Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / It Is I, Don't Be Afraid

Transcript

It Is I, Don't Be Afraid · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
We'll begin our worship this evening. We're going to sing to God's praise in Psalm 103.
0:06
Psalm 103, the Scottish Psalter version, page 369.
0:12
We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 5. The tune is Kilmarnock.
0:18
O thou, my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is,
0:22
be stood up his holy name to magnify and bless.
0:25
Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be of all his gracious benefits he hath bestowed on thee.
0:34
We'll sing from verse 1 to 5 to God's praise.
0:55
He's steadfast.
1:00
He's steadfast.
1:04
He's steadfast.
1:08
He's steadfast.
1:10
He's steadfast.
1:15
He's steadfast.
1:16
He's steadfast.
1:17
He's steadfast.
1:29
Of all his gracious benefits, he hath bestowed on thee.
1:43
All thy inequity to the most gracious be forgiven.
1:58
Through thy diseases, all that things, thou heal and be re-eating.
2:15
Could thou redeem thy life after, to death which sought for done?
2:31
Through thee with loving kindness of and tenderest he's come.
2:47
Through thy abundance of good things, thou satisfy thy love.
3:03
So that he must be evil, saint, trade you with his thy youth.
3:23
Let's come to God in prayer. Let us pray.
3:26
Amen.
3:30
Our gracious Father in heaven, as we come once more to worship, to sing praise together as your people,
3:38
to come and hear your words speak to us, to come and offer up our prayers to you.
3:44
We thank you that you alone are God, you are the one who is able to hear all that comes from our hearts and our lips this night.
3:53
Even the very groanings that we utter in our hearts, Lord, they are known to you.
3:58
For you know us in that great way.
4:01
You know us as our Father in heaven.
4:04
You know us as our Lord and our God.
4:08
And we pray that you will stir us up in our time of worship.
4:12
That you will help us, Lord, to worship you in that right spirit.
4:17
Even with the words that we have just sung.
4:19
That from our very souls we would bless the Lord with all that is within us.
4:24
That you would stir us up by your holy name to magnify and bless you.
4:29
That you would become more and more of our focus in this time of worship.
4:35
That you would take away the distractions that so often fill our minds.
4:40
Even the thoughts of what may lie ahead for us in this coming week.
4:43
The things that may be cluttering up our inboxes.
4:47
The things that can be important in their own self.
4:52
But as we come just now, Lord, we just ask that in looking ahead to the week and the days that lie ahead.
4:59
That you will help us in this time to be refreshed through your word.
5:04
To be strengthened by it.
5:05
To be encouraged through it.
5:07
To be built up in our faith.
5:09
So that whatever the challenges that come in this week.
5:12
Whatever the joys we have.
5:13
Whatever the lows we may experience.
5:17
That you would be with us, Lord.
5:19
And that we would know you as our God.
5:21
As the one who never leaves or forsakes.
5:24
The one who is a refuge and a strength for all our different needs.
5:29
And so, Lord, we ask that you will, as you so often do, remind us of your great promises to us.
5:37
As you so often do, remind us through your word who you are and all that you have done for us.
5:44
Even as we have sung from this psalm, we are reminded of the great forgiveness that there is with you.
5:51
That even in the midst of our forgetfulness, when we forget so much that you have done for us.
5:57
When we forget that we depend on you for all things.
6:00
That, Lord, you are gracious towards us.
6:03
And that all your gracious benefits are there for us day after day.
6:08
And so, may you give us that sense of thankfulness.
6:13
That sense of rejoicing in you.
6:16
That sense of coming anew each day.
6:18
And receiving, Lord, your great mercies anew each day.
6:22
And may you help us to fill our hearts with thankfulness even anew this night.
6:27
That as we come to the close of a day.
6:29
As we come to the close of your day.
6:33
And as your word reminds us that the time moves on.
6:36
The sun rises.
6:37
The sun sets.
6:38
The days move on.
6:40
That we are reminded of your constant faithfulness.
6:43
Your steadfast love that is unchanging.
6:45
And we pray, Lord, that to be known as your word is proclaimed.
6:50
Not just here, but through all the pulpits of our island here.
6:56
And throughout your church, Lord, near and far.
7:00
We thank you for your word that is proclaimed in so many different languages.
7:05
To so many different people.
7:07
All worshipping the one God.
7:10
And we thank you that we join in with that worship this evening.
7:13
That we are reminded, Lord, of what a taste of heaven would be.
7:18
To know that we enter into praise with one another here.
7:23
We enter into praise with your people near and far.
7:26
We enter into praise with saints past and present.
7:31
And we thank you, Lord, that that praise is at the very throne of heaven.
7:36
That our praise is offered through that name above every name.
7:40
In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
7:44
And we thank you that in him we have reason to rejoice and to hope.
7:49
That in him we have so much to give thanks for.
7:53
And again, this evening as we open up your word, we pray that as we read and as we hear from it,
8:00
that you will remind us of that wonder of just who you are.
8:04
Even in these few words as we read of I am.
8:08
That you are God.
8:10
And that in Jesus we have God incarnate.
8:13
We are the one who has come to draw near to us in all our needs.
8:19
And Lord, we may we know your peace and your presence in that way.
8:23
We do pray, Lord, for your people who journey in life and find themselves in so many different places and situations
8:32
unexpectedly or through no choice of their own.
8:38
We think of your persecuted people far and wide.
8:42
Those who suffer for their faith.
8:44
Those who are believers in Christ.
8:47
Those who love the Lord with all their hearts.
8:49
And yet for that, for that very simple faith that they might have.
8:55
That they are persecuted and experience so much harshness in so many different ways.
9:01
We do pray, Lord, that you will surround them.
9:04
We thank you for your word that reminds us of how in wonderful ways you were with your people
9:10
as they proclaimed you as their Lord.
9:12
As we think of Daniel in the Old Testament or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as they were cast into the fiery furnace.
9:23
We think of all these experiences that your people have suffered down through so many generations.
9:30
And yet the one God, the same God, who was near to them is there for all your people even this night
9:37
to help in every experience and every challenge.
9:40
And we know, Lord, that we need you in all of these different ways.
9:45
There are many trials that will come our way.
9:47
There is grief that comes into our life and sorrow.
9:51
There are hardships in so many different ways.
9:54
There is illness.
9:55
As we hear so many around us, Lord, who are going through times of illness, both old and young.
10:02
We think of those who may be on the very verge of eternity.
10:07
Those who are laid aside in different ways at this time, Lord.
10:12
Who are thankful for those who know you and have that great assurance that you are with them.
10:18
That you will see them home.
10:20
We pray for those who maybe have no thought of you.
10:23
Those who are strangers to you.
10:25
That your spirit will work.
10:27
That your spirit will lead and draw people to know the comfort and the comforter.
10:34
We ask these things, Lord, recognizing that you alone can do it.
10:39
And so we plead with you, Lord, that you will remember us in mercy.
10:43
We do pray, Lord, for our governments at this time.
10:47
We think of situations near and far.
10:51
We think of our own MP and MSP for our islands here.
10:56
We pray for you to guide them and to uphold them.
10:59
To give them your strength and above all, to give them a faith in you.
11:05
To give them to know that you are their God.
11:08
That any authority and perceived power that might be had in the hands of man in this world,
11:14
it is all from above.
11:15
We pray that for all our MPs and MSPs in Westminster and Holyrood,
11:22
in our council buildings,
11:23
and all who deal with us in so many different ways, making decisions for us.
11:27
We pray for your blessing to be upon them.
