First sunday after Ephiphany 1/10/10 Text: Isaiah 43:1-7 Title: Fear Not For I Am Your God.
First Sunday after Epiphany
1/10/10
Text: Isaiah 43:1-7
Title: Fear Not For I Am Your God
This Sunday’s readings really presented me with a problem. Which text should I preach on; the Gospel where we see Jesus being baptized or the Old Testament text where we see God through Isaiah reassuring the people of Israel that he has not forgotten them.
While the baptism of Jesus text is really important for our understanding Jesus as being one of us, a man capable of sinning, but not sinning, I decided to talk to you this morning about our Old Testament text, for it applies to us as much today as when it was spoken to the people of Isaiah’s day. I love this text, for we too are in desperate need of hearing that our God has not forgotten because we too, just the people Isaiah was speaking to are fearful.
Oh we don’t come into church on Sunday morning showing our fear, but it is there even if we don’t show it. While life for most people is a mixed bag of joy and sadness, punctuated at times with boredom, life is infused with fears. Everywhere we turn there are more fears, more worries, and more anxieties for us to deal with. They’re talking layoffs at work, the Great Recession. It was bad enough that we had to deal with a shoe bomber several years ago, now we have to deal with an underwear bomber. There are turnovers at work and homes are worth less than what is owed on them.
We fear being sued, finishing last, and going broke. We fear the mole just discovered on our body. If we are young we fear going to the next grade, or the new kid, or passing the test, or telling mom or dad that the teacher wants to talk to them. If we are parents we stay fearful, as we worry if we are raising our children right, or if they are going to be successful in school or work, or popular enough, or find that just right spouse.
Fear has taken up residence in our homes and as much as we try to not feed it or ignore it, it will not leave. It is a problem, for when fear moves into our lives happiness, confidence, trust, and everything that makes our lives meaningful moves out. Fear is not something we want to live with that is for sure, for it takes over our lives.
We are a fearful people whether we want to admit to it or not, but God has some powerful words in Isaiah 43 about fear. The Lord tells us twice in our Old Testament reading for this morning, “Fear not.” so that we will be reminded that in him we can be free of fear by having confidence in him. Through his words God kicks fear out of the house, so that we can once more be truly happy, as God intends us to be.
Think about how fear drives happiness out of our lives. I bet you cannot name one good thing that fear has ever done for you. How many wonderful poems have you read or how many pieces of great music have been dedicated to fear? When was the last time that your doctor said that you really needed to start becoming more fearful otherwise your health would be at risk? Fear does not build up or glorify God. Fear does not save, or build great things. Fear destroys lives and relationships and yet, as hard as we try we cannot seem to get rid of it.
We all have fear. Fears like; do I measure up, am I liked enough, athletic enough and so on. We are all concerned about who we are, as we compare ourselves and our achievements against those of others. That’s why it bothers us if a friend forgets to call or if someone else takes credit for what we’ve done or if the airline loads us onto the plane like cattle being sent to market, for all those things tell us that “I’m not important. No one cares. I’m not worth caring about.” All a lie, but we believe it because we just don’t have a correct understanding of who we are in God’s sight.
But there is another fear that even more destructive and that is the one that deep down we all wrestle with, as we wonder, “Does God get tired of hearing me say I am sorry?” Think about it. If you had your bank call you up, like 50 times a month, and say, “Hi, we screwed up your account again. Please forgive us.” What would you do? You would change banks that is what you would do, for enough is enough.
Because that is the way we think we can’t help but wonder from time to time if God is like we are. Will there ever be a time when I will go to him and he will say, “I really am sorry, but you have given too many chances and have not changed.”
Just get rid of that thought, for, “Thus says the Lord, he who created…he who formed you…” God made you. Think about that. You are no accident. You just did not evolve from some cell that climbed out of the ooze. You were created and formed by the God who created the heavens and the earth. You were touched by his hand. You were made in God’s image. Don’t measure up? Compared to what? Sure you might not be as academic, or artistic, or athletic, or pretty, or handsome as someone else, but you are a work of God built to be in relationship with him.
So, as a child of God you cannot out sin God’s patience, for God says, “I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” God has redeemed us! Our sins put us in debt to God, but God has paid the price! “I am the Lord your God…your Savior” says the Lord. He saved you from your sin. That’s what God is all about. He doesn’t want to condemn you. God wants to save you.
