Dying to Fear

Introduction

Last Sunday after worship, my family and I attended Mary Poppins Jr. at the Jackson County Community Theatre to cheer on Ruby, Levi, and all the young performers. They did a wonderful job.

And while I'm at it—a shameless plug: support the Jackson County Community Theatre whenever you can.

Watching the play reminded me that Mary Poppins is really a redemption story. I know...leave it to a pastor to theologize a disney musical. The film Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of how the author of Mary Poppins (P. L. Travers) drew from the pain of losing her father to alcoholism when she was young. Through the story of Mary Poppins, she imagined a world where brokenness could be healed, her dad could be redeemed, and a family could be made whole.

That's why good stories move us. They echo a deeper truth. Mary Poppins of all stories...is a story that illustrates our longing for redemption. That is the God-given story that longs in all human hearts...because it reflects the greater Story God is telling. As Christians, we know that all truth is God’s truth and ultimately points back to Him.

But unlike Mary Poppins, God's redemption isn't imaginary. It’s more real than we can imagine.

We all wish we could rewrite parts of our story. We all long for what has been broken (or is still broken) to be made whole. The good news of Scripture is that God doesn't rewrite our story—He redeems it. Whatever your story of life has been or will be...tragedy may be a part of that story...but that is never the end of your (or anyone’s) story...not as a child of the living God. The end of our story is written by a God who redeems all things broken...including our hearts.

That is exactly where we find Israel in Isaiah 43. Exiled because of their sin, their future seemed lost. Yet God speaks these words:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."

The God of Isaiah 43 is still the God who redeems. He enters our story, calls us by name, walks with us through the waters and the fire, and promises that neither suffering nor death will have the final word. Redeeming what is broken...is what God does.

Isaiah 43 Situation

As with any part of scripture...to understand what we are reading....we must understand the passage in context of the book it is in...and in the story of the Bible as a whole. Our passage this morning from Isaiah 43...is part of the section of the book of Isaiah known for speaking hope to exiled captives. The first 39 chapters speak of God’s coming judgment on his own people...and it came first by Assyria in 722 BC...then by Babylon in 587/86.

But from Isaiah 40-55 we hear words of consolation...words of hope... to a people decimated by tragedy...God’s judgement for their unfaithfulness....through foreign powers and sending God’s people into exile. You and I in our personal lives...or the communal life of our nation or of Christ’s church...can experience our own “exile” of sorts. When God feels distant...our hope drains...and we wonder if God cares for us at all.

Our passage this morning from Isaiah 43...is God’s emphatic response to that question...for ancient Israel/Judah...as well as for us. That response is an overwhelming… YES!!! God not only cares for us in the midst of our tragedies....he reminds us that we are his....He calls us by name...as God’s children (through our faith in Christ Jesus)...we are never abandoned or forgotten...we are ultimately...redeemed.

Not by anything we do or say...but by the faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God.

Friends...God NEVER forgets his people...even when it is God who has brought discipline/judgment upon them. Remember that in your own life...when you are lost in your own exile of sorts...when you worry about your future or your chlidren’s/family’s future...God redeems what is broken...God triumphs over tragedy...every single time.

Notice the trial / Trust the trial giver

To appreciate our passage...look with me if you will...at Isaiah 42:18-25

Isaiah 42:18–25 MSG

Pay attention! Are you deaf? Open your eyes! Are you blind? You’re my servant, and you’re not looking! You’re my messenger, and you’re not listening! The very people I depended upon, servants of God, blind as a bat—willfully blind! You’ve seen a lot, but looked at nothing. You’ve heard everything, but listened to nothing. God intended, out of the goodness of his heart, to be lavish in his revelation. But this is a people battered and cowed, shut up in attics and closets, Victims licking their wounds, feeling ignored, abandoned. But is anyone out there listening? Is anyone paying attention to what’s coming? Who do you think turned Jacob over to the thugs, let loose the robbers on Israel? Wasn’t it God himself, this God against whom we’ve sinned—not doing what he commanded, not listening to what he said? Isn’t it God’s anger that’s behind all this, God’s punishing power? Their whole world collapsed but they still didn’t get it; their life is in ruins but they don’t take it to heart.

