Author: E. DeWayne Swann

See What Isaiah Saw to Accept the Call, Part 2

 II. V. 5-7 WE NEED TO SENSE WHAT ISAIAH SENSED

Isaiah 6:5 So I said: “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 my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

1. V. 5 He Sensed His Own Condition – When Isaiah saw the Lord, he instantly realized that there were problems within his own heart. That is what happens when you get close to Him! Moving closer to God and seeing Him as He is, reveals the wickedness and sin in our own lives.

 (Note: Isaiah probably thought all was well in his life until he saw the Lord in His glory and holiness. When he did, he was made aware of his own shortcomings! Until we see God and are confronted with out own condition before Him, we will remain haughty and proud, but when we come face to face with Who He is and what we are, it will produce humility and confession!)

Isaiah did not cry out “Woe is my neighbor!”. He cried out “Woe is me!”

Until we are able to see our own failures and our need for repentance before the Lord, we will never come clean. And, the sooner we come clean with the Lord about our own condition, the sooner we will see our downtime start to turn up!)

The third thing that Isaiah saw was:

3. ISAIAH SAW GOD’S CLEANSING POWER.

And I praise God for this! Oh, if all we ever see is the weakness of our sin – the depravity of our hearts – without discovering the cleansing power of God, WHAT MISERABLE PEOPLE WE WILL BE. But He DOES have power to cleanse!

When Isaiah confessed his sin, God was faithful and just to forgive his sin and cleanse him from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

A live coal – a burning coal – a coal that speaks of purification and cleansing – was brought by that seraphim from off the altar of sacrifice and touched to his lips. That altar that the live coal was taken from was the Altar of Burnt Offerings – it was the altar where the blood was shed. It was the place where the priests would kill those animals to pay for the sins of the people, because without the shedding of blood there is no remission (no cleansing) from sin –

 

Heb 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. NKJV

God has declared it.

So you have a coal that has been touched by two things: BLOOD and FIRE. The blood speaks of cleansing from sin (only blood can wash away our sin), and the fire speaks of refining, purifying power. The blood washes away sin, the fire brings the refining of positive holiness.

When God saves you, what does He do? He applies to your life the cleansing power of the eternal blood of His Son, Jesus – that washes away the sins of your old life – and then He sets you in the way of a whole new life which is being refined by the workings of the Spirit of Holiness; we begin to live a life of positive righteousness. HE CALLS US RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD OF HIS SON, AND THEN HE MAKES US RIGHTEOUS THROUGH THE WORKING OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT – the FIRE of the Holy Ghost.

This is the power that ONLY GOD has in a life. Government agencies, social workers, psychiatrists, modern education; they can all try what they will, they cannot change the heart of man with all their programs of reform – THEY’RE POWERLESS! But God can come in a moment of time, and revolutionize a person, and make them a new creation!

[ILLUSTRATION:] I understand that the success rate for rehabilitating hard-line drug addicts is pitifully low. An independent government study was undertaken in the U.S. and found that the success rate of de-tox centers in getting people off drugs permanently (tested after 7 years) was just 2 – 9%. The more intensive rehabilitation centers were not much better – just 9 – 11%. But this independent government study found that “TEEN CHALLENGE” (an organization that is thoroughly Christian – founded by David Wilkerson in New York – you may remember the story “The Cross and the Switchblade”) had a success rate documented as being 86%. When the government researchers were asked what was the difference, they replied (in their words) that the ONLY thing they could put Teen Challenge’s success down to was “THE JESUS FACTOR” (the government’s own words!). Teen Challenge are making a difference because this is not a program based upon the wisdom of men, but on the power of God to transform a life. they’re not preaching rehabilitation; they’re preaching RADICAL REGENERATION. And they’re not prescribing substitute drugs; they’re prescribing a relationship with the Saviour Jesus Christ!

Isaiah saw God’s cleansing power. The seraphim applied the blood-soaked, fire-purifying coal from off the altar and Isaiah experienced the sweet, clean feeling of forgiveness and peace. Hallelujah! Oh, there’s nothing like it in all the world!

Isaiah 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

1. V. 6-7 He Sensed His Own Cleansing – Thank God, the Lord does not just point out our sins, He also provides a means for our cleansing! With Isaiah, it was an angel with a live coal from the altar. With us, it is the precious blood of Jesus, 1 John 1:7-10!

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

 

If we ever see Him as He is and we see ourselves as we are, then we will come before Him in humility and confess our sins.

(Note: The closer you get to Him, the worse you look! But, when that realization comes, and we deal with it in repentance before the Lord, we will experience His cleansing and we will be able to stand in His presence and receive all He has for us! Talk about a downtime turning up!)

Isaiah saw the Lord, Isaiah saw himself, Isaiah saw God’s cleansing power; then, the fourth and final thing he saw was:

4. ISAIAH SAW THE WORLD.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

A knowledge of God will make us good in all our relationships. Isaiah got in with God and he heard God’s heartbeat for a lost and dying people. He heard God’s summons for a messenger to reach out to them. God said: Whom shall I send, who will go for us? And immediately Isaiah says, HERE I AM, SEND ME!

Would God call a sinful man to preach His message? A man of unclean lips?!

YES !!!!

There are no other kind of people available to God! Yes, God calls sinners to go for Him. He has not committed His glorious gospel to sinless angels but to fallen men.

But God sends them ONLY after they’ve been cleansed of their sins by His grace. The message of God must be spoken through purged lips. The work of God must be poured from clean vessels. YOUR PAST WILL NOT EXCLUDE YOU FROM BEING USED BY GOD: BUT HOW YOU’RE LIVING TODAY MIGHT!

III. V. 8 WE NEED TO SAY WHAT ISAIAH SAID

 Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

 

2. He Said “I Am Available” – As soon as Isaiah gets His heart clean, he hears the call of the Lord to service. When Isaiah said “Here am I”, he was saying, “My downtime is over and I am ready for service!” He was signifying that he was over the death of Uzziah and that his life was on the altar of sacrifice for the glory of God! (Ill. That’s what we need to say when life turns down! We need to get our all on the altar for God and come to the place where nothing means anything to us but what He wants from us! We need to submit, surrender and sacrifice, Rom. 12:1-2.)

 

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  NKJV

  

1. He Said “I Am Agreeable” – Isaiah not only told the Lord of His availability, but he also mentioned his agreeability!

He was saying, “Lord, I am here to do what you want and I am willing to do what you want! Send me and let me go do what you want me to do!”

 

 That is a sure way to turn your downtimes upside down! Make yourself available to the Lord and get agreeable with whatever He asks you to do and you can be sure that He will bless your life and that He will use you for His glory!)

 

A 15 year old girl in Wales – “I love Jesus” was all she said and the Great Welsh revivals broke out!)

 

Moody’s response to Henry Varley’s statement, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.“

 

It’s not going to be easy, and not everyone gets it.

 

Yes, God can take YOU and use you for His glory – if only you’ll live for Him a cleansed, purified life.

 

Isaiah 6:9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

 

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

 

[And he said …] The expressions which follow are those which denote hardness of heart and blindness of mind. They would hear the words of the prophet, but they would not understand him. They were so obstinately bent on iniquity that they would neither believe nor regard him. This shows the spirit with which ministers must deliver the message of God. It is their business to deliver the message, though they should know that it will neither be understood nor believed.

 

[Hear ye indeed] Hebrew ‘In hearing, hear.’ This is a mode of expressing emphasis. This passage is quoted in Matt 13:14

 

Matt 13:14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.’

 

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;  17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.   NKJV

Isaiah 6:10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

Isaiah 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.

[Make the heart] The word “heart” here is used in the sense of the “mind” – to denote all their mental powers. It is commonly used in this sense in the Scriptures.

[Fat] Gross, heavy, dull, stupid. That is, go and proclaim such “truth” to them as shall have this effect-as shall irritate, provoke, enrage them; truth, whose delivery shall be attended, in their gross and corrupt hearts, with this blinding and infatuating influence the effect would be produced by the corrupt state of their hearts, not by any native tendency of the truth, and still less by any direct divine influence. ‘Go, and proclaim truth to a corrupt and sensual people, and the result will be that they will not hear; they are so wicked that they will not attend to it; they will become even more hardened; yet go, and though certain of producing this effect, still proclaim it;’ see this passage explained in the notes at John 12:40.

 

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,

Lest they should see with their eyes,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.”  

41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. NKJV

 

[Their ears heavy] Dull, stupid, insensible.

[And shut their eyes] The word used here means “to spread over,” and then to close. It denotes here the state of mind which is more and more indisposed to attend to the truth.

