Now we're looking at Isaiah. The gospel according to Isaiah. Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43. I'm entitling the message from
this bold statement that's not made once but many times in the
book of Isaiah. In chapter 43 verse 1, but now
thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, He that formed
thee, O Israel, fear not. Fear not. Again in verse five. Fear not, for I am with thee. I'll bring thy seed from the
east, and I will gather thee from the west. Fear not. Fear not. Now, many times the
Lord says through this prophet Isaiah and declares unto his
people, his people that he made, that he chose. He says unto them
repeatedly, fear not. Now take your Bible and let's
look at a few places here in Isaiah. Isaiah 35, turn over
there. Isaiah 35 verse three. Isaiah
35, three. Strengthen ye the weak hands Confirm the feeble knees, say
to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompense. He will come and save you, fear
not. Now one of my favorite verses
in all of the book of Isaiah, I have a lot of favorite verses,
but chapter 41, verse 10. Isaiah 41 verse 10, maybe you
want to mark this in your Bible and look at it often. Verse 10,
Isaiah 41, fear thou not. I'm 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. Now that's pretty comprehensive,
isn't it? Fear not, fear not. Again in this same chapter, Isaiah
41, look at verse 13. For I am the Lord thy God, for
I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee,
fear not. Now remember when you were a
little boy, and you would walk along your daddy by your daddy. I used to try to walk in his
footsteps as he'd walk to work and I couldn't match his footstep. But he'd take me by the hand
and I'd grasp his hand and I wasn't afraid of anything. Dad was holding
me by the hand. And that's the picture here,
fear not. Will help thee I will hold thee
the right hand of my righteousness fear not verse 14 thou worm Jacob
Jacob's a worm Sinner that word there worm. You know what? It
means maggot maggot You men of Israel. I will help thee says
the Lord thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel fear not fear not
Again, in Isaiah 44, turn over there, Isaiah 44. Why would he tell us repeatedly
to fear not, to fear not, to fear not? Because we are so weak
and frail. Isaiah 44 verse 1. Yet now hear,
O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen, Thus saith the Lord that made
thee and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee. Fear
not, O Jacob, my servant, and thou, Jeshurun, which is another
name for Israel, whom I have chosen. I will pour water upon
thee, on him that is thirsty. Floods upon the dry ground, I
will pour my spirit upon thy seed, my blessing upon thy offspring. Fear not, fear not, O Israel. Turn over a few more pages. Isaiah
54. Isaiah 54, verse four. Fear not. For thou shalt not be ashamed. Remember what Paul said, I'm
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for I know whom I have
believed, the power of God and the salvation. Neither be thou
confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt
For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember
the reproach of thy widowhood any more, for thy maker is thy
husband. The Lord of hosts is his name,
thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole
earth, shall he be called. Fear not, fear not, fear not. Now back to Isaiah 43, turn back
over there. Now this does not mean that we
do not fear the Lord. Just the opposite. For the beginning
of godly wisdom is to fear and honor and worship the Lord. But
because we believe the Lord, honor the Lord, and worship Him,
and reverence His holy name, and trust Him, we have no need
to fear anything else. We love him, believe him, and
trust him. No need to fear anyone or anything
else. Now, preacher, well that's easy
to say. Yeah, it's easy to say. But it's
a horse of another color to actually do not fear. You see, it's a matter of precious,
it's a matter of precious gift It's easy to say, but it's a
matter of precious heart faith, the gift of faith, that we desire
such things in our heart not to fear. Not to fear. The believer resting in the Lord
Jesus Christ has no need to fear. Now, several things here. No
need to fear sin. I'm a sinner. I can say with
Paul, old wretched man, that I am. We have no need to fear
our sin because the Lord Jesus Christ appeared once in the end
of the age to put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. We have no need to fear death. The Lord Jesus Christ conquered
it for us. He said, I'm he that liveth and
was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore.
I have the keys of hell and death. The Lord Jesus Christ, he said,
I am the resurrection and the life, because I live, you shall
live. The believer resting in the Lord
Jesus Christ has no need to fear sin, death, hell, or judgment. Judgment. Judgment. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
took our judgment, didn't he? There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. No need to fear
judgment. He's going to present us before
God, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight. No need to fear.