What’s he saying?

Israel’s election was never merely privilege; it was vocation. God chose Israel to display His holiness, justice, wisdom, and blessing before the nations.

Isaiah 49:6 NLT

He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

So when they failed to live by God’s rules...suffering resulted...but Isaiah 43 reminds us that suffering/pain/judgement/ tragedy serves a greater purpose...to correct wayward children...yes...but not as abondonded but part of God’s unfolding plan of redemption and salvation.

Isaiah 43:1–2 NLT

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.

Now listen here...

Isaiah 43:1–2 NLT

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

Not “if” you go through trials/tribulations...but ‘when’ you do...God promises His presence.

Application

1. Die to Fear. Live as God's Covenant Community.

Isaiah 43:1: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."

Israel's hope was never found in its size, strength, or influence. It rested in the God who claimed them as His own.

The same is true for Christ's Church. Congregations can become fearful—about attendance, finances, aging membership, or an uncertain future. But Isaiah reminds us that the Church does not exist because we have held onto God. The Church exists because God has held onto us.

Application to BPC

As a congregation, let us refuse to define ourselves by scarcity or anxiety. Instead, let us remember whose Church this is. Brownstown Presbyterian Church belongs to Jesus Christ. Our confidence is not in our resources, but in the Redeemer who has called us by name.

Challenge: This week, intentionally replace conversations of worry with words of hope. Speak about what God is doing among us instead of what we fear we may lose.

2. Die to Discouragement. Live as a People Who Walk Together.

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you... when you walk through fire you shall not be burned."

God never promised Israel an easy journey. He promised His presence.

Likewise, every congregation experiences seasons of loss, transition, grief, and uncertainty. Faithfulness is not measured by avoiding hardship but by trusting that Christ walks with His Church through it.

Application to BPC

Rather than carrying burdens alone, let us become a congregation that intentionally walks with one another. Pray together. Visit one another. Encourage one another. Bear one another's burdens.

The Church becomes most visible not when everything is going well, but when Christ's people refuse to leave one another in the fire.

Challenge: Before next Sunday, intentionally reach out to one church member you haven't spoken with recently—with a visit, a phone call, a note, or a prayer.

3. Die to Maintenance. Live for God's Mission.

Isaiah 43:7 - "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory..."

God did not preserve Israel merely so they could survive.

He preserved them so they would display His glory among the nations.

The same is true of Christ's Church. We are not called merely to preserve a building, a budget, or traditions. We are called to bear witness to Jesus Christ in Brownstown and beyond.

Application to BPC

Every ministry, every conversation, every act of hospitality should answer one question:

Does this help our neighbors see the glory of Christ?

As God has preserved this congregation through generations, He is calling us not simply to remember His faithfulness but to participate in His mission today.

Challenge: As a congregation, commit to one intentional act of welcome this week. Invite someone to worship, encourage a young family, serve our community, or show hospitality to someone who has never experienced the love of Christ through this church.

Sermon Summary

Die to Fear

"Fear not... you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1)

We are not a congregation sustained by our strength but by God's covenant faithfulness. Let us live with confidence because Christ holds His Church.

Die to Discouragement

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." (Isaiah 43:2)

We do not walk through hardship alone. Christ is with His Church, and we are called to walk faithfully with one another.

Die to Maintenance

"Created for my glory." (Isaiah 43:7)

God has not preserved Brownstown Presbyterian Church simply to survive another generation. He has preserved us to make the glory of Christ known in our community.

These applications also resonate with the broader trajectory of your series. Earlier weeks emphasized personal surrender; Isaiah 43 broadens the horizon to corporate identity. The message becomes not merely, "What is God asking me to die to?" but, "What kind of church is God shaping us to become as we die to fear, discouragement, and mere maintenance so that we may truly live as His redeemed people?"