Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Sermon Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.

Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. This is obviously a wonderful, wonderful book. The first 39 chapters deal with basically the captivity of God's people. And then chapter 40 and beyond deals with life beyond that captivity. These folks have obviously been through difficult times.

They didn't handle everything well. And, by the way, neither have you and I. But, I will say this that when you and I go through difficulties there is life beyond that. And there is coming a day, hopefully, here on Earth, that your trials and troubles and things like that will might be dealing with that God will allow you to get victory over those things and life can go on. But I have seen folks deal with certain things that never went away on earth.

But I will tell you this, it's going to go away one day. There is life beyond your problems folks. And Isaiah chapter 49 makes an interesting statement that God gives some promises to His people.

Although you've been through some difficult things, I want to remind you of a few things. And I want you to look at verse 12 and we are not going to give the entire history for sake of time here today. But in verse 12 listen to what God says, "'Behold these shall come from far, and lo these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sennam.'"

Obviously God's people have been in captivity, they've been moved. Verse 13, "'Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains. For the Lord hath comforted His people.'" By the way we know that the Holy Spirit is the great comforter. Now obviously the Holy Spirit had a ministry all through the Old Testament but the Holy Spirit wasn't given into the hearts of believers until Jesus ascended back into heaven. And He said, I will not leave you comfortless, I'm going to give you the great comforter, the Holy Spirit. And now you and I when we put our faith and trust in Christ as that new birth, that regeneration, what we call salvation, when that happens now the Holy Spirit indwells the believer. You agree with that? Say, amen.

By the way don't be scared about that. You would be in trouble without it. We're all thanking God for that. But notice in verse 13 God here takes the role of comforting His people and will have mercy upon His afflicted.

That's true. And I'm here to tell you God comforts you. God has mercy on us. We would have no hope without God's mercy. They're all wonderful truths. But even in the midst of those truths you and I know that we often get discouraged.

And even in the middle of knowing that, that we often have difficulty and things come up and we can begin to think some things that we know are not biblical. Look if you would at verse 14. He says, But Zion said, who's Zion? This is obviously talking about Mt. Zion literally in the center of Jerusalem.

And he's talking about his people. Listen to this, But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. And we have talked about this before. We can all sometimes get to a point in our lives where we feel like we prayed and prayed and circumstances have come. And we almost feel as if, God I know you exist, and I know this isn't true, but this is what I'm feeling right now. Is that you've kind of forgotten me. You kind of overlooked me. That you're kind of so busy helping everyone else that I just feel like maybe you haven't done for me what I was really hoping and praying for. We've all felt like that at different times.

And I want you to notice a couple things here real quick. Notice in verse 14 he says, My Lord, Zion, God's people felt that my Lord has forgotten me. Verse 15, God says, Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yeah, that can happen. Have you all seen it happen?

Look if you would at the end he says, Yea, they may forget. Why? Because a woman is a human. And a man is a human.

And anybody in your life, your husband, your wife, your children, your grandparents, your extended family, they are literally capable. We're all capable of letting people down. We're all human. We have flaws.

And we have a sinful nature. And literally the best of our efforts God says when it comes to the righteousness of God the best of our efforts literally looks like filthy rags compared to God's perfection. And he says in verse 16, Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Now remember what he said in verse 15 he said, Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

And he proves it. And we're given some insight here in the Word of God something that we probably wouldn't have knowledge of other than this in verse 16. He says, Behold, I have graven, and that is the word obviously for engraved.

We're going to talk about this in a minute. He says, I have engraven thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls or protection are continually before me. Dear friend, you might have gone through some horrible things or going through some things. And you might in life right now it just might be there's some things that you're concerned about, questioning, feel like maybe God has not done everything you had hoped He would do.

We know He's sovereign. Dear friend, I want to remind you in the middle of captivity there is a God that loves us. And in the middle of difficult times there is a God who has not forgotten you. And because He knew the frailty of our flesh He makes a statement. He says, Let me tell you how I am assuring you that I'll never forget you and I'll never overlook you. I have literally engraved, I have graven you upon the palms of my hand.

