You turn back with me to Isaiah
chapter 41. Isaiah chapter 41. This is my
subject. My text will be primarily from
verse 10, but we'll consider verses 10, 13, and 14. God's
promise to his people there that he repeats over and over again. I want to talk to you in a moment
about the right hand of God. The right hand of God. The book,
this book of Isaiah, contains so much about the Lord Jesus
Christ that he himself said, they testify of me, the prophets,
but Isaiah especially. It seems like someone said when
you read the book of Isaiah, you're tempted to ask yourself,
is this a history or is this a prophecy? It's really both. It's really both. Isaiah was
given by God the Holy Spirit such a distinct, clear, clear
understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah that was
to come 700 years after this prophecy. The very name Isaiah
means the Lord shall save or the salvation of the Lord. As we mentioned in the reading,
the people that are the Lord spoke to here, Israel. The children
of God at this time were very much afraid. They had been taken
captive by Babylon. Their enemies were so much more
than they and so much more powerful and they knew that they had no
ability to withstand them. And their defeat, appeared to be certain, just
no way around it. When I thought about that, I
noted this, I jotted this down, because that rings a bell with
me, doesn't it you? Do you not yourself sometimes
feel in such a condition? Does this not sound familiar? Are you not sometimes tempted
to think, well, there's just no hope, no help, It is what
it is. It seems like an expression a
lot of folks use. The purpose of these verses,
though, as again we pointed out in the reading, is to silence
our fears, to quieten our fears, and to encourage us by faith,
to encourage the servants of God in their distresses. It's intended for the support
of God's true Israel. I know it's national Israel.
that the prophet is speaking to, but they're a picture of
God's church, God's true Israel. Paul said in Romans 2, everyone
that's a, those that are Jews, God's true people, it's not those
who are outwardly, but inwardly, by the circumcision not made
with hands. Paul said also in Romans, they
are not all Israel, which are called Israel. or concerning
God's true Israel, Paul said in Romans 11, so all Israel,
all Israel, not just Jews, Jews, Gentiles, God's true church,
God's people, all Israel shall be saved. This scripture has
given us these promises to those who serve God that through patience
and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. God gives
us an antidote. An antidote for his frightened
children. You know, we get sick quite often. We go to the doctor. I did a
couple of weeks ago. He gave me a shot in my knee. It helped. It helped a little
bit. And I'm thankful for it. He told me to take this or that. An antidote, hopefully, for certain
problems. God gives us an antidote for
our fears three times. In verses 10, verses 13, and
verse 14, God says, don't be afraid. Verse 10, fear thou not. Why? Because I'm with you. Verse
13, fear not. The second time, again, I will
help you. The third time, verse 14, fear
not thou worm Jacob, I will help you. I will, I will, I will. It seems God wants us to stop
being afraid. Stop being afraid. Don't live
in fear. I mean, it's perilous times. Men wax worse and worse. And
they're going to continue to. Things in this world are not
going to get any better. But Christ said, you're not of
the world. I've chosen you out of the world.
I put a difference between you and the unbeliever, between you
and the lost man. You're my chosen. You're my redeemed. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. I'm not going to forsake you no matter what happens in
the world. Someone told Robin the other
day, suggested to do as they were doing, to save our milk
jugs, to fill them up with water. Because what's happening in Ukraine
might happen here. They were even going to pitch
tents and stuff, possibly, if they have to live in them. I
just kind of chuckled. I mean, that's fine if that's
what they want to do. That's fine. I'm not going to do that.
I'm not going to live in fear. I'm not going to live by God's
grace like there is no God. Our God's in the heavens. Doesn't matter. Putin's in his
hands. Rootin' tootin' Putin. He'll
go as far as God allows him to go and then God'll stop him dead
in his tracks if he's pleased to do it. Our God's in the heavens
doing whatsoever he'd please while we're in the wilderness
of this world. This promise is to us. It's like
that pillar, that cloud, pillar of fire that followed Israel.
It's a sign of God's presence. It's God's assuring presence.
