I need not pause to suggest how delighted I am to be in your midst. My prayer is that God will grant you the desires of your hearts and mature you in Christlikeness.
I want to use this Preaching Moment to highlite this headline: Transitional Theology. The Text I have tagged and targeted for Teaching if Isaiah 40:28-31.
Times were Very Hard for Israel. She was experiencing PERIOD OF Transition filled with Uncertainty. The Northern Kingdom of Samaria had lost her war with Assyria and as a result, has lost her kingdom. These Israelites were then exiled from their homeland; they were on the run fleeing for their lives. And then in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, there were temporary governments in place, a succession of transitional kings. As a result, there were constant revolts, wars, chaos and death was everywhere! The present was peopled with perplexity and the future seemed filled with uncertainty. So in verse 27 they began to question their theological belief in God. Some said, “My way is hid from the Lord,” and others said “my judgment is passed over from my God.” They questioned God’s omniscience and His ability to act in history.
And so, onto the stage of Transition enters the Prophet Isaiah with LOGOS FROM THEOS - A Word from God! In verse 28, he asks Two Rhetorical Questions which he expected to be answered in the Affirmative, “Yes.”
He asks: “Hast thou not known?” Surely you are not ignorant; your forefathers told you, so you know! He asks: “Hast thou not heard?” Surely you have heard proclaimed from priests and prophets regarding Israel’s Theological Beliefs about God.
So Isaiah says: You have both known and heard “that the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding.” The prophets corrects their theological interpretation of their situation and says: Its not that your way is hid from the Lord nor that your judgment is passed over from your God. He says, let me offer you a Word from God during this transitional period!
Now it is my firm belief that in the midst of Transition and Uncertainty, the Prophetic Pastor must have a Logos about Theos regarding the Ethos of the Times. He must have a Word about God regarding the Mood of the Times! There must be a Word about God that strengthens the faith of fainting believers during Times of Transition and Uncertainty. So, I call it TRANSITIONAL THEOLOGY. Not that the theology is transitional or changing; but that it is a Word from God during times of transition and uncertainty!
To lose one’s power to control one’s situation that results in strife, contention, chaos, a break-down of order all around one; to lose a cherished and prized possession, and to be put on the defensive in running for one’s life will cause one to question whether the Lord knows what is going on and if it might be beyond His power to do anything about it! I wonder, can anyone out there relate?
If you can, then first of all, I want to remind you that --
I. AT THE HEART OF TRANSITIONAL THEOLOGY IS THE IMMUTABLE GOD - Verse 28.
In the midst of Transition, we must be reminded of Two Changeless Truths About The Changeless God.
We must be reminded, First, of the Person of God - Who He Is. He is Olam Elohim - the Everlasting God. Even though He is concealed from space and time, time and space is not hidden from Him. He knows what is happening in space and time; what you are going thru is not hidden from the Lord. He will always be the Everlasting God, without Beginning or End. But whatever you are going thru has a beginning and an end! He is YEHOVAH - the Lord. Meaning, even though concealed from space and time, He will always be there for you. He will be present leading the way, helping, strengthening and liberating! Whatever transition and uncertainty you are going thru, remember the Lord is present with you! He is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He created the limits, the boundaries of the earth and therefore everything in between. The extremes and all that’s in between, God is Maker and Controller of. So whatever your situation, whether it be extreme or mild, God is in control!
Being Everlasting, always Present and Creator we must be reminded that God is Incapable of Fatigue and Exhaustion - “He fainteth not.” Why? Because He never flees from anybody or anything. Fainting is not part of God’s nature. “Neither is He weary!” God is incapable of Gasping for breath because of exhaustion from labor! He does not get tired of loving, caring, delivering, saving, healing, restoring, preserving and sustaining the world. For He does it by the Word of His Power! Weariness is not part of God’s nature!
Remember, God does not run away from us. Our problems do not scare Him. He is never weary of helping us. We cannot tire Him out with our problem, for He is the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth! Not only must we remember the Person of God, but-
We must be reminded, Second, of the Way God Operates! “There is no searching of His understanding.” Meaning, there is no possibility of penetrating God’s Intelligence to examine it. There is no way to measure His I.Q. Therefore, it is impossible to figure out why He does what he does! For instance, “He gives power to the faint.” He gives supernatural ability to those who are fatigued or faint. “And to them that have no might He increases strength.” We can’t figure out why He increases the ability to accomplish many things to those who have no ability to exert themselves in accomplishing one thing! But that’s the Way God Operates! He gives supernatural ability to the fatigued; and increases the ability to accomplish many things to those who have no ability to accomplish one thing! REMEMBER WHO GOD IS AND THE WAY HE OPRATES!
