Renewed In The Lord
Terry Dashner, Pastor Faith Fellowship Church
In his sermon entitled, God’s Eagle Christian, Pastor Billy G. Lobbs makes the following comment:
Text: Isaiah 40:31, "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."
I'm really glad that it's the eagle and not one of the other birds that God chose to identify us with. He could have likened us to a variety of other birds if He had so desired, and rightly so, because we display many of their characteristics. Take the chicken for example. Having been born in southeast Missouri, and having spent some time on a farm, I know something about chickens. Let me give you some chicken facts to show you why I'm glad God said we are to become like eagles and not chickens.
Chickens are crowd followers. If a chicken sees a bunch of chickens running across the chicken yard, he will take off after them. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know where they are going or why they are going there. He follows along because he doesn't want to miss out on anything the majority is doing.
Chickens just naturally "squabble and fight" over things in the chicken yard. If one finds a nice juicy bug to eat, suddenly they all want it. They will chase each other all over the chicken yard, trying to take it away from each other. They are funny that way. They can walk all around a bug or a grasshopper and not pay any attention to it, but the moment one decides he wants it, at that moment, they all decide they want it and the chase is on.
They have no interest in the heavenlies. They are content to live in the chicken yard, walking around with their eyes on the ground, scratching in the dirt looking for something to eat. Most of them will never try to fly. They are earthbound birds.
I think you can see now why I'm convinced that living the chicken life can never compare to living the eagle life. Chicken living is so limited - so confining - so predictable and so boring. However, living the eagle life - that's another story. When we hear the word eagle, our minds envision an eagle soaring in the atmosphere, effortlessly riding the wind currents high above the earth; majestic in appearance. He is King of the Sky, master of his domain. With keenness of eye, he spies his prey and swooping down to earth with tremendous speed, and sharp strong talons set, it snatches up its meal and soars back to its nest to feast.
There is something special about the eagle and for centuries it has been recognized by nations, kingdoms and empires as the King of the birds. Its image has been reproduced on their coins, seals, emblems and flags. And God in His Word tells us that of all the birds of the air, it is the eagle that His people are to be identified with. He is calling us to be spiritual eagles.
Let me give you some facts about the eagle.
Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.
When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. The Bible says,
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31
Psalm 102:5 "who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed as the eagle's."
This fact in the life of the eagle is given as a promise to the righteous.
The eagle lives to a very great age. As he grows old his beak becomes so long that he can no longer eat; then he flies away by himself to the top of a cliff and pecks and pecks on a rock until his bill falls off, after which a new bill grows in its place. While without use of his bill, the bird also loses his feathers because of fasting.
After the new bill grows and he again takes food, new feathers start growing, so that he looks and appears like a young eagle, going forth in a new covering with youthful beauty and strength, "Thy youth is renewed as the eagle's".
Deut.32:11 "As the eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings."
Moses is telling the people how God deals with his children. The mother eagle watches her baby eaglets carefully; as they grow, she stirs them up a bit so they will not be contented to lie in the nest: she then flutters over them to make them want to use their wings as she does; then she pushes them out of the nest and flies down beneath, carefully watching them so no harm will come to her children. When her mother eye sees the little wings growing weary, she spreads out her great strong wings; catches them and bears them back to the nest for rest.
The nest is always very high. A fall would mean the end of flying, but the mother eagle knows when it is time to shake the young out of the nest and when to fly down to bring them back.
That is what God does for us, bears us on eagle's wings.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…
“wait” in Hebrew is qavah and comes from a primary root word that means to bind together by twisting. The imagery is of a single strand of hemp which can be easily broken by itself; however, when twisted together with many strands, it becomes unbreakable.
Waiting for something is not a strong point of mine. I can put popcorn in the microwave and still pace the floor waiting for it to pop. The greatest lessons I’ve learned in my life have been those that taught me to wait on God’s timing. Waiting does not mean doing nothing while I wait for God to act. It does mean standing my ground. This morning I want to share with you what it means to “stand your ground” while waiting on God.
Our text is Ephesians 6:10
“ 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
How does one become strong in the Lord’s mighty power? By waiting on Him, then is our strength renewed.
God's armor brings victory because it is far more than a protective covering. It is the very life of Jesus Christ Himself. "[P]ut on the armor of light," wrote Paul in his letter to the Romans, "...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 13:12-14) When you do, He becomes your hiding place, and shelter in the storm--just as He was to David. Hidden in Him, you can count on His victory, for He not only covers you as a shield, He also fills you with His life.
"I am the vine; you are the branches," said Jesus. "If a man abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
Since living in the safety of the armor means oneness with Jesus, we can expect to share His struggles as well as His peace. Remember, God has promised us victory in the midst of trials, not immunity from pain. So "do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ..." (1 Peter 4:12-13) Christian heroes who have been tortured for their faith continue to testify to the supernatural strength--even joy--that enables them to endure unthinkable pain.
They affirm with Paul -
"that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers.... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)
This wonderful truth has become reality to all who believe and follow Jesus. When you put on His armor, His life surrounds you, keeping you safe, close to Himself, and free to be His precious friend and trusted companion. So "put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27) He is your victory! http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm
Verse 11 tells us to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The word wiles means deception. Satan has 3 ways that he primarily tempts us; by getting us to doubt the promises of God, by getting us to doubt the character of God, and by getting us to put our own desires above the will of God. But God has given us armor and weapons that we may both defend against the attacks of the devil and that we may attack the devil. And because the armor of God is just that, of God and spiritual, it will never wear or fade away or become unusable. Because just as verse 12 says, our warfare is not physical but spiritual, we need spiritual armor. When you look at the world around you, you will see governments that fight each other over land and power; you will see organizations religious and secular that oppose each other over land, money, power, and traditions. But our warfare is not for or against the physical things of this earth but is against the spiritual; light against darkness, good against evil, and truth against that which is not true.
