Now back in our text in Isaiah chapter 43. We want to deal with the first four verses of this chapter. This is a beautiful four verses. Actually, all of Isaiah is a wonderful book to study. It is a bit broad sometimes. It is a bit intimidating because of some of the prophecy and some symbolism that we see there, but it is a great profitable book to study, and especially the latter chapters of Isaiah from 40 on, you see a different tone. There's this grace and comfort that pours forth from the prophet's pen. It has 66 chapters. It mirrors that of the 66 books of the Bible. And you go from the Old Testament to the New Testament, and you see the full revelation of that beautiful covenant of grace in the New Testament, and the open proclamation of it. And starting with Isaiah 40 going forward, it's easier to trace those themes of grace and comfort. And so we have just that. We have a people here. It is talking about the nation of Israel, it's talking about how God created them, and He is their God, and He is their Redeemer, and it's how He called them, His special and precious people. And we see these things in just these four verses. But if you go back into chapter 42, it's a little bit of a different scene when we leave chapter 42. They're sinful. They're contrary to God. They're being reproved because of their idolatry, because they're chasing after the gods of the nations around them. And so what happens? What do we know from the history of Israel when that happened? The Lord sold them into bondage. The Lord punished his people, but then we see in the first of this chapter what? It starts off with a but, a beautiful but, just a little conjunction, but it means so much. It means that even though while they're there and they're being in captivity because of their own sin, the Lord will come and redeem them again. And that's what he's talking to them here, and he's giving them confidence and assurance of his care and concern for his people. Because if you think about it, if they are in the midst of this being in captivity, I would see how very quickly they could maybe question that. Does God still love us? Are we still his special people? And so through his prophet, we see he speaks to his people. and he assures them of his care and concern. Now, as this is a message to the nation of Israel, we have to be careful sometimes in the Old Testament. It does not always translate parallels to the church of Christ, but here we can say that this is we find spiritual lessons for our own lives, for the lives of the church. Though we may not be in the midst of a captivity as per se the nation of Israel, But we don't have to look far into our society to see the darkness and to see the church in what seems like a diminished state. And it's very easy for us to say, well, where is our God? Does He still care for His church, for His special possession? But then we find words such as this. We find words of consolation. We find beautiful words which, of course, give us assurance of God's faithfulness to His people. Though it may seem to us in our own sights that He's unfaithful, He is not unfaithful. We learn from His Word over and over and over again that He is faithful and He keeps His promises to His people. And so you can think of these things as we look through here. They're almost like firm footholds for our faith. And they give us, if you're going up a hill, you're hiking up a hill, and it's a very steep incline, you have to be careful where you put your feet. If the footing is unsure, you're not gonna remain on your feet too long, you're gonna fall down the hill. But then when you have those firm places to put your feet, you have the utmost assurance that you can keep going. And so here's what we have. We have these firm foundations for our feet that's our faith in Him. And this, of course, allows us to put greater confidence in our God and to know that He's there with us and that He will be there for us. Now, what do we see first? What's the first foundational item? Well, we know that the nation of Israel, talking about the nation of Israel here, they are a special people. They are His special people, as it says in verse one. And what about them being His special people? Well, we see they're a privileged people, they're a purchased people, and they are a called people, just in this one verse. I know that's a lot, but we'll get through it. So first, they're a privileged people. Well, they're privileged because he says, I've created and formed thee. And when you see often in the Old Testament writings when he says, O Jacob and O Israel, well, we know Jacob and Israel were the same thing because God renamed Jacob to Israel to show his covenant with his people and the foundation of the nation of Israel. So it's a very curious thing when he lists both of them. But what it means is he's driving home the fact that this is his people. This is His covenant people. This is His nation. And so when He says, I've created thee, this is more than just the general creation of all mankind. This is the fact that He's created the nation, that nation, His people. And we know that's the fact. We can read back in the Old Testament. How do we know that? Well, we know that what? You remember back in Genesis where He called forth Abraham? He spoke to Abraham in the Ur of Chaldees and says, get thee out of your father's house. Go to a land I'll show you and it'll be yours. I promise it to you. And so what do we know of Abraham? He faithfully obeyed God. He left with his wife and his household and he went to the land of Canaan. And all the accounts we see there and his dealings with God and God's dealings with him, And we see that that was the start of it. And then we have, of course, Abraham's son, Isaac, who was a miracle in himself because Abraham and Sarah were of a great age, past childbearing. And Abraham, of course, got worried and said, you know, Lord, how