"He's On My Side"

Dr. Jeremy H. Upton

"How I Got Over" • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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God promises to go through the unknown with us.

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“How I Got Over”

“How I Got Over” series is good stuff! I asked for verses that the Lord has used to encourage you & you responded!

In this time of uncertainty: schools, global hotspot, will there be another shutdown? , unemployment, paying rent

Someone offered up a reminder from a time when Israel found itself in a similar situation.

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

The New King James Version Chapter 41

10 Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

“He’s On My Side”

This section of Isaiah (chs 40-48) addresses the questions that would be raised in the minds of God’s people who were separated from the Promised Land in exile:

It was a time of pervasive fear:

Fear of the unknown, not knowing what to expect

Unsure of what to do next, Fear of failing

The problems seemed insurmountable

The time of the exile:

Should they travel back?

What would they find when they got there?

Could Darius, the Persian king, be trusted to allow them to go back peaceably?

Biggest questions:

COULD God deliver them and WOULD God deliver them?

I LOVE the fact that 250 years BEFORE God’s people found themselves in this situation, God had a word for them!

By the time they found themselves in trouble, God had a word waiting on them!

Thesis: God promises to go through the unknown with us.

God promises His people He would do the same for them, thus proving He was on their side.

The long chain of promises in the future verbs used in vv10b-20 is characteristically anchored in the facts of present & past: a pledged relationship & an irrevocable choice & call (New Bible Commen)

Because I have already chosen you (v8) ...

The New King James Version Chapter 41

8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

The descendants of Abraham My friend.

Because I have a proven track record of keeping you & not throwing you away...

The New King James Version Chapter 41

9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its farthest regions,

And said to you,

‘You are My servant,

I have chosen you and have not cast you away:

I got you!

Learning how to walk or learning how to ride a bike are never accomplished by lecture; it requires somebody to hold you up while you learn how to find and maintain your own balance.

Don’t Operate in Fear or Discouragement

The New King James Version Chapter 41

10 Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

YHWH says “fear not” to comfort the Israelites who felt He had abandoned them

“For I am with you” is the reason why the Isr should not be afraid

His presence assures them that the situation will be to their benefit (Handbook on Isa)

Jehovah Shama - the covenant God who is there; concept of Immanuel - God WITH us

Dismayed/Discouraged - [Do not] believe or accept as true, be turned off/turned away/abandon, desert, or forsake

We can’t allow the circumstances to make us accept defeat or to discourage us from believing what God said & what God can do!

Expect His Assistance in the Situation

The New King James Version Chapter 41

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

Strengthen - harden, let grow so as to increase, make bold, strengthen, focus one’s strength, reinforce, support a physically weak object, cause one to show courage

Build up

Embolden

Toughen us up

Reinforce our resolve, our perseverance, our commitment

Help - support, aid, assist, add to (increase the intensity of)

Open doors

Provide means

Increase the intensity & frequency of resources

Transition: I will strengthen, help, and hold your hand through this