God's assurance of His presence with them. What a word of comfort
this is, which is so often repeated. It's amazing, isn't it, how often
the Lord speaks these words to us. The Lord Jesus Christ did
the Word make flesh. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Fear not. Fear not. Fear not
the threatening of your enemy. Don't doubt God's promise. Paul
said, we're troubled on every side in 2 Corinthians 4. Yes,
yes. He didn't bury his head rather
in the sand like the proverbial Austrian that does that and thinks
if he doesn't see the trouble, then it doesn't exist. No, Paul
knew it existed. He said, we're troubled. We're
troubled on every side, but we're not distressed. We're perplexed,
but we're not in despair. We're persecuted, but we're not
forsaken. We're cast down, but we're not
destroyed. Cast down, yes, but never cast
out. The God of all grace can silence
fears even when there seems the greatest reason to be fearful.
Is that not so? Remember, in 2 Kings 6, you have
the story of Elisha. He was the protege, so to speak,
and took up the mantle of Elijah when he went to heaven. Elisha
was revealing to the king of Israel the plans of the king
of Syria to capture him, to capture the king of Israel. And when
the king of Syria would gather his men and captains and his
army around, he'd say, now, we're going to go to such and such
a place. Keep it under your hat. And when the king of Israel comes
there, we've got him. We're going to set an ambush
for him. God revealed those plans to Elisha. And Elisha sent word
and told the king of Israel, don't go to such and such a place.
They're going to be waiting for you there. The king of Syria
got his men around him again after this had happened again
and again. He said, OK, we've got a traitor in the camp here.
And I want to know which one of you it is. One of you is telling
the king of Israel our plans. That's why I can't capture him.
It's 1 Kings chapter 6 verse 13. And he said, go and spy. They told him, it's not us. It's
Elisha. It's that big mouth prophet. And the king of Syria said, go
and spy where he is that I may send and fetch him. I'll put
a stop to this. And it was told him, behold,
he's in Dothan. He's down there in Dothan. We
know where he's at. Therefore send he thither horses and chariots
and a great host for one prophet. And they came by night, they
went sneaking in, and compassed the city about. And when the
servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, behold,
a host compassed the city, both with horses and chariots. Now
this is Elisha's servant that first sees this. And he goes,
wakes up Elisha. He says, oh, alas, my master,
how shall we do? Elisha, Master, it's all over. It looks bad to me. There's no
way out of this. Maybe we should just go ahead
and raise the white flag of surrender. We're done. It must have seemed
strange to that young man when Elisha said this. Fear not. Fear not. For they that be with
us are more than they that be with them. I almost imagine he
thought, like Robin sometimes says to me, you can't be serious. You're not serious. But the prophet
of God didn't stop there, did he? And Elisha prayed and said,
Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. Oh, God, open
my eyes that I may see. And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man, and he saw, and behold, A mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Here's the
New Testament parallel to that. What should we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution or famine. What about nakedness, peril,
sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the
day long. We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, no, never, never. In all these things we're more
than conquerors. More than conquerors, through
Him that loved us. More than conquerors. Those very
things that we think are against us are the very things that God
uses to work for us an eternal way to glory. Me and Billy were
talking before service. He was talking as a young man
when he was at home, a young boy at home, how his father You
know, they had hard times. He knew what hard times was. He didn't have inside plumbing
and things like that. I lived up that hauler, Terry,
for five years and we didn't have inside plumbing. When we
moved from Youngstown, Ohio, the hardest thing I did was carry
out a bag of garbage. We moved up that hauler. No water,
no bathroom. Had to carry it. Just as Billy
said, he thanks God for those hard times. It helps him appreciate
the things he has now. Oh, God works in us those things,
those trials, those difficulties. He uses those very things that
we think are against us, the waves, the waves, the storms.
God uses this to drive us closer to the shore of eternal glory. Oh, for the relief of our fears,
God assures us in verse 10, We may depend upon his presence
with us as God, as God, an all-sufficient God in the worst of times. Are you alone? God says, don't
be afraid. Don't be afraid, because I'm
with you. I'm not only within reach, I'm
with you. I'm with you always, Christ says,
even to the end of the world. Are you dismayed by the power
of the enemy? The power of sin within your
own heart? The greatness of your trial?
