Participants: Steve Cassimy (Host), Abraham Jules
Series Code: POH
Program Code: POH000012
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00:03 Where can you find hope for the hopeless,
00:07 opportunity for transformation, 00:11 peace amid life's storms? 00:15 Only in God's free gift of eternal life. 00:20 From New York, join us on the Pathway of Hope. 00:30 God's purpose is not always easily identified 00:34 in every situation in life. 00:37 This was Isaiah's experience 00:40 in Chapter 6 verses 1 through 8. 00:44 He was disappointed that 00:46 King Uzziah died as the story begins. 00:51 But as the dynamics unfold, 00:54 he receives and accepts the appointment 00:57 from God to go and speak for Him. 01:02 Initially, the prophet is disappointed. 01:06 But when God called, he accepted the invitation. 01:11 Dig into the word with Dr. Jules, 01:13 as he discovers rich gems from our preaching passage, 01:18 our subject "From Disappointment to Appointment." 01:56 The love of God is greater far 02:02 Than tongue or pen Can ever tell 02:08 It goes beyond the highest star 02:14 And reaches to the lowest hell 02:20 The guilty pair 02:24 Bowed down with care 02:27 God gave His Son to win 02:33 His erring child He reconciled 02:39 And pardoned from his sin 02:48 O love of God How rich and pure 02:54 How measureless and strong 03:00 It shall forevermore endure 03:07 The saints' and angels' song 03:21 O love of God How rich and pure 03:39 Could we with ink The ocean fill 03:45 And were the skies 03:48 Of parchment made 03:51 Where every stalk 03:54 On earth a quill 03:57 And every man a scribe by trade 04:03 To write the love of God above 04:09 Would drain the ocean dry 04:15 Nor could the scroll 04:18 Contain the whole 04:21 Though stretched from sky high To sky 04:30 O love of God 04:34 How rich and pure 04:37 How measureless and strong 04:43 It shall forevermore endure 04:54 The saints' and 04:58 Angels' song 05:16 O love of God 05:20 How rich and pure 05:33 O love of God 05:47 Let us pray. 05:50 Our loving God, 05:53 we today want to catch a new glimpse of You in 05:56 Your holiness and might and power. 06:00 Some minds traverse the biblical paths, 06:06 help us to see and experience You anew. 06:10 Help us to experience You as You are. 06:13 Oh, wonderful and mighty God, 06:17 help us as we study this word this day to 06:20 inculcate some of the principles enunciated 06:22 here into our daily living. 06:26 Grant that Your Holy Spirit may give utterance, 06:29 and Your people may be obedient. 06:32 In the name of Jesus we pray. 06:34 Amen. 06:36 In the Book of Isaiah the 6th Chapter, 06:42 verse 1 reads, 06:43 "In the year that King Uzziah died, 06:48 I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, 06:53 high and lifted up, 06:56 and his train filled the temple. 07:00 Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings, 07:06 with twain he covered his face, 07:07 and with twain he covered his feet, 07:11 and with twain he did fly. 07:15 And one cried unto another and said, 07:17 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: 07:22 the whole earth is full of his glory. 07:27 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, 07:32 and the house was filled with smoke." 07:37 Tonight, I want to bring to you the message entitled 07:40 "From Disappointment to Appointment." 07:45 At 16 years old Uzziah 07:49 also called Azariah, 07:52 was swept into office 07:54 as the 10th monarch of the kingdom of Judah. 07:59 He reigned for 52 years doing 08:02 what was right in the eyes of the Lord, 08:05 2 Chronicles 26:4. 08:09 And scripture informs us that he sought the Lord 08:14 and that the Lord made him prosper, verse 4. 08:18 As a prosperous potentate, 08:22 Uzziah had several significant contributions. 08:28 He defeated the Philistines, 08:30 longtime fierce enemies of the people of God. 08:35 He fortified the capital city of Jerusalem, 08:38 installing huge catapults, 08:41 capable of firing arrows and hurling stones 08:44 at any advancing enemy. 08:47 He expanded his territorial holdings, 08:50 became commander in chief of a standing army 08:54 that numbered about 307,500. 09:00 He amassed wealth. 09:01 He became very famous, for his name spread abroad. 09:06 He rebuilt facilities 09:07 at the port city of Elath in the south. 09:11 But having secured 09:13 the defenses of both his capital and his country, 09:17 his pride infected his influence, 09:21 wanting to be a divine king 09:22 like his heathen contemporaries. 09:26 Uzziah entered the temple to burn incense, 09:29 a duty reserved exclusively for the priest. 09:34 When Azariah the high priest 09:35 and 80 of his associates confronted him, 09:39 the king responded in anger instead of repentance. 09:43 But God who is not a respecter of persons 09:47 would have no such violation of His will, 09:50 whether from monarch or minister, 09:52 priest or prelate. 