I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43. I preached out of Isaiah 43 a
few years ago, and I looked back at this passage the other day,
and I'm convinced this is the message
of the hour. I'd like to preach both services
out of Isaiah 43, out of verse 1 this morning, first message,
and then 2 to 7 in the second. I've entitled both messages,
Fear Not. Fear Not. Chapter 43, verse 1, God's Word
begins, with these two words, but now. But now. Now to understand what
that's referring to, we've got to back up just a few verses.
I want you to look back in verse 23 through 25 of chapter 42. Just back up a little bit. That's
what Scripture says. Who among you, this is the Lord
speaking, who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken
and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil in
Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord? He against
whom we've sinned is Isaiah now answering. For they would not
walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore
he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength
of battle, and it hath set him on fire round about. Yet he knew
not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart." Let me
tell you what it appears to be, that Almighty God has left His
people to themselves. You wouldn't listen. You wouldn't
hear. I called, you wouldn't hear.
But is it not wonderful to behold the mercy of God to His people? Now, He speaks to them in tenderness,
mercy, And it's all according to an everlasting covenant of
grace. I want us to remember something.
If there's any reconciliation between God and a sinner, that
reconciliation is going to start on God's part. It's not going
to start on my part. It's not going to start on your
part. It's not that Almighty God is standing back and hoping
that man will exercise his free will and give him his heart Try
to pull the Lord's chestnuts out of the fire and help Him. You leave a man to himself, you
leave a woman to herself, and I'm going to tell you exactly
what they're going to do. They're going to rebel against God. They're
going to do it every time, and they'll continue to do it. All men, The objects of God's
mercy, those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world, all men, all men deserve the wrath of God. It is but according
to His mercy and kindness that there is forgiveness with any. And forgiveness with the Lord
is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I want you to hear
the Word of the Lord. This is what we deserve. Go back
and read it in chapter 42. That's what we deserve. If the
Lord would mark iniquity, let me ask you this, who would stand?
Who could stand? But listen to verse 1, Isaiah
43, But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and
he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, For I have redeemed
thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. But now, now listen, who is the Lord speaking to? Who is this Jacob and this Israel? Is it not those that the Lord
has everlastingly loved in Christ? What did the Lord say about Jacob? He said, Jacob have I loved. What did He say about Esau? Esau
have I hated. Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. No. Who is this Jacob? Was it not Jacob the object of
God's mercy when the Lord Himself wrestled with Jacob? Ask Him
His name. What's your name, boy? Jacob. Not anymore. Your name is Israel,
a prince with God. This is your name. All of God's
elect. They are in themselves Jacob. And they know it. The Lord that
is speaking here is not speaking to that one man. He's speaking
to all that that one man represents. Jacob's. Jacob's by birth and
Jacob's by choice, we were all born in sin. There's none righteous. No, not one. We've all come forth
from our mother's womb speaking lies. But what did the Lord say
concerning Jacob and all like him? This is what the Lord said. I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. And I will have compassion on
whom I'll have compassion. So then, it's not of him that
runneth, it's not of him that willeth. What is it then? It's of God that showeth mercy. Here's what I deserve back here,
back in chapter 42, and it's what you deserve. But now, but
now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, Jacob, Israel,
Fear not. Fear not. Now I can tell you
this, that every man, every woman born in Adam by nature has got
a reason to fear. We've got a reason to fear. Every man, every woman born in
Adam is a sinner. I told you before, my uncle has
now passed away, but he was attending the church,
not very long, came to the church, a few services where we were
attending there in central Louisiana, and a faithful, faithful pastor. To tell men, tell women what
they are by nature? Sinners. I had an uncle that
said this to me. He said, I'll never come back
here. Never. Never. Told me I was a sinner. He said, I'm not a sinner. Well,
then I've got some bad news for you. Christ didn't come save
you. Because Christ Jesus came into
this world to save sinners. Paul said, of whom I'm chief. By nature. We have reason to