[And be healed] Be restored from the condition of sin; be recovered and pardoned. Sin is often represented as a painful, loathsome condition, and forgiveness as restoration from such a condition;

Isa 30:26; Ps 103:1; 41:3-4; 2 Chron 7:14; Jer 3:22; 17:14. We may learn here,

(1) That the effect of truth is often to irritate people and make them more wicked.

(2) The truth must, nevertheless, be proclaimed.

This effect is not the fault of the truth; and it is often well that the heart should be known, and the true effect should be seen.

(from Barnes’ Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

And how long dose He want you to do this??
How long????

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

And He answered:

“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, 12 The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return and be for consuming, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.”  NKJV

CONCLUSION:

Note: Isaiah did NOT say, “Where do you want me to go?” “What’s in it for me?” “What is the salary?” “What are the retirement benefits?” Isaiah signed a blank cheque on his whole life. He didn’t try to strike a bargain with God; he didn’t attempt to negotiate a compromise. God called – Isaiah answered. God commanded – Isaiah obeyed. Such an unconditional response comes only from the heart of one who has SEEN THE VISION: the one who’s MET WITH GOD.

The same thing can happen to you here. THE KING IS ALIVE! He WAS dead – He died for our sins on the cross. But He arose from the grave and He lives today – He lives forever! He calls us to see Him as He truly is – the holy God. He calls us to see ourselves as we truly are – sinful and needing Him desperately. He calls us to discover that He can cleanse from all sin, and give life anew to those who will receive Him. And then He commissions us to look on the fields of this world that are white unto harvest, and to GO and be His witnesses.

Where are you along this process? Have you seen Him? In the pages of His Word – in the voice of the preacher – do you hear His call? Do you recognize that your sin and guilt keep you from Him? Have you accepted His salvation – purchased with His own blood? Are you hearing His call to go, to be His witness to others?

Open your heart to Him. Don’t be the one who is hardened, and goes away empty. Respond to Him with the faith He gives.

The downtimes are going to come in life! You can count on them just as surely as you can count on the sun rising and sitting day by day. However, when they do come, you can shorten their duration and severity by simply seeing what Isaiah saw, sensing what Isaiah sensed and saying what Isaiah said! A focused heart, a clean heart and a surrendered heart will quickly find itself on the upward path. I know that’s what I want in my life, how about you?

See What Isaiah Saw to Accept the Call, Part 1

Isaiah 6

Isaiah is Called to Be a Prophet

 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 So I said:

“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 my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

And He answered:

“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, 12 The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return and be for consuming, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.”   NKJV

In 1952 the sad word went forth from London . . . “THE KING IS DEAD”. King George VI died in his sleep at the age of 56. He was somewhat of a private man, in comparison with others who held the throne, but he was greatly respected and admired. His reign had carried him through the rigors of World War 2, the election of a socialist government, and the dissolution of much of the British Empire. His tired heart gave way. All across Britain, people flocked to churches to worship, to pray, and to seek comfort and hope.

In 1963, another shocking word was sent out across the world: “The President is dead”. It was unbelievable. JOHN F. KENNEDY, young, vibrant, and dynamic, was cut down by an assassin’s bullet – a nation was plunged into grief. People flocked into churches in the greatest numbers since the announcement of the end of World War 2. Ministers changed their sermon texts and preached messages of healing and hope to the people of America.

and then we also have December 7, 1941… September 11, 2001

About 700 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, the sad announcement was made, “THE KING IS DEAD”. King Uzziah, the eleventh King of Judah, had died. Crowned at the age of 16, he had reigned 52 years. Despite his failings, he was the greatest king since David.

The heart of Isaiah, the prophet, was broken. Uzziah was not only his king, he was also his friend. In his heartbreak, Isaiah made his way to the Temple to worship and to seek comfort and renewed faith.

When sorrow comes, when life presses you in, the best place to be found is in the House of the Lord. (We ought to ALWAYS be found in the House of the Lord! But especially when we’re facing the difficult seasons of life – there is an answer in God, there is hope in Him, if we will quickly turn to Him.)

When Isaiah went up to the House of the Lord, he learned that the king was dead . . . BUT THAT GOD WAS NOT DEAD! He was still upon His throne. Isaiah had lost his earthly king, whom he loved, but he caught a fresh glimpse of the King of Kings. He met with God in an encounter that radically changed his life.

Would you note with me, that Isaiah saw four things that I want to draw to your attention:

1. ISAIAH SAW THE LORD. Look for the Lord in bad times, and the good.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

 

WHAT WE NEED IN THE DOWN TIMES

 Introduction: Verse 1 mentions the death of King Uzziah. He was the tenth king of Judah and he was a very godly man. He was highly influenced by the prophet Zechariah and, unlike many of the other kings, he never totally departed from the worship of the true God. Under his influence, the southern kingdom attained power, wealth, and success unlike any it had enjoyed since the days of Solomon. Made heady by his success as king and by his blessings from the Lord, Uzziah made the mistake of offering incense in the Temple, 2 Chron. 26. He was stricken with leprosy by the Lord for his disobedience to the Lord. He died in that leprous condition! Disobedience to the Lord is a serious thing!

     Well, evidently, Isaiah is disturbed by the death of the great king. After all, he had reigned for 52 years. His death signaled the end of a time of great prosperity and consistency. For Isaiah and the entire nation, it ushered in a time of uncertainty, change, and doubt. Yet, for Isaiah, this is to be a time of rediscovery.

Apparently, Isaiah had his attention focused on Uzziah, but now that Uzziah is dead, his attention is redirected back to the Lord. What must have been a downtime in the prophet’s life became an uptime. That which had help his attention was removed and Isaiah had a fresh encounter with God. What happened to Isaiah in this event spotlights for us what we need during the down times in our own lives.

We all have down times in life! Those downtimes can grow us, or they can ruin us, which depends upon what has our attention. Let’s look into these familiar verses and think for a while on the thought What We Need In The Down Times Of Life. Learning what to do when life turns down will help us to get back up in short order.

 Verses. 1-4 WE NEED TO SEE WHAT ISAIAH SAW

1. ISAIAH SAW THE LORD.
   
   Here is the greatest vision that anyone can ever have. To see the Lord! Let’s read about it together.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

Verse. 1 He Saw God’s Position – Isaiah saw God in His sovereignty. An earthly king may have died, but the Lord still reigned. He saw the Lord in all His glory. And, it had a profound impact on the life of Isaiah. (Ill. When life seems to fall apart at the seams, we need to remember the God Who is in control of it all! What appears to be a tragedy to us may be the greatest thing that could happen in our lives.  Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17.)

 Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 2 Cor 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

 We need to remember just Who is in control!

 Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

 Verse. 2-3 He Saw God’s Personality – The angelic beings in the temple proclaimed the thrice holy nature of the God of Heaven. Even those sinless creatures were careful to honor the holiness and purity of the Lord. Notice that they covered their faces with their wings. They also proclaimed the glory of the Lord! Isaiah finally understood that Uzziah might have been a good king, but the Lord was a holy God and He and He alone deserved the glory for all of life! (Ill. We need to remember that God’s prime characteristic is His holiness! Our duty before the Lord is to honor His holy nature by living holy lives before Him. We are to recognize His right to glory by giving Him all the glory for everything in our lives, 1 Cor. 10:31.)

 1 Cor 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. NKJV

Isaiah learned that this thing was not about Uzziah or Isaiah, but it was all about God! He, and He alone deserves to be in the place of honor and glory!

Be careful not to assume the place that belongs to Him alone!

During the downtimes of life, we need to remember Who is working all things out of His holiness and for the glory of His Name, James 1:17!)

 James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.   NKJV

Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

Verse. 4 He Saw God’s Presence – We are told that the “house was filled with smoke”. This was a symbol of the presence of God. You will notice that God’s “train” filled the temple! That speaks of His robe. God was the central figure in the Temple! Isaiah was reminded, rather forcefully, that Uzziah might be gone, but the Lord was still there! He had not been forsaken even during this downtime, but the Lord was still with Him in great glory!

 

We need to remember this truth as well! If we are saved, we are never alone, but even during the downtimes of life, we still always have the presence of the lord with us, Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5.)

Last verse in Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. NKJV

 Heb 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”   6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”   NKJV

Isaiah saw something of God’s nature and character – he caught a glimpse “through the curtain”, as it were. He saw something of the Lord as Moses described Him in

Ex 15:11 “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?  NKJV

 

The vision was of God high and lifted up upon His throne. He saw God as the central object of all praise, surrounded by heavenly courtiers- angelic beings – the seraphim.

