SOARING LIKE AN EAGLE
ISAIAH 40:27-31
THIS SERMON WAS GATHERED FROM THE NIV BIBLE AND INFORMATION WAS TAKEN FROM THE BOOK “THE EAGLE STORY” BY INSTITUTE OF YOUTH CONFLICTS 1985
ISAIAH 40:27-31
THE 40TH CHAPTER OF ISAIAH APPEARS TO BE A PROPHECY INTO TWO PARTS.
(1) ISAIAH HAS BEEN ADDRESSING GOD’S PEOPLE WHO WOULD UNDERGO BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY- THOSE WHO WOULD BE FEELING THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE SUPPRESSING THEIR LIVES.
(2) GOD’S PEOPLE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY CAPTIVE TO SIN AND WHAT IS GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES PREVENTS THEM FROM BEING FREE AND VICTORIOUS IN A WAY OF LIFE THAT GOD DESIRES FOR GOD’S PEOPLE.
WE SEE THE WRITER IS USING THE EAGLE AS A SIMILE. A SIMILE CONNECTS TWO UNLIKE THINGS BY DRAWING A COMPARISON- THE EAGLE IS AN EXAMPLE FOR US.
40:31 (NLT) “BUT THOSE WHO TRUST IN THE LORD WILL FIND NEW STRENGTH. THEY WILL SOAR ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES. THEY WILL RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY. THEY WILL WALK AND NOT FAINT”
ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS THAT I ADMIRE THE EAGLE- PARTICULARLY THE BALD EAGLE. I HAVE EAGLE PICTURES, EAGLE STATUES, AND I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE TRAITS OF AN EAGLE. MY SCREEN SAVER IS A BALD EAGLE.
I DO NOT THINK IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT GOD TELLS US TO TAKE THE LIFE OF AN EAGLE.
THE BIBLE NO WHERE TELLS US TO ACT LIKE OTHER BIRDS. WE ARE NOT CALLED TO BE TURKEYS, CHICKENS, OR PEACOCKS.
I HAVE SEEN SOME CHRISTIANS ACT LIKE TURKEYS, TO ACT LIKE CHICKENS, TO BE PROUD LIKE PEACOCKS. BUT I THINK GOD HAS A REASON HE TELLS US TO BE LIKE AN EAGLE.
I THINK FOR A MOMENT WE SHOULD LOOK AT SOME OF THE EAGLES TRAITS- SO WE CAN APPLY SOME OF THEM TO OUR LIVES.
I THINK ISAIAH HAD A HARD JOB.
HE HAD TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE WHO WERE HARD HEARTED.
HE HAD TO MOTIVATE THOSE WHO DID NOT WANT TO BE MOTIVATED.
HE BROUGHT A MESSAGE OF A COMING SAVIOR TO PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO DO THEIR OWN THING.
GOD TELLS ISAIAH TO CRY OUT ...TO CRY OUT TO THEM AND TO ASK GOD TO HELP DO IT.
40:6-8,- “ A VOICE SAYS, CRY OUT. AND I SAID, WHAT SHALL I CRY? ALL MEN ARE LIKE GRASS, AND ALL THEIR GLORY IS LIKE THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND FLOWERS FALL,. BECAUSE THE BREATH OF THE LORD BLOWS ON THEM. SURELY THE PEOPLE ARE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS AND THE FLOWERS FALL, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER.”
SOMETIMES DO YU FEEL LIKE THE PROPHET?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT GOD BUT THEY ARE NOT LISTENING?
ARE YOU JUST GROWING TIRED AND WEARY?
GOD HAS A WORD FOR YOU THIS MORNING CONCERNING YOUR STRENGTH AND THE ABILITY TO GO ON.
HE IS TELLING US HOW TO RENEW OUR STRENGTH.
HE IS TELLING US HOW TO RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY
HOW TO WALK WITH GOD AND NOT FAINT
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MAY OF WANTED THE TURKEY TO BE THE NATIONAL BIRD, BUT GOD WANTS US TO BE LIKE EAGLES.
......PEACOCKS ARE PROUD BIRDS
......TURKEYS ARE DUMB BIRDS
......CROWS ARE DIRTY BIRDS
......VULTURES ARE FILTHY BIRDS- CORRUPT, ROTTEN, AND EATING THE STINKY THINGS IN LIFE
THERE ARE CHRISTIANS THAT ACT LIKE EACH ONE OF THESE BIRDS, BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO LIVE LIFE AS GOD INTENDED WE ARE TO BE EAGLES AND SOAR IN LIFE.
.... “THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH, THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS LIKE EAGLES THEY SHALL RUN, AND NOT BE WEARY, AND THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT”
THERE ARE SOME EAGLE CHRISTIANS:
THEY ARE BOLD AND DEVOTED TO GOD
THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FLY IN THE STORM IT WILL BE IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD, AND IF THEY GET TIRED, THEY KNOW THEY HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE SOURCE OF THEIR STRENGTH TO BE RENEWED.
