"This Amazing Scripture"

I did warn you I had a lot to say on this amazing scripture. I hope your ready for part III. ...But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name; You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior." ... Isaiah 43:1-3

In part I we talked about, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you."  In part II we looked at "I have called you by name." and now in Part III we are going to hit, "You are mine."

As a youth pastor for the last 33 years I have had the privilege of having a KA-BILLION (meaning more than I can count) young people in and out of my car. What that means is I have had the privilege of dealing with the effects of a KA-BILLION young people in and out of my car. What that translates into is trash, dirt, stains, damage, etc.  Why? Simple, it was not their car.

I also have had the privilege to be around when those same KA-BILLION young people became old enough to, pick out and purchase their own car.  Suddenly a car is something to take care of!  Suddenly, they don't allow eating in the car. Suddenly they care about the trash and the muddy feet.  Suddenly a car is to be treated as a prize possession. It is amazing how the word "mine" changes your whole attitude toward taking care of something.

It is not an accident that he goes from saying, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name; You are mine:"  to giving us some examples of how He has and will take care of His own, His prize possession! We all know that Noah and his family made it  through the flood waters. We all know how He heaped up the waters so that Moses and the whole nation of Israel could pass through.  We all know about how He protected Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah when they were thrown into the fiery furnace to the point that when they came out it says that they, ... came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, govenors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them."  Daniel 3:26, 27 They were not burned or even scorched. He showed up to protect them because they were His own.

They had been fearless and hadn't allowed their situation to be bigger then Him. They acknowledged that they belonged to Him and that it was up to Him to do with as He chose.( Daniel 3:17,18) It is also my belief that He didn't show up and call them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, their Babylonion names. I know, because I know, because I know, that when He showed up in the midst of the fire that He knew their names, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.  He had called them.  He was their Lord, their God, their Savior.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name; You are mine!"