What a vision! Oh, that we would all have such times of encounter with God. BUT, would you look with me, it seems that it was ONLY ISAIAH who saw the glorious vision. If others were seated around him there in the Temple, THEY had no such revelation. He doesn’t write “WE saw the Lord”, he says, “I saw the Lord”.

There is a sense in which our corporate worship is still very much made up of INDIVIDUALS who are worshipping. (Hopefully we are not “individualistic” in our worship, in the sense that we ignore or disregard others around us. We must be mindful of one another, and offer Him corporate adoration – BUT WE ARE STILL INDIVIDUALS as we do so!)

It IS possible for one person to be moved to tears, while the person beside them – on the same row of chairs – is UNMOVED. One repents, while another trusts in his own self-righteousness. One responds willingly – with a soft heart – to the claims of Christ, whilst another is desperately resisting the persuasion of the Holy Spirit.

Which one are you?

Are you going to sit here, going through the motions of a cold, formal religion, satisfying your conscience that you’ve come?

Or are you meeting with God here? Are you opening up to the Lord as He knocks at the door of your heart?

Isaiah met with God, he had a revelation of the greatness of the Lord, and it changed his life forever. The same living Lord is here tonight to meet with WHOEVER will call upon His name. EARTHLY kings may come and go – but the King of Kings is alive forevermore, and just as powerful as ever He has been, and just as willing to reveal Himself to men.

And listen, Isaiah didn’t get this revelation just because he was a prophet. He saw God because he had a soft, pliable heart, and a listening ear.

Titles and offices don’t cut any ice with God!

2 Chron 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

The Old King James put it: “Them whose heart is PERFECT toward Him.”

The word “loyal” or “perfect” is the Hebrew word “SHALEM”, which means “completely devoted to”; and it’s related to the word “SHALOM”, which means “PEACE” or “stillness”.

So, the verse says that God’s eyes roam the whole earth looking for a heart that is disposed toward Him, devoted to Him, and still before Him. God looks for people to reveal Himself to who are listening and available.

Isaiah was listening, and ISAIAH SAW THE LORD. The second thing that Isaiah saw this day in the Temple was:

2. ISAIAH SAW HIMSELF.
   
   Isaiah 6:5 So I said: “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 my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

Isaiah SAW HIMSELF as he had never quite seen himself before. He did not see himself in the way that one sees themself as they admire their own image in a mirror. No, no! He did not see himself as a good person, worthy of God’s commendation, and the praise of people. He didn’t think to himself, “WOW! I must be the best person here because God has honored ONLY ME with a vision of Himself.” That was NOT his attitude at all.

Instead he cried out: Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips!

AND THIS IS ALWAYS TRUE. The closer we get to God, the more clearly we see our sins. The contrast between His holiness and our unholiness gives us a vivid awareness of just how very far short of God’s glory we truly fall.

The times when we DO feel we have made it – we’ve arrived – we’re knocking on the door of perfection – they’re the times that we’ve been neglecting to pray and worship and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

When Peter was CLOSEST to Jesus he said: Depart from me; for I am a sinful man. When John received the Revelation of Christ on the Island of Patmos, he wrote, I fell at His feet as though dead!

A lost sense of God brings a lost sense of sin. But a renewed sense of God brings a renewed awareness of our own sinfulness.

Isaiah saw himself in a whole new light.

 

Part 2 next week.

This Means War

Eph 6:10-18

Barclay Commentary

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

      As Paul takes leave of his people he thinks of the greatness of the struggle which lies before them. Undoubtedly life was much more terrifying for the ancient people than it is for us today.

     They believed implicitly in evil spirits, who filled the air and were determined to workmen harm. The words which Paul uses,  powers, authorities, world-rulers, are all names for different classes of these evil spirits. To him, the whole universe was a battleground. The Christian had not only to contend with the attacks of men; he had to contend with the attacks of spiritual forces which were fighting against God.  We may not take Paul’s actual language literally; but our experience will tell us that there is an active power of evil in the world.

Robert Louis Stevenson once said: “You know the Caledonian Railway Station in Edinburgh? One cold, east windy morning, I met Satan there.” We do not know what actually befell Stevenson but we recognize the experience; we have all felt the force of that evil influence which seeks to make us sin.

         Paul suddenly sees a picture ready-made. All this time he was chained by the wrist to a Roman soldier. Night and day a soldier was there to ensure that he would not escape. Paul was literally an envoy in a chain. Now he was the kind of man who could get alongside anyone; and beyond doubt he had talked often to the soldiers who were compelled to be so near him. As he writes, the soldier’s armour suggests a picture to him. The Christian too has his armour; and part by part Paul takes the armour of the Roman soldier and translates it into Christian terms.

 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

        There is the belt of truth. It was the belt which girt in the soldier’s tunic and from which his sword hung and which gave him freedom of movement. Others may guess and grope; the Christian moves freely and quickly because he knows the truth.

         There is the breastplate of righteousness. When a man is clothed in righteousness he is impregnable. Words are no defence against accusations but a good life is. Once a man accused Plato of certain crimes. “Well then,” said Plato, “we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie.” The only way to meet the accusations against Christianity is to show how good a Christian can be.

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; There are the sandals. Sandals were the sign of one equipped and ready to move. The sign of the Christian is that he is cager to be on the way to share the gospel with others who have not heard it.

 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

        There is the shield. The word Paul uses is not that for the comparatively small round shield; it is that for the great oblong shield which the heavily armed warrior wore. One of the most dangerous weapons in ancient warfare was the fiery dart. It was a dart tipped with tow dipped in pitch. The pitch-soaked tow was set alight and the dart was thrown. The great oblong shield was made of two sections of wood, glued together. When the shield was presented to the dart, the dart sank into the wood and the flame was put out.  Faith can deal with the darts of temptation. With Paul, faith is always complete trust in Christ. When we walk close with Christ, we are safe from temptation.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

        There is salvation for a helmet. Salvation is not something which looks back only. The salvation which is in Christ gives us forgiveness for the sins of the past and strength to conquer in the days to come.

         There is the sword; and the sword is the word of God. The word of God is at once our weapon of defence against sin and our weapon of attack against the sins of the world.  Cromwell’s Ironsides fought with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other. We can never win God’s battles without God’s book.

 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

        Finally, Paul comes to the greatest weapon of all–and that is prayer. We note three things that he says about prayer.

(a) It must be constant. Our tendency is so often to pray only in the great crises of life; but it is from daily prayer that the Christian will find daily strength.

(b) It must be intense. Limp prayer never got a man anywhere. Prayer demands the concentration of every faculty upon God.

(c) It must be unselfish.  The Jews had a saying, “Let a man unite himself with the community in his prayers.” I think that often our prayers are too much for ourselves and too little for others. We must learn to pray as much for others and with others as for ourselves.

         Finally, Paul asks for the prayers of his friends for himself.     And he asks not for comfort or for peace but that he may yet be allowed to proclaim God’s secret, that his love is for all men.

     We do well to remember that ever Christian leader and every Christian preacher needs his people to uphold his hands in prayer.

 

Pop the Top

Years ago, while visiting my Grandmother in Cobb Hospital, and watching her mentally and physically slowly leave us through Alzheimer’s over the years. One particular time as she was there and the news got out, we saw different family members gathered to visit her and comfort her through this one of many stays.

As I arrived, I saw that my Mother was already there with a number of cousins and other family members. My Grandmother was having a pretty good day, so as I entered the room, she looked at me and asked who I was? I replied DeWayne, and I could see the look of confusion on her face, so I added what most of my close and immediate family referred to me as and that was Dinky.  She then smiled and said you are one of Littlelynn’s boys, right? Littlelynn (Little-one) is what she called my mother, and that is another story for another day).  I told her she was right and just sat and listened as different people came and went that day.

As I observed the counteraction with different people, I saw that she was enjoying the attention and then someone asked her how she was doing? The answer was “I am doing great; I don’t understand why I am in here I want to go home”. I asked her if she wanted to go fishing with me, and her reply was “Let’s go!” after a few moments of hearing how good she was doing my cousin Ricky came in and joined in on telling her we were going to get her up and take her with us to the lake. She was all for it, and she was as sprite and active as could be.

