United We Stand - Divided We Fall

Article by Jeremy Gibson, Derby, England Unity is at the heart of Christianity. In the upper room, just before His suffering, the Lord Jesus laid foundational truths for the church. He taught that love for fellow believers is a proof of discipleship, ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another’, John 13. 35. The apostle John confirmed this acid test for spiritual reality, ‘We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren’, 1 John 3. 14. Writing to churches in Galatia, Paul also emphasized our oneness in Christ despite differences in nationality, social class or gender, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus’, Gal. 3. 28. But if Christians are expected to love each other why are churches rent by schisms? Why are there so many church denominations? Why do newly born-again believers, having sensed an immediate affinity with other Christians, soon find some saints to be irksome and that many others do not share their doctrinal beliefs? To begin with, let us remember that discord amongst God’s people is not new. The Old Testament records repeated infightings within Israel, and the New Testament is littered with divisions between Christians. Early into church history ‘there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews’, Acts 6. 1; even the apostle Paul and Barnabas – both godly men – fell out, ‘the contention [being] so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other’,15. 39. Christian disagreement has numerous causes. One of these is doctrinal variation. Never forget that the Bible, being the word of the living God, is an exceptionally complex book and our minds are intellectually limited. Add to this the retention of the flesh nature at conversion, and the ongoing propensity to sin, and it is easy to see how our capacity to fully comprehend divine truth is impaired, even though the indwelling Holy Spirit has been sent to ‘guide [us] into all truth’, John 16. 13. Some of these doctrinal differences have a major impact on church practice and affect who we feel free to have fellowship with. Others have enormous ramifications for our view of scripture as a whole. So, for example, should sisters wear a head covering and be silent in church gatherings? Should baptism be for believers only and that by immersion, or does the sprinkling of infants answer to the New Testament’s teaching on this subject? How do we view the thorny issue of divorce and remarriage? Do we see a distinction between Israel, the nations, and the church which is the body of Christ? Is salvation down to God’s eternal electing purpose or the free-will choice of human beings who are dead in trespasses and sins? Be honest. These controversies divide true believers and probably always will until the coming of the Lord, but by remembering that many of them have raged for centuries we will be more gracious when confronting the opposing camp. A more sinister cause for splits between Christians is the deliberate propagation of error by ungodly men. Peter made clear that ‘there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of’, 2 Pet. 2. 1, 2. They teach error for money, v. 3. And they do it to gain a following. Paul warned the elders at Ephesus, ‘Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them’, Acts 20. 30. While doctrinal error is an exceptionally serious cause for strife, sadly, the truth is that most disruptions in local churches boil down to nasty feelings and personality clashes. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians exposes some of these nasty thoughts. The letter expressed Paul’s gratitude for the Philippians’ generous support of his ministry, Phil. 1. 5. It also addressed disharmony within that church, 4. 2. Envy can play a big part when it comes to church rifts. ‘Envy, phthunos’, 1. 15, is ‘the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others.’1 ‘A sound heart is the life of the flesh: [But] envy [is] the rottenness of the bones’, Prov. 14. 30. Unrestrained envy eventually consumes with bitterness and leads to ‘strife’, Phil. 1. 15. The word translated ‘contention’, v. 16 is erithia, meaning ‘ambition, self-seeking, rivalry’.2 Paul knew of men whose motivation for preaching the gospel was envy, an ambitious flaunting of themselves, and a deliberate attempt to ‘add affliction to [Paul’s] bonds’, v. 16. May God preserve us from the serving out of any desire for personal ‘vainglory’, 2. 3. Malicious ‘murmurings’ against fellow believers create much hurt and ill feeling, v. 14; after all ‘the words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the inner most parts of the belly’, Prov. 18. 8. Furthermore, by bearing constant grudges, harbouring a critical spirit, and ceaselessly fault-finding we will inevitably disturb the unity of a local assembly. The word translated ‘disputings’, Phil. 2. 14, is dialogismos. Referring to ‘inward reasoning, an opinion’,3 it described the Pharisees’ harsh criticism of the Lord Jesus, ‘And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, dialogismos, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason, dialogismos, ye in your hearts’, Luke 5. 21, 22. Since the common denominator in all of these sins is pure selfishness, Paul wrote, ‘All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s’, Phil. 2. 21. Any attempt at unifying all professing Christians will almost certainly fail. There are too many differences. So what can we do? We can hold the truth tenaciously as we see it in the Holy Scripture, be ‘valiant for the truth’, Jer. 9. 3, and do our utmost to maintain unity within the local church in which God has placed us, ‘endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’, Eph. 4. 3. The Philippian Epistle provides some straightforward ways to achieve this. A local church should have a unified interest in the gospel of Jesus Christ, support missionaries financially, Phil. 1. 5; 4. 10, 14-16, work together in gospel outreach, 1. 27, and live lives consistent with the gospel message which they preach, v. 27. Linked to this is the importance of having a healthy prayer life, praying for all the saints, v. 4, and being freed from unnecessary anxieties by praying about everything, 4. 6, 7. Such a prayerful interest in each other and the gospel promotes affection between Christians and enables us to fulfil Paul’s desire for the Philippians, ‘If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind’, 2. 1, 2 ASV. A significant barrier to Christian unity is human pride. Thus, Paul exhorted the Philippians, ‘Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves’, v. 3. We can avert many splits by having a truly humble disposition. The ultimate example of such self-humbling is the Lord Jesus, vv. 5-8. Paul showed his own humility by likening his eventual execution to a ‘drink offering’. In the Old Testament, ‘drink offerings’ consisted of fractions of a ‘hin’ (about one gallon) of wine, Num. 15. 1-10, combined with other sacrifices (e.g., burnt offerings). Paul viewed his own death as merely a small drink offering poured out upon the much larger sacrifice of the Philippians’ own priestly service, Phil. 2. 17. Other shining examples of people who humbly sacrificed themselves for others were Timothy, vv. 19-24, and Epaphroditus, vv. 25-30. These examples remind us that an important aspect of assembly fellowship is emulating godly, humble believers, 3. 17. Retaining a Christ-centred focus is another useful defence against divisive thoughts. The Philippian Epistle presents Jesus Christ as the purpose, 1. 21, the pattern, 2. 5, the prize, 3. 14, and the power for Christian living, 4. 13. Paul exhorted the Philippians to ‘rejoice in the Lord’, 3. 1; 4. 4. Paul himself counted ‘all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death’, 3. 8-10. As well as having a strong desire to know Christ better, by looking forwards, ‘for-getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before’, v. 13, we will be preserved from resentment, from brooding over wrongs done to us, and be helped to confront believers who genuinely wrong us with a sincere desire to forgive them, Luke 17. 3, 4. Such forward thinking will also remind us that ‘our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ’, Phil. 3. 20 ASV. The Lord Jesus so prioritized unity amongst His people that, with Calvary looming, He prayed ‘that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me’, John 17. 21. May we share His desire and do all we can to foster unity within our own local assembly. Endnotes Vine W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers), pg. 377. ibid, pg. 408. ibid, pg. 324.    

