The Comforting
Presence of God
Isaiah 41
We should ask
ourselves what does "Freedom" mean to us?
According to the
dictionary "freedom" is being exempt from the power and the
control of another.
So, in this case,
are any of us truly free?
We have freedom of
will and choice but each of these things have consequences, we must
answer to.
We have a book of
freedoms here in America but it seems that most Americans desire to
give those freedoms up and allow the government to decide their
freedoms, what fools are we raising in our homes!
God says, none of us
are free because we are all slaves to sin!
1Jn 1:8 If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us.
1Jn 1:10 If we say
that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us.
So, in the process
of having a personal relationship with God we must become free from
sin!
1Jn 1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This can only be
done through Jesus Christ!
Joh 8:36 If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Rom 8:2 For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death.
Isa 49:25 But thus
saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend
with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
The Lord Jesus
Christ is all about salvation!
Let's begin with
verse 10:
*****Isa 41:10 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.
Understanding the
salvation of the Lord should also cause us to understand the
chastisement of the Lord and "this must always be remembered"
because it is also the reason for the "Judgment of God"!
Our sinful behavior
is what causes so much of the destruction of life and property and
the pollution of the environment in our world.
God judges us from a
heart of love and compassion. God seeks to save us from harming
ourselves and others.
Exposing these
things to us should cause us to repent. Some will and some will
remain foolish!
Life is not easy for
anyone if we regard the external conditions of this world. Even the
rich have their problems including the problems of sickness and death
that we all have!
But, we should all
clearly understand there is nothing that can separate us from the
love of God!
Rom_8:39 Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If we can understand
the love of God, then we can also begin to understand why we need to
believe Him! It’s called "Faith".
Faith is the
conscious that God is there and that His presence is the complement
of every need!
Faith recognizes the
reality of true choice, that God will enter into a covenant that
cannot be dissolved by any outside source and God cannot be overcome
even by any heavenly source.
Faith knows, that
this Loving God has a purpose in everything that comes upon us!
Faith is the reality
that chastisement can teach us things that nothing else can!
Therefore, we have
no reason to fear because the Lord is always as close as the next
breath.
We truly have a God
that will stand in a tender relationship with each of us, as He so
well puts in this Scripture.
Notice also in this
Scripture that God is not speaking to the world, God is speaking to
His chosen people, but He is spiritualty speaking to all people!
God does not live in
the same time scale that we do, so He can protect us in the here and
now, just as He was saying to these Jews!
All believers need
the assurance that God is with them every moment of their life just
as God states here!
God says to never
fear the things we face day by day. In fact, God has not given us the
spirit of fear at all.
2Ti_1:7 For God
hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind.
With God's power at
our request, God's love always, and the sound mind of "Faith",
why would we ever be afraid of what this world can do to us?
All these things
should teach us to cling to Christ Jesus and never releasing our grip
for He will never release His grip!
Once we have been
accepted by the Lord and our sins forgiven we can never be bound by
sin again!
Rom 8:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Our enemies and
those who become our enemies, because we love Jesus Christ are
nothing in the eyes of God.
*****Isa 41:11
Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and
confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee
shall perish.
Now, these Jews had
given up their idols, and their worship of those idols and returned
to the Lord.
Those that cling to
their idols then became their enemies, they were "incensed"
against them.
As Christians, we
face this same thing. Many of our friends in a sense have become our
enemies just because we have become a child of God.
God says they will
be ashamed and confounded.
Their idols will not
be able to help them!
They will not be
able to defend their worship of those idols!
Today, the world's
idols become riches, political power and military strength and these
also will be ashamed and confounded.
These modern-day
idols are nothing compared to the power of Jehovah God!
Dan 4:35 And all
the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto
him, What doest thou?
Many historians have
written of the fall of Rome but the truth of the fall of Rome is
because of the persecution of God's people.
If you look at our
world today, you will see nation after nation fall, because of the
persecution of God's people!
The Bible speaks of
a revived Rome, not Rome itself but a league of nations like the
Roman empire and it will also fall for the same thing, the
persecution of God's people!
