God Strengthens Series

OPEN: The Civil War went on for 4 long years, and at one point President Lincoln was asked if God was on the side of the Union. He replied: “I am not at all concerned about that, for we know that the Lord is always on the side of right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and the nation should choose to be on the Lord’s side.”

Our favorite passage for this week is found in Isaiah 40:30-31 (in fact this is one of my favs) “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Now, there are people who tend to look at passages like this and see them as saying that God is “ON THEIR SIDE.” Too many people see God as serving them… rather than the other way around.

ILLUS: In our newsletter this month, I compared that kind of thinking to buying INSURANCE. I have car insurance, house insurance and life insurance, and I bought those policies “just in case.” I mean, who plans to wreck their car or have their house burn down. We buy the insurance “just in case those things happen. And frankly, I have no plans to die any time soon but I bought the life insurance … “just in case” it happens.

Now, there are some people who do the same thing with their relationship with God. They get baptized to get “fire insurance” (fire/hell, get it?). They get baptized to escape hell but really have no intention of changing their lives. Or they go to church, as a kind of insurance policy to get God’s blessings. But they have no intention of doing more than showing up on Sundays. They just want to be there in case God is handing out blessings that day… and they want some.

Isaiah 40:30-31 says “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

So if I want God’s strength, there are a few things I need to do. 1st – I have to understand my need for God’s help. And I have to believe He can supply that need. Notice, the promise is for those who are faint and weary… who have no strength. They KNOW they can’t make it on their own and so they’re looking for God to help them in their lives

Jesus said something very similar to us in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

He knows how frustrating life can be. He knows there are times when life is just… NOT good. Times when we feel so burdened we don’t think we can “go on.”

And Jesus says “I know about that… just COME TO ME. I can do stuff in your life. I can help you carry your burdens. I can give you strength! But you have to COME to ME! You have to believe I can do stuff.”

Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

He rewards us when we seek Him

So (PAUSE) I have to believe that I NEED His help, and I have to believe He’ll REWARD me when I seek His help. But I can’t come to Him looking for fire insurance. It’s pretty much all or nothing. In the Old Testament 2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us “The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

God’s promise of strength is given ONLY to those who have already decided to be FULLY His.

Romans 10:9 tells us it’s the same with our salvation: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

To confess Jesus as LORD… you’re saying that He now owns you and everything you have. To become a Christian means to be fully committed to /owned by Christ. It’s all or nothing. But ONCE you’ve done that… once you’ve turned it ALL over to Him, NOW you have the promise of His strength and His comfort.