In our Fear
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Communion:
Be found, Be change, Be Known, Now Go.
Reliable: In our Fear
Reliable: Because God doesn’t change, we can trust Him with every part of our lives.
Main Idea: Because God is reliable, fear doesn't get the final word.
Fear is a storyteller. And fear always tells you a story about a future where God is absent. That’s why the main idea of this sermon is so important: Because God is reliable, fear doesn't get the final word.
Context: God speaks to the prophet Isaiah and he writes to the people of Israel that are about to be crushed by the Babylonian Empire. This wasn't a "bad day at the office." This was "everything you love is burned down."
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The verse begins with a command from God: "So do not fear." And we think, “Great, thanks, I’m cured.
Now, if a friend says that to you when you’re facing cancer or a job loss, it feels dismissive.
But when God says it, it’s not a scolding; it's an invitation to look at a theological repositioning or biblical repositioning.
In the dark in the High Sierras and turned off my flashlight to see the stars. It was awesome but then I heard something in the bush. Instantly I was afraid is it a bear? Then I used my flashlight to highlight the bush.
God acknowledges that there is actually something scary happening to the Israelite's in exile! He’s talking to people whose lives have been burned down.
Then He gives the a why we do not fear: "For I am with you."
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
I want you to notice the intimacy here. "I am with you." The Hebrew implies a "face-to-face" presence.
When my girls were little and they were scared of a thunderstorm, I didn’t shout from the other room, "The meteorology suggests you are safe!" No. I went into their rooms. I sat on the edge of the bed. I let them feel my presence. My presence didn't stop the thunder, but it changed their relationship to the noise.
Imagine you are walking through a dangerous, dark alley at night. If you are alone, your fear is rational. You are scanning every shadow. But imagine you are walking through that same alley, and you are walking with the UFC Champion Jon Jones in his prime, and he has his arm around your shoulder. Is the alley still dark? Yes. Are there still predators? Yes. But your fear has changed. Why? Not because the circumstances changed, but because the presence changed.
In Isaiah 41:10, God gives us a 4-part promise to dismantle fear:
Reliable Presence: "I am with you." You are never alone.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
When God says "Do not be dismayed,". It’s that feeling when you are waiting for the doctor to call to let you know the answer to your last test. He said it would take 3 days and now it’s day 5. Have you ever got impatient and called to check your results and the nurse pauses, looks at your chart and then says the doctor needs to discuss this with you personally?
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
That is covenant language. It means, I have bound myself to you.
2. Reliable Relationship: "I am your God." You belong to the King.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
"I will strengthen you and help you." Notice the order. God strengthens our inner man so we can endure, and then He helps us in the situation. Fear wants a "way out." God offers a "Way Through."
3. Reliable Power: "I will strengthen you and help you" He gives you what you don't have.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
"I will uphold you": This is a promise of restoration.
Illustration: Bungee Jumping
If you go bungee jumping, you are going to feel fear. Your brain is screaming, "Don't jump!" Fear is speaking very loudly. But you don't rely on your feeling of safety; you rely on the reliability of the bungee cord. If the bungee cord is built correctly, it doesn't matter if you're crying or laughing while you fall—the bungee cord will do its job.
Reliability is about the object of your trust, not the strength of your feelings.
Our problem is we think "faith" means "not feeling fear." No. Faith is jumping while fear is screaming, because you know the One holding the cord is reliable.
4. Reliable Strength: "I will uphold you." He does the heavy lifting.
3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Takeaway: Fear may speak loudly, but it doesn’t get to lead.
