Join the Winning Circle (Isaiah 40:27-31)

Isaiah 40:27-31

Join the Winning Circle

Introduction

Growing up in Terrell, there was a time we lived in Washington Heights Apartments. We had a grassy area between the set of apartments we lived and another set in front of us. Well, my brother and I would play football with the other kids. The way the game went is there would be captains for the two teams. And we all wanted to be on the football team of the better players. Literally, everyone wanted to be on the same team because no one wanted to be on the losing team.

The truth of the matter is — no one I know wants to be on a losing team.

Central Idea of the Text (CIT)

Isaiah writes his letter as a pre-exilic prophet regarding the impending exile of Judah. The unique spin on Isaiah’s letter is that it is that it is considered the Bible in the Bible in that it has 66 chapters as does the Bible has 66 books.

The second half of Isaiah is called Deutero-Isaiah. The first part of the book is concerned with the future exile of Judah, and the second half is concerned with the deliverance of Judah.

In short, “This chapter is the key to the remainder of the prophecy and contains the prophet’s message that after judging his people, God will comfort them.”

Willmington, H. L. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999. Print.

Main Objective of the Sermon (MOS)

I want to encourage you to join the Circle of Winners where the saints experience revival and strength!

God’s invitation to experience REVIVAL is outlined in the mentioned text.

#1. Israel is REMINDED about the FATHER’S Attributes (27-29)

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,

or, whine, Israel, saying,

“God has lost track of me.

He doesn’t care what happens to me”?

Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?

God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.

He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.

He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.

And he knows everything, inside and out.

He energizes those who get tired,

gives fresh strength to dropouts.

Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. Print.

#2. Israel is REMINDED of the REALITY of their Human FRAILTIES (30)

“The hardest thing for a man to do is to be honest with himself about himself.” (Dr. B.W. McClendon)

#3. Israel is REMINDED How to Experience REVIVAL (31)

the verb “wait” in KJV means to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or occurrence.

▶ be delayed or deferred.

▶ informal defer (a blessing) until a person’s arrival.

Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson, eds. Concise Oxford English dictionary 2004 : n. pag. Print.

- Keep HOPE Alive!

...the verb “to hope” (Gk elpı́zein) is found only five times in the Gospels—with the OT sense of “to trust” —the idea of hope as confidence in God “whose goodness and mercy are to be relied on and whose promises cannot fail”

Psalm 37:9, “For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”

Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”

Luke 18:1, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

Prendergast, Terrence. “Hope (NT).” Ed. David Noel Freedman. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary 1992 : 282–283. Print.

- Renewal (31b)

1 resume or re-establish after an interruption; 2 give fresh life or strength to; 3 replace or restore (something broken or worn out).

Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson, eds. Concise Oxford English dictionary 2004 : n. pag. Print.

1 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

strength - the quality or state of being strong

Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson, eds. Concise Oxford English dictionary 2004 : n. pag. Print.

-What does RENEWAL look like?

- The eagle, the largest flying bird of Palestine, may reach a wingspread of eight feet or more. The Palestinian eagle builds great nests of sticks on rocky crags in the mountains (Job 39:27–28; Jer. 49:16).

- As one of the most majestic birds, it occupies a prominent role in the Bible. OT writers noted the eagle’s swift movement (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23; Jer. 4:13), the sweep and power of its flight (Prov. 23:5; Isa. 40:31), and the eagle’s concern for its young (Exod. 19:4; Deut. 32:11).

Meier, Janice. “Eagle.” Ed. Chad Brand et al. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary 2003 : 448. Print.

-God’s people will RUN & not grow Weary - (often weary of) reluctant to experience any more of —

-not be Faint - (of hope..) close to losing...

Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson, eds. Concise Oxford English dictionary 2004 : n. pag. Print.

CONCLUSION

Being part of the WINNING CIRCLE, means that...

- We remember the FATHER’S attributes:

His MERCY (1-2)

His GLORY to come (3-5)

HIs ETERNALITY (6-9)

HIs GENTLENESS (11)

His OMNIPOTENCE (10, 12, 26)

His OMNISCIENCE (13-14)

His SOVEREIGNTY (15-17, 21-24)

His UNIQUENESS (18-20, 25)

Remember to recognize our own HUMAN FRAILTIES

Remember to Keep HOPE ALIVE!!