July 3, 2022
Sunday Sermon
RENEWING YOUR STRENGTH
Isaiah 40:27-31
It is easy to live for God and trust in Him when all is going well. It is not so easy to do so when the weight of the whole world is upon our shoulders. Too many Christians bail out on God as soon as the storms get tough.
If your life is in the middle of turmoil and the waves of temptations are about to swamp you, look up and put your trust in God for that is the moment that He is really putting your faith to the test to see if you will pass or fail.
We must not forget that God has promised us that we would never be tempted above what we are able to bear, but with every temptation, every trial, every test, every trouble, he will make a way for us to escape and win the victory. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
God never promised that we wouldn’t have hard times. He never promised that we would sail through life without troubles. What he did promise is that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He promised that He would supply our every need. God promised in Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, an he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
In the passage above, Israel had become discouraged, so God had to remind them of just Who He Is. God is still in control and those who would place their trust in Him would be renewed in their strength.
I don’t know about you, but there are times when my strength fails. I know many of you have prayed for strength to stand for the Lord. There is nothing wrong with praying for strength. In fact, that’s the best thing you can do. But, if you really want to have more strength, God has already laid down the pattern for you to get stronger in these verses.
The Lord is greater than any being in the entire universe (vv. 25-26). To whom can the Lord be compared? Who is His equal? No one. The Lord is the Holy One. He alone created the heavens of the starry sky (v. 26). No one else is great enough nor has the power to create such a vast universe. In Psalm 89:6, “For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?”
Here are some compound names of God that reveal so much about Who He is.
· Jehovah-Rohi – The LORD My Shepherd
· Jehovah-Jireh – The LORD My Provider
· Jehovah-Shalom – The LORD My Peace
· Jehovah-Raphi – The LORD My Healer
· Jehovah-Tsidkenu – The LORD My Righteousness
· Jehovah-Shammah – The LORD Is There
· Jehovah-Nissi – The LORD Our Banner
· Jehovah-M’Kaddesh – The LORD My Sanctifier
· Jehovah-El Elyon – The LORD Most High
The Lord is greater than any trial or temptation. Due to the Jews’ oppressive enemies as well as their hardships and sufferings, in verse 27 they were complaining and accusing God of forgetting them. They felt as though God were far away, unconcerned about their welfare or else unaware of their hardships. But the Lord knew, and His heart reached out in compassion to His people. Stirring Isaiah to encourage them, the Lord gave four assurances to his people. Here are four assurances that the Lord will give us when we are weak.
I. HE IS THE EVERLASTING GOD v. 28
The Creator of the whole earth (V.28). Thus, he oversees the earth and knows everything that is happening. Because he is everlasting—no beginning and no end—he is able to oversee and control all events of human history.
II. HE DOESN’T GET TIRED v. 28.
God never faints or becomes weary in overseeing the earth and His people. He is available. LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBOR AND SAY, GOD IS AVAILABLE 24, 7. God is always available to help those who truly trust and obey Him.
III. HE STRENGTHENS THE WEARY AND WEAK v.29.
Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Almighty God will strengthen you. He is not too weak to act on our behalf, nor is fatigue an obstacle for the Creator in caring for His people.
IV. HE RENEWS THE STRENGTH v. 30-31
“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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. The Lord will renew the strength of all who wait on the Lord. No matter of your chronological age, the Lord will strengthen you with more energy and vigor than even young men have.
Note this fact: the word wait does not mean sitting around doing nothing. Rather it means to hope in the Lord, praying and trusting the Lord to meet one’s need (Is. 26:3-3; 30:15). Also, the word renew means to exchange, such as exchanging old clothes for new. The believer who truly places his hope in the Lord Jesus Christ will renew his strength, exchange his strength for the Lord’s strength (2 Cor. 12:9).
The Lord will build up the believer, empower his spirit to soar above the trials and temptations that afflict him, to soar just like an eagle above the earth. A believer who truly hopes in the Lord will be strengthen so that he can run through the problems, hardships, trials, and temptations of life.
And he will not grow weary. He will walk victoriously, triumphantly, and not faint (v. 31).
Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And said unto me. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong”.
RENEWING YOUR STRENGTH
FOUR ASSURANCES THAT THE LORD WILL GIVE US WHEN WE ARE WEAK!
1. He is the Everlasting God
2. He doesn’t get tired
3. He strengthens the weary and weak
4. He renews the strength
Responsive Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31
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