The Power of the Transformed Life, Do you Have it?
Glenn Newton, Feb. 15, 2004
ISA 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the
Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his
understanding no one can fathom.ISA 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases
the power of the weak.ISA 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men
stumble and fall; ISA 40:31 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.
Everybody get you wallet out, just for a minute, I promise you we are not going to take
another offering. Get your wallet out, and I want you to find the part where you keep
your pictures...... Did you find it? Now I want you to find a picture for me.... not of you
children.... Brent not a picture of yourself....... but I want you to find your picture that you
have of God. Don’t you have a picture of God? Didn’t He send you one? I got mine in
the mail this week, I guess He only sent pictures to those He really liked......
For those of you who don’t have a real picture..... I know that you have a mental picture
of who God is.... you have a mental picture of what God not only looks like, but kind of
who He is, How powerful He is, What Heaven may look like...... all these years in Sunday
School, surely you’ve painted some wonderful pictures with your imagination....
Can I tell you I think it’s important to us how we picture God in our minds, in our hearts.
What we believe about God, How we picture Him has an effect on how we live, how we
percieve God working in our everyday lives..... Think about your picture of God....
what’s the biggest thing about God that stands out to you above everything else..... say it
out loud..... what one features sticks out in your mind today?
We know that God reveals Himself to us through His Word, but I also believe God gives
us impressions to us individually as we pray.... God helps us to know who He is.... and
since we all come from different backgrounds God know what it is that we need to know
about Him, so he will reveal different things to different people to meet their need... and
guess what, all of those different aspects are right..... we can never comprehend all the
things that make up God, He’s too big for that.... but we can know Him.... We can and we
need to have a picture of God......... not one that’s been drawn for us by some
overbearning parent, or preacher or anyone else.... but we need to develope the picture
that we draw as we Read God’s Word and we learn about who God is through the life of
Christ, and through the Old Testament..... and we learn to fill in that picture as God
himself talks to us, encourages us, challenges us.... as we walk with Him in relationship.
Have you ever met someone first on the phone, or writing in the mail, you spent alot of
time getting to know them before you ever saw them in person? I know with our
technology today this probably doesn’t happen very often anymore, but I would bet you
could get a pretty good idea about who that person was without ever seeing them.
This morning we are going to read a description of God that Isaiah saw in a vision.... let’s
see if his vision fits with our picture of God. You can turn with me to Isaiah 6:1-7
This morning we have come together to worship the same God that Isaiah saw the year
King Uzziah died, our God hasn’t changed..... He still is high and exalted.... He still sits on
the throne and is worthy of all praise and honor.... the angels are still singing this
morning.... Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His
glory..’
When we walk into this building, we come for one purpose.... that’s to Worship God
Almighty and experience His presence.... that’s our reason for coming
(Key)
The Reason we come here Sunday after Sunday is not to win the Attendence pin....... but
instead, we are convinced.... We know that God has the power to Transform our lives,
and we know that we need that transforming power in our lives to be the people of
God..... to be the difference makers that God has called us to be... We must experience the
transforming power of God in our lives....... Have you experienced the transforming
power of God in your life? The truth is it’s a gift that God wants to give to you..... Let’s
look at our first passage that we read today.
ISA 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the
Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his
understanding no one can fathom.ISA 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases
the power of the weak.ISA 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men
stumble and fall; ISA 40:31 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.
At the beginning of this book we just read where Isaiah was called by God to be his voice,
a prophet to his people, and Isaiah accepted that call. Now in chapter 40 we are reading
the message that God is wanting Isaiah to deliever to his people who are in captivity in
Babylon..... Why? They have been in captivity for some time now because of their
disobedience to God.
Have you ever noticed how your disobedience to God will put you in captivity. Our
disobedience kind of puts us into these self-made, but God allowed traps. Many times we
find ourselves screaming and yelling like the Israelites, God get me out of here..... God
how come you’ve allowed this in my life..... we yell.....
But the truth is we are were we are because of our own choices....... we run right through
the stop signs God put up.... we didnt’ need to listen, we knew what we wanted to do so
we did it... and now find ourselves wishing we would have prayed..... wishing we would
have listened for God’s voice..... Amen.... Can you relate?
Look at verse 27 with me, ISA 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Israel has sinned against God, but now they think that God kind of has allowed this
captivity and in essence thrown away the key to their prison..... have you ever felt like
God has forgotten you, or given up on you?
Take heart..... if you have ever felt like that... Today with God’s Word to help us, We
need to update your picture of God.... because Friends, God doesn’t ever forget his
children.... He knows where you at today.... and he’s ready to lift you up, to bring you
home.
Listen to the prophet Isaiah this morning, what does he have to say to your situation?
ISA 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the
Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his
understanding no one can fathom.
One thing that we need to be reminded of is that God is not like us.... He doesn’t
get tired.... He doesn’t get weary of us..... God doesn’t throw up His hands and say,
“Well, that was there last chance, I’m done with them.” Now that’s a human response to
people who frustrate us... But remember..... God is the everlasting God, the Creator of the
ends of the earth...... Isaiah says, “He will not grow tired or weary, and his
understanding no one can fathom.’
This morning I want you to catch this next point, it’s one of the keys to this message.....
God not only hasn’t lost track of you and your situation...... God wants to give
you His Transforming power, so you can live a transformed life..... hear that again.
Listen to the words that God wants you to hear this morning....
.ISA 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.ISA 40:30
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ISA 40:31 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.
The truth is that on our own strength we just don’t have enough, God created us
to need Him, God created us to rely on Him... so when we live without God we always
will end up on empty.
What does God want to do with your life?
verse 29 says, God, wants to give strength to the weary and increase the
power of the weak.
This morning it doesn’t matter what your rank in life is..... your education, your
accomplishments, your bank accounts, your status on the job, or the lack of all those kind
of things..... God’s word makes it clear those things will not be enough to carry us, to help
us live satisfied lives... Only God can give us what we need.
Listen to the answer this morning to how can we have this power of a transformed life?
ISA 40:31 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.
This morning if you will put your Hope in the Lord, He will renew your strength, He will
give you the power to live for Him, and live the kind of life that will not just barely make
it, but will be the life supercharged, by his Supernatural spirit.
If you look at verse 31 with me, it says that those who hope in the Lord will renew their
strength, but a more literal translation of that Hebrew word is exchange.
How many of you this morning would be more than willing to exchange your strength for
God’s strength? I know I would. This is what this passage is promising you and me.... If
we will put our hope in the Lord.... he will exchange our weakness, for His strength that
endures forever.... Ladies..... is that a good exchange? If you went to walmart, that would
be a good trade wouldn’t it?
ISA 40:31 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.
The power of the Transformed Life..... Do you have it? The God of all Creation wants to
give you His power, His power to live your everyday life, His power to deal with your
everyday problems and frustrations, His power to be a light that shines bright through
your life, your words, your actions...... His power living in us makes all the difference....
and it can be yours.... all you have to do is ask God, and put your Hope in Him... Let God
be God in your life
We are going to respond to this message with a song.... you can respond by coming to
pray, you can respond by singing to Him.... however you feel led, but you find a way to
tell God that you need Him, that you want a clear picture of who He is, and that you need
His transforming power in your life, and that your ready to put your hope in Him..... Will
you respond to Him today?
