Isaiah 40:25-31
Upon what are you basing your faith; upon what your hope and confidence? "The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever..." (1 Pet 1:24-25). Oh! dearly beloved let the Word of God furnish for you a firm foundation upon which to stand, such that, when upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, you might have an anchor of grounding!! "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1).
This sermon is an exhortation to the weak and an admonition to the strong, to anchor ones confidence in the promises of a faithful God. "...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." (Is. 40:31)
Philippians 2:1-11
Oh that the Body of Christ might lay firmly hold on the most blessed doctrine of regeneration!! “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). “...if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17). Oh! the glories of this precious truth, what grace has become ours in Christ, what change has been wrought in our hearts the hour we first believed!!
In light of this great truth, the burden of responsibility is now placed on the Church of Jesus Christ to preserve and maintain, at all costs, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!! Most assuredly, in Christ, we have been brought into spiritual fellowship and unity with one another by selfsame Spirit of God that dwells in each of us. However, great caution is given in this sermon about allowing strife and envy to fester in our hearts which destroys the unity and injures the Church for which Christ died.
Ezekiel 34:11-12
All across the landscape of Christendom, lie the scattered wounded and the spiritually hurt. Apparently, some would have us believe that soldiers of Christ are not supposed to be counted among the wounded, but in all my observations, I find this not to be the case at all! On every side I see the casualties of this spiritual war…
This sermon is an encouragement to the spiritually wounded; the Good Shepherd well knows your wounds and hears your cries. Indeed, He cares for you more than you could ever know and will in due season restore you again to spiritual vigour. Hold fast dearly beloved, come aside and rest a while in Christ!!