God Will Not Forget Us

6 · The repeating cycle is not mere historical record but a redemptive-historical pattern pointing forward to the ultimate Deliverer

But one of the great things that we'll discover as we go through at least today's text is that this is a grand pattern of salvation that is pointing us to the greater fulfillment of that salvation. And it has all the remarks without— and, and throughout redemptive history seem to be found in one way or another in these stories as we go through Judges. That spiral is our dilemma, our sinful dilemma. God's sending of a deliverer and his salvation of his people, even for a brief period of time, is pointing to the fact that he has a great deliverer coming.

7 · The sermon's thesis and structure are announced using an illustration about reading the end of a novel first

I've summarized this, hopefully in a hopeful way. The only hope that we have after forgetting our God is that in his mercy, he will not forget us. We're gonna look at these in two points. They forget him. In this section, verses 7 through 8, they forgot him.

In the second one, he did not forget them. And we're gonna find the only hope that we have after forgetting God is that in his mercy, Here's the end of the story. You get the clue. This is like I got hold of a novel years ago and I was like, I gotta go to the end and read this. I gotta go there.

I read the end. I never read the book again. Well, here's the end of the book. The deliverer, the deliverer comes and saves his people finally. And that cycle is interrupted.

We could end, I actually said the first service, we could end at the end of point one and I haven't even got to it yet. We could end right now with enough that we know from this text. The great Deliverer is worthy of our worship.

8 · Exposition of Judges 3:7-8a defining what it means to 'forget' God

Well, let's look though at verse 1. Let the Lord's word arrest you, get your attention, get hold of you, hold you captivated, if I could say that.

Look with me in verses 7 through 8, at least the first part of 8. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God. We are prone to forget, and clearly throughout the Judges, they forget him. There in verse 7, they turn and they worship the Baals, and therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he sold them into the hand of this king, Cushan-rishathaim.

They forgot their Lord. Let's talk just a minute about this forgetting. The Lord has given me a wife who doesn't forget anything. Now, in our culture, that's a way to like ding her. Oh yeah, you're not going to forget that, are you?

That's not what I mean. I forget seemingly everything. Like, honey, why did you not turn left there? I forgot. It has— this is not that kind of forgetting.

It's not a simple, like, mindlessness. It certainly includes that. Considering our relationship with the Lord, that is a desperate place to be if we have just forgot him. But it's more active than that. It's not just a passive, it's an active forgetting.

Their forgetting of the Lord in verse 7 is described as evil in his sight. Not just unhealthy, or maybe not helpful, or like, oh boy, I'm going to have to remind them. No, it is the fact that they forget him is evil in his sight.

9 · The forgetting of God is further defined using the biblical metaphor of spiritual adultery from Judges 2:17

We know in chapter 2, verse 17, that there is a picture already painted for us of what this forgetting of the Lord is described as. It is likened to an unfaithful wife who has turned away from her faithful husband and sells herself to another man.

In a sense, the scriptures clearly in chapter 2 paint this picture of this forgetfulness. We forget him. They forgot him. The people of Israel have turned away from their faithful husband, the Lord, abandoning him for other boyfriends, other men. Giving themselves into illicit marriages to these other gods, these other men of the world referred to here, the Baals.

Biblical language is stark. That's an understatement. The imagery is revolting. And however revolting it is, they have to consider this: it is revolting. Even when I provide that description of The way it's described as adultery, it's revolting.

You know, almost a private panic begins to set in.

10 · The depth of Israel's apostasy is exposed: they have abandoned their Creator, Sustainer, and Protector—finding Him unattractive and unnecessary—to chase dead, filthy idols

They beheld what was out there.

Their Lord becomes to them unattractive, unsatisfying, undesirable in their minds, in their hearts. They have turned to the worldliness. I don't mean just simple worldliness. I busted on The Office earlier, we'll bust on something a little older, not just watching Friends every week or binging, that's not necessarily what this is referring to as well, is their very Creator. They have turned from their very Creator, the sustainer and provider, their protector, they have turned away from Him.

And He has become unnecessary. They think He's uncaring or not even providing enough for them, and He is in their mind, weak. They have forgotten Him. Their living, holy God, they turn from Him and run after dead, filthy gods.

Happy New Year.

