Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/20/13

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/20/13

You and I know that God ordained in Rev 13:8 that there would be a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  That Lamb being slain opened the opportunity and the door that men and women could have a total life change.  We thank God for that this morning. 

The Gospel will do wonderful things for young lives.  This is thrilling.  We look at some lives that are as a mirror that has been dropped and broken into hundreds of pieces.  We know what the Gospel will do in putting those lives back together.

Isaiah experienced an epiphany many years before Christ.

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Isa 6:11  Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

Isa 6:12  And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

Isa 6:13  But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

Isaiah had been in the temple many times before.  It is marvelous how God chooses to work in our life.  This last week God worked with each of us and with many others. 

Isaiah went into the temple at a time when the king had died.  He said, “I have seen the King with my own eyes.”  The literal king had been taken away but God appeared to him in the temple.  God appeared high and lifted up and His glory filled the temple.

This was a life-changing experience for Isaiah.  He saw the angels flying with wings and covering their eyes with wings.  They were crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”  It is a marvelous thing when God comes to us and we feel the holiness of God.  We thank God that we serve a Holy God that has a way of expressing His holiness unto us.

As Isaiah was there, the angels were moving about and crying to each other, “Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is filled with His glory.”  There was such a presence of God that the whole doorposts of the temple moved.  When God comes things begin to shake.

In verse 5 we see the epiphany, life-changing experience, came to Isaiah.  He realized his condition and said, “Woe is me.”  In the world we live in, it takes the presence of God to cause a soul to realize how needy they are before God. 

We don’t take away from the need of testifying, or of the taught and preached Word of God but in order for a soul to have a life-changing experience they must realize that they are undone as Isaiah did.

He realized that he was a man of unclean lips and that he dwelt among the unclean.  Association has a great affect on all of us.  An unclean association makes it easy for people to feel, “I’m unclean, their unclean, we’re unclean.” 

God was not happy with that.  He came and the presence of God gripped Isaiah and he said, “I am a man of unclean lips… My eyes have seen the King.”  He had seen the Lord.

One of the angels went and took a live coal off of the altar with the tongs and put it on his lips and said, “This has touched your lips, your iniquity is taken away, and your sins purged.”  The word of God and the fire of the Word of God can clean up a man’s life.

Isaiah felt the presence of God and after his life was cleaned up he heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send.” 

We are all in a new year.  It is the heart cry of this audience this morning, “God I want to go where you want me to go, be what you want me to be, and do what you want me to do.”  We all have souls that we are burdened for and many would have way more associations than what we would be able to meet.  I believe beyond a shadow of any doubt that there are specific individuals that God will send His church to. 

I am so glad that it is neither my responsibility nor yours to tell me or me to tell you where you need to go.  God gives men and women today this life-changing experience.  It comes after being saved.  As I read of Isaiah here, it seemed that a lot took place fast.  God can work however He wants.

In Revelation they prepared themselves to sound the trumpet.

God is still asking today, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?”  Isaiah answered, “Here am I, send me.” 

God in His fairness told Isaiah how difficult the time was going to be.  We read Acts and feel like they had a real revival and we thank God for that and for all the revivals of the past.  I don’t think that any of them had an easy time.

God told Isaiah to go preach to the people and He told him that they would hear but not understand, see, or perceive.  You and I must understand that when people reject light and choose to reject truth and not walk in the light of the gospel their heart will become calloused.

I taught a little bit on Proverbs and Solomon Wednesday night.  I told my wife that I had a question if Pr 29:1 was Solomon’s testimony.  “He that being often reproved, hardens his neck or heart, will suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy.” 

We must count the cost.  We cannot withhold the gospel.  When it is presented and someone hardens their heart it is painful.  When someone that you’d hoped would get saved, be delivered, and come to Zion, when they resist the message then it can be very painful. 

I remember Bro Maconahae and my parents preaching well, “when they hear and don’t take heed, it won’t be long and their heart will become calloused.” 

We often wonder how someone has gone the way that they have.  Thank God there is a way back but when one refuses to listen they become calloused.  They shut their eyes.

Those that have a heart that said, “Yes I will receive the message from the Lord”, when they hear with their ears and understand with their heart they are converted. 

There are so many this morning that need healing.  You look at their lives and as I said they remind me of a window glass or mirror that has been broken into hundreds of pieces.  It looks like it is an impossible situation.  Without God it is impossible. 

There is not a life that God calls upon that is broken but that if they will come the bible way, they will be healed.  Their only help is to come the bible way.

I think it was Truman that was asked to speak to a group of high school or college students that were graduating.  They expected an inspiring speech from this man that had made many conquests against the odds.  He said, “Never give up.”  They may have expected to hear some stories where he had succeeded in difficult situations.  He said, “Never give up.  Never give up.  Never give up.”