I read somewhere that he does not exist to rub your nose into your sin, but to rub the sin out of your life. It just does not matter how deep or how much or how often, for God saved you from all of it. You will never hear from him, “Get away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you.”, for you are “precious in his sight” and “honored.” He loves you.
So always remember that that sin that makes you feel so guilty it’s not late breaking news in heaven. God already knows about it. In fact, God knew about it before you came into existence, but he made you his own anyway. Jesus’ blood covers over all of the sins that we’ve done, that we do today, and that we will ever do. God knows it all and God forgives it all.
And remember something really, really important. God has not only redeemed you he has called you by name. That is what our baptism is all about, which is the same baptism that Jesus received at the river Jordon; the baptism that shows his unity with humanity. In that baptism God the Father spoke, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” In your baptism he said the same thing to you, “You are my beloved son” or “You are my beloved daughter” whichever applies to you. “With you I am well pleased.”
God did not say, nor does he continue to say, “I’ll love you if…” or “I’ll love you so long as you don’t…” As his beloved God loves you regardless of what you have done or have not done. God loves you unconditionally. Don’t worry about going back to God’s grace too many times because you cannot go back too often.
But you say, “I know I am forgiven and that forgiveness is always there, but what about those fears in my life, you know the ones that sometimes threaten to overwhelm me? What about them? Well, let’s see what God has to say about those things. He tells us “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you shall be not be burned.” What more assurance do you want? Just believe God’s Word, for they are his words.
Think about it. What is it that makes fears so terrifying to you? I think, in fact I know, that we are fearful because we want to be in control. We are not willing to trust our lives to God. That is why we are fearful. The strange thing about that way of thinking is that we never have control, even when we think we do, but God has control even when we think he doesn’t. We might be overwhelmed but God is not overwhelmed.
In this little short reading from God’s Word he has told us twice to “Fear not.” God will get you through whatever happens in your life. But this is not the only place in God’s Word were we hear God say to us “fear not”, for there are 21 more passages that tell us to, “fear not”, or “have courage”, or “take heart.”
Here is just a few of them:
Matthew 10:31 “So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
John 14:1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Jesus takes your fears and worries seriously. He tells you “Don’t be afraid: I’m with you, and I through my birth, life, death and resurrection, have overcome the world.” Believe this my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for they are the words of Jesus; God himself. Trust him, do not be afraid. Live your life in peace. Amen.
1/10/10
Text: Isaiah 43:1-7
Title: Fear Not For I Am Your God
This Sunday’s readings really presented me with a problem. Which text should I preach on; the Gospel where we see Jesus being baptized or the Old Testament text where we see God through Isaiah reassuring the people of Israel that he has not forgotten them.
While the baptism of Jesus text is really important for our understanding Jesus as being one of us, a man capable of sinning, but not sinning, I decided to talk to you this morning about our Old Testament text, for it applies to us as much today as when it was spoken to the people of Isaiah’s day. I love this text, for we too are in desperate need of hearing that our God has not forgotten because we too, just the people Isaiah was speaking to are fearful.
Oh we don’t come into church on Sunday morning showing our fear, but it is there even if we don’t show it. While life for most people is a mixed bag of joy and sadness, punctuated at times with boredom, life is infused with fears. Everywhere we turn there are more fears, more worries, and more anxieties for us to deal with. They’re talking layoffs at work, the Great Recession. It was bad enough that we had to deal with a shoe bomber several years ago, now we have to deal with an underwear bomber. There are turnovers at work and homes are worth less than what is owed on them.
We fear being sued, finishing last, and going broke. We fear the mole just discovered on our body. If we are young we fear going to the next grade, or the new kid, or passing the test, or telling mom or dad that the teacher wants to talk to them. If we are parents we stay fearful, as we worry if we are raising our children right, or if they are going to be successful in school or work, or popular enough, or find that just right spouse.
Fear has taken up residence in our homes and as much as we try to not feed it or ignore it, it will not leave. It is a problem, for when fear moves into our lives happiness, confidence, trust, and everything that makes our lives meaningful moves out. Fear is not something we want to live with that is for sure, for it takes over our lives.
We are a fearful people whether we want to admit to it or not, but God has some powerful words in Isaiah 43 about fear. The Lord tells us twice in our Old Testament reading for this morning, “Fear not.” so that we will be reminded that in him we can be free of fear by having confidence in him. Through his words God kicks fear out of the house, so that we can once more be truly happy, as God intends us to be.
