FINDING NEW STRENGTH IN THE LORD
Isaiah 40:28-31
This prophecy of Isaiah is during a very dark time in the nation of Judah. God had delivered them from the Assyrian Army decades ago, but Judah has continued in sin and been judged. Isaiah had prophesied and it is now happening that Babylon has come to destroy them and taking every thing of value and beauty from them. There sins were many, worshiping idols and immorality. But, in this passage God is telling them that they have sinned in trusting in their own strength and in their political alliances instead of trusting in Him.
Out of the darkest of times in the life of Judah, God’s Word comes as a message of hope to them thru Isaiah.
Are in your own dark place right now. You’re struggling under a load that is killing you. You’ve tried everything you know to do, but still you feel there is no hope. You don’t know what to do! If this describes your situation, hold on and listen, God has a Word 4 you.
Isaiah is giving us 3 truths today to restore hope!
1. OUR GOD IS POWERFULLY ABLE.
Is 40:28a Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Isaiah is excited about something good. He wants to share some awesome news. It reminds me of a girl that has just gotten a ring and proposal of marriage. She wants to tell everybody.
* Isaiah’s news is much better. His news is that there is hope for those who are living in defeat. Broken-hearted. Weary of the struggle.
Those that feel there is no hope and no use to even try again.
Those whose problems and burdens are to big to solve.
* What is this news?
A. Our God is Powerful.
Is 40:28b The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
In 1934, Dizzy Dean was being interviewed before baseball season. He predicted that he and his brother Daffy would win 45 games between them and his team (Cardinals) would win the world series. A reporter admonished him for bragging. Dizzy responded that “it ain’t bragging if you can do it.” They won 49 games between them and did win the World Series. They were known as “The Gas House Gang”.
* Isaiah, here, is bragging on God. It is a sin to brag about yourself, but it isn’t a sin to brag about God. And, He can always back it up!
What are God’s attributes that Isaiah mentions?
1. Everlasting God- the only God there’s ever been or will be!
2. The Lord- He is Supreme and everything is under His authority.
3. The Creator- if He created it, He owns it.
4. All Powerful- never tires. Always able.
5. He is Wisdom personified- cannot be understood by finite creatures. We are only able to understand of Him what He chooses to reveal.
B. Our God wants to share His Power with us.
Is 40:29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
God is not content to merely hold onto His power within Himself. He takes great delight in empowering His children to do the works of God.
* He took Moses, a weak man unable to even speak well, and gave him the power to part the waters so Israel could walk across on dry land.
* He empowered a normal man, Samson, to destroy thousands of His enemies single handedly.
* He transformed the teenage boy, David, into a giant-killer.
** God takes great pleasure in empowering the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
** The Devil trembles with fear at the thought of a Baptized, born again believer that is anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. OUR FLESH IS MISERABLY WEAK.
Is 40:30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
In vs 29, Isaiah told us God offers His strength to us.
We often fail God in 2 ways when we operate in own power.
(1) We give out. We can only do things in our own strength for so long before we grow weary and tired.
(2) We Stumble badly. We fall into sin because of pride, discourage,
Gal 6:8-9 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
3. WE FIND NEW STRENGTH IN THE LORD.
Is 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
God is promising us His power at work in our lives, but it comes with a single condition: that we “wait on the Lord.”
What does this mean?
* not merely sitting around waiting and doing nothing.
* “Waiting on the Lord” means we have an attitude and practice of living in complete dependance on the Lord and a willingness to allow Him to determine our path in life.
* You have a choice in life. You can do it your own way or God’s way. Look at your life up to now. Has it always been smooth sailing doing it your own way? Why not try His way for a change?
3 Kinds of strength that God promises those that “wait on the Lord”?
(1). Spiritual Renewal. (Wings of Eagles)
Have you ever watched an Eagle fly? They go way up high. They rarely flap their wings up there. They spread their wings and soar along being kept uplifted by the winds under their wings. Their flight is effortless.
* The Hebrew word for Spirit is “wind”. As a believer, the Holy Spirit lifts you up and supports you. You have the choice of struggling thru life in your own power and strength or allowing the Holy Spirit to lift you up to places higher than you could ever imagine. And, He makes the flight for us to demand less effort and is more peaceful.
(2). Strength to Serve. (Run the Race)
Dad came home from work and his little boy met him at the car and said “Hey Daddy, today I beat a snake!”
Dad asked, “Did you beat him with a rock or with a stick?”
Son said, “I beat him running!”
Paul often compared our lives of serving Christ with that of running a race. He said of himself that he strived to serve in such a way that he would win the prize that Christ would award him. It’s sad to see how many well-meaning Christians have stopped “running the race”. They served for some time, but somewhere along the way, they just quit. Maybe they got discouraged, maybe they took their eye off the ball and became worldly. Whatever the reason, they quit running the race.
* Paul wrote to the Galatians and admonished them for not serving Christ like they once did. He told them.......
Gal 5:7-8 7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
* What about you? Do you still feel the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and ministry? Are you still faithfully serving Him?
Or have you drifted away and no longer running the race, no longer serving Him?
* The answer is found in coming back to Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe new strength into your life so that you can serve Him in His anointing. Don’t allow yourself be ashamed at the coming of Christ by finding you unfaithful and not serving Him.
(3). Strength to Finish the Course. (The Walk of Life)
There is a reason I prepared this sermon to preach today. Gloria asked me on Friday did I have my sermon topic ready to put in the bulletin. My reply was a 4 word sentence.... “No, I am pathetic.”
You see, this summer has been difficult for us. Surgery, pain, confinement, narcotic pain relievers, etal have all combined to bring me to a place of depression. Not sadness, really, but it has taken away all my motivation. All my inspiration. All my desire.
This is what stress and the pains of this world can do to the believer. Maybe your going thru something similar. Maybe you feel like you just can’t go on, wanting to quit. What is the answer.
It came to me by reading my response to Gloria.... It caused me to realize the funk that I was in and how I can’t make it on my own. So, I admitted my fault to myself and to God and searched Scripture for my answer. I found it here in Isaiah 40.
I recognized my complete dependance on the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him to spiritually renew me so that I can finish the course.
In 2 Timothy, Paul talked about finishing well. He knew he only had a short time to live and soon he would go home to heaven to be with Jesus. All that mattered to him, was finishing well. He said that all his life he served God with all his heart and now he could die without any regrets. He had done his best.
2 Tim 4:6-8 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
How about you? Are you still walking in faith in the Lord? Are you serving Him faithfully? When you are about to enter thru death's door, will you be able to do so without regret, knowing you have finished the course well?
It's not too late. If you've taken a detour in life, call out to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you. to restore you. to give you the power in the Holy Spirit to serve Him again and to finish well.
