Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world.
so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church. Located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Isaiah chapter 41. I'm jealous because he has so much stinking talent.
It just makes me mad. All right, Isaiah 41. I want you to notice in verse 1, we want to talk about today as our continuing our series on promises. We have a promise, but we're going to deal with five of them in this passage briefly this morning. But our title is this: I am.
With The In Isaiah chapter 41, beginning in verse 1, what we have going on here is Isaiah is prophesying and literally trying to encourage the people of God, the nation of Israel, have been exiled in Babylon. And he is trying to encourage them, and he's trying to listen to me, renew their strength. He's trying to remind them of a few things. Look at verse 1. He says, Keep silence before me, O islands.
And literally, he is speaking for God here. God is speaking through him. Let the people renew their strength. They're defeated. They're down.
They're overcome with fear and anxiety, is what God is saying here. Then let them speak. Let us come near together to judgment.
Now, listen to the reminder here: who raised up the righteous man from the east? Who are we talking about here? We're talking about Moses. Called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, made him rule over kings. He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow, he pursued them and passed.
Safely. Here's Pharaoh's army pursuing, and Moses and the children of Israel passed safely. Notice this, even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. Nobody had ever walked there. It was obviously the Red Sea, and God did all this.
Look at verse 4: Who hath wrought and done it? Remember, who did this? Who provided this? Who protected them? Who made the way in this?
Notice what he says here. I love this. Who did it? Who d who wrought it and done it, calling the generations from the beginning. Who was from beginning notice?
I the Lord the first. And with The last. And I don't know if you've ever noticed this. I the Lord the first. Now he has said before: I'm the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega, we know that.
But notice this statement. I'm the first and with The last. Guess what? You and I are going to last as long as God does. Because we are in Christ now.
So he was the first without us. But at the end. He's going to be with us. Listen to me, dear friend. You will spend an eternity somewhere.
You're either going to be with him Or in hell. Just want to remind you of that. Notice, if you would, verse 8. He says, But thou. Israel art my servant.
So we've talked about literally Moses earlier in the chapter before we talked about Joseph. Notice here, thou art my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend. Isn't that great that God calls him my friend? Wow. And here he is.
He's reminding them about Moses, reminding them about Joseph, reminding them about Jacob, reminding them about Abraham, reminding them, I know you've been in exile, but remember, you're in exile because you rebelled against God. But I've not given up on you. And remember, I'm the one that did all that for Moses. I'm the one that parted the Red Sea. I'm the one that had that miracle for Abraham and Sarah.
I'm the one that's been faithful to Jacob. He's reminding them that I'm the one that's done this. Look at verse 9. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof. Remember, here we are.
Israel is God's chosen people. He's called them and said unto thee, Thou art my servant. I have chosen thee and cast thee and not cast thee away. What is God saying? God's saying, I'm not done.
I've not given up on you. I know you've been in exile and I know you're ready to give up. And I know you're fearful. I know you think this is never going to end. And I know that you haven't seen any victories.
I know you've been stuck here for a couple hundred years, but I'm here to tell you, I have not given up on you.
Now you say, Preacher, this is to Israel. Yes, absolutely. Israel is God's chosen people, but you and I are God's called out people. And guess what? Who does God choose?
God chooses those that choose him. I'm here to tell you God did not die just for certain people. Christ died for all. And let me tell you who he has elected, those who have chosen him.
So I just want you to understand that today. Look at verse ten. Fear thou not, For I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea.
I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand. of my righteousness. Briefly today we want to talk about these five promises of God.
Now I heard, I don't know, I've not verified it, I don't know that I can find a credible source, but I've heard that the sentence, do not fear, or fear thou not, or fear not. Is literally found 365 times in the Bible, one for every day of the year, to remind us not to fear.
Now, no matter the century, no matter the culture, Fear is a motivating force.
Now hear what I'm saying. Fear is a motivating force. Humans are fearful creatures. And by the way, that fearful part of us was necessary for survival. Fear alerted us to danger.
Fear helps us stay prepared. Fear helps us respond accordingly. Listen, if there is a viper, a poisonous snake around you, fear helps you respond correctly. All right? Fear helps us to understand that when we need to flee, when we need to fight, when we fear is what does all that.
So fear is not a wrong thing. What is wrong is when fear overtakes you. And here's what's happened according to Natural Institute, National Institute of Mental health. This was done in 2018. One in five adults are diagnosed with anxiety disorder.
Can you imagine what that is now after 2020? One in four teenagers are diagnosed with anxiety disorder. And in both adults and teenagers, even it says in this study that females have a higher incident of anxiety. By the way, these numbers are only the ones reported and studied. Imagine what the real numbers would be.
Now, here's what's going on. Listen to me. I'm talking to Corporate church here. Listen to me. Instead of fear alerting us to danger, Which is how God uses it.
