Do not fear for I am with you

Scripture: Isaiah 41:8-20

Texts vers Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you; I will help you;

I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.

Sing:

Ps. 42-1 1 & 3

Introduction

God says to you today, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”

Isaiah 41 was originally addressed to Judah who was taken into exile in Babylon in the 6th century BC. They had lost everything: their land, their temple, and even their identity. They were in a foreign land and they were struggling with the question of whether God had abandoned them.

Do you sometimes struggle with the question of whether God had abandoned you?

Here in Isaiah 41 we hear how the Lord comforts his discouraged people. This comfort is not only meant for the Jews of the past, it is also meant for us here and now. Especially for each of us who are confronted with the reality of the death of a loved one here this morning.

The Lord does not take away the reality of our tears and sorrow, but He gives us the assurance that his faithful covenant love carries us as his children through loss and drought.

Today we will focus on the following three main points:

Ø Our identity in Christ.

Ø God is present in our lives.

Ø And Where are we going?

Our identity in Christ

Here in Isaiah 41:8 & 9 we hear how God reminds his people who they are, not who they feel they are.

Verse 8 points back to the covenant that God made with Abraham where God promised Abraham and his descendants that He would give them His faithful covenant love.

The Lord identifies Israel as His servant. He is telling Israel here that they belong to Him because He has chosen them. They do not have to prove to Him that they are good enough for Him. On the contrary, when the Lord uses the name Jacob, He is indeed telling them that they are just like Jacob, deceivers, but that He has nevertheless made them His property in spite of that.

Furthermore, He also assures them that He has never cast them off. Even where they have been taken into exile, He is still with them.

In Gal 3:29 the Lord tells us:

And if you belong to Christ, then you are also Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise.

Just as Israel belonged to the Lord, everyone who believes in Jesus Christ also belongs to the Lord because He has chosen you.

When life turns you upside down, when you are faced with the harsh reality of an open grave of a loved one, it may feel as if the Lord has abandoned you. There in Babylon Israel wondered if the Lord had abandoned them and here in Isaiah 41 He assures them that He has never abandoned them.

Beloved, hold on to the comfort that God has chosen you, because He loves you. Your security lies in your faith in Christ because He loves you. Nothing, not even death, can separate you from Christ’s love.

The Lord assures us in John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ? If you say yes, then God is saying to you this morning: “You are mine because I have chosen you. I will never leave you.”

God is present in our lives

If you belong to the Lord then He is present in your life. In Isaiah 41:10 the Lord tells us how He is present in our lives:

Ø Do not fear, for I am with you,

Ø Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

Ø I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will hold you,

Ø with my own hand I will save you.

Just think about it, it is God who created the heavens and the earth who promises to never let you go. He is almighty and He can do it, but the true essence of comfort lies in the fact that God does not just say He can do it. He tells us that He WILL do it because He loves us.

In Isa. 41:13 the Lord repeats again:

Ø I am the Lord your God and I will take you by the hand,

Ø I say to you: Do not be afraid, for I will help you.

In Isa. 41:14 He repeats again:

”Do not be afraid, though you are a worm, Jacob, though you are small, Israel. I will help you, says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

Compared to the greatness of God's omnipotence, we are nothing, yet He makes an effort with us.

The Lord places absolute emphasis on the fact that we do not need to be afraid because He is present in our lives.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as Comforter and Helper to be with us after His Ascension. He is with you every moment of every day. If you need him, He is just a prayer call away.

Where are we headed?

When God is present in your life, your life changes. Isa. 41:17-20 describes for us how the Lord turns the desert into a garden and how He brings new life where everything seems dead.

In Revelation 21 we hear of a new heaven and a new earth where God makes all things new. The dwelling place of God will be with men. He will dwell with them; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no more sorrow, pain, or suffering. The former things have passed away.”

Death is not the end. There is life after death. Christ’s resurrection guarantees it. We are on our way to a new heaven and a new earth where we will be with God forever.

God changes the desert of our hardship and toil here on earth into a garden where there are shade trees and just as the shade of cedars, acacias, myrtles, olive and pine trees offers rest and refreshment to the weary, the shade of God’s presence gives rest to weary hearts.

Summary

The Lord does not take away the reality of our tears and sorrow, but He gives us the assurance that His faithful covenant love carries us as His children through loss and drought.

To everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their only Savior and Redeemer, God says this morning: “You are mine because I have chosen you. I will never leave you.”

If you belong to the Lord then He is present in your life and because He is present in your life, you can say with certainty:

Ø The Lord is with me.

Ø The Lord is my God.

Ø He will strengthen me.

Ø He will help me.

Ø He will support me.

The Holy Spirit is with you every moment of every day and He is just a prayer call away.

God changes the desert of our hardship and toil here on earth into a garden where there are shade trees and the shadow of His presence gives rest to weary hearts.

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, not even death. Death is only a passage to eternal glory with God where there is no more sorrow, pain, suffering or death.

God says to each of us today, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”

Amen