11:30
For you to minister in these places of power,
11:34
to know your power, to know your greatness in their midst.
11:38
We again think of situations throughout the world,
11:41
situations that shock us and leave us just seeing the wickedness in this world.
11:48
As we again remember America, a powerful nation in so many ways.
11:53
But yet we see the fear and worries that are so often there.
11:58
We think of the events of last evening.
12:02
We just pray, Lord, for your peace, for your calm, for your spirit to work.
12:07
We think of that for nations in turmoil,
12:11
where there is war and terror, famine, natural disasters,
12:15
where we see so much grief all around us.
12:18
We pray, Lord, to have mercy,
12:20
to heal, to heal the broken hearts,
12:23
to heal the suffering,
12:25
to heal the wickedness of man,
12:27
to bring us to see ways of peace instead of war.
12:32
We pray, Lord, that you will remember us then and do us good.
12:36
Continue with us as a people here, Lord.
12:38
Guide us by your mercy.
12:40
Help us in all that we seek to do for you as a congregation.
12:44
Help us as we open our doors to visitors into our town.
12:48
We commit the breakfast next Sunday morning
12:52
that will be open here for many who will be visiting our town.
12:56
We pray to see people coming in through our doors,
12:59
not just to receive physical food,
13:01
but that there will be a word in season for them,
13:04
that they would come and hear the gospel,
13:07
that they would come and hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
13:11
We pray your peace over our town in these coming days,
13:14
in a busy week.
13:15
As we see so many visitors coming, Lord,
13:17
we ask your protection, your safety
13:19
upon all who will be coming and going.
13:22
We pray, Lord, all these things,
13:24
acknowledging our need of you,
13:27
acknowledging our weakness and frailties,
13:29
but acknowledging the strength that you give
13:31
and the grace that is always sufficient.
13:34
May we know it more and more.
13:36
So hear our prayers and continue with us now.
13:39
Bless us and go before us as we ask all things
13:42
through the forgiveness of our sins.
13:44
In Jesus' name, amen.
13:50
We're going to sing again to God's praise,
13:53
this time in Psalm 34.
13:55
The Sing Psalms version, page 40 of the psalm books.
14:00
The tune is St. Stephen.
14:02
Psalm 34.
14:05
At the beginning of the psalm,
14:08
we sing from verse 1 to verse 9.
14:11
At all times I will bless the Lord.
14:13
I'll praise him with my voice.
14:15
Because I glory in the Lord,
14:17
let troubled souls rejoice.
14:20
Together let us praise the Lord,
14:22
exalt his name with me.
14:24
I sought the Lord.
14:25
His answer came.
14:26
From fear he set me free.
14:29
We'll sing from verse 1 to 9 to God's praise.
14:32
That's all.
14:37
At all times I will bless the Lord.
14:44
I'll praise him with my voice.
14:51
Because I glory in the Lord,
14:59
let troubled souls rejoice.
15:05
Together let us praise the Lord,
15:15
and exalt his name with me.
15:22
I sought the Lord.
15:26
His answer came.
15:31
From fears he set me free.
15:38
He'll lift the heavens and shine with joy.
15:47
They are not good to shame.
15:54
Lest suffering man cry to the Lord,
16:03
from him deliverance came.
16:10
The angel of the Lord,
16:19
and guides continually.
16:25
He sets his people free.
16:55
In the midst of the Lord,
17:00
O hear the Lord,
17:04
who stays with me.
17:08
You will not be oppressed.
17:19
We're going to read God's word together now.
17:22
Our first reading is in Exodus,
17:23
and then we'll read in the Gospel of John.
17:27
So we're first reading in Exodus chapter 3,
17:31
and we read from verse 1 to verse 15.
17:41
Exodus chapter 3, I'm reading from verse 1.
17:46
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
17:50
the priest of Midian.
17:52
And he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness
17:55
and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
17:59
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire
18:02
out of the midst of a bush.
18:05
He looked, and behold, the bush was burning,
18:10
yet it was not consumed.
18:12
And Moses said, I will turn aside to see this great sight,
18:17
why the bush is not burned.
18:18
When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see,
18:23
God called to him out of the bush,
18:26
Moses, Moses.
18:29
And he said, Here I am.
18:31
Then he said, Do not come near,
18:33
or take off your sandals of your feet,
18:37
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.
18:40
And he said, I am the God of your father,
18:44
the God of Abraham,
18:45
the God of Isaac,
18:46
and the God of Jacob.
18:48
And Moses hid his face,
18:51
for he was afraid to look at God.
18:54
Then the Lord said,
18:55
I have surely seen the affliction of my people
18:58
who are in Egypt,
18:59
and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.
19:02
I know their sufferings,
19:05
and I have come down to deliver them
19:07
out of the hand of the Egyptians,
19:08
and to bring them up out of that land
19:11
to a good and broad land,
19:14
a land flowing with milk and honey
19:16
to the place of the Canaanites,
19:18
the Hittites,
19:19
the Amorites,
19:20
the Perisites,
19:21
the Hivites,
19:22
and the Jebusites.
19:23
And now, behold,
19:25
the cry of the people of Israel has come to me,
19:28
and I have also seen the oppression
19:30
with which the Egyptians oppress them.
19:32
Come, I will send you to Pharaoh,
19:35
that you may bring my people,
19:37
the children of Israel,
19:39
out of Egypt.
19:41
But Moses said to God,
19:43
Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
19:46
and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?
19:49
He said,
19:51
But I will be with you,
19:53
and this shall be the sign for you
19:55
that I have sent you.
19:57
When you have brought the people out of Egypt,
19:59
you shall serve God on this mountain.
20:02
Then Moses said to God,
20:05
If I come to the people of Israel
20:07
and say to them,
20:08
The God of your fathers has sent me to you,
20:11
and they ask me,
20:12
What is his name?
20:14
What shall I say to them?
20:16
God said to Moses,
20:18
I am who I am.
20:21
And he said,
20:22
Say this to the people of Israel,
20:25
I am has sent me to you.
20:27
God also said to Moses,
20:30
Say to the people of Israel,
20:32
The Lord,
20:33
the God of your fathers,
20:35
the God of Abraham,
20:36
the God of Isaac,
20:37
and the God of Jacob
20:38
has sent me to you.
20:41
This is my name forever,
20:44
and thus I am to be remembered
20:45
throughout all generations.
20:48
And we'll turn to the Gospel of John,
20:52
chapter 6.
20:56
We're going to read a few verses there.
20:58
John 6 from verse 16
21:00
down to verse 21.
21:09
This is just after the events
21:10
of the feeding of the 5,000.
21:14
As we take up our reading in verse 16,
21:16
John 6 verse 16.
21:19
When evening came,
21:20
his disciples went down to the sea,
21:24
got into a boat,
21:26
and started to cross the sea
21:28
to Capernaum.
21:30
It was now dark,
21:31
and Jesus had not yet come to them.
21:34
The sea became rough
21:35
because a strong wind was blowing.
21:38
When they had rowed
21:39
about three or four miles,
21:41
they saw Jesus walking on the sea
21:44
and coming near the boat.
21:46
And they were frightened.
21:48
But he said to them,
21:50
It is I.
21:51
Do not be afraid.
21:53
Then they were glad
21:55
to take him into the boat.
21:57
And immediately the boat
21:58
was at the land
21:59
to which they were going.
22:02
And so on.
22:05
Well, let's again sing
22:06
to God's praise
22:07
before we come back
22:08
to the passage in John.
22:09
We're going to sing
22:11
in Psalm 99,
22:13
in the Sing Psalms version,
22:14
99a.