are you going to fulfill this promise to me? I have no seed. I have no child. Then the way we see, the Lord says, I'll give you a son. And of course, we know that account very well, friends. And then Isaac, and then he has a wife, and then there's Jacob and Esau, and then that's starting to form this nation. And then from Jacob, we see the account of how he goes to Laban, and he marries Leah and Rachel, and they start having sons. And then these sons carry the namesakes of the 12 tribes. in all the account. And then what happens? Joseph gets sold into Egypt. There comes a famine. His brothers come. They then go back to their father. He reveals himself. I'm kind of going through this quickly, but just so you can get an idea of this, how he's creating this nation. And then they all come down to Egypt because Joseph says, look, I've got land. Pharaoh's given me, I'm second in command. I can give you this land. You can farm it. Your livestock can be there and you'll be safe and I'll keep you. And then we know what happens. There's a new Pharaoh and he doesn't know Joseph and he doesn't like the Israelites. And so he starts to put them on bondage. And then there's the birth of Moses. And then there's the beginning of the Exodus. And at the point of the Exodus and the severing of their time in Egypt, that's when we start to see the collective of the nation of Israel being brought into the forefront. So this is the part of that creation, and that's why he says, also these formed him. So he's created, he's called it into existence and kept it all this time up until the point when they go and leave Egypt, and they're now in the orders, ordered, and then we see what? As they go through the wilderness, even despite all their murmurings and sinfulness, the Lord keeps his faithfulness to them. And then we see what? He's starting to shape this nation. He's starting to give it laws. He's starting to give it customs. They have privileges because they're His nation. They're set up as a theocracy because He's their King. And He's giving them orders. And He keeps them also. And we see all the miracles that He worked in their midst. We can think of how he kept them from the various nations around him. And if you ever do any biblical history, it's amazing when you actually study the nations that were around Israel at this time, and how quickly Israel could have been overwhelmed. but because of the Lord's providence. These nations were often in civil wars or they were fighting among themselves and they were not concerned about the nation of Israel or the land that they were going to be given. So all of this was that creating and forming. The word forming there in Hebrew means squeezing into shape, molding into shape. And that's what he's doing while he's giving the customs and the laws and how they're to worship him. and how they're to give sacrifices and he gives them the law, the moral law, the civil and the ceremonial. All of these things were to their nations forming. And so as we understand these things, we see here is God's sovereign grace. This is his nation and he's called and he's created and forming them and bringing them out. And this is why they are a privileged people. Now, how do we look at this in the fashion of the church? Well, is the church not the same way? We're privileged. We don't just make up how we're to worship God. He's given us his word. He's put it among his people. He's put an order and format to it. He also calls forth his people with the gospel. We heard at the nursing home today by Brother Harvey, John 10 there with Christ the shepherd. And of course, you go further in that text in John 10, what does it say? My sheep know my voice. When I call them, they come forth. When the gospel goes forth, his people hear and they come forth. That's his particular people. They answer and come. And he establishes them in his church. They're brought in. And they joined a unity with the other sheep. The idea of that sheep fold and the sheep being together. So this is the forming and creating that we have in the church of Christ. So this is wonderful because it shows us that we're His special people, as the Israelites were. And so we know if we're special, then we know that we have His assurance that He will be with us and that He will keep us Now, what about their privileged people? What else? Their purchased people. So not only are they created and formed, he says, for I have redeemed thee. The word redeemed there means to ransom, to purchase, to buy, to rescue from captivity. And he did such to that several times over throughout the Old Testament. We see in the nation of Israel, they're sold into captivity and the Lord ransoms them, redeems them, brings them out, frees them. That's why later in these four verses, he says, I give men for you for thy ransom in verse three. And then he says in verse four, therefore will I give men for thee and for the people for thy life. What he means here is that these nations, as he brings his nation out, as he frees them, what do we see often? We see that the nations that were holding Israel start to crumble. Egypt was such a case. They go out, they seek to destroy Israel at the Red Sea. The Lord, of course, that miracle of parting the Red Sea and having them cross over. Then what happens? The Pharaoh's army tries to pursue, and then the Lord has the Red Sea come in upon them and break in upon them. I think that's why we see in the text further In this chapter, if you remember the reading where it talks about the horses and those being extinct in verse 17, which bringeth forth the chariot and the horse, the army and the power, they shall lie down together, they shall not rise, they are extinct, they are quenched as toe. It harkens back to that imagery of that time of the Red Sea when the Egyptian army thought they could pursue and destroy the nation of Israel and the Lord said, no, they're mine. And