Clean Transcript

Is The Wind Blowing - Part 1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

• The title of the series is, "Is the Wind Blowing?" It is a question. Isaiah chapter 7, the first part of a three-part series, "Is the Wind Blowing?" And let's read Isaiah 7, verses 1 through 2. "And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of the people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind." Now, look at that: "and his heart"—that is, Ahaz's heart—"was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind."

  #1 | 0:01 to 1:03 | cleaned

• So I'm going to show you, Lord willing, this week and in the next two weeks, some truths in Scripture about the wind. So I ask this question: Is the wind blowing? And the answer is, the wind is always blowing. In fact, it's usually blowing in one place if it's not blowing in another place. When it does blow, sometimes it is just simply a gentle, refreshing breeze, and other times it's a gale, sometimes a storm, and sometimes an outright hurricane or tornado. But have you ever considered the word "wind" as it's revealed in the Scripture? It's a simple word, and it's a phenomenon that you and I observe all the time. In fact, we observe it so frequently we very seldom think about it.

  #2 | 1:05 to 1:53 | cleaned

• We have an old expression that says, "Familiarity breeds contempt." And that's true, not only in relationship to people, but also in other things as well. Alice and I oftentimes are traveling, and we'll see the most beautiful scenery, and people—I mean, we're stopping and gawking at the scenery. People are just shooting by, you know, like it's not even there. And what we say to each other? "Well, they live here." And they see it all the time, so it's nothing to them. So familiarity does indeed breed contempt.

  #3 | 1:53 to 2:26 | cleaned

• But the word "wind" or "winds" happens to be used in different ways in the Bible. Sometimes it is used as a curse. Sometimes it is used as a blessing. And when you're talking about the wind, I suppose it would depend upon where and upon whom and how the wind blows as to whether or not it is a blessing or curse. Let me remind you that the wind is controlled by God Himself.

  #4 | 2:27 to 2:57 | cleaned

• Let me just read to you from Job 37, verses 9 through 13. I want you to listen because there are at least two key thoughts here I want you to grasp. The Scripture says, "Out of the south cometh the whirlwind, and cold out of the north. By the breath of God frost is given, and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Also by watering He wearieth the thick cloud; He scattereth His bright cloud."

  #5 | 2:58 to 3:26 | cleaned

• "And it is turned about by His counsels, that they may do whatsoever He commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth. He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy."

  #6 | 3:27 to 3:41 | cleaned

• Now I want you to listen very carefully to what the Bible says concerning the wind: that it is turned about by His counsels. So God is in control of the wind. It's turned about by His counsels. Then the rest of the verse says this: that they—that is, the winds—may do whatsoever He commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth. And so God is in absolute sovereign control. And God causes the wind to come, the Scripture says, either for correction or for mercy or for His land. So the wind, then, is under the sovereign control of God. It is so controlled by God that in the Scripture, it is said that God rides upon the wings of the wind. For instance, in 2 Samuel 22 and verse 11, the Bible says this: "And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and He was seen upon the wings of the wind." So God has the wind under absolute and sovereign control. So the wind is used in different ways in the Bible.

  #7 | 3:42 to 4:53 | cleaned

• I want to share with you three ways that the word "wind" is used. Today, I'm only going to cover one of them, and that is the wind of trepidation—the wind of trepidation. And the word "trepidation," of course, refers to fear or horror. We have an old saying—or at least those of us who are old have an old saying; some of the younger ones may have never heard it—but there is the expression, "An ill wind is blowing." An ill wind is blowing, and that particular expression centers upon the fact and reality that something dreadful and awful is about to happen. So when an ill wind is blowing, seemingly, it is a time indeed for fear. Now, when you look at Isaiah chapter 7, we could certainly say that an ill wind was blowing in Judah, and it was indeed the wind of trepidation, or the wind of fear and horror. So if you look back at verse 1 in Isaiah chapter 7: "And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin"—now watch—"Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem

  #8 | 4:53 to 6:18 | cleaned

• to war against it, but could not prevail against it." So you have two countries now fighting against one country. Now watch verse 2: "And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart"—that is, the heart of Ahaz the king—"was moved, and the heart of the people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind." Fear not only gripped the royal household; it gripped the entire nation. Fear, anguish, and consternation gripped every individual.

