Awake, Awake, Remember the Rock

Isaiah 51:1–6 ESV

1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. 3 For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. 4 “Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples. 5 My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

“Imagine being out at sea in the middle of a violent storm. The sky is black, the waves are crashing over the sides of the boat, and the wind is howling like a living thing. You’re gripping the edge with white knuckles — terrified, because you know the storm is stronger than you.”

“And then it happens. A massive wave hits. The boat breaks apart. You’re thrown into the dark water. You’re swallowing seawater, gasping, kicking, clinging to a single piece of debris. All hope is slipping away.”

“But just when you think it’s over… you hear a voice. A light breaks through the storm. A rescue ship draws near. A rope is thrown into the water. Strong hands pull you up. You are saved.”

“Days later, the man who was rescued goes home. He decides not to talk about the storm anymore. He doesn’t tell the story. He doesn’t thank the one who saved him. He just… moves on. And the longer he goes without remembering, the easier it is to act as if he never needed to be rescued at all.”

This is exactly what happened in Isaiah 51.

1. God Calls His People to Look to Him and Listen to His Word

Notice that God’s call is for those who are righteous and seek the Lord. This opening is intentional and pastoral.

This is a Call for the Remnant Rising Up from the Desert Ground.

God calls out to those who pursue righteousness and seek Him to encourage, reorient, and strengthen their faith in the midst of hardship.

There is a Godly remnant in every culture who groans under the weight of their difficult circumstances: then as exiles in Babylon before the restoration, now as Christians suffering under the whip of the world, the flesh, and the devil. God calls on his discouraged remnant to look to what he has done in the past.

The Rock from which you were Hewn - means to be chiseled or dug out.

*A Call to Look to the Past.

It was God who worked a miracle baby for Abraham and Sarah, it was God who multiplied the Israelites during their time in Egypt into a Mighty nation. The same God who did mighty works in the past will do mighty works in the present, and will do mighty works in the future.

This same principle is vital for Christians today. Looking to the past is not about living in nostalgia, but about remembering the unchanging character and mighty acts of God.

When you became a Christian, you were grafted into the church, the body of Christ. This means you get us, all of us. We must look back to where we have come from to see where we are going.

Most Christians have very little knowledge of the History of the Church. However, in the Old Testament the people of Israel knew the history of all that God had done for the nation of Israel. They had heard the stories of the Exodus through the red sea. They had been taught from a very early age about Abraham and Sarah through whom God would create a great nation for His own names sake.

The Reformation

On October 31st 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the Whittenburg Castle Chapel door.

What are the results for the church today?

1) Priesthood of all Believers.

2) Increased Mission and Evangelism.

3) Emphasis on Preaching.

4) Accountability in Leadership.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES

1) Education and Literacy.

2) Emphasis on the Individual.

3) Separation of Church and State.

The call incorporates a piece of the past and a piece of the future. The writer goes all the way back to the very beginning in the garden of Eden before exile from the garden began.

The desert and dry land that Adam and Eve made will now be made again, like the garden of Eden. When the exiles read these words in Babylon, Jerusalem was a pile of rubble, and their hopes seemed all but gone. The God who created the plush, vast perfection of the Garden of Eden will do it again.

He is going to fill it with people who desire to worship the Lord their Savior.

*A Call to Look to the Present

The hope of Christ and His righteous judgment is being sent out to the coastlands and every nation.

This is a Call for a Much Larger Group Marching to Zion the Beautiful City of God.

Then let our songs abound, And every tear be dry; We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground To fairer worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high.

They are coming from the nations and the distant islands, drawn towards Zion by the promise that light is about to dawn, and the justice they long for is soon to become a reality.

These are the other sheep that Jesus spoke about in John 10, who would hear the shepherd's voice and follow it.

These words go beyond merely the restoration of the Jews to the promised land under Cyrus the Great but find fulfillment in the gathering of the elect from the distant islands of the earth into the kingdom of Christ by the spread of the gospel.

The Gospel call has been sent out and is rising among the remnant of His people to every tongue, tribe, and nation. Nothing will start the movement that began the day, hour, minute, and second that God called Abraham away from his land to go to a people he did not know and a land that he had yet to see.

Salvation is what the Lord does, and righteousness is the quality that infuses it.

His saving work on the cross is what satisfies His righteous requirement.

My Arm is literally My Arms plural

The fulness of His divine action that was once had a singular focus on the nation of Israel is now for all people who believe and turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for salvation.

Jesus came to steal away that earthly longing from the depths of hell and give us true life. John 10:10

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

*A Call to Look to the Future

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath, for the heavens vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell it it will die in like manner.”

In the end, there is only one people of God, the ransomed of the Lord, and when all purposes for them have reached their final goal and conclusion - Zion, the city of God. They will enter it with singing, and joy will be their crown forever and ever.

They are singing one song, the song of Zion.

The one who had mastered the great waters at creation, parted the waters at the red sea of the Exodus was sure to bring His people their final destination, the City of our God.

