Never Give Up
Establishing a New Normal • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Over the last few weeks, I have shared with you some guidelines that will be helpful in overcoming the trials of this pandemic. I have given several precepts from the truth of God’s Word that are necessary as you establish a new normal. I have shared with you the importance beginning with the sovereignty of God; remembering the faithfulness of God; continuing to be faithful to God; a mother’s example; and living by the grace of God. One last reminder as a guideline is to never give up.
On this Memorial Day weekend, I am reminded of the many men and women that had this as their mantra. They chose to never give up and died for our country so we could live free.
Our country’s great heritage was built on the idea of such selflessness and steadfastness. Decisions over the years have been made simply by saying, “I will never give up.”
General George Patton said:
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.”
Your spiritual heritage should also resemble that same thought. We are called by God to never give up and to live in such a way that others will come behind us, not mourning our death but thanking God that we lived. We see evidence in that from many places in Scripture. One such place is the familiar passage from Isaiah 40:28-31:
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.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
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.
We can use this passage in our quest to never give up by having adoration in remembering, the accolades we have as God’s recruits, and through the abundance in renewal.
Adoration in Remembering (vs. 28)
Adoration in Remembering (vs. 28)
In verse 28 of this great passage, we are reminded just how great God is and always has been. We are asked a couple of questions: “Do you not know?” and “Have you not heard?” What have you heard about God?
One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done.
Isaiah answers His on questions with power-packed reminders.
The first thing we are reminded is that God is everlasting.
The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemy before you,
saying, ‘Destroy him!’
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
When we remember that God is everlasting, we realize there is nothing greater than all He is. Isaiah is reminding us of this truth to set us up for another truth. God is Creator of All. A few verses earlier in this chapter, Isaiah says in Isaiah 40:26:
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
Your arm is endued with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
The Everlasting Creator. What a truth that is declared! Are you praising Him yet? But wait there’s more: The Everlasting Creator does not grow tired or weary. It is hard to believe that the Everlasting Creator never gets tired. But then again, the Bible says He never slumbers nor sleeps.
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
There is no need to when you are not tired! What a Mighty God we serve! As we remember that He is Everlasting, Creator of All, and does not slumber nor sleep, we can get excited and praise God! All of that is from one verse! But there is more in that verse. Notice the last statement: God’s understanding is such that no one else can understand Him.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
The Everlasting Creator is watching over you and understands you more than you will ever be able to comprehend! For that reason we should never give up!
However, if you follow Him, you will receive awards and honors like you have never known. Notice the accolades of His recruits.
Accolades of His Recruits (vs. 29)
Accolades of His Recruits (vs. 29)
Accolade is an award or honor. The first accolade briefly mentioned here is that if you turn towards God, He will give you an accolade of strength. “He gives strength to the weary.” I don’t about you, but lately I have been weary. The circumstances which we have been facing have worn me out. If I was a man that had no faith, no God, no savior, I would have gone deep into the woods never to be found again. However, because I do have faith in a God who has given me a Savior, I am strengthened and I can carry on! I will not give up!
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
Isaiah and the Psalmist say that God gives strength. Our God is a gracious God because He gives us His strength and in His strength we have hope, we have confidence, and we are able to carry on and not give up!
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
In addition to giving us strength, God gives an accolade of increased power.
This accolade of increase of power will takes us even further in our quest of not giving up. It sustains us and helps us endure. It helps us accomplish great and mighty things for the Lord.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
These accolades of strength and increased power lead to an abundance of renewal.
Abundance of Renewal (vs. 30-31)
Abundance of Renewal (vs. 30-31)
Isaiah reminds us that those youth that have strong legs will also grow tired and weary. They will even stumble and fall. The greatest of the great will come up short eventually. Yet, God is His great mercy will provide opportunity for those who turn to Him to go from stumbling to salvation. That is the promise of those who hope in the Lord. The King James Version uses the word “wait” instead of hope. I think they both go together. We hope while we wait and we wait while we hope. Nevertheless, the promise of God is what while we hope and wait in the Lord, we will have our strength renewed. While we are doing this, the Bible says we are able to be in perfect peace.
You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
The assurance of being in perfect peace while we are waiting and hoping is good news! Those that know me understand I have a problem with waiting. I do not wait in line well and I certainly do not wait well for other things. However, if I know that I am will receive perfect peace during the waiting process, it reassures me and that in itself strengthens me.
There is something quite refreshing about strength being renewed. I have experienced strength renewal in overcoming injuries where my strength was regained. I have experienced strength renewal through exercise and it has refreshed me. I have experienced strength renewal spiritually when I have prayed, read and studied my Bible, as well as putting into practice that which I have seen and learned.
We see the word “renew” listed here in our text. It means to “sprout again; to change; to experience an invigorated restorative rest.” When was the last time you were renewed? The Bible says here that when we put our hope in the Lord, our strength will be renewed. Another way of saying this is that we when we gain salvation through our hope in the Lord, we will move to be strengthened. We are able to go from salvation to strength. So many Christians think that all they have to do is to place their hope in the Lord and experience the gift of salvation. However, a careful study of God’s word shows that when one is saved, it is like a seed that sprouts in fertile soil. It does not just sit there and does nothing, but rather it grows, matures and eventually wll produce fruit. Jesus spoke much about the process of bearing fruit.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
When we place our hope in the Lord, the Lord renews our strength. Our purpose continues to evolve and we become people that produce.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
It is interesting to me that that Isaiah normalizes the fact that we all can become tired and weary. Yet God desires for you and I to have renewed strength no matter what age we are. As long as we have breath we are called to hope in the Lord and our strength will be renewed. Andrew Knowles wrote, “He Himself is tireless, and is able to revive and sustain all who look to Him for strength.” What a beautiful thing God does! He not only gives us strength, but strength to soar!
What abundance there is in His gift of renewal! We will have strength to soar! Recently, I was driving into Boone on Highway 421. Something caught my eye and I saw a large bird flying on the south bound land and grabbing a small animal that was running across the road. I did a double take and realized that bird was a bald eagle. I knew that there were eagles around here, but this was the first time I had seen one in action. I was a magnificent creature and for a split second, I watched one of God’s most beautiful creation in action. I find it very interesting that in this passage in Isaiah, we see the Word of God reference to our hope in the Lord renewing our strength so we can soar on wings like eagles. Have you ever studied what an eagle is capable of doing?
An eagle can take the strong winds of a storm and allow those winds to elevate him above that storm, riding the winds to overcome the storm. When you put your hope in the Lord, you can overcome the storm.
An eagle will have strong vision and can see over 3 miles away. It can stay focused on its prey until he grabs it. When you put your hope in the Lord, your vision will be focused.
An eagle soars above the other birds not giving into to what the crowd does. When you put your hope in the Lord, you will soar in a way that takes you away from the desires of the world.
There are many other examples we can learn from the eagle, but the point is this, when we hope in the Lord, we will be renewed abundantly. It is ongoing. It is ever present. Hoping in the Lord renews, strengthens, and empowers us to serve more and more.
Warren Wiersbe wrote, “As we wait on the Lord, He enables us not only to fly higher and run faster, but also to walk longer.” Long and short of it all, God has strength and He has chosen to distribute it to His people. The way we receive God’s strength is trust. When we trust, we have unlimited strength. We can establish any new normal. We can overcome any pandemic. God has given us Jesus and with Him, we can overcome anything.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We have a God that will not give up on us. He has provided a way for us. He has proven Himself over and over and will continue to do so!
The question becomes, will you give up on Him? Stay strong. Keep your hope in the Lord. Don’t give up. Recognize that through God Almighty, you have strength to soar!