Then just like that, things changed, the Doctor walked in and said, “How are you doing today, Mrs. Jarrell’s?” and then her response was, in a weak in sad voice, “I’m not doing good at all, I feel terrible.” As she laid back and closed her eyes as if she had no strength to even speak. And then me trying to encourage her and play with her I said, “awe that’s not what you were saying a moment ago, you said you didn’t see any reason why you are in here and you felt good enough to go fishing with me and Rick.” In which that didn’t go over to well with her, she sat up in that bed and said in an angry voice, “You ain’t purdy (pretty) you ain’t purdy at all, if I could get out of this bed I would…,” and at that time my Mother said get out and get out now! Rick was laughing, and she didn’t seem to care for that either, so he said hold up Cuz I’m going with you.

So, down we went to the break room.

After standing a pulpit in a number of churches over 30 years, you get where you can detect conviction on people’s faces. I remember when I was in church as a child. Usually bored to tears and ready to go home or anywhere except sitting in that church. That the preacher would finely wind down and the song leader would come up and start the invitation. Sometimes I wanted out because I had other thing I rather be doing, and other time was because I was under so much conviction that I wanted out, and I wanted NOW!

When a preacher says let’s sing just one more verse there is a reason and usually an excellent reason, and that is that they see something that you don’t. What we see is someone standing there holding the seat in front of them so tight, until their knuckles are white. They are hoping to get out of that church, and to get out NOW. The Holy Spirit has come down and the spirit of conviction is on their face. We as preachers see this, and we want to give them every chance we can for them to move. This could be the last time for them to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. So, just one more verse. When you hear that, I ask you to please start praying for the ones hearing that invitation.

Back to the elevator ride down to the break room. I am extremely claustrophobic, and so when I get on an elevator and the doors close, I usually start talking, to get my mind off the fact that I am in a little room and the doors just closed and everyone is breathing up all my oxygen. The thing that I normally start talking about is the Bible and what Jesus means to me. That day was no different. It works as a fantastic evangelistic tool because the ones in there with you have nowhere to go, so you have only a few seconds to present the gospel.

This was one of those occasions, except the conviction I saw this day in that elevator was on my cousin’s face. Ricky was more like a brother to me than a cousin. Years ago, when his mother was pregnant with Ricks little brother Steve, and he was born, they brought him home and showed him to Ricky, and said here is your little brother. Rick told him he didn’t want him; he wanted Dinky for a brother. As I said, we are close.

Now we have made it to the break room and Rick started asking questions about being “Saved”. So, I told him all he had to do is ask the Lord to come into his heart in the form of The Holy Spirit, Accept the forgiveness of his sins and Believe that God has giving him the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ, who paid the price for the forgiveness of those sins. He said that he wasn’t sure about all this stuff. He like me, was raised in church, he has seen how some people are on fire one week and gone the next, and he said he didn’t want to be like that. I said I didn’t want him to be like that either. I wanted him to be like Jesus, not people. He then asked how do you do that? How do you accept salvation?

We were standing in front of a Coke machine and I had just dropped two quarters in and asked what he wanted. He said a Coke, I pressed the Coke button and down it came. And the Spirit of God did also. At that moment God gave me an example to share with Rick. I reached and got the Coke and said this is Salvation, this is a gift from me to you, I paid the price and it cost you nothing all you have to do is reach out and take it. I held it out to him, and he reached out and took the Coke from my hand. Then he said is that all there is to Salvation? I just have to take it?

He like most would think that I would have said yes and all would be well. But I didn’t, instead I reached and snatched the can back from him and said, nope see I took it back, this is where God showed up, and I said a lot of people think just saying words gets them Saved, but there is more to it than that. I then popped the top of the drink and handed it back to him and said now drink that. He took a few swallows and I said “that is Salvation”, you have to make Christ a part of you, you have to invite Him in to your life.

When he was just holding the can of Coke, anyone could do as I did and take it away from him, but now that he drank the Coke it is now and forever a part of him and there is nothing I or anyone else could do to get that out of him. That is Salvation, Making Jesus Christ a part of you by Believing on the price that was paid by the Father, through the Son, by indwelling you with the Holy Spirit. That is “SALVATION”.

We need to do as Christ said for us to do, after feeding the thousands with a kid’s sack lunch of 2 pieces of fish and five little biscuits. And then miraculously walked on water, and then tells the ones that followed after another meal that they have to take Him in them through the eating of His flesh and drinking His blood. Take His character, take His Love, take what he is holding out and giving to you freely, all you have to do is accept it. It is not about asking for forgiveness it’s about accepting the fact that you are already forgiven.

Feeding the Five Thousand

John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”  6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”  13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” NKJV

Then we see Jesus Walks on the Sea and then He speaks about being The Bread from Heaven

John 6:22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone —  23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks —  24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

But we saw in this story that Jesus is foretelling of the last supper and then we can see that in Matthew:

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. NKJV

It is reemphasized in First Corinthians:

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.  NKJV

 

I believe that many of people that are sitting in the “Church” building today have taken the can and never popped the top. We the preachers and teachers sometimes do a poor job of letting them know that just saying words are not the same as having a draw of the Holy Spirit of God.

We sometimes just say to repeat after me, and they say words and there is no repentance and confession of being a sinner. We have a gift of salvation given to us but we have to accept the gift of forgiveness. We don’t have to ask for it, it is already ours all we have to do Believe!!! The Bible is clear that all sins were and are and are going to be forgiven. It is not about forgiveness, again it’s about accepting that forgiveness, or popping the top and drinking it in.

We must take the Bread and eat, “His Body.” Taking the “Bread of Life” and let it nourish us;

John 6:35-59 (NKJV) And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst…
⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”…
⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.
⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
⁵² The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
⁵⁵ For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
⁵⁷ As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
⁵⁸ This is the bread which came down from heaven–not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
⁵⁹ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

 

We also see that Jesus said we must take the Cup and drink, “His Blood.” Take the “Cup” The Living Water and quench the thirst that is everlasting. As we see when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He said;

John 4:10 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”…John 4:14 (NKJV) “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

 

Accept that “Forgiveness” Like when I offered Ricky the Can of Coke is like saying the words, but when you pop the top and take it in you no one, and I mean no one can take it away from you then. That is accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And then you will see that there is nowhere else to go as Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And if not then we see as the students of Jesus did;

 

Many Disciples Turn Away

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?  62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”  71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.   NKJV

I always find it amazing that our Lord lets those leave, he offered the can and all they had to do is pop the top, but they chose to leave, they chose to walk away, and He let them walk away and then He even asked His own disciples if they too were going to leave. It was so freeing as a minister to see 1 out of the 12 that walked with Jesus knowing that he saw the same thing as the others but that one chose not to pop the top. It took me years to understand that you will not reach them all. The bottom line is the hearer’s choice to accept or walk away. And Jesus let him do just that, walk away, and even betray him.

Never does the scripture after the Death Burial and Resurrection, say that we have to ask for forgiveness, it says that we need to accept His forgiveness.

Confession, admitting that we are sinners and need to accept the forgiveness.

1 John 1:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

And then we need repentance, to turn from the way that we were living and follow Christ and Him crucified for the remission of our wrong doings, “sin”.

Luke 5:31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”  NKJV

Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. NKJV

Acts 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. NKJV

 

2 Cor 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. NKJV

God is giving everyone more time to come to repentance;

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. NKJV

Rick did latter accepted Christ and even went on to be a minister of the same Gospel I tried to share with him that day. Because he not only took the can He popped the top, drank it down and tried to get as many as he could to also “Pop the Top.”

 

The gift has been given. The can is in your hand.

All you must do is;

Pop the Top.

 “A Magic Dime”

Before we left on the adventure up the Dusty, Rocky Road. Granddaddy would always give every one of us a dime.

A “Magic Dime”, I call it a magic dime because when we got to the store it would buy pretty much whatever we wanted, always a box of Cracker Jacks, then maybe a Coke, or a bag of chips, and 5 or 10 pieces of penny candy.  All that for his magic dime. Then we would go back to his house and enjoy what WE bought.

After every visit with them, as all 5 grandkids loaded up to come back home to Georgia, Granddaddy would give all of us another dime even my Mother and Dad got a dime. This dime wouldn’t buy in Georgia what the magic dime would buy in Alabama. Believe me when I tell you I tried. It just didn’t work the same here.

Off to the Big Apple Store we went, I gather up what I got with Granddaddy and I put my Coke, my Cracker Jacks, and my ten pieces of penny candy on the counter, the clerk rang up my stuff, and then said “that will be thirty-five cents.” I set the dime down on the counter and reached for my things, except they were not mine, I hadn’t paid the full price yet, so I left with only the candy.

