat. He made us accepted. He made us righteous in His Son. He made us accepted in the Beloved. He made us kings and priests
unto God. He made us. The Lord told Jacob this, He
said, Remember these, O Jacob, in Israel, for thou art My servant. I have formed thee. Thou art my servant, O Israel,
thou shalt not be forgotten of me." He made us. He blessed us. Blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. He loved us. That's what God's
Word said. Will He ever leave or forsake
that which He loves? That which is His? In John 13
verse 1, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew
that His hour was come, and that He should depart out of this
world unto the Father, having loved His own, Who did He love? His own. Having loved His own,
which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. Having loved His own, His sheep,
His elect, His bride, His church, with what kind of love? An everlasting
love. An unchangeable love. He loved
them continually. He loved them forever, even unto
death. He's not going to leave or forsake
that which he loved. What about the great price he
paid for his people, for that which is his? Isaiah 43-1, thus saith the Lord
that created thee, O Jacob, he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear
not, I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name,
and listen to this, thou art mine." We belong to the king, we're
his. He's not going to leave or forsake
his people considering the great price that he paid for them. And that leads me to the last
point. Turn back to our text here in Isaiah 49, 16. Listen to these words. Behold,
pay attention, listen, behold, I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands. Thy walls are continually before
me. He's promised to never leave
or forsake his people. He said that. He said, I will
never leave thee nor forsake thee. I have graven thee. I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands. Consider that. Consider just
for a minute the hands of our Lord. Those hands which those
nails were driven through, his hands by which he hung on the
cross as he hung there and bore the wrath and judgment of Almighty
God for my sin. Scripture says he bore my sins
in his body on the tree. Now in the Lord Jesus Christ,
there was no sin. 1 John 3, verse 5, and you know
that he was manifested to take away our sins. In him is no sin. In Him is no sin. He knew no
sin. He's perfectly righteous. He's
perfectly obedient. As our great high priest, He's
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than
the heavens. And yet, He was forsaken of God. He's promised to never leave
or forsake His people. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ was
forsaken of God. Why? Because we deserved to be
forsaken. He was there on that cross in
our room instead by reason of our sin. You know, we don't deserve, by
any means, the favor of Almighty God. But the Lord Jesus Christ, standing
in the place of a sinner, standing in my place, endured that which
would vindicate the justice of God. He must die. and as the sinner must have come."
Listen, the sinner must be punished. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. And that's you and I, if Christ
had not taken our place. Substitution. Substitution. That must be one of the sweetest
words a believer could ever hear. Substitution. You know this passage by heart,
but turn to 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians 5. Look at verse
21. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him." Christ is our substitute. He made full and complete satisfaction
for us. before God's holy law and righteous
judgment. In Him, the believer is wholly
sanctified, completely and eternally saved. He died. He died for me. He died for the believer. Isaiah
53 says this, surely he hath borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows, yet we did esteem him smitten, stricken of God,
and afflicted. But he was wounded, for who?
For our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned everyone to our own way, and the Lord hath laid
on Him the iniquity of us all. Turn to Matthew 27. Matthew 27. There at Calvary, the people were asked if they
wanted to release the Lord Jesus Christ or Barabbas. And the people said, give us
Barabbas, let Christ be crucified. And the soldiers stripped him.
They stripped the Lord Jesus Christ and put a scarlet robe
on him. And they took a crown of thorns
and they mashed that down on his head. They put a reed in
his hand and they bowed before him, not to worship him, but
to mock him. And they spit upon him. And they
took that reed out of his hand, and they smote him with it, and
they mocked him. And then they took that robe
off of him, put his own raiment on him, and led him away for
this purpose, to crucify him. And they gave him vinegar to
drink, mingled with gall, and when he tasted thereof, he wouldn't
drink of it. And they crucified him. and they
took his garments and then they gambled on them to see who would
get them. They made that sign and put it
over his head. This is Jesus, the King of the
Jews. The people that passed by, they
didn't defend him. They reviled him, wagging their
heads. And likewise also the chief priest
mocked him with the scribes and elders and everyone else. And
they said this, he saved others. Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel,
let Him come down from the cross and then we'll believe Him."
And then they looked at Him and they said, He trusted God. He
trusted His God. Let Him deliver Him now, if you'll
have Him. The thieves also. on each side
of Him, which were crucified with Him. They cast the same
in their teeth. They said the same things. And
Matthew 27, look at verse 45. Matthew 27, verse 45. From the sixth hour, when this
was all going on the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the
land into the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sambachthani,
that is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The Lord Jesus Christ, he said,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? I can't begin to explain that. I read, I don't know how many
men have said that God, forsaking God, can't understand it. But I know this. He was forsaken. And as a result
of that, his people will never be forsaken. Now quickly, just
turn back to our text. Isaiah 49, the Lord said, I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands. Those hands that were wounded,
those hands that were nailed to the cross. He was wounded
for me. He said, I have graven thee upon
my hands. Graven upon his hands. And listen. Those same hands, his hands. by those same hands that nails
were driven through, those hands in which he said, I've graven
thy name upon them. It's by those same hands that
the believer is kept. He said, my sheep, hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. I give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hands. My Father which
gave of me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father's hands." In times of trouble, in times
of affliction. In those times when we would
ask, has the Lord forsaken me? Remember this, this world and all the things that we sometimes
count dear will, will forsake us. But listen to the words of our
Lord. Yet will I not forget thee." He said, I'll never leave thee
nor forsake thee. I've graven thee upon the palms
of my hands. All right. I pray God would bless
his word to our hearts, comfort us, comfort us through his word. As a closing song, turn to number
17. Number 17. Let's all stand together
as we sing, Come Thou Fount.