Fear Not, For I am with Thee - Pt.2
GENESIS 3:9-10
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
(Hearing God’s voice should have produced an emotion of love and security and peace, but instead we see that Adam becomes fearful. So it’s interesting to note that fear is the first response of man toward God after the fall, and fear has played a major role in the heart of man since this time)
JOHN 6:18-20
18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. (Again we see that man is afraid – many people are afraid of the wrong things, sometimes the very thing that will help them, they are afraid of it. Some people are afraid of the deeper truths of the message – but some of those things is where a greater level of rapturing faith lays)
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. (From last week we saw that it was in the revealing of the person of Christ to them that took their fear away – “It is I; be not afraid” That is what the message is to also do for us, because the message reveals the person)
PSALM 23:4
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (We are shadowed with the possibility of death constantly in this life – it is not just on our death bed or when we are crossing over to the other side, it is that also, but it is also every day of our lives that we find that we are walking in this shadow), I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (The palmist gives us the answer to the relief of our fears – “for thou art with me”)
Fear Not, For I am with Thee - Pt.2
PSALM 56:3-4
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. (We see here that the psalmist is communicating to us that the cure for his fear is to renew his trust in God – he knows that it is actually the lack of trust that brings on fear, and so when he is afraid, then it is time to renew his trust in the Lord, because fear and doubt and confusion and a lack of trust in God all go together, but love and faith and trust and peace all go together also)
4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
**Job had also come to a place of a maturity of an unmovable trust in God.
JOB 13:15
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: – in other words, It’s not about what happens to me in life that affects my trust in God, I know that I can trust Him to work whatever situation that I am in out for my good, and even if he slays me in the process, he’ll just raise me up to life again.
***Look at the maturity that Job had come to in his relationship with God. Many people would lose their trust and confidence in God if what happened to Job happened to them – but Job had come to such a place of understanding and revelation of the character of God that even if God had slayed him, that would not take away his trust in Him, and this is why God said of him that there was none other like him in the earth. So there must have been a real understanding and a true love of God in the heart of Job to have such a confidence in God.
PERFECT.FAITH_ JEFF.IN V-6 N-11 SUNDAY_ 63-0825E
132 And when we were sinners, alienated, without God; in the world, in that muck of mud, as I talked about this morning, God come to us! God sought you, you never sought God. "No man can come to Me except the Father draws him first." And God came down in that muck, what you were, and sought you out and brought you out! That ought to create a Perfect Love. Look what you was, and look what you are. What did that? Somebody that loved you! Can't you have faith in what He's promised you, then? Real genuine love will create a confidence in His Word.
133 He caught me when I was nothing. I'm still nothing, but I'm in His hand. See, He caught me. And He loved me when I was unlovable. He loved you when you was unlovable, but He changed you. Just like the colored sister said, that time in her testimony, she said, "I'm--I'm not what I ought to be, and I'm not what I want to be, then I'm not what I used to be!" She knowed she had come somewhere, something happened. And that's the way it is. If God, when I was an alien from Him, so loved me till He stooped down to get me and pick me up, that gives me confidence that He wants to use me. He's got a purpose in doing it. He seen something in me. He seen something in you. He had a reason to save you, look at the people that's unsaved today. Look at the millions He could have took beside you, but He took you. Amen! No one can take your place. Amen! You're in God's economy. No one can do it. That's His Love to you.
134 Then, won't your love reach right back to Him? And there's a love affair. No matter what the situation is, its circumstances is governed by this Love that creates Faith: that God loves you and you love God, and you love one another, and--and that brings the Faith.
***So we see here that when we begin to understand God’s calling and his love for us, then that is what brings us closer to him and that is what produces the correct love relationship with Him, and then this love relationship is what casts out fear just like the disciples on the ship, He came to them – “Fear Not, for I am with You” – it was in the revealing of Himself to them that removed their fears.
I JOHN 4:18-19
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
DIVINE.LOVE.AND.SOVEREIGN.GRACE_ PRINCE.ALBERT.SK TUESDAY_ 56-0814
E-15 And now, I'm a conservationist and of wildlife and so forth, and dealt with wildlife. My mother's a half Cherokee Indian, and I--I just love the wild so till I study God. My first study of God was through nature, watching what He did in nature, how He watches and what He does.
