Introduction

Good morning, church family. It's a joy to be with you on this blessed day, a day that the Lord has made, a day where we have the privilege to gather together and worship our God. Today, we are turning our hearts and minds to the book of Isaiah, specifically chapter 40, verse 31. Isaiah, a man called by God to speak His words to His people, a man who painted with words the grandeur of God's majesty, His justice, His mercy, and His unfailing love.

In this particular verse, Isaiah tells us, "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." A promise, a reassurance, a call to lean on God, to hope in Him, and in doing so, find our strength renewed, our spirits lifted, our hearts comforted.

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind. We are useless." How true this is, my friends. How vital it is for us to grasp this truth, to understand that our hope, our strength, our very life comes not from our own efforts, but from the Spirit of God.

Hope in God's Promises

When we think about the promises of God, we are often drawn to the comforting, the reassuring, the uplifting. The promise of eternal life, of forgiveness of sins, of peace that surpasses understanding. But what does it mean to truly hope in these promises? To not just believe in them, but to put our full trust, our full confidence, our full expectation in them? This is the question that Isaiah poses to us in this verse.

The thing to note is that hope in God's promises is active. It involves not just believing in God's promises, but also acting on that belief. This means that we are to live our lives in a way that reflects our hope in God's promises. We are to make decisions, speak, and treat others in line with our hope in God's promises.

Next, hope in God's promises is done in community. We are to share our hope in God's promises with others. We are to encourage others in their hope in God's promises. We are to bear witness to the fulfillment of God's promises in our own lives, so that others might be encouraged to hope in God's promises as well. This means that we are a source of hope for others who exist in the darkness. This is our testimony to the watching world. We have tasted of the power of God's promises and the reality of His love.

This leads us to the idea that hope in God's promises is not a static thing. It is not something that we achieve once and then move on from. Rather, it is something that we are to cultivate and grow in our lives. We are to continually deepen our hope in God's promises, to continually strengthen our trust in His faithfulness, to continually increase our expectation of His goodness. We are to be continually seeking God, drawing near to Him, and immersing ourselves in His Word. We are to be continually reminding ourselves of His promises.

Lastly, hope in God's promises has both tangible and eternal consequences. When we hope in God's promises, we are not just engaging in wishful thinking. Rather, we are aligning ourselves with the very purposes of God, with the very heart of God, with the very will of God. When we hope in God's promises, we are participating in the unfolding of God's plan for the world. We are contributing to the advancement of His kingdom. We are playing a part in the realization of His purposes.

Healing Through Faith

As we continue to reflect on Isaiah 40:31, we find ourselves drawn to the promise of renewal, a renewal that comes through faith ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO