Never Abandoned, Never Forsaken, Never Forgotten, Never Alone

Never Abandoned; Never Forgotten; Never Alone Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you were completely alone, deserted, with no one to help you? Have you ever asked, “God, where are you when I need you?” Have you ever been in a position where you had to take a stand against something that you knew was not right, and no one was willing to stand with you? Or perhaps someone came to you and asked permission to do something you felt was not best. Others had said yes, but for some reason, you sensed that you should say no, and this is what you did. Suddenly, you were very unpopular. Those who had once supported you now avoid you as if you have the plague. We learn as children in Sunday school that God is everywhere—but have you ever tilted your head back and questioned the God of the Universe, “Where are you now,” because it feels as if it’s not only people who have abandoned you. It feels that even God has forgotten you or has left you to deal with whatever life is dishing out on your own. Friends, this is part of real life. Sometimes things happen that cause us to feel very alone. Sometimes we may think that we are standing alone – alone because of who we are, alone because of what we’ve said or done, our didn’t say or do. I would like to share with you today what many Christians fail to grasp God’s total involvement with us. We are never abandoned, never forgotten and never alone. This is a vital reality to see! We are never alone; never cut off from God’s presence. In every time of need, whether we need mercy because we have failed or need grace when we are challenged beyond our abilities, God is with us… this is what Scripture teaches. Most of us can identify with Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4:16. In fact, as we read them, we sense the heaviness and thoughtfulness with which they were written: “At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.” Consider this along with his statement in 2 Timothy 1:15 (NIV84) that Timothy knew that everyone in the province of Asia had deserted Paul. He must’ve been deeply disappointed! Wouldn’t you be? But when we read further we realise that Paul understood something of great importance: Even if everyone in Asia deserted him, even though no one came to his support, he knew that he wasn’t completely alone for the Lord stood at his side and gave him strength. Yes, friends, from a human perspective, Paul were alone, abandoned, forgotten. No one else was with him. But in all reality he was factually not alone. Paul had been abandoned by his friends, his co-workers, his church people, but not by Jesus. And in the presence Christ God was beside him and with him and He strengthened Paul. And because of the Lord’s presence Paul was comforted and at peace. Now, I want you to understand this: Jesus did for Paul what the Father was doing for Him. Just like in Paul’s case it is true that people abandoned Jesus. Even more to the point, people rejected Jesus, but equally true is the fact that the Father never abandoned Him. Just like Paul said that he never experienced total abandonment because the Lord stood with him, Jesus never experienced abandonment, because God stood with Him too. Allow me to show this to you from Scripture. Even at His darkest moment Jesus was not truly forgotten, abandoned or left alone. His Father continued to stand next to Him… Let me make a bold statement: Even on the cross the Father glorified Him with His ever presence. There in His darkest moment the Father stood next to Him as well. Now, I know that some of you might straight away page to Mark 15:34 or Matthew 27: 46 which says: “at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” and you wonder: “Doesn’t these texts say the exact opposite of what you’re saying, Johann? Explain that away, you say.” Friends, like all good Reformed pastors I’d like to remind you of 2 basic principles that helps us to explain, interpret and understand biblical texts better. We are taught to: • Read and interpret every text in its contexts – the immediate as well as the broader, and • Ask ourselves if there are any other biblical references that might cast any light on the text we want to understand. Regarding the first principle: when we read Mark 15:34 or Matthew 27: 46 in it’s immediate context we find that Jesus uttered these words on the cross just before He died. For the uninformed this sounds like a final admittance that Jesus realised that God forsook Him at His most vulnerable moment, that He was indeed abandoned and forgotten at His darkest moment. Nothing could be further from the truth! You see, those who know will tell you that with these words Jesus quoted the 1st verse of Psalm 22. They will also tell you that the practice of Jesus’ day was that when you quote a portion of a known text you expect your listeners to consider the whole text. In other words, by quoting verse 1 of Psalm 22 Jesus is saying to those standing around His cross: “Remember the message of Psalm 22!” And what is the message of Psalm 22 that Jesus wanted to highlight? That He will glorify God to the very end! Listen to verses 22–25 of Psalm 22: 22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! Listen to verse 24: For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfil my vows. And that was exactly what Jesus did: To the very end He fulfilled His vows to live for the sake of His Father’s glory! So, Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27: 46 are not acknowledgment of abandonment, but a declaration of praise and obedience! Regarding the second principle: there are indeed many other texts that help us to understand that God didn’t abandon Jesus on the cross. In Acts 2:22-36 Peter reminds us that Jesus was not abandoned on the cross or the grave. Yes, Jesus was handed over to be executed; but the Father was there to hand Him over! He was not forsaken! His Father was there with Him! He was not alone! We hear this message even more explicitly in John 16:32 (NIV84) where Jesus told His disciples: 32 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” Jesus tells His disciples that His unity with His Father is such that He is never alone, even in the midst of His most painful trial He was not abandoned, forgotten, alone. Friends, this is why Jesus could pray like He did in John 17:1 and 5 (NIV84) 1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”… 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Friends, this is what happened on the cross. His cross, and His death on that cross wasn’t punishment! No! This was part of Jesus’ glorification – the fulfilment of the task He came to earth for! To the very end He fulfilled this task and His vows to live for the sake of His Father’s glory! … Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you… This is what Jesus meant in John 19:30 (NIV84) when He said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. His death on the cross has completed His work on earth. It is finished! He is ready to return to the Father’s presence with the glory He had before the world began. What can we learn from this today? We should learn to distinguish between fact and feeling. We should learn to accept the fact that, like He