Wow, what does that mean? Let's pray. Lord we love you. We thank you for all that you've done. And Lord I pray that you would help today to comfort us as sinful people that sometimes need reminded and we need assured. And Lord after all you've done for us already we shouldn't need any further proof.

But it's just the way we are sometimes. Pray that you'd help your Word to minister to believers today. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. What I'd like to do is I want to look at this particular phrase kind of word by word so we understand what it all means. Now the first word I want you to see and these things will be on the screen if you are a person that likes to take notes like I am. Number one I want us to look at the very first word of this verse 16. The very first word of this phrase literally that He gives us.

And I want us to understand what is really going on here. He uses the word in verse 16, behold. Now what's interesting is when God uses the word behold it often indicates that something special is getting ready to follow. In other words this isn't listen. This isn't hey. This isn't excuse me.

This isn't can I have a minute. God says behold. Now why is that special to us today? I want you to understand this word behold doesn't just mean to listen. And it doesn't just mean to stop.

Now get this this morning. This word behold means to stop, to listen, to see, to take it all in and to hold onto it forever. That's a good word. God's just not saying stop I have something to say. He's not just saying listen to what I have to say.

He's not even stopping and saying hey I got something to show you. He uses a word that says listen I want you to stop. I want you to put everything else down. I want you to get all those thoughts out of your mind. I want you to listen to what I have to say. I want you to see my heart in this matter and I want you to hold onto this not just today, not just tomorrow, but for the rest of eternity.

Now I don't know about you that sets it up pretty good. Let me prove my point how God always uses that word behold to give some wonderful truths. In Genesis chapter 28 just in case you question these verses they're going to be up very quickly on the screen. But in Genesis 28 15 God says literally this, behold I am with thee.

Stop, listen, take this with you forever. I am with thee and will keep thee in all the places where thou goest and will bring thee again. Wow, listen to that last phrase for I will not leave thee. He set that whole thing up with behold. What about this in Exodus 16 4 then said the Lord unto Moses behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. By the way you know that still happens every day of your life. God brings bread from heaven to you.

It's what we call our daily. What about Psalm 46 verse 8? Come behold the works of the Lord. Could you just stop and even try to describe what God has done for you. What about this in Psalm 54 verse 4 behold God is mine Helper. I don't think you guys are getting too excited about God's word today.

God just said hey stop everything drop everything. Listen to this don't ever forget it. Hold onto it. Behold. Hold onto this for the rest of your life.

I am your Helper. Now if I believe that that means I'll never be alone. Man what about John chapter 1 verse 29? The Bible says the next day John saw Jesus coming and John looks at him and he says behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of you. The world.

Wow. Second Corinthians chapter 6 verse 2. Behold now is the day of salvation. You better stop.

You better drop everything you have. You better get everything else out of your mind today if you're here and you do not know for sure that you're on your way to heaven. You do not know for sure that our wonderful shepherd is your shepherd. If you do not know for sure that you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

If you do not know for sure that you have a personal relationship with Him. Don't do anything else. Don't go anywhere else. Don't think about anything else. Stop. Listen.

See. Hold onto this. Now's the day of salvation. Revelation chapter 3 verse 20. He says behold I stand at the door and knock if any man, any man, doesn't matter what color, doesn't matter what stage of life, phase of life, doesn't matter what we have in the bank or don't have in the bank, doesn't matter where we were born, where we come from, I'm knocking.

I want you to stop and hear this. If any man will open the door I'll come in. Revelation 22 verse 7. God gives us this wonderful nugget. Behold I come quickly. Jesus is coming again folks. Isn't that a wonderful word behold? And He gives us one right in the middle of the book of Isaiah. Behold I have graven you upon the palms of my hands.

Why is that so special? Well we've got to look at the next couple words. He says behold I have. You say well that's great preacher. Appreciate those two earth shaking words. I have.

What is going on here? God stops us, gets our attention, wants to answer the question of hurting people that are confused that had literally just accused Him of forgetting them. And He says now you just stop for a second and I'm going to make a phrase to you that you better hold on to the rest of your life.

I have. That means God takes personal responsibility for the following statement. It means in case there's any questions I'm the one that did this. This was my decision God says. This is my right. This is my call. This didn't come from anybody.

