It's Spring Again

Introduction:

This is the first week of Spring

- Spring is a time synonymous with new life…with renewal…and with new life

- Seeds which had laid dormant in the ground during the difficult months of winter, begin to germinate in new beautiful flowers and plants…

- Animals give birth during Spring, so it’s a time of new life…

- Birds that had flown away to warmer regions during winter arrive at Spring and their songs fill the air…

- The weather begins to warm up…

- The air seems crisper and clearer…

- Our Heavenly Father above created these seasonal changes so that life on Earth would go on and would be abundant…

- Spring is a busy time for the farmer; Rain falls and nourishes the earth as he sows his crops….

- Spring brings about a refreshing of the earth….

- I can go on talking about the physical and natural aspects of Spring, but our purpose this morning is to focus on the spiritual and the eternal

- As our text indicates today, today is a time for renewal

- And as we stand here on the first Sunday of Spring, God is speaking to us about new beginning because we are entering a new season

- A new season with God is when He prepares to launch us to a new level

Summary: What can we do in order to allow God’s new things to "burst forth" in our life?

Exegesis: The faith and hope of God’s people was at such a low point during their Babylonian captivity that they constantly needed assurance that things would eventually turn around for them. Throughout the book of Isaiah these assurances are often repeated over and over again using different word pictures to describe God’s love for them. Going back to the beginning of the chapter, the Lord spoke to His people by saying, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned...for I am the Lord, YOUR God” (verses 1,2). In many ways he assures them that He will find a way to break the power of the oppressors over them. They had a hard time believing it.

In today’s section of scripture he uses different word pictures to reassure them that changes are about to take place.

Today, let’s see what we can get out of this scripture that will help us move forward in our walk with the Lord.

1. Looking to the Past:

Isaiah reminds the people of the great things God did for their forefathers when He brought them out of Egypt. He is saying, “He will make it His business to do it again for you.” He is the Holy One of Israel and He is able to do it. Although this generation was in a different situation, the Lord could make a way in the wilderness as well as a way through the Red Sea. The same power of God that can make a way through the sea can make a way in our wilderness as well. Sometimes we are able to believe that God can do SOME things but that He CAN’T or WON’T do other things in our lives. We think, “I don’t see how he can possibly do this because it is a problem of long standing. I can’t SEE HOW it can work out. It is important for us to look to the past to see that God was able in similar circumstances to handle the big problems as well as the small ones. To realize that He can handle the impossible situations as well as the easy ones. His Word is true and he knows how to handle our troubles. Take a look at some of the previous problems you faced in your life. You thought you would never get out of your “Egypt,” or your “Babylon”--but God made a way. He has all authority to make good on His promises. You can see that He kept His promises to you.

STORY: Our Thinking vs. God’s Promises

A few decades ago two shoe salesmen were sent to Nigeria to survey the country for the possibility of building a shoe factory. The first man came back and said, “Few people here wear shoes so there is little need to build a new shoe factory in Nigeria.” The second came back and said, “This is the greatest opportunity we have ever had. Everybody I saw needs a good pair of shoes.” Isn’t it interesting? They both had the same facts available to them, but they had entirely different conclusions.