Brother Gary Sunday Evening 1/10/16

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 1/10/16

Isa 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

It seems to be a part of the journey of life that you will feel great concern about a lot of things.  When we are concerned and burdened it is vital that we know how to rely on God and on those precious stones. 

Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

This leaves the very strong decision, “You are going to get through this; it will not sweep you away from God.”  “When thou passes through the waters I will be with thee.”

There are times when we feel, “Am I going to get through this?”  Yes, the Word of God says, “When thou passes through… Through the rivers, they shall not over flow thee. “

God will not let the flame be stronger than He will be right there to see us through.

Isa 43:3  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

Every one of us is so blessed.  When we come to the end of our resources and realize, “I need you so bad.”  God will step up and say, “I am thy savior.”

It is God that is our savior.  He is the one that sustains us.  He is the one that sends everything that we need.  He is God. 

Isa 43:4  Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

You want to remember that, yes, Jesus is precious, the precious cornerstone, elect and chosen of God.  But the heart of God and His Son turns to the man, women, boy, and girl that loves the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, and spirit.  Their heart turns to God and says, “I love God and want to do His will and walk in His way.”

Thou hast been honorable:  it is wonderful when there is a hunger for more of God.  It is challenging to all our souls when that desire is there not only to have salvation but to understand the deep things of God. 

Wednesday night someone brought in the request, “I need a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit in 2016.”  When we put on those robes of righteousness, as Esther did, our attitude is, “God I must have audience with you.” 

She was risking her life but there was nothing to lose, because her life was at stake.  Some think that the cost is too great.  But there is nothing to lose.

Honorable is highly esteemed.  When you have been saved and sanctified God has a great respect to his own.  The bible calls them, “Mine elect.”

Matthew Henry had a lot to say about these scriptures.  In being honorable and precious to God we become jewels.

“I have loved thee…” it is wonderful to be loved.  It is wonderful to love.  Love is strong.  Isn’t it wonderful to love God more than anything else or to love God more than our self?  It is a wonderful picture of how God loves us. 

It is an ugly picture of how ugly carnality is.  It is ugly. 

It is wonderful to have God love us.

Isa 43:5  Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Isa 43:6  I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

You might have a prodigal or someone that has never been saved and are a long ways from God.  There may be a great distance between you and them.  Distance is not always in miles.  God’s hand knows how to reach to where they are with conviction that they are lost, undone, and need a savior.

Fear not:  sometimes I can almost feel my heart skip a beat when I think of the spiritual needs of precious souls.  You and I will have more identity with those we know that are lost and needy than with the heathen that we don’t know.  If you know that their life is going to be ruined and they will be lost eternally.  When the burden comes it literally affects how your heart beats.

Isa 43:7  Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Sometimes we have limitations how we pray or talk because of someone not being saved.  The scripture says, “All souls are mine.”  They may be wandering in sin but they have no right to be there.  God made every soul.

Isa 43:8  Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

Isa 43:9  Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

God wants you and me to shine for Him.  If we know Him, we are His witnesses. 

It is a sad thing when people don’t know the only true God.  All this world, all it offers, and all the gods that can be made are nothing. 

Isa 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Isa 43:12  I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

It is wonderful to know a God that changes lives.  We know a God that there is nothing impossible.  We find ourselves trying to reach out to souls that seem to have messed themselves up so that they can never get to God.  God’s hand is not shortened.  He is still a miracle working God.

Isa 43:13  Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

We got a devastating phone call this last week.  As we began to pray, God began to speak.  He is God.  When you and I cannot see around the corner, God can.  When we don’t have an answer, God does.

There is none that can deliver out of His hand.  No one can take anyone out of God’s hand.  No one can unsave, unsanctify you, or break your fellowship with God.  No one can make you sin.  No one can offer you something that is so good out there in the world that you will forsake Jesus.  No one can take you out of His hand.

I will work:  there are times when things happen that we wonder, “Where is this going to go?”  God said, “I will work.  Who shall let it?”

Sometimes we pray and when God begins to work, in our kind loving heart and the compassion of our soul, when things get rough for someone then we pray, “God let up a little.”  We don’t try to pray hard places on anyone.  But there are times when people require God to use drastic measures for them to reach the place where they realize that they really need God.

We say, “It hurts us to see our own son suffer.  It hurts us to see our family suffer.  It hurts us to see our friends suffer.”  When God begins to take drastic measures will we let God work?

Know what you are praying when you pray, “God save my son at any cost.  Save my brother at any cost.  Save that one that has become so that we are so tender toward them in our heart.”  God said, “I will work, who will let it?” 

When God begins working with a soul, if they stiff arm God and say, “God leave me and come back at a more convenient time.”  How sad that is.