We are all going to face situations that look hopeless.  We will pray for individuals that we prayed for a year ago or many years ago.  Let me encourage you this morning.  Never give up.  There is a God that hears and answers prayers.

He spoke of when the cities are uninhabited and God is forsaken in the land.  Yet he didn’t close dealing with this.

Isa 6:13  But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

The word of God is wonderful.  When it looks like hope is lost, hope is not lost.  When it looks like those you are praying for will never get saved, yet the holy seed will have substance and prevail.

Isa 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The uniqueness of the Word of God!  The Word of God is often as dew or as a gentle rain.

The rain affects the seeds that are just planted.  With Bible Story time children, with rest home service, with an individual that you may be dealing, that you give the seed of the Word of God unto them. 

The seed of the word of God is wonderful.  To the children and young people, they are blessed to have an opportunity to know what the Word of God teaches.  The destruction of young lives by sin starts way too young. 

This gentle rain comes down on a young life.  It will bring them to such a conviction to serve God.  All of us experience looking upon individuals that show the marks of sin way too young.  All that are involved with the public see the affects of sin on young lives.  You look at those young lives and it grieves your heart.

You can tell that sin has already affected their ability to reason and to function.  We can thank God for every child that is hearing the gospel and having the rain come down. 

I think of young plants.  The garden is covered with snow but it will not be long and you will see the smoke coming from people’s greenhouses and they are starting seedlings.  You will be able to buy the first pansy plants before long.

I think of the gentle rain on new plants.  That gentle rain will cause that young plant to have just the right amount of moisture.  God ordained after the rain, the sunshine comes and warms the soil and the roots of the plant begin to reach out and take nutrients from the ground and the sun and wherever else they get the nutrients.

The rain affects the plants in bud.  I thought of those in this audience that have good desires budding in their lives.  It is a wonderful thing when God moves upon any heart and they have a desire first toward God to please God.  They have a desire to edify the body of Christ, a desire to serve, to be a blessing, and to teach.  It may not have reached the point of maturity yet, but they have the desire.

In places like Montana that have all the seasons we know that there cannot be any fruit without the bud.  The bud must reach the right place and it must have the right amount of sun and moisture.  If there is a killing frost or strong winds it can affect the buds and the fruit never comes to maturity.

It would be good if all of us have an epiphany in the thought of God creating a bud or new desire in our life.  Our times are demanding and it is tough where we live.  We have time to bud and to blossom, not only to have a desire but to bring forth fruit to perfection.

Rain affects plants in bud.  There is an audience here this morning that has lots of good desires.  We have this treasure in earthen vessels.  It is important that we let God set our compass, our direction towards Him, toward the sunshine, toward that which would cause our spiritual man to have the ability to have a desire that is holy and right that would go past just being a desire. 

It is about 345 days to December 31^st.  I may live to see it.  Between now and then, every brother and sister, every child will have God bring a strong desire.  Brother Rick and Sister Annett had a desire to be invited back to the Boy’s Ranch.  That is a good desire.  With that desire comes responsibility and preparation.  God help me.

Rain affects plants that have matured to bear fruit.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

God wants us to bear the fruit of the Spirit.  The rain helps plants that have matured to bear fruit.  For all the love of God that we as saints enjoy and the fruit that is produced, we are thankful.

The thought of faith spoke to me.  I am glad for faith in God.  We don’t take from any of the fruits.  They are all fruits of the Spirit.  The gentle rain falling on us of the Word of God helps us to bear these fruits.

Never forget that with the bearing of fruit, He purges us so that we can bear more fruit.

I believe from reading the book of Isaiah that he had many epiphanies, life-changing moments.

In the Gospel Day, getting saved is an epiphany.  If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.  That is a life-changing experience.  It happens instantaneously but the plan is that the effects never leave.

Another is that God is faithful.  You can count on God to be faithful.  In many in this audience there have been seasons in life when what held you steady when the storm was raging, your heart was broken, your life plans you saw lit aflame and gone like you never thought, at that moment you witnessed God being faithful.

That which David left us in Psalms 17

Psa 17:15  As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

I don’t need to tell you of the discontentment that is in the world today.  Spiritually there are a million people professing to be saved in the world today that are very dissatisfied.  The reason they are is that they don’t have that epiphany that David found.

People are always full of discontent when they allow their flesh, the association of the world, or allow their mind to take them to places of discontent. 

This morning, you and I know that God visited Isaiah in the temple.  God was there.  Isaiah had been there many times.  This particular time he was prepared to be dealt with by God and God met him and dealt with him. 

God is going to meet with us this week.  We know some things that God requires of us, salvation, devotions, coming to the house of God but there are some things that we don’t know but we know that God will be faithful and even today.