Spent (Part A)

Believe in the inerrancy of God's word for them and for me that was for them and this is for me to lose weight upon the Lord shall renew their strength. I believe that I for one would not be standing here if it were not so I would've been spent in ministry long ago and not replenished, not refreshed, not restored and gone. God does restore from this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching in the book of Isaiah.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Isaiah chapter 40 as he begins his message called suspect. Have your Bibles please turn to the prophet Isaiah chapter 40 verses 27 through 31. Text is verse 31 Isaiah chapter 40 beginning in verse 27. Why do you sail Jake up and speak, O Israel. My way is hidden from Yahweh and my just claim is passed over by my God, have you not known, have you not heard the everlasting God, Yahweh, the creator of the ends of the earth either faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable. Gives power to the weekend to those who have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, young men shall utterly fall but those who wait on Yahweh, shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

This is one of the glorious chapters in the Bible but it will be non-expository. In other words, I won't be looking to open up and send that text too much, but rather point out some other things concerning the topic found in verse 31, which is our text, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. The title of this message is that spending one's energy spending one's faith.

I know that God wants me to speak on this verse about comforting his people. Ironically, verse one would have been to me. More to the point because he gets right to the point, there the Lord's discomfort yes comfort my people, says the Lord, but that is not the text that he guided me to. It is verse 31.

Apparently, learning about waiting is comforting.

Eventually we face conflict between God's promises and the events and our lives is not uncommon.

It is found in Scripture. In other words, there comes a time for we who believe when the promises of God seem to not apply to us and we are very much knocked off balance by this.

Where are the promises of the Lord.

This was what Gideon said where the promises where the victories that our fathers had experienced. Well, it is helpful to remember, at least for me it is resolved. When I do remember that yes God has promises in his word, but he has other things in his word to this is displayed for us. When Jesus was in the wilderness. Satan would quote Scripture promise to him.

Throw yourself down from this finical board is written in the Lord counted with it is written again, there's more Scripture. There are other things to factor in in serving God in life we find ourselves use up from just sometimes just living even an unbeliever, of course, comes to a place in their life or they just feel spent. Sometimes we Christians we feel spent for serving or in serving for gallant causes of the times again just life because of what someone else's unjustly done to us feel like we've used up our resources. Effective service for Christ requires fuel and fuel must be replenished to law of creation. Fuel gets spent. If you make a campfire you need oxygen you need heat you need fuel and eventually run out of fuel and have to go get more in the form of logs or whatever else your burning living spends fuel and it is helpful for we who believe to not lose sight of these things we don't have to walk around thinking about all the time but it is still something that not to be lost when we find ourselves serving and spent or just living and spent. We certainly must shun spiritual wasting wasting away spiritually just sort of evaporated of these things are a part of life.

We shouldn't be surprised by them but we should not be bullied by them either. Even at worse, we must guard against the slides backwards. Job, of course, you mention Joe, the first thing we think about is I'm glad I'm not Job well at least one of things I think of when I think of Joe, but even at his worse. He still held to the Lord. His wife did not initially pick it up and Job to and there we read about Job and Mrs. Job and then his wife said to him, do you still hold fast to your integrity curse God and die, but he said to her you speak as one of the foolish women speaks.

Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity in all this Job did not sin with his lips. When I read that verse I want to be Job in the response. I don't want to be the one that tells another believer, just curse God and die to give up that your plight overrules your obedience to God.

Your service to him. I we admire Job's response and the rest of the book develops would put him on the roller coaster were one minute he's down the next minute he's up in the committees down all come back to that we are rise up and work and if you have to wait for God and find yourself waiting a long time for God even this still work to be done. Waiting does not excuse us from building from developing from work, you will be replenished when you're spent, because it is written, those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

Serving God makes a servant week. Not strong in the sense that I am talking about being spent.

Strength spent all when he wrote to the Philippians he says if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith. I am glad and rejoice with you all remember when he wrote that Philippian letter he was in jail and it wasn't do you know it on a nice jail as we might consider jails today. Second Corinthians, he said to them, and I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Then he adds, will you seem to love me less and less.

This is the serving God makes servants week and not strong. We should be mindful of this. Otherwise, we have this expectation quite possibly that serving God. We should always feel robust and strong in dispute all just full strength of encouragement. But that's not how it works and that's why we have these stories in the Bible is not surprising that in this created universe. The physical universe creation is winding down. Things are being used up creation depends on other things derived strength. This is how God has made it strongest on the field of life at some point is used up. Now when I say used up. I don't mean used up and no longer any use, but just spent out of energy from their perspective, not God's perspective because as we just read God he doesn't run out of energy. He doesn't run out of strength, knowledge to survive, though, when we are out of resources that strength those resources must be renewed.

