00:00:01 I’d like to talk
00:00:02 about a very common expression
00:00:05 in the Bible.
00:00:06 The expression is:
00:00:08 “I am with you.”
00:00:11 Thirteen times it’s attributed to a statement from Jehovah.
00:00:16 Three times it’s something that Jesus said
00:00:19 to one or more of his disciples.
00:00:22 Of course, there are dozens of other times
00:00:26 that the same sentiment is expressed using similar wording.
00:00:31 Few things in the world equal the joy humans experience
00:00:36 than the birth of a child.
00:00:38 As children grow up,
00:00:40 they are sometimes exposed to situations
00:00:43 that tend to cause nervousness
00:00:45 or even fear.
00:00:48 So a parent may occasionally feel compelled
00:00:51 to reassure a child:
00:00:53 “Have no fear; I am with you.”
00:00:58 Jehovah loves his servants as if they were his children.
00:01:02 Likewise, at John 13:1,
00:01:06 Jesus’ feelings for his disciples are well expressed.
00:01:10 There it says:
00:01:12 “Jesus, having loved his own who were in the world,
00:01:16 loved them to the end.”
00:01:19 So when we face fears,
00:01:22 trials, or causes for anxiety,
00:01:25 both our heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus,
00:01:28 reassuringly say, “I am with you.”
00:01:33 Think of the righteous man Noah.
00:01:36 Genesis 6:9 says
00:01:38 that “Noah walked with the true God.”
00:01:42 There’s no doubt that Jehovah was with Noah.
00:01:46 He preserved him and his family through the Flood.
00:01:50 Afterward, Jehovah further proved he was with Noah.
00:01:55 In Genesis chapter 9, Jehovah said:
00:01:57 ‘I am now establishing my covenant with you:
00:02:01 ‘Never again will all flesh be destroyed
00:02:04 by the waters of a flood.’
00:02:06 Jehovah could have made that determination
00:02:09 and promised himself that he wouldn’t do that again,
00:02:13 but instead, he reached out to Noah
00:02:16 and reassured him that he was with him
00:02:20 by making the rainbow covenant with Noah and his offspring.
00:02:27 Using similar terminology,
00:02:29 Jehovah indicated that he was with Abraham,
00:02:33 Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,
00:02:35 Moses, Joshua, and Gideon.
00:02:38 They were all individuals whom Jehovah was pleased with,
00:02:43 so he reassured them that he was with them.
00:02:48 How about for a group of people?
00:02:50 Is Jehovah moved to feel the same way
00:02:53 toward a large crowd of his servants collectively?
00:02:59 Please find with me Exodus 6:6, 7.
00:03:08 The whole nation of Israel
00:03:10 was experiencing severe trials
00:03:12 and suffering as slaves in Egypt.
00:03:16 Notice Jehovah’s reassurance to the vast number of people.
00:03:21 Verses 6 and 7 state:
00:03:23 “Therefore, say to the Israelites:
00:03:27 “‘I am Jehovah,
00:03:29 “‘and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians
00:03:33 “‘and rescue you from their slavery,
00:03:37 “‘and I will reclaim you with an outstretched arm
00:03:40 “‘and with great judgments.
00:03:42 “‘And I will take you in as my people, and I will be your God,
00:03:46 “‘and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah your God
00:03:49 who is bringing you out from under the burdens of Egypt.’”
00:03:54 If that great, mixed group of people would follow his leadings,
00:03:58 he said he’d ‘take them in’ and he ‘would be their God.’
00:04:02 What was he saying?
00:04:04 He was reassuring them:
00:04:07 “I will be with you,”
00:04:09 and he was.
00:04:11 For forty years in the wilderness, he was with them
00:04:15 —feeding them, providing water for them,
00:04:18 ensuring that their clothes and sandals would not wear out,
00:04:22 protecting them from poisonous snakes, and so forth.
00:04:27 And later, when entering the land of promise,
00:04:30 he protected them during enemy warfare.
00:04:35 Jehovah promised to be with and to support
00:04:39 the kings of Israel
00:04:41 as long as they heeded his commandments and direction.
00:04:45 King Solomon was told:
00:04:48 “Jehovah [your] God . . . will not desert you or abandon you,
00:04:52 but he will be with you.”
00:04:56 King Asa was informed:
00:04:59 “Jehovah is with you as long as you remain with him.”
00:05:05 When faced with overwhelming enemy forces,
00:05:09 King Jehoshaphat was told:
00:05:11 “Tomorrow go out against them, and Jehovah will be with you.”
00:05:17 Jehovah also proved to be with the many prophets
00:05:21 that he sent out in his name.
00:05:23 Just one example is Jeremiah.
00:05:26 Imagine if you had Jeremiah’s assignment.
00:05:30 Suppose you had been directed to deliver
00:05:33 a scathing denunciation and judgment
00:05:36 against wicked kings, corrupt priests, and false prophets.