We have an advocate with the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. No need to fear Satan, he is
a defeated foe. The Lord Jesus Christ, the seed
of woman, crushed his dominion, crushed his head. Colossians
2.15 says, The Lord Jesus Christ, full of principalities and power,
he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them himself. He is the triumphant one, and
in Christ, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Thanks
be unto God who's given us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, from Isaiah 43, let's look
at what the Lord teaches us here, and let us, by his grace, learn
not to fear. Look what it says, verse one,
fear not for. Now he gives us some valid reasons
why we're not to fear. Fear not because the word there
can be rendered. Fear not because you're a good
boy. You lived a good life. Now if
you trust those things, you need to fear. But he says, fear not
because I've redeemed thee. I've called thee by thy name.
You're mine. You belong to me. Now, seven
things I want to point out here. Reasons that believers have no
need to fear. Verse 1 and verse 7 says, We
are his people. But now, thus saith the Lord
that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, I've called
you, you are mine. Again, look in verse seven. For
everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him
for my glory. I have made him, I have formed
him. The point I'm making is this,
we are his people. We are his people. Hold your
place here and turn to one of my favorite Psalms. I have 150
favorite Psalms and this is one of them. Psalm 100. We are his
people. We are called the sheep of his pasture and the people
of his hand. Psalm 100. Verse three, know
ye that the Lord, he is God, it is he that made us, not we
ourselves. We are his people and the sheep
of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
into his courts with praise. Be ye thankful unto him and bless
his name. We are his people. For the Lord
is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all
generations. Truth never changes. The Lord
said, I am the Lord, I change not. You see, the Lord formed
us, created us, and made us by His sovereign choice. He chose us. Remember our Lord
said in John 15, you didn't choose me, I chose you. I chose you. Look in this same chapter, Isaiah
43, look at verse 15. I am the Lord your God the creator
of Israel I'm your king I am what I am by the grace of God
down in verse 21 Isaiah 43 this people have I formed for myself
they shall show forth my glory you see we can say with the Apostle
Paul I am what I am by his grace everything I know, He taught
me. Everything I have, He gave me.
Everything I ever will be is by His grace. He formed us. He
made us. We belong to Him. He chose us. God chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. We call that the Bible doctrine
of election. It's all through the Word of
God. God passed by all those other nations, the Amalekites,
the Hittites, the Jebusites, and God set his heart on Israel.
He sovereignly chose that nation. And that is a picture of what
God does with his spiritual Israel. He didn't choose me, I chose
you, we belong to him. He chose us in that eternal covenant
of grace, and he chose us before the foundation of the world.
Whatever you read about the doctrine of election in the Word of God,
do you know what you find right close to it? The doctrine of
praise and thanksgiving. For example, we are bound to
give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation through the
sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth were
unto He called you by our gospel. We belong to Him. He bought us. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. Notice verse 1 again, He said,
O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel. Talking about the same
person. You remember we read a moment
ago, O thou worm, Jacob? You see, by nature, we're just
like Jacob. Sinful, his name Jacob means
supplanter and cheater, conniver, swindler, and that's all of us
by nature. But one day, Jacob met God and
God changed his name to Israel. Genesis 32, read about it. And
that's what God does for us in regenerating mercy and regenerating
grace. The Lord finds us in the pit
of sin, raises us from the dead, makes us objects of His love
and prophets of His grace. you hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and in sins. But God who was rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were
sons just like Jacob. And he made us objects of his
love and made us kings and priests unto our God in his all of grace. Jacob would never tell you, well,
I changed myself into Israel. You go back and read Genesis
32. God changed Jacob. God made him a new creature in
Christ. And that's what happens in regeneration. He said, fear not, I've created
you, I've formed you, you belong to me. The second thing he says
here, In verse 1, Isaiah 43, he says, I have redeemed thee. I have redeemed thee. Now the
word has a meaning of deliverance. He delivered us. In Romans 11,
26, the Lord Jesus Christ is called with a capital D, the
Deliverer. He is the Redeemer. He is the
kinsman Redeemer who is able to deliver us, who is able to
redeem us from most of our sin. Thank God it doesn't say that.
He's able to redeem us and save us from all our sin. We're going
to talk about that in just a moment. You see, the Lord said, fear
not, for I've taken care of the sin problem. I've redeemed you. I put away your sin. Now it's
a particular, notice it says, I redeemed thee. Now if you go back and look at
the old nation Israel, the only nation that had a high priest,
a mercy seat, and an atonement, blood atonement on the mercy
seat was Israel. The rest of the nation, all the
other ites were left to their own devices of idolatry. Only Israel had the high priest
with the blood atonement and that high priest went into the
holy of holies once a year representing who? The twelve tribes. And that's a picture of particular,
definite, particular redemption, definite atonement. That is the
Lord Jesus Christ didn't die for all of the sins of all men,
every man without exception. That's not taught in this book.
But he did redeem his people effectually with his own blood.
