You Shall Expand

You Shall Expand

Isa 54:1-3 (New King James Version)

(1)  "Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the LORD.

(2)  "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.

(3)  For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.

Isa 54:1-3 (Message Bible)

(1)  "Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby. Fill the air with song, you who've never experienced childbirth! You're ending up with far more children than all those childbearing women." GOD says so!

(2)  "Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep.

(3)  You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You're going to take over whole nations; you're going to resettle abandoned cities.

Introduction

A.       One of Satan’s greatest strategies against your life is limitation.

B.       Egypt – a picture of limitation.

I.                    FAITH’S DECLARATION – “Sing over your barrenness”. Verse 1

A.      The problem of barrenness.

1.       Barrenness defined:

(Websters) “Not reproducing, incapable of offspring, habitually failing to fruit”; “Producing little or no vegetation, producing inferior crops, unproductive of results, fruitless, dull, unresponsive”

(Word Bible Study) “The state of not being fertile, not being able to become pregnant”.

2.       Barrenness in the life of a believer can speak of:

Unfruitful seasons

A wilderness experience

Feelings of inability

A dry season

Failed dreams and expectations

Failure to see breakthrough

Circumstances that have no apparent answers

3.       With barrenness comes the taunt and mocking of the enemy.

I Samuel 1:2-7 – Hanna is provoked (to anger) by her rival (adversary) Pininnah.

·         Eastern Culture pressure.

·         Nehemiah 1:2-3 – Survivors of the captivity were in great distress and reproach.

B.       Sing over barrenness.

1.       Sing = (“ranan”) - “to cry out, shout for joy, give a ringing cry”

From this word “ranan”, comes another word “rinnah” which means “joy, a shout of rejoicing, loud cheering in triumph”

2.       SING in the face of your barrenness!

Psalm 138:1-3  “I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 

(2)  I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.  (3)  In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Acts 16:25-26 – Paul & Silas prayed and sang hymns in prison.

3.       Faith makes declarations of God’s promises! Prophecy to those barren places. Ezekiel 37:1-4

·         Singing is related to birth. Mary – Luke 1:46-55; Job 38:4-7 - Angels sang when the earth was birthed.

·         You will have more children than the married woman.

II.                  FAITH’S ACTION – “Enlarge Your Place”. Verse 2

A.       Enlarge the place of your tent – Prepare for increase, enlarge your spirit and mind, and think big!

B.       Stretch – Desire more.

C.       Strengthen stakes – value relationships.

III.                FAITH’S PROMISE – “You Shall Expand” Verse 3

A.       You  - personally. The fact is God wants you to expand!

B.       Shall – A promise of God that will never fail!

2Corinthians 1:20  - “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us”.

Joshua 23:14 - "Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.

Isaiah 55:10 (The Message Bible) - “Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,  (11)  So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them. (12)  "So you'll go out in joy, you'll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause. (13)  No more thistles, but giant sequoias, no more thornbushes, but stately pines-- Monuments to me, to GOD, living and lasting evidence of GOD."

C.       Expand – to grow and enlarge

Increased capacity, fruitfulness, faith, victories and confidence in God’s ability.