Sunday, October 17, 1999   

     A. "For thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded..."

          1. We are not ashamed because we have a Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth..."

          2. We are not ashamed because like Paul we know in whom we have believed. He suffered for the cause of the Gospel, yet he said,"...nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12).

               a. True believers confess their faith. Romans 10:10-11:"Forwith the heart man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

               b. The Lord is not ashamed to call true believers His own (Hebrews 2:11; 11:16).

          3. We are not ashamed because we have a hope, a sure hope. Our hope is the Lord. Titus 1:2: "In hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie..."

               a. The experience of salvation gives us hope. "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).

b. Is your hope in the Lord?

          4. We have hope in the coming of the Lord (I John 3:1-3).

          5. I Peter 2:6 says that believers are not confounded. The word for confounded used in I Peter 2:6 is kataischuno and means "put to shame. "True believers will never be put to shame on account of Christ. He will never fail.

     B. Verse 4b, "For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth."

          1. God forgives and forgets and by doing so he helps us to forgive ourselves and forget the past (Psalms 103:12: "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.")

2. The healing power of God's forgiveness is so great that it can heal the most sin sick soul.

II. Verse 5, FEAR NOT, HE IS MAKER, HUSBAND, AND REDEEMER

     A. In this verse we have the threefold relationship of God to His people.

B. We are His by:

          1. Creation (maker) -- Psalm 103:3, "Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." We are His by creation and new creature (II Corinthians 5:17).

          2. Choice "thy husband", He chose us, "We love him because he first loved us." Ephesians 1:4, "According as he hath chosen us in him..."

          3. Redemption "thy redeemer," Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."

III. Verse 6, FEAR NOT, HE HAS CALLED YOU

     A. "For the Lord hath called thee....forsaken and grieved inspirit."

B. The Lord called us when we were forsaken and grieved because of guilt and failure.

          1. Romans 5:6, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

          2. Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us..."

          3. Romans 3:10, "As it is written, there is none righteous...."

          4. Ephesians 2:11-13, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."

IV. Verse 7, FEAR NOT, HE WILL GATHER HIS JEWELS

     A. "With great mercies will I gather thee." Just as God will gather Israel, He will one day gather His Gentile jewels. He saved us in mercy and will gather us in the same manner.

     B. We will be spared the wrath of God. We will be gathered up to be forever with Him, in the day He makes up His jewels. Malachi 3:17: "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; I will spare them, as a man spareth his son that serveth him."

V. Verses 8b, 10b, FEAR NOT HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER

     A. "With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee...my kindness shall not depart from thee..."

     B. He who has loved us with and everlasting love, Jeremiah 31:3: "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee," has everlasting mercy and has obtained eternal redemption for us. "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once in the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

VI. Verses 9c, FEAR NOT, THE WRATH OF GOD IS REMOVED

      A. "So have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee...."

     B. The wrath of God abides on the unbeliever (John 3:36).

     C. There is no condemnation to the believer. Romans 8:1 says: "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus..."

     D. I Thessalonians 1:10 tells believers that they have been delivered from the wrath to come.

VII. Verses 11-12, FEAR NOT, YOU WILL BE COMFORTED

     A. The new Jerusalem is going to be absolutely beautiful.

B. Revelations 21:18-22.

VIII. Verse 17, FEAR NOT, YOU ARE PROTECTED

     A. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church nor will they prevail against the purposes of God.

B. Romans 8:28, 35-39.

CONCLUSION: This is the rich heritage of God's people. FEAR NOT!