This came from me. I have. Now I don't know if you like the verses on behold but I have found that God makes some wonderful statements in God's Word when He says I have. You mind if I show you a couple?

Of course you don't mind. What choice do you have right? Haggai chapter 2 verse 23 God says this, I have chosen thee sayeth the Lord of hosts. Nobody else chose you.

And everybody else might not choose you. But I have. Wow. Isaiah 43 verse 1 but now thus saith the Lord that created thee. I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.

He did it. Ezekiel chapter 3 verse 8 he says behold here we go again I have made thy face strong. So preacher what does that mean?

It means God says I'm the one that gives you strength. You can try everything else you want. You can take all the vitamins you want to. And I do by the way but you can see how it's helped.

Alright. Genesis chapter 1 verse 29 look at this. I mean we go right back to the very first of the Word of God. Behold God said, behold I have given.

You ever thought about that phrase? God says I've given. Let me ask you what have you given God? He gave everything. I've given. Wow.

Isaiah 48 10 behold he says I have refined thee. I'm not just going to leave you alone. I know you don't enjoy this process and I know it hurts sometimes but I'm not just going to discard you and I'm not just going to keep letting you go down a wrong road. I'm going to try you as gold. I'm going to purify you. I'm going to make you into the image of my dear son. I've refined you. Ezekiel 16 verse 27 behold therefore I have stretched out my hand.

Over you. Why does he say I have? Listen I want you to understand sometimes in order to understand what he did say we have to understand what he did not say. He didn't say I may graven you upon my palms. He didn't say I might. He didn't say I must. He didn't even say I will.

He gives us a past tense word. I have. It's already been done.

At least the choir ought to be excited about this. It's already done. I know you think I've forgotten you but I engraved you on the palm of my hands before you ever even got to this trial. Before you were ever born. Before you ever showed up.

How could I forget you? It's right there. It's already been done. I didn't wait until you needed proof and say well let me just approve it to you. Let me engrave this on the palm of my.

No. Behold I have. Let's look at this next word.

I have graven. Now what's interesting here is what is being said. Why is this so special to us? Whatever else may happen to other engravings on wood or stone or metal in this case it doesn't apply. What God has engraved, listen to me now you got to get this. What God has engraved cannot be erased because He is immortal. He would have to die for it to be erased. It cannot be replaced because He's unchangeable. So it can't be erased because He's immortal. It can't be erased because He's unchangeable. There can be no error in it because He's immutable.

Which means He never makes a mistake. I don't think you get it yet. I have graven.

I have engraved. No man can remove it by the way. And by the way the only thing that could remove it or that would remove it is man. And man cannot. And let me tell you exactly why.

If for no other reason, just listen to me I want you to get this. For any man to be able to remove it he would have to get close enough to God to remove it. The problem is nobody can get that close to God because God's light is too bright. His glory is too powerful. And His holiness is too convicting.

You say I don't even agree with that. We ought to talk to Moses about that. The Bible says Moses never even saw the actual glory of God. He just kind of saw the after effects of it and his face shone bright from then on.

Literally people saw it was so powerful. Let me tell you something. You ask Moses how powerful God's glory. And you ask Moses how bright his light is. How about Paul? Or Saul? He saw just a little bit of God's light on the road to Damascus.

How did that turn out? Dear friend he has engraved us on the palm of his hands. Listen to me.

You've got to get this. That means before the earth was created, before the first star was ever placed into space, before the first cloud ever appeared, or the first sunset ever faded away, God had engraved our name on the palms of his hand. That means the eternal God somehow for some reason focused his heart's love on us.

That means the righteous one has shown mercy and grace to his redeemed, dare I say it, ransomed. He has chosen to remember us. You say, what do you mean he's chosen to remember us?

Oh, can I tell you something? God's Word says that God has chosen to forget our sin. The Bible says our sin is as far as the east is from the west, as far as the north is from the south, because God chose to forget that. So, if God can choose to forget something, he can choose to remember. Now, you say, okay, I kind of get it a little bit. Well, let's just go on to the next little part. He said, behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Now, why does that mean anything to you and I?