And there's one of the greatest hindrance that there is in the church today, and right here at Edmonton, and every... or not Edmonton, I didn't mean to say that. I mean Prince Albert. And--and among other people everywhere is fear, but love, perfect love casteth out fear. So you... The reason you're--you're fearful is because the right temperance of love has never entered yet. When there's real love, all fear passes away. When you really love the Lord...
***So we now know that the answer to our fear is a greater relationship with the Lord, but that relationship cannot advance to a greater level of maturity without the mighty God being unveiled before us in this hour, so it would take this full unveiling of God of His full nature and plan and his love toward us so that we would be able to come into a full confidence and trust in him at this evil time and age that we are living in.
And so this is what has been going on for all these years under this great unveiling of God by the opening of the word in this hour, because this relationship and unveiling of Christ to us is like any relationship in that it takes time to develop as you go along life’s journey in the grace and knowledge of the unfolding of the word by the message of the hour.
**So this faith and trust and confidence in God works by love – and love comes by the correct relationship by the revealing of the word.
GOD.PROJECTING.HIS.LOVE_ EDMONTON.ALBERTA TUESDAY_ 57-0806
E-14 Love is a powerful force. It'll run a woman, a mother, right into the flames of fire after her baby, if she knows she's plunging herself to death. There's nothing more strong than love. Love will make you trust. You might go and know that you belong to the greatest church in all the provinces of Canada. You might know that you're the charter member of the greatest church in the nation. And then you would do things that you would not do if you belonged to a little mission somewhere in some corner and had the love of God in your heart.
Love has no fear. Love casts out fear. And I notice in my meetings, so much that when I come into the people... One of the great things I find among them is fear. And what makes fear is lack of confidence. If you lack confidence it'll make you fear. But if you love, it casts away that fear. And that's the way God wants His Church, not so many as charter members; He wants members that's loyal, and loves, and believes, and has confidence in Him. (Let us strive to be all of this)
FAITH_ CHARLOTTE.NC FRIDAY_ 56-0427 (End quote from last week)
E-17 …And I thought tonight, I would talk on faith for a little while, just build up on Christian faith. I find out that one of the greatest hindrance that the church has got today, is that they're scared to death and... What are you scared about? That's what I'm wondering. If you'll just only realize, that who you are... You don't know who you are. You don't know who that is setting next to you.
Oh, you say, "Yeah, that's my neighbor. I know. I know him all right." But he's a son of God (See? That's right.), adopted by Jesus Christ into the family. That's a daughter of God setting next to you. And who are you? If you're a Christian believer, you're a son or daughter of God. What you scared about? No need of being scared. So that's... As long as the devil can keep you scared; that's all he wants to do; he's got you right then.
When Jesus rose up and said, "Fear not. I am He that was dead and is alive forevermore and have the keys of death and hell..." That's right.
***We are living in a time of the distress of the nations – and this is the time that we are told specifically by the Lord (as believers) of how we are to act at that time.
LUKE 21:25-28
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (This word “perplexity” = the inability to deal with or understand something – in other words, distress accompanied with confusion, and bewilderment, and puzzlement - what is lies and what is truth. So this is certainly the condition of what we find the world is in at this time).
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (This is not the coming of the Lord in the humbleness of the revealing of the son of man ministry that is going on right now by the revelation of this message as he promised that he would come as a thief in the night to steal away his bride, but this is his public coming in power and glory with his saints)
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Look at that last verse again in some other versions…
Amplified Bible
28 Now when these things begin to occur, stand tall and lift up your heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as] your redemption is drawing near.” (Remember that much of our suffering of this modern age is anxiety related)
Contemporary English Version
28 When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.
**So we are not to be in fear like the rest of the world – we are to stand up straight in this hour, and we are to look up with our heads held up, because soon all suffering will cease and our redemption will become a reality – that is thus saith the Lord for this time right now.