22:18
The tune is Peter's Ham,
22:20
99a,
22:21
page 130 of the psalm books.
22:24
We'll sing from verse 1
22:25
to verse 7.
22:27
The Lord reigns from his throne on high.
22:30
Let all the nations quake.
22:32
He sits between the cherubim,
22:34
so let the whole earth shake.
22:36
Great is the Lord on Zion Hill,
22:38
exalted over all.
22:40
Upon his great and holy name,
22:42
let all the nations call.
22:45
We'll sing from verse 1 to 7
22:47
to God's praise.
22:48
The Lord reigns from his throne
22:59
on high.
23:00
Let all the nations quake.
23:05
He sits between the cherubim,
23:12
so let the whole earth shake.
23:17
Great is the Lord on Zion Hill,
23:24
exalted over all.
23:29
Upon his great and holy name,
23:35
let all the nations call.
23:41
The King of truth and equity,
23:49
established by his might.
23:54
In Jacob you have done for us
24:00
all that is just and right.
24:06
Exalt the Lord our God with us.
24:12
Let all the world of God
24:18
before his boots to worship him,
24:24
for holy is the Lord.
24:30
Moses and David and where his priests
24:37
Samuel called on his name.
24:43
They called upon the Lord their God,
24:49
and he replied to them.
24:55
He spoke to them and gave his law
25:01
out of the cloud from heaven.
25:07
They kept the stout to some degrees,
25:14
where she to them had given.
25:19
Let's turn back together to a reading
25:27
in the Gospel of John,
25:29
chapter 6,
25:31
and reading at verse 20.
25:36
John, chapter 6,
25:38
and reading at verse 20.
25:39
But he said to them,
25:43
It is I, do not be afraid.
25:49
It is I, do not be afraid.
25:54
There have been many landmark moments
25:57
in our history,
26:00
in the history of this world.
26:02
Big events that have a massive,
26:05
a huge and lasting effect in our world.
26:07
And we can think of them in different ways.
26:11
We can think of, perhaps,
26:13
things that have changed
26:14
the way in which we live.
26:16
Think of inventions, for example.
26:19
Things that have come into being,
26:21
that have been made life so much easier,
26:23
that have transformed lives.
26:25
The invention of the wheel.
26:27
A wheel seems such a simple thing now,
26:30
but how much we rely on it.
26:32
The industrial revolution,
26:33
how it changed the landscape of our land,
26:36
and indeed the world.
26:39
Telecommunication,
26:40
how that came in,
26:41
and how it opened up new avenues
26:43
of communication all over the world.
26:46
We think of transport,
26:47
how aeroplanes just changed
26:50
the way we live.
26:52
The space race,
26:53
how people ventured outside
26:56
our own sphere of life
26:58
here in this world,
26:59
and travelled to different parts of space,
27:01
to the moon,
27:02
to different places.
27:03
Things that would have seemed
27:05
unimaginable at one point,
27:07
but that have come into being.
27:09
You think of the internet,
27:10
and how that's transformed our lives,
27:12
how we rely on it for so many things now,
27:16
for good and for bad, unfortunately.
27:19
We think even of how we're able
27:20
to broadcast worship services
27:23
to all ends of the earth.
27:25
Things that 20 years ago
27:27
would have seemed impossible.
27:29
There are so many things
27:31
that have happened,
27:32
landmark moments in our history,
27:35
and that they still impact
27:36
the way we live
27:37
in our day,
27:39
and in our age.
27:41
They are major events.
27:43
They don't happen every day,
27:45
but are they the main impacts
27:48
that we should see in our lives?
27:50
Are they the greatest landmark moments
27:53
that our world has known?
27:55
We are thinking of one of the greatest,
27:59
if not the greatest,
28:00
this morning,
28:02
as we looked in Philippians,
28:04
as we were thinking of Jesus,
28:06
who did not consider equality with God
28:08
a thing to be grasped,
28:10
but made himself nothing,
28:14
of how he came into this world,
28:16
how he gave his life and obedience
28:18
to death,
28:20
even death on the cross.
28:23
What a landmark moment
28:26
in our history
28:27
that Jesus came to die for sinners.
28:32
We look at it this evening,
28:34
we come to see a little more
28:35
of what Jesus,
28:37
of who he is.
28:39
The greatest landmark moment
28:43
in your experience,
28:44
in my experience,
28:46
should be to see
28:48
and understand
28:49
who Jesus is.
28:53
Who is Jesus?
28:56
How would you answer that question?
28:58
Who is Jesus?
29:01
You might think that as you read
29:03
in the Bible,
29:04
in the Gospels in particular,
29:05
that everyone who met Jesus
29:07
knew exactly who he was
29:09
and knew immediately,
29:10
but far from it.
29:13
In the Gospel of John earlier,
29:15
it says that he came to his own
29:16
and his own received him not.
29:18
They didn't want anything to do with him.
29:20
They didn't know who he was.
29:22
They didn't believe
29:23
who he said he was.
29:26
There were so many
29:27
who saw him.
29:29
They saw him doing miraculous things,
29:32
and yet still,
29:34
they didn't understand
29:35
who he was.
29:38
Do you know
29:38
who Jesus is today?
29:42
Do you know what he can do
29:43
in your life
29:45
and in your experience?
29:46
There are many here
29:47
who can say,
29:48
yes,
29:50
I've known Jesus.
29:51
I've known his help.
29:52
I've known his blessing.
29:54
I've known his transforming power
29:56
in my life,
29:58
and yet still,
29:59
we only know him in part.
30:01
We only understand
30:03
in part.
30:05
You think even of
30:06
those who were closest to Jesus
30:08
as you read in the Gospels.
30:09
The disciples,
30:10
even they,
30:11
didn't understand
30:12
fully who Jesus was.
30:14
Early on in the Gospel of Mark
30:17
in chapter 4,
30:17
there's another occasion
30:18
where they're in a storm
30:20
in a boat with Jesus,
30:22
and they're fearful
30:24
for their very lives,
30:26
and they ask Jesus,
30:27
do you not care
30:27
that we are perishing?
30:30
And Jesus gets up.
30:31
He rebukes the wind
30:32
and the waves,
30:33
and they are still.
30:34
And what do they say?
30:36
Well, they say,
30:37
who then is this
30:39
that even the wind
30:40
and the waves
30:41
obey him?
30:43
They just couldn't.
30:44
understand who he was.
30:47
We see so many things,
30:49
and do we really
30:49
understand who Jesus is?
30:53
Later on in the Gospel of Mark
30:54
in chapter 8,
30:56
Jesus was having
30:56
a conversation
30:57
about who people
30:59
were saying he was.
31:02
Some were saying,
31:02
Elijah or one of the prophets,
31:04
but he turned to them
31:04
and he said to them,
31:05
but what about you?
31:06
Who do you say that I am?
31:09
And Peter answered,
31:11
you are the Christ.
31:13
Did he understand?
31:16
Did he fully understand
31:17
what he was saying?
31:19
Probably not at that point.
31:22
He didn't fully understand.
31:23
And even we can use Jesus
31:25
on our lips
31:26
and our prayers
31:27
and our worship,
31:29
and do we fully understand
31:31
who he is
31:32
and what he can do for us?
31:34
In both our readings
31:36
this evening in Exodus
31:38
and here in John chapter 6,
31:41
we see landmark moments.
31:44
Landmark moment,
31:45
a moment for Moses,
31:46
hearing God speaking to him,
31:49
reminding that he has not
31:50
forgotten his people,
31:52
that he is about to do
31:53
a great work of salvation
31:54
for them.