11 · An extended illustration contrasting R

Last year, Lisa and I, along with our pastoral team in the Tucson church— and by the way, I still live in two cities in my mind, so I'm going to mess this up to some degree— but with our pastoral team, Derek has been great to like get our team together. Ricky did this. I have a great memory with the El Paso team, getting the pastors and the wives together to eat at Kona Grill. I won't forget that in the Polynesian Hotel. I had the best coffee in the world there.

Pagan idolatry all around. Don't Google it right now, it'll be disturbing. It's a great time as a team. We went to— Derek took us to the grounds of where Ligonier Ministry, if you're familiar with R.C. Sproul, this is the seat of Ligonier Ministry now.

And they're building, their offices are there, and also the Reformation Bible College is there. Beautiful grounds, a lake. I would not get any studies done, I'd get a lot of fishing done. St. Andrew's Chapel is there, beautiful cruciform chapel, beautiful. And out on the lawn in front of the chapel is R.C.

Sproul's headstone.

On the epitaph of R.C. Sproul's gravestone, these words are chiseled in, etched into this granite.

He was a kind man redeemed by a kinder Savior.

What a great thing to go on your epitaph. I don't know what's going to go on mine. Hated Eastwood Middle School, barely graduated. I don't know what would be on mine. Loved Lisa.

He was a kind man redeemed by a kinder Savior. C.J. Mahaney, decades ago in a message, said the epitaph on the gravestone of the people of Israel often had these words: They soon forgot.

They soon forgot.

Is that not us at times? We believe the doctrines that are deep about God's goodness. He will always be near.

And yet you get that call that your loved one has suddenly been taken away in a car wreck. We soon forget.

We go, as it were, to the living room windows in our wonderful relationship with God, and we peel open the blinds and we see all that's out there. And it looks good, it will feel good, and we leave him and run to them, we soon forget.

Our forgetting is active.

12 · Exposition identifying the specific idols (Baals and Asherah) and describing the depravity of their worship—fertility gods whose worship involved sexual immorality and child sacrifice

Maybe this could be helpful: forgetting of the Lord equals the serving or their serving of idols, and in this case, namely the Baals and Asherah. Let's look at their text right here. They forgot their Lord, they forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherah.

Two idols during that time. These are not good idols. And all the worship surrounding these two idols is not good. They were fertility gods, and if you were gonna run to these other gods, it included rank sexual immorality.

The Apostle Paul would describe possibly when he writes in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 12, to describe what goes on in the worship of these idols is it would have been too shameful to even speak of the things that they were doing in secret.

And to add to that, fertility gods are the kind of— these are the gods that the people would worship, hoping that their posterity, that their race, that their humanity would continue on, their families would continue to grow.

And in this enticement of sexual immorality, he's trying to get these two gods to— well, it also included the sacrifice of children. What a bizarre, twisted, demonic thing to do.

They had forgot their God, and it was evil in his sight. Wanting their posterity to continue to grow and to thrive, they are killing off their posterity in sacrifice to these gods.

We cannot miss this.

13 · Exposition of God's kindled anger in verse 8

In all of history, in all of creation, there is one person that we don't want to anger, and that is our holy and righteous God. And this provokes— it uses this phrase— it kindles God's anger. By the way, if you're kindling a fire, it's that moment where it goes from smoke and some heat to into flame immediately, and God's anger now is kindled against his people. He has seen all of their sin, and yet we already know by the time we get here how long was he patient with it. Now he moves in discipline.

It ignites His anger. He now moves in discipline. That's helpful. We're going to talk about that in just a second. And His righteous anger, He moves to discipline them using these words in verse 8.

Look with me in that second part, kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. He sold them.

14 · The act of God 'selling' Israel is explained as a deliberate, controlled transaction—not Israel being snatched away by a tyrant

Time and time again, we hear through the scriptures, particularly Judges, God gives them over. God hands them over. We know in Romans chapter 2, he gives us over to our sinfulness.

All the things that we know about him, we turn from him. We turn to our sin. We turn to idols made by our own hands, and he gives us over. But in this case, he is doing this as a means of discipline. But look at the action of him selling.

Them, of him selling them. Barry Webb writes these words in his commentary: They are not snatched from God's hand. No tyrant, not even this king, has the power to do that, but literally sold by him in a deliberate transaction that God himself, that he initiates and controls. It is a carefully measured act of discipline in which the punishment fits the crime. Those who serve foreign gods are made to serve a foreign ruler, verses 7 and 8.