Think about how fear drives happiness out of our lives. I bet you cannot name one good thing that fear has ever done for you. How many wonderful poems have you read or how many pieces of great music have been dedicated to fear? When was the last time that your doctor said that you really needed to start becoming more fearful otherwise your health would be at risk? Fear does not build up or glorify God. Fear does not save, or build great things. Fear destroys lives and relationships and yet, as hard as we try we cannot seem to get rid of it.
We all have fear. Fears like; do I measure up, am I liked enough, athletic enough and so on. We are all concerned about who we are, as we compare ourselves and our achievements against those of others. That’s why it bothers us if a friend forgets to call or if someone else takes credit for what we’ve done or if the airline loads us onto the plane like cattle being sent to market, for all those things tell us that “I’m not important. No one cares. I’m not worth caring about.” All a lie, but we believe it because we just don’t have a correct understanding of who we are in God’s sight.
But there is another fear that even more destructive and that is the one that deep down we all wrestle with, as we wonder, “Does God get tired of hearing me say I am sorry?” Think about it. If you had your bank call you up, like 50 times a month, and say, “Hi, we screwed up your account again. Please forgive us.” What would you do? You would change banks that is what you would do, for enough is enough.
Because that is the way we think we can’t help but wonder from time to time if God is like we are. Will there ever be a time when I will go to him and he will say, “I really am sorry, but you have given too many chances and have not changed.”
Just get rid of that thought, for, “Thus says the Lord, he who created…he who formed you…” God made you. Think about that. You are no accident. You just did not evolve from some cell that climbed out of the ooze. You were created and formed by the God who created the heavens and the earth. You were touched by his hand. You were made in God’s image. Don’t measure up? Compared to what? Sure you might not be as academic, or artistic, or athletic, or pretty, or handsome as someone else, but you are a work of God built to be in relationship with him.
So, as a child of God you cannot out sin God’s patience, for God says, “I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” God has redeemed us! Our sins put us in debt to God, but God has paid the price! “I am the Lord your God…your Savior” says the Lord. He saved you from your sin. That’s what God is all about. He doesn’t want to condemn you. God wants to save you.
I read somewhere that he does not exist to rub your nose into your sin, but to rub the sin out of your life. It just does not matter how deep or how much or how often, for God saved you from all of it. You will never hear from him, “Get away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you.”, for you are “precious in his sight” and “honored.” He loves you.
So always remember that that sin that makes you feel so guilty it’s not late breaking news in heaven. God already knows about it. In fact, God knew about it before you came into existence, but he made you his own anyway. Jesus’ blood covers over all of the sins that we’ve done, that we do today, and that we will ever do. God knows it all and God forgives it all.
And remember something really, really important. God has not only redeemed you he has called you by name. That is what our baptism is all about, which is the same baptism that Jesus received at the river Jordon; the baptism that shows his unity with humanity. In that baptism God the Father spoke, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” In your baptism he said the same thing to you, “You are my beloved son” or “You are my beloved daughter” whichever applies to you. “With you I am well pleased.”
God did not say, nor does he continue to say, “I’ll love you if…” or “I’ll love you so long as you don’t…” As his beloved God loves you regardless of what you have done or have not done. God loves you unconditionally. Don’t worry about going back to God’s grace too many times because you cannot go back too often.
But you say, “I know I am forgiven and that forgiveness is always there, but what about those fears in my life, you know the ones that sometimes threaten to overwhelm me? What about them? Well, let’s see what God has to say about those things. He tells us “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you shall be not be burned.” What more assurance do you want? Just believe God’s Word, for they are his words.
Think about it. What is it that makes fears so terrifying to you? I think, in fact I know, that we are fearful because we want to be in control. We are not willing to trust our lives to God. That is why we are fearful. The strange thing about that way of thinking is that we never have control, even when we think we do, but God has control even when we think he doesn’t. We might be overwhelmed but God is not overwhelmed.
In this little short reading from God’s Word he has told us twice to “Fear not.” God will get you through whatever happens in your life. But this is not the only place in God’s Word were we hear God say to us “fear not”, for there are 21 more passages that tell us to, “fear not”, or “have courage”, or “take heart.”
Here is just a few of them:
Matthew 10:31 “So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
John 14:1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Jesus takes your fears and worries seriously. He tells you “Don’t be afraid: I’m with you, and I through my birth, life, death and resurrection, have overcome the world.” Believe this my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for they are the words of Jesus; God himself. Trust him, do not be afraid. Live your life in peace. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 2:56 PM
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