31:55
And what does he say
31:57
to him
31:58
when he asks that question,
32:01
who will I say
32:02
has sent me?
32:04
I am.
32:07
Two words.
32:09
It seems to make no sense.
32:12
I am.
32:14
And yet what power
32:15
there is in these words.
32:18
And we're reading here
32:19
in Gospel of John chapter 6.
32:22
Again, it's a landmark moment
32:25
for the disciples.
32:28
There is this realization
32:31
almost of who he is.
32:34
He declares in verse 20
32:36
as they are so afraid.
32:38
It says there in English,
32:39
it is I.
32:41
Do not be afraid.
32:43
But it is I
32:44
is actually I am.
32:47
These two words,
32:49
I am.
32:50
Do not be afraid.
32:52
The same words
32:53
that Moses heard
32:55
in the book of Exodus.
32:57
These two words
32:58
are powerful.
33:01
We are hearing of
33:02
the great Redeemer.
33:04
We are hearing of
33:05
the great God
33:06
who is able to save.
33:08
He is with us.
33:11
The people were looking
33:12
for a Savior then,
33:14
just as so many
33:15
are looking for a Savior,
33:16
for someone to help today.
33:19
You think of earlier
33:20
in John's Gospel
33:21
in chapter 4.
33:23
When Jesus met
33:24
with the woman
33:25
at the well,
33:26
the woman said to him,
33:28
I know that Messiah
33:29
is coming
33:29
who is called Christ.
33:32
When he comes,
33:32
he will tell us
33:33
all things.
33:35
And what did Jesus
33:35
say to her
33:36
to comfort her,
33:37
to assure her?
33:38
He said,
33:39
I who speak to you
33:41
am here.
33:44
He was there.
33:46
He was there
33:48
with the disciples
33:49
as he came to them
33:51
walking on the water.
33:53
I am was with them.
33:56
And that is a great assurance
33:57
that we have this evening.
34:01
That as we look
34:02
to and trust in him,
34:03
he says,
34:04
don't be afraid.
34:07
I am.
34:10
And do we need
34:11
to hear these words
34:12
ourselves?
34:13
when we think
34:16
of the lives
34:17
in which we live,
34:18
when we think
34:19
of all that goes on
34:20
in our hearts,
34:21
when we think
34:21
of all that concerns
34:23
us and troubles us,
34:25
things that make us
34:25
afraid,
34:26
do we not need
34:27
to hear these words?
34:29
I am.
34:31
Do not be
34:32
afraid.
34:35
He is here.
34:38
And when we know
34:38
Jesus,
34:40
maybe not in
34:41
his fullness,
34:41
but when we know
34:42
him more and more,
34:44
we understand
34:45
more about him,
34:46
we see just what
34:46
he is able to do
34:47
for us,
34:48
who he is
34:49
and what he is
34:50
able to do
34:51
for us.
34:52
And in these
34:53
two passages
34:54
so closely connected
34:55
in Exodus and John,
34:57
I just want to think
34:57
of three things
34:58
this evening
34:59
that these words
35:01
give to us.
35:02
I am.
35:03
Do not be
35:04
afraid.
35:05
It gives us
35:06
first hope.
35:08
Then it eases
35:10
our fears.
35:11
And then thirdly,
35:12
it answers
35:13
our doubts.
35:16
So the first
35:16
thing we want to
35:17
see is it gives
35:18
us hope.
35:19
He is
35:20
here.
35:22
In both
35:22
our readings,
35:23
we see something
35:24
miraculous happen.
35:26
With Moses,
35:27
there was
35:28
the burning bush
35:29
that was not
35:30
consumed.
35:30
This bush,
35:31
it caught his
35:32
attention,
35:33
it made him
35:33
turn towards it
35:35
because there was
35:35
something unique
35:36
about it.
35:37
A burning bush
35:38
would have not
35:39
been unique
35:39
in and of
35:40
itself in a
35:41
hot desert
35:42
and a hot
35:42
climate.
35:44
But the bush
35:44
that went on
35:45
fire would be
35:46
consumed.
35:47
But not this
35:48
one.
35:50
It was not
35:51
consumed.
35:53
There was
35:53
something about
35:54
it.
35:54
There was
35:54
something miraculous
35:55
about it.
35:57
And here in
35:58
the Gospel of
35:59
John,
36:00
what we see
36:01
is Jesus
36:01
coming to
36:02
the disciples
36:03
walking on
36:05
the sea.
36:06
in verse
36:07
19,
36:08
Jesus walking
36:09
on the sea
36:10
and coming
36:10
near the
36:11
boat.
36:12
It's not
36:13
normal.
36:14
It shouldn't
36:15
happen.
36:15
There's something
36:16
miraculous here.
36:18
But is our
36:19
focus on the
36:20
miracle or
36:21
the one
36:22
behind it?
36:24
You see,
36:25
the purpose
36:25
in both
36:26
was not to
36:27
show something
36:28
miraculous
36:29
in the sense
36:31
of the bush
36:32
not burning
36:32
or Jesus
36:33
just walking
36:34
on water.
36:37
The greatest
36:38
emphasis behind
36:39
it was
36:39
making himself
36:41
known.
36:43
Showing
36:44
himself.
36:45
His identity
36:46
to Moses
36:48
and to the
36:48
disciples.
36:50
That they
36:51
would see
36:51
more of
36:52
who he
36:53
was.
36:54
And what
36:54
it means
36:55
to have
36:56
this God
36:57
with us.
36:59
It gives
37:00
us hope.
37:01
it reminds
37:03
us that
37:04
he is
37:05
here.
37:07
As Jesus
37:07
says there
37:08
in verse
37:08
20,
37:09
he sees
37:10
that they
37:10
were frightened
37:11
in verse
37:12
19,
37:12
at the end
37:13
of verse
37:13
19,
37:14
but he
37:14
says,
37:15
I am,
37:16
it is I,
37:17
do not
37:18
be afraid.
37:22
It's about
37:23
the one
37:24
who was
37:24
there.
37:25
Not the
37:26
miracle itself,
37:28
but the one
37:29
who was there
37:29
because who
37:30
is it that
37:31
has come
37:31
to them?
37:33
Yes,
37:33
we say
37:34
Jesus came
37:35
walking on
37:36
water,
37:37
but in
37:37
what he
37:38
says to
37:39
them,
37:39
in these
37:39
two words,
37:40
I am,
37:42
do not
37:42
be afraid.
37:43
He is
37:43
saying more,
37:44
he is
37:44
saying God
37:45
is here
37:46
with you.
37:48
God of
37:48
heaven,
37:49
God of
37:50
earth,
37:50
our maker,
37:52
and the
37:52
maker of
37:52
the whole
37:53
universe,
37:54
he is
37:54
here,
37:56
do not
37:56
be afraid.
37:59
For only
38:00
God can
38:00
go beyond
38:01
the realm
38:01
of what
38:02
is possible
38:03
to the
38:04
impossible.
38:07
I am
38:08
is here.
38:11
The same
38:12
as what
38:12
Moses
38:13
experienced
38:14
in that
38:15
burning
38:15
bush as
38:15
he turned
38:16
towards the
38:17
burning
38:18
bush,
38:18
and he
38:19
asked that
38:19
question,
38:20
if I come
38:21
to the
38:21
people of
38:21
Israel and
38:22
say to
38:22
them,
38:23
the God
38:23
of our
38:23
fathers
38:24
has sent
38:25
me to
38:25
you,
38:25
and they
38:25
ask me,
38:26
what is
38:27
his name,
38:27
what shall
38:27
I say
38:28
to them?
