TITLE:  Whistles and Wicks (Spiritual Burnout)
TEXT:  Isaiah 40:28-31; 42:1-4
PROPOSITION:  We can lose the zeal and excitement of salvation.
QUESTION:  Which?
KEY WORD:  Words
SCRIPTURE READING:  Isaiah 40:28-31

 INTRODUCTION:

1. Are you feeling run down, weary, bruised, and battered – BURNED OUT?
2. Young men (marines special forces) will get weary, and fall out.
3. Men of strength and endurance will not endure.
4. Only God can renew the strength we need to fly with the eagles.

 Isaiah 42:1-4 – Six important words in this text

 1.       Reed (Whistle)

1. All over Palestine, near rivers and streams
2. Hollow out for straws, tubes and make a flute instrument
3. Delicate to carve – hollow out, cut holes at right places
4. When dried out – become brittle – easy to break
5. Can cut wrong, break, step on it, crush it – make another
1. Bruised
   1. Hebrew words are graphic pictures
   2. Bruised = crushed, discouraged, oppressed, struggling
   3. See Isaiah 53:5, 10 – Jesus was “bruised” for our sins
   4. Genesis 3:15 – Jesus will “bruise” the head of Satan
2. Break
   1. Hebrew word = break (down, off, in pieces, up), broken ([-hearted]), bring to the birth, crush, destroy, hurt, quench, X quite, tear
   2. God does not toss out, throw away, destroy the bruised reed
   3. God is not discouraged (bruised) at us
3. Flax (Wick)
   1. Bowl with olive oil – float a flax wick in it to burn for light
   2. When low or out of oil – flax will produce low light, smoke, stink
   3. Smoke up the house, smell up the house
   4. Just throw it away – lots more where that came from
4. Smoking
   1. Again a graphic picture
   2. Smoking = feeble, obscure: - somewhat dark, darkish, wax dim, heaviness, smoking
   3. Heavy hearted, burned out, exhausted, out of fuel, heaviness, dimly burning
5. Quench
   1. Hebrew word = to expire, to extinguish (fire, light, anger): - go (put) out, quench
   2. God will not throw you away. (Fail = smoking)
   3. He will clear the air, pour in new oil, use you to brighten the place

Conclusion:

1. Difference in “missing” and “LOST”
2. Bic pens are missing – who cares – lots more of them around
3. Expensive fountain pen – LOST – everybody help me find it