The problem with the church is our fears are They're debilitating us. You see, fear should be a healthy thing in your life that God uses when needed, but we have allowed fear to take over. And we have allowed fear to debilitate us. Instead of the healthy sense of being prepared and watchful, our fears have taken up prime real estate. In our life, And our family.
In our marriages, but most of all in our minds, fear has become an unhealthy chain. Around our necks, fear is weighing us down, fear is keeping us angry, fear is keeping us irritated, fear is keeping us hesitant and doubtful, it is keeping us approval-seeking from people, fear is holding us back from living the full life that God came to allow us to live more abundant. Fear has made us burdened, it's held us back, it's got us worried. It's paralyzed us. We become overcome with worry, ashamed of past mistakes.
This just is not how God designed it.
Now, God here is speaking through Isaiah, and He's speaking on behalf of the Lord. to the Israelites. He was imploring them to remember who God is. To remember not only who God was, remember what God has done. And to remember not only who He is and what He's done, but to remember that He was their God.
Amen. He wasn't just powerful. He wasn't just protecting. It's personal. I'm your God.
And I want to remind you here this morning, Carolyn Baptist Church, he's your God. He's not just a God. He's not just the God. He is your God. Can we do the same in the face of trials, in the face of fears, and the face of anxiety?
Can we stop today and remember a little bit about who He is and the promise that He has made? Look at this verse. 1 John 4, verse 18. You know it. We've used it a lot.
Look at this: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear.
Now, do me a favor this morning, if you can. Replace that word fear. with whatever it is you're dealing with. Whatever the burden that is overtaking you in your life. Just think about it.
You say, I have a Really? Bad. struggling marriage.
Okay, well there is no real bad struggling marriage. in love, but perfect love casteth out that. You have to understand, God's love is bigger than anything you're facing. God's love is greater than any challenge that has come up in your life. Look at me.
God is bigger than the thing you're fearing. God is bigger than the thing you're struggling with. And here's what Israel was struggling with. They had something that was too big for them. And may I say, what you have in your life might be too big for you, but it is not too big for him.
So let's dig in this verse briefly. I want you to look at promise number one. In verse 10, he says, I am. With V.
Now notice the verse here. He says, Fear thou not why? For I am with thee.
So that teaches us this: the answer to fear. is the presence Yeah. This is what God's saying. He's not saying you're not going to have problems. He's not saying you're not going to have difficulties.
But what he's saying is this: as long as he's there, fear should not overtake you. Gonna have an amen right there. As long as God is present. Fear should not debilitate you. He says, literally, let me tell you why you shouldn't fear.
Because I'm with you. Let me show you a couple other verses. Psalm 56, 3. Notice this. What time I am afraid?
I will trust in thee. In God, I will praise his word. That means I need to be in his word. In God, I have put my trust, so I need to be in God's word. I need to lay my trust at him.
Notice this: I will not fear what flesh. can do to me. I don't have to fear. I might. But I don't have to.
as long as God is present. And dear friend, if you are saved, if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, guess what? He is present with you. Let me give you another verse. Exodus 33, since we talked about Moses.
Notice what he says. God here is looking at Moses, and God said, Listen, you go on, but I'm going to stay. Notice, and Moses said, God, I don't want to go if you're not going to go with me. Look what he says here. And he said, okay.
My presence. shall go with thee. Notice this, and I will give thee what? Why do you have rest? Because you don't have problems?
No. Moses was still going to have issues. God didn't say, Moses, let me give you rest. I'm going to take all these difficult people out of your life. I'm going to take all the trials, all the troubles.
It's all going to be gone now.
Now you can rest. No, God says this: in the middle of all the troubles, in the middle of all the trials, in the middle of all the difficult people, you can have rest, Moses, because I'm with you. Guess what? That's Old Testament covenant, Old Testament promise. You and I have a new covenant.
We have a better covenant. We have a better promise.
Now, Christ is not just with us, He is with us. In us. Christ in us. The hope of glory. Our rest should come simply from God's presence.
God should not have to do, or to fix, or to give, or to change. All He should have to do is simply be there. For us to quit fearing. Let me give you this last verse, you know it, Joshua 1:9. Have not I commanded thee, be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.
Two words that are used in the passage we have in front of us: for the Lord thy God is with. thee whithersoever. thou goest. Promise number two. He says, not only I am with thee, but promise number two, he says, I am thy God.
Now look at the verse. He says, be not, he says, fear thou not. I'm with thee. Then he says, Be thou not dismayed. Why?
Because I am thy God.
So, the answer to fear is the presence of God. Notice, secondly, here the answer to confusion. is the position of God's sovereignty. You say, Preacher, what do you mean?
Now look at verse 13 of Isaiah 41. It says this, for I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy Right hand. This word dismayed literally means to be bewildered. It means to be confused. It means to question.