38:28
God said
38:30
to Moses,
38:30
I am
38:31
who I
38:32
am,
38:33
and he
38:33
said,
38:34
say to
38:35
this
38:35
people of
38:35
Israel,
38:36
I am
38:37
sent me
38:38
to you.
38:40
What
38:41
assurance
38:42
there is
38:43
given in
38:44
these words.
38:46
He is
38:46
here,
38:48
he is
38:49
with us,
38:50
and the
38:50
children of
38:51
Israel would
38:52
have been
38:52
thinking as
38:53
they were,
38:53
God has
38:54
forgotten
38:55
us,
38:56
he has
38:56
left us
38:57
in this
38:57
land,
38:58
in Egypt,
38:58
to suffer,
38:59
to die,
39:01
but I
39:02
am has
39:03
not
39:03
forgotten.
39:06
And as
39:06
the disciples
39:07
are in
39:09
this boat
39:09
once again,
39:10
as they
39:10
see Jesus
39:11
walking,
39:12
their fear
39:13
is helped
39:14
by the
39:14
words,
39:15
I am.
39:17
It is
39:18
God.
39:20
And do
39:20
you have
39:21
that assurance
39:22
today?
39:24
Do you
39:24
have that
39:26
comfort
39:26
today?
39:27
That in
39:29
everything that
39:30
you face,
39:31
that I
39:32
am is
39:33
here.
39:35
That that
39:36
is the
39:36
one that
39:37
you are
39:37
looking to.
39:39
That that
39:39
is the
39:39
one who is
39:40
saying,
39:40
do not
39:40
be afraid,
39:42
it is
39:42
I.
39:45
One of the
39:45
most common
39:46
crimes
39:47
today is
39:49
identity
39:50
theft.
39:51
Maybe you've
39:52
been a part
39:53
of it.
39:54
Maybe someone
39:54
has stolen
39:55
your identity.
39:57
In some
39:57
ways it
39:58
can be
39:59
quite
39:59
just an
40:00
inconvenience.
40:01
Someone
40:02
clones you
40:02
on Facebook.
40:03
Someone's
40:03
copied your
40:04
profile.
40:05
It's more
40:06
of an
40:06
inconvenience.
40:08
But in
40:08
other ways
40:09
it can be
40:09
more serious.
40:11
Your identity
40:12
is taken
40:13
and used
40:14
and it
40:15
makes you
40:15
lose money.
40:17
It means
40:18
that you
40:18
maybe have
40:19
credit cards
40:20
in your name
40:20
that you
40:20
don't even
40:21
know about
40:21
and people
40:22
steal from
40:23
you in
40:24
that way.
40:25
It's a
40:26
serious thing
40:26
and we're
40:27
always encouraged
40:28
to guard
40:29
our passwords,
40:30
to guard
40:31
everything
40:31
about us.
40:34
There is
40:35
that side
40:36
of identity
40:37
theft.
40:38
But what
40:39
about a
40:39
greater crime
40:40
committed in
40:41
terms of
40:41
identity theft
40:42
where we
40:42
have tried
40:43
to take
40:44
the identity
40:44
of God
40:45
for ourselves.
40:48
To steal
40:48
away from
40:49
God who
40:49
he is
40:50
and make
40:51
a God
40:52
that suits
40:52
ourselves.
40:54
Taking
40:55
his authority,
40:56
taking his
40:57
power,
40:58
taking his
40:59
ability
41:00
and just
41:01
putting it
41:02
into ourselves
41:03
and what
41:03
we can do.
41:05
We're making
41:06
God
41:06
something
41:07
small,
41:09
something
41:10
he's not
41:11
because we
41:13
don't see
41:13
who he
41:14
is.
41:15
We don't
41:16
see him
41:17
as the
41:18
I am.
41:18
the God
41:20
of the
41:21
whole
41:21
universe.
41:24
We don't
41:24
see him
41:25
in what
41:26
he can
41:26
do.
41:28
And so
41:28
we're
41:28
stealing
41:29
his
41:29
identity.
41:31
We're
41:31
stealing
41:32
his
41:32
identity
41:32
when we
41:33
think of
41:33
what we
41:34
do with
41:34
Jesus
41:35
if we're
41:35
not
41:35
trusting
41:36
in him
41:37
and his
41:37
finished
41:38
work.
41:39
That he
41:39
has
41:40
taken
41:40
our
41:41
sins,
41:41
that he
41:41
has humbled
41:42
himself,
41:43
that he
41:43
has taken
41:44
death on
41:44
the cross
41:45
for us.
41:46
And we
41:47
say,
41:47
but there
41:47
must be
41:48
something I
41:49
can do
41:49
to save
41:50
myself.
41:52
Jesus
41:52
can't be
41:53
the only
41:53
answer.
41:54
We're
41:54
taking that
41:54
identity to
41:55
ourselves,
41:57
an identity
41:57
that's not
41:58
ours.
42:01
We need
42:02
to see
42:02
who he
42:03
is,
42:05
that he
42:06
is here.
42:09
And who
42:09
he is,
42:10
he is the
42:11
I am.
42:12
we
42:15
won't
42:15
know
42:16
his
42:17
hope,
42:17
we won't
42:17
know his
42:18
power,
42:19
we won't
42:19
know his
42:20
reality while
42:20
we are
42:21
making him
42:21
into something
42:22
that he's
42:23
not.
42:23
We're
42:23
taking away
42:24
from the
42:25
fact that
42:25
it is
42:26
him,
42:27
I am,
42:29
and not
42:30
giving him
42:31
the glory
42:32
that he
42:32
is due.
42:34
It is
42:35
I,
42:36
do not
42:36
be afraid.
42:39
Not it
42:39
is me,
42:41
not someone
42:41
else,
42:42
it is
42:43
I.
42:47
He gives
42:48
us hope.
42:49
That's the
42:50
first thing
42:51
we see
42:51
because he
42:52
is here.
42:54
The second
42:54
thing he
42:55
does here
42:55
is he
42:56
eases
42:56
our fears.
42:59
And what
43:00
we see
43:00
here is
43:01
that he
43:02
speaks.
43:04
In both
43:05
our readings
43:06
what we
43:07
see is
43:08
the great
43:08
I am,
43:10
he eases
43:11
the fears
43:12
of Moses
43:12
and his
43:13
disciples.
43:15
The disciples
43:16
in John 6.
43:17
And how
43:18
does he do
43:19
it?
43:19
How does
43:20
he ease
43:20
their fears?
43:22
Well,
43:23
the great
43:23
assurance
43:23
is not
43:24
what they
43:24
see,
43:26
but what
43:26
they hear.
43:28
He speaks.
43:30
He speaks
43:31
to them.
43:32
And it
43:34
is these
43:34
words that
43:35
are just
43:35
so powerful.
43:37
It is
43:37
I do
43:38
not be
43:39
afraid.
43:39
Just a
43:40
few words.
43:41
I am
43:42
do not
43:43
be
43:43
afraid.
43:44
but what's
43:46
behind that
43:47
is
43:47
recognizing.
43:50
Recognizing
43:50
who it
43:51
is.
43:52
Because you
43:52
see in
43:52
verse 21
43:53
it says
43:54
then they
43:55
were glad
43:55
to take
43:56
him into
43:56
the boat.
43:58
They knew
43:59
who it
43:59
was at
44:00
these words.
44:02
Moses
44:02
was glad
44:04
when he
44:04
heard who
44:05
it was.
