God Promises to Be With Me

Introduction

A. Today is Mother’s Day. It is a day that has long been set aside to honor those who loved us and cared for us. For some of us the idea of mother brings up great memories of a special woman who raised you and believed in you. For some mother only brings up hurt and pain. For some you have fond memories of mother but you are sad because you have not had that experience by choice, by medical condition or because of your obedience to God’s will. Whatever you may be experiencing today, we honor those who mothered us as we grew and continue to be a mother to us as we age. It is important to give honor to those to whom honor is due. And certainly mothers fall into that category. Prayer for mothers.

B. Our series on the promises of God continues today. Promises bring confidence. God wants us to be confident. He wants us to be assured and courageous. God wants to encourage us as we walk this life. To assist in that, God has made some great promises that reassuring us of his presence, power, and care for us. Every promise that God makes is based on his character and nature. God cannot lie. He can only speak the truth. And so any promise from God that pertains to us we know is reliable and real. As we study together today, we are going to be reminded that God has promised to always be with us.

Context

A. The writer of Hebrews concludes his writing with a hodge podge of thoughts and exhortations. This is not uncommon. Paul does the same thing at the end of Romans, 2 Corinthians, and 1 Thessalonians. At the end of Hebrews the writer summarizes some of the same themes that he has been dealing with in the letter but now gives a final encouragement. Our two verse text finds its basis back in chapter 10:32ff. The letter is written to people who have been suffering. This sufferings has resulted in public insult and persecution. There have been times when they have boldly and courageously stood next to those who were being persecuted knowing full well to do so might bring additional suffering. Verse 34, this persecution has resulted in the confiscation of their property. Things that were earned through the sweat of their brow were taken from them because they were Christians.

B. But the writer applauds the fact that they joyfully accepted this persecution because they knew that earthly possessions were nothing in comparison to heavenly possessions. It is in light of this previous encouragement that the author reminds them as he closes out the letter to not allow discontent and the pursuit of more to cloud their sight. Being greedy is incompatible with trusting God. And so the writer focuses on two quotes. The first is from Deuteronomy 31:6. It is God’s faithful promise to his people.

C. At the end of Deuteronomy, God’s people are getting ready to cross into the land that God had wanted to give them 40 years before. However, because of Israel’s lack of faith, God waited until a generation died before giving the land to his people. As they are getting ready to go across, Moses speaks these words. “God will never leave you or forsake you.”

D. The second quote in Hebrews 13:6 comes from Psalm 118:6. This is a response of confidence. “The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Here is what I want you to notice. In Deut. 31, Moses tells the people that God will never leave them but precedes those words with these “Do not be afraid” and here in Psalm 118, the writer confidently speaks that he is not afraid because God is with him.

E. When the promise of God is given that he is present and will not leave, then confidence is the result. Fear is chased away because God’s people believe and trust God’s promise. Turn back to Hebrews 10. Following the section in which the writer commends them for joyfully accepting the loss of property, the writer adds the following words: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Getting Rid of Fear

A. There are so many times that God tells his servants not to be afraid. We tell people not to be afraid when they are afraid. It is a way to reassure them that things are going to be okay. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Ezekiel, Daniel, Mary, the apostle John, as well as others were all told not to be afraid. Do you see a pattern? People of great faith are told not to be afraid. Did they have the faith before being told or only afterwards. Here’s the point. There are times that faith is tested and in those times of testing we get afraid. It isn’t that fear is a bad thing. It is a natural reaction to events that we do not understand. Fear comes when we are uncertain.

B. Everyone of those who are told not to be afraid already had faith. They already trusted God but then something happened.

i. Joshua gets an assignment after 40 years of Moses, he is told to lead the people and he questions his ability and his courage. So what does God do? He tells him not to be afraid; to be a person our courage because he will be with him just as he was with Moses. God makes a promise to bring courage, strength, and confidence.

ii. Gideon trusted God but he never saw him as a leader. God calls him to lead and Gideon becomes aware that he has seen God's angel face to face and he is certain God will kill him for seeing too much. Instead God reassures him that he will not die and gives him a job to do.

iii. Mary believes in God and is trying to follow him. And when Gabriel appears to her and announces that God favors her she becomes afraid. After all, God's favor demands a response. And the angel tells her that she will bring the Son of God into the world.

C. So what makes you afraid?

i. In our context, some can be afraid of the lack of money. It's hard to be content when you are struggling from paycheck to paycheck.

ii. Are you afraid of losing your health?

iii. A relationship? Not finding a relationship?

iv. Your children's future?

v. Retirement?

vi. Suffering? Persecution? Politics?

D. When there is fear, God gives us a promise — I will never leave you nor forsake you. Whatever it is that you are afraid of, God speaks a promise that he will never leave you. He will not abandon you. And when the God who cannot lie makes a promise we can count on him to fulfill it. Telling someone not to be afraid does not take away the emotion but it the precursor to the reality that instead of fear there can be trust.

E. When God told all those people of faith to not be afraid, he was telling them that there was something more. He was calling for greater faith. Don’t trust your emotional reaction, trust my promise. Just when you think I am not around remember my promise — I will never leave you. I will never, ever abandon you. Part of what must be corrected is the belief that if God is near that nothing bad should happen or anything bad that has happened should be quickly corrected.

i. Those who lost possessions at the hands of persecution did not receive new possessions.

ii. Joshua led with courage but still had to deal with the faithlessness of his people.

iii. Mary brought Jesus into the world but live with the stigma of having a baby out of wedlock.

iv. The promise of God is not for nothing bad to happen but to be present; to be with you no matter what is going on. He will not leave you.

v. Invitation.

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