 

Years passed and as we matured, we found that the dime wouldn’t buy much unless we were with our Grandfather.  You see, our Granddaddy had an open account at the store and whatever we purchased with our magic dimes was put on his account.

See the magic wasn’t in the dime but in the presence of the one that had control of the account. Granddaddy. Are you getting where I am going with this?

Life is the same way; we think that WE pay our way here and there, when the whole time its God that supplies our needs.

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. NKJV

Luke 12:29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. NKJV

Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it”.  NKJV

It’s all poured out from heaven.

It all comes from the one that controls the account. GOD. When I went on my own and try to spend my dime all I got was face value for a dime. But when I go with the one that has control of the account. More than what it’s worth was poured out.

 

After all, where did we get the first dime to start with. IT’S ALL HIS.

 

Remember the lesson of the dime. Give generously to the ones you love as our Grandfather did for his grandchildren and as our Heavenly Father gave so much more to us. It is with this in mind that you support your ministries and remember who gave you “The Dime”, and who carried you on that dusty rocky road?

 

Someone once said that a nickel is bigger than a dime, but remember that the dime has more value. For me especially if it is from Granddaddy.

So, what are you doing with your “Magic Dime” that God has entrusted you with?

Dusty Roads, and Strong Shoulders

At times, I get reminiscent about my youth and simpler times in my life.  And today April 8, 1911, Joe Busby was born, today would have been my Grandaddy’s birthday.

When I was just a child, two or three times a year my family would go to Fort Payne Alabama to visit my Grandmother and then up to Lookout Mountain to visit my step Grandparents there. My step Grandfather never showed any difference between me and his natural grandchildren, my brothers, and my sister.

On every visit we (the grand kids) would go for a walk up the old dusty dirt road he lived on and go to the local store at the end of the road.

As we ventured down that dusty, rocky road I began to get tired, and the rocks were beginning to take its toll on my feet. So, Granddaddy threw me up on his shoulders. Granddaddy was one of the kindest and most humble people I had ever met, He was very trustworthy and very respected, a great mentor and role model to try to emulate as much as possible.

I was just 5 or 6 years old but I remember him carrying me on his shoulder, as if it were last week, I don’t recall ever saying anything about the walk, but he looked down and saw me struggling and up on his shoulders I went.

I wonder how often in our struggles without saying a word God just grabs us up and places us on his mighty shoulders, we go. The Bible says over and over how God guides and carries us:

Deuteronomy 33:12 Of Benjamin he said:

“The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.” NKJV

Psalms 17:5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip. NKJV

Psalms 119:117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually. NKJV

Psalms 139:10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.  NKJV

Again, that got me thinking about the nature of God.

The poem about footprints in the sand. How when there were only one set of tracks is when He carried us. I think that is what He wants to do the whole time. I truly believe that if there are ever two sets of tracks it’s when we are trying to do things on our own.

Now if Jesus is in my heart in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is in the Father, so how many tracks should we see?

Someone once likened God as a Father teaching a child how to ride a bike, How He runs along behind holding the bike and making sure that it doesn’t fall over, then when the time is right, He lets go and off we go on our own.

However, the more I read the scriptures, the more I believe that God does not want to ever let go,

He never intends for us to make it on our own,

He is always there and only when we try to do it on our own are we left to do just that, on our own.

Why would we want it on our own if we didn’t want to do something we shouldn’t be doing anyway?

I can make it on my own, but it is so much easier to do it Gods way and stop pulling away, because He will let you leave, in Luke 15:1-7 we see in “The Parable of the Lost Sheep”, then Luke 15:8-10 we see “The Parable of the Lost Coin.”

Then, Luke 15:11 The story of “The Parable of the Lost Son” reads:

Luke 15:11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.  12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So, he divided to them his livelihood”.

The Father will let you go even though He knows that is not what is best for you, and as the saying goes:

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

As we see in this story;

13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

“Keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”

17 But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

“But when he came to himself,” when he realized that things were better off at home, and the rules were not that bad after all,

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

See the Father is looking for your return every day.

21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

The sin is already forgiven!

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. NKJV

Treated the son as if he never left. Understand the fellowship may change with God, but the relationship never changes, if you are his child.

I believe He always carries us, if we let Him. We have seen that in “The Parable of the Lost Sheep”.

Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  NKJV

There are those shoulders again. So, happily He carries us.

Notice this even though I was on my Granddaddy’s shoulders, I was still on the dusty rocky road.

The circumstance did not change, where I was had not changed, my destination did not alter.

What changed was instead of me taking the steps it was Granddaddy,

Instead of me facing the rocky road, he took it on him.

Instead of my weight on my feet they are on his.

Remember who is carrying you!

It’s not my Fault!

Or was it?

Being the youngest of five, I always had someone to blame for my wrong doings. (Not that I did that many things wrong.) I have one brother that rarely did anything bad.

If something went wrong and the question was asked “Who did this?” the answer was always “My Brother.” Knowing that he never did wrong and would be forgiven for the minor offense very quickly rather than me messing up again.

Even after we were grown and My Brother was in basic training for the United States Air Force in Texas, a question by my Mother went like this, “who left that cup on the counter,” or “who left that plate on the end table” or and one of my favorites, my Dad’s shoes in the floor and the question was “who do these shoes belong to?” and the answer was always “My Brother.” No matter the only people in the house all day was me and my Dad, the answer was “My Brother.”

It’s good to have a person to blame things on, that way it’s not my fault if I am wrong. As I have mentioned I was raised in a somewhat legalistic Church, the hair had to be long on a girl and short on a guy. Women had to wear dresses, and they had to be long, and all men had to wear suites, the clothes on their back were more important than Jesus in their heart.

I have taught Sunday School for almost 30 years, that includes at my home Church, small group, home studies, hospice home care class. I have preached in nursing homes, Alzheimer’s ward, youth detention centers, and a number of Churches in west Georgia and east Alabama. In doing all this preaching and teaching, I would bring lessons at first the way I was taught.

If I said “you needed to dress in dresses and suits.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to be in Church every time the door is opened.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to use a certain kind of Bible.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “your hair had to be a certain way.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to sing certain songs a certain way.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to pray a certain way.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to give a certain amount if you have it or not.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

Now what is important is the reason I was taught all this, the way I was is:

It’s not their fault, that’s what they were taught.

 

That reminds me of The Parable of the Ham

A child stood and watched her mother prepare the annual holiday ham. The mother carefully cut each end of the ham off before placing it in the pan. The child asked, “Mother, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The mother replied, “Well, that’s the way my mother always did it.”

So, the child called her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The grandmother replied, “because that’s the way my mother always did it.”

Finally, the child called her great-grandmother and asked, “Great-Grandma, why did you always cut the ends off the ham?”

The great-grandmother replied, “Because the ham was way too big to fit in my small baking pan!!”

 

So, the cycle must stop. I must stop blaming My Brother, and even stop blaming the way I was raised. You see time and time again with young people that are committing crimes, the reason was “it’s how I was raised.”

Now after you get a certain age it’s all on you. You make the call and do wrong you are the one responsible.

As Dr. Michael L. Brown posted on Twitter:

“Regardless of my genetics, my upbringing, and my life experiences, I alone am ultimately responsible for my actions and choices.”

The same goes with my Teaching and Preaching, after a while I am the one responsible for leading people the wrong or misguided way.

Paul told Timothy his son in the faith in:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. KJV

The word study means:

NT:4704 spoudazo (spoo-dad’-zo); to use speed, i.e. to make effort, be prompt or earnest: KJV — do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  NKJV

2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. NIV

2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. NASU

2Tim 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. NLT

I love the way the Amplified Bible reads it:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.  Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

Now my job is to do my diligence, work hard, do my best, and Study the Word of God, rightly handling the word of truth, so I will not be ashamed when I am presented to God. Dig into the scripture and find out what is being said and why it’s being said. Then and only then do I do my best to tell what is being said in the Holy Scripture.

I have read the Bible through a few times, and when I came across something, I didn’t understand I would jump over it and keep on reading.

But now I stop and dig, study, and do my best to see what God is telling me. I love looking at different translations and see what words are different and why. That is what gets me in the Bible even deeper.

After looking through the scripture I can’t find anywhere that it says to wear a tie, it’s just not in there.

I never saw Jesus when on a sea shore or along a mountain, or in a garden tell the smelly people to go get dressed before He would talk to them.

I never read one word, not one, saying before He healed them that they needed a haircut.

There are so many things we get so bent out of shape over that I believe God really does not care about.

