Walking In Strength Series

Walking in Strength

Isaiah 40:28-31

July 23, 2000

Morning Service

Introduction

I. The fifth grade class

A. Teacher asks a question

1. Does anyone here understand electricity?

2. One over anxious boy raises his hand – “I understand electricity?”

B. The tragic twist

1. Teacher: “Jimmy, please explain electricity to the rest of the class.”

2. Terror comes over the boy. “Well, I understood it last night but this morning I forgot.”

II. How do we know something?

A. Three ways that we have knowledge

1. Seeing: We know something because we see it for ourselves

2. Hearing: We know something because of what we have heard or learned about through instruction

3. Doing: We know something just by the experience of doing them

B. How do we know God?

1. The ways that Israel knew God

a.) Saw God’s work

b.) Heard God’s Word – Verbal instruction

c.) Did God’s commands – Following the direction that God gave to them

2. Isaiah helps us to have a deeper understanding about God

Body

I. The Qualities of God

A. The Absolutes of God – Nature of God’s Person

1. The good news

a.) God is everlasting

1.) God is eternal

2.) He has always existed and always will exist

b.) God is the creator

1.) God made the entire universe

2.) God also created you

2. The best news: God’s person never changes

B. The Attributes of God – Nature of God’s Power

1. The good news

a.) God never gets tired

1.) God is always at work

2.) God never leaves you behind in his work

b.) God knows everything

1.) God knows you and what you need in life

2.) God never forgets you

2. The best news: God’s power never fails

C. The Abilities of God – Nature of God’s Provision

1. The good news

a.) God is in the business of provision

1.) God gives us strength

2.) God gives us power

b.) God provides your every need

2. The best news: God’s provision never ends

II. The Qualities of Humanity

A. Human beings get weary

1. Definition of weary – Exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor or freshness

2. All of us become weary

a.) We all spend energy every day and it takes a toll on us

b.) Our efforts in life make us weary

B. Human beings are weak

1. Definition of weak – Lacking strength, not able to function properly

2. None of us can do everything on our own

a.) Stop trying to do everything on your own

b.) The simple fact is that we need God to become our partner in life

III. The Qualities of God’s Strength

A. God places one requirement for strength

1. We must hope in Him

a.) God is our greatest hope in this life

b.) We receive the courage to live from Him

2. The nature of this hope

a.) KJV – Uses the term “wait”

1.) The meaning is essentially that we are to wait on God

2.) The implication is that we trust God to be faithful

b.) NIV – Uses the term “hope”

1.) The meaning is essentially that God gives us hope

2.) The implication is that we rely on God to be faithful

c.) Either way the implications are the same

1.) God always has been and always will be faithful

2.) God can be trusted and we can depend on Him

B. God makes a fantastic exchange

1. God will renew your strength

a.) Renew – Literally means to exchange

b.) Hebrew reference to the changing of clothes

c.) God will exchange our weakness for his strength

2. God’s strength comes on three levels

a.) Lowest Level: Soar (Q – Have any of you done any flying today?)

1.) Exceptional cases – We only need the strength to soar on rare situations

2.) This is a metaphor of action – We fly only on rare occasions

b.) Middle Level: Run (Q – Have any of you done any running today?)

1.) Eventful cases – We need the strength to run more frequently

2.) We need the ability to run more often than we need to fly

c.) Highest Level: Walk (Q – Have any of you done any walking today?)

1.) Everyday cases – We need the strength to walk each day

2.) The greatest strength that God supplies is not the occasional but the everyday

3.) The fact is that we can rely on God each and every day to provide the strength we need for that day

Conclusion

W – Wait on God

1. We need to stay in step with God

a.) Too often we either get ahead of God or we lag far behind Him

b.) God wants to be your partner in life – Walking beside you, if you’ll walk with Him