I'll show you what happens when you go against me." And so he swallows them up in the Red Sea. But what about the other nations? Well, currently at this time of Isaiah's writing, it would have been Babylon, would have been the big captivity, would have been the big power. Well, we see after they're freed, the Babylon goes through several different leadership changes after Nebuchadnezzar and all that you read in Daniel, the account in Daniel. And there's a shift, there's this continual shift and there's these upheavals. And then we see Macedonia rise and Greece rise and all these other powers start to rise. And it's because the Lord is sustaining his people and he's ransoming them. And He doesn't leave those intact that think they have power over His people. And that's beautiful. But what about our own within the church of Christ? Well, are we not redeemed by the blood of Christ? The symbolism that we have in Egypt in these things is that of being in bondage and captivity to sin. And so his blood, his power over that is his blood. And it breaks the bondage of Egypt over us. The sin that keeps us captive, the death that would hold us tight. This is how he redeems his people, how he ransoms his people into the church of Christ. You can think also of this, this term redeemed like that of the kinsman redeemer we read of elsewhere in the Old Testament. That beautiful picture of the nearest kinsman coming and redeeming that which was the inheritance of his family. And this is, of course, Christ for us. This is Christ. He comes and purchases us, buys us with His precious blood. And think of this, friends. He didn't purchase us with silver and gold, with things that we hold dear. He purchased us with His blood, with something better, with something greater and not trivial, a very great price. So what else about this special people? So they're privileged people in their conception and formation and that they are His. This is where his tabernacle resides, where his worship is to be. They are formed into that. They are given all these privileges and those things to the nation that are direct to that nation. Then we see also the purchased people because he's ransomed them and he's freed them from the bondage that they're in. Then we see that there are called people. And he says at the end of verse 1, I have called thee. by thy name, thou art mine. And that's a very wonderful phrase there, thou art mine, you're my possession. We don't have to worry, they don't have to worry. Babylon may make a claim on them for a short period, but he says, you're mine. But then we have in this too, we see, I have called thee. So this calling is a distinguishing them, calling them forth out of the nations around them. They were to be distinguished. That was the whole purpose in how he formed and created the nation. It was for a distinguishing mark. They were not to be just like the rest of the nations around them. That was the whole purpose. That was what we see with the dietary laws and the laws in Leviticus. It was putting a clear marker that they were different than the nations around them. because he was their God, and he was their king, and they were his servants. So in this, he calls them, and it's not just a general calling. We see it's a very special calling. He says, by thy name. He knows their names. He calls them by name. This implies to us that it's personal. There's a personal relationship. He's personally their God. He's not just some aloof entity. No, He's their God. He's their personal God. He's not cold and unfeeling. He knows their state. He is, as we learned this morning, He receives them with compassion. He has grace and mercy for them because they're His people. He knows them. And that's the most wonderful thing. He knows our every whim and our failings and frailties because our Savior has experienced them Himself. Think about that for a minute. When He left the glories of heaven, He came robed in this flesh. And think about the fact that when He was in heaven, He lacked nothing. He was already worshipped. There's no tears, there's no pain, there's no hunger and thirst in heaven. Yet He comes here and fills all those things for our sake. The great God, the lawgiver who came and was born under the law. The great expansive God, the immense God, contracted to a span and the size of a babe. And yet, He did all this for the sake of His people. for the sake of his church and to restoration of that personal relationship that was severed by sin, by our sin, and so has done this for that case. Now, as the church, we're also called, we're a called people. Is that not the effectual calling that goes forth in the gospel? It goes forth, as we were talking of earlier, that the sheep hear his voice and they come forth, they know him, they follow after him, This is also, as we read in 1 Peter, that they are a particular people. They are peculiar people, a distinguished people. They're called forth out of the nations around them into His kingdom, and they're adopted. They're brought into the household of God, into the church of Christ. That's the household of God. Each and every one of us, as we come forth and experience conversion, we're now sons and daughters of God, who is a Father in heaven, and who looks after His people, who's personal. We pray, we come and worship Him, and we have audience with Him, the great Creator of all the universe. That should stoke our hearts, stoke our confidence in this God, in our God, the one who has redeemed us, who has formed us, who has called us. Now what else do we see of this people? They are a preserved people. Here's another foothold of our faith. The nation is in captivity. They're sold off because of their sin. Now we see what? That He's telling them that they're preserved people. They're safe, they're kept in verse 2. He says, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. What a glorious promise do