Good News
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 49:8-18 (ESV)
8 Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.”
13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
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.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
17 Your builders make haste;
your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
18 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.
Sermon Outline
1. The good news is abundant (v. 8-13)
v8 to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages
vv9-10 They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst
v10 neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them
v10 for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.
v11 And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
v12 Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of
2. The good news is unseen (v. 14)
v14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”
3. The good news is permanent (v. 15-18)
v15 yet I will not forget you.
v16 I have engraved you
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, you are the author and giver of good news. We confess that we fail to see how abundant this good news is for us. In our pain and suffering, we say that you have forsaken us and have forgotten us. We confess that we are slow to believe and see your good news. Help our unbelief. May we look to the scars of Jesus and how we are engraved on the palms of his hands. Restore to us the joy of your salvation. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?
How does Isaiah 49 expand your understanding of God’s character, especially in terms of His personal involvement in our rescue and restoration?
Why do you think it matters that this good news is not just for the exiles in Babylon, but for people from every nation and language?
Can you think of a time when you felt forgotten by God or wondered where he was? What helped you during this time, or what would have helped?
How does pain and suffering affect your relationship with God?
In verse 16 it says that God’s people are engraved on the palms of his hands. What does that image mean to you personally? How might it reshape how you view yourself or your relationship with God?
Why do you think it matters that Jesus’ scars remained in his resurrected body? How do Jesus’ scars speak to both his suffering and his commitment to you?
What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?
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