Judges chapter 15 tells us the story of a great man a strong man who used up his strength and was going to die unless God did something pick it up in Judges 15. This is the story of the day in the life of Sampson found a fresh jawbone of a donkey reached out his hand and took it and killed a thousand men with it. Then Sampson said, with a jawbone of a donkey heaps upon heaps with the jawbone of a donkey. I have slain a thousand men.

Then he became very thirsty so he cried out to Yahweh and said you have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant, and now shall I die of thirst fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. So God split the hollow place, and water came out and he drank in his spirit returned and he revived that is a picture of being spent in life, here it is in the service of God against the enemies of God.

Ideally that should be for all of us who claim Jesus as Lord. We are born again so we can serve not just get to heaven.

Otherwise, save us and take us right to heaven right away. We are left behind in this life to help God bring others into eternal life. Also with God.

Of course, there are no years to make him decline so aging with God and his powers remain strong throughout. This is taught immutability of God, the unchanging nature and character of God. Malachi chapter 3, for I am Yahweh. I do not change explicitly stated right out. This attribute is exclusive to deity. It only belongs to God and it is applied to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is God the son. Hebrews chapter 13 verse eight Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. So what I'm reading in the Old Testament concerning God's interactions with his people applies to me in the New Testament also his character is will darkness drags us down but hope in the Lord lifts us up and losing side of this makes us less effective and can even make us a stumbling block for others and we lose sight of the glory of God. As believers when we are in some great hour of darkness can bring others down with us if we're not careful, Elijah. The great prophet spent himself defeating evil forces, the top of Mount Carmel. Dealing with the that great evil influence that Jezebel had brought into the land but evil counterattacked evil plotted the death of Eliza for daring to purchase the land of the evil influence we read in first Kings chapter 19 when he saw that when he saw that they were going to kill him and plotted his death when he saw that he arose and ran for his life, which of course is a sermon in itself because Eliza come on, you just experienced such a great victory are called fire down from heaven to ignite the altar you slow the profits of balun Ashtoreth why are you running from a death threat. Not only did he run.

He kept running and he ran some more. When he finally arrived where he was going was physically, he was emotionally and he was spiritually spent when he stopped running. There was nothing left. That's probably why he stopped running, but God didn't leave them that way because those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and we pick that part of the story up in first Kings chapter 19 is a profound story and it has direct application to us when we come across these incidences in our own lives. You know to suffer and endure while worshiping is to be victorious in Christ you have to be delivered to be victorious. Just have to take the pain in Christ. I don't care for that myself and I don't mind seeing it on other people. But when it's my turn. I find myself sometimes for even lesser struggle scrambling to draw from God. Some promise some sense of his presence. First Kings 19.

Speaking of Eliza, but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom treatises every it already, but miles between Ian. Those who were looking to kill him and he prayed that he might die, and said it is enough. Now Yahweh take my life, for I am no better than my father's and then as he lay and slept under a broom treat. Suddenly, an angel touched him and said to him, arise and eat, and then he looked in there by his head was a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and laid down again. CL spent he was tired he was. How in need of replenishment he was.

He continues in verse six, the first Kings 19 verse seven we are now in the angel of Yahweh came back a second time and touched him and said, arise and eat because the journey is too great for you. So he arose and eight and he went in the strength that food for 40 days and 40 nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. This really happened. Of course, the faithless will question and him and on Foss and yeah you right but God said this happened and I rather believe God than atheists whom I don't even believe in. If you believe an atheist, you're wrong. Even they believe in God. They just don't have the nerve to say because the bitter want to punish God. Well anyway, that's another story and some of you may differ with that but you are wrong, we can learn how to wait and we can learn how to be strength and I'm not at all telling you this is child's play. I'm not all telling you this is easy when Jesus said, take up your cross every day. He wasn't fooling around.

It meant something Paulette again as he was being spent from the jail that he was in writing to the Philippians says, speaking of learning how to weight learning how to endure. He says not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. Can you just download that to me.

Can you just impart that to me that I can learn to be content.

I know how to be abased, I know how to abound everywhere in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things Christ who strengthens me. We like to think about that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. While admitting omitting the hunger and the lack of comfort and security.

And yet, the example that God gives to us is the child of God must learn how to wait must do something must make the waiting count because it's not the whole story, consider those who waited in Scripture. All of course the Lord Jesus. He waited any work for 29 1/2 years just to spend his life in 3 1/2 years of ministry that resulted in his public execution.