Why does Isaiah 45:7 say that God created evil?

Answer: Isaiah 45:7 in the King James Version reads, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” How does Isaiah 45:7 agree with the view that God did not create evil? There are two key facts that need to be considered.

(1) The word translated “evil” is from a Hebrew word that means “adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, misery.” Notice how the other major English Bible translations render the word: “disaster” (NIV, HCSB), “calamity” (NKJV, NAS, ESV), and “woe” (NRSV). The Hebrew word can refer to moral evil, and often does have this meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures. However, due to the diversity of possible definitions, it is unwise to assume that “I create evil” in Isaiah 45:7 refers to God bringing moral evil into existence.

(2) The context of Isaiah 45:7 makes it clear that something other than “bringing moral evil into existence” is in mind. The context of Isaiah 45:7 is God rewarding Israel for obedience and punishing Israel for disobedience. God pours out salvation and blessings on those whom He favors. God brings judgment on those who continue to rebel against Him. “Woe to him who quarrels with his Master” (Isaiah 45:9). That is the person to whom God brings “evil” and “disaster.” So, rather than saying that God created “moral evil,” Isaiah 45:7 is presenting a common theme of Scripture – that God brings disaster on those who continue in hard-hearted rebellion against Him.

Recommended Resource: Deliver Us from Evil: Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture by Ravi Zacharias.

Commentary on Hebrews 11:39,40

The world considers that the righteous are not worthy to live in the world, and God declares the world is not worthy of them. Though the righteous and the worldlings widely differ in their judgment, they agree in this, it is not fit that good men should have their rest in this world. Therefore God receives them out of it. The apostle tells the Hebrews, that God had provided some better things for them, therefore they might be sure that he expected as good things from them. As our advantages, with the better things God has provided for us, are so much beyond theirs, so should our obedience of faith, patience of hope, and labour of love, be greater. And unless we get true faith as these believers had, they will rise up to condemn us at the last day. Let us then pray continually for the increase of our faith, that we may follow these bright examples, and be, with them, at length made perfect in holiness and happiness, and shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father for evermore.

The Fifth Commandment: Honor Your Parents

“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Exodus 20:12


Many cultures throughout the world train people to honor people of older generations, including parents, grandparents, and so on. Even adults show respect to their elders in these cultures. But the dominant culture goes in the opposite direction. We prize youth and ignore or even despise old age. Elders are disregarded as being outdated or disparaged as bothersome. We’ve seen this happen again and again in families, neighborhoods, churches, businesses, and politics.

The fifth commandment, therefore, calls us to a countercultural honoring of our parents, and by implication, those who are from older generations. The Hebrew verb translated here as “honor” (kabed) is related to the adjective “heavy.” It might be paraphrased here as: “Give your father and mother the weight they deserve in your life.” The opposite of this would be treating