I was a Carpenter and Craftsman by trade, and my Dads home was just around the corner from my house. (I had to pass his to get to mine) A lot of days on my way home, still having the residue of the day on me, a little sawdust, maybe some stain on my hands, a little paint on my pants, and sweat running down my face.

I would drop by to check on my Dad. I would knock on the door as I opened it and walked on in, see its “MY FATHERS HOUSE” I have a key and I have freedom to come in at any time. And I knew no matter how I looked or even smelled I was always welcome there.

My Dad would usually be on the sofa, and he would get up and a big smile would be on his face, because his boy came by to spend some time with him. I may be wrong but I think that is the way God is, just happy to spend some time with me.

We get so caught up on the outside of a person the way they look and dress we miss out and never get to know the inside (the heart) of the person. Thank God He looks at the heart.

1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” NKJV

I have never not ever read in the red letters of Jesus to “turn your King James Bible” to a particular verse.

It is not there!

So why for the life of me do we get so excited if someone is reading a different translation than we have, and how on earth does that make you more spiritual than someone else because you sing from a red hymnal instead of a large screen.

I have been a part of both worship services and felt His very presence in both.

I have sat and even preached in Church services that had a hand full of people and God moved in a mighty way. Then I have sat in Church services with 1500 to 2000 people and had the same God convict and move me to tears with His presence.

What difference does it make if you open a Bible Book, a phone app, a lap top, a Kendal reader, or a Nook Book with apps. (The Nook is what I use because I can carry five different Bibles a Strong’s Concordance, and a Matthew Henry Commentary and over two hundred sermons that I have already brought.)

A friend of mine Tim Croft said, “I bet someone got upset when they opened the first book Bible rather than unrolling a scroll.”

Any reason to try to look more spiritual than those that don’t do it your way.

We the Church keep on and on debating on which Bible is the best, which songs are the best, which type of music is the best, which way to dress is the best, and we need to stop.

Just because they are not doing it the way we are does not mean it’s wrong, it’s just different.

You never see Jesus heal the same way twice, He raised three different people from death, three different ways.

The little Girl he said in Mark 5:41 He gently speaks “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

For the widow son he stopped the funeral: Luke 7:14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

And His friend Lazarus we see in: John 11:43 He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  NKJV

One is in a bed one is in a coffin and the other is in the grave.

And Jesus handled them the different, but the message is the same Jesus SPOKE! One a whisper, one talk, and then He yells for Lazarus. Why then can’t we all let Jesus’ speak different today to different Churches. And yet be the same God.

 

Another example:

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus in Mark

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  NKJV

 

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida in Mark 8

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  NKJV

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight in John 9

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  NKJV

 

Three different blind men, one He just speaks, two He used spit, one He adds touching him, and one He made a mud pack and told him to go wash.

All three healed by Christ but each case a little different, and the reason is, we are all a little different.

I don’t know if you haven’t noticed but the world is going to hell, and we are arguing about what translation of the Bible is the right one.

 

It’s the one Paul carried; HE WAS WRITING IT AT THE TIME.

Along with other inspired men of God and it was not in 1611, it was in the first century.

All we have are TRANSLATIONS of the original Word of God.

 

I believe that God loves us all the same. I also believe that He treats us all different because we are all different, so why do you think if everyone is not like us that they are wrong. Here is something to ponder, what if it is you… that is wrong?

So, after pondering on this for a while I have come to realize it was my fault,

I should have checked… what I was taught.

from my book, “Something to Ponder.”

The Gift That Keeps Giving

Years ago, I was fishing in Pine Valley Lake with my Uncle J D Swann. Everyone called him “Uncle Dee”, whether related to him or not.

Whenever Uncle Dee would show up, he always had something with him, doughnuts, fruit, cookies or candy.

More than the things he brought was that he brought his sense of humor. (I think it runs in the family) He always had a joke or two. And they were always clean, sometimes a little corny, but always funny.

He was the kind of person (when he was in a good mood) that you just loved being around. A very smart man and Inventor, very kind to kids and I even saw the day that he let my sister put curlers in his hair, just because she asks if she could.

As we were fishing that day, he was catching fish after fish, and I was not. He would reel in one after another as I was reeling in moss. Cast after cast I am bringing in nothing. After about an hour of this, I had enough.

I said, “Uncle Dee, what are you fishing with over there?”

He spoke. “This little Rapala lure.”

I asked, “You got another one of them?”

He didn’t say anything, so I thought he didn’t hear me. How could he not hear me in this old 14-foot boat? Or maybe he didn’t want to share.

He then reeled his line in and cut off the lure and threw it to me. I asked if he had another one, and he told me no, not with him, but he had other lures he could fish with and knew that I didn’t, so he tied a different lure on and went back to fishing.

I tied the Rapala on my line and started catching some fish.

He still was catching more than me, but at least I was catching some now.

At the end of the day fishing with Uncle Dee, I reeled in my line and cut his lure off and tried to give it back, and he said it was mine and I could have it.

It was a gift.

I then asked him if he didn’t want it any longer?

He said yes, he wanted it, but that’s what made it a gift.

He said if he didn’t want it, he would have thrown it away, but it had worth and value to him, so it was worthy of being called a gift.

From then on, I have tried to live by that rule when giving or even buying gifts.

If it doesn’t have worth to me, why would I think it would be something someone else would want it.

If it’s not something I would want to keep, then again, why would anyone want it. It has to cost me something for it to be a gift and not just trash.

The Bible says over 170 times to Receive but it says over 860 times to Give.

That’s 5 times more.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”  NKJV

If you give a certain amount of money, that amount and more will be coming back to you? No.

You give to help the expenses of the Ministry or Church. Look at the return — Preachers get paid, the church bills get paid, Missionaries are sent to share the Gospel. Churches can do more to help reach others.

As a return, souls will be saved, lives will be changed and great is your reward.

Luke 21:1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.  3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”  NKJV

Understand this, if you give to get you got. But if you give because of Love you get. Get it?

Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NKJV

Remember “You can’t take it with you when you go, but you can send it on ahead.”

“You can give without love, but you can’t love, without giving.”

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. KJV

He Gave and you Got. Ponder on the cost of that Gift.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. NKJV

The gift my Uncle Dee gave me that day has brought me hours of enjoyment.

It gives me memories of a better time and carefree days.

It gave me a life lesson that I can pass on to you today.

That was some 50 years ago.

I still have that little Rapala lure, I don’t fish with because I am afraid, I could lose it.

It has more value than just being a lure, it was a gift from my Uncle Dee.

I told this story when I preached his funeral in March 2008, and I held up the lure.

It was a gift.

It was something of worth to him.

When thinking about supporting a ministry or giving to your church, helping a missionary, or the youth ministry (and I am talking above your tithes) You may say, “Well, that is going to cost me something.”

Yep, that right, that’s what makes it a gift.

The coming weekend tells of the Greatest Gift of All. Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary’s cross and His resurrection.

HAPPY EASTER   

Expiration Date

As I have stated My Dad used to say from time to time, “sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit.”

Well today was one of the days that I sat and thought.

Therefore, what I was thinking about was my Mother pouring out some milk, and a statement I saw put on Facebook that said “we don’t have an expiration date.”

Well, I beg to differ.

We do have an “expiration date” the Bible says in:

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, And a time to die; NKJV

 

We all will face death sometime or another.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, NKJV

With that said, we all have an expiration date stamped on us. For most, we do not know when that day will be.

I truly believe we can accelerate that date and in the same thought, I believe we can also extend that date.

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?  NKJV

The milk may have been poured out before its time; even when it was still good and it could still have some use after the appointed date stamped on the carton.

I think a lot our own lives are that way, we can take our own life before its time, or even taking years off our life with things like smoking, drinking, and as much as I hate to admit it over eating, I think we can do a lot of things to take years off our life.

I was playing a game of chess years ago on a computer. After a few minutes of play the game told me I had 12 moves left and I would be in check.

No way I thought, then after the next move it said I had less than 5 moves. Apparently, I made the wrong move. The computer knew every possible move I could make and already worked out how the game would end.

I think life is that way; we make the wrong move, and it cost time on our lives.

I also believe that God knows every possible move we can make and has an end planed for each move we make which gives us free will. However, God is always in charge and always knows the end.

Back to the game, I made 2 more moves and was in check and then mate. Needless to say, that I do not play that game anymore.

But the game of life goes on and what we do with it is up to us.

Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!  NKJV

Solomon was the wisest man outside Jesus Himself to ever walk the earth, and he still had the same thoughts, discouragements, and worries as we do.

What is it all about?