PSALM 46:1-11
1 ¶ To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. (This is pointing to a time of judgement. If there was ever a time when you would be frightened, then it would be in an earthquake that is big enough to carry mountains into the sea – so that sounds a bit like Los Angeles sinking, and so this is the season we are living under at this time – but also at this same time it is promised that there would be a river of life flowing)
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God (This city of God is the Bride), the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. (He is speaking of the spring of pure water that flows from the midst of the city of David called the Gihon spring of the Kidron Valley – that is what we refer to that there is a fountain open in the house of David – but we know that that natural spring of water was only a symbol for the real water of Life which was Christ, He is the true fountain of life flowing out from the midst of where his people are dwelling – the city of God, we are the tabernacles of the most high)
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 ¶ The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
I PETER 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
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***Fear is a very powerful weapon that God will allow to come upon an entire people or nation in order to bring his word to pass.
II KINGS 7:1-7 this is the story of the siege and relief of Samaria at the time of Elisha
1 ¶ Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 ¶ And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.
5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. (Notice – he allowed them to hear something that wasn’t true that caused them to fear, in other words it was fake news that caused them to fear)
7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight (notice when this takes place – at evening time, at twilight time), and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. (They were bereft of all the stuff – all their riches and possessions and housing and transportation, all were lost to them)
WHO.DO.YOU.SAY.THIS.IS_ PHOENIX.AZ V-6 N-9 SUNDAY_ 64-1227
50 We're in a critical hour; the world is. But the Church, the real Church (not the denomination); but the Church, Itself, is ready for the greatest triumph It ever made: the coming of the Groom to the Bride.
SPEAK.TO.THE.ROCK.AND.IT.SHALL.GIVE.FORTH.HIS.WATER_ LAKEPORT.CA SATURDAY_ 60-0723
E-28 They had seen ten powerful miracles performed down in Egypt: flies, lice, fire, death angel. All they had seen in Egypt. All these great miracles that they'd seen God do, and were still carnal thinkers. And then they saw the Red Sea, that was laying in the path of duty. They were on their road marching then, come out, there was a Pillar of Fire before them, and they marched on to the Red Sea. And when they got there, right in the line of duty laid an obstacle. And first thing you know, fear struck them, and they didn't know what to do.
That's the way people does today. When fear strikes them when they're right in the path of duty... Listen, brother, let me say this: If you're walking in the light, having fellowship with God, with His people, and the Holy Spirit is upon you, and you meet an obstacle right in the path of duty, don't stop, just keep pressing on. God will make a way through it. That's one of the greatest experiences of my life, is to see God. When I can't get over it, get under it, get around it, or anyway, God opens up a way and I go through it. Somehow or another His grace is sufficient to carry us through it.
MELCHISEDEC.THE.GREAT.PRINCE.AND.KING_ JEFF.IN SUNDAY_ 55-0109M
E-68 …In this great faith battle, as I've tried to fight it, I've come--some awful obstacles, been over some rough roads. It shows on me: I have. But it's been the most blessed thing I... I wouldn't trade it for nothing in the world. And here's my greatest victories, the greatest pleasures I have, is when I come up against something I can't see over, around it, or under it; I just keep walking towards it, believing this: that God will make a way when I get there.
WE.HAVE.SEEN.HIS.STAR.AND.HAVE.COME.TO.WORSHIP.HIM_ TUCSON.AZ V-13 N-8 MONDAY_ 63-1216
208 And may the Angel of the Lord come, and say, "Fear not, this is the Light of the day. This is the Light of the hour. The evening Lights are shining." The prophet said, "It'll be Light in the evening time, just before the sun sets." And, Lord, we see the sunset of time, it'll soon blend into Eternity. Grant, Lord, that each one of them will find Jesus tonight. For I asked it in His Name. Amen.
ISAIAH 41:10
10 ¶ Fear thou not; for I am 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.
LUKE 12:32
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
He loves us, he has called us for His purpose in this hour to believe on him whom he has sent. This is His victory for this time; it is to get a people to believe the word that he has sent in this generation by the voice of the seventh angel’s message.
**That must be our number one commitment for our lives above all other things – it is to receive the word that has been so freely sent to us in this hour.