00:05:40 How would you feel?
00:05:42 underqualified?
00:05:44 Would you feel like a little child
00:05:47 challenging a whole group of evil grown-ups?
00:05:52 Notice how Jeremiah felt as he expressed himself
00:05:56 at Jeremiah 1:6:
00:06:02 “But I said: ‘Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah!
00:06:05 I do not know how to speak, for I am just a boy.’”
00:06:11 What were Jehovah’s reassuring words in reply?
00:06:15 Jeremiah 1:8, 9:
00:06:18 “‘Do not be afraid
00:06:20 “‘because of their appearance, for “I am with you to save you,”
00:06:24 “declares Jehovah.’
00:06:26 “Then Jehovah stretched out his hand and touched my mouth.
00:06:29 “And Jehovah said to me: ‘I have put my words in your mouth.’”
00:06:35 If Jehovah put the words that you were to say “in your mouth,”
00:06:40 you’d no longer feel like a little child, would you?
00:06:44 We don’t think of Jeremiah as being an incredible superman;
00:06:49 he was a human like us.
00:06:51 It’s of interest that though Jeremiah lived in another time and place,
00:06:56 he faced situations similar to those we face.
00:07:02 We interact with different types of people
00:07:04 in our daily life, at work, and at school.
00:07:09 Some of them can be intimidating.
00:07:12 And like Jeremiah,
00:07:14 Jehovah has commissioned us to go to strangers and preach.
00:07:19 We share the good news of the Kingdom.
00:07:22 Some are interested; others are just plain apathetic.
00:07:27 But at times, we may come across someone who is angry
00:07:31 and may even be threatening.
00:07:34 This is the time to remember Jeremiah.
00:07:38 Though initially timid,
00:07:41 he courageously faced
00:07:43 the challenge of an intimidating response.
00:07:47 How did he rally to the occasion?
00:07:50 It was because Jehovah had reassured him:
00:07:54 “I am with you.”
00:07:57 He said: “I have put my words in your mouth.”
00:08:03 Does Jehovah do something similar for us?
00:08:08 Yes.
00:08:09 Long after Jeremiah and the other faithful ones
00:08:12 who are recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures came and went,
00:08:17 Jehovah has proved to be with true Christians,
00:08:20 both past and present.
00:08:24 Find with me John chapter 8.
00:08:31 Think of Jesus.
00:08:33 It’s true he was a perfect man,
00:08:35 but did Jehovah leave him all alone?
00:08:38 At John 8:16, what did Jesus himself say?
00:08:43 “And yet even if I do judge, my judgment is truthful,
00:08:48 “because I am not alone,
00:08:50 but the Father who sent me is with me.”
00:08:54 We might be thinking of that intimidating person in the ministry.
00:08:59 Even if you are facing the person without a fellow Witness standing beside you,
00:09:04 are you really all alone?
00:09:07 Jesus knew that at the most stressful
00:09:11 and emotionally draining time
00:09:14 during his human life,
00:09:16 his disciples would leave him all alone.
00:09:19 But was he really alone?
00:09:23 Let’s read the inspired account
00:09:26 at John 16:32.
00:09:28 Again, these are Jesus’ own words:
00:09:31 “Look! The hour is coming, indeed, it has come,
00:09:35 “when each one of you will be scattered to his own house
00:09:39 “and you will leave me alone.
00:09:41 “But I am not alone,
00:09:44 because the Father is with me.”
00:09:47 Jesus was not alone during his most anxious moments.
00:09:51 Jehovah was with him.
00:09:54 If you think you are alone
00:09:57 standing at the door of an irritated householder,
00:10:00 think again.
00:10:02 Jehovah is with you.
00:10:04 You have more with you
00:10:06 than if you had your whole congregation
00:10:09 standing in the person’s front yard.
00:10:14 Well, why did Jesus share
00:10:17 this precious insight with us?
00:10:20 Look at the next verse.
00:10:22 Jesus explains his reason for saying what he did.
00:10:26 John 16:33:
00:10:29 “I have said these things to you
00:10:32 “so that by means of me you may have peace.
00:10:35 “In the world you will have tribulation,
00:10:38 “but take courage!
00:10:40 I have conquered the world.”
00:10:43 We thank Jesus for addressing
00:10:45 our fears and concerns when giving a witness.
00:10:49 Instead of trembling with fear,
00:10:52 he shared his confidence in Jehovah’s support
00:10:55 so that we “may have peace.”
00:10:58 He acknowledged that we would face tribulation,
00:11:02 but he said that we could look at his example
00:11:05 and have courage to deal with the tribulation.
00:11:08 Why?
00:11:10 Jesus said in verse 32
00:11:12 that it was because ‘the Father was with him.’
00:11:17 Do you recall that Jehovah told Jeremiah:
00:11:20 “I have put my words in your mouth?”
00:11:23 Can Jehovah do the same for us
00:11:27 when we are opposed by unbelievers?