God says, don't be. Don't be dismayed, for I am by
God. I am with you. Are you weak? God says there,
I will strengthen you. Are you destitute? God says three
times, I will help you. When we're at our worst, which
is most of the time, God's at his best, and that's all the
time. That's all the time, is that
not so? Though your enemies are many and mighty, God tells them
in us, fear not, I'm greater than all your enemies. Though
your afflictions are painful and long, fear not, I will deliver
you, God says. Though your path of duty is demanding,
dangerous, fear not, God says, I will uphold you, I will help
you. Though the fulfillment of God's promises cannot yet be
seen, he says, fear not. Not one promise of God shall
fall to the ground. Not one word. That's what Joshua
said, isn't it? Time came for Joshua, the one
that took up the mantle of Moses. Came time for Joshua to die.
They're in the land of Canaan. They're in the promised land
now. Old Joshua gathers the elders around his bed. And he said,
listen, fellas, I want to remind you of something. I'm going the
way of all flesh. My time on this earth is almost
gone. But he said, I want to remind
you of this. I'm looking back now, and I want
you to look back with me. And you're my witnesses. There
has not failed one word of one promise that God made to us. Everything he's promised has
come to pass. Has come to pass. And every child
of God can say the same. Fear thou not, verse 14, thou
worm, Jacob. Whoa. That's not very flattering. Thou worm, Jacob. Most people,
especially the self-righteous people, religious people, they
consider that an insult. If I stood in the pulpit of most
churches around here today and I'd say, you worms, don't let
the door hit you in the butt on the way out, it would be what
I'd hear. He says, they would say, oh,
I'm not a worm. I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm somebody. Oh, Isaac Watts that wrote Alas
and Did My Savior Believe. Many, many years ago, 300 years
ago, alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head
for such a worm as I? Most modern-day hymnals are not
ours, but many in the churches have changed that word, changed
it to sinners. For sinners such as I, the word
worm to them is just too offensive to human pride. They can cross
it out all they want, but nonetheless, God says, thou worm, Jacob. The
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when he was made to be sin
for us and hung upon the cross as our substitute, said, I'm
a worm and no man. Song 22, verse 1, my God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me and from the words of my roaring? Verse 6, but I am a worm. contemptible,
cursed, crushed beneath the load of God's justice. I'm a worm
and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people. Oh
yes, I'm a worm. Jesus Christ died for worms. Jesus Christ came to save worms. Jesus Christ has mercy on worms. I've come to call sinners, not
the righteous, to repentance. Can you imagine that self-made
religious man, that Pharisee standing there in his robe of
righteousness that he weaved for himself and he looks down
at that poor publican and he says, God, I'm glad I'm not like
that worm. He does now, doesn't he? He does now. Worms, worms Jesus came to save. He was abased, our Lord Jesus
Christ. I'm a worm and no man that we
might be exalted. Exalted. exalted to be with Him
in glory. He was cursed that we might be
blessed. He was made sin, that despicable thing, that we might
be made the very righteousness of God in Him. He was crushed
to death under the penalty of sin, that we might be raised
to life and freed from sin. And His promise to His redeemed
is this, Fear not thou worm, Jacob. And ye men of Israel,
I will help thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel. Christ will keep his sheep. Let
me share with you a brief article by our dear friend that's already
now in glory with the Lord Jesus, dear brother Henry Mayhem. Referring
to John 10, verses 27 through 30. My sheep, hear my voice. They follow me, and I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish. No man can pluck
them out of my hand. My Father which gave them to
me, they're in my hand. They're in the Father's hand.
No man's going to pluck them out. Henry said, I don't panic. I don't panic or despair in this
world of religious paganism and corruption. The Lord knows how
to deliver His people, them that love Him and worship Him out
of all trial and tribulation. Evil may abound. False teachers
increase. The true worship of the Lord
may all but perish from the earth. But our God has a people who
are chosen by Him, redeemed by His Son, and called by His Spirit. He will keep them from falling,
and He will keep them till the river rolls its waters at their
feet. Then He'll safely bear them over
where their Savior they shall meet. When our Lord on one occasion
had sent His disciples across the sea, and He yet was on the
land, a great storm arose. and they were afraid. It says,
it was now dark and Jesus was not yet come. It's dark, oh my soul. It's dark. Sometimes it seems so dark. But what makes it worse for a
child of God, they feel Jesus has not yet come. I cry in the
night. But heaven seems like it has
brass doors. Jesus had not yet come, and they
were afraid. And then they look. They look. Oh, my soul. Here
comes Jesus Christ, the great shepherd, walking on that stormy
sea. Yeah. Just as easy as I'm walking
in. And he says, Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. It is I. Don't
be afraid. Or when you're about to fall,
Christ says, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
Now let's look briefly at verse 10. The right hand of God. The
right hand of God. I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness. What does that mean? The right
hand of God. What's the meaning of that? What
does that signify? What's that a picture of? It's
a figure. He said, God Almighty doesn't have hands. The God-man
does, but God Almighty in His pure spiritual essence doesn't
have hands. It's a picture of His honor,
of His power, of His majesty. In Eastern countries, and here as
well, but people there use their hands so much in speech, even
in the scriptures. It speaks of the striking of
hands, the syllabaric, the washing of hands. Pilate did that, didn't
he? I'm innocent of the blood. His hands wasn't dirty, that
was a symbol of I'm innocent. I mean, his blood's not on my
hands. Even God himself says in Isaiah
chapter 65, verse 2, I've spread out my hands all day long, all
day long to a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was
not good, and in their own thoughts. And the Lord God Almighty made
flesh and said, come unto me. I'm sure he extended his hands.