THE EAGLE KNOWS IT CAN HANDLE DIVERSITY
IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOUNT UP WITH EAGLE WINGS: YOU ARE NOT SCARED OF THE STORM, YOU ARE NOT RUNNING FROM A STORM, YOU WILL RISE ABOVE THE STORM. IN A STORM YOU WILL LOCK YOUR WINGS, USING THE STRONG WINDS TO BE YOUR ADVANTAGE
HE FLIES WITH PURPOSE-
HE KNOWS HE WAS DESIGNED BY GOD TO FLY. HE IS NOT A GROUND BIRD, GATHERING FOOD FROM THE GROUND, THE LEFTOVERS FROM OTHER BIRDS.
HE WELCOMES THE WINDS- PROBLEM COME HIS WAY, HE JUST RISES ABOVE IT, HE GOES WHERE NO OTHER BIRDS FLIES.
IN THE STORM OF LIFE- CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE SEEN ABOVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES, TAKING THEIR POSITIONS AS MAN/WOMEN OF GOD.
TOO MANY CHRISTIANS BAIL OUT AS SOON AS A STORM COMES THEIR WAY.
IN THOSE TIMES WHEN SATAN SEEMS TO BE GETTING THE BEST OF US, MAINTAIN YOUR FAITH TRUST GOD TO ALLOW YOU TO ARISE ABOVE IT
WHEN THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD- EAGLE CHRISTIANS WILL BE VICTORIOUS
HOW DO YOU MOUNT UP?
PRAYER
SEEKING GOD’S WORD
FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
BIBLE STUDIES
FOCUSING ON CHRIST
THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH
WAITING ON THE LORD TAKES FAITH
WAITING ON THE LORD-SOMETIMES YOU WILL GO THROUGH SOME FIRES
WAITING ON THE LORD REQUIRES YOU TO SEE THINGS THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE
GOD IS GOD
HE IS ALL POWERFUL
THERE IS NO LIMIT TO HIS ABILITY TO MEET YOUR NEED
THERE IS NO LIMIT TO HIS PROVISION
GOD NEVER GETS TIRED, NEVER GROWS WEARY, AND IS ALWAYS READY TO LISTEN TO THE PRAYERS OF HIS CHILDREN
I WISH I UNDERSTOOD WHY GOD ALLOWS SOME THINGS TO HAPPEN.
HIS WAYS ARE FAR ABOVE MY UNDERSTANDING
HE GIVETH POWER TO THE FAINT, AND HE GIVES US STRENGTH
ISAIAH 59:1- “BEHOLD , THE LORDS HAND IS NOT SHORTENED, THAT I CANNOT SAVE, NEITHER HIS EAR HEAVY, THAT I CANNOT HEAR”
SOME OF US LIVE IN THE REALM OF ‘NEVER ENOUGH”- WE ARE ALWAYS SCRATCHING THE GROUND FOR LEFTOVERS. SOME FIGHT THEIR WAY TO “JUST ENOUGH” I HAVE WHAT I NEED, I LIKE A SIMPLE LIFE AND I AM HAPPY WHERE I AM. GOD IS LOOKING FOR A FEW TO SAY- I WANT MORE THAN ENOUGH
NEVER ENOUGH
JUST ENOUGH
MORE THAN ENOUGH
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
CLOSING:
SOME OF YOU THIS MORNING WILL GET IT
SOME OF YOU ARE FEATHERWEIGHTS IN THE RING WITH A HEAVYWEIGHT AND IN YOURSELF YOU ARE TAKING A BEATING
GOD IS TELLING YOU HE WANTS US TO LIVE THE POWERFUL AND MAJESTIC LIFE LIKE AN EAGLE AND YOU TELL GOD YOUR HAPPY TO BE A SQUAWKING CROW
THE EAGLE:
BUILDS HIS NEST ABOVE CIRCUMSTANCES
HE HUNTS HIS OWN FOOD AND DOESN’T SETTLE FOR LEFTOVERS
HE IS STRONG AND ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF- HE KNOWS WHO HE IS CREATED TO BE
HIS VISION IS EXCEPTIONAL - NOTHING IS GOING TO GET PAST HIM
QUESTION- ARE YOU READY TO FLY?
PROVERBS 23:7- “FOR AS HE THINKS IN HIS HEART...SO IS HE”
EAGLES OR TURKEYS?
THERE ARE SOME EAGLES WHO ACT LIKE CHICKENS- TODAY, WILL YOU SEE WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST?
YOUR WINGS WERE CLIPPED BUT TODAY YOU WILL AGAIN ATTEMPT TO RISE ABOVE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES
CHICKENS ARE AFRAID OF EVERYTHING- EAGLES ARE AFRAID OF NOTHING
NO FEARS
SAY NO TO FAILURE
NO TO PAIN
YES TO NEW THINGS
YES TO THE FUTURE
LIVING IN A REAL WORLD FACING REAL PROBLEMS, BUT I AM WAITING ON JESUS AND LOOKING TOWARD JESUS AND NOT AT MY CIRCUMSTANCES
IF YOU ARE FACING TRIALS- LIFT YOUR HEAD TO JESUS- YOUR ANSWER IS ON THE WAY
JUST LIKE THE EAGLE NEVER FORGETS TO RETURN TO THE NEST- JESUS WILL NOT FORGET YOU EITHER.
ALTAR CALL AS THE LORD LEADS
