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[0:00] The 40th chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah verse 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 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 We open the word this morning with that those characters here that are brought to wait upon the Lord have nothing in themselves And they are very descriptive words as we sang in that well-known hymn of John Newton

[1:06] That is the case that is the lot and that is the condition of the people of God in their spiritual pathways through this wilderness And such as are those that fear the Lord are those who therefore are brought to wait upon the Lord For in this word renewing the margin says change but I believe this would be also true to say for a continuance of that strength I've often said and I heard it repeated many years ago when a man was sent out to preach it wasn't the commencement so much that was the burden it was the continuing And so it is in the spiritual pathway in the sweet love of Christ in the soul those times of blessing well there's much strength there

[2:13] But as time goes on and trials troubles and difficulties Satan and the many temptations that are the lot of God's people work within then there is this need to for the continuing of that strength of that grace and this is given and shall be given to those that wait We said this morning those wonderful word four times in this verse shall doesn't rest on conditions that we're in doesn't even rest upon walking a pathway which is free from sin the Lord does chasten his people but he never leaves them the Lord reproves for their iniquity but he doesn't take his spirit from them these promises are not conditional promises on us being better or more worthy or that we might merit them they are words to the weak to the poor and the needy and they are words of good advice and they are words of promise but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength

[3:27] We spoke of those things which gave them that strength I thought that we might go on a bit further tonight but there's one or two more things that must be spoken about this renewing of strength and one great mercy which the Lord bestows upon his people you know which renews their strength enables them to go on it might be in a deep path of tribulation it might be in a time of much temptation it might be in a pathway of much opposition and you'll say well what is it then the Lord's presence the Lord's presence because you know having that what else do you need the next chapter fear thou not for I am with thee why does he say fear not why does he put those words in it the Holy Ghost because the pathway and the people of God are subject to many fears fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God

[4:40] I will strengthen thee if you've got the Lord's presence you've got strength it matters not what the world says or false professors say it doesn't matter what your old nature will try to distress you or trouble you if you walk a pathway that's got trials and troubles you'll be sure of this it will be one which Satan will say now therefore you're wrong you're not in the right path but if the Lord's put you in that path and is with you in that path then the promises of his presence are your comfort but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness you go back and study the word of God when God raised up his servant Joshua to take Israel across

[5:40] Jordan into Canyon well with such a such a commission as that such a burden as that because he had been with Moses he had seen the rebellious state of the people of Israel their hard hearts and all their tendency to go back to Egypt if they could well it's no wonder the poor man was to be blessed with such promises you read the promises bless God for the promises that he may be pleased to speak into your heart because they and they alone are the strength of the people of God when everything around is in darkness or distress the word of his grace is your strength and your comfort I don't know if I can find it by I might be able to quote it I looked at it in the vestry and it struck me well it dropped into my heart and then it seemed to me to be a comfort on the word thy blood has sealed hangs my everlasting all let thine arm be now revealed stay oh stay me lest I fall in the world of endless ruin let it never

[7:00] Lord be said here's a soul that's perished suing for the boasted saviour's aid oh if you need and you will need if you're a gracious a grace taught soul you will need this grace his very presence for I will be with thee thy troubles to bless and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress the day that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength you know one of those clearest evidences of comfort first of all to the apostle Paul was this that everyone forsook him but his God everyone forsook him oh how near to his saviour did he walk and they all forsook him and fled the apostle was blessed because the

[8:00] Lord was with him but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength both in his presence being with them and his word being their comfort in their soul what else will you as you come into these deep places what supports the people of God even in the path of providence I've often said and I testified again even in the leadings of the Lord in providence in those ways which he appoints for his people and the Lord's people come into places where they need the Lord to show them what to do and which path to take I to my saviour seek I've not got the words right you know that him and listen what the Lord will say 812 it comes back to me 812 it's got it all there for guidance direction for comfort for consolation for confirmation

[9:06] I to my saviour speed my way to tell my dubious state then listen what the Lord will say and hope to follow that well I don't know why these things are said tonight but they are my friends and they are the pathway of these that wait upon the Lord wait for a word of direction wait for a word of guidance someone told me once well all you do is venture on the Lord and I can't venture on nothing the Lord is able does appear my friends but he doesn't give you something to promise he doesn't give you a promise he doesn't give you some indication of his will and purposes what must you venture upon you can't venture on nothing my friends but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength his blessed presence and his blessed word that the