*****Isa 41:12 Thou
shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended
with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a
thing of nought.
Even today, Israel
has cause for fear because they are surrounded by their enemies but
God says that they that war with the Jews, shall be as nothing.
"because they will be destroyed"
But this includes
more than just those foreign military:
1) It would include
all those who are angry with the Jews.
Those who are angry
are all those who resent God's people and are inflamed by their
actions.
2) Including those
who have strife with the Jews.
Strife would include
all those who envy God's people in everything they accomplish.
3) Including those
that conflict with the Jews.
Conflict includes
all those who are in direct opposition to the Jews and are on a
violent collision course with them. "Certainly, all the Arab
nations" but also others.
4) And those who are
at war with the Jews.
War is then an
actual contest between God's children and the evil of this world we
live in.
God says the
punishment for these things is:
1) Some would be
covered with shame.
2) Some would
perish.
3) Some would not be
found.
4) Some would be as
if they never existed. (Nothingness)
Psa 37:35 I have
seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green
bay tree.
Psa 37:36 Yet he
passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not
be found.
Job 8:13 So are the
paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:
And why are these
things so true?
*****Isa 41:13 For
I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear
not; I will help thee.
We see that God
offers His personal help.
God loves to get
personal with those who want it that way!
Only Christianity
can say this about Jehovah, the Living God!
The truth must come
from God who is a Living God!
The truth is, that
God will only help in the right way!
The way of
righteousness is not always the most pleasant way but it is always
the safest way to live.
The children of
Israel had departed from the right way and if they sought to satisfy
their flesh they could not expect help from God.
We know that God
does not ever change so why would we think He would do different
today?
The way of holiness,
is also the way to Heaven but this is so strange to someone deep in
sin but no progress can be made without a guide.
The Lord Jesus is
that guide sent from Heaven to hold our hand until we get home!
This is a covenant,
a guarantee, a promise, that only the Lord can make AND KEEP!
Notice the
closeness, God will hold our hand! This is way of parents to a small
child who would get lost if not for holding to that hand but it is
the parent’s responsibility and not that of the child, once that
child is "Born" into the family!
Then God conveys
this same thought to the children of Israel.
*****Isa 41:14 Fear
not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith
the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
To be a redeemed
child of God, we must first realize our own weakness to save
ourselves, because it is impossible!
To fear not, shows
that we are afraid in this world we live in.
We must understand,
God will not hold the hand of those who travel in their own strength!
What are worms in
this passage?
If we go back to the
days of the Jews escaping from Egypt we know that God fed them with
the Manna and some would try to gather enough in one day that would
last for several days. God would not allow this and that manna would
become worms or today we would say maggots and it would stink
horribly.
God is not so much
saying these Jews were maggots or that they had a terrible odor but
simply that the children of Jacob were in terrible, stinking,
disobedience, that could only lead them to eternal death, just as all
those who reject the Word of God today!
The children of
Jacob were supposed to be the blessed of God!
Jacob was a worm in
the eyes of all people but Jacob then became Israel but are now still
worms in the eyes of the world.
Today there are many
Christian worms in the eyes of true believers and we as Christians,
we are no more than worms in the eyes of this world of unbelievers.
But God loves His
worms because He is our Lord but more important He is our "Redeemer"!
We may not like
being a worm in the eyes of mankind but we know we are no more than
worms when we refuse to give up those pet sins.
Psa_22:6 But I am a
worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
To be real honest it
may be an insult to the true worm, for a dirty, worthless, corrupted,
sinner to use its name!
Job said:
Job_17:14 I have
said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my
mother, and my sister.
When we understand
what we are, (no more than a worm) it makes us desire better things
and nothing is better that a personal hand holding relationship with
the Lord!
Those who reject
being worms but still speak in the worms’ language and remain
unclean, can never be redeemed by the Holy One of Israel!
The truth is, a worm
is always exposed to danger, the next footstep could end its life or
it could become the bait to attract another evil, again causing its
death.
What does God say to
His disobedient children?
