Isaiah 40 (Part 23) - Isa 40:31b - They Shall Run and Not be Weary and Walk and Not Faint
Submitted by Pastor Chad Wagner on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.Watch the video of this Bible study on YouTube: Isaiah 40 (Part 23) - Isa 40:31b - They Shall Run and Not be Weary and Walk and Not Faint
For a master copy of the outline and the other sermons in the series, click here: Isaiah 40.
To listen to the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 22
2. "...they shall mount up with wings as eagles;..."
A. The eagle is a bird which symbolizes strength and might (Deu 28:49; Job 9:26; Jer 48:40-42; Jer 49:22; Hab 1:8).
i. Eagles are exalted (Oba 1:4).
ii. The way of an eagle in the air is a marvelous thing (Pro 30:18-19).
iii. Mounting up with wings as eagles is a poetic way of saying that those that wait on the Lord will be given exceeding strength and will be exalted.
B. God's children will mount up with wings as eagles because God bares them, as it were, on eagle's wings and brings them to Him to protect them (Exo 19:4; Deu 32:11-12; Rev 12:14).
C. To those that wait upon the Lord, He forgives their sins, redeems their life from destruction, and satisfies them with good things so that their youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psa 103:1-5).
3. "...they shall run, and not be weary;..."
A. God saves His people who wait patiently on Him, delivers them with the strength of an eagle, and gives them strength and exalts them, so that they can run the race set before them and not be weary.
B. God has given all of us a race to run (Heb 12:1).
C. Our running doesn't give us eternal life (Rom 9:16), but is good evidence that we have it.
D. One of the legs of this race is preaching the gospel (Gal 2:2; Php 2:16).
E. We must run it with certainty (1Co 9:24-26).
F. We must press toward the mark (Php 3:14).
G. We must fight the good fight of faith (1Ti 6:12).
H. We must finish our course (Act 20:24; 2Ti 4:7).
i. False doctrine will hinder our run (Gal 5:7).
ii. Be careful to not run the wrong race (1Pe 4:4).
iii. God will give us strength to finish the race if we stay with Him (2Ch 15:2).
I. Never give up (Jer 12:5; Pro 24:10; Gal 6:9).
4. "...and they shall walk, and not faint."
A. God will give us strength and endurance to run the race by giving us spiritual adrenaline to get us through the tough moments.
B. But not all of our Christian life is an intense battle.
C. Much of our life of faith resembles more of a walk, than a run.
i. We must walk as Christ walked (1Jo 2:6).
ii. We must walk in faith (2Co 5:7) in the steps of faithful Abraham (Rom 4:12).
iii. Once we are saved, but must walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4; Gal 5:16; Gal 5:25; Eph 5:8).
iv. God has ordained good works for us to walk in (Eph 2:10).
v. We have no condemnation when we walk after the Spirit (Rom 8:1).
vi. Much of our Christian walk is not what we do, but what we refrain from doing (Rom 13:13; Eph 4:17).
vii. We must walk cautiously (Eph 5:15).
viii. We must walk in a way which pleases God (1Th 4:1).
D. We need God's strength to get through the walking part of our life as much or more as we do the running part.
i. Fighting the big battles is sometimes easier than maintaining the faith from day to day.
ii. If we wait on the LORD and trust in Him, we will walk the Christian walk all the days of our lives and not faint (Isa 40:31).