09:55 God intervened and struck the king 09:57 with dreaded leprosy. 10:00 Actually, ladies and gentlemen, this was grace 10:02 because God could have summarily killed him. 10:07 Remember, man by a similar name Uzzah? 10:10 A glorious career had been marred 10:12 by one inglorious and a rash act. 10:16 King Uzziah was forced to live, we're told in quarantine 10:20 for the rest of his days. 10:23 His son Jotham acting as coregent. 10:26 And finally, sacred history records 10:30 that King Uzziah died. 10:33 But just prior to this, Tiglath-Pileser III 10:38 had assume the throne of the Assyrian Empire. 10:41 His ascension ended a period of political 10:44 and military weakness in Assyrian history. 10:48 He initiated a series of military campaigns 10:51 against Babylon and Syria and Tyre, 10:54 Damascus, Carchemish, Israel and Judah. 10:59 Though widely successful, 11:01 his annals, journals frequently mentioned a king, 11:06 generally, accepted by scholars to be Uzziah 11:11 who resisted him constantly. 11:14 But now, Uzziah is dead. 11:18 Is Judah now at the fate of Tiglath-Pileser? 11:23 Sinfulness of the people 11:25 had forfeited divine protection. 11:28 Assyria appears invincible. 11:31 It seems that it is only a question of time 11:34 before Judah would topple. 11:37 And somebody must have said, 11:39 "Would that the glorious days of King Uzziah 11:43 be here again?" 11:45 But alas! The king is dead. 11:49 And what are we at a time of aching disappointment. 11:53 And with these thoughts dancing in his mind, 11:56 Isaiah the prophet 11:57 approached the temple precincts. 12:01 There a wonderful revelation 12:04 engaged and fascinated his attention. 12:07 The curtain that separates the human from the divine 12:11 was temporarily pulled back. 12:13 And the young prophet gazed in rapturous wonder on a scene 12:18 within the inner sanctum of the throne room of God. 12:22 As I look at this scene, there are four elements 12:25 that should capture our attention. 12:28 First, we'll see communion 12:30 taking place in that holy temple. 12:33 And communion here speaks of communication and revelation. 12:39 More intimately, 12:41 it is an invitation to meet with God 12:44 to see Him for who He really is. 12:48 Now what were the characteristics of God 12:51 revealed in this communion to Isaiah? 12:54 First, Isaiah looked at the scene 12:57 and he recognized that God was absolute, 13:01 that He is King. 13:04 Full of greatness and granger, high 13:07 and lifted up, magnified, 13:10 exalted and excellent, supreme and sovereign. 13:16 When Isaiah looked at the scene, 13:18 he saw that God is not like any earthly monarch. 13:22 Certainly Tiglath-Pileser does not equal this monarch, 13:27 for He is not a man, He is God. 13:29 Now Isaiah could have had confidence 13:32 that this king sitting upon his throne 13:35 is supremely beyond any great rival, 13:38 beyond any terrestrial power. 13:42 He's God and He's holy. 13:46 Now that same message impacts our lives today. 13:51 My brothers and sisters, listen to me. 13:54 Sometimes enemies and difficulties may seem 13:57 invincible and insurmountable. 14:00 Sometimes bills will be high and money will be low. 14:04 Sometimes your challenges stand higher 14:06 and more foreboding than Mount Everest. 14:09 Sometimes a conspiratorial congress 14:12 of conniving cowards will gang up against you. 14:16 But with perils all around you, I encourage you, 14:18 look up and catch a vision of God, 14:21 come into His temple 14:22 and take a glimpse at His kingship, 14:24 His Holiness, His universal glory, 14:26 His power that nor foresaw that Yahweh Sabaoth, 14:31 Lord of hosts, the one who fights for you 14:33 is on your side! 14:41 Now this element of communion 14:45 leads to confession. 14:47 Verse 5, as the prophet 14:49 was brought into communion with God. 14:53 He falls in awe of the great God. 14:56 So he confesses, "Woe is me! 15:00 For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips. 15:04 I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips, 15:08 for my eyes have seen the Lord of hosts." 15:12 Ladies and gentlemen, the cry of woe is derived 15:14 from the funeral lament. 15:17 Death was a vulturous predator in the 9th century BC. 15:22 And life was generally short 15:24 and lived in deprecating circumstances. 15:30 Families were constantly robbed of loved ones. 15:35 And the cry of pain and loss was frequently heard, 15:39 ringing in the narrow enclaves of Jerusalem. 15:42 And by the time of the New Testament, 15:46 this had become so prevalent that people will pay to come 15:49 and wail and set off lamentation 15:52 of bemoaning. 15:54 It is in the context of such a reference of life 15:57 that we must understand Isaiah's cry, 16:00 "Woe is me!" 16:02 Further he says that he is undone. 16:06 Now this comes from the Hebrew word edema, 16:08 which literally means to cut off 16:11 or to be destroyed. 