Saint Augustine of Hippo’s famous book “City of God,” shows the contrast between two symbolic cities: the Earthly City, driven by self-love, and the City of God, founded on the love of God. Written in response to the sacking of Rome in 410 CE, the book argues that Christianity was not to blame for the city's downfall, which was a result of its own internal corruption. 

Augustine uses this framework to present a philosophy of history, showing that earthly power is temporary and true fulfillment is found in the eternal City of God.  

“The bodies of irrational animals are bent toward the ground, whereas man was made to walk erect with his eyes on heaven, as though to remind him to keep his thoughts on things above.” ― Augustine of Hippo, City of God

Look at the word “be”, such a small word in the text; however, it holds such power. Last … never fail: literally ‘be … not be shattered’. ‘Be’ refers to intrinsic durability, ‘not shattered’ to imperviousness to external forces.

Isaiah 51:7–11 ESV

7 “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.” 9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? 10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? 11 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

2. Listen to Me! The God Who Will Make a Way for His People

Notice again that He is addressing those who know righteousness, the people whose hearts are in His law.

God calls again, “Listen to me!” (change of focus or direction)

Notice the double exclamation Awake, awake put on strength, or arm of the Lord; awake as in the day’s of old.

Isaiah did not doubt either his ability or his will. But there was what we might call a ‘holy impatience’ about this great man of faith. ‘Do it now,’ he cries in effect, ‘Do it now’ (9–10). The Bible itself ends with a very similar cry. It should be our cry too.

The Awake here is a clear indictment not on God put the people of God. He is putting the ball back into play on our side of the court. It is not the Lord who needs to awake but His people.

*The Key to Hope in the Future is Faith in the God of the Past

Man tends to trust the present reality he lives in rather than relying on the past victories God has won. This is the same thing that happens in our spiritual battle. We see Satan as this all-powerful being instead of remembering the knock-out punch that Jesus gave him at the Cross.

Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to remember His past works as the foundation for trusting Him in the present. Yet in our modern culture, people often focus more on what God seems to be doing right now than on what He has already done.

God reminds us that the moth will eat them up like a garment and the worm will eat them like wool, but His righteousness will live on forever.

The call is to awake as in the days of old the generations long ago.

Here are some of the reasons we lean more on what God is doing for us now and forgetting what He has done in the past:

a) We live in a now-driven culture

The now-driven culture, fueled by social media and on-demand content, prioritizes what is happening right now. People are preconditioned  to expect constant updates, which unfortunately carries over into our faith.

b) We equate God’s presence with our present emotions

Many people measure God’s presence by what they feel at the moment. If things seem good, they assume God is at work. If they do not feel Him they may question his nearness. This emotional dependency can make God’s past works feel distant or “less real.”

Biblical contrast: The psalmists often looked back at God’s past salvation to steady their faith in present distress (Psalm 77:11–12; 105:5).

c) We crave the sensational over the steady

People are often drawn to the dramatic “New Moves of God” rather than the steady, faithful, remembrance of His character.

But faith doesn’t grow best in the spectacular; it grows strongest in remembering the steady faithfulness of God across generations.

Biblical contrast: God often points His people back to the Exodus, Abraham, or His covenant promises to stir faith for the future (Isaiah 51:1–2; Hebrews 11).

THE POWER OF LOOKING BACK TO TRUST FORWARD

Remembering God’s past works:

guards against discouragement in the present.

Builds trust that He is the same God yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8)

Helps believers endure seasons when His hand is not as visible.

Sermon Illustration: The Forgotten Rescue

A father and his young son were hiking in the mountains when the boy slipped and fell down a steep hill into a cold river below. The current was strong, and the boy began to panic. Without a second’s hesitation, the father dove in, swam through the current, and pulled his son to safety on a large rock.

Months later, they returned to the same trail. As they crossed the bridge overlooking the river, the boy—now walking confidently—complained that his dad was “too slow” and wasn’t “doing anything exciting.” The father quietly stopped and pointed downstream to the very rock where he had once pulled his son out of the water.

“Do you remember what happened there?” he asked. The boy paused… and then his face softened. He remembered.

Suddenly, the present moment looked different. The father didn’t have to “do something exciting” to prove his love. The memory of what he had done was enough to restore the boy’s trust.

Sermons Connection:

We often act like that little boy—demanding that God prove Himself again and again in the present.

But faith grows strong when we remember the rock where He rescued us before—the cross, answered prayers, past provisions, and deliverances.

When we forget, we grow restless. When we remember, we rest.

Isaiah 51:12–16 ESV

12 “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, 13 and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? 14 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking. 15 I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name. 16 And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ”

3. How Dare We Fear Man More Than God!

God makes a declarative statement at the beginning of verse 12 “I am the God who comforts you” who are you that you are afraid of may who dies, of the son of many who is made like grass.

This is the same age-old problem of humanity: the propensity to fear man more than the fear of God.

We have forgotten our maker.

Our fear is a continual reality all day because of the oppressor.

From Eden to the early Church, God continually tells His people, "Do not fear them…." I am right here with you to the end of this world and beyond.

