The eagle is a bird that soars upwards towards heaven: so is the Christian to mount upwards in holy contemplation. He first became known as a preacher of the first rank during his pastorate over the large Presbyterian church in Evanston, Illinois. Never failing to seek and obtain fellowship with God in the highest, always daring to attempt great actions, this heavenly minded man has thoughts and yearnings which raise his mode of life above the level of common things. 2. 1 Father, I long, I faint to see The place of thine abode, I'd leave thy earthly courts and flee Up to thy seat, my God! "Keep mercy and judgment," says the prophet Hosea, "and wait on thy God continually." This phrase is descriptive, not merely of an occasional exercise, but of what is, or ought at least to be, the constant temper and frame of the believer's mind. (1) The delay of answering our prayers (Luke 18:1). As long as you rest, in the place of power and blessing the stream will flow through you unceasingly.II. The more alert and bold a youth will be, the more certainly he will at some time overtask his strength. There are many things for which we can only ask and then wait in quiet stillness, things which we cannot help God to give us, things which God Himself bestows without our aid, if we are ever to possess them. Hast thou not known? Who can measure the unfailing strength which inspires the Christian when he feels that he is safe in the threefold grasp of the Triune God?II. Nor does it wait in vain. Hours of holy exultation are necessary for hours of patient plodding, waiting and working. But, in order to obtain aid from on high, we must make use of the appointed and appropriate means. (Sunday School Chronicle. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. )Untiring progressF. And, at any cost, let him who speaks from the mouth of the true God himself be true. Untroubled quiet.4. Reviving Grace. Then there is the triumph of grace in the soul. There is the strength of custom, and religious education. It pleases God, also, to employ the companionship of friends and neighbours in developing men in the direction of their higher manhood. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour until the evening. WHAT A SWEET TITLE: "My people!" You have learnt that to your sorrow by the bitter teaching of experience. The eagle is a bird that soars upwards towards heaven: so is the Christian to mount upwards in holy contemplation. But more than all, in view of the great work to which he is calling his countrymen, he writes for those who feel called upon to do something in the world, for those who are conscious of high powers, and are in the purest sense of the word ambitious.(T. V. Tymms.I. THE DEMONSTRATION OR CONFIRMATION OF THIS. Endeavour in every possible way to cultivate this holy, humble, dependent spirit.(H. )Godly optimismF. But the message of the recuperative power, that you shall mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, and go on and on knowing neither weariness nor faintness, this is the word of inspiration alone. Howells.I. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.' When he has to contend with the powers of nature, he is strong and victorious; but when he has to contend with the powers of spiritual wickedness, and with his own ungodly desires, he is helpless. Hope and strength rapidly grow when faith clearly sees and steadfastly rests on the firm ground of forgiveness in the death of Christ.3. The men who were making themselves rich in those days in Eastern cities stayed there. Soaring High! In point of ease. Although every degree of spiritual strength is a precious possession, and we are not permitted "to despise the day of small things," yet it is the duty and privilege of every believer to aim at high attainments in the Divine life, and to encourage and aid others in doing the same.(A. But once we understand that it is God that must work it in us, then I understand that my highest passivity will be my highest activity, for when I give myself entirely away to God, God can work in me, and then I will work as they that wait upon the Lord."1. II. SPIRITUAL STRENGTH, HOW IS IT TO BE OBTAINED? He knows what He is doing. --Isaiah 40:1. ''Have ye not known, have ye not heard? Halsey.We find the same idea also in the New Testament with spiritual applications. --ISAIAH xl. "(5) The only other ingredient of spiritual strength is zeal, zeal according to knowledge. I may be very busy in connection with the Church of Christ and the advancement of the knowledge of Christ. What are the wings? B. MeyerJohn the Baptist, Impiety of Attributing a visible Form to God. It pleases God, also, to employ the companionship of friends and neighbours in developing men in the direction of their higher manhood. The Bible speaks about waiting patiently, and also about waiting quietly. Who, then, shall give wings to a heavy laden sinner, strong enough to sustain him in his upward flight? But more than all, in view of the great work to which he is calling his countrymen, he writes for those who feel called upon to do something in the world, for those who are conscious of high powers, and are in the purest sense of the word ambitious.(T. They "shall renew their strength." If they hear of a medicinal spring far off in the mountains they hesitate not to undertake the journey, and undergo the hardships of the rugged way, that they may test the efficacy of the mineral waters. (4) The many businesses in religion so much work to be performed. )The renewed of strengthJ. But the strength spoken of in our text is evidently not corporeal strength; it is a power seated in the mind; but neither is it intellectual vigour. But how does He leave it? "Waiting on the Lord" by prayer has the same effect on them that it has on an empty bucket to set it under a rain-spout. WHAT IS THE ISSUE OF SUCH WAITING UPON GOD? First comes the "flying" stage. The way of public ordinances.2. But waiting upon God not only implies worship, it also implies obedience. Whether it be philanthropic, political, social, or religious, that seems to be tram. But God is all-sufficient.