16:13 So in the context of this theophany, 16:15 he thinks that he is finished. 16:20 How could one stand in the presence of 16:23 such an awesome figure? 16:25 After all, he is a man of unclean lips. 16:29 Now this expression points to impurity of mind and heart, 16:32 intellect and will. 16:34 In short, Isaiah recognizes that he's a sinner, 16:38 and as such, he cannot enjoy having seen the king. 16:43 I understand that 16:44 in the West African nation of Nigeria, 16:47 when a man was crowned king that was the last time 16:51 that any mortal could look on his face. 16:54 Even his mother, the one who gave him birth 16:56 and that whose bosom he suckled 16:58 could not be found looking at the contours 17:01 of his countenance. 17:03 Now that was a mere mortal man. 17:05 What do you think of the immortal God? 17:09 Isaiah was moved to confess his unworthiness, 17:12 so too we must confess our sinfulness 17:16 and unworthiness. 17:17 We are called to be servants of God, 17:20 not a mere mortal. 17:24 See that we are nothing in His great 17:26 and glorious presence. 17:29 There is nothing that we possess 17:31 which recommends us to countenance as close to His. 17:36 Not offer supposition, 17:37 not the length of our years of experience 17:40 that the special interest or connections 17:42 that we may have, 17:43 none of these recommend us to God, 17:45 none except our confession of unworthiness, 17:50 except the blood of our cleansing Christ. 17:53 You see, my friends, 17:54 confession now leads to cleansing. 17:58 Verses 6 and 7. 18:01 Coal was a common mineral found in Bible times. 18:05 It was derived from burning hardwoods 18:08 that had been covered with earth and leaves. 18:12 It was important for fuel, for cooking and heating. 18:16 But more importantly, it was used in smelting. 18:19 Coals were heated to super temperatures 18:22 in order to melt the metal like gold. 18:24 You see, heat and fire were important for two reasons 18:28 in the smelting process, 18:30 one, to extract the metal from the ore itself. 18:34 The gold was not found in a polished state, 18:36 it was covered in raw ore. 18:39 Apply heat was necessary in order to separate 18:42 the precious metal from the raw useless dross. 18:46 Secondly, it was used to produce the best quality 18:50 and the highest grade of gold. 18:52 Heat was applied. 18:54 Then the master artist will shape it 18:57 in a beautiful and exquisite design. 19:00 As we can see, 19:02 the fire was useful for cleansing 19:04 and useful for purification. 19:07 So when the angel applied the live coal to Isaiah's lips, 19:11 the intent was to remove the trust 19:13 and produce a high quality character! 19:18 Now follow me as we know that 19:21 the divine messenger touches the very thing 19:23 that Isaiah deemed to dirty his lips. 19:27 Now God takes care of Isaiah's most immediate need, 19:31 He cleanses him. 19:32 The pronouncement of the angel is instructive. 19:35 Your iniquity has been taken away 19:37 and your sin purged. 19:40 In Hebrew thinking, iniquity denotes 19:42 willful perversion of God's will 19:45 and all that results from those choices. 19:47 And sin on the other hand talks about active rebellion. 19:51 It is more than unwise judgment, 19:53 wrong choices, or bad behavior. 19:55 It is calamitous rebellion, a veritable attempt, 20:00 and a coup d'etat against the law of God, 20:02 the standard of righteousness. 20:05 Combine iniquity and sin 20:08 are a contradiction to the holiness of God. 20:11 But God has a plan for these. 20:14 He will take away and purge iniquity and sin! 20:19 The expression takeaway 20:23 comes from the context of washing. 20:26 It's where the one who is washing makes sure that 20:29 every stain is absolutely removed 20:32 until no trace could be found. 20:35 In English, synonyms would include expunge, 20:38 obliterate, erase, delete, blood out and explicate. 20:42 Isaiah 1:16-18, express it best when it says, 20:47 "Wash you, make you clean. 20:50 Though your sins be a scarlet, 20:53 they shall be as white as snow." 20:54 We get the picture, absolute cleanliness, 20:58 but in addition the angel adds that sin is purge. 21:03 This talks about the experience of atonement of being 21:06 brought back into right relationship with God. 21:09 It reminds us of David's cry, purge me with hyssop, 21:13 and I will be clean. 21:15 Hyssop was of historic importance 21:17 in cleansing ceremonies in the Bible. 21:20 When Israel was set apart from Egypt and slavery, 21:23 God directed that blood 21:25 they painted on the doorposts of the house. 21:28 This was the sign to the destroying angel 21:30 to pass over the house. 21:32 It meant that the inhabitants believe the Word of God. 21:36 It indicated their faith in God to protect them. 21:40 As a way of commemorating 21:41 this signal deliverance from slavery, 21:43 God directed the people to celebrate the Passover. 