And those who do evil are handed over to one who is wicked.

15 · Exposition of the foreign king's name—Cushan-rishathaim means 'king of double wickedness

Now let's look at this guy's— this king whose name I'm sure I've messed up. A number of times. Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. God brings discipline to his people who have forgotten him, and they have forgotten him through an active turning to Baals and Asherah.

And this king that he hands them over to, his identity is mostly mysterious. We don't know hardly anything about him except for this: He's an agent of God's discipline, because the Lord is the one who has sold his people into his hand. This man did not accomplish this. God gives them over. And he's terrible.

And we know that because of his name. Let's consider his name just for a minute. This king's name, Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. If you look in the original languages, it's Cushan this and Cushan that. What it literally is saying, this man's name literally means is Cushan, king of double wickedness, king of two rivers.

That's Mesopotamia. King of double wickedness. King of double wickedness. King of double wickedness. Four times in three verses repeated for effect.

It's as if he has now taken the nation of Israel Look at what you've done. I'm giving you to this doubly wicked king. He's saying, you doubly wicked people, here's your king.

Reverencing leaders like Antiochus Epiphanes, Nero, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, The Antichrist and Satan Himself. Barry Webb writes these words: From Israel's day to our own— don't miss those opening words— from Israel's day to our own, there have been many embodiments of evil. Cushan-Rishathaim has lived many lives, and you are now handed into his reign and rule.

16 · Theological synthesis drawing three conclusions from the passage: (1) Our sin is great, (2) God's discipline is severe, and (3) God's discipline is completely just

So what's the point of all of this? Why all of this effort here in Judges?

What is God doing? One, he's making this very clear: your sin, my sin, you people of Israel, my people, your sin, it's great. We know this from the text as well. God's discipline of them is severe. This is not a slap on the hand.

Now for years they're given to this tyrant And he is going to, well, he's going to take great advantage of them. These men are far from God. Their evil is great. And now they've got the people of Israel under their control. Our sin is great.

God's discipline is severe. And it's clear that God will deal with our unrepentance. Even as those words come from my mouth, should concern me from the text. He will deal with my unrepentance.

He will deal with your unrepentance.

Our sin is great, His discipline is severe. He will not let it go. In that sense, God's discipline, no matter how severe, is also completely just. If we could maybe phrase it this way, 'You have forgotten Me and turned to your wickedness. You shall now serve the king of double wickedness.'

17 · Direct application through self-examination questions

You and I need at this point in the text to ask ourselves a couple of questions.

Maybe a better way of saying this, instead of these just serving as questions with some answers that might be helpful, is questions that help provoke conviction about this matter of our sinfulness before our God. Have you forgotten the Lord your God? Have you forgotten the Lord your God? Maybe another way I could ask that same one is, are you in bed with other gods.

For you and I to, on one hand, profess love for the Lord, and in a synchronistic way, love the world, it's an impossibility in God's economy. In his mind, you are no longer loving me. You are loving them, is the sense of the text. We have to see this. Has the world become so attractive to you that you are forgetting the beauty and steadfast love of the Lord your God?

Has the world become so attractive to you that you are forgetting the beauty and steadfast love of the Lord? Things that are abominable to God have now become lovely to you. You put aside holy and lovely things, things like love and sacrifice and service and purity, and I've taken up filthy things like sexual immorality, hatred, fighting, lying, and hiding. Have I turned away from him? Am I turning away from him?

When we turn to the idols of this world, we have forgotten the Lord.

18 · Major structural pivot from point one (they forgot Him) to point two (He did not forget them)

But I could not wait to get to point 2, because with this downward spiral, included in this downward spiral is a hope that is pointing to a greater hope that's coming.

Let's read in verses 9 through 11. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel who saved them.

It is grave to consider that we have forgotten the Lord. It is in that sense disgusting that they have turned to this kind of idol worship.

But here, right on the heels, almost in the same breath, is, 'But the people of the Lord cried out to the Lord, and he raises up a deliverer for them.' We do forget God, but our greatest hope is that he will not forget us. Forget us. We forget him. They have forgotten him.

Something amazing is occurring to the epitaph of his people. He has drawn out the chisel and he has grabbed his mallet and is beginning to re-chisel the face of their epitaph. I have not forgot you.

