New Strength for the New Year
Pastor Tan Thai · Jan 25, 2014
This sermon, preached on the occasion of the 2011 Lunar New Year, reminds the congregation that true new strength comes from God alone for those who wait on Him. Drawing from Isaiah 40:25-31, the pastor affirms that God is infinite and almighty, and He certainly grants new strength to those who are weary and trust in Him.
The sermon opens with humor about the Vietnamese-American custom of celebrating two New Years in one year, leading into the main theme: rather than making New Year's resolutions, the pastor chooses to remind the congregation of foundational truths they already know but easily forget. The Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:12-15 serves as a biblical model showing that reminders are necessary for everyone—young and old alike—because people are easily distracted and forgetful.
The second section poses the central question: where does your strength come from? The pastor lists common human methods for gaining renewed energy—eating, resting, exercise, leaning on family and friends. However, he emphasizes that all these have limitations, and the most precious thing of all is God's own promise to grant new strength to His people.
The pastor then walks the congregation through Isaiah 40:12-28 to describe the nature of the One who gives new strength: He is greater than the seas and mountains, wiser than any human counselor, and all the nations of the earth are like a drop of water or a speck of dust before Him. This is the important theological foundation: we can trust God's promise because He is omnipotent and omniscient, unlike finite human beings.
The application focuses on the promise in Isaiah 40:29-31—God gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. The pastor explains that the means of receiving new strength is to wait on the Lord, that is, to fix one's heart on Him with faith and patience. The story of the prophet Elijah collapsing in exhaustion and despair in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:4) illustrates that even those who serve God can reach the absolute end of their own strength.
The sermon closes with a touching illustration from the Snoopy and Charlie Brown comic strip, through which the pastor affirms: if a clumsy, often-failing little boy can speak sincere words of comfort to his beloved dog, how much more certainly will God not leave His people to grow weary alone. The promise of Jesus before His ascension in Matthew 28 is quoted to confirm His continuous and unshakeable presence with the congregation.