  #9 | 6:18 to 6:53 | cleaned

• Now, I want you to pay close attention to a fact. Samaria and Syria are confederate with each other. Samaria happened to be the capital of the Northern Kingdom. Sometimes the Northern Kingdom was known as Ephraim. But Ephraim, or the Northern Kingdom, or Samaria's capital, would be synonymous with the entire people of that Northern Kingdom. But Samaria, or the Northern Kingdom, had fought against Judah for years. I want you to hold Isaiah 7, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 28, and I want us to take the time to read the first 19 verses there—2 Chronicles 28. And let me just show you what Samaria, or Ephraim, the northern kingdom, had done to Judah, and especially under Ahaz. Notice, if you would, 2 Chronicles chapter 28, beginning there with verse 1. 2 Chronicles 28 and verse 1. Remember, we're talking about Ahaz. Here it is: "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

  #10 | 6:53 to 8:09 | cleaned

• But he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father. For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree."

  #11 | 8:10 to 8:39 | cleaned

• So basically he was an idolater. Notice, if you would, verse 5: "Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a very great slaughter." Now I want you to watch what Israel did to Judah. "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that

  #12 | 8:39 to 9:54 | cleaned

• reacheth up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God?

  #13 | 9:54 to 10:06 | cleaned

• Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the Lord already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

  #14 | 10:06 to 10:49 | cleaned

• Now I want you to watch. Listen carefully. "And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria."

  #15 | 10:49 to 11:14 | cleaned

• At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there. For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord.

  #16 | 11:15 to 11:52 | cleaned

• Now, I wanted you to pay close attention to this. So there had been war previously with Syria. There had also been war previously with Samaria. Samaria had defeated the Judahites. And in one battle they slew 120,000 soldiers in one day. And then they took 200,000 women, men, and children prisoners. Now, I don't know about you, but I would think that that would have to be a mighty army to slay 120,000 men and capture 200,000 prisoners, very obviously. So, here Judah is.

  #17 | 11:53 to 12:32 | cleaned

• Judah has been assailed by the Edomites, by the Philistines, by the Syrians, and by the Israelites. And now, all of a sudden, there is not just a rumor, but there is knowledge of another planned attack against Judah. This time, it's not just Samaria and it's not just Syria. It is Samaria and Syria together.

  #18 | 12:41 to 13:08 | cleaned

• Now, I want you to note something. Samaria and Syria were not just simply going to attack Judah and Jerusalem. They were going to thoroughly destroy Judah and Jerusalem, and they were going to put up a puppet king. So whatever Ahaz does now has to be decided, because his reign and the house of David is about to come to an end. If you look back in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 7, look at verse 6.

  #19 | 13:08 to 13:42 | cleaned

• Here is what they are determining to do. Isaiah 7 and verse 6: "They said"—that is, the king of Samaria, Pekah, and Rezin, the king of Syria—"Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel." So they wanted to set another king in Judah.

  #20 | 13:42 to 14:06 | cleaned

• Now remember, if you would please, that Ahaz was indeed of the house of David. Now, this Tabeel, of course, whom they want to set over Judah and Jerusalem, would just simply be a lackey king. It would be someone who would, of course, be in league with them and possibly do their bidding as well. And so here's what is happening when you read in Isaiah 7 and verse 2, that the heart of Ahaz was moved and the heart of his people was moved,

  #21 | 14:07 to 14:40 | cleaned

• like the trees of the wood when the wind blew upon them. It means, therefore, that they had not just heard that Israel and Syria were now in an alliance with each other—they were confederate with each other—but they were planning another invasion into Judah. Judah's already lost 120,000 soldiers, already been defeated, not only by Samaria, not only by Syria, but also the Edomites and the Philistines as well. Well, obviously, Ahaz is thinking the end of the line has come for him and for his reign as well. Obviously, he was frightened. And by the way, when the Bible says that the hearts of the people were moved as the trees of the wood when the wind blows upon them, it denotes, therefore, that Syria and Samaria had a strong army comparable to a strong, blustering, boisterous wind that was capable of moving an entire forest.

  #22 | 14:40 to 15:57 | cleaned

• Now, I want you to hold Isaiah 7, but look back to Isaiah chapter 1 and look, if you would, at verses 7 and 8. Remember now, Judah has already been invaded, not only by the Israelites, but by the Syrians, the Edomites, the Philistines. And look at the position that they're in. Isaiah chapter 1, notice verses 7 and 8. Here's what Isaiah says to them: "Your country is desolate.