So maybe my epitaph would be, he did forget the Lord, but the the Lord did not forget him.

He hears their cry in verse 9. This is shocking. This is shocking to actually consider. God's ears, if I could say that, should have been eternally deaf to their cry because of their sin, because of where they were. Because of who and what they were with.

But his ears were not deaf to their cry. 2 Chronicles teaches us this.

If my people who are called— 2 Chronicles 7:14— if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and 'Turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.' Psalm 136:23, 'It is he who will remember us in our low state, for his steadfast love endures forever.' Is this not good news? It is good news, by the way. I told you, I just keep cluing you into the answer. We can stand now and worship again like we said a minute ago. Their Lord has not forgotten them.

19 · Theological exposition clarifying what God's 'remembering' means—not mere mental recall but covenant faithfulness

This is not simply, by the way, if our forgetting of him was a simple like casting them out of mind, is not that. His remembering of them is not just simply, oh yeah, that's right, my people. You have to see what's going on. Oh yeah, oh yeah. It's not, oh yeah, sorry, I don't want to even be blasphemous of that statement.

My people in their sin, I remember you.

He goes to the depths of our depravity. He doesn't leave us in our depravity because of his covenant promise and steadfast love to us. We are his We belong to him. He has been disciplining us, no question, but he, in his covenant promise, has been mindful of us. A covenant mindful of us.

This is one of the things that Judges is teaching us. No matter what you've done and how often you have done it, God has not forgotten you. Turn to him again.

20 · Direct pastoral address to those trapped in the downward spiral

If you're here this morning, it's a miracle that you're present. You're hearing the good news being held out to you.

Your life is in that downward spiral, constant downward return to your sin, constant no hope, just downward and downward. And by the way, without Christ, Your downward spiral ends not just in the death of a deliverer and a repeat into your sin, it ends finally in the wrath of God when he in an unfettered way pours out his wrath upon you. You are present this morning in the goodness of God that he is patient.

It's amazing that this downward spiral includes God's patience. Patient. See, if we were going to consider God's retribution in judgment, that would be unmitigated. In other words, for those outside of his covenant, that would be unmitigated by grace. Yet when God has set his affection on someone, it will never be removed.

Yet in his judgment for those who belong to the covenant of people, We don't get retribution. It's correction. It's that discipline that's being tempered as a sense by grace, but it's not just tempered of like, oh yeah, okay, that's right, that's right. It's like, no, it's a movement towards being more of his people. Again, I wish we could camp there.

Great hope that we have is the only hope we have is after forgetting God, he has not forgotten us. And let's consider that one part of verse 8 right before we get to 9. It says that God was in control through it all. It essentially describes that, and he was purposeful in it all. And that includes the duration of that discipline.

There are times fixed here. It says that he sold them into the hand of that king, and the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim 8 years. Look at the grace at the end of verse 8 before it even gets to that next part. It was to be a fixed time of his discipline. The one, Jerry Webb would write this, the one who determines the punishment also determines its duration.

Thank God for that. Thank God for that. And I would add to that, and don't tell Barry Webb I said this, the only thing I would add to the end of his quote is, He determines the duration, but he also finally— and the reason he doesn't bring an end to it, because he has a glorious end for it.

21 · Pastoral exhortation warning against gospel familiarity

But when the people in verse 9 cried out to the Lord, he raised up a deliverer. Now, you and I need to realize this, and this is true about us. You are in a Christ-centered church. The gospel is driven home every single Sunday in this pulpit. I know it.

I lived under the benefit of it all of my life from 17 forward, and in particular the last number of years. You have been benefiting from Ricky for decades in this church, now into the second decade as the lead pastor. He faithfully preaches. Every man he parks in this pulpit will take you and point you to Christ, your salvation, point you to Christ. Your hope, point you to Christ, the object of your worship every single Sunday.

But for you and I, that story might become old. So Dale Davis writes this about verse 9. Of course they cried out to the Lord and he raised up a deliverer and saved them. He writes this: our primary problem is that in verse 9 it moves us to only a yawn. After all, we already know the theological truth of verse 9.

We've read that sort of thing before, haven't we? So we respond with a pleasing nodding ho-hum. God is so nice. When's supper?