Imagine a child in a dark room who sees shadows on the wall and grows afraid. But the moment their father enters and takes their hand, the shadows don’t disappear—they lose their power. Why? Because the child now sees the father as bigger than the shadows.

In the same way, when God looms larger in our hearts than human threats, the fear of man fades into its proper place.

Notice the double I, I am He who comforts you. This is the language God had used when he had first claimed Israel as his own at the exodus. It is the language of relationship and commitment—not their commitment to him, but his commitment to them. And that had always been the solid ground of their security and comfort. God had claimed them for a special relationship with himself, and he was still committed to that relationship.

Note: This language takes us back to chapter 40 where we are given the picture of mounting up on eagles wings and soaring above our problems and current chaos of this world.

As Paul reminds us “If God is for us who can be against us.”

Romans 8:31–34 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

We walk not by sight but by faith - 2 Corinthians 5:7 “7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

vs. 14 is a picture of the recent Exiles, who were forced to bow the knee in the courts of pagan kings; now they bow the knee in Zion, the Holy city of God, and no more will they be subjected to Exile.

vs. 15-16

Many scholars believe that verse 16 is not addressed to the remnant rabble that is left but is speaking far beyond to each of His elect children.

*Through You, God is Going to Establish His Eternity

He has put His word in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of His hand, establishing the new heavens, and establishing the foundations of the new earth.

God’s “hand” often represents His power and authority.

His “shadow” conveys the sheltering nearness of His presence.

To be “covered in the shadow of His hand” means to be guarded by the Almighty Himself, even in times of danger or opposition.

New Heavens and New Earth = God’s Renewed Creation

God is not merely discarding the old world; He is restoring and transforming it to reflect His glory perfectly.

God has now reaffirmed His covenant relationship with His people who are covered by the shadow of His hand. He is establishing the heavens for them and the foundations of the New Earth.

Isaiah 51:17 ESV

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.

*The Fear of Man Paralyzes, but the powerful Arm of God Sets you Free

Matthew 10:26–33 ESV

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Fear of being condemned, fear of being under God’s judgment.

Jerusalem certainly experienced this in the eighth to sixth centuries BC, and for her it was not just a feeling but an actuality.

God gave her the cup of his wrath to drink, and she staggered and fell under its potent impact. It was a bitter draught, and it unmade her (17b–20). She was down because God had struck her down. But here she is told that that wrath has been removed. God has taken the cup from her and given it to her enemies (21–23).

The objective facts are that she is no longer condemned; she is forgiven. The problem is that she is still laboring under a sense of condemnation, and it is like a drug that stupefies her. ‘Awake,’ says Isaiah. ‘Rise up. You are not condemned, and you must not go on behaving as though you are!’

The wrath of JEHOVAH is frequently compared to a cup producing intoxication.

The reason is, that it produces a similar effect. It prostrates the strength, and makes the subject of it reel, stagger, and fall. In like manner, all calamities are represented under the image of a cup that is drunk, producing a prostrating effect on the frame.

So the Savior says, ‘The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?’ (John 18:11; comp. Matt. 20:22, 23; 26:39, 42). The effects of drinking the cup of God’s displeasure are often beautifully set forth. Thus, in Ps. 75:8:

4. God Takes Away the Cup of Wrath from His People

Look at Isaiah 51:21-22

Isaiah 51:21–22 ESV

21 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: 22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;

Now, the cup of staggering and the bowl of God’s wrath has been removed from His people.

We lie in the midst of a people of unclean lips a world that is still drinking from the cup of God’s wrath everyday. Consider the power of these words, “the bowl of wrath you shall drink no more.

Psalm 60:3 “3 You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.” Psalm 75:8 “8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.” Jeremiah 25:15 “15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.”

He has now put it into the hand of your tormentor Isaiah 51:23

Isaiah 51:23 ESV

23 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.”

This is a precursor to the ultimate tormentor, Satan, who will meet his defeat at the Cross of Christ will in the end will drink the full cup of God’s wrath and anger.

Revelation 14:10 ESV

10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

CONCLUSION

Remember the man from the opening story who was saved from the jaws of the stormy sea.

“Our ultimate rescue wasn’t from a storm at sea—it was from sin, death, and wrath. On the cross, Jesus Christ threw us the lifeline. He pulled us out of judgment and into His mercy. And just like Israel, we need to remember — not just once, but over and over again.”

What cup are you drinking from today? I think some can assume that they are drinking from the cup of life because they assume that it has been filled with the proper antidote for their sin-soaked life.

However, upon closer observation, we have never truly had the vessel of our life filled with the proper antidote to the wrath that is at the door of eternity, and which is coming to exact His just and righteous judgment on those who have rejected the cup of Salvation.

Only One Cup will Save your soul from the cup of God’s wrath.

All other cups may promise comfort, security, or identity, but they are empty cisterns that cannot hold living water.

People may raise their cups high, but if it’s the wrong cup, they’re celebrating the wrong hope.

The true evidence of drinking the cup of salvation isn’t outward appearance but a transformed heart that treasures Christ above all else.

Revelation 22:17 ESV

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.