Verse 12-17 tells us of this armor of God that we have been given by the God of all grace. Verses 13-14 says, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.”
Truth is the most important thing in the World. Each moment of the day you either think thoughts that are true or thoughts that are of the devil. You either walk in the light having fellowship with God and the brethren or you walk in darkness stumbling at ye know not what. To have our loins gird about with truth means first, above all, to have our sins confessed so that in our heart, mind, and spirit we may be in fellowship with God, who is the source of all truth. I Peter 1:13 says to gird up the loins of the mind. The loins of our mind should be girded about with truth. The things that we think about and the things that we believe better be accurate with the teachings of the Bible otherwise we will not have our loins gird about with truth. And if our loins are not gird about with truth, then when the devil whispers words of doubt and lust into our ears we will fall into sin, marring our testimony and weakening our faith. II Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” To gird your loins about with truth you must diligently study the Word of truth every day.
Verse 14 says to put on the breastplate of righteousness. In the days of old, when people wore armor into battle, the breastplate was a very important piece of armor because it protected the chest. Most wounds to the chest in those days were almost always death blows. There are two kinds of righteousness; positional righteousness and provisional righteousness. Positional righteousness is the righteousness of justification. When we are saved we have the position of standing in Christ. Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” We, the children of God, have the righteousness of Jesus Christ keeping our souls as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” When Jesus Christ was baptized and the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove the voice of the Father shouted from the eternal glories of Heaven, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” God was pleased with Jesus because Jesus always said, not My will but Thine, Lord, be done. And Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law. If we have the position of being in Christ, the positional righteousness of Christ, then God the Father looks down on us from the eternal glories of heaven and He smiles and says about you and me “This is My beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased.”
And then there is provisional righteousness. This is a righteousness that is directly related to our sanctification. Our provisional righteousness is based upon how consistently we follow the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit moment by moment of each day. It’s not a righteousness based upon our following of the law because Jesus abolished the law. Ephesians 2:15 says, speaking of Jesus, “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” If you follow the Spirit of God, the Holy law of God will be kept because Jesus fulfilled the law. But if you follow the law, the law will not be kept and your provisional righteousness will be destroyed because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But anytime that we do fail in our provisional righteousness Jesus will always forgive us because He already paid the penalty for our sins. Do not listen to the devil when he says that God could not possibly forgive you for that sin, Jesus will always love you and He will always forgive you, if you only ask. Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” God has given the gift of forgiveness and he has called us to be children of God, therefore He will always forgive and restore unto us our provisional righteousness.
Verse 15 says, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” If you are saved then you already have the Gospel of peace written into your heart. In the days when the N.T. was written most people traveled on foot everywhere they went; even from town to town. The basic idea is that we should always be prepared to share the Gospel with those whom we come into contact with. I Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
Verse 16 says, “above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked.” The most important possession in the world is faith in Jesus Christ and faith in the promises of God. There are many wonderful promises of God to give us a shield of faith. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Jesus said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” And there are many, many more wonderful promises of God. When Satan throws the darts of doubt and fear and the darts of lust and temptation and the darts of persecution at you; if your faith in the promises of God is like a house founded on a solid rock then the winds and the waves will beat against the house of your faith and you will stand tall all night through the storm until the sun rises in the morning to give you light. John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Verse 17 says, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” The helmet is the most important piece of armor that a soldier could wear into battle because it protects His head. Just about any blow to the head is a death blow. If you have salvation by repenting of your sins and trusting in Jesus Christ, then you cannot be defeated. You may fail from time to time but Jesus Christ has bought you the victory through His own blood that was spilt for you. Jesus said in John chapter 10:27-29, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”
When Adam and Eve tasted of the forbidden fruit, they sinned and were separated from God. They died spiritually. The word death literally means separation. Genesis 3:7 says, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Because we are all sinners we are separated from God. We are dead spiritually. We are naked spiritually; we are without the armor of God. Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” And Romans 5:15 says, “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”
If you do not have the armor of God, if you do not have the helmet of salvation, then you are in danger of being devoured by that old lion the devil and you are on your way to hell where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Romans 10:13 says, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In all human souls is the leprosy of sin. Sin will eat away your personality. Sin will vex your soul and devour your flesh. But even though we have all failed miserably at the law of God, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God perfectly fulfilled the law. He suffered the cruel death of the cross and He took upon Himself the punishment that we deserved for our sins. Jesus Christ died and rose again the 3rd day and ascended to heaven to be with the Father for eternity. One day we will all die. If you do not have Jesus in your heart you can pray to Jesus right now and ask Him into your heart. Salvation is the free gift of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation cannot be earned, it can only be accepted. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are freed from the guilt of their sins. Jesus brings freedom from the chains of the law and freedom from the bony hand of death. If you trust in Jesus Christ then you will become clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and clothed in the armor of God. If you trust in Jesus Christ, one day you will step beyond the doorway of death and into the loving arms of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for eternity without end.
http://www.biblegems.com/BRUCEEPHESIANS6V10-17.HTM
Pastor T.