If we fail to see to feel, to delight in the miracle of God's own nature. Are we not now strangers rather than partakers of such unbelievable grace? Let me encourage you. You are a partaker if you've believed in Christ. You are a partaker of His unbelievable grace.

Do you not feel it and delight in it, in that miracle of God's nature?

When you privately go or publicly go, when you bow the head, you consider the Gospel, God's favor is fixed on you in Christ. Is that not good news? This is not a strange thing to you. But don't let it become an old thing to you. Old meaning a forgotten thing to you.

22 · Major theological claim establishing the redemptive-historical pattern: every judge, deliverer, and king in the Old Testament points forward to the ultimate Judge, Deliverer, and King—Jesus Christ

We will hear the same repeat as we continue on through Judges. As we continue on through the scriptures, judge after judge after judge is going to reveal a greater judge is coming. Deliverer after deliverer after deliverer is going to point to a greater deliverer is coming. King after king after king is going to reveal a greater king is coming. 40 years of silence after the prophets in God's discipline intentionally led up to the most epic moment on the face of the planet, when God incarnate draws his first breath and then angels announce the Savior of the world.

We've just come through the Advent season. What a great joy to now recall the Savior of the world has come, but not just another one, the one that all of the other ones pointed to. And here's the joy about this: that downward spiral that we talked about, that sin, that constant repeat, is now going to be— now going to be interrupted by this good news.

23 · Exposition of Othniel as a type of Christ

Let's look at this deliverer now, Othniel, that points to that greater deliverer to come. Othniel in verse 10 and 11.

We don't know a lot about this guy. He's Othniel in verse 9, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. We know that Caleb is loved in the Scriptures. He seems to be related to this guy. And the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.

Certainly we know that is like the good thing about Othniel.

He is in chapter 1 been referred to already already. And in that reference, we find that he is given a prize bride. It's foreshadowing of the prize bride, the church, being given to Christ. Note the emphasis here in chapter 3 is that he is God's choice for them, not their pick.

I'm sure they wanted certain leaders. But he sends Othniel to save. Well, what a beautiful picture of his deliverer that he is sending. By the way, this Othniel— there is an absence of issues. When you read through the other judges, you'll like lots of issues with their character.

There's a serious problem of moral failure in some of those characters that we're gonna get to. Think of Samson. I don't know what you grew up believing about Samson. I grew up with Samson being slapped on a felt board. Big muscular guy.

In my world, that means a good guy, 'cause that's what I wanted to be one day. That's a whole other story.

As if Samson was the hero of that story. Samson's the last judge. They have become so corrupt morally. No more. Are given to the nation.

Read Judges, marvel at the Savior, the Deliverer. This Deliverer by and large is a mystery, but I would submit that he's a mystery because not much is being said about him because the purpose is that much is going to be said about the Deliverer to come. The Deliverer to come, much is going to be said, and from now to eternity we are going to be saying much about Jesus the deliverer. God is the one who saves. God is the one who has came.

Jesus, the Son of God, is our final deliverer.

24 · Theological synthesis connecting Othniel to Christ as God's agent of grace

In our text, we will see that God is at work, yes. And while the king of double wickedness is God's agent of discipline, Othniel is God's agent of grace, rescuing them, pointing to whatever we have given ourselves over to. Finally, we will be given over, thank God, to the deliverer. Handed to him.

What a place to be handed to. And by the way, when it said— I just came to me— that we're being sold into the hand of this deliverer, Jesus is going to pay dearly for us, to purchase us out of slavery, to purchase us out of sin.

Othniel begins to present this pattern that ultimately points us to that great deliverer, Jesus. Not much is spoken regarding him. We know that much will be spoken about Jesus. We know that.

25 · Major theological climax contrasting the death of Othniel with the death of Christ

But here at the end of verse 11, we have the death of our first deliverer, the death of Othniel.

So like, this is a great guy.

Why did the Lord let him die?

And we know from that pattern that's revealed in chapter 2 that at the death of the deliverer, this judge, it's not good. The very next words in verse 12, they do again what is evil in the sight of the Lord. But, but the deliverer that's being pointed to in this man's life, the death of the judge has come to mark the Beginning a repeat of the top of that downward death spiral into sin. The downward spiral is interrupted by the gospel. And by the way, it's interrupted at that gospel, the announcing of his birth, but it is nailed to the cross when Jesus breathes his last.