fear because we are sinners. Look at Ezekiel 18.4. Ezekiel 18.4. This is who God Almighty has redeemed. Sinners. Listen to this. Ezekiel
18, 4. Behold, all souls are mine. Now here's the reason we have
to fear. As the soul of the Father, so also the soul of the Son is
mine, and the soul that sinneth, it shall die. A man that is a sinner deserves
death. Men, women have a reason being
born in Adam to fear. But here's the Lord. The Lord
says back in Isaiah 43, Jacob, Israel, I'm the one that created
you, I'm the one that formed you. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Now listen,
if a man or a woman is without Christ, listen to me, You have
reason to fear. Listen to Revelation 20, 11-12. John on the Isle of Patmos said,
I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away. And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God. The books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books according to their works. I would not want to stand before
God and have the books of my rebellion opened up and have
to be judged according to that book. I know a little bit of
what I am, and what I know concerning what I am, I don't want to stand
before God without a mediator. Man by nature has reason to fear. Every man, every woman without
Christ, now listen to me, is in trouble. In big trouble. Big trouble. But here the Lord
says to a particular people, and He's talking to Jacob's,
and He's talking to Israel's, and those made so by His grace. Here's what the Lord says. Fear
not. Now let me ask you this. What's
the basis for that? God's a just God. And He's going
to deal with sin. I know that. Now what is the
basis of my rest? What's the basis of the Lord
saying to me, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Lord, you're
talking about don't be afraid before you that's going to deal
with sin and absolute justice? Right. You that I'm going to
stand before? At this great white throne judgment,
you're saying to me, don't be afraid? That's right. Why? Here's what he says, for I have
redeemed thee. I have redeemed thee. Now I know
it's written, it's not by works of righteousness which we have
done, But according to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. So I know this,
if I'm resting in something that I have done to establish peace
and reconciliation before God, then it's a false hope. Now listen,
if you're resting in your profession of faith, If you're resting in
your faith, if you're resting in your decision, if you're resting
in your baptism, if you're resting in anything that you've done,
you don't have a rest. It is not by works of righteousness. Don't be afraid, Jacob. And I'll
tell you this, if there's a Jacob here this morning, let me tell
you what you're admitting. I am a rebel against God, and
I have nothing in myself to justify myself before God. That's a Jacob. I'm a liar. I'm a cheat. I'm a thief. I'm a murderer in
my heart. I've done all of it, and I have
nothing in me that God Almighty is going to accept. That's a
Jacob. That's a Jacob. Jacob stole the birthright. He lied about it. He lied about
it. And that's what he is in himself.
And God left him. God loves Jacob. That's what
the Lord said. I'm telling you it is not your
sin that will keep you out of hell. I tell you what, it's your
righteousness. It's not your sin. It's not your
sin. That'll damn you. It's your righteousness.
If I didn't say it right the first time, I'll try to do it
the second. It's not your sin. Christ Jesus died for sinners. But you take a man or woman that
sees themselves as righteous before God and trusts in themselves
that they're righteous, they will not go home. justified before
God. I have redeemed thee. You're in Isaiah 43. Just turn
over to Isaiah 44. 21 to 23. Listen to this. Remember
these, O Jacob and Israel, for thou art my servant. I formed
thee, thou art my servant. O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten
of me. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins return unto
me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord
hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the
earth. Break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every
tree therein, for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified
himself in Israel." If you notice how the Lord is talking to a
particular people, a particular type, of people, these Jacob's
and these Israel's. When man fell in the garden,
he fell in Adam, all men fell. Everything that God Almighty
had given him, he lost. There was peace with God, fellowship
with God, comfort in the Lord. Gone. All that was lost, the
Lord has restored for Jacob's. Peace with God was established
for Jacob. That inheritance forfeited that
man has, it's been given to him in Christ for Jacob's enmity
against God that once ruled in our hearts, that had dominion
over us, has no more dominion now. Why? He said, I loved you. I redeemed. You. Here is the
great lie of the mother of harlots and the abomination of the earth.
