INTRODUCTION

1. Connectedness

a) Of the Scriptures

b) Of life and ministry of the Lord Jesus

c) Of the Christmas Message and our Ministry

2. Challenges

a) To be refreshed

b) To be revived

 

A FRESH APPRECIATION OF WHO GOD IS

1 O LORD, You are my God.

I will exalt You,

I will praise Your name,

For You have done wonderful things;

Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

2 For You have made a city a ruin,

A fortified city a ruin,

A palace of foreigners to be a city no more;

It will never be rebuilt.

3 Therefore the strong people will glorify You;

The city of the terrible nations will fear You. Isaiah 25:1-3

1. God is known by:

a) His name

b) His wonderful things (deeds)

c) His counsels which are characterized by faithfulness and truth

2. Responses to God

a) He is to be exalted

b) He is to be praised

c) He is to be glorified

d) He is to be feared

 

A REMINDER OF GOD’S PROMISES

4 For You have been a strength to the poor,

A strength to the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm,

A shade from the heat;

For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5 You will reduce the noise of aliens,

As heat in a dry place;

As heat in the shadow of a cloud,

The song of the terrible ones will be diminished. Isaiah 25:4-5

1. Strength promised

a) God is a strength to the poor

b) He is a strength to the needy

2. Refuge and shade promised

a) A refuge from the storm

b) A shade from the heat

c) A wall against the power of terrible enemies

 

TRUSTING GOD FOR THE FUTURE

He will swallow up death forever,

And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;

The rebuke of His people

He will take away from all the earth;

For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8

1. Death need not be feared

Death would be swallowed up forever

2. Tears will be wiped away

The LORD will give His special comfort

 

A FITTING RESPONSE

And it will be said in that day:

“Behold, this is our God;

We have waited for Him, and He will save us.

This is the LORD;

We have waited for Him;

We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isaiah 25:9

1. Renewing of our faith in God

“Behold, this is our God;” Isaiah 25:9b

2. Waiting on the LORD

We have waited for Him, and He will save us.

This is the LORD;

We have waited for Him; Isaiah 25:9c

3. Rejoicing in the LORD

We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation Isaiah 25:9d

a) Gladness of heart

b) Rejoicing in the salvation of God

c) Every reason to have fulness of joy

 

CONCLUSION

1. Facing Challenges in life

a) Illness

b) Sorrow

c) Death

2. Finding Faith

a) In the Scriptures

b) In faith

c) In the Lord