Brother Gary Sunday Evening 2/8/15

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 2/8/15

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

To loose the bands of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free.  This is a normal burden for a saint of God as we seek God in prayer and fast and pray for the needs all around us.  God moved upon Isaiah and left this thought:  and that you break every yoke.

We know tonight that there are times in our Christian experience when the enemy drives or herds an individual into a thought pattern or yoke that really binds and hinders them.  The bible teaches us that God wants us to be totally free from any yoke that would be placed around us by the enemy of our soul or by an individual that puts us into bondage in whatever way that might be. 

Isa 58:1  Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Isa 58:2  Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

Isa 58:3  Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Isa 58:4  Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Isa 58:5  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

These verses were dealing with the conditions of literal Israel.  It is the same today.  There are people that think they are serving God that are just going through the form of worship.  They have their devotions and read scripture but all the time they are living according to the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life.

The lesson on my heart tonight is: we as the church, I know it is not just Karen and I and a couple of others.  It is the Body of Christ, the church of God in Paradise.  We have a heavy burden for souls. 

The prophet gives us excellent encouragement.  “This is the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness.”

There are many bound in the world today, many of them are upright citizens and hard workers.  They are bound by sin, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life.

The bible lets us see here that there is something that you and I can do to help these dear ones get free.  To undo the heavy burdens.  It was real to me as I preached this morning and as I worked some this afternoon.  “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We are to have heavy burdens, but His burden is never that gruesome burden that brings open wounds to us as we are yoked to Christ.  I realize that there are people that will yoke you with them wanting you to be their savior, putting it on you to figure out how they can have what they want in life.

They will cause individuals to feel that, “If you don’t help me to be happy then I will never be happy.”  If you have taken that burden on it has become a yoke to you and God wants you to break that yoke.

There is the oppression of the enemy.  The enemy will get his hand of oppression, his hand of accusation, an ugly spirit of whatever kind that will take your life, your joy, your peace, your sound reasoning, and destroy your vision. 

Everyone that is saved has felt the oppressing spirits that would move in on you with darkness and hopelessness.  There is a sickness of oppression, but we as the church have to have a standard, “This cannot be an excuse for you not doing right.”  If you give them an excuse that they can act how they want then you can’t put judgment on what is wrong.

God wants us free.  This was written to us, “That we break every yoke.”  You can be yoked to the yoke of fear.  It is a terrible yoke.  It will leave you raw.  Fear, worry, all those things… God wants us to break every yoke.

The fast that He has chosen is to deal thy bread to the hungry.  Dear ones, the bread that God has given his children is not by slices, but by loaves.  There is an answer for those that are hungering and thirsting after God.  Not just a crumb, He has lots of good things in the Word of God.

The Gospel is so full and rich.  In the book of Saint John, John recorded Jesus saying, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”  A man can eat of the literal bread, but this bread is unto eternal life. 

This brings us to the thought that as we pray as we loose ourselves from bondages, part of the fast chapter is that we break every yoke.

Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, whosoever drinks of the living water shall never thirst.  The thought of bread and water for the hungry and the thirsty!  Babylon doesn’t have it.  We don’t even want to go to competing for entertainment with them.  But to satisfy the hungry and thirsty soul, it is here.

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

The spiritually naked:  let’s stay clothed and help each other stay clothed.  The three unclean spirits like frogs are always looking for a little nakedness on a brother or a sister.  It is so wonderful how God will make some of His Word so real to the pastor, to some of the helpers, to the Sunday school teachers.

This is the reason that we fast and pray.  We want to hear everything that He brings to us as the body of Christ.

Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

Aren’t you glad that the sun is coming up earlier?  That waiting until 8:30 or 9:00 until it gets light is hard.  In the morning we are getting ready to accomplish something.  Whatever your challenge is, it begins in the morning.  The light of God breaks forth!

Your health:  we will go through seasons spiritually where we are walking by faith; holding onto God and being faithful to God by faith.  Isn’t it wonderful when we go through that season and the light of the Word of God is just shining?  You can feel that love reaching out.  That concern.  You can feel as brother Gyme requested the song, “At the Foot of the Old Rugged Cross.” 

I never have walked in while the instruments were playing that song that it didn’t thrill my soul.  It is wonderful that the difference between ages 68 and 9 and that song spoke to that boy.  Church, you children are so blessed to know about the cross and the effects of the cross.  To know that there is room at the cross for you.

“There is a place where sin is forgiven…”  Isn’t that wonderful?

Isa 58:9  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

This hinges on you and me fasting and praying with this thought, “Loose the bands of wickedness, let the oppressed go free, that you break every yoke.”

If you take away from the midst of thee the yoke.  Let your brother and sister be free.  We don’t run the aisle and turn somersaults and like that, but we want to be free.

The putting forth of the finger.  Faultfinding brings terribleness into one’s life.  The putting forth of the finger, the speaking vanity…  God help me that I am convicted to take away any yoke and bondage that would come from my personal thoughts, that faultfinding would be removed, and help my words be few that I not be guilty of speaking vanity.