Well, listen, I want you to get this. It has not been written because that could possibly be erased. So, it was engraved. It has not been stamped because that could possibly fade away.

It has not been printed as that might could be covered up, but it has been engraved. It means it has been permanently etched in the palms of God's hands. Now, why did he do it in the palm of his hands? Because if he would have done it upon wood, that could possibly rot away. If it had been engraved on paper, that paper could be torn in pieces. If it had been engraved on metal, that could possibly be heated and melted. It was not chiseled in stone because that stone could possibly be crushed and crumbled. Dear friend, it was engraved on the palms of God's hand because nothing can touch that. It was engraved in the palms of the very hands of God. Say, preacher, what does this mean to me before we go eat some lunch? I'm so glad you asked.

I would hate to let you out this early. Number one, what does this mean to me? It means that I have an identity.

Now, I've got to keep preaching or I'm going to stop and cry about that. It means I'm somebody. It means God sees me as special, even if nobody else does. It means it doesn't matter who overlooks me, or who might overlook you.

God never has. It means it doesn't matter who thinks I'm a failure, God doesn't. And it means it doesn't matter who thinks I'm unimportant, God sees me as important. It doesn't matter if my name's ever been written in a newspaper, published in a book, or even showed up on TV.

As long as it's in the palm of His hands, I'm okay. It means whether you like me or not, that's not where my identity comes from. It means whether people appreciate you or applaud you or not, you're on the palms of God's hands. That's where your identity lies.

That means even if family has failed you or forsaken you, you have a father that never will. I have been engraved on the very hands of the Creator of the universe. That means I have an identity. You and I need to quit getting our identity from what people say or think about us.

You and I need to start getting our identity from where we stand in the hands of God our Father. Number two, it means not only that I have an identity, but number two, it means that I have immortality. It means I will never die. It means I'm alive as long as God is. I will exist as long as God does.

It's an everlasting God making an everlasting gesture for an everlasting soul that will forever and everlasting be redeemed. It means that if I'm on His palms, that means I can't die unless He does. That means I'm immortal. Dear friend, people can't, if you're saved and you have put your faith and trust in Christ, nobody can kill you.

Did you know that? No disease can take your life. You will live forever. Number three, it means that God will never forget me.

Not that God ever would, but I'm going to tell you something. It's kind of hard to forget something that's right there on your hand. Now you all know I like to play golf and watch golf not all the time, but I enjoy it when I can. And I was watching one day and they were showing some golfer that was doing well and he was doing horrible and his psychiatrist told him to stick a dot, somehow it's made this thing, he'd stick it on his hand. And before every shot in golf what he had to do is when his mind would go and he just couldn't remember, he would look down and see that dot. And that dot he would just focus on that dot and he would get up and hit his golf shot and it would change his whole golf career. And I thought, well goodness gracious I'm going to start putting dots on my hands and my feet.

I'm going to have dots on my cheeks and my ears, whatever else might work. Why is that? Because it was there. And every time he looked he remembered it. Dear friend I don't care where you are or what you think has gone on, this is proof that God can never forget you because you are written on His hands. Number four it means this that God will love me for an eternity. Why would God do such a thing if He didn't mean it? Why would God mar His very hands if He wasn't going to love me forever? God wouldn't do such a thing. He wouldn't play games with that. He wouldn't make promises He wouldn't keep. This is serious to Him. He literally engraved it on His very hands.

It means He will love me forever. I found an author that I thought was really good talking about this. I wanted to read you this quote, no human can merit or can induce Christ to engrave a name and no human monarch could insist on it being done. Philanthropists, potentates, principalities and philosophers have no influence over God.

Sounded like I said a dinosaur didn't I? Don't even think about that. They have no influence over God. Not even enough to have one single name inscribed in such a place as His hand. The sole prerogative is according to the riches of His grace and according to the good pleasure of His will. That means that's the only thing that could have made that happen. The endorsement of His everlasting love is the only recommendation needed.

The endearment of His affectionate heart of infinite mercy is the sole commendation to assure the grading of the name on the palms of His hands. In other words, this. Nobody could have made that happen.

God just did it. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kerwinbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you. .