Deu 28:39 Thou
shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the
wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
But God has plans
for those who repent even for the children of Israel!
*****Isa 41:15
Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having
teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and
shalt make the hills as chaff.
Isa 41:16 Thou
shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind
shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt
glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Here evil is
considered to be a mountain, something large and occupying a large
area.
God said He would
take His "redeemed" Jewish worms and make them a "new"
sharp threshing instrument that "shall" thresh those evil
mountains.
We know this has not
taken place yet but remained in their future, maybe in this age we
are in now.
When the "good"
of God threshes the "evil" mountains of this world, then
the Lord will join His people on this earth for 1000 years and after
this eternity.
By the way, those
mountains are all those who have set themselves against Israel and
against the Church.
We can see that this
is the mystery of "Grace". (God's Riches At Christ
Expense).
Psa 22:6 But I am a
worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 All they
that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the
head, saying,
Psa 22:8 He trusted
on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he
delighted in him.
We must remember, it
was the job of the Lord to buy back the property that belonged to
God.
The Lord is that
"Kinsman Redeemer" following the law of God!
Lev 25:48 After
that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may
redeem him:
Lev 25:49 Either
his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of
kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may
redeem himself.
This was not to be
an earthly redeemer.
Rth 3:12 And now it
is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer
than I.
The Lord is the
nearest of all our kinsmen because He is our Creator!
It is only our
"Redeemer" who is the greatest of all mountains.
Dan 2:35 Then was
the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to
pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was
found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth.
And the wind will
carry all the chaff away and the whirlwind shall scatter the remains
of the threshing floor no longer to be found on this earth.
And God will care
for all those, His children that remain!
*****Isa 41:17 When
the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue
faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel
will not forsake them.
Isa 41:18 I will
open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the
valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land
springs of water.
Isa 41:19 I will
plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle,
and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the
pine, and the box tree together:
Isa 41:20 That they
may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the
hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath
created it.
We know that the
Lord provided for His people while they were in captivity in Babylon
but this Scripture reaches far beyond this image into the Millennial
Kingdom.
As Christians, until
the Lord returns we are as a barren wilderness, seeking a greater
measure of "Grace" and "Knowledge" and increasing
our spirituality and becoming more complete.
We also see a world
that is growing more and more in its lust of the flesh and rejection
of the Word of God.
The Lord assures us
that we will not be disappointed in the objects of our desires. The
Lord will hear all our cries!
Everyone is poor
when compared to the riches of Heaven and even that is not in riches
as seen in this world but much greater things than these.
Water here means the
influences of the Holy Spirit which cannot come while we live in our
own sin.
Sinners all over the
world seek a physical high that cannot be obtained except by the Holy
Spirit so they are never satisfied!
The truth can only
be found in the Word of God.
Isa_34:16 Seek ye
out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail,
none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his
spirit it hath gathered them.
When the Lord
returns those, who have felt the barrenness of this life will be
watered by the unlimited blessings of God.
God will provide
refreshment for the souls of His people!
Psa 92:12 The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon.
Psa 92:13 Those
that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts
of our God.
Psa 92:14 They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and
flourishing;
Isa 61:10 I will
greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for
he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me
with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with
ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11 For as
the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the
things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will
cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the
nations.
God will also supply
the material things as this world after the devastation of war will
be restored as it was in the first days of Adam!
Isa 43:19 Behold, I
will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isa 43:20 The beast
of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I
give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give
drink to my people, my chosen.
We know of all the
deserts in Israel and all the lands adjacent to Israel and around
this world but each one of them will be transformed into an oasis
with a grove of beautiful trees.
The "Grace"
of God will be seen throughout this world during the Millennial reign
of Christ and no one will be able to doubt the truth of God!
The object of these
miracles of God, is a demonstration of the "creative power"
of the true God!
Isa 45:5 I am the
LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded
thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6 That they
may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is
none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7 I form the
light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD
do all these things.
Isa 45:8 Drop down,
ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness:
let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let
righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.