(F. "So I saw in my dream that he went from running to going, and from going to scrambling on his hands and knees, because of the steepness of the place." )Waiting upon the LordJ. To speak of a man as able to strengthen himself, so as to dispense with Divine aid, is as unreasonable as it is unscriptural As well might you talk of a leafless tree clothing itself with verdure without the vernal sun as well of an enfeebled body recovering tone and energy without the reviving air of heaven. xl. In all godly "waiting" there lies the capability of Godward soaring. THE PROMISE. L. Wiseman, B. A.Mount up with wings as eagles, run, walk. EXODUS XV. In such moods we need to look away from the crowds, and from the glaring lights of the city, to the calm glories of the moon, and the stars above our heads. Elevation. 1. First, the purged ear of the prophet hears the divine command to him and to his brethren--Comfort Jerusalem with the message of the Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureThe Shepherd and the Fold Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' What a cheering revelation: "Your God!" L. Cuyler, D. D.This passage has the ring of an Alpine horn. Yet the power of thus rising on eagle's wings is not the only quality to be noticed in this symbolism. What a cheering revelation: "Your God!" The brighter the light before them, the more eagerly and steadfastly they rise upwards to greet it and to bathe in its splendour. But in time the eye becomes dim, and the subtle beauties of a fine painting cannot be seen; the ear becomes dull, and the sweetest music charms no more. art thou conscious of thy declining state? When by faith the regenerated soul draws near to God, the earth appears to recede; all its objects are seen to be diminutive; and the realities of the heavenly state are perceived, and operate with power on the susceptible mind. Luther changed the course of the centuries by faith. They are interlocked, as it were, by the recurrence in the latter of the emphatic words of the former. Nothing looks less like effort.2. INTERESTING PROGRESS. "(3) But as in approaching an earthly sovereign there is required an attention to the prescribed usages and decorum of a court, so, in order to our acceptable waiting upon God, we must observe the defined forms, and cultivate the sacred proprieties of His worship; those which belong to "the place where His honour dwelleth." The strength of wit, and reason, and understanding, and memory, and the like, while their heart and will and affections have no saving work at all upon them. "They that wait," etc. )The power to realise idealsF. A. We know that they develop first by the body. The recurrence of the same form of interrogation in these two verses is remarkable. God means that every soul which waits on Him shall not creep in the muck and the mire, nor crouch in abject slavery to men or devils. There is a vast deal of verve in the original Hebrew; it signifies to be strong enough to hold out. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every John NewtonMessiah Vol. And indeed that is a great part of wisdom, to bring forth everything in its season, to discern when and where, and to whom it is pertinent and edifying, to speak such and such truths. That word "become," in the new version, is full of deep meaning in this connection. Whatever it be in their power to do, that power will be increased and their strength renewed by waiting upon God. Renewal often comes to men in their extremity like this.3. His intention is to comfort his people (40:1) - to promise a coming Messiah, to show man's frailty and mortality, and his bent . If a number of ships of war were sent out to sea, and were ready to start at any moment, and if the question were asked, what are they waiting for?, the answer would likely be one of two things: either that they were waiting for supplies, or waiting for orders. He is ever ready to extend to us that protection and help without which we are powerless and defenceless. L. Wiseman, B. The whole soul gets strength by such exercise. But is not waiting for God cowardly indolence and fatalistic apathy? As our natural life requires to be nourished by suitable food from day to day, without which it would decline and death would ensue, so the spiritual life of the Christian needs to be recruited continually, with the nutriment which is suited to its growth and strength.3. xl. The despondent are unhappy and weak, and they shrink from effort; but the hopeful are joyous and strong, and they delight to put forth their strength in action. Strength for to-day does not insure strength for to-morrow. Our text speaks not only of flying, but of running and walking. I turn now to dwell on THE NATURAL EFFECTS OF WAITING ON THE LORD, as stated by the prophet, and vouched for by myriads of the faithful and devout in all ages.1. (2) While only the few can thus fly, many can only run. The complaint of a heathen. Our natural strength requires constant renovation by the food that is convenient for us. When a soul has its inner life hid with Christ and lives a life of true consecration it is enabled to take wing, and its "citizenship is in heaven." (Andrew Murray. By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, faith, love, and hope are brought into lively exercise; and these are as pinions to the soul. (1) The first typifies lofty aspiration and heroic action. THE GENERAL PROPOSITION. He outflies many of the petty vexations and grovelling desires that drag a worldling down into the mire. The soul of fallen man naturally grovels on the earth; his face instead of being raised to heaven, is prone toward the ground. And again, "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope," etc. Not new faculties of body or of mind; not new opportunities for action, or new fields of enterprise; not so much new knowledge either; not even new desires and affections; but "new strength" fresh inspiration. That God will "renew our strength." First, the purged ear of the prophet hears the divine command to him and to his brethren--Comfort Jerusalem with the message of the Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scripture, The Shepherd and the Fold Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' Alexander, D. D.I. "THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH."1. When he has to contend with the powers of nature, he is strong and victorious; but when he has to contend with the powers of spiritual wickedness, and with his own ungodly desires, he is helpless. The boy who never knew what it was to be fagged out at school is not worth much. The promulgation of the Gospel3. It pleases God to make the spiritual development of men depend on time-growth. Hope and