  #23 | 15:57 to 16:25 | cleaned

• Your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." They'd already been devastated. They'd already been nearly wiped out. And now they hear there's going to be another invasion. And their hearts are fearful. Ahaz was undoubtedly corrupt, degenerate, and rebellious. He was an idolater.

  #24 | 16:25 to 17:08 | cleaned

• That's all there is to it. But he was of the house of David. What does the Scripture emphasize? When it says in Isaiah 7—and listen carefully—"And it was told the house of David, saying..." In other words, Ahaz understands he is of the house of David, although he's a pervert and an adulterer, that all of a sudden everything's going to come to an end if Samaria and Syria have their way, because they're going to set up another king.

  #25 | 17:08 to 17:48 | cleaned

• Let me show you what is transpiring. I want you to hold Isaiah 7, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Here's what God told David; this is part of the Davidic covenant. Psalm 89. Notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 30. Psalm 89, verse 30. And God is telling David about his children, about his descendants. Here's what He says. Psalm 89, verse 30: "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;

  #26 | 17:50 to 18:28 | cleaned

• If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." God said, "I'll chastise you. I'll whip you." Well, what had Ahaz and the people done? They had forsaken God. And so God sent the Israelites. He sent the Syrians. He sent the Edomites. He sent the Philistines. He was using the rod against them.

  #27 | 18:29 to 18:56 | cleaned

• Now, go back, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 7. Here's what is going to happen. It is true that Judah and Jerusalem are going to be whipped again. But it's not going to be by Rezin and by Pekah. It's not going to be by Samaria this time, and it's not going to be by Syria this time. Isaiah 7, beginning there with verse 4. Isaiah is sent to Ahaz, and he said unto him, verse 4, "Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel."

  #28 | 18:57 to 19:56 | cleaned

• "Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass." Notice what God says: all of their plans, all of their schemes, is not going to stand.

  #29 | 19:56 to 20:12 | cleaned

• Now, let me give you several very obvious implications at this point. First of all, it is the Father—and the Father as Father and Judge—that determines the judgment and the chastisement of His people.

  #30 | 20:13 to 20:35 | cleaned

• Now, it is true, God had sent Samaria earlier. He had sent Syria earlier. He had also sent the Edomites and Philistines. But He says, "Look, they're planning right now on destroying you and wiping you out. It's not going to happen. I am the one that determines who chastens you and how you're chastened." Nothing comes to pass without divine approval. When God's people need chastening, it is God that determines when they're chastened, how much they're chastened, and by whom they're chastened. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of thankful that God is much more patient than man. Yes, they needed chastening, but God said it's not going to be by these individuals. And we've got to acknowledge this when God does chasten.

  #31 | 20:37 to 21:34 | cleaned

• He does a very good job. You'd never want to call 911 again after the Father gets through with you, do you, son? But I got news for you. The Father, the Heavenly Father, does that the same exact way. And we cannot dictate to our Heavenly Father how to chasten or how to judge. All of us in here have had children. You would be absolutely incensed if I came to you as the head of your house and I said to you, "Don't whip that child," or "Your child needs whipping." You know what? You'd probably look at me and say, "Wait a minute. I'm the head of this house. This is my child. I'm the father. I determine when that child needs chastening, and I determine how that child is chastened, not you." It's the same thing with God. We can say, "Lord, take care of the situation," but we cannot dictate to the Father on how He's to whip someone or when He's to do it. So obviously, chastisement resides with the prerogative of the Father.

  #32 | 21:35 to 22:59 | cleaned

• The second implication is this: man may devise, scheme, and plan and seek to initiate his devices. Yet both men and their devices are under the sovereign control of God. Have you ever stopped to think about this? Nothing comes to pass except that which God allows. God is in absolute sovereign control. It should be—I don't know—it should be to you, even as bad as things are in our country today, it should be to you a source of joy and consolation and praise that the wicked cannot do all that they determine and desire. Just stop and think about that. They can't do everything that they determine and they desire.

  #33 | 23:00 to 23:59 | cleaned

• Rezin was king of Syria. Pekah was king of Israel. They determined they were going to invade Judah and replace Ahaz with a puppet king. God says, "No, you're not. I'm not going to allow that. You're not going to do that." The plans and schemes of men are under the sovereign control of God. Even the plans and schemes of wicked men. I want you to hold Isaiah 7. I want you to go back to Job chapter 5. Then I want to show you several verses that I hope will elucidate this in your mind. Look in the book of Job chapter 5, right before the book of Psalms, Job chapter 5. And look, if you would please, at verse 12. Job 5, verse 12. Look what God does.