All the things the
Jews went through in all the years up to the time of Nebuchadnezzar
happened because they had turned away from God and worshipped idols.
After their 70 years
of captivity in Babylon they were still not a perfect people, none of
us are, but they put down the idols and have not been a nation of
idol worshippers again!
Then God says to
"state your reasons" why you remain in sin.
God says, "present
your case" for still worshipping false gods.
*****Isa 41:21
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons,
saith the King of Jacob.
Isa 41:22 Let them
bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the
former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the
latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
Isa 41:23 Shew the
things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods:
yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it
together.
We should understand
that God has the power to prove He is God at any time.
But we should also
understand that God is not in competition with any other god because
no other god exist.
God says, present
your case for worshipping man-made gods!
God means if your
false god can prove itself then He will allow you to worship it.
These are people
that hate the Living God but love this world just as it is, what a
shame!
They are influenced
by things that are only temporary and seldom have any desire for
things that are unseen and eternal.
They live in the,
"here and now"!
They have an
unwillingness to even consider such things and hate those that do
believe.
God says bring forth
your strong reasons which means, show your proof.
The world is forever
saying that Christians are insane to believe in Jehovah God and they
say where is the proof.
The proof is readily
available but it is denied and rejected.
God says where is
your proof, because He knows they cannot prove the existence of
man-made gods!
The only thing that
non-believers and the worldly minded can do is, to sit and take
pleasure in trying to destroy Christianity! So, they stay with their
false gods of pleasure.
There are also those
who say they believe but the only thing they do is blame a Holy God
when they have not obeyed even the simplest of God's commands. So,
they stay with their false gods who gives them no commands to follow.
They will say, "my
life is not right", "my position is not safe", "I
do not get what I want" and God will never bless those that
blame Him for their problems and life's obstacles that happen to
everyone else. So, they stay with their false gods, never believing
God will provide our needs and go with us through all life's
obstacles and problems.
And then there are
these of the last days, days which we are in now:
2Ti 3:1 This know
also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men
shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn
away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this
sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women
laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever
learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
God says how many of
you have a God, besides Jehovah, that can show the world what will
happen in the future as Jehovah does, but is denied.
God says how many of
you have a God, besides Jehovah, that can show the world what He has
done in the past, as Jehovah does, but is denied.
God says how many of
you have a God, besides Jehovah, that has explained the only logical
way our created world came to existence, but is denied.
God says how many of
you have a God, besides Jehovah, that can explain life after death,
and the truth of the human body, mind, and especially the soul, which
is denied.
God says, who else
besides Jehovah, has written all these things down for the world to
see, and so the world can be warned, besides Jehovah and even this is
denied!
God says show Me the
things that have been written or predicted, or said by any false god
and let’s see if they are true or if they come true.
And God responds:
Isa 43:9 Let all
the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled:
who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them
bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them
hear, and say, It is truth.
Isa 43:10 Ye are my
witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye
may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there
was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isa 43:11 I, even
I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Isa 43:12 I have
declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no
strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD,
that I am God.
Isa 43:13 Yea,
before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of
my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
God also says those
who are blind and those who cannot hear, no more about the truth than
those who worship idols they have made themselves.
2Co 4:4 In whom the
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them.
So, God says:
*****Isa 41:24
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is
he that chooseth you.
God says the silence
of all idols prove they are nothing!
God says there is no
proof of any work that has ever been done by any false god.
God says it is only
Satan, the abomination of this world who has chosen these people who
deny the one true God!
An idol is anything
that comes between us and God and they are all abominable,
detestable, and filthy in the sight of Jehovah God!
God alone has the
power to control history.
God alone has the
power to predict history and God is always 100% correct.
God alone has said
to these of that day that He would send a messenger to proclaim the
"Good News" of salvation before the end times come.
And God finishes
with these words:
*****Isa 41:29
Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten
images are wind and confusion.
Both idols and those
who worship idols are nothing in the sight of God.
God ask many times
why would someone worship something that provided no benefit at all?
Only emptiness and
confusion can come to those who deny the Living God!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