We can work our whole life, and what we gather and accomplish, is gone when we are. I don’t have to be like that, I believe that it was Andy Stanley that said “you can’t take it with you when you go, but you can send it on ahead.”

Think for a moment, of the lives you have touched the souls that you were a part of sending on to Heaven eventually.

Through your giving to the Church for outreach and missions. By saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. By you personally to get to lead someone to the Lord.

You may say you never did anything like that. Well did you ever watch the nursery at a Church so the parents could sit in a service, or teach a Sunday School class or VBS class and planted a verse in a young child’s mind?

Ever drop an extra dollar in the plate for missions or for someone in need?

Ever send a card or a letter to encourage someone?

Have you ever dropped by the hospital to visit someone who hurts?

Have you ever brought a meal to someone in need or picked up a check after a meal for someone that hurts?

Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 25:40 “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”  NKJV

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. NKJV

The saying “it ain’t over till it’s over” seems to apply. As long as you have breath, as long as you are on this side of the grass, you have a mission and that mission is to live for Christ.

Philippians 1:21a “For to me to live is Christ…”

For me to be alive Christ is alive, the reason the first century Christians got so extremely happy with a new convert. There was another person to live for Christ. Christ had another mouth to speak on His behalf, two more hands to carry His gospel, two more feet to go and help those in need.

My mentor Reverend Ben Turner once said “if you are going to hammer at least build something.”  So, since you are still around do something profitable for the cause of Christ.

With that said we all have an expiration date stamped on us.

Don’t you want to accomplish something for Jesus before we meet Him face to face?

I was having lunch at Wallace Bar B Q one day and some waitress knowing that I am a minister, had a question about suicide. After hearing their questions, and hearing their concerns about the subject, I related the following story to them:

In 1991 the office job I had overseeing eight concrete construction crews, was taken away from me and I went from telling these foremen what to do, to working for one of them and asking how to do it. My pay was cut according to my accountant over $30,000.00 that year. I tried to keep living like I was, except on credit cards, but I soon found out that the Visa, Master Card, and American Express company’s want their money back after a while. (as if I didn’t know) I was behind on every payment, and that’s not what I do at all. I made sure the house payment was made, I may sit in a dark and cold house, but at least I would have a roof over my head.

My wife decided she didn’t want to be with me three years earlier, and so for three long years I would pray and beg God to send her home, believing that would happen and happen real soon.

But it didn’t happen, and the day came that a Deputy came knocking on my door and served me divorce papers, and I am now at what I was looking at as the end of all I could take, and that morning around 2:30 to 3:00am I heard Satan say “you don’t have to hurt like this, there is a way out, the 357 magnum is right there.”

I find it amazing when Satan talks to you it’s not in an echo chamber voice, or a dark deep evil voice, but it was in a soft southern draw, and sounded, well it sounded a lot like me, cause that’s how he does it, through my mind and in my voice.

I said God “I can’t take anymore, (and I couldn’t but I learned that night God can if I give it to Him.) so the rest of my talk with God went something like this, “I am about to see you face to face and if you don’t want me to do, what I am about to do you better stop me now” and (another conjunction, there is still more to the story.)

At that very moment as I watched the chamber turn and the shell line up as the hammer went back on that old Colt.

The phone rang. I thought, who could that be at this time of the night, God maybe? So, I sat the weapon down and picked up the phone. Before I could say hello, a preacher friend, Eddie Rogers, said “God told me to call you and tell you to STOP! Do you hear me?” I answered, “yes I hear you.”  Ed then said, “can I go back to bed now?” I said “sure, and thanks” he said goodnight and hung up. I cleared the weapon and went to bed myself believing God was not near done with me.

A few weeks later as we were meeting for a prayer time for Eddies Ministry Sweet Spirit Band, I ask him if he remembered calling me that night, and he said he did, then I ask did he not want to know what was going on that night?

He said he thought I would share the reason with him when I was ready, so I told him the story, and waiting on “are you okay brother?” or “I am so sorry you are going through this.” Or even “just hang in their brother everything is going to be alright.”

Instead, I got “you idiot, (it’s good to have a few friends like that, just a few.) is that how you really want face God Almighty with a smoking gun in your hand?” I said, “no not really, and I promise it will never happen again.””

My Expiration Date could have been that day, my choice, I believe if I had pulled that trigger that moment it all would have ended right then.

A few weeks later after sharing that story that day at Wallace’s, I had a lady come up to our table and say, “I was here a couple a week ago, and I was setting right behind you when you told how you almost ended your life, and that you didn’t want to face God with a smoking gun in your hand. I was here to eat my final meal I have a chronic pain, and I was just going to eat and go home and take every pain pill I had and just end it all. But I thought did I really want to face God with a stomach full of pills. And after seeing how God is still using you, I went home and had a great talk with my Heavenly Father, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing what you went through, because it saved my life too.”

You never know who you are reaching, or how God is going to use you, or even when God will use you. It may be in a Bar B Q house in Austell, Georgia. Or in a pulpit in a church, just know when God is ready for you let Him do the calling, because you don’t want to pour out that milk before its time. You don’t want to face God for the first time with a smoking gun, a stomach full of pills, a bloody wrist, or any other than His reaching down and saying it’s time to come home.

Remember as we read earlier.

A time to be born,

And a time to die.

Don’t punch your Expiration date before Gods time.

Where do I go when I hurt? Part 2

CHASING AFTER GOD

Psalm 42:1-5, 11 (NKJV)
¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
⁴ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

A young teenage boy had just gotten his driver’s license. When he got home, he asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him into his study and said to the boy, “I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring up your grades, study your Bible a little, and get a haircut, then we’ll talk about the use of the car.”

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss the use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, “Son, I’ve been so very proud of you. You have brought up your grades, you’ve studied your Bible diligently, but you didn’t get your haircut.” The young man waited a moment and replied, “Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, even Jesus had long hair…” His father interrupted him at that point and said, “Yes son, and they walked everywhere they went!”

He was so close, but so far, from getting what he wanted. The boy was willing to pay most of the price, but not all of the price. The boy knew what he wanted. His desire was strong. But there was a problem: he wasn’t willing to go all the way. He wasn’t willing to pay the entire price.

Listen to me carefully. Most of us know what we want in life. Most of us have goals, objectives, and dreams. Most of us want a good job. Even though the salary is important and pays the bills, it is just as important for us to be happy in the job we have. Most of us would say that what we want in life is for our kids to grow up to be healthy, happy, and well- adjusted. Most of us want our marriage to work. And yes, most of us even know what we want in our relationship with God and the church. In most of those situations, we will do just about whatever it takes to make them work, won’t we?

Unfortunately, though, when it comes to our relationship with God and to His church, we sometimes allow other things to hinder that relationship. We are willing to go only so far with God. We are willing to go only so far with the church. When we get to that point, and I might add that point is different for each person, when we reach that point, we stop. At that point, we find ourselves backing up, pulling away, or being unwilling to get any closer to God or to our church family. We want to get close; we just don’t do it.

I want you to understand something. God has a desire for you. God’s desire is to have a close, personal relationship with you. God wants to be the driving force in your life. God wants to be the Lord of your life. Listen to me carefully. God wants to be more than just involved in your Sunday life. God wants to be involved in your everyday life. That’s God’s desire for each of us.

However, here’s the question for us. Are we going to let God be in control of our life? Let me ask that question in a little different way: when you think about control in your life, what controlled your life last week? Was it your schedule that controlled you? Was it your job that controlled you? What about your family? What about your free time? What controlled you? What was the driving force behind what you did last week?

When we look at Psalm 42, we quickly see an individual who had one driving force in his life—he had one focus—he had one desire—worshiping God. Everything in his life seemed to revolve around his desire to worship God. For that writer, the greatest priority in his life was worshiping God. Period. That’s it.

That’s an amazing priority, isn’t it? It is really amazing when we read further in Psalm 42. As we continue to read, it becomes painfully obvious that the writer was not in a good situation. The writer was lonely. He was separated from everyone else. He felt abandoned. His entire life seemed to be crashing in around him. However, the writer was determined not to let those things drag him down. His focus was certain—his hope was secure—no matter what came his way—he was determined to worship God.

But, notice what the writer tells us. He was so far away from the Temple or from any house of worship, that he just did not see how he could worship God. Because he could not worship God and without genuine worship in his life, he was afraid, he was alone, he did not see how he could keep going. He wanted to worship; he just didn’t know how he could worship.