  #34 | 24:01 to 25:00 | cleaned

• "He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise." He disappointeth them. They cannot do it. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 33. Psalm 33 and look at verse 10. Psalm 33, verse 10. Remember, God is sovereign even over the heathen. Here it is again, Psalm 33, verse 10: "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect." God can cancel out the wicked's plans and desires. He can cancel out the plan of the new world order and the one-world government crowd, and He will. God is the one that determines that which comes to pass. Look in Psalm 37 and verse 7. Psalm 37, verse 7. The Bible says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." God says don't worry about it. Why would God say not to worry about it?

  #35 | 25:02 to 26:14 | cleaned

• Because God's going to take care of it. It's under His control. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 19 and verse 21. Proverbs 19, verse 21. Here's a good verse to memorize. Proverbs 19, verse 21: "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." Many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

  #36 | 26:14 to 26:50 | cleaned

• We must understand this one truth. Listen carefully. God will only allow that to come to pass which ultimately will redound to His honor and His glory. If it will not redound to His honor and His glory, it will not come to pass. Psalm 76 and verse 10 says this—listen carefully: "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain." So God will allow just enough wrath and sin and wickedness that's going to ultimately redound to His honor and His glory. You say, "How can sin and wickedness redound to God's honor and glory?" Because it will be an excellent opportunity for God to demonstrate His holiness and His righteousness and His justice. And that which will not redound to God's honor and God's glory, God will restrain. So you have to understand that even the devices and plans and schemes of the wicked are still under the sovereign control of God Himself. And it's God who determines that which will come to pass, not man. Here's the third implication. The third implication is that there is a time to fear

  #37 | 26:51 to 28:09 | cleaned

• and a time not to fear. I suppose that this is probably one of the most difficult truths, not only to absorb, but to apply. So we must ask, when then is it biblical to fear? And when is it unbiblical to fear? Or we could ask the question like this: Why do we usually fear with an unbiblical fear? And the obvious answer is that our unbiblical fear is a manifestation of our lack of faith and our lack of love.

  #38 | 28:11 to 28:56 | cleaned

• Let me just quote 1 John 4 and verse 18. The Scripture says this: "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." Perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment. So if we are really and truly loving our Lord and exercising faith in our Lord, we're not going to have an unbiblical fear.

  #39 | 28:56 to 29:36 | cleaned

• Now, when you look at Isaiah 7, and you find that Ahaz, the king of Judah, and all the people, their hearts were moved like the trees of the wood when the wind blew upon them—their hearts were moved in fear. Why? Because they believed that the king of Samaria and the king of Syria was going to come and wipe them out and finish them off. So let me ask you: since, according to the rest of Isaiah 7,

  #40 | 29:38 to 30:29 | cleaned

• there was really no need to panic—there's no need to fear, for God said the counsel of Pekah and Rezin will not come to pass; I won't allow it—so you have to ask, then, why did they fear? Why did they panic? And the answer is this: because they were wicked and they rebelled against God. You have to understand that sin produces fear, and especially fear of judgment and retribution. Sin produces fear, and especially fear of judgment and retribution.

  #41 | 30:29 to 31:13 | cleaned

• One of the simplest verses to memorize is Proverbs 28 and verse 1, and I love it. It says this: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." Now, listen: the wicked flee—that is, they run—when no one is pursuing them. Do you understand that there are two things that will make us fear incessantly? What are they? The first thing that will make us fear incessantly is a guilty conscience over past sins. The guilty conscience is fueled by sin and disobedience. It is the guilty conscience that places us in a state of fear and a willingness to flee even when no one is pursuing us.

  #42 | 31:15 to 32:11 | cleaned

• Let me give you an illustration. When I was a teenager, I went with another friend to visit a third friend because he had called and was in a great deal of trouble. And we got to where he was. He was hiding in the loft of a barn. He was so scared he was shaking. What he had done was very simple. He had stolen some hubcaps. He had stolen some hubcaps.

  #43 | 32:12 to 33:01 | cleaned

• And his conscience smote him so much that he was afraid to come out of that barn because every car that he heard go by, he just knew that it was the cops coming to arrest him. He just knew that everyone knew that he had stolen those hubcaps. I don't remember how long it took us to get him out of that barn, but I will tell you this: that incident ended his career as a thief.