we have here of God. When it passes, we can see how over and over again he says, Fear not. What fear do you have when He gives you such a promise as that? When He says, I'll pass through these things with you. Now we want to look at two things here. We want to look at the waters and the flame. The waters, of course, signify to us these are tribulations. These are those things which can very quickly overwhelm us. Because of what? What do we know of water? Water has, its nature is overflowing and overwhelming. It can go high and swallow up quickly. That is why He uses this and speaks of it as water. And the wonderful thing here too, friends, and a reminder to us all, that He doesn't speak that just because I've called you in your mind and I formed you that you won't experience these things. You will experience these things, but I will go with you. I will be with you in these things. And so we take great confidence in this ourselves. As believers, this is not the prosperity gospel by any means. We don't say, just get Jesus and the rest of your life will be smooth sailing. No. But what we do say is you have a Savior who walks with thee and does not forsake his people. And we think of this these waters as they can overflow and be overwhelming. Let us hearken back to an event in the history of Israel. One, the Red Sea that we've already talked about. What is another one with the waters? Turn with me to Joshua chapter 3. And maybe as he spoke these words, as the prophet read these words to his people, or they read them in their captivity, maybe they thought of these events that we're about to read of. Maybe they thought back to the stories of the Red Sea. But we have another one as they're getting ready to enter into the Promised Land in Joshua chapter 3. So verse 13, we'll read down to 17. And he says, And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above, and they shall stand upon in a heap. And it came to pass that the people were moved from their tents to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people. And as they that bear the ark were coming to Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bear the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest, that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam that is beside Zeratan. And those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed and were cut off. And the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan. And all the Israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. And so this is the account of as they get ready, they're on the eastern side of the Jordan River, they're getting ready to pass over near Jericho to then begin the assault for the promised land, and we see what? The Lord says, did you catch that in verse 15? He says at the end, the paraphrase, for Jordan overfloweth the banks. That means it was full. That means it was flooded. Well, how are they gonna get across? How are they gonna cross? And the Lord says, I'll do a miracle. I'll stop the flow, and you'll cross over on dry land as you did that day in the Red Sea, because you're my people. You're my special people. You're my preserved people. And I've promised you this land, and you will fulfill that which I've promised you." this is that going forth. And we know further from that account, the amazing thing of that also is what happens after they cross over, they get 12 men, they go collect the stones to make the remembrance altar. And so they pluck the stuff off the bottom of the riverbed and take the stones out, even while the river was still held at heaps on each side for them to cross over. This is his preserving of his people. And so even with us, with tribulations and obstacles, the funny thing is I saw it somewhere in social media. I think it's a little trite thing, but you know, God doesn't remove the obstacles. He makes a way through them. And that's what we have here. We have this wonderful thing of how God is opening the way for his people and he keeps with them. He doesn't just leave them to themselves. He doesn't just leave them to go off. He stays with them. And so we have the same promise ourselves. And we think even to the end of life too with this. We were reading the Pilgrim's Progress in our family time on Friday evenings, and I was thinking about the river of death that Pilgrim and them come to at the end of life. They see the celestial city, and there's this great water in front of them. And, of course, Pilgrim gets a little worked up. There's no boat. How are we going to make it? What are we going to do? and faithful, and they, it says, will begin to wade, and they start to swim, and then he sinks. And he's stumbling, and this verse is actually quoted in that text. And when Pilgrim realizes the effect of the promise, it's like he stands up and it was like two feet of water. And that's how it is at the end of life. We have great comfort in our Lord and know that He'll carry us forward over. We don't have anything to fear, not even death. Now, what about this fire? Back in our text, we see fires. The fires represent two things, really. One is afflictions. And fire can be very destructive. It can also be restorative also. That's why we'll look at it in two lights. But first, the destructive aspect. It could be afflictions. They're grievous and troublesome. But then we know with afflictions, what's the purpose of afflictions? Well, they're to get us to look to Him. They get us to stop looking at earthly things and relying on earthly helps to look at Him. And what about the fires? Well, do you remember, friends, the three Hebrew children in Daniel 3? That wonderful account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. and how they wouldn't bow to one of the images that Nebuchadnezzar was setting up. And then what happens? Nebuchadnezzar finds out, he has them arrested, and he says, well, we have a nice fiery furnace that we punish