It means to doubt. God literally says here to his people, listen, don't be overcome with fear. Why? Because I'm with you. And don't go around always in doubt, always uncertain, always questioning, always kind of nervous and always full of anxiety.
He says, let me tell you why. Because not only am I with you, I am your God. I'm sovereign. I'm in charge. I'm on the throne.
I'm not just your helper. I'm not just your comforter. I am your God. I'm everything in your life. Isaiah 41, verse 2, that we just read a little bit ago.
Notice in this context, think about this. He's talking about Moses and he's telling them, listen, quit being quit doubting everything. You've gotten the point. I don't think God's going to bring me through. I don't think God's going to ever help us.
I don't think God's going to ever get us out of captivity. I think God's just forgotten us. I think God and you and I can get that way in our life. Notice he reminds them in verse 2. He says that who raised up the righteous man from the east, talking about Moses, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him.
God said, I did all that. Moses didn't do that. I did all that and made him rule over kings. Who did that? I did that.
We're talking here about literally alluding to Joseph and to Moses, how God brought him through the Red Sea. God said, I did all that. I'm your God. The same God that did that. I'm your God here today.
Look what he says in verse 3. He pursued them and passed safely, even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. Who hath wrought and done it. Who did it? God said I did.
Yeah, and I'm your God. You're all confused. You're all been out of shape. You're questioning everything. God says, why?
I'm not just with you. I'm... Your Card. Look at verse 8. He says, But thou, Israel, art my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend.
Thou, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant. Listen to what he says: I have chosen thee. And not Cast the Away. I know you've been in exile, and you were in exile because you were rebellious, but God says, I've not cast you away. I'm still Your God So he says, first, my promise is this, I'm with you.
Second, he says I'm your God. I'm still on the throne. I'm still in charge. Notice promise number three. He says, I will strengthen.
V. Look at verse 10. He says, I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. The answer to weakness Is the power of God's strength.
So the answer to fear The answer to confusion. And now we have the answer to weakness. God says, listen, I know you've been here in exile, and I know that. They have power over you. You're in exile.
You're a captive, by the way. A lot of people sitting right here in this service. might be captive to certain things in your life. There might be things that have overtaken you, habits, addictions, whatever the case might be, even a fearful spirit, even a critical spirit. There might be things that literally has you in bondage.
God says, listen, I know that you feel weak right now, but let me give you another promise. I'm not just going to be with you. I'm not just your God, who he says this, I will strengthen thee. What this implies is that we will need strength. God wouldn't say, I'm going to strengthen you if we didn't need it.
Anybody here have a problem admitting that you need strength? I'm telling you what, I need some strength. I grow weary and well-doing. And I get real tired in wrongdoing too. I get tired of doing right, but let me tell you, I really get tired sometimes because of me.
in my own flesh. And the things that I face, and all those things, God says, This: I will strengthen thee.
Now, let me give you a little bit of a study here: Nehemiah chapter 8, verse 10. Look what it says: for the joy of the Lord. is your strength. You see, God's going to strengthen you. But you've got to do your part.
It's the joy. Have you lost your joy? God didn't rob you of that. God didn't say, I'm going to strengthen you, I'm going to take away your joy. If you've lost your joy, God didn't take that away from you, something else did.
That's literally our strength, the joy. That God gives. Notice secondly here in 1 Chronicles 16:11, notice what he says. Seek the Lord and his strength. Seek his face continually.
It means this: God says, I'll strengthen you, but in order for God to strengthen us, we've got to seek him. We've got to look to Him. We've got to get in His Word. We've got to acknowledge, God, I need strength, and you're the only one that can give it, and I'm asking you for it. Notice here in 2 Corinthians chapter 12.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect. in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, while I rather glory in my infirmities, notice this. That the Power What do we say? The power of God, where our strength from, that the power of God may rest upon me.
Listen, you want strength. Let me tell you, you and I get strength when we acknowledge how weak we are. You want God to give you strength?
Well, acknowledge to God how bad you need it. Quit walking around like you got it all under control. You need to remember. Listen, God will bring strength. Listen, we got people in need right now that need some strength.
Y'all pray for Tanya Proceets. He had surgery yesterday. Deborah Sherman had surgery earlier this week. Brother Myers Tilley had fell. You know, he had a hip, fell, hit that hip.
They had to go back in in surgery, and they thought they were going to have to replace the whole thing. But they didn't thank God, and they cleared it out, sewed it back, and so we're hoping that. Brother Jeff Lowe in our church, they think had a mild heart attack yesterday here in Kernsville. He's in the hospital. Listen, we got people that need strength right now.
Brother Bernie Miller, been faithful here for years and had surgery Tuesday in the hospital waiting on me. What am I saying? Look at me. You're sitting here right now and some of you are young and some of you, many of you are younger than me and you might feel okay and you've got good health and good strength. But guess what?