44:05
I am
44:06
and the
44:08
assurance
44:08
that he
44:09
was giving
44:10
to him.
44:12
Do you
44:12
ever get
44:12
a phone
44:13
call?
44:15
And you
44:15
lift up
44:16
the phone
44:16
or you
44:16
listen to
44:17
an answer
44:18
a message
44:19
left on
44:20
the phone
44:20
and the
44:21
person who
44:21
is at
44:22
the other
44:22
end just
44:22
says
44:23
it is
44:23
me.
44:25
How do
44:26
you know
44:27
who it
44:27
is?
44:29
There are
44:29
some times
44:30
when I
44:30
just I
44:30
don't know.
44:32
I don't
44:32
know.
44:32
I don't
44:32
recognize the
44:33
voice so
44:34
it is not
44:34
enough to
44:34
say it is
44:35
me.
44:37
I need
44:38
more.
44:40
But if
44:40
you
44:41
recognize
44:41
the
44:42
voice,
44:43
if you
44:43
know the
44:44
voice and
44:44
the person
44:45
who says
44:45
it is
44:46
me,
44:47
you know
44:47
exactly
44:48
who it
44:49
is.
44:51
And that
44:52
leads us
44:52
here to
44:53
think about
44:53
do we
44:54
know this
44:55
God who
44:56
is speaking?
44:58
Moses
44:59
did.
45:00
The
45:00
disciples
45:01
here did.
45:03
But do
45:03
we know
45:04
this voice?
45:07
Do we
45:07
understand
45:08
who it
45:09
is saying
45:10
who is
45:11
speaking to
45:12
us here
45:12
when he
45:13
says it
45:13
is I
45:14
do not
45:15
be afraid.
45:16
I am
45:17
do not
45:18
be afraid.
45:18
Do we
45:19
understand
45:19
who it
45:20
is?
45:23
In both
45:24
these
45:24
situations
45:25
for Moses
45:25
and for
45:26
the disciples
45:27
here in
45:27
John,
45:28
they were
45:28
afraid.
45:30
But what
45:31
gave them
45:32
comfort and
45:32
assurance was
45:34
the one who
45:35
was speaking.
45:37
And is
45:38
that the
45:38
case for
45:39
you and
45:40
I
45:40
tonight?
45:41
As we
45:42
hear the
45:43
word of
45:44
God, do
45:46
we know
45:46
who is
45:46
speaking?
45:48
Do we
45:48
understand who
45:49
it is that
45:50
is speaking
45:51
to us
45:51
here?
45:52
It is not
45:52
me.
45:53
It is not
45:54
me who is
45:54
speaking to
45:55
you through
45:55
this.
45:56
It is the
45:57
Lord.
45:59
It is I.
46:01
Do not
46:01
be afraid.
46:04
Is there
46:04
any greater
46:05
comfort that
46:06
we can
46:06
have than
46:07
these
46:07
words?
46:09
To know
46:09
that God
46:10
himself is
46:11
speaking.
46:13
That God
46:13
himself is
46:14
giving comfort.
46:15
That God
46:15
himself is
46:17
giving assurance.
46:19
Don't be
46:20
afraid.
46:22
I am.
46:25
The
46:26
presence
46:26
of God.
46:29
Do we
46:29
know it?
46:31
Have you
46:32
ever experienced
46:33
that sense?
46:34
God is
46:35
here.
46:37
And God
46:37
is speaking.
46:39
There are
46:40
moments in
46:40
our experience,
46:41
I'm sure,
46:42
every Christian
46:43
will have had
46:44
it at some
46:44
point.
46:44
Not all
46:45
the time.
46:46
But in
46:47
certain
46:47
moments,
46:48
you're just
46:48
aware,
46:50
God is
46:50
here.
46:52
It's a
46:53
power.
46:54
There's
46:54
something about
46:55
it that you
46:55
just cannot
46:56
put into
46:57
words.
46:58
That
46:58
experience
46:59
that he
47:00
is here.
47:01
That
47:01
experience
47:02
that no
47:02
doubt
47:03
Moses
47:03
and the
47:04
disciples
47:04
here in
47:05
John were
47:06
experiencing
47:06
for
47:07
themselves
47:07
as they
47:07
heard
47:08
these
47:08
words,
47:09
I am.
47:11
The
47:12
very
47:12
voice
47:12
of God
47:13
speaking
47:14
to
47:15
them.
47:17
You
47:18
see it
47:18
through
47:18
scripture.
47:20
You
47:20
see it
47:21
in
47:21
moments.
47:22
In
47:22
the
47:23
Old
47:23
Testament
47:23
you
47:24
have
47:24
Joshua
47:24
who
47:25
was
47:25
taking
47:26
over
47:26
from
47:26
Moses
47:27
later
47:27
on.
47:29
And
47:29
he
47:29
was
47:29
afraid.
47:31
And
47:31
what
47:31
gave
47:32
him
47:32
peace
47:33
was
47:33
the
47:34
presence
47:34
of
47:34
God.
47:36
God
47:37
said to
47:37
Joshua,
47:38
have I
47:38
not
47:38
commanded
47:39
you be
47:39
strong
47:40
and
47:40
courageous?
47:41
Do
47:41
not be
47:42
frightened,
47:42
do not
47:42
be
47:43
dismayed,
47:43
for the
47:44
Lord your
47:44
God is
47:45
with you
47:45
wherever
47:46
you go.
47:48
Isn't
47:48
there a
47:48
power in
47:49
that
47:50
presence?
47:51
When
47:51
you're
47:51
afraid of
47:52
what lies
47:52
ahead,
47:53
when you're
47:53
not sure,
47:54
when you're
47:54
anxious,
47:55
when you're
47:55
worried,
47:55
but you
47:56
know God
47:57
is with
47:57
you.
47:59
You
47:59
know God
48:00
is there.
48:01
And
48:02
there is
48:03
a
48:03
power.
48:05
But do
48:05
we see
48:06
the value
48:07
in the
48:07
one who
48:08
is speaking
48:08
to us?
48:09
Do we
48:10
see his
48:10
worth?
48:12
Do we
48:12
understand
48:13
who it
48:13
is that
48:14
was with
48:14
us?
48:16
There's a
48:16
story of
48:17
an American
48:18
man who
48:18
was clearing
48:19
out his
48:19
loft.
48:21
And he
48:21
came across
48:22
a gold
48:22
coin.
48:24
He
48:24
couldn't
48:24
remember
48:25
where it
48:25
had come
48:26
from,
48:26
but he
48:26
found it
48:27
and he
48:27
was quite
48:27
impressed.
48:28
It was
48:28
a
48:29
beautiful,
48:30
well-conditioned
48:30
coin.
48:32
Not
48:32
knowing much
48:33
more about
48:34
it,
48:34
he decided
48:34
what he
48:35
would do
48:35
was just
48:35
put it
48:36
in a
48:36
frame and
48:36
hang it
48:37
on his
48:37
wall.
48:39
A few
48:39
months later,
48:40
a friend
48:41
came to
48:41
visit him.
48:43
And as
48:43
he was
48:43
walking into
48:44
the house,
48:45
he noticed
48:45
this coin
48:46
on the
48:46
wall and
48:47
went to
48:47
have a
48:47
closer look
48:48
and he
48:48
gasped.
48:50
He was
48:50
stunned to
48:51
see this
48:52
coin because
48:52
he knew a
48:53
little bit
48:53
about coins.
48:55
And he
48:55
said,
48:55
where did
48:56
you find
48:56
this?