21:47 So when the angel announces this purging, 21:51 all this history is brought to bear on it. 21:54 It points to the fact that we are no longer 21:58 bound to the slavery of sin. 22:01 We are free! 22:04 And like ancient Israel, 22:06 we should celebrate the purging of God. 22:09 If you've been forgiven of your sins 22:11 and cleanse from all unrighteousness, 22:13 you have so much to thank God for today! 22:19 What liberation to be free of guilt 22:24 and find emancipation in the arms of Jesus. 22:27 How invigorating? How exciting? 22:30 Only when we come into communion with God, 22:33 make confession and undergo cleansing. 22:36 Are we ready for the final element, 22:38 in this experience commission? 22:41 Verse 8, the Lord says, "Who shall I send? 22:45 And who will go for us?" 22:47 Isaiah was unhappy and disappointed 22:51 when Uzziah died. 22:53 But God moved him from disappointment 22:56 now to this appointment. 22:58 The Lord asked Uzz two serious questions 23:02 that are related to a singular thing, mission. 23:06 In other words, 23:08 who may be appointed to take this mission? 23:11 But the focus of this verse is not on the divine queries, 23:14 the focus is on the response of Isaiah. 23:17 Here I am! Send me! 23:20 Now, let's just break this down. 23:22 The first part, 23:23 here I am points to availability. 23:26 The new man Isaiah, 23:27 who was hurt and disappointed 23:29 is now about to be appointed. 23:33 New man is now emboldened 23:34 by the presence and the power of God. 23:37 He's no longer looking at events 23:39 from the point of view of the horizontal. 23:42 That is the seeming unstoppable advents of Tiglath-Pileser. 23:47 He does not have to be afraid because God is in control. 23:50 He is the one who's suffering and extraordinary. 23:53 No mortal man can touch Him and hence, 23:55 no mortal man can touch His servants. 23:58 Isaiah is no longer disappointed 24:00 and the possible threat that comes his way, 24:03 and the possible destruction that might come their way, 24:07 and the tragedy that may come to Judah. 24:09 He has been appointed by a higher power 24:12 by a greater potentate! 24:14 Hence, he says, "Here I am! 24:19 I'm available!" 24:23 You would be surprised what God can do 24:26 with one who makes himself available to the Holy Ghost. 24:30 The second part, send me, points to willingness. 24:35 It is not that Isaiah now thinks he's important, 24:39 or that he has all his ducks lined up. 24:42 Now what this means is that he finds confidence in his God, 24:46 and this makes him willing. 24:49 So he says, "Send me." 24:51 Those who are willing to be used by God are generally used. 24:56 Sometimes I have occasion to visit a graveyard. 24:58 I can't help but notice, when I do the tombstones, 25:03 sometimes I just walk around and read the inscriptions. 25:07 Some are elaborate, while others are very simple, 25:10 but one thing characterizes them all, the date. 25:15 It gives a date of birth, as well as the date of death. 25:20 And between both numbers is a little dash. 25:25 That dash may be small but it tells a big story 25:30 because it is the record of a person's lifespan. 25:35 What would your dash say? 25:37 That depends on the decisions you make right now. 25:41 Jesus wants in communion for you to see Him as He is. 25:45 He wants for you to be cleansed. 25:48 And He wants for you to make yourself ready 25:50 and available to His using. 25:52 Success or failure is in that dash. 25:57 Active or passive, right in that dash. 26:01 You are mighty or you are weak, right in that dash. 26:06 You are brave hearted or coward, right in that dash. 26:11 You were bold or you were either timid. 26:13 You are leader or follower. 26:15 You are hot, warmer or a discourager. 26:18 You are saved or lost! 26:21 I pray God tonight 26:25 that we will catch a glimpse of Him in communion, 26:29 then confess our condition. 26:32 We will certainly experience His cleansing, 26:35 and He will make us ready for the commission. 26:39 The year that Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord. 26:45 God can move you tonight 26:47 from disappointment 26:50 to a divine appointment. 26:54 Loving Lord, we thank You for this Word. 26:57 May it bless the hearts of those who hear it, 27:01 in the name of Jesus, we pray. 27:02 Amen. 27:05 Thanks for watching Pathway of Hope. 27:08 If you would like to be prayed for, 27:10 or would like to learn more about God's Word, please call 27:15 1(877) 520-HOPE 27:19 or 1(877) 27:22 520-(4673). 27:27 You may also watch more of our programs online at 27:31 www.pathwayofhope.tv. 27:37 If you would like to make a tax deductible love gift, 27:41 please send your gifts to Pathway of Hope 27:44 at P.O. Box 280704, 27:50 Queens Village, New York 11428. 27:55 Thanks for watching Pathway of Hope. 27:57 And may God's blessings be yours today. |
Revised 2020-06-22