did with Jesus and Paul, God will never forsake us, abandon us, or leave us alone! Yes, you may feel lonely, but you are factually never alone! Therefore, you and I should take comfort in God’s promise that, no matter the circumstances He will never leave His children alone, or abandon them, or forsake them. Friends, THIS message is a golden thread woven through both testaments. God promised this to Joshua. Listen with me to Deuteronomy 31:7–8 (NIV84) where Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; HE will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” This promise also applies to us. When our world is in upheaval, when disaster rises over our task, when friends abandon us, when loved ones suffer, or we are sad or in trouble—we need to be reminded that we are never alone! God always remains present, always providing both strength and deliverance, always enabling us to carry out his ministry through our everyday lives. This is the message of Psalm 46. Listen to verses 1–3 (NIV84) 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah “Refuge” comes from a word meaning “to flee and take shelter,” a place to which we run in times of danger. It calls to mind a tower or fortress. God is our Refuge. We can rely on Him as if His power were our own. Sometimes our bodies hurt, our incomes shrink and the only answers we have don’t fit our questions. God is an “ever present help.” Friends, Scripture reveals that He has proven Himself to be help in trouble. Wars may be raging across the earth and catastrophe may seem imminent—but the people of God are never alone. We may forsake ourselves, others might forsake us, but God never does! When God fights, He wins. He is always in control, even if we’re not. When we lie in bed at night, groaning about unsolved problems and neglected responsibilities, or wake up in the night in a cold sweat and cannot catch our breath, it’s time to run to God. Our refuge. Our safety. When we focus these experiences on the presence of the living Christ, we are never alone. May the treasure of His nearness give you safe assurance that you’re never alone. And may the price He paid to save you remind you that He will always be there for you. Friend, understand that you’re never alone. Though you’re afraid of crossing someone who could hurt you or mess up your future, realize that God will always honour you for doing what is right. God is with you and he’s powerful. The people harassing you may prosper in the short term, but not forever. When your circumstances overwhelm you so much that you cannot see Jesus, remember then that Jesus sees you! Remember then God’s promise that He will bring the best of things out of the worst of things. Remember then that even in the darkest moments, we are never alone. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ stand as a sure and reliable promise that someday death will die. He is with our heavenly Father, sitting at His right hand and He is praying, watching, and voicing His concern about you to our Father. And simultaneously He reminds you though His Spirit, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” When you cannot see Jesus through the darkness, be assured He’s got his eye on you. Therefore, you and I can say during our loneliest moments: “Never alone, no never alone; He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.” This knowledge that we are never alone should calm the troubled sea of our lives because it speaks peace to our souls. So, I’d like you to remember today that we are never alone. Christ is with us in every circumstance of life into which we invite Him. We never need to suffer alone. He has suffered for us in the past and He will be with us in our sufferings in the present and future. We need not be fearful of the future—Christ will be with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). And so “we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me’” (Hebrews13:6). Therefore, you and I can trust God and obey him. We would experience far more joy, much less loneliness, and be far more effective as Christians if we did not try to do everything alone. We need to remember that God is with us and will protect us. We are never alone even in our most lonely moments. This, then, is the meaning and importance of Jesus’ words to the disciples. There never were, and never will be, spiritually orphaned Christians, however dark the valleys they have to travel in this life. From the disciples to the present generation and on to the end of the age we have the assured knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is with us (Matthew 28:20). The Spirit of God leads us in the way that we should go. Godly decisions require godly courage. Life’s trials provide a wonderful opportunity for God to display His power and wisdom in your life. Be courageous and do not fear (Joshua 1:9). Friends, comfort comes in many forms, but all displays of true, godly comfort have in mind the goal of pointing us to the One who is able to bear every burden. God becomes more than a name to us when we accept that we live forever in His presence. God’s voice assures us that we are never alone. Paul declared boldly that: “everyone deserted him... but that the Lord stood at his side and gave him strength.” The Lord our God is with you too, and He will give you strength, wisdom, and victory as well. This is a truth that you and I need to make our own too. As God’s people we need to accept that we are never alone. But why do we then feel lonely, or abandoned or forgotten? Friends, it’s because we live our everyday lives in a broken world. Again I want to make this clear: We may find ourselves alone, abandoned, forgotten, left on our own by others, as we journey through life, but as those who belong to God in Christ, we are never alone, just like He was never truly alone. This earthy journey we call life not a sprint, but a marathon—indeed, more of a steeplechase, involving multiple hurdles and pitfalls and harsh opposition. It is an earthly race that will not end in earthly death, but that will extend onto eternal life. It is a race into which we should put our greatest effort our unquestionable best, for the reward will be living with joy in the eternal presence of our God. We too are never abandoned, never forgotten, never forsaken, yes, never alone! His approval, His smile, His blessing becomes be our goal and our joy. My friends, because Jesus endured the cross, He has given us the power to endure whatever we must face in life. Even when the sky grows dark and we feel abandoned by all we love, God is there with comfort and healing. Never alone; never forsaken; always loved. That is the promise of the cross. Paul grasped this truth, therefore, his assurance to Timothy lies in this: those who follow Jesus are never alone, but are accompanied by One who stand next to you. In Him you will find rescue, a save haven and hope. Therefore, don’t ever lose heart, dear friend. When times are tough, look to the cross and focus on our victorious King. He conquered sin and death on it. He has overcome the world. Look up to Him. The One who made all of heaven and earth are standing next to us. We are never abandoned, never forgotten or forsaken, and yes, never alone when we trust in Him.