48:57
Where did
48:57
you get
48:57
this?
48:59
And he
48:59
said,
48:59
I just
49:00
found it
49:00
in my
49:01
loft.
49:02
And then
49:02
the man
49:03
asked him,
49:03
do you
49:03
know what
49:04
this is
49:04
worth?
49:06
I'm not
49:07
sure.
49:07
Maybe a
49:08
few hundred
49:08
dollars,
49:09
maybe a
49:09
thousand
49:09
dollars.
49:10
He says,
49:11
oh no,
49:12
this is
49:12
worth much
49:13
more.
49:14
This is
49:14
worth around
49:15
two hundred,
49:16
two hundred
49:16
and fifty
49:17
thousand
49:17
dollars.
49:19
And the
49:19
man was
49:20
gobsmacked
49:21
that he had
49:21
this thing
49:22
of value
49:22
in his
49:23
house that
49:23
he didn't
49:23
realize.
49:24
we have
49:27
something
49:28
much more
49:29
worth,
49:30
of much
49:31
more worth
49:32
for
49:32
ourselves.
49:35
And you
49:35
think of
49:36
God
49:37
speaking to
49:38
us.
49:39
how many
49:41
of you
49:41
have a
49:42
verse of
49:42
scripture
49:43
hanging on
49:44
the wall
49:44
at home?
49:46
Perhaps you
49:46
walk past
49:47
it every
49:48
day.
49:48
Perhaps you
49:49
know it
49:49
off by
49:50
heart.
49:52
But do
49:53
you realize
49:53
its value?
49:55
Or are you
49:55
like that
49:56
man walking
49:56
past the
49:57
coin every
49:58
day until
49:58
he understood
49:59
its worth,
50:00
not realizing
50:01
the value
50:02
that was
50:02
there?
50:03
Are we
50:03
like that
50:04
with the
50:04
word of
50:05
God?
50:05
We have
50:05
it maybe
50:06
hanging on
50:06
a version
50:07
of the
50:07
house or
50:08
we have
50:08
our
50:09
Bibles
50:09
in our
50:10
homes and
50:12
yet we
50:12
don't see
50:13
the value.
50:15
We don't
50:15
understand the
50:16
worth of
50:17
what it's
50:17
saying to
50:18
us, of
50:18
the promises,
50:20
the assurances,
50:21
the comforts
50:21
that there are
50:22
there for us.
50:23
When we look
50:24
everywhere else
50:25
apart from
50:25
the word,
50:27
our greatest
50:27
comfort, our
50:28
greatest assurance
50:29
is here
50:31
before us.
50:33
As he said
50:34
to the
50:35
disciples,
50:36
I am,
50:36
do not
50:38
be afraid.
50:40
They had
50:40
to hear
50:41
the voice,
50:42
they had
50:42
to recognize
50:43
the voice
50:44
and who
50:46
it was
50:46
that was
50:47
speaking.
50:49
May we
50:50
hear and
50:51
recognize the
50:52
voice of
50:53
I am,
50:55
the I
50:56
am who
50:56
says,
50:58
do not
50:58
be afraid,
51:00
put your
51:01
trust in
51:02
me.
51:02
me.
51:05
The third
51:05
thing and
51:06
the final
51:06
thing we
51:07
see here
51:07
is how
51:08
he answers
51:09
our doubts,
51:11
how he
51:12
gives
51:12
reassurance
51:13
to both
51:14
Moses and
51:15
the disciples.
51:17
All their
51:18
fears,
51:19
all their
51:19
doubts
51:20
are answered.
51:23
And that's
51:24
what God
51:24
does for
51:26
us.
51:28
When you
51:28
think of the
51:29
experience of
51:30
both Moses
51:31
in the
51:31
Old
51:31
Testament
51:32
and the
51:33
disciples
51:33
in the
51:34
New,
51:34
not in
51:35
these exact
51:36
moments but
51:36
as they
51:37
went forward
51:37
from here,
51:40
do you not
51:40
think they
51:40
would have
51:41
come back
51:41
to these
51:42
moments and
51:42
reminded
51:43
themselves of
51:44
who spoke?
51:46
Moses was
51:47
afraid to
51:49
take the
51:49
children of
51:49
Israel out
51:50
of Egypt.
51:52
But God
51:53
had said,
51:54
I am.
51:56
I am has
51:57
sent you.
51:59
I am is
52:00
with you.
52:01
And so he
52:02
would go
52:02
on in the
52:03
journey of
52:04
taking the
52:04
children of
52:05
Israel out
52:05
of Egypt
52:06
and to
52:06
the edge
52:07
of the
52:07
promised
52:07
land,
52:08
always knowing
52:09
that experience
52:11
of I am
52:11
with them.
52:13
Making the
52:14
way plain,
52:16
taking all
52:16
the challenges,
52:18
feeding them,
52:19
opening up the
52:20
Red Sea,
52:20
protecting them,
52:21
guiding them
52:22
all the way.
52:23
He was there
52:23
for them.
52:26
There are
52:27
many other
52:27
moments in
52:28
the Old
52:29
Testament that
52:30
you can look
52:30
at and see
52:31
fearful
52:31
situations that
52:33
were landmark
52:34
moments for
52:35
God's people.
52:37
Think of
52:37
Noah.
52:38
How would
52:39
he have
52:39
felt building
52:40
an ark when
52:41
there was no
52:41
sign of
52:42
water?
52:43
How inadequate,
52:45
how stupid
52:45
in many ways.
52:47
Yet I am
52:47
was with him.
52:50
David must
52:50
have felt
52:51
pretty small
52:52
looking up to
52:53
Goliath,
52:54
the giant.
52:54
man,
52:55
yet I am
52:57
was with
52:58
him.
53:00
The three
53:00
Hebrews,
53:01
Shadrach,
53:02
Meshach,
53:03
and Abednego,
53:04
as they were
53:05
about to be
53:05
put into the
53:06
fiery furnace,
53:07
there would
53:07
have been no
53:07
hope for
53:08
them.
53:08
How inadequate
53:09
they would have
53:10
seen against
53:11
the fiery
53:12
furnace.
53:13
But I am
53:15
was with
53:15
them.
53:17
Daniel
53:18
must look
53:19
pretty pathetic
53:19
beside the
53:20
lion's den
53:21
as he was
53:21
about to be
53:22
thrown in.
53:22
But who
53:24
was with
53:24
him?
53:25
I am.
53:27
And so
53:28
it goes
53:29
on.
53:31
There are
53:31
always doubts
53:32
and fears
53:33
and worries
53:34
and anxieties
53:35
and yet I
53:36
am
53:37
Yeshua.
53:39
He gives
53:40
us so many
53:41
promises
53:42
in his
53:43
word.
53:45
And as we
53:45
think ourselves
53:46
of going
53:47
forward,
53:48
as we think
53:48
ourselves of
53:50
a service
53:50
to God,
53:51
we think
53:52
of the
53:53
disciples
53:53
here.
53:55
I am.
53:56
Do not
53:57
be afraid.
53:57
And they
53:58
would go
53:58
on to
53:59
serve the
54:00
Lord in
54:01
so many
54:01
ways.
54:03
Many of
54:04
them gave
54:04
their lives
54:05
in serving
54:07
the Lord.
54:08
But they
54:09
were still
54:09
assured of
54:10
I am
54:11
with them.
54:13
And we
54:14
are never
54:14
without that
54:15
God as
54:17
we look
54:17
to him.
54:19
In these
54:20
two words,
54:22
we are
54:22
reminded of
54:23
his power.
