The Healing Word

Pastor Jack Morris: Friend, God will never forget your name. He knows you, and he won't forget you. He knows where you are, and he will hear your prayer, and he'll answer your prayer.

Guest (Male): Fear has a way of entering our thoughts and turning tomorrow's uncertainties into today's burdens. Yet through scripture, God repeatedly speaks these reassuring words to his children: "Fear not." Today, Pastor Jack Morris takes us to Isaiah 43 to remind us why we can face an uncertain future with confidence. God created us, Christ redeemed us, He knows us by name, and we belong to him. Here's "Don't Be Afraid."

Pastor Jack Morris: God wants to tell us today, he loves us. That's what he wants to tell us. He wants to assure us that he loves us. He wants us to hear it again. You say, "Well, I know he does." He knows that you know, but he wants to tell you again, and he's going to do that.

There was this man and wife, and the wife complained to her husband on one occasion that he never told her that he loved her. She said, "We've been married over 20 years, and I just wonder, do you really love me?" He said, "Now listen to what I have to say. On our wedding night, I told you. You remember? On our wedding night, I told you I love you. Now, if I ever change your mind or there's ever a difference, I'll let you know, but until then, that still stands."

God many years ago told us that he loves us, and he tells us that every day. He wants to tell us and assure us and reassure us. Do you know that you're loved? He wants to warm your heart and mind and let us know that he really loves us. In Isaiah chapter 43, this is exactly what God is doing. He's assuring us of his love to us, that we belong to him. He tells us that we belong to him in two ways: by creation and by redemption.

Look at verse one in Isaiah 43: "But now this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel." Created you and formed you. Then he says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you." I created you, I formed you, and I redeemed you. These are the two things that he's trying to put to us today and help us to know that he cares for us, that we truly belong to him.

Look at verse 3, chapter 43, verse 3. He created us and he redeemed us through a savior. "For I am the Lord your God." He's continually telling us that. "The Holy One of Israel, your Savior." He was acting as a savior even before there was a savior Jesus in the New Testament. Now we know that it's Jesus. We know this savior, this creator, this redeemer is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, but we have to wait until we get to the New Testament to learn his name.

If you want to turn back to Isaiah 42, just turn back one scripture to verse one. Isaiah 42, verse one. God is speaking about his servant, the one who is going to bring about this great redemption: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations."

Who is this savior, this one who is going to bring justice to the nations? We turn over to Luke chapter 3, verse 22. Luke 3:22: "And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice from heaven: You are my son, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased." In Isaiah 42, verse one, he says, "My chosen one in whom I delight, I will put my spirit on him." Then we turn over to Luke 3:22, and he says, "You are my beloved son," and the heaven opens and the spirit of God.

We know we're talking about Jesus today. We want to have that foundational truth secured in our thinking. We're referring to Jesus Christ, and he is the one that brings the love of God, demonstrates the love of God, and convinces us of God's love to us. One of the things that God is speaking to us so clearly is that we should not fear, that we should not be afraid.

Look again at chapter 43, verse one: "But now this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel." What did he say? What are the next two words? "Fear not." Under point A in your outline, put down the word afraid. Do not be afraid.

This is what the Lord says. There is a negative emotion that has such force and such power, and it seems to hound us and track us and to bring us down. It's called fear. Fear is an emotion that has a way of keep coming back. We resist it, we free ourselves from it only to get the victory over it, only to have it return again in another form. But God is coming to reassure us again and again, "I love you."

God is telling us that, "I love you." We need to be reassured. We need to be told over and over again. It comforts the heart. I see these bumper stickers: "Have you hugged your child today?" Sometimes I see, "Have you hugged your horse today?" or something like that, if you have a horse. Reassured, I believe that's what you are here today to receive, this reassurance that God loves us.

There are fears that come to us because of finances that are not adequate at the time to meet the bills, to pay the mortgage, the car payment, the insurance, the college education. As Christians, we begin to fear. We begin to think, "Oh my." We're distracted by that fear at the moment. It takes our attention away from God. I want my kids to have the best education, but I wonder how we're going to be able to handle all of this that is on us right now.