  #44 | 33:03 to 33:34 | cleaned

• As far as I know, he never stole another thing until the day that he died. Because his conscience was actually just eating him alive. He knew he had done wrong. And he was fearful. Nobody had probably known that he had stolen those hubcaps, but he didn't know that. He believed that everybody knew. A guilty conscience will do that. The second thing that will make us fear incessantly is what I would call continuous sin or continuous disobedience. When we live a life of disobedience, we must always be looking over our shoulder, so to speak.

  #45 | 33:36 to 34:15 | cleaned

• Why in the world do we act that way? The answer is because we know that we deserve punishment. We know that we deserve judgment. And sooner or later, it's going to catch up with us. And we're just always looking over our shoulder to see when and where. Psalm 53 in verse 5 describes such an individual perfectly. Here's what the Bible says: "There were they in great fear, where no fear was." They were in great fear where no fear was.

  #46 | 34:16 to 34:47 | cleaned

• So it really doesn't matter whether someone is pursuing you or not. It really doesn't matter whether someone is after you or not. If you're continually sinning and disobeying, you know—you know—sooner or later it's going to catch up with you. You cannot violate God's law and escape His judgment. So if you have a guilty conscience over past sins, if you have a continual disobedience to God, then you're going to be in a state of fear. If we are not violating God's law, if we are obedient and if we are honoring Him, there's absolutely nothing to fear. I would challenge you to go through the Bible and look at all the "fear nots." Look at how many times God says "fear not"—use a concordance if you have to. It's absolutely amazing how many times, as God's people, we are admonished to fear not. And by the way, we are expressly forbidden to fear man. Did you know that? We're expressly forbidden to fear man.

  #47 | 34:48 to 36:09 | cleaned

• And yet we fear thieves, muggers, murderers, and a host of other vermin. We fear them, and it does not matter if they are legal intruders or illegal intruders. And what I mean by that: to quote past President Ronald Reagan, he said—and I quote—"We live in a day when the most fearful words are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.'" Yeah. That would be a legal intruder. Versus someone who just kicks the door in—that would be an illegal intruder.

  #48 | 36:10 to 36:59 | cleaned

• But you know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 and verse 25? Listen to this: "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. We're not to fear man, period. Let me explain something to you. Fear is one of the greatest tools of control that there is. If I can make you afraid of me, I can control you. Why in the world do you think that the government today is always trying to make people fearful?

  #49 | 37:00 to 37:42 | cleaned

• "If we don't surrender our liberties, why, we're going to be destroyed by the terrorists!" Fear is a means of control. If you're fearful, you can be very easily controlled. If I can make you fearful, I can make you obey me and follow my every whim and my every desire. The biblical position is, we are not to fear man. Period. Let me show you. I want you to hold Isaiah 7, but turn in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 27. We'll start there, just show you several verses. Look in Psalm 27, and let's begin there with verse 1. Psalm 27 and verse 1. Look what David says in the first three verses of Psalm 27. Psalm 27, verse 1: David said, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life;

  #50 | 37:43 to 38:51 | cleaned

• of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple." What's he saying? I'm not going to fear what man can do unto me. I'm not even going to be afraid if an entire army rises against me. No, he said, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" As long as you fear God, you have no need to fear man. Look in Psalm 46, beginning there with verse 1. Psalm 46 and verse 1.

  #51 | 38:51 to 39:44 | cleaned

• This is the passage from whence Martin Luther took the words, "A mighty fortress is our God." Notice he says in Psalm 46 in verse 1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." What's he saying?

  #52 | 39:49 to 40:12 | cleaned

• If there's a giant earthquake, if the entire mountain system moved, we're not going to be afraid. Why? God is our refuge and our strength. God is a very present help in trouble. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 56. Psalm 56. And look, notice verse 4. Look what David says. Psalm 56, verse 4: "In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." What? "In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." I'm not going to be fearful of man. Notice, if you would, Psalm 118 and verse 6. Psalm 118 and verse 6. David says it very clearly. Psalm 118, verse 6:

  #53 | 40:12 to 41:16 | cleaned

• "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" What? "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" Well, he can't do anything apart from God. And as long as we fear Him, we have no need to fear man. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 3. And then I want you to go to Isaiah 51. Look in Proverbs 3, verse 25. Proverbs 3, verse 25: "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh." Be not afraid of sudden fear. What?

