I Will Soar Series

INTRODUCTION

Praise the Lord and welcome to our New Year Service message “I will Soar”. I am sure 2018 was a great year for some of you. Some of you made great progress. For some, it was a year of challenges, struggles, and pain. However, within a few minutes, we are going to say goodbye to this year, and yet another new year is going to welcome us. Therefore, shall we lift our hands and thank God for this year? Through it, God has been faithful. Seasons have come and gone but God has been good to us. God is the same yesterday, today, and even in the New Year. He will lead us successfully in the New Year and you will gladly say, “I will soar”.

Isaiah 40:30-31

30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

God is promising us a word of hope for the new year, “My people are going to sore high in 2019.” Somebody says, “I will soar.”

Soar means to fly or rise high.

You are going to soar high in your spiritual life. You are going to soar in your ministry. God is going to take you to new heights. You are going to soar in your professional life. You are going to soar in your family.

The book of Isaiah focuses on the theme of salvation and the future blessing of God’s people. Now, Isaiah is prophesying this prophecy to the children of Israel not when they are going through a good time. The first 39 chapters focus on God’s judgment because of Judah’s sins. With Isaiah chapter 40 begins the second section of this book and the theme here is God’s comfort to his people. Judah was taken into Babylon as a captive because of their sin. Life has been tough. In captivity, Isaiah is prophesying God’s comfort and favor upon the suffering people of God.

WHAT IS GOD’S PROMISE TO SUFFERING PEOPLE? (I WILL SOAR)

Isaiah 40:31

…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

God is saying, “I have plans to prosper you. You will soar on high.”

GOD’S INITIATIVE FOR HIS PEOPLE (I WILL SOAR)

We find in this chapter God is taking the initiative to come to his people to help them. See the initiative God takes:

1. GOD’S COMFORT (I WILL SOAR)

God takes the initiative to comfort his people.

Isaiah 40:1

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

In the previous 39 chapters, God warned Israel. The Assyrian threat forms the background for the first 39 chapters. Isaiah wants people to know that God can be trusted even when the enemies are at the doorstep. Isaiah 40 is the next section. Consequently, the Babylonians conquered Judah and people were taken into captivity. They are strangers in a new land. So wanted his people to receive his comfort. See how the passage starts, “Comfort, comfort my people.” God is a God of comfort. Today God is coming to you with his words of comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3

…Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. The new year is going to be a year of God’s comfort for you. God is promising his comfort to you.

STEPS OF GOD’S COMFORT (I WILL SOAR)

Isaiah 40:2

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.

A. GOD IS SPEAKING TO OUR HEARTS (I WILL SOAR)

You have gone through pain in 2018, you have gone through the loss of a loved one, and maybe you were rejected but God is speaking tenderly to you as a young man speaks to his lover. He loves you. He cares about you. God is feeling for your pain.

B. YOUR WARFARE HAS ENDED (I WILL SOAR)

Isaiah 40:2

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed…

Every struggle that you have gone through, every battle that was waged against you has ended. God is going to take over your battle. God is giving you victory. The battle is still there, but for the believer, the battle has ended, because he will fight the battle for you.

Romans 8:37

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

C. YOUR INIQUITY HAS BEEN PARDONED

Isaiah 40:2

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.