We need A LOGOS ABOUT THEOS BECAUSE:
II. SECOND, IN THE MIDST OF TRANSITION, THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS Verse 30.
TWO UNEXPECTED THINGS SHALL EQUALLY TAKE PLACE.
NUMBER ONE, “THE YOUTHS SHALL FAINT AND BE WEARY.” Now one would have to admit that fainting and weary youth is unexpected. Youths run and do not get weary; they walk and do not faint. But, in times of crises, confrontation, transition and uncertainty, youths are fainting and are weary. They are tired of the tragic traps of tradition; tired of ritual and routine; tired of meaningless religion; weary of challengeless faith; weary of just coming and going with no sense of mission and purpose. And so, their numbers are dwindling from among our midst.
NUMBER TWO, “THE YOUNG MEN SHALL UTTERLY FALL.” Now one would have to admit that falling young men is unexpected. But yet our young men are falling to their ruin thru the weakness of their legs and ankles of faith. They are falling to the Gangs; falling to Crime; falling to the Justice and Penal System; falling to the Cults; falling to Deliahs; falling to the Love of Money! And so, their numbers are dwindling from among our midst!
What, then, can we do when the Unexpected Happens? What can we do when the Youths Faint and are Weary and the young Men Fall? I’ll tell you what is needed, and it is this.
III. THIRD AND LASTLY, IN THE MIDST OF TRANSITION, WE NEED A THEOLOGY THAT TRANSFORMS OUR ATTITUDES AND ALTITUDES - Verse 31.
In the midst of the Unexpected, we must DO THE UNEXPECTED - WE MUST QAVAH:WAIT! The Hebrew word ‘Selah’ corresponds in meaning to Qavah; for Selah means to 1) Pause or Rest, 2) Think about what was just said, and 3) Get Higher.
In the midst of transition, we must Rest. Tie or Bind ourselves in a close and settled union with the Lord.
In the midst of transition, we must Collect Ourselves by thinking about what was just said. We need to Compose ourselves and think about Whose We Are and Whence We Are Going!
In the midst of transition, we must Expect to Get Higher!
For a Transitional Theology TRANSFORMS OUR ATTITUDE - THEY “SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH.” The word translated “renew” in this verse really means “Change.” And the word translated ‘Strength” really means “Capacity.” They that wait upon the Lord shall change their capacity.” Whereas, things they could not do before, accomplishments which were out of reach before shall be able if they WAIT on the Lord! That’s A Change of Attitude. Waiting on the Lord Changes One’s Attitude!
Oh yeah, if you rest in your eternal union with Christ, Think about Whose you are and where you are headed and Expect to Get Higher, It Will Change Your Attitude! When the majority are measuring themselves by the Giants in the land saying ‘We be not able,’ you will look t the Invisible God and His Awesome Ability and say ‘Yes we can! We be well able to possess the land!’ Oh yeah, when others are measuring you by your Roman chains saying you can’t make it, you will look at the unlimited resources in Christ and say ‘Yes I can! I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me!’ WAITING ON THE LORD WILL TRANSFORM OUR ATTITUDE!
And that Change of Attitude results in A TRANSFORMATION OF OUR ALTITUDE! - for they that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles.” Spiritually that signifies an ascension into a Higher and Purer Atmosphere of Life.
“Mount Up” signifies Overcoming Difficulties; Accomplishing Great Things.
“With Long Wings of Eagles” signifies Soaring to Higher Heights by the Agency of the Holy Spirit.
In this Higher Altitude of Life --
We run and not be weary. Meaning, with haste we shall propagate the Gospel; thru dust the deacons shall serve tables. We shall spend our strength in the Work of Ministry; and not even Gasp from exhaustion of labor: No Spiritual Burn-Out.
We shall Walk and not Faint. Meaning, we shall behave ourselves well as we walk in and out; we shall conduct ourselves in Righteousness. We shall Progress, Grow, Mature in our walk with the Lord; we shall make good use of opportunities. We shall Walk in the Steps of Jesus following His Example and Teaching. We shall Walk in Discipleship. And not Tire of Walking nor be Tempted to Fly or Flee when Threatened.
As I go to my seat, let me conclude with this. Someone is in the midst of Transition:
A Relationship is Dissolved
You’re in between Jobs
You’re between a Rock and a Hard Place
You’re in between Church Homes
You’re in the midst of Perplexity
You’re in between Retirement and Death
You Need A Theology that Will Transform Your Attitude and Altitude. So Rest; Collect Yourself and then Get Higher!!!