Can you identify with those emotions? Maybe a better question would be, who can’t identify with those emotions? Unfortunately, we are so often overwhelmed by our thoughts of loneliness, by feelings of being separated, or by feeling abandoned by those we love that we can’t seem to keep our focus on God. We want to focus on God, we just hurt so much that we can’t. When that happens, we find ourselves in desperation, feeling as if there is no hope whatsoever. It’s almost like we think it is us against the world.

Now, notice how the writer of this passage responded to his problems. As we examine these verses, we see three ways that the writer kept his focus on God. The writer found that these three things would endure no matter what the activities of the week, no matter what the emotion of the moment, and no matter what happened in his life that day. The writer found that these three things kept his focus on God and on worshiping God.

The first thing the writer found was this. He found that a HUNGER FOR GOD BRINGS FOCUS TO LIFE. Too often, here is what we do as we think about worship. When we think about worship, we think that before we can worship that we first must try to get away from the world. Before we can worship, we think that we must find the perfect place to worship. Before we can worship, we think that we must get closer to the heart of God. We think that when we do those things, then and only then are we ready to worship God.

Somehow, we have gotten the idea that we must wait until the work week is over, that we must wait until Sunday, so that we can gather in the appointed house of worship, at the right time, and with the right people. We think that we must have a pastor, a choir, ushers, and a special building before worship can begin. We think that if we do all of that, then worship can and will take place.

But here is what happens when we gather for worship with that frame of mind. We sit down and we wait for the action to begin. When the action begins, we simply sit and watch the action. Every so often, we glance at our watch to make sure that everything is staying on schedule. You know, the football pregame show comes on soon, the restaurant will fill up if the Methodists get out first, or the roast will burn in the oven if we are not home on time.

When we gather for worship like that, with that attitude, with that mindset, yes, worship is going to be comfortable. Worship is going to be easy. Worship will be somewhat satisfying and meaningful. But listen to me carefully. When we worship like that, we find that worship is not very demanding. That is the opposite of what the Bible says that worship should be.

The book of Psalms brings discomfort to that type of worship, it causes us to think, doesn’t it? Look again at Psalm 42. Notice everything that is wrong with these verses. Psalm 42 was not situated in the Temple. The writer was nowhere near a worship place. He was not in a place where life was easy. In reality, the writer was far away from Jerusalem. The writer was so far away from the Temple that he could only look back to the good old days of worship. Happiness and joy from worship were in the past. All he knew in his present was tears and sorrow. Because he could not worship, he was in despair, in hopelessness, and in grief.

Notice how the writer responded to being unable to go to the sanctuary and worship God for so long. The writer was panting. He was dry. He was parched. He had a deep, painful, hunger to worship God. Now, the psalmist was not panting for air, thirsting for water, hungering for food, or crying from pain. The psalmist was not desperate for those things. His one desire, his one focus, was on God and on worshiping God.

Listen. That is what genuine worship is. Worship takes place when we focus on one need—our need for God. Worship takes place when we refuse to be content until we meet God in a real and personal way. Worship takes place when we admit that life is out of control until a relationship with God is restored. Could it be that you have the same need today, a need to meet God? Is that what brought you to church this morning? Are you searching for a real, strong relationship with God? Are you looking for God today? If you are, you have started in the right direction—by worshiping God.

Now, we must understand something here. Just because we have God as our focus does not mean that we are sitting on top of the world. Here’s what having our focus on God means: we recognize our need and we know that there is only one source of satisfaction. The psalmist came to the conclusion that there was no hope that could be found in human solutions. The writer said that there is only one center of focus. God was the only source of hope for him. Only God deserved to be worshiped.

Secondly, the psalmist found that a MEMORY OF GOD LEADS A PERSON TO PRAYER.

Listen. When we are focused on God as our only hope, He becomes the One we talk to when we pray. When we focus on God, He becomes the One that we turn directly to in prayer. When we go directly to God, as our only hope, we find something. When we pray like that, we find that we don’t mince our words. We don’t repeat what we think are the right words of prayer which will please God or will please those standing around us. When we go to God like that, we thirst, hunger, and pant after God.

Notice the verses again. The psalmist remembered the excitement of his hometown. He could still remember the days worshiping with his family. He could still see people marching in procession to the Temple in Jerusalem. He could still remember people expressing thanks for the good things God had given, people praising God for His presence, and people looking to God as the Savior of life. But those were the good old days. Now, there were no more praises, no more parades, no more talk of God. The only question he was asked now by his friends was this: “Where is your God?” His friends told him that God had forgotten him. All the writer heard was mocking— “If God loves you so much, where is He?”

Now, you need to hear me. When we stop to think about God, when we focus on God, our thoughts will always lead us to prayer. But, listen, prayer does not bring automatic success. Prayer does not guarantee that God will grant our request or meet our needs. Now, does that mean that all our hope is gone? No. When we focus on God, when we turn to God in prayer, many of our words will be cries for hope and help. But here is what happens even when our prayers are cries for help: when we pray, our prayer reminds us that we can trust and know that God’s love is still there. Even then, God can remind us that God is still our true source of comfort.

Okay, what is the result of our prayers? What is the result of focusing on God? That’s our third idea this morning. The psalmist found that HOPE IN GOD DISPELS DESPAIR. Here’s the reason we worship. Worship demonstrates our hope in God’s future actions. Listen. We worship—not because we have all the answers. We worship, not because God has cleared all the obstacles. We worship, not because the right people invite us to join them. We worship God because we have a deep-seated need to know God. We worship because we know that God is the only source of hope for our lives.

That is why we worship God. We do not worship for some magical reasons. We do not worship to get our way in the world. We do not worship simply to appease God. We worship for one reason—God is our only true hope in this world! We worship, we really worship because we love God.

Pappy was a pleasant fellow. His face was quite drawn from age, but when he smiled, even his wrinkles seemed to smile with him. Pappy owned a pawnshop. Everyone who knew him respected and adored him. There was a room in the back of his shop where he spent time tinkering with his own precious items. He referred to the back room as “Memory Hall.” In it were pocket watches, clocks, and electric trains. Pappy enjoyed spending time in Memory Hall. Sometimes, he would close his eyes to relive a sweet, simple childhood memory.

One day, Pappy was reassembling an old railroad lantern. As he polished his lantern, he heard the bell on the shop door. The bell had been in Pappy’s family for over a hundred years. He cherished it dearly. Pappy left Memory Hall to greet his customer. At first, he didn’t see anyone. His customer was shorter than the counter. Pappy said, “How can I help you?” The little girl looked at Pappy with her big brown eyes, then slowly scanned the room in search of something special. She said, “I’d like to buy a present for my grandpa. But I don’t know what to get.”

Pappy began to make suggestions. “How about a pocket watch? It’s in good condition. I fixed it myself,” he said. The little girl didn’t answer. Finally, she walked to the door. She wiggled the door gently to ring the bell. The little girl smiled with excitement. “This is just right,” the little girl bubbled. “Momma says grandpa loves music.” Just then, Pappy knew what she wanted, his bell. He didn’t want to break the little girl’s heart. “I’m sorry, but that’s not for sale. Maybe your grandpa would like a radio.” The little girl looked at the radio and sighed, “No, I don’t think so.”

In an effort to help her understand, Pappy told her the story of how the bell had been in his family for many years and that was why he didn’t want to sell it. The little girl said, “I guess I understand. Thank you, anyway.” Suddenly, Pappy thought of how the rest of the family was gone—that was, except for his estranged daughter whom he had not seen in a decade. Pappy thought, why not pass the bell on to someone who would share it with a loved one. He said, “I’ve decided to sell the bell.” The little girl, said, “Oh, thank you. Grandpa will be so happy.” Pappy felt good about helping the child even though he knew he would miss the bell.

Later that evening, Pappy prepared to close up shop. He found himself thinking about the bell. He thought about the child and wondered if her grandpa liked the gift. He knew that any grandfather would cherish anything from such a precious grandchild. Just then, as he turned off the lights in Memory Hall, Pappy thought he heard his bell. But he knew that was ridiculous, he had sold his bell. In a minute, he heard the bell again. He turned toward the door and there stood the little girl. She was ringing the bell and smiling. Pappy was puzzled, “What’s this? Have you changed your mind?” “No,” she grinned. “Momma says it’s for you.” Before Pappy had time to say another word, the child’s mother stepped into the doorway. Choking back her tears, she said, “Hello, Dad.”

Listen. God is waiting for you to come home to Him. He has done everything possible to let you know of His love for you. He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. Now, He waits for you. Now, He waits for you to worship Him, to put Him first in your life, in every decision, in every avenue of your life. How about it? Will you do that today? Will you come home to God right now?