Fear seems to move in, slip in almost imperceptibly, and we are worrying. Our minds are thinking, our thoughts are churning. Our thoughts are away from God, and God is coming back saying, "Fear not, fear not." I believe according to the scripture we are certainly to take adequate care of our families. We are to be very prudent. We're to, like the scripture says, look at the little ant that stores up in the summer for winter. We are to work and provide. Paul the apostle said if you don't work, then you shouldn't eat.

Whether you're a Christian or not a Christian, if you don't work, we're to sever that love bond relationship. He says if you don't work and provide for your family, you're worse than an infidel. You're worse than an atheist that's going to hell. Don't tell me how much you're a Christian if you don't work. It's not for us to hurry up and meet people's needs who won't work. That's not the part of the church. That's not the ministry of the church. That's not the purpose of the help your neighbor program.

If you work and if you have done all that you can do as a person to supply the family's needs, you have given it your best, then the scripture says God is going to take care of you. That's the promise of the Lord. If you're doing the best that you can this morning for your family, then God says don't fear.

This is what the scripture says in Matthew chapter 6, verse 25. Matthew 6:25, the words of the Lord Jesus: "I tell you, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" He is wanting us to turn our attention and our eyes and our thoughts and have our thoughts filled with faith thoughts and to fear not.

People today are concerned, and rightfully so to some degree, about their health. We just had our brother here telling about his particular situation. We none know when we may not have it anymore, but if we have health, we are to recognize it as a gift from God and to be thankful and to praise the Lord. But not to worry about it. There are people today who are healthy who are wondering, "What will happen if I get sick?" If you're not sick, give thanks and don't worry about it right now. That is what the Lord is telling us.

Don't be overly concerned or don't even be concerned at all about it. But there are people today who become worried about it. These fear thoughts will press in upon us, and if you're worrying about your health today, God is here to help you to know that he cares for us, that he loves you, that he's the great physician, that he heals you, and he's going to take care of you. You are the apple of his eye. You who are bought by the blood of Jesus belong to him. He says, "Fear not." Say those words: "Fear not. Don't be afraid."

There are single people; they have fears. Not all of them, whether or not they're going to have to live their lives alone the remainder of their lives. They fear that they may grow old without a companion, and one of the things that they would love to have is a companion, a home, and children of their own, but that right person hasn't come along, and there hasn't been a bonding of love with anyone. So they're looking out into the future and they're wondering. They have some legitimate concerns. Don't be overly concerned. You have God. God has you. He created you, he redeemed you, and he's going to take care of you.

There are people who are growing older. The years are beginning to come on, and they're wondering, "How will it be when I get older? Will I have finances to live comfortably, to pay my bills? If I get sick, what will happen? Will I become a burden to my family?" Even then, no matter how old you become, you still belong to God. He created you and he's let you live these many years, and he's going to take care of you.

The fear of death. How many Christians are concerned, "When will it come? Where will I be when it comes? Will there be pain associated with it? How long will it take to die and to leave this body and to get into the presence of the Lord?" During that interim time, will there be a lot of suffering? So we become preoccupied.

Christians, listen. All of you are children of God here this morning, I believe. If you're not, give your heart to Jesus. All you need to do is invite him to come in, and he'll come in. But he cares for you, and there's not a thing that you need to be concerned about or worried about that God doesn't know about and he's already taken care of it. Can you say praise the Lord? It's true. I'm so thankful that we have the Lord and that he is with us to bless us and to keep us all our days.

There's a difference between anxiety and fear. When you fear something, you can point to it and say, "That's what I fear." I fear to ride in an airplane, or I fear dogs. You can point to it. Now, anxiety is fear, but you can't point to anything. You just say, "I just feel afraid." Afraid of what? "I don't know, but I just feel so insecure and afraid." That's anxiety. When you can point to something specific, that's fear.

Christians are not immune to these things. Christians are not immune to anxieties and fears. But the way to battle back, and you must battle back—it just won't go away on its own—you battle back by saying, "I belong to God. He has redeemed me. I'm a child of God. He has created me." You think these thoughts, you make these affirmations, and when you do, fear is like a shadow. When you turn and face it, when I face my shadow and walk toward my shadow, my shadow flees.