00:11:31 The Christian Greek Scriptures answer with a resounding yes!
00:11:37 Please follow along with the reading
00:11:39 of the book of Mark chapter 13,
00:11:44 and please notice that the setting Jesus describes
00:11:48 is in the ministry, preaching the good news.
00:11:53 Maybe you’ve had a good morning in service,
00:11:56 but then you take one more door.
00:11:59 The person is irate and even calls the police.
00:12:03 What should you do?
00:12:05 What will you say when the police arrive?
00:12:09 You don’t have to be overly concerned.
00:12:13 Why not?
00:12:14 Because similar to Jeremiah,
00:12:17 Jehovah will, in effect, put His words in your mouth.
00:12:22 Mark 13:10, 11 says:
00:12:27 “Also, in all the nations, the good news has to be preached first.
00:12:32 “And when they are taking you to hand you over,
00:12:36 “do not be anxious beforehand about what to say;
00:12:40 “but whatever is given you in that hour, say this,
00:12:44 “for you are not the ones speaking,
00:12:48 but the holy spirit is.”
00:12:51 By this, do we mean that Jehovah
00:12:54 will miraculously put words in your mouth for you to say?
00:12:59 Not necessarily.
00:13:01 Did you notice verse 11 said
00:13:04 that “the holy spirit” is the one speaking?
00:13:08 You’ve been taught the basis for your faith from the Scriptures,
00:13:13 and you know the reason that you teach the Bible’s message.
00:13:18 That’s all stored in your mind.
00:13:22 So, what’s the holy spirit’s role
00:13:24 when we are in an intimidating situation
00:13:28 when sharing the good news?
00:13:31 Jehovah is with you.
00:13:34 He uses his holy spirit to bring to the surface
00:13:38 some of those precious gems that might be buried in your mind.
00:13:43 You may be amazed at what you remember
00:13:46 when put under pressure by the authorities
00:13:49 or even by outright opposers.
00:13:53 In this way, Jehovah is with you.
00:13:57 Add to the fact that Jesus is with you in the disciple-making work.
00:14:04 Let’s be reminded of this very encouraging thought
00:14:09 at Matthew 28:19, 20.
00:14:14 Jesus was discussing our commission
00:14:17 to preach, teach, and make disciples.
00:14:20 And how does he conclude the Bible book of Matthew?
00:14:23 Let’s read Matthew 28:19, 20:
00:14:29 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations,
00:14:34 “baptizing them in the name of the Father
00:14:37 “and of the Son and of the holy spirit,
00:14:40 “teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.
00:14:45 “And look! I am with you all the days
00:14:48 until the conclusion of the system of things.”
00:14:52 Jesus said that he is with us now
00:14:56 when we are making disciples and teaching people the truth.
00:15:00 And he promises he’ll support us in this important work
00:15:05 until the end of this wicked system of things.
00:15:09 As prophesied, during this time of the conclusion of the system,
00:15:14 we are being persecuted in different areas of the world.
00:15:19 As the Scriptures show, Satan and his angels
00:15:23 are “misleading the entire inhabited earth.”
00:15:26 Recently, Jehovah’s people have been persecuted in Russia.
00:15:31 But will the persecution
00:15:33 succeed in eliminating
00:15:35 true worship in that area of the world?
00:15:38 No!
00:15:40 Why not?
00:15:41 It’s because Jehovah is with them.
00:15:45 He and Jesus promised: “I am with you.”
00:15:51 Russia did not learn from the past.
00:15:53 It will prove to be the same for them
00:15:56 as it was for Nazi Germany under Hitler.
00:15:59 Hitler thought his regime
00:16:01 could eradicate true worship and God’s people
00:16:05 from areas under their control.
00:16:07 But they made a big mistake.
00:16:09 While it is true that they murdered some 2,000 brothers,
00:16:14 in the end, their scheme ended up in failure.
00:16:17 Why?
00:16:19 Because God was with us, not with them.
00:16:25 “God with us”
00:16:27 —those words have decorated national emblems
00:16:30 and even the uniforms of soldiers of Prussia
00:16:34 and the Czarist Russian Empire.
00:16:36 These words were also on the belts of German troops
00:16:40 when they marched into Belgium in the year 1914 of our Common Era.
00:16:45 But they had it wrong!
00:16:48 The Sovereign Lord Jehovah was with us, not with them.
00:16:53 He’s with all of us now.
00:16:56 He’ll be with us during Armageddon.
00:16:59 He’ll be with us after Armageddon.
00:17:01 He’ll be with us at the end of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ.
00:17:06 He’ll be with mankind at the end of 100,000 years.
00:17:11 He’ll be with humans at the end of 100 million years
00:17:15 and at the end of 100 million years times 100 million years.
00:17:21 Jehovah will be with mankind forever,
00:17:24 and so will Jesus!
00:17:26 They are both on record as saying:
00:17:29 “I am with you”!