[10:11] Lord shall seal such a word a word from his word upon your spirit and plead before him as words come to me again that's in the book of Genesis is it the 29th chapter and I will be with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee again into this land and will not leave thee until I have done that which I have told thee of well that was a good word to start with but it was a word that Jacob had to plead remember you know what the psalm says remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope you know that's where the strength of God's people is but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and also this the Lord grants you the grace of faith the grace of faith because you know that is a strength of the people of God and if you are to walk this we shall hopefully be able to speak of the remainder of these lines in this sweet verse 31 my friends it is by faith it is by faith you never walk your spiritual path by sight because there will be those things that are out of sight and there will be those things that your natural mind can't understand and there will be those things which you'll come into which needs grace and faith to see the wisdom and the purpose of them the day that wait upon the

[11:49] Lord shall renew their strength now I said this morning that the remainder of these words these three they shall which are left I feel to be as it were the result and the benefit which is gained by those who wait upon the Lord well the first one is they shall mount up with wings as eagles whatever you may have whatever impression or whatever view you might have of this holy word and we each I'm sure need light and understanding as we take up the word of God it's so easy to make declarations that this word means this and this word means that there's only one way the word of God is revealed to his people and that is by the Holy Spirit's work within now they shall mount up wings as eagles what is it my friends that is the greatest distress to a child of God and I tell you what it is it's when you're earthbound when you're earthbound you know that's what old nature's content with earthbound things of time and sense well you can't lift yourself up from them can you you haven't got that religion that you can put your hand to

[13:14] God's work and lift you up out of them you know what the apostle wrote set your affections on things above not on things of this earth where can a person where can a poor sinner lay his hand upon such a word as that in honesty and truthfulness and in grace my friends only by his grace they shall mount up with wings as eagles oh if you come to the house of God at times it may be in a week I can go back on those week night services here and elsewhere of course and because of the situation the work what we did the responsibilities we carried coming to the Lord's house I used to have to pray publicly as well as privately the Lord take the world out of our hearts you can leave the world you know but your world won't leave you you've got no strength nor a ability to separate your mind from the things of time and sense in the day that has passed but you know this word says they shall mount up with wings as eagles and the

[14:25] Lord grant to us as we gather around his word whether it's midweek or on the Lord's day that the world be kept outside this house and outside of our heart and that there be a mountain up there will be a seeking for and a looking up to the Lord and unto the things of glory this is where these eternal blessings come from they don't come from earth my friends they don't come from time things the glories of heaven this is where the blessings of his grace and the blessings of his mercy this is where the Holy Spirit as it were operates within the soul of his people they shall mount up with wings as eagles they will by his grace this strength that is given this faith that is granted this drawing power of the Spirit unto the things which are of glory and of the things which are respecting your soul salvation you won't find them in earth bound things you remember what Job said in the 23rd old that I knew where I might find him and you won't find him in this world and amongst the world you won't find him in worldly places or worldly company or worldly conversations and you won't find them amongst worldly friends either my friends he dwells in eternity he dwells in glory he dwells with his dear people he dwells in their tribulations in their trials in their troubles he is with them but he dwells in glory they shall mount up with wings as eagles this is the strength this is the fruit of the strength of those that wait upon the

[16:05] Lord Lord you pray on a Sunday morning six days perhaps or five days in the world and amongst worldly people and you come into the Lord's house and with the home writer you say you breathe a different air you breathe a different air there's that pure language of Zion that we spoke of recently and it's the people of God my friends you can't switch religion on and switch it off you can't take up with holy things as you take up with natural things you need the Lord to appear and you'll need the Lord constantly to lift you above the time things which are snares which are hindrances to worship and you can leave behind those things which are the things of time and sense and one's desire and one's blessings are found in the glories of heaven they shall mount up with wings as equals you know there's something else comes to mind too this is experience though it's a very sad experience do you know what it is not being able to pray do you know one of the most gracious blessings I was going to say that the Lord gives his dear people is access at the mercy seat and the gracious spirit of truth will teach his people how to pray and what to pray for and sometimes it's a sweet liberty you know when those dear patriarchs of old were so near to their God weren't they so close to

[17:43] God they spoke as it were spoke to God face to face as a man doth his friend but you know sometimes the poor people of God have to complain that the heavens are like brass there doesn't seem to be a spirit of prayer within them it doesn't seem to be if their very soul depended or their soul salvation depended on their prayers well they would be ruined they've come to ruin but you know when the blessed spirit enters and the gracious leading of that spirit and there seems to be a sweet volume that you can lay before the Lord they shall mount up with wings as eagles that is what these dear saints prove from the renewing of the strength the reviving of the spirit the leaving behind as it were these things that are but mundane things which drag us down

[18:43] I don't say that in an indifferent way my friends that is the working of the spirit within and the prayers of the people of God go into the ears of the Lord God of St.

