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Stones Hill Community Church
Life Verses & Catchphrases
Welcome to the Life Verse and Catchphrases Series! The Words We Carry. The Truth That Carries Us. A Life Verse Is... A truth from God’s Word that becomes a personal compass, a source of courage, a reminder of identity, or a declaration against the lies of the world. A life verse is a verse out of the Bible that especially resonates with you and that has inspired you in some meaningful way. It has become a kind of focus point for you, a life mantra, or a kind of statement or even a counter-culture protest of sorts to battle some erroneous worldview assumption. What verse do you keep coming back to—and why? How did you come to settle on this verse? How has God used this verse in your life?
Locations & Times
Ligonier, IN
151 W Stones Hill Rd, Ligonier, IN 46767, USA
Saturday 5:00 PM
MESSAGE TEXT
Isaiah 40:27-31
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OPENING
Have you ever felt stuck on a journey and you’re waiting? Waiting for a child to come back into your life…for dark depression to lift… for the chemo to take affect… for the job to open up… for a degree to be completed… for the parole board to release you… for your dream date to ask you out or say yes… Waiting on God is an invitation to hope, to trust, and to be strengthened that God is sovereign over your waiting room and this changes your entire life perspective.
*
CONTEXTUALIZATION
After 40 years of ministry when Isaiah was about 70 years of age, he gives a prophecy about the Israelites, specifically Judah, returning home from Babylonian exile. They weren’t sure how they would have the strength to make it all the way back home. The road back from Babylon to Jerusalem leads through a dry and thirsty wilderness land.
*
Isaiah 40 is given years before the Babylonian captivity even occurred. Isaiah is speaking to an audience who won’t be born for another 150 years. Yet here is Isaiah giving them a prophecy about how God will be their strength when it comes time to return to their land 900 miles away. When that time comes, Israel will feel like God has forgotten them. But they must wait on His timing and not be impatient.
*
After giving 39 chapters of indictments, Isaiah transitions to how great God is and how this brings comfort. In 40:11, Isaiah told us that God’s hand is big enough to measure the waters of the earth and that he's big enough to weigh the mountains on a scale in 40:12. He told us that the nations are like a drop in God's bucket in 40:15. And Isaiah told us that nothing is equal to God in Isaiah 40:25. He knows the stars by name. [see slide Isaiah 40:27-28] The Lord would be justified in saying, ‘Stop complaining!’ But instead he moves toward his people with commitment and compassion.[1] “Help is on the way.”
*
PROPOSITION
In Isaiah 40:29-31, there are FOUR TRUTHS that strengthen every traveler on the journey home… FOUR TRUTHS to cling to when you experience delay. God gives strength to the weary and broken-hearted who wait on Him. These TRUTHS will sustain you as you work your way toward home.
*
OUTLINE
First, in waiting/hoping for home, we gain new strength (Isaiah 40:29-30).
*
Second, in waiting/hoping for home, we get a better perspective (Isaiah 40:31a).
*
Third, in waiting/hoping for home, we store up extra energy for meeting a crisis (Isaiah 40:31b)
*
Fourth, in waiting/hoping for home, our determination deepens and there is strength for the daily routine. (Isaiah 40:31c)
*
CONCLUSION
Isaiah's promise was first spoken to weary exiles who longed to go home. They had failed God. Their sin had carried them into captivity, and the road back seemed impossibly long. The Bible says that every one of us is an exile because of sin. We were created to walk with God, but we've wandered far from home. Sin has left us weary, burdened, guilty, and unable to rescue ourselves. That's why Jesus came. When Jesus stepped into our world, He entered our exile. On the cross, He took upon Himself the judgment our exile deserved so that we could be brought home to the Father. And because He rose again, the promise of Isaiah 40 is no longer simply, "Try harder to wait on God." The promise is that the risen Christ now shares His own life with those who trust Him. That means no matter where you’re located, home is with the Lord.
