"God is With Us"
Notes
Transcript
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
God has given us His precious and great promises. How awesome is that? But what exactly is a promise???
What is a Promise? A promise is the assurance God gives His people so that they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work.
What is a Promise? A promise is the assurance God gives His people so that they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work.
As we begin our series on the God of Promise, and even more specifically how God promises to be with us, I think that we need to understand one of the biggest problems that comes up with this promise. It is the issue of fear. When it comes right down to it the biggest thing we all face is the fear of the future. We fear what will come next. We can fear many things. We can fear losing people. We can fear losing possessions. We can fear losing a position at work. We can fear pain and on and on the list can go.
“Fear” 441 times in the Bible.
“Fear” 441 times in the Bible.
“Afraid”167 times in the Bible.
“Afraid”167 times in the Bible.
“Tremble” 101 times in the Bible.
“Tremble” 101 times in the Bible.
“Terror” or “Terrified” 121 times.
“Terror” or “Terrified” 121 times.
So, what does God’s Word tell us exactly about fear???
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
How do we know that God is with us?
How do we know that God is with us?
Deuteronomy 31:1-8.
So, here is what is happening in chapter 31. Moses and all of the Israelites are for the second time nearing the Promise Land. Moses knows that he is about to die. In fact, he tells the people how old he is. He is 120. All the parents and grandparents of Israel had camped out in the very spot they were at 38 years before this. But remember the first time the people had doubted God and feared the giants in the land. The sad news is that they all died in the wilderness and now their children are standing in the same place. God is now going to give the children what the parents wouldn’t trust him for. Moses is on the exit ramp to heaven and he gives his people and their new leader some final words of exhortation before God takes him. It is as if Moses is telling his people, “Hey gang, before you go up and face the giants in the land once again, you may think that they are big and scary like your parents did, but keep in mind that God is with you. You may face some battles with foreign nations, and you may be tempted to run and hide but remember God is with you. Fear may come to your mind a hundred times a day but remember that God is with you. You may wonder where God is at or it may seem that God is taking a long time to answer you but always remember that He goes with you and that you have nothing to fear. This is the number one lesson that the people should have learned as they wondered around in the wilderness. So, Moses is reminding them God never left you in the wilderness, He always took care of you and provided for you, so why in the world would you fear Him now? Go in and take your land that He is giving you!!!
1. He defends us.
1. He defends us.
The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken.
And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you.
God goes to battle for His people. We see here in our text how God goes before His people to defeat the other nations and destroys them. In fact, the battle has already been won for the people all they have to do is go in and take possession. He also gives them a new leader in Joshua to help lead them and guide them. How many times do we as God’s children wonder how will God take care of us now? How will God take care of me in this terrible, overwhelming, very bad situation? God goes before us and defends us, and we must completely trust in Him. Here we see that the Lord will give the enemy over to the Israelites. Now turn with me to the New Testament and let’s look at the book of Romans and see what Paul has to say here.
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Is there any one who can accuse us? Is there any one who can bring us down? Christ has paid the price and has risen from the grave. Someday he will return as the righteous judge. He knows all that is going on. He knows all about us and He sees what’s going on when others can’t. He knows our insecurities, struggles and fears. Jesus doesn’t condemn us, He is actually interceding for us. How awesome is that???
2. He Reminds us of His Help.
2. He Reminds us of His Help.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
One of the things we see here is that God reminds His people and His new leader of His help. He reminds them twice. God is going to be with His people and His leader. God reminds them to stay strong and not to be in fear of the enemy. So, how can they do that? Well, they need to remember that God goes before them and has not forsaken them. He led them out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and through the wilderness. He has made good on all His promises and He will continue to lead them and help them as they enter the Promise Land.
When we come to the New Testament we see that Jesus reminds his disciples of the very same thing. Look at these verses with me.
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Church, our security is in God. It is not in a leader or a President. It is not in the stock market, or our own achievements. In fact, all of those things can be gone in a moment. Things come and go and are up and down. The only thing that is secure and trustworthy is the Lord our helper. We can count on Him. So today, lean unto Him and not your own wisdom or understanding.
3. He Reminds us of His Promise.
3. He Reminds us of His Promise.
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.
Here in verse 7 we see that God reminds His people of the Wonderful Promise that He gave to their forefathers. To Abraham and Isaac. The Lord has sworn to their fathers that He would not only bring them to the land but that He would give them possession of the Land. I don’t know about you but sometimes I need to be reminded of God’s Promises to me. Sometimes when I am struggling I need to dive into God’s Word and see what He has done for me and be reminded that He will return.
(Parents we do this for our children as we get ready for a big trip. Hey kids 10 more days before we leave. 7 more days, 5 more days, and then finally today is the big day.)
It’s good to be reminded of God’s love, His care, His provision, and His promise to always be there for us. I want to remind you today if you are struggling with fear or anxiety, know that God is with you and has a plan for your life. The last way we know that God is with us is the best thing we can hold onto.
4. He has given us His Son.
4. He has given us His Son.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
This last point is the best news of all. Think with me for just a second. What problem is too big? What enemy is too strong? Who is going to come against you with God standing with you? I mean think about what this verse means. God gave His only Son for you. Jesus lived a perfect life here on earth, and He then took the punishment for our sin. There is no better gift than that. God has given us His best, in that of His Son Jesus. So, the next time you find yourself doubting and in fear, run to the God who made you and gave His son for you. Seek God in prayer and know that He hears you and will stand by you. God is with you!
Closing: I was reading this week an autobiography about John Wesley. The author is Roy Hattersley and he describes Wesleys life. However, near the end of John Wesley’s life there was a woman by the name of Miss Ritchie that recorded his last days. She said that John Wesley was in and out of coma and then would wake up and sing a brief song. He then slipped back into coma and everyone thought that this was it. To everyone’s surprise Wesley woke back up and asked for his sermon, “The Love of God” to be reprinted and passed out. He also asked Miss Ritchie for pen and paper so that he could write one last message, but he was too weak to write so she did it for him. Then she asked Wesley what he wanted to say, after a long silence, Wesley replied, “Nothing but the best of all, God is with us.” Surrounded by twenty of his most devoted followers, including Mrs. Charles Wesley and her daughter Sarah, John Wesley died on March 2nd, 1791.
When we think about someones final words, we are reminded just how important they are. This was John Wesley’s final words. He wanted to remind those who were around him what mattered the most. His words were “Best of all God is with us.” Church, the God who has always been and will always be, the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords has given us amazing promises. We can count on everyone of them This first promise is unbelievable and we will see many more. So, I want you to know today that God is with you and is standing beside you. He will never leave you or give up on you. Today you have nothing to fear!