He said, I redeemed thee. Would you have a Savior who made
an atonement for sin and try to save some folks and yet some
of them perish? What kind of Savior is that?
Well, I can do that on my own. I mean, I can try to put away
my sin and perish anyway. But thank God we have a Redeemer
who really redeems, who's successful in all of his endeavor, who has
an effectual atonement to put away all the sin of God's covenant
people. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
Redeemer, our Kinsman Redeemer, in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches
of His grace. We are redeemed and bought and
paid for with His precious blood. Now His precious blood is not
wasted blood. We're not redeemed with corruptible
things, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of that blood shed in vain.
Is there some for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died that will perish?
No, sir. He said all that those All those
given to me in the covenant of grace, they'll come to me, and
I will in no wise cast them out. I'll raise them up every one
to the last day. God bought us with His own blood. Turn over to Isaiah 44, talking
about this redemption, how the Lord puts away our sin as far
as the east is from the west. He said, their sin and their
iniquity will I remember no more. Isaiah 44, look at verse 21.
Remember these. O Jacob in Israel, 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, because I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord
hath done it." Who did it? There's a track out on the table
out there entitled Do or Done. Salvation is not something you
do. Salvation is something the Lord Jesus Christ has done. Sing,
O heaven, 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 he glorified himself. In doing that, glorified himself
in Israel. You see, the bottom line of redemption
is what? The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. Christ redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made the curse for us. The Lord Jesus
Christ is our great high priest, entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us with his own
blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleansed us from all our sin. Now, do you need to fear
your sin? Fear not. I put away thy sin. Not only that, the third thing
he mentions here, in verse 1 of Isaiah 43, I have called thee
by thy name. You're mine. Now if God chose
you, and Christ redeemed you, He'll call you by His grace,
and He'll call you with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've
called thee, notice it says, I've called thee by name. When the Lord Jesus Christ stood
before the tomb of Lazarus, who'd been dead four days, He didn't
say, oh everyone in the graveyard, come forth. If he did, they would
have all come forth. But he called one man by name,
because he knew him. Lazarus come forth, and he that
was dead came forth. I've called thee by name, you're
my children. We've studied in John chapter
10, the Lord knows his sheep by name, remember? And then in
2 Timothy chapter 2, "...the foundation of God standeth sure,
having as seal the Lord knoweth them that are His." The Lord
knows His sheep by name. He's personally, intimately acquainted
with all of His sheep. And He calls them out of darkness
into His marvelous light by His grace. Now, how long has the
Lord known His elect? How long has the Lord known His
people? He knew us long before we ever
knew Him in everlasting covenant mercy, in everlasting covenant
grace. I'll give you good scripture
for that. Jeremiah 1, Before I formed thee
in the belly, I knew thee. Before thou camest forth out
of the womb, I sanctified thee and ordained thee to be a prophet
of God. How long has God known His people?
From everlasting. Everlasting. And He calls us
with the Gospel. He'll cross our path with the
Gospel. The Gospel of God concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, the good news of salvation. The Gospel
that's the power of God and the salvation. And He'll call out
His people. I have called thee by thy name. You say, you're mine. You're
mine. You belong to the Lord. This
call is a personal call. We read about Matthew being called. The Lord said, Matthew, follow
me. He said to Zacchaeus, remember, up the tree, Zacchaeus, make
haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. It's a personal call. It's a
powerful call, isn't it? Powerful call. Our people shall
be willing in the day of thy power. You see, it's a call of
God. This is not the call of the preacher inviting you down
front. That's not the call he's talking about here. He's talking
about the irresistible, effectual calling of God. It's called a
high calling. It's called a holy calling. It's
called a heavenly calling. It's a calling that will be answered
by the sinner. God does not call in vain. It's
a powerful call. It's a penetrating, piercing
call to the heart of the sinner, come forth. And it's a producing
call as well. God who saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
God's own purpose and grace, given us in Christ before the
foundation of the world. You see what he's saying here?