[18:55] Baez they shall mount up with wings as eagles but then you know there is also the spiritual experience in the pathway to oh it's not all tribulation is it it's not all casting down it's not all darkness and distress of soul it's not all mourning much of it is much of it is of course much to be mourned over and much to be distressed over ah but when the Lord sweetly comes and draws out of your soul blessed company you know when you're in that frame and feeling and spirit we spoke recently about the prodigal what a dark place he was in he was in want he was in want he was brought into true repentance repentance and real confession they shall mount up with wings as eagles could you draw another comparison to the people of God as what's described in that account in Luke's gospel of the prodigal destitute he was in want rags and tatters we might say that he was clothed in a most distressed condition for a son and all that changed all that changed and whilst he was yet a great way off his father saw him ran and fell on his neck and kissed him they shall mount up oh you've ever come to the Lord's house well to use the word carefully now very carefully you would sit in the back seat if it was the best seat you would sit as it were as in some discontolate condition some sad condition you would come into the Lord's house and you would find well creep in creep in can't walk boldly just creep in and then the Lord is pleased to come and change the dull scene take away the darkness speak into the heart a word of promise or perhaps a renewing of something past a reviving of something past they shall mount up with wings the very soul leaps into the glories of the gospel and of those blessings of salvation in Christ

[21:44] Jesus you know all the darkness will flee when he's there all the distress will be removed when he's there all the forebodings and the gloom and the temptation Satan can't abide you know where Satan is where the saviour is there cannot be those my friends those times when Satan is as it were flees away when the presence and the person of Christ is revealed they shall mount up with wings as eagles go back to the time when the woman was found in the Pharisee's house this man if he were a prophet would know what sort of woman this was a sinner you come into the Lord's house as a feeling sinner not as one of those respectable sinners but come into the Lord's house as one under condemnation come into the Lord's house as one that hears his condemnation read out and it knows this that one word from

[22:50] God will send him to where hope and mercy can never come and then the Lord brings the gospel into the soul and then the word of his grace is applied to your poor heart and instead of condemnation there's no separation and instead of wrath there's mercy instead of sin there's precious blood they shall mount up with wings as eagles this is the change which grace makes this is the change which God makes this is the change which the Holy Ghost will make and there's a mountain up you know my friends we grovel here below fond of these earthly things sometimes they're very spirits in the dust sometimes we can't seem to lift up our hand to save our soul we couldn't but oh that blessed time when the Lord draws near and comes into the very heart of such low dark and distressed child of grace they shall mount up the

[23:53] Lord will lift them up and he'll lift up the light of his countenance upon them and he'll smile upon them and he'll speak to their soul and he'll show them himself you know perhaps this is the right word to quote once a sinner near despair salt thy mercy seat by prayer mercy came and set him free Lord that mercy came to me now my friends if you have walked in that path you'll know there's a renew it they shall mount up with wings as eagles earth bound my friends most of the time but heaven bound if the Lord is pleased to speak into the soul it is as if well you've got one you've got that hope now that heaven is your eternal home sometimes it's been so sweet and precious well you'd have gone to be with him if you could but the wilderness is to be walked through but they that wait upon the

[24:57] Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles now this is what's on my mind I said as we close this morning that the rest of these three shells are the effect of this waiting upon the Lord this renewing of the strength and I do want to say this because I hope it's right I hope it's the way the Lord opens these words to me that these that are in this text these souls that in themselves are weak as worms these souls that have nothing in themselves and everything in God these souls who now are being led and directed along the pathway of the wilderness these souls whom the Lord has appointed blessings for they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall run and not be weary oh you know when the

[26:09] Lord it's in the 119th psalm I don't think I can quote it correctly I will run in the ways of thy command when thou enlargest my heart you look at the way and you look at the ways of his command you look at your pathway that he is pleased to just show you a little of and nature shrinks and you find it's impossible how many of the Lord's people have felt the spirit of disobedience rising up within them because the pathway is too great because the pathway is too hard in the exercise of reading the word of God this evening my mind went first to the 19th chapter of the first book of Kings and after the exploits of in

[27:10] I drew upon the mount where the Lord appeared and the fire of the sacrifice came from heaven and consumed the fire consumed the sacrifice and burnt up the water that was over it we read in the 19th chapter and that under the threat of death Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah saying so let the gods do to me and more also if I make not thy life as the life of one of them that is one of the prophets that was slain by tomorrow 24 hours Jezebel that wicked woman was to take his life where's the gracious faithful courageous strong Elijah now and when he saw that he arose and went for his life and came to

[28:10] Beersheba which belonged to Judah and left his servant there but he himself went a day's journey in the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might die and said it is enough now oh Lord take away my life for I'm not better than my fathers behold an angel touched him and said unto him arise and eat and he looked and behold there was a cake bacon on the coals and a cruise of water at his head and he did eat and drink and ate him down again and the angel of the Lord came again the second time and said arise and eat because the journey is too great for thee that is where he got his strength wrong that's what gave him courage once more that's what got him as it were once more in that right place they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary and