One day you're going to be in the hospital and one day you're going to be the one on the machine and one day you're going to be the one in the waiting room and one day you're going to be the one facing surgery and you and I need to know something before we ever face it, that God made a promise that he's going to strengthen us. Quit depending on yourself. You're gonna fail. No wonder we're struggling. We're depending on ourselves.
Notice what God says here in Psalm 73, verse 26. He says, My flesh and my heart fail, David says. That's a description of us. My heart fails, my strength fails. My flesh fails.
We got nothing. Notice this, but God. is the strength of my what? Heart. and my portion forever.
So God's the strength of my body. He's the strength of my. Heart. Let's complete the cycle. Psalm 138 verse 3.
In the day when I cry, thou answerest me and strengthenest me with strength in my.
Soul. God says, I'll strengthen your heart, I'll strengthen your soul, strengthen your body, I'll strengthen your mind. I don't know if you've noticed all the verses we've just given you. Guess what? You've got nothing without him.
But because you have him, you have everything.
Okay, promise number four. We're almost done. I will help.
Well, he said he would strengthen me, yeah, but this is a little bit different. Look at verse 10. Fear thou not. I will help thee.
Now here's what makes this interesting is that little Three-letter rarely used word now, yay.
Okay. What does this mean? Yea implies doubt. In other words, God is saying this. Trust me.
Yes, you don't believe it, but it's true. I'm going to help you. Not just that. I'm going to help you. Look at me.
What had happened, the children of Israel had gotten, they had been in this bondage so long, and they had been in this situation so long. But I think some of them deep down they knew he was supposedly with them and they knew he was still their God. But what they had stopped believing is that he was ever actually going to help.
Now, it's one thing for you as a person to sit here and say, I believe he's God, and I believe he's in me. I believe, you know, preacher, the Bible says we get saved, I believe he lives inside of me. I believe all that, but that doesn't change my situation this week. I know all that, but it didn't produce any help for me. And what God is saying here through Isaiah, yay.
Even though you're doubting it, even though you're questioning it. I will help.
Now, look at verse 13. It's on the screen for you. For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I. Will. Help.
So here's twice in one chapter. He's made it clear. They were doubting. They didn't think that he would help them.
So, what does this mean? The answer to doubt is the promise of God's help. The answer to doubt is the promise. It means this: that just because you're doubting and just because you don't see it right now, you've got to believe and you've got to have trust. And by faith, you need to know and have confidence in the fact that God will help me.
Me.
Some of you are doubting that. Oh, I believe God helps, preacher, but in this situation. I just don't see that God's done anything lately. Look at Isaiah chapter 41 later on in this passage, verse 17. I want you to see this.
There's a couple verses, but I want you to see it. We're going somewhere with this. Here we are. God said, Listen, you need to remember, I'm going to help you. But then he follows up and explains: look at verse 17: When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them.
He's describing them right now. He says, Guess what? You don't think I've heard you, but I have. I'm going to help you. Let me tell you why I'm going to help you because I've heard you.
I know where you are. And some of you think that God's forgotten where you are and that God doesn't realize how you're struggling right now. Notice the verse: I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places. Listen to this.
That's not where rivers are, by the way. Rivers are in low places. We know recently, watching the flooding in Asheville and all that. Why? Because those rivers were as low as the water could go, and the water began to rise.
And it just tore everything up. Notice what he says: I will open rivers in high places, fountains in the midst of valleys. Not where that normally happens. I will make the wilderness a pool of water. That's not normal.
And dry lands. Springs of water. That just doesn't take place. Notice this: I will plant in the wilderness. That's not where you plant.
Things don't grow in the wilderness. And look what he says he's gonna plant: cedar, the shida tree, the myrtle, the oil tree. Notice, I will set in the desert the fir tree and the pine and the box tree. Listen, these trees don't grow in the wilderness. They need water.
They need sustenance. What is God saying? Look at verse 20: that they may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this. I will help.
Help you. Say, preacher, what are you saying? God is saying, if I have to put rivers where rivers don't belong, that's what I'm going to do to help you. If I have to put fountains where fountains don't exist, that's what I'll do to help you. I'll put pools of water where it's impossible to find water.
I'll take the driest land. The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally. Would you take a moment to hear this today? Every man is born with the sin nature.
Romans 3.23 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, We're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven. Because of that, sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's Gift. salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept him as our Saviour. Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt.
The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. All you have to do is receive Christ. by faith as your Saviour. Romans ten nine says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Verse 13 continues, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way. and calling upon his name. Bible says whosoever, that's any one. can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior?
There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Savior? If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at Curlin Baptist Church. Dot com. or visits that person at one of our three service times.
We hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless you. Mm-hmm.
