05-17-2026 God Wants to Make aText Deal
Text: Isaiah 41:10
This morning we’re going to look at what God wants to do for His children. Our text is found in Isaiah 41:10 that says: “Fear thou not; for I am with you. Be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.” Notice the progression in this verse: I am with you, then He comes closer: I will strengthen you; and then even closer: I will help you; and finally, He throws His arms around His child and says: I will uphold you. This is a text that anticipates our needs. It shows how God meets us in anxiety and brings assurance that moves us from fear to faith. If you’re a Christian, God wants you to be blessed. He wants to exchange His peace for your pain.
God wants to trade His fellowship for our fears. He starts by telling us we don’t have to be afraid because He is with us. It’s a fact that we all deal with fear. Sometimes it stalks us and makes us unable to think rationally. There are four basic fears: fear of death, fear of failure, fear of losing security, and fear of the future. But God can take away all these fears if we listen to Him and let Him work in us.
His response to our fear of death found in Philippians 1:21 is that while we’re alive on this earth and live for Jesus, then when we die we will get to see Jesus and all those who have gone before us and receive the rewards we have earned while living an earthly life dedicated to God and Jesus.
When you’re afraid of failure, look to Philippians 4:13 that reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Can we really do all things? Yes, we can when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and do His will while facing the challenges that come from living for Him. It’s not that He gives us a superhuman ability to accomplish anything. As we live a faithful life we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. But God wants us to step out in faith by trusting Jesus for the strength and courage we need.
Our security is often threatened because of unexpected bills, job turbulence, sudden illness, or any of a thousand other things, Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. We can trust that God will always meet our needs even if it’s the courage to face death. However, we must always remember the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort and pain. While we may not get everything that we want, by trusting in Jesus our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to gratefully accepting His provision for what we actually need and giving us the and power to live for Him.
We never have to fear the future because as we learn in Matthew 28:20, Jesus is always with us. How does this happen? When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we receive the Holy Spirit which is the presence of Jesus within us that will never leave us alone. We can stop worrying about the future because we will have the Holy Spirit to protect and guide us through whatever happens in this life.
God wants to give us His comfort in place of our confusion. When we get anxious or confused, we tend to wonder why this is happening to us and we may question why God allows hard times to fall on us. But, if we remember that we belong to God, then we can rely on Him and trust that He will work everything out for our good in accordance with His will.
God wants to give us His strength to replace our weakness. There are many things that us feel weak that include: sickness, regrets over past behaviors and failures, and even conflicts with Satan trying to turn us away from God But God never gets tired or loses His strength and ability to help us. When we trust Him, He will give us the power to overcome anything that weakens us because He loves us.
God wants to give us His help in place of our helplessness. There are times we all feel helpless. And sometimes all we can do is cry for help. We sing a song reach out to Jesus; He’s reaching out to you. This is the key to overcoming helplessness. All too often we wait too long to look to Jesus for the help we need. But when we do, He always comes through for us. So instead of letting things get so far out of control, when we find ourselves facing a situation and we’re at a loss of where to start and what to do, just reach out to Jesus. We will get the help we need.
God wants to give us His righteousness in place of our rags. Isaiah tells us at 64:6 that our righteousness is like filthy rags. But through faith in Jesus, God’s righteousness is now available to us because we are washed clean. II Corinthians 5:21 shows us that Jesus took our sins upon Himself on the Cross so that we can receive God’s righteousness by faith in. According to Acts 7:55 and Hebrews 10:12, Jesus is the Son that is at the right hand of God. He is there interceding for us as we are told in Hebrews 7:12 and I John 2:1. So you see, we’re never alone. Jesus is our advocate when we slip and fall and when we’re afraid and overcome by our fears.
God has given us solutions to all of life’s problems through faith in Jesus. We never have to be afraid of the twists and turns that life takes or anything that may catch us unprepared. All we need to do is make it a habit to trust in Jesus as our Savior and look to Him for the strength and answers we need to get through problems whenever we need it.
No one can add to what Jesus did to save us; our past, present, and future sins are all forgiven. As our High Priest, Jesus is our advocate, the mediator between us and God. He looks after our interests and presents our requests to the Father. The Old Testament high priest would go before God once a year to plead for the forgiveness of the nation’s sins. But now, Jesus is the only one constantly interceding for us before God. His continuous presence in Heaven with the Father assures us that our sins have been paid for and are forgiven. This wonderful assurance frees us from guilt, the frustration of trying to be perfect, and the fear of failure. No believer is too sinful or too far away for Jesus not to be able to intercede for us directly to God our Father.
If we’re feeling guilty and condemned, I John 2:1 gives us the reassurance needed. We know we have sinned, and Satan is demanding the death penalty for us. But we don’t have to give up hope because we have the best defense attorney in the universe pleading our case. Jesus, our advocate and defender, is the Judge’s Son. He has already paid the penalty for us. We can never be tried for a case that God has removed from the docket. United with the power and authority of Jesus Christ, we are now safe from the harmful effects of sin. We should never be afraid to ask Jesus to plead for us because He is already the winner.
But none of this is available unless you have accepted Jesus into your heart and life as Lord and Savior. The first step is to believe with all your heart and mind that He is the Son of God who willingly gave up the splendor of Heaven to live in human form just as we do. He understands how hard it is to resist the temptations of Satan that are all around us. But because He accepted and paid the penalty for our sins – past, present, and future – He will present us to the Father as guilt free. If you haven’t yet made that decision, you’re never too young or too old to do it now. The joy that will come into your life will be unimaginable. No longer will you have to worry about what happens after this life on earth is over because you will spend eternity in Heaven where you will no longer experience pain, sickness, or sadness.
This is what’s waiting for everyone who accepts Jesus. God loves us all so much that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life in Heaven with Him. God prepared a way for sinners like you and me to return to Him washed and clean from the guilt of sin. If you haven’t yet, don’t wait another minute to choose Jesus.
Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.