strength rapidly grow when faith clearly sees and steadfastly rests on the firm ground of forgiveness in the death of Christ.3. The prophet here points us to the source of all true inspiration: "He giveth power to the faint." L. Wiseman, B. A.We are constantly being exhorted to-day by good and earnest men to set a high ideal before us. There was a time when our human nature seemed to possess much spiritual strength, but there came a time when it was all lost; and from that time, in the experience of every human being, it has had to be renewed. It seemed useless to pray further. In 1899 he was called to Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, to succeed Dr. Lyman Abbott in the pulpit VariousThe World's Great Sermons, Volume 10Of Loving Jesus Above all ThingsBlessed is he who understandeth what it is to love Jesus, and to despise himself for Jesus' sake. )Strength renewed by waiting on the LordA. Alexander, D. D.I. We have not far to search for the answer.1. Tymms. The preaching of John Baptist foretold9. He has powers adapted to this exercise powers with which he can glorify his Maker; and he must not point those eagle faculties to the dust, but let them take wing and rise. If a number of ships of war were sent out to sea, and were ready to start at any moment, and if the question were asked, what are they waiting for?, the answer would likely be one of two things: either that they were waiting for supplies, or waiting for orders. The preaching of John Baptist foretold9. In faith. In 1899 he was called to Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, to succeed Dr. Lyman Abbott in the pulpit VariousThe World's Great Sermons, Volume 10Of Loving Jesus Above all ThingsBlessed is he who understandeth what it is to love Jesus, and to despise himself for Jesus' sake. C. Although we have a perfect right to go to God and pour out every wish and longing of our hearts, worthy and unworthy alike, yet this is not by any means the whole or the highest part of communion with Him. Knight, M. A.I. Study and love your Bible, but remember it is God who must give the orders, and you will fail if you take them from a book. 2 Here I behold thy distant face, And 'tis a pleasing sight; But to abide in thine embrace Is infinite delight. Who, then, shall give wings to a heavy laden sinner, strong enough to sustain him in his upward flight? The complaint of a heathen. "He is Faithful that Promised." Our revisers have left this text exactly as, it stands in the A.V., "Mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and walk," and yet I do not think it is what the prophet meant. Consideration of an objection taken from various passages in Moses. After a brief general preface (Is. And that power God has provided. It is possible for the best of men to lose much of the influence of religion from the heart, and for a time to be very unconscious of it.2. Watch it a bit and down it comes again; the power has spent itself. But such seasons of elevated devotion and delightful contemplation are not constant. "I will run in the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart."3. All men are influenced and governed by some kind of faith; but worldly men have no true faith in things spiritual and invisible. Magnetise a needle, and it becomes much more sensitive to the force of the magnet. All these evils, so full of fierce and destructive energies, will soon be as the dust beneath our feet. )The Christian's walkJ. --ISAIAH xl. Howells.I. Something more than the decay of our material flesh is intended here; the carnal mind, the flesh in Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871This Sermon was Originally Printed"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." But God is all-sufficient.(F. Spiritual strength especially consists in that exercise of faith called trust or confidence. But there are other thoughts that come to us in the quietude of the Divine fellowship. Luther calls it: "The doctrine of a standing or a falling church," i.e., as a church holds fast and appropriates this doctrine she remains pure and firm, and as she departs from it, she becomes corrupt and falls. Something more than the decay of our material flesh is intended here; the carnal mind, the flesh in Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871This Sermon was Originally Printed"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." Finlayson. Tucker, B. By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, faith, love, and hope are brought into lively exercise; and these are as pinions to the soul. 2 Here I behold thy distant face, And 'tis a pleasing sight; But to abide in thine embrace Is infinite delight. This is not the strength spoken of here. THE MANNER IN WHICH WE ARE TO WAIT UPON GOD. But whatever is done for right is done for God and endures eternally.3. This sounds as if they were in danger of becoming weary and faint in their minds. A. Vaughan, M. What did your man of the natural order stop running for? Whatever it be in their power to do, that power will be increased and their strength renewed by waiting upon God. While, "He is Faithful that Promised." It is possible for the best of men to lose much of the influence of religion from the heart, and for a time to be very unconscious of it.2. (1) The delay of answering our prayers (Luke 18:1). The Christian makes a hopeful start in his course of service when he clearly realises the spiritual security of his own position.2. But there is one doctrine that is never out of season, Hugh BinningThe Works of the Rev. They are said, in our text, "to mount up on wings as eagles." )Standing stillJ. His understanding is infinite; there is no searching it. Elevated devotion. To wait on the Lord is the drawing nigh unto Him, to pour out our wants before Him, though He knows them so well, to plead the necessities arising out of our own ignorance, waywardness, and poverty of soul, to ask for His light to shine in our darkness, to clear our minds of the mists and fogs of native prejudice and of traditional error, to make plain before us our path of duty, and to keep our feet steadfast therein, to take into His loving hands the discipline and correction of our hearts, and to make us willing to undergo it, to keep us from all vanity and lies, and from every form of subtle self-deception, so that we may ever be true to Him and to ourselves.
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