Othniel, The son of Kenaz died. Fast forward to the New Testament. The Son of God dies.

Something radically happens at his death. All of this is flipped on its head, and now instead of a repeat into sin and death and bondage constantly, at the death of Jesus, life is injected. The downward spiral throughout redemptive history is finally nailed down, and it's nailed down at the cross. This message of Judges and all of its chaos, and we see that necessity of Jesus to come. Well, Jesus doesn't just come, he doesn't just live, and he not only dies, he dies to save.

Redemptive history is marching forth as we get to that Savior figure. Finally, and no other deliverer will be required. No other judge will have to be born to save the people of Israel because now when the people of God sin, the scriptures say, if you go to him and you ask for forgiveness, he is faithful and just to forgive. How can he be just to forgive if the repeat just continues on and we have no blood on the cross. Well, we do.

We have Jesus dying for us. Here is what I mean by just. You and I, at the end of the downward spiral, we should die along with those original deliverers. It should be the end of us. But what happens is Christ comes and he dies.

The only hope we have after forgetting God is that in his mercy He will not forget us. And in His mercy, He has sent His Son to die. His Son bears his sins upon His body. Othniel could not do that and would not do that. Jesus comes and bears our sins upon His body, and He dies the death that we deserve, completely bringing an end to the downward spiral.

26 · Direct evangelistic application to unbelievers

And so if you're here this morning and have not believed in Christ, there is a hope particularly held out to you. A day of judgment is coming for you, but today that will be and can be immediately interrupted if you would turn to God in repentance and believe in Christ for salvation. You may not know all of the things about all of the Christian religion. You may not know all the things about the Christian relationship. You may not know even where to go in your Bible.

I don't even know where Judges is. But I'm now finding out that I know that God exists. My sin is going to end me in his wrath, and he has sent the final deliverer. Lord, forgive me and save me. He will not now forgive you.

27 · Brief liturgical transition calling the band forward and inviting the congregation to stand, signaling the move toward closing prayer and worship

If I could have the band join me, please.

If you could stand with me, please.

28 · Closing application framed as two hope-giving questions: (1) Are you at rest in your relationship with God? and (2) Have you wondered if God has forgotten you? The pastor acknowledges that words alone may not be sufficient—prayer is needed

Hear these questions as a means of hope. Remember, the first two questions would have been a means of conviction. Lord, help me see what I need. Help me have a will to turn to you, turn back to you, hear these questions. Are you at rest in your relationship with God?

You hear that in verse 11, so that the land had rest for 40 years, and you privately are like, I need that rest.

Are you at rest in your relationship with God? And the second one is, have you wondered if God has forgotten you?

I could stand here all morning long and keep preaching to you that he hasn't.

But right now you may be able to say, I don't know.

29 · Closing pastoral prayer pleading for God to do what only He can do: grant rest to the weary, reveal His mindfulness to those who feel forgotten, rescue those tempted to turn away, and strengthen the church

So let's pray, because we need Him to do what only He can do. Let's pray.

Lord, my prayer is that You would do what only You can do.

Lord, for those that need rest in You, You're the only one that has the power to do so. But You have provided the way for them to be at rest. Lord, if they are far from you, Jesus, if they don't want to have anything to do with you, I pray in your mercy you would pull them in by your mercy and grant them rest that they so desperately need.

God, for any person present this morning that feels as though that you have forgotten them. They have maybe even had those words in their mouths: Lord, have you forgotten me? I pray, Lord, now by the presence of your Spirit that you would come and minister to those present that have felt that you had forgot them by revealing your mindfulness, your gracious mindfulness of them. That though they're tempted now with whatever they're facing to forget you and to turn away from you and run after something else. I pray, God, that they would feel and know of your rescue that wins them back to you.

Your rescue out of suffering and grief and hope going into trouble and trial, Lord, that you would go and you would remind them and they would have a quick answer to their question, have you forgotten them, by knowing even right now, you have not forgotten them. Lord, let that grant them hope as they depart, that you have remembered them. Be merciful to them. God, I pray for Cross of Grace Church, that you would strengthen her, hold fast to her. Lord, even as the words come out of my mouth, I know You hold fast to her.

You love the church so much you sent your Son to die for her.

Strengthen her, Lord. Lord, it's in your name we pray. Amen.