When you face fear with faith thoughts, with scripture, your fears go away. But fear is there, and some of you have fears this morning. I know you do, because God gave me this message because God's going to heal you of your fears and deliver you from all your fears. He says fear not. This is what the scripture says. Now, under point B, there are four reasons why we should not be afraid. You write down the word afraid.

Number one: God created us. Say that with me: God created me. Look at verse one, chapter 43, verse one: "But now this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, fear not." God is the one who made us. God is the one who created us.

In Jeremiah chapter one, verse five, listen to these words. God said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart." You see, God knew you were coming. God knew exactly when your parents became pregnant. He ordered the seed of the woman to unite with the seed of the man, and then God watched it happen. God didn't look down and say, "Oh, oh, here comes another baby." No.

I was surprised when Corrine came home and told me, "I'm pregnant." At that time, I wish she'd have told me anything but that. She surprised me, but did I surprise her? God wasn't surprised. He ordered your birth, your being, and he watched as your little fingers and hands and nose and ears—he was there smiling like a big papa, like the Abba Father that he is. You're no accident of nature. You just didn't happen on the scene and someday you're going to happen off the scene, and everything else in between is just by chance. Not at all. He knows.

The scripture tells us that God said the same thing of the apostle Paul. Paul said God called my name before my mother was ever pregnant with me. God knew that there was going to be a Saul of Tarsus who was going to have his whole personality changed, even his name, to Paul. So God knows these things.

Look at number two under point B. Four reasons why we should not be afraid. Number one, God created us. Number two, God redeemed us. He not only created you and birthed you into this world, Jesus went to the cross and took your sins, and he redeemed you, meaning, "I bought you twice. I got you twice. I formed you once, I created you, so I own you by creation. Then I have redeemed you."

Look at verse one again: "But now this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you." I created you, I formed you, I have redeemed you. You're not an orphan. No, you belong to God. You are his.

Look at number three under point B. God called us. Put down the word called. Continue to look at verse one: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you"—in the King James it says called you—"by name; you are mine." You are mine. Say these words: "I belong to God. God is my Father. God created me. Jesus redeemed me. I belong to God."

Now you say those words, you think those thoughts, you face your fears with those words and those thoughts, and you will find the security and the love and the warmth that you need in the Lord. God has called us. He called us by name. When Jesus rose on Easter Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb. Mary Magdalene lingered behind, weeping. Jesus appeared. She thought he may have been the gardener, and she continued to cry. She continued to inquire where the body of Jesus was.

Jesus was standing there, and then he spoke her name, "Mary." When he said "Mary," the gardener wouldn't have known her name. And if he had known her name, he could have never said it like Jesus said it. He knew her name. And when he said "Mary," she whirled around, "Rabboni, my master, my teacher, my God." She knew that she belonged to him. Oh, that that sense would come over us this morning, that we would know, that we would feel, that we would know with our feeling, with our emotion, not only our intellect, but I belong. I belong to him.

In the book of Exodus, Exodus 28, God established the priesthood, and the very first high priest was Aaron. He was the high priest; his sons were priests. Then God designed a particular garment for him to wear, the high priestly garment. There was a breastplate that he wore, and it was connected to over his shoulders. And on the breastplate, particularly that part that covered his heart, there were all the names of the people of Israel on there. Every name. I don't know how they got all those names on that breastplate.

Then he would take the blood of the lamb, and Aaron would go into the holy place, the very presence of God, with the names of the people of God over his heart. Now Aaron was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, our high priest who was to come and who did come. It says in Hebrews 4:14, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that has passed into the heavens, Jesus Christ the Son of God."

When Jesus died at Calvary, he took his own blood back into heaven to the mercy seat, and he sprinkled his own blood. Only the high priest could go into the presence of God. He carried with him his blood, but he also carried us with him. Our names are inscribed in his heart. Your name is in Jesus' heart today. He knows you completely through and through, he loves you, and he is trying to tell you, "Don't be afraid of anything. I've got you in heaven with me." You talk about security and hope and a salvation; we are in his heart in the very presence of God with Jesus, there with him now. How can God forget us?