NO WEAPON
Isaiah 54:9-17.
Verse 14. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.
Many Holy Ghost filled children of God are allowing themselves to be opressed.
Oppression is the spoiling or taking away of someone’s goods or rights unlawfully by force, fear or deceitfulness - taking advantage of weakness or fearfulness.
I think that describes Satan to a tee. He is the oppressor, but Acts 10:38 says that Jesus healed all that were oppressed of the devil.
The righteousness that Isaiah spoke of has been established. Jesus came and provided it for us. The very message Jesus preached was you don’t have to fear any more.
Read the next line in this verse with me. For thou shalt not fear.
The Bible says fear has torment.
I John 4:18. 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.
II Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.
Psalms 23:4. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Adam’s first statement after his meeting with the devil was, "I was afraid."
Do you know that every time we fear we are doubting at least one of God’s promises. Fear moves us into doubt and opens the door for Satan to work.
II Peter 1:1-4 tells us that God’s promises cover all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Dave, are you saying we should never fear?
I am saying that through the work of Jesus at Calvary we can choose to live by faith or live by fear. If we don’t come against fear in our lives, it will consume us.
The Bible says the just shall live by faith.
Fear not. That phrase appears over 60 times in the Word of God.
Fear is faith in reverse. It is believing for the worst. It is expecting God’s Word to fail. It is doubt at its fullest.
Let’s look at verse 15. They shall gather together, but not by me.
They who? The ones we were just talking about. The 3 great theives of God’s blessing: oppression, fear, and terror. The Lord is saying these will gather together around you, but they are not of me.
These things come our way, but we don’t have to surrender to them.
If these spirits are gathering against you, God didn’t send them. He is not the God of oppression, fear, and terror.
In fact, he said, "Whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake."
When fear gripped Jehoshophat, he set himself to seek the Lord and found courage in the promises of God. Jehoshophat said, "Lord, I know you are going to hear and to help because your name is in this house."
Let’s look at verse 15 again.
Whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Where there is fear, there is doubt. Doubt will stop the flow of blessing in your life.
Mark 11:23-24 is only promised to the one who does not doubt in his heart.
For verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith, therefore, I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
He said, when you pray, believe ye receive, not when you see it, but when you pray it. There is no receiving outside of believing. If you ever received, someone believed.
Fear and unbelief robbed Israel (God’s chosen people) from entering into the promised land.
Hebrews 4:6 says the ones the gospel was first preached to entered not in because of unbelief.
Let me show you a very important lesson from the scripture; why some things don’t get finished in our lives.
In the 14th chapter of Matthew the disciples were out on the sea in a boat and in the 4th watch of the night Jesus came walking on the sea. They were fearful, but Peter said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Jesus said, "Come."
Now the Bible says that when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
Jesus began a miraculous supernatural thing in Peter’s life, but it was never consummated. It never came to full fruit.
Why?
Because when Peter looked at the waves and the wind, his heart believed what he saw instead of what Jesus said.
Fear and doubt robbed him of the greater blessing.
Abraham believed God.
We can choose to believe what we see or believe what God has said.
Jesus saved Peter and brought him back to the boat. Jesus still loved him, but fear and doubt had robbed him of the greater blessing.
Peter was close to Jesus; one of his closest followers, but doubt had robbed him.
Doubt will come to rob you, even if you are close to Jesus.
Jesus said to Peter, "Oh, thou of little faith. A little faith carried him a little ways.
As long as Peter considered Jesus and acted on what Jesus said, the supernatural was operating in his life. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.
I’ll close with our opening text, Isaiah 54:17. No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord.
This is a promise of God. God’s Word is a weapon against fear.