  #54 | 41:16 to 42:17 | cleaned

• Something just pops up and pops out. Most people just simply go to pieces. God says, "No, don't be afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." When we trust in the Lord, we have no need to fear man. Look in your Bible to Isaiah 51. Isaiah 51. And notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse 12. Isaiah 51, verse 12.

  #55 | 42:18 to 42:45 | cleaned

• This is a very powerful passage, and I want you to note one question. Isaiah 51. Notice, if you would please, verse 12. God says, "I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

  #56 | 42:50 to 43:19 | cleaned

• Now, just stop right there and think about that. God says, "I'm the one that comforts you. And why should you be afraid of a man that shall die?" Now, watch. "Why should you fear a man that shall die, and the son of man which shall be made as grass;"—watch verse 13—"and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor,

  #57 | 43:19 to 43:53 | cleaned

• as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?"

  #58 | 43:53 to 43:58 | cleaned

• Now, let's stop and look at that momentarily. God says, "Why in the world are you going to fear man and forget Me?" If you trust in God, you're not going to fear man. Now, God says in verse 13, "...and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor..." And look at this next question: "...and where is the fury of the oppressor?" Where is it? Are you listening? It's in God's hand. The oppressor can do nothing apart from God. Rezin and Pekah thought they were going to take over Judah. But God says, "You're not. I'm not going to allow that to happen. It will not happen." You know what the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 7? Listen carefully: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." If you fear, it didn't come from God. Because God does not give us a spirit of fear. Now listen carefully.

  #59 | 43:59 to 45:20 | cleaned

• When the wind of judgment, death, and punishment blows upon the wicked, they fear. If you will read through your Bible, you will discover that many judgments were brought upon the nations by the wind. It was the wind that brought the locusts into Egypt. It was the wind that produced the famine in Joseph's time. It was the wind that brought the quails into the camp of Israel. It was the wind that drowned Pharaoh and his host in the sea. God oftentimes sends His wind of fear, His wind of trepidation, into the hearts of the wicked. And when He does so, their hearts melt. Just like the hearts of Ahaz and the people. That is why the Bible says in Luke 21 and verse 26—listen—"Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." When God sends His wind of fear, yeah, they melt. Now, let me tell you, there is a time to fear and a person to fear. The person to fear, of course, is the Lord of Glory.

  #60 | 45:21 to 46:39 | cleaned

• There is a biblical fear, and that biblical fear happens to be a fear of God. God is the object of that biblical fear. The Bible says in Proverbs 28 and verse 14, "Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." Happy is the man that feareth alway. Do you understand that there are two types of fear? There is a fear that is a reverent worship of God. I could say that I fear God, and by that I mean I respect God, I honor God. I walk reverently toward Him because He is my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Master. I reverence Him. I fear Him. There's another fear, and that's the fear of punishment. Now, that's not an unbiblical fear in that sense of the word, for instance.

  #61 | 46:40 to 47:38 | cleaned

• If I told Casey, as he was a young boy, if I told him not to do something and he did it, he should fear because I'm going to whip him. I will chasten him for his disobedience. In other words, I understand that God chastens His own. That's what Hebrews chapter 12 tells us. Our Lord said in Revelation chapter 3, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." So we fear God in that sense of the word.

  #62 | 47:41 to 48:07 | cleaned

• First of all, we reverence Him. Secondly, we know that as a Father, He's not going to allow us to get away with that which is wicked and evil. In fact, an aspect of the new covenant is found in Jeremiah 32 and verse 40, where God said, "And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." So God puts His fear in our hearts. So have you considered that it is fear of God that leads us to obedience?

  #63 | 48:07 to 48:42 | cleaned

• Have you ever stopped to think about that? It's the fear of God that leads us to obedience. Why do we obey? Because we fear God, we respect Him, and we do not want Him to chasten us. We have respect for Him, and we also have respect for His chastening abilities. We do not wish to dishonor Him. One of the most famous men in the Bible was Noah. Everybody knows about Noah. But you know what the Bible says in Hebrews 11, verse 7? Now listen: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." What made Noah build that ark? Well, you say God commanded him. Yes, that is true, but he was moved with fear.