False religion. Here's what it is. Here's the
great lie. God loves everybody. Christ died
for everybody. And God's got a great plan for
everybody's life. That's a lie. That's a lie. Ephesians 5, 25-27. Now listen. To this, I quote John 10, 15
often. You know, the Lord said, I lay
down my life for the sheep. For whom did Christ die? He died
for the sheep. John 10. But listen to this.
Let me ask you this, if this doesn't say the same thing. Ephesians
5, 25, 27. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church. and gave Himself for it, that
He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the Word, that He might present it to Himself, a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish." Now let me ask you this, when
was the church established? She's always been established.
Go back to a time when you think the church was established, you're
going to have to go back farther than that because He said, I've
loved you with an everlasting love. Chosen in Him before the
foundation of the world, the church, the us that were chosen
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
without blame. Fear not. Fear not, spiritual Jacob. Fear not, spiritual Israel. Don't be afraid, you that know
yourselves, to be rebels against God by nature, in need of a Savior. Don't be afraid, you that can't
do anything for yourself. God's shown mercy to you, showing
you that. Fear not, Israel, spiritual Israel. Not the country over there. I'm talking about the spiritual
Israels made so by the grace of God to know that the Lord
has redeemed you, paid your debt, robed you in righteousness. You
have nothing to fear of God's wrath. There's no wrath for you.
God has not appointed His people to wrath. How can I know if I
am or Jacob? I think that's a good question.
How can I know? He says, I've redeemed you. How
can I know it? He said, I call thee by thy name. Thou art mine. He said, I'm the
one that caused you to see yourself for who you are, being born in
Adam. I called you by your name." You
know, a man or woman that is willing to admit what they are
by nature, you know who gave them a heart to know that? The Lord. They were made willing
in the day of His power to do what? Well, to admit what they
are. When the Apostle Paul said, O
wretched man that I am, You know what it takes to admit that? The grace of God. The grace of
God. A man must be filled with the
Spirit. That's what we've been looking
at the last couple of Wednesdays. Filled with the Spirit. Led,
directed, guided, moved upon by God's Spirit to know these
things. I've called you by Thy name. Marvin. Jacob. What's your name? Lord, I am
who you say I am. I'm a Jacob by nature. And for
Him to say to me in my heart, not anymore. You're in Israel. and to realize that I am what
I am by the grace of God is great comfort to me. To know that I
have no confidence in my flesh is a great comfort to me because
I know that many do. And Lord, the only reason that
I wouldn't was because you called me by my name. He said, I've called you by thy
name. I've taught you what you are. Through the hearing of the
gospel, you've learned these things, taught by the Spirit
of God. He said, my sheep hear my voice. I know them, they follow
me. I give unto them eternal life.
They'll never perish. Oh Jacob, I created you. I created you,
showed you, I formed you, O Israel. Don't be afraid. I've redeemed
you. And by the grace of God, I believe
that. I believe when the Lord Jesus
Christ went to the cross, that as the high priest, I've told
you so many times, he went into that tabernacle and he had that
breastplate on Twelve stones on his chest. Every one had a name of the tribes
of Israel. Two stones right here, six names
written on each stone. And he went in there bearing
their name, bearing them upon his heart, bearing them upon
the shoulders of his government, Abel, Abel, Abel, interceding
for them. I believe when the Lord Jesus
Christ died, I believe He died for me, putting away my guilt,
redeeming me. And then in time, calling me
by Thy name, by my name, by what I am, showing me. I know this. I know when the Lord Jesus Christ
died. I know He died for His people.
I know this. I know that the earth is the
Lord's. I know that all souls are His,
but I know this, all that He's ever purposed to save, He saved
them and redeemed them, and He's going to call them in time. There's
coming a time when Almighty God is going to present all of those
Jacobs that He redeemed and saved by grace And he's going to present
them to the Father, I and the children that you've given me. We're all here. May the Lord
bless the Word to our hearts, for Christ's sake.