Isaiah 43:1-7

This morning, I will begin my sermon with one question, what would you guess to be the most common commandment in the Bible?  Is it the commandment to love?  That is an important commandment and the core of God’s desire for human life. However, it is not God’s most frequent commandment to his people.  Is it the commandment to trust the Lord, our God?  Or maybe the commandment to walk with moral integrity and holiness? As important as all these commandments are, the most frequent commandment in Scripture that occurs more often than any other is the commandment “fear not”, or “don’t be afraid.” Scholars had found 366 “fear not” verses in the Bible – one for each day of the year, including one for leap year. 

All of us are afraid of something. Some of us are afraid of flying; some of us are afraid of mice, or snakes. Others to public speaking, this -by away- is the number one fear of the United States.

There’s also fear of the future – how will I take care of my needs, or the needs of my kids, especially if I lose my main provider?  There is fear of growing old, fear of loneliness, fear of failure, fear of death.  On and on goes the list of fears and phobias. All our fears tend to come from the inside and mostly -as Adam Hamilton points it in his book Unafraid- those things we fear never happen. But they are still fears and they are debilitating. 

According to the Bible fear is the result of the failure in the Garden of Eden. When we look at the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, we find that the first negative emotion recorded in the Bible is the disturbing emotion of fear.  It is not pride that’s recorded, though pride was certainly involved in the first human sin.  But the first negative emotion recorded in the Bible is fear.  After Adam and Eve sinned, God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid. God called Adam, “Where are you?”, we read in chapter 3:10, that Adam answered, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid.”

In today’s passage from Isaiah, the prophet is addressing the issue of fear, specifically the fear of abandonment, abandonment by God.  Israel was in exile in Babylon. And was afraid.  Afraid that God had forgotten them.  Afraid that he had abandoned them as His people. Certainly, they had reason to be afraid.  Because of their sin, God himself had driven to exile, to humble them. But even before His punishment, he promised that one day, he would rescue them. One day their hard service would be over, their sins would be paid for, and God would bring them home. Israel had to wait 70 long years and every day; every year was a challenge to their faith, and I can imagine them asking how long oh, God, how long? Have you forgotten your people?  

Sometimes the challenges of life in this broken and sinful world can make it seems like God has forgotten us, as if he has left us to fight alone, like if he has abandoned us. The illness that never seems to heal; the loneliness that never gets alleviated; the prayer that has not been answered. All of us have times when we wonder if God has forgotten us, if he has left us alone in our situations, whatever that situation may be. 

“But now” . . . in the face of our fears, whatever they may be, “this is what the Lord says, he who created you, … he who formed you”: Fear not!  Fear not because you don’t have to be afraid anymore.  I am not going to abandon you. In our passage from Isaiah today, God proclaims 3 promises to comfort those who fear they have been abandoned by God.

First promise, fear not because I have redeemed you (43:1).

We don’t have to be afraid anymore. God is not going to abandon us; God is not going to leave us alone. The kind of redemption God proclaims here is the payment to get a family member out of prison for debt.  Here, sin is compared to an impossible financial debt that we can never, ever repay. Remember, God has paid a huge price in exchange for us. God has exchanged one special person for us, His only Son. We are so precious to Him; He loves us in such a way that He exchanged His own Son for all of us. Therefore, fear not people of God!  God has redeemed you. He has paid our sin in full. We belong to him.

Promise number two, Children of God, “fear not because . . . I have summoned you by name, you are mine.”

In a world where the first thing people ask from us are numbers, numbers like social security, member’ number, license number is so good to hear God calling us by our names.

Don’t be afraid, I have summoned you by name. I’ve called you out of bondage and into my glorious freedom. You are mine now.  If He has called you by your name, do not be afraid. If you have herd His voice saying, “you are my son or daughter whom I love; with you I am pleased.” Do not be afraid, whatever your situation or need is, God will give you the victory. Whatever happens, it will be fine with your soul.   

Promise number three, “Fear not, I am with you.” John Bunyan has written the classic story of our dangerous Spiritual journey.  In his book The Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character, Christian, leaves the City of Destruction in search of the Celestial City. Along the way he encounters dangers and temptations of all kinds. First, he runs into a place where fears and doubts about his salvation arise. Then he runs across Mr. Worldly Wiseman who directs him down the easiest and widest path. It’s the most comfortable path . . . but it’s the wrong path. When he finally gets off that detour, he must climb the hill of difficulty. And as he climbs, and sweats, and struggles, and fights, he is tempted to turn back from his dangerous journey.

All along the way, he runs into many who have given up. They claim to be on the same journey, but they never make it.  One by one they all turn their backs on the dangerous journey home.  And it seems that Christian is left to struggle all alone.  How can he expect to make it when so many others have failed?  The difficulties seem too much to be handled.  They are too much to handle all alone. Don’t we all have felt the same way? But this is what the Lord says, he who created you, he who shaped you in the womb, Fear not, for not only have I redeemed you, not only have I called you by name, on this dangerous journey, but I will be with you!  I promise to travel with you all the way on your dangerous journey home. 

When we pass through the waters – not if, but when we pass through the flood waters – He will be with us.  God does not promise that there will not be floods or fires. But when we go through them, He will hold them back from destroying us, like He did for His people when they came out of Egypt and went through the sea, and like He held back the Jordan River during flood stage, so they could cross over into the promised land. The overwhelming floods of our own struggle will not wash us away.  They will spray us, they will soak us, they will freeze us, they will threaten to drown us, but they will not wash us away

            I heard once that when Martin Luther felt his life was under threat and when he suffered self-doubt, in those moments he felt he was not going to make it, he would boldly claim, “I am baptized.” When he repeated those words, he reminded himself, “I belong to God.” I am his child. Let those words sink in your heart and mind this morning: “I am Baptized!” I am his child.

John Newton wrote about God’s protection in his hymn “Amazing Grace” Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.  ‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far. And his grace will lead us home.  Let these promises be your comfort: I have redeemed you.  I have called you by name.  And I am with you always.