He's building a very strong foundation for us to rest upon that we need
not fear. I made you, you're mine. I've
redeemed you, and I've called you. Now, don't fear. Now, you
reckon He's gonna leave us? Look at verse 2. He says, Fear
not, I am with thee. Verse 5. Fear not, I am with
thee. I am with thee. Again, verse 2. When, not a question
of if, In this life you shall have tribulation, but be of good
cheer, I've overcome. When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you. And when you go through the rivers,
they will not overflow thee. When you walk through the fiery
trial, Thou shalt not be burned, consumed, neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee in the time of heartache, trouble, and trial,
tribulation. Fear not, fear not, I am with
thee. The Lord said to Joshua upon
the death of Moses, and here the mantle was laid on Joshua,
And the Lord said unto him, as I was with Moses, I will be with
you, don't fear. Don't fear. What a comfort. We
studied in Hebrews 13, the Lord said, I will never, no never,
no never, I will never leave thee, I will never forsake thee. And then in Matthew 28, when
the glorified, resurrected Lord,
when He departed His disciples, He left them this promise. He
said, all powers given to me in heaven and earth, go and preach
the gospel to every creature and remember this, lo, behold,
I'm with you always, even to the end of the earth. Someone
might think, well, I don't feel His presence. He didn't ask you
to feel His presence. He said, believe my word. I am
with you always. I am that I am. I am with you
always. When these precious trials of
faith come, and they will come, remember it's the Lord who sends
a trial for our good. But he also promised us grace
for the trial. He said, my grace is sufficient. You remember what the Lord said
to the Apostle Paul as that ship was coming apart? Be of good
cheer, be of good cheer, I've overcome. I've overcome. These words have I spoken unto
you that in me you might have peace. In this world you shall
have tribulation. Yeah, there's some waters, there's
some rivers, there's some fires, there's some trials. But be of
good cheer, I have overcome. I am with you, fear not. Now here's the fifth thing the
Lord gives us here in verse three. Verse three, verse 11, and verse
15. I am, fear not, for or because
I am the Lord thy God. the Holy One of Israel. I'm your
Savior. I'm your Savior. Again, in verse 11, Isaiah 43 I even I am the Lord
beside me there is no Savior he is I love the way the Apostle
Paul writes about the Lord Jesus Christ in Titus and first and
second Timothy he's called God our Savior I am the Savior and
again in verse 15 Isaiah 43 I'm the Lord I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel. I'm your King. I'm your God. I'm your Savior. I'm your King.
I'm your Lord. Fear not. Fear not. I am your Savior. It says in
Isaiah 45, I'm the only just God and Savior beside me. There
is no other. Look unto me and be ye saved. I am God, beside me there is
no other. The Lord Jesus Christ is both
our Savior and our God in one blessed person. Now think about
that. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there's no other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. The one who is our Savior, the
one who is sent of God to be our Savior, is none other than
God himself. Human flesh in the fullness of
time God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law
To redeem them that were under the law fear not I am the Lord
your God the Holy One I am your Savior the Lord will spare no
expense to save his people out of harm's way He destroyed Egypt
Ethiopia and Saba of old for the benefit of Israel of old. These nations who were enemies
were destroyed that the Lord might deliver His own." When
Israel crossed Jordan after 40 years of wandering, when they
crossed over Jordan and took the land promised to Abraham,
promised to the people of God, the Lord defeated, it says, seven
nations in that land. And the Lord gave them the land. He's our Savior. How much more
true concerning the Lord's own people of His choice, His church,
His bride, whom He loved, whom He has chosen. Look at verse
4. Since thou was precious in my sight, God's people precious
in his sight to you who believe the gospel the Lord Jesus Christ
is precious to us but let us never forget we are precious
to him in his sight while it is true the sheep have no value
in themselves we're sinners deserving of no mercy we can say with Jacob
Lord we're not worthy of the least of our mercies But the
sheep of Christ are valuable to him. He chose them. He loved them. Remember he said
in John chapter 10, I laid down my life for the sheep. Not only
are they precious in his sight, look at verse 4 again. God's
people, the ones He has created and formed, redeemed and called,
they belong to Him, they're His property, they're precious in
His sight. He said, Thou hast been honorable. You see that word? Honorable
in His sight. Again, not in themselves, we're
sinners guilty before God, but through Christ He has made us
by nature what we are not. Honorable. How has he done this?
We're accepted in the beloved. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. Hear ye him. You see, God sees
his people in Christ honorable and precious to him. And we're
presented to God that way right now. holy, unblameable, unreprovable
in God's sight. We are precious to Him, honorable,
and redeemed. And then it says this in verse
4, I've loved thee. I have loved thee. Now the love
of God is not universal. God doesn't love all men everywhere
without exception. That's just not so. He said,
I redeem thee. He said, I love thee. This is what we call sovereign
love. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I loved less. That's not what it says. Jacob
have I loved, Esau have I hated. Now, it's easy to see why God
would despise Esau, but what the miracle of the gospel is,
how God could love Jacob. And how God could deal with Jacob
in mercy. And the answer to that is only
in Christ and through Christ. Love forever, we're more than
conquerors through him that loved us. He loved his own from everlasting. He loved us with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness He draws us to Himself. The Lord loves us sovereignly
in Christ and nothing, read Romans chapter 8, it says, nothing can
separate us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Nothing. Nothing. There's no
condemnation in Him and there's no separation. God doesn't love
us one day, and then we mess up, and then He stops loving
us. Wouldn't that be a horrible thing, wouldn't it? He loved
His people with an everlasting love. Here in His love, not that
we love God, but that He loved us, and that He sent His Son
to be our sacrifice for our sin. Fear not! You're precious in
God's sight. You're honorable in His sight.