*
Some of you came in this morning tired. You are tired of carrying a burden, tired of fighting temptation, tired of praying the same prayer, tired of waiting for answers, tired of trying to hold a marriage together, tired of grieving, tired of pretending, tired of wondering when God is going to act. But the invitation of this text is not, “Try harder.” The invitation is, “Come home.” Come to the Lord who gives strength to the weary. Come to the Savior who carried your sin to the cross. Come to the risen Christ who can lift you, steady you, forgive you, and walk with you from this day forward. If you have never trusted Christ as Savior and Lord, this is the moment to say, “Jesus, I believe You died for me and rose again. Forgive me. Save me. Bring me home to the Father.” If you come to Him, you will not walk alone.
Isaiah 40:27-31
*
OPENING
Have you ever felt stuck on a journey and you’re waiting? Waiting for a child to come back into your life…for dark depression to lift… for the chemo to take affect… for the job to open up… for a degree to be completed… for the parole board to release you… for your dream date to ask you out or say yes… Waiting on God is an invitation to hope, to trust, and to be strengthened that God is sovereign over your waiting room and this changes your entire life perspective.
*
CONTEXTUALIZATION
After 40 years of ministry when Isaiah was about 70 years of age, he gives a prophecy about the Israelites, specifically Judah, returning home from Babylonian exile. They weren’t sure how they would have the strength to make it all the way back home. The road back from Babylon to Jerusalem leads through a dry and thirsty wilderness land.
*
Isaiah 40 is given years before the Babylonian captivity even occurred. Isaiah is speaking to an audience who won’t be born for another 150 years. Yet here is Isaiah giving them a prophecy about how God will be their strength when it comes time to return to their land 900 miles away. When that time comes, Israel will feel like God has forgotten them. But they must wait on His timing and not be impatient.
*
After giving 39 chapters of indictments, Isaiah transitions to how great God is and how this brings comfort. In 40:11, Isaiah told us that God’s hand is big enough to measure the waters of the earth and that he's big enough to weigh the mountains on a scale in 40:12. He told us that the nations are like a drop in God's bucket in 40:15. And Isaiah told us that nothing is equal to God in Isaiah 40:25. He knows the stars by name. [see slide Isaiah 40:27-28] The Lord would be justified in saying, ‘Stop complaining!’ But instead he moves toward his people with commitment and compassion.[1] “Help is on the way.”
*
PROPOSITION
In Isaiah 40:29-31, there are FOUR TRUTHS that strengthen every traveler on the journey home… FOUR TRUTHS to cling to when you experience delay. God gives strength to the weary and broken-hearted who wait on Him. These TRUTHS will sustain you as you work your way toward home.
*
OUTLINE
First, in waiting/hoping for home, we gain new strength (Isaiah 40:29-30).
*
Second, in waiting/hoping for home, we get a better perspective (Isaiah 40:31a).
*
Third, in waiting/hoping for home, we store up extra energy for meeting a crisis (Isaiah 40:31b)
*
Fourth, in waiting/hoping for home, our determination deepens and there is strength for the daily routine. (Isaiah 40:31c)
*
CONCLUSION
Isaiah's promise was first spoken to weary exiles who longed to go home. They had failed God. Their sin had carried them into captivity, and the road back seemed impossibly long. The Bible says that every one of us is an exile because of sin. We were created to walk with God, but we've wandered far from home. Sin has left us weary, burdened, guilty, and unable to rescue ourselves. That's why Jesus came. When Jesus stepped into our world, He entered our exile. On the cross, He took upon Himself the judgment our exile deserved so that we could be brought home to the Father. And because He rose again, the promise of Isaiah 40 is no longer simply, "Try harder to wait on God." The promise is that the risen Christ now shares His own life with those who trust Him. That means no matter where you’re located, home is with the Lord.
*
Some of you came in this morning tired. You are tired of carrying a burden, tired of fighting temptation, tired of praying the same prayer, tired of waiting for answers, tired of trying to hold a marriage together, tired of grieving, tired of pretending, tired of wondering when God is going to act. But the invitation of this text is not, “Try harder.” The invitation is, “Come home.” Come to the Lord who gives strength to the weary. Come to the Savior who carried your sin to the cross. Come to the risen Christ who can lift you, steady you, forgive you, and walk with you from this day forward. If you have never trusted Christ as Savior and Lord, this is the moment to say, “Jesus, I believe You died for me and rose again. Forgive me. Save me. Bring me home to the Father.” If you come to Him, you will not walk alone.