They Will Soar, They Will Run, They Will Walk

THEY WILL SOAR, THEY WILL RUN, THEY WILL WALK

Isa. 40:31

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A little girl was getting quizzed by her Sunday school teacher to determine how well she knew the Bible. The teacher asked several questions, and the poor girl had not answered any of the questions correctly.

2. The sympathetic teacher, trying to come up with an easier question, asked the girl, “Who was thrown into a den of lions and yet survived.”

3. The girl’s face brightened and she exclaimed exuberantly, "Oh! I know that one – it was Tarzan!"

B. TEXT

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” Isa. 40:31.

C. THESIS

1. This verse tells us the source of our strength and the three stages Christians can be traveling in, and yet be revived in. Lastly, we note the way we can be strengthened.

2. The title of this message is “They Will Soar, They Will Run, They Will Walk.”

I. ALL HUMAN STRENGTH DEPLETED

A. HUMAN VS. DIVINE STRENGTH

1. Human strength has many forms: physical, mental, spiritual. But no matter which form it is, one day it will fail. Why?

2. Because human strength is:

a. Derived, gained from another.

b. A Limited Resource.

c. Constantly Drawn On.

3. All nature needs renewing. Because we are human and imperfect, we cannot always be at our best.

4. The sky is not always clear, the sea is not always at high tide, the year is not always at summer, the sun is not always at its zenith, the moon is not always at her full, the tree is not always adorned with fruit, the vineyard does not always flow with wine, roses do not always blush, nor lilies always bloom.

5. Creatures have their rises and their falls, and to us there must be times when we need to renew our strength, and we shall renew it.

6. Contrast that with DIVINE STRENGTH! God is not limited by years of time: millions of years mean nothing to Him. No exertion taxes His powers. It would be no trouble for Him to create a hundred more universes.

7. God does not change. The fountain of His almightiness still overflows. “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable” Isa. 40:26-28.

8. WE SEE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS – Man’s faintness, weakness, emptiness & God’s Inexhaustible Omnipotence. The two need to come together for us to be aided.

a. If, by an act of faith, the human can be linked with the divine – what miraculous things could happen!

b. We could be renovated, refreshed, filled up, increased, established, made strong!

B. WHAT WE NEED: STRENGTH

1. JOKE. A man was pulled over by a policeman. The cop looked at his driver’s license. “Hey, you have glasses on in the picture and you don’t have them on now. I’m going to write you a ticket.” “Officer, I have contacts.” The policeman said, “I don’t care WHO you know, I’m still writing you a ticket!”

2. We need to renew our strength. In spiritual things, it DOES matter WHO you know! We have a promise that God will refresh us. Have you become weak? Go to God and renew your strength!!

3. It’s brings glory to God when we’re strong. Weak people can’t help others; they require others to help them.

4. It’s not safe to be weak; you can fall, you can be susceptible to attack. Therefore, it’s our duty to be strong, so that we can sustain ourselves, help others, and build the kingdom.

C. HOW ARE WE TO GET STRENGTH?

1. NOURISHMENT

a. A man who hasn’t eaten in days needs nourishment. “Seven days without prayer make one week/weak.”

b. This is as true, spiritually, as it is physically. We need to come and feed upon Christ. Wait upon Him, feed upon the body and blood of Christ – it’s spiritual meat and drink indeed. It will renew your strength.

2. TAKE A LITTLE REST. “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength” Isa. 30:15. After hard work and exhaustion, rest rejuvenates you.

3. PLUNGING IN COOL WATER. It rejuvenates the body. The baptism in the Holy Spirit does the same thing for the spiritual man. Baptize means to “fully cover.” We need to be immersed in God’s Spirit.