You're loved of God in Christ. Here's the sixth thing, in verse
five, in verse six, he said, I'll bring thee, fear not, I
am with thee, I'll bring thy seed, sons of God from the east. Gather thee from the west I'll
say to the north give up to the south keep not back bring my
Sons from far my daughters from the ends of the earth everyone
that is called by my name I've created him for my glory. I formed
him. Yeah, I have made him Fear not God said, I'll bring
thy seed, I will gather thee to myself. Galatians chapter
3 says this, If ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed, spiritual
seed, and heirs according to his promise. We are sons of God,
children of God, by his grace. First John 3 said, Behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should
be called sons of God. What are we by nature? Children
of wrath even as others. What are we by His grace? He's
made us sons of God. He's adopted us into His family
and has loved us with an everlasting love. Fear not, I will bring
thee, I'll gather My people, the Lord will not
lose one of his sheep for whom he died. Now, I say that all
the time. You know why I say that? Because
that's what I read. Let's turn and read that one
more time, John chapter 6. He said, I give my sheep eternal
life and they'll never perish. In John chapter 6, look at verse
37. I will gather my sheep, I will
bring my sheep, the Lord will not lose one of his children." John 6, 37, "...all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me, And
this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which
ye have given me I should lose nothing. All those given to him. What are you talking about? Those
given to him in that electing love, in that covenant of grace. Chosen of God before the foundation
of the world, all the Father had given to me shall come to
me. And this is the Father's will which has sent me, verse
39, that of all which he had given me I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. This is the will of
him that sent me, that everyone would see it the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life, and I'll raise him up at
the last day." No sheep for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died will
perish. Christ suffered for our sins
one time, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us unto God. Now here's the last one, verse
7, "...reasons not Do not fear, fear not, fear not, fear not. Everyone that is called by my
name, for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him,
yea, I have made him, fear not. I've redeemed you, I've called
you, I saved you, and everything I did, underscore this phrase
right here, for my glory. for my glory. That's the bottom
line. And all that God does is His
glory. The grand design of redemption
is His glory. Sometime read Ephesians chapter
1 very carefully, when it talks about the Father choosing a people
and giving them to Christ, it says, to the praise of the glory
of His grace. When it talks about in verse
7, down to verse 11 or 12 when it talks about in whom the Son
redeemed all to the praise of His glory. And then when it talks
about the work of God the Holy Spirit in quickening, sealing,
preserving all to the praise of His glory. You see everything
God does is for His glory. To the praise and the glory of
His grace. Turn back to Isaiah 44 one more
time. Isaiah 44 Verse 23. Sing, O ye heavens,
for the Lord hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the
earth. Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forth, and every
tree therein. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob,
glorified himself. Glorified himself. No wonder
the song of the redeemed throughout all the ages of eternity will
be, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, who redeemed us to God
by His blood, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive all
honor, glory, and blessing both now and forever. You see, this
is exactly what saving faith does. It glorifies Christ. Romans chapter 4 says, Abraham
staggered not in the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, strong in faith, giving glory to God. Being fully persuaded of all
that God had promised, he's able to perform. God help us. to glory only in Christ now and
forever. And God help us to trust him,
honor him, and worship him, and believe him, and fear not. Fear not. Fear not. I am with thee. I'm with thee. I want you to
look at one more place and I'll let you go. One more place if
I can find it. Look at Mark chapter 6. Mark
chapter 6 verse 48. Verse 49 says of Mark 6, "...he
sent them away, and he departed into a mountain to pray." That
is the Lord Jesus Christ. And he sent them away in a ship,
and he saw them toiling and rowing. For the wind was contrary about
the fourth watch of the night. He cometh unto them walking upon
the sea, and would have passed them by. But when they saw him
walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and they
cried out. For they all saw him, verse 50, and were troubled,
fearful. And immediately he talked with
them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer, now underscore
this, it is I, it is I, be not afraid. And he went up unto them
in the ship, and the wind ceased, and they were so amazed in themselves
beyond measure, and wondered, it is I, Be not afraid. Fear not. God help us.