Come unto me, all you that labor and heavy laden, and I will give
you rest, and in our in our own country. The action of the hand
is made to use, or rather is used in force or to contribute
to what we may be saying. I can't help but think of this
one. Years ago I was preaching and my oldest son, Larry Dell,
was just a little toad about this high and he was standing
in the pew next to his mother and I was preaching and I glanced
down. He was keeping perfect time with me. Every gesture I
made, he made. He wasn't saying a word, but
he was. I sometimes say concerning Robin,
if you tie her hands, she wouldn't be able to say a word. But it means this. When we read that God will withhold
us with his right hand of righteousness, it's the place of omnipotence.
The place of omnipotence. The place of all power. Exodus
7 and 5. God speaking and says, the Egyptians
shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth my hand
upon Egypt and bring the children of Israel from among them. I'm
going to bring them out. God's going to bring us out of
Egypt too. He has and He is and He will. And they sing the song
at the Red Sea after they crossed the Red Sea, rather. Thy right
hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord,
hath dashed in pieces the enemy. Thou, in Thy mercy, hast led
forth the people which Thou hast redeemed. Thou stretchest out
Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them up. Thou hast guided them
to in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation." Here's John Newton's
verses that he had written up on the wall of his study. Deuteronomy
chapter 5 verse 15, remember, remember. God says, and remember
that you were a servant in the land of Egypt and that the Lord
thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by
a stretched out arm. Remember, remember where you
were, remember where you were. When I came to you, and every
child of God, every saved sinner knows that so. They know that
Jesus Christ is always mighty to save to the uttermost every
sinner that comes to God by him. Isaiah 59 and 1. Behold, the
Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. Again, every
child of God knows the truth of that. He reached down his hand. I'm almost tempted to sing. I
should say tempt to sing, attempt to sing, but I'll just read.
Once my soul was astray from the heavenly way and I was wretched
and vile as could be. Sure was. But, thank God he didn't
leave me there. But my Savior in love gave me
peace from above when he reached down His hand through me. I was
near to despair when He came to me there and He showed me
that I could be free. Then He lifted my feet, gave
me gladness complete when He reached down His hand through
me. Oh, when my Savior reached down through me, He had to reach way down through
me. I was lost and undone without
God or His Son. when he reached down his hand
for me. Larry, you remembered that. Song 40. I waited patiently for
the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought
me up also out of the horrible pit, out of the murray clay,
and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings, and
he put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. Here's
another thing. Speaking of the right hand of
God's righteousness, that's the Lord Jesus Christ, is it not?
Is it not? Listen to these verses. Psalm 89, verse 13. Thou, God, has a mighty arm,
strong in thy hand and high in thy right hand. Justice and judgment
are the habitation of thy throne, mercy and truth shall go before
thy face." That must be Christ. Verse 1 of Psalm 98. Oh, sing,
sing unto the Lord a new song, for he does marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him the victory. It is finished. It is finished. Psalm 110, verse 1. The Lord
said unto my Lord, Set thou at my right hand," this is God speaking
to his son, after he had attained our eternal redemption, after
that he had trod the winepress of Moab, enduring the cross,
despising the shame. God says, set thou on my right
hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. I say that folks,
some folks can hardly talk if you would tie their hands. Well,
God Almighty, will not be spoken to, and he won't speak to anyone
except through that man of his right hand, the Lord Jesus Christ. God, Hebrews chapter 1, God who
at sundry times and in diverse matters spake in times past unto
the fathers by the prophets, had in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the world, who being the brightness of his
glory, and the expressed image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high. Oh, what blessedness this is
to consider the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ, in our nature,
made likened to his brethren, unceasingly stretched out to
lead his sheep. His ears ever open to their prayers,
their cries, their needs, and his eyes ever up on them. He never slumbers or sleeps.