people with. And so he's so angry, he has it heated to an extra high temperature, so hot that the ones tending the fire burn up in it. And then they go and cast these three Hebrew children into the midst of it, And Nebuchadnezzar's getting impatience, wondering what's going on, so he looks down into the midst of the fire, and what does he see? It says, did we not cast three in? There I see four, and one is the likeness of the Son of God. And so he calls in and calls them forth, and they come out. And what does it say in that account, that wonderful account? They said, they didn't even smell like the fire. Their clothes were not even singed. because of the keeping power of their God. And now we, of course, have these records of these miracles for the sake of, we don't see the same thing in life as that is the case, but we do understand these for spiritual aspects, that when there are great and grievous and burning afflictions that come upon us, that we know that we have His faithfulness, and we know that we have Him to keep us. Now, what else about the fire? Well, the fire has restorative properties also. What about purging and purifying? That's what fire does. Turn with me to Malachi chapter 3, and we'll see this aspect of the flames of afflictions. Malachi chapter 3, verses 2 and 3. But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. And so if you're familiar with precious metals, When they go to make jewelry or make something out of those precious metals, they heat very hot that metal, it melts, and then the impurities float to the top. And so they scoop the impurities off. And that's what makes it pure gold or these precious metals. And so, in our own lives, as these afflictions come on us, these grievous, fiery afflictions, what happens? That's what He's doing. He's taking those imperfections off. And He's doing so for our sake, to make us more sanctified in our walk. That we are being purged of the worldliness that's in us. That's the whole point of sanctification. It's getting us closer to glory and getting us ready to meet the river of death. And so, this is part of that fire. So, though they are grievous, though the waters of tribulation and the fire of affliction are grievous, He doesn't leave us, He keeps us, and He goes forth with us. And more so than just keeping us, He, of course, purges and purifies us. This is the wonderful thing. This is the beauty of this promise to us. as we are his preserved people. Now, lastly, here's another foothold of faith. We are the precious people. So he's talking here further to the nation as they're in captivity, and he says, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior, and I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. And so in this, he declares to them that he is their God. Not the false gods of the nations around them. Not the accumulation of those false gods in Babylon. They seem to like collecting the gods of the nations around them. Not any of these. He's not that dumb idol that can't speak or hear or see or touch or do any of those things that can act. He is the one and true living God. The one who is their God. Not another, but theirs. And He's holy, and complete, and perfect, and all-powerful. And this is what He's telling them. This is what He's showing to them. You don't have to worry. You don't have to be concerned. Here is an assurance of my care and concern for you, because I am your God. Not the Babylonians' God, not another God of another nation, but yours. And then we see his nature, part of his nature there is as their Savior. Not only their God, he's not just saying, well, you're gonna worship me while you're in captivity, but he says, you're my people. I'm your God, and I will be your Savior. I have the power over even those nations that I have allowed you to be sold into captivity to. So, in the nature of Him being a Savior, we know that this is temporal and over physical aspects, but also over eternal. And so in this, as we were talking earlier in the introduction, we see that he says he'll give Ethiopia and Saba and Egypt as a ransom for them. This doesn't mean that he kills them physically for Israel's sake. That's not what he's intending there. What he's talking about is that as he frees them from bondage and captivity, these nations, or at least Egypt, those nations would then begin to weaken and to diminish. This harkens back to another account in Israel's history that they would probably have, it would have been glaring in their minds, their remembrance, is that of the 10th plague. The what? Upon their exodus, the 10th plague was the death of the firstborn. That's what was the tipping scale, what the Lord used as the tipping scale to have Pharaoh finally say, enough is enough, send them out. And that's what this hearkens back to. And so, despite the power of these nations, despite the power of their kings and monarchs and their armies, they were no match for God. And as His church, it's the same with us. Not even the gates of hell can stand against the church. Not even Satan himself. We know from the accountant Job that even Satan had to ask permission to touch Job. So we have nothing to fear. We have nothing to lose confidence in our God because He is with us. And not even governments, not even nations, not even fallen angels can separate us, as it says in Romans 8, verse 38 and 39. So He is our God and our Savior, and He has purchased us. And of course, He gathers us into the church. And that's the similarity, the parallel here. And we know that the church will not be overcome. And we don't have to worry. I know at times it looks bleak. We see churches and hear of churches closing. But we don't have to be like some in Christendom that feel like men are not doing enough. We don't have to wring our hands and say, oh, it's just a sad day for the church. No, the Lord's church will continue on until Christ returns. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what kings will rise, what governments will rise, which ones will fall. It doesn't matter. His church will continue on into when He returns for the second time. Now, as His precious people, we are also His prized possession. And he says this in verse four, since thou was precious in my sight, and thou has been honorable, and I have loved thee. And this is a wonderful, as we look at this, this is beautiful because it shows his affection for his people. And they were precious, precious despite what they've done to him. They did nothing but murmur. What did they say when they left Egypt? He's feeding them the manna, he's keeping them, and he says, they go to Moses and says, oh, we want the leeks and cucumbers of bondage. We loathe the light bread. Yet they're still his precious people. And despite our sins, we're precious in his sight. That means highly valued, highly esteemed. And we know that this is the case because He was willing to strike His own Son and curse Him for our sake. By His stripes we are healed. And this is another assurance of God's concern for them because He flatly tells them, you're precious, you're mine. Now, in that preciousness, the beautiful thing too is it wasn't anything in them that merited it. Same with us. When he was choosing his people, he didn't look down through history and say, well, or through the future and say, well, that one's more susceptible to grace than the other. No, he said, these are mine, and they will hear my voice, and they will respond to the effectual call. This is the pulling forth and calling forth by name. There was nothing in me, friends. There was nothing in you. It was just that he set his sight on you, and you were precious in his sight. and he was going to purchase you. And then, of course, he makes them honorable because they are precious. This doesn't mean that he makes them righteous or holy or any of that into that effect, but it means that he's treated them well because he treats them well because they're his people and they're precious. We think about how many of us, if you buy something at great cost, you don't neglect it. You don't tear it up. If you have children, young children, we teach that often. If you have a certain toy and it's a very high cost, you don't tear it up. And so this is the case with our God. He purchased us with a very great and precious price. And He treats us well, He favors us. And then how else were they honored, the nation of Israel? He gave them the truths of His religion. He established His word among them. and established them to be His inheritance, and to worship Him, and to have His presence. And so the church today, we have the same thing. We are precious. We are the bride of Christ, and we're purchased, and He has honored us because we have His word, and His Holy Spirit resides within His people. And this is how we know and have assurance of His care and concern for His people, for His church. What else? He tells them that they're loved. And we know of this love, friends. We know how it is so strong. Though their love may wane and come, as all of ours does, but we know His doesn't. We know that His is fixed and it's all around us and insulating us and we cannot be severed from it. And how do we know this love? We know, as I said earlier, that His Son came. That His Son came and lived a sinless and perfect life and then went to the cross and then rose again on the third day. all for our sake, because He loved us. He doesn't do just by telling us that He loves us, instead He shows us, because all throughout the Scriptures we see it. And here we go, there's one account where He's actually telling us, but we know from throughout the rest of the Scriptures that that's backed up by how He operates and how He treats His people, because they are precious in His prized possession. And so if he would love them and set his sights upon them and treat them right and purchase them with such a high price, then he's not going to neglect them. In the midst of troubles and tribulations and afflictions, he's not going to neglect them. In the midst of captivity and bondage, he's not going to neglect them. And we have this assurance. And we know that even in the church today, we can have these same assurances because we are His special possession. He has purchased us. He has brought us forth out of the world, distinguished us, and has showed His care and concern through His Word to us. This is the assurance we have in our God. Now, the Israelites may Maybe they were at a point in the captivity. Maybe they were saying, well, is God still concerned with us? Is God still concerned with Israel? And oftentimes, sometimes in the deepest of trials and tribulations, maybe we come to the same questions. But we don't have to. We don't have to feel cast off. We don't have to feel like we're falling away because we just look to Him. We look to God. And He's given us plenty of assurances and firm footholds of faith for us to rest our feet on, to settle on, and to continue on the way. And this is wonderful because we often have trouble understanding that God is still with us. We often feel forsaken, but He gives us these promises. He says, in the waters, I will be with you. They will not overtake you. And when you walkest through the fires, I will be with you. And they will not burn thee or overwhelm thee. And so this is the promise we have of our God. And we know that He can keep it because He is the God, the Holy One, the Savior of His people. And He is the sovereign God and He has all power. And also the fact that we know that He will be with us is because we're precious. And He has purchased us with a very high cost. And He would not neglect that because we are precious. And He has set His love and affection upon us with the apple of His eye. And so He will keep us and help us. So let us not doubt God's care and concern. Amen.