[29:20] I believe this dear friends when the Lord has purposes of grace to his people and for them as well as in them he will give that needful grace to walk in the ways that are appointed for them they shall run and not be weary this is what we said this morning I will go in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of his righteousness even of his only when the Lord has purposes of grace towards his people when he has divine appointments for them when he puts them where he wants them to be it's not in their strength but in that strength that is given they shall run and not be weary not in their own strength you'll never do anything that God will smile upon in your own strength but when you do that which is honouring to God according to his divine appointments he'll give you strength and grace to do it you know what the apostle

[30:25] Peter said when he was spoken to by Christ on the lake they toiled all night and took nothing toiled all night and took nothing Christ said to cast their nets on the right side of the ship and I believe in one place Peter as it well reminds them that he had got nothing he said nevertheless at thy word wonderful you know what faith that is and when he cast the net on the right side there was that sufficiency of fish that the boat was full 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 one of those fears the Lord people the Lord's people have you know we spoke much about insufficiency today and they fear this that they shall not come to that blessed time when they shall be taken into glory persevere in grace they say they pray for persevere in grace is with the

[31:43] Lord to give continuing unto the end the promise is isn't it he that continues unto the end shall be saved and a poor child of God said how can I continue how can I continue what you never will in your own strength but my friends he doesn't expect you to continue in your own strength he wouldn't write this word in the scriptures otherwise the day that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength it will be from him it will be his presence it will be his promises it will be those strength we could have read this morning when we was quoting as thy day so shall I strengthen me in that same chapter it says this underneath are the everlasting arms they shall run and not be weary what a blessing my friends when the Lord shows you the way and gives you grace to walk that pathway disobedience brings weakness disobedience brings a frown of

[32:45] God disobedience brings the chastening hand of God but obedience the obedience of faith upon the lead in direction and appointments of God in the pathway in the tribulations of the way in the afflictions of the way whatever is the lot of the Lord's people when he gives that grace he gives submission and when he gives submission he gives obedience and in the way that it is set before them there is that blessed promise that underneath are the everlasting arms they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint turn to but one more and then we finish in that 30th chapter that we read this evening we find the most peculiar word well it's peculiar to the natural man in that chapter as you remember we read that there was

[33:50] God's frown upon his Israel for going down to Egypt for help look into the flesh look into the world look into the arm of flesh for direction for support and guidance and so on but this word the Egyptians shall help in vain to no purpose therefore have I cried concerning this their strength is to sit still my friends that is the word I would the Lord would lay that upon your heart you say well it's so contrary to what you've just been saying oh is there a matter I've walked in these matters year in year out I've walked in these matters I know my friends in a measure what I'm going to say is truth but it needs much grace to sit still but that's where the strength will be you know when you start trying to put your hand to God's work it'll all come to nothing it'll all be brought to confusion what the

[34:58] Lord has decreed and appointed he will bring to pass I quoted in prayer that man who sat at Bethesda's pool and Jesus knew that he'd been a long time in that case but the poor man couldn't do nothing couldn't do anything for his own healing or restoring all he had to do was to sit still you say my friends there came a time when he didn't the Lord spoke to him the Lord Jesus Christ said take up thy bed and walk up till then he had to sit still he couldn't lay himself in the path of the restoring blessing he couldn't bring himself to get into the pool when the waters was moved he was unable my friends what a type of God's children well if there's any that's got a promise if there's any that's got the leading of the spirit in their soul if there's any waiting on the Lord for fulfillment of these things and are often tried and tempted that well it's only something that you've thought up it's something of old nature this is the blessing my friends where you will come into the strength to sit still there is the grace that's needed for they that wait upon the

[36:21] 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 religion has got a source my friends it flows from somewhere and it's the work of grace by the blessed spirit of God within and that's where all your blessings will come from not from within but from that blessed spirit of truth he the first made you will keep you alive and he that has first begun with you begun in your soul taught you by his grace brings you into possessions of the blessings which are in the person of Christ they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint amen god willing there's a prayer meeting on wednesday and i hope to be here next lord's day the close in hymn 762 how soft the words my savior speaks how kind the promises he makes a bruised reed he never breaks nor will he quench the smoking flax the humble poor he will not despise nor on the contrite sinner frown his ear is open to their cries and quickly sends salvation down hymn 762ors to his name he has hadlington

[38:51] R Stories Now, I know them not.

[39:51] The back of joy Saw the prize The sin Is I gonna turn My promise I pray.

[40:22] I pray.j il la primavera Thank you.

[41:38] Thank you.

[42:08] Thank you.

[42:38] Thank you.

[43:08] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And the sweet fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit remain with us each, both now and forever. Amen.