The crucifixion, Abraham waited 25 years for his beloved Isaac to be born after God told him he would have this child of Joseph. How can we forget Joseph who waited years as a slave, then a framed criminal looking at Genesis 40 verse 23. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph but forgot him to have Joseph when when Jay had the dream and Joseph told him the dream to be restored back to Farrell and as the butler was leaving the jail. Joseph remember me to Farrell. Two years went by, were told before the butler conveniently remembered all by the way, Joseph and Jill. He tells dreams he gives the answer to dreams Moses waited 40 years to serve God really tried in the first 40 years and failed couldn't even commit a crime and get away with it. Then he waited another 40 years swing until God called them, and Moses was no longer looking. By this time, and as the story goes wheat when his reluctance tells us that Moses just sort of jaded with people I want to serve their problem. The pain in the neck find somebody else. He tells God he had to wait 1600 years to get into the promised land, and when he got there he was even impressed busy talking to the Lord was looking around all this is wonderful land of milk and honey. How can we forget Joseph and Caleb there waiting.

They waited 40 years for guilty generation to die that guilty generation kept them out of the promised land. All they got them when they spidered out leg went out but they had to wait another 40 years ago back in. Caleb had to wait till his 80s to take by battle by force mountain, God promised Joshua chapter 14.

This is Caleb talking to his old comrade Joshua. He said give me this mountain of which Yahweh spoke in that day when you love to have seen the look in Caleb's eyes as he is talking to Josh give me this mountain was nothing casual about this request was yeah you not come like that piece of property, what's what.

You go for that wasn't the strength behind this petition to Joshua give me this mountain, which Yahweh spoken that day for you heard in that day how the Anna Kim were there and that the cities were great and fortified.

It may be that Yahweh will be with me and I shall be able to drive them out as Yahweh has said, you see, he's not presumptuous he's not maiming it and claiming it, blabbing it and grabbing it in a squealing and stealing it for just saying God might give this to me. Maybe some things change with the lot. I got this promise. But you know he's God and I'm subject to his role, David. Of course we've been covering David on Wednesdays. He waited years and fought for his life before receiving his God promised prone strangely enough of your suffering in your hearing these things is not that misery in the Christian loves company, is that misery in the Christian from company derives strength because it says if they can do it the Lord and so can I David, as I mentioned, fought for his life before receiving God promised thrown first Samuel 23 David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness and remained in the mountains in the wilderness of Ziff Saul sought him every day.

God did not deliver him into his hand. It wasn't fun for David. Abigail had to wait to be delivered from a fool husband may that not be your burden.

Paul waited years in Tarsus before being called to a greater field of ministry.

We did work in Tarsus while he waited. He didn't know he was waiting, he was sent away the couldn't wait.

The Christians couldn't wait to get Paul out of Jerusalem out of Israel and so Paul goes back to Tarsus, his hometown and he built churches there. He preaches there but he thinks the pretty much.

This is the ministry and then God sent Barnabas retrieves Paul and expands the ministry and the suffering.

Along with it, if ever, your morale as a servant of God touches rock bottom, then reflect. Others have been where you are before you and prevail, and others have had worse situations than you more than likely, and prevail within, we say that was them back then. This is me right now. What you do with you have to believe in the inerrancy of God's word for them and for me that was for them and this is for me to those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. I believe that I for one would not be standing here if it were not so, I would have been spent in ministry long ago and not replenished, not refreshed and not restored and gone. God does restore first Corinthians chapter 10 Paul says all of these things happened. Emphasis to them as examples, and they were written for our ad my mission upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

This is for the New Testament church. He says, when Christ ascended to heaven. The end time started where living in the last of the last days the technology dictating that to us prophetically going.

Paul again says to the Corinthians. All these things happen to them.

Now, now they are examples to us in these last days, God preserve them in print for us to have ammunition through the ad.

My mission upon whom the end of the ages have come down there's more to this.

This is the harder side business off the side to this waiting for the Lord waiting for God needs strength rather than weakness. We tend to think you know you just week.

I can't do anything on the matter is out of your hands but the power to do nothing.

The power to keep away from self-created ideas. The power to stay out of God's way that requires strength of course Hagar of Ishmael came through Abraham and Sarah getting in the way. Instead of just waiting for God, now look back to Isaiah chapter 40 in verse 29 God tells us us this in this again this glorious chapter he gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increases strength we tend to say okay he's going to give me strength to bring out things to be a prison leader is your screen so much and I understand I would be to pain pain. The pain my God, my God, why have forsaken move. Thanks for tuning into cross reference radio for this study.

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