Billy, when we go to bed tonight, we wake up in the morning, we
turn on the news, the bad news, and we learn that in the neighborhood
there was deaths, murders, crime. We slept right through it. We
slept right through it. When we lie down and sleep, David
said, I will lie down and sleep in peace. Why, David, how can
you do that? Don't you have any troubles?
Don't you have any enemies? Oh, yeah. But the captain of
my salvation, my faithful shepherd, he never slumbers. He never sleeps. He's always there. He's always
watching over his sheep. The right hand of God is the
place of honor. Oh, that's reserved for the Lord
Jesus Christ, is it not? I haven't been here too long.
Man, it'll be 11 years this year. Y'all been putting up with me
for 11 years. Shake your head, Delilah, I don't blame you. But
it wasn't long, if I remember right, when I was first here,
Bobby, I think it was you and Lester's 50th wedding anniversary.
Y'all had a get-together up at Rick's up in Lincoln. You asked
me to come. I think your former boss was
there, Lester's friend. I knew those who were from the
church that was there, but most of them I didn't know. I was
by myself, and they seated me at a little table over in the
corner. Everyone was sitting there, Bobby
and Missus at the head of the table. She looked and saw me
and said, hey, Larry, what are you doing there? You get up. You sit right
here. You sit up here next to us. I
sat right there, and I thought, hmm. I got off of that little
table at their right hand. And I thought, that's an honor.
That's an honor. On this occasion, they thought
of me. Oh, the Lord God said to his
son, sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.
He said to Caiaphas, the high priest. He said, hereafter, Caiaphas
said, I adjure thee. You tell me right now. I demand
it. Are you the son of God? He said, you got that right.
You got that right. You have said it. Thou hast said,
the Lord was saying to him, yes, exactly. That's exactly right.
I'm the son of God. Hereafter you shall see the Son
of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds
of heaven. It's he that says thus, fear
thou not. I will uphold you with the right
hand of my righteousness. The devil whispers, doesn't he,
I'm going to trip you up. You're going down. You're going
down. I've got you now. And God says, no, I'm going to
hold you up. Unbelief whispers to us, you're
going to fall one day. You're going to perish. And God
says, no, you won't. I'm going to hold you up. Your
flesh cries out, I can never bear up under this trial, under
this cross. God says, oh, yes, you can, because
I'm going to hold you up. God says, I will uphold you.
What is more helpless than a young child, especially one just beginning
to walk without his mother's hand? You mothers can identify
with this. Take that young daughter or that
young son. Boy, they're just learning to
walk. But you take them by the hand. Lead them along. Oh, what is more helpless? How
helpless we would be. We are without Christ. We can't stand. We can't walk. But God says, don't be afraid,
because I'll take your right hand. I'll take you by the hand. Don't be afraid, I'm going to
help The picture is, I'll walk with you hand in hand. I'll guide
you and lead you along. I will hold you up when you're
weak. I'll pick you up when you fall. Let me close. No wonder the Lord says, don't
be afraid. Fear not, I will uphold you with my right hand. Hearken
unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house
of Israel, which are born by me from the belly, which are
carried from the womb to the tomb. And even to your old age
I am he, for how things are changing, but our God doesn't change. And
even to whore hairs I will carry you, I'll carry you. I have made
and I will bear, even I will carry, and I will deliver you. You hold to my hand, you hold
to our hand. As over this river I go, and
safe I will be, in beautiful heaven I know. and that will
show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy at
thy right hand pleasures forevermore. Isaiah 51 verse 11. Therefore
the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing
unto Zion. Boy, ain't nobody gonna tell
me to keep quiet then. I'm gonna sing. Come with singing
unto Zion everlasting joy shall be upon their head. They shall
obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee
away." Someone said heaven is a place where sorrow can never
be and where joy can never die. Sorrow can never live and joy
shall never die. God bless you.