54:24
We are
54:25
reminded of
54:25
his presence.
54:27
We are
54:28
reminded of
54:28
all that
54:29
he can
54:30
do for
54:31
us.
54:35
We need
54:36
him.
54:37
We need
54:38
him every
54:38
moment of
54:40
our lives.
54:41
But these
54:42
words assure
54:43
us there's
54:43
not a
54:44
situation.
54:44
you will
54:46
ever find
54:46
yourself
54:47
where God
54:49
doesn't
54:50
keep you.
54:52
Where God
54:53
is always
54:55
there.
54:57
I am.
54:58
Do not
54:59
be afraid.
55:03
He is the
55:04
one who
55:05
is able
55:06
and he is
55:07
the one
55:08
who enables
55:09
in all
55:12
that we
55:12
do.
55:14
But the
55:14
question so
55:15
often is,
55:16
do we
55:17
know who
55:18
it is?
55:21
Do we
55:22
see I
55:23
am?
55:25
Do we
55:25
hear I
55:27
am?
55:29
Does he
55:30
help you?
55:31
Does he
55:32
comfort you?
55:33
Does he
55:34
assure you?
55:37
Praise
55:38
God he
55:38
does.
55:40
There are
55:41
times when
55:42
we can
55:42
have our
55:42
doubts.
55:44
There are
55:44
times when
55:45
we have
55:46
our fears.
55:48
But that's
55:49
nothing new
55:50
for the
55:50
Christian.
55:52
There was
55:53
a man
55:53
called
55:54
George
55:54
Campbell
55:55
Morgan,
55:57
a famous
55:58
preacher.
56:00
He preached
56:01
his first
56:02
sermon when
56:02
he was
56:03
aged 13.
56:06
And by
56:06
the age
56:06
of 19
56:07
he had
56:08
preached
56:08
many times.
56:11
He was
56:11
becoming
56:11
well-known
56:12
as a
56:12
preacher,
56:13
an evangelistic
56:14
preacher.
56:16
But then
56:16
for a
56:17
number of
56:17
months,
56:19
he had
56:20
his doubts.
56:22
He had
56:23
his fears.
56:25
He started
56:25
hearing various
56:27
scientists and
56:28
atheists and
56:29
agnostics
56:30
debating and
56:31
discussing the
56:32
things of
56:33
God and
56:33
putting doubts
56:34
into people's
56:35
minds.
56:35
things.
56:37
And he
56:38
decided this
56:39
day, in
56:40
his fears
56:41
and his
56:41
worries, that
56:42
he had to
56:43
come near
56:43
to God.
56:45
So what
56:46
did he do?
56:48
He bought
56:49
himself a
56:50
new Bible.
56:51
Not that he
56:52
didn't have a
56:52
Bible, he
56:53
did, but he
56:54
wanted a new
56:55
Bible.
56:56
And so that he
56:57
could start
56:57
looking at the
56:59
Word of God
56:59
almost anew,
57:00
almost afresh,
57:01
with no notes
57:02
or marks on
57:03
the pages,
57:04
but just to
57:05
go through
57:06
the Scriptures.
57:08
And what he
57:09
said afterwards
57:10
was this.
57:11
He said the
57:11
result was
57:12
this.
57:14
The Bible
57:15
found me.
57:18
He turned
57:20
to the
57:20
Word of
57:21
God in
57:22
all his
57:23
doubts, in
57:24
all that he
57:24
was hearing
57:25
at a young
57:26
age and
57:27
then he
57:27
went on to
57:28
serve God
57:29
with all
57:30
his heart.
57:32
The Bible
57:33
found him.
57:36
I am
57:36
was there.
57:40
And you
57:40
know we
57:40
have the
57:41
Bible before
57:42
us.
57:43
We have the
57:43
Word of
57:44
God before
57:46
us.
57:47
Do we
57:47
understand the
57:49
power that
57:50
there is?
57:51
Do we
57:52
understand God?
57:54
I am.
57:56
Do we
57:56
understand Jesus?
57:59
Do we
57:59
understand what
58:00
he has done?
58:01
Do we
58:02
understand the
58:03
Holy Spirit?
58:04
And how the
58:05
Spirit leads us
58:06
closer to this
58:07
great I am.
58:10
May we be
58:11
helped by God
58:12
to seek his
58:13
Word, to
58:15
know his
58:15
presence, to
58:17
find the hope
58:18
that there is
58:19
here, that
58:20
eases our
58:21
fears, to
58:22
see the way
58:23
that he
58:23
speaks, that
58:25
he speaks to
58:26
us in power.
58:27
It is I.
58:28
Do not be
58:29
afraid, and
58:31
that he
58:32
answers our
58:32
doubts, and
58:34
gives us that
58:35
reassurance that
58:37
he is with
58:38
us.
58:39
We all have
58:40
fears and
58:42
worries, but
58:44
we have the
58:45
Word of
58:45
God.
58:46
We have
58:47
God himself,
58:49
and we
58:49
have I am
58:50
saying, do
58:51
not be
58:52
afraid.
58:53
Let us
58:54
pray.
58:56
Our
58:56
Father in
58:57
heaven, may
58:58
we know the
58:59
wonder of
58:59
the power of
59:00
your Word.
59:02
May we know
59:03
it finding us
59:04
even in our
59:05
hearts this
59:05
night.
59:06
May we
59:07
understand the
59:08
one who is
59:09
speaking to
59:09
us.
59:10
May we hear
59:11
that voice
59:12
that calls.
59:13
It is I,
59:14
I am.
59:15
Do not be
59:16
afraid.
59:17
May you
59:18
help us to
59:18
find our
59:19
comfort and
59:20
our reassurance
59:21
in you at
59:22
all times and
59:23
in all ways,
59:24
as we ask it
59:25
all in Jesus'
59:25
name.
59:26
Amen.
59:29
We are
59:33
going to
59:34
conclude by
59:35
singing to
59:35
God's
59:36
praise in
59:36
Psalm 36.
59:41
The
59:42
Sing
59:42
Psalms
59:43
version,
59:43
Psalm 36,
59:45
in page
59:45
44,
59:47
we will
59:47
sing from
59:47
verse 5
59:48
to verse
59:49
7.
59:51
These
59:52
wonderful
59:52
words remind
59:53
us of the
59:55
great steadfast
59:56
love that is
59:57
so great from
59:58
the Lord.
59:58
Your steadfast
59:59
love is
1:00:00
great, O
1:00:00
Lord, it
1:00:01
reaches heaven
1:00:01
high.
1:00:02
Your
1:00:02
faithfulness is
1:00:03
wonderful,
1:00:04
extending to
1:00:05
the sky.
1:00:06
Your
1:00:06
righteousness is
1:00:07
very great,
1:00:08
like mountains
1:00:09
high and
1:00:09
steep.
1:00:10
Your
1:00:10
justice is
1:00:11
like ocean
1:00:12
depths, both
1:00:13
man and
1:00:13
beast.
1:00:14
You keep.
1:00:15
We'll sing
1:00:15
from verse
1:00:15
5 to 7
1:00:16
and the
1:00:17
tune of
1:00:18
Strapiting.
1:00:18
Thank you.
1:00:18
Thank you.
1:00:19
Thank you.
1:00:49
Thank you.
1:01:19
Thank you.
1:01:49
Thank you.
1:01:51
Amen.
1:01:53
Amen.
1:01:55
Amen.
1:01:57
Amen.
1:02:00
After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my right. We'll close with a benediction.
1:02:05
Now may grace, mercy, and peace from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore. Amen.