  #64 | 48:44 to 49:40 | cleaned

• He knew that God's judgment was coming. And he feared the righteous wrath of a holy God. You see, when we fear God rightly, we will not fear man or anything else. Let me give you one last passage and then I want to give you a couple of applications. I want you to turn to Psalm 112. Psalm 112. And look at verses 5 through 7. Psalm 112, verses 5 through 7. I want you to see what the Bible says about a good man. And when he says a good man, he's talking about a godly man, a saved man. He says in Psalm 112, beginning there with verse 5: "A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth:

  #65 | 49:40 to 50:33 | cleaned

• he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance."

  #66 | 50:34 to 50:44 | cleaned

• Now here's this good man. Here's this godly man. Verse 7: "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." Verse 8: "His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies." So the man who trusts in God is not going to be afraid.

  #67 | 50:44 to 51:08 | cleaned

• Now, let me make just a couple of applications. Here's the first one. There is something that we can learn from Ahaz and the inhabitants of Judah. It's very simple. Impiety, ungodliness, unrighteousness triumphs in prosperity. But it trembles in adversity. When you're prosperous and you're wicked and you're wrong, oh, yeah, you can have a good old time. But when adversity and judgment strikes, it's no longer fun and games. And when you read Isaiah 7, adversity stunned the Judahites in such a manner that they were so overpowered by terror and fear, they were almost bereft of any ability. The Bible says the heart of Ahaz was moved and the hearts of the people were moved. What were they moved with? They were moved with fear. It was fear that led to their confusion.

  #68 | 51:09 to 52:24 | cleaned

• Have you ever stopped to think about this? That a fearful person is an unstable person. A fearful person is much like that squirrel in the road. He can't make up his mind. He runs out of the way of the vehicle, then turns and runs back in the way of the vehicle, runs out and then runs back in one last time and gets squashed. That's the way a fearful man is. He's unstable. He's indecisive.

  #69 | 52:26 to 53:02 | cleaned

• They had made God their enemy, and knew not how to make Him their friend. And their fears reigned over them. They knew—they knew—that they deserved what they were going to get. Here's the second application. If we want to be free from fear, we must trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, but we must also be obedient. You know, Paul said in Acts 24 and verse 16, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." Paul said, "I'm going to just do what's right." If you want to have a conscience free from fear, you just have to be obedient and do that which is right. Our Lord said in Luke chapter 12, "You want to know who to fear? I'll tell you who to fear. Don't fear man. Don't fear him that is able to kill the body. But you fear Him who after He's killed the body has the power to cast the body and the soul into hell. You fear Him."

  #70 | 53:03 to 54:25 | cleaned

• That's who you fear. I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to turn actually to—I want you to turn to Jeremiah 30 and then Isaiah 33. Jeremiah 30, and then Isaiah 33. We'll go to Jeremiah 30 first, then we'll go to Isaiah 33.

  #71 | 54:26 to 54:57 | cleaned

• I want you to listen to this. Here's the third application. I don't know if you thought about this, but one of the prayers that we may pray against the wicked and for the wicked is that we may pray that God would sovereignly blow His wind of trepidation and fear upon their hearts. David believed that men needed a good dose of fear. I'll quote this one in Psalm 9, verse 20. Here's what David prayed: "Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men." What did he say? "Put them in fear." God can blow fear in the hearts of the wicked.

  #72 | 55:05 to 56:06 | cleaned

• Look in Jeremiah, chapter 30, if you would please. Jeremiah 30 and verse 23. Jeremiah 30, verse 23: "Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked." Wow. Yeah, the wind's blowing. There's the wind of trepidation. There's the wind of fear. If you look in Isaiah 33 and verse 14, Isaiah 33 and verse 14, watch what Isaiah says: "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Wow.

  #73 | 56:07 to 57:04 | cleaned

• We can pray, and rightly so, that God would send His wind of fear and trepidation upon the wicked. He can melt their hearts. He can bring them to the end of themselves and the end of their power. We as God's people are not to fear, except we're to fear the Lord in reverential obedience. But we're not to fear man. He that trusts in the Lord has no reason to fear.

  #74 | 57:07 to 57:44 | cleaned

• Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And we ask You, Lord, to help us to not fear man, not to fear circumstances and situations, but to trust in Thee. And Lord, we do pray, in Your sovereign power, You would indeed blow the wind of trepidation upon the wicked. As David said, "Put them in fear, O Lord, that they may know themselves to be but men." In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

  #75 | 57:46 to 58:26 | cleaned

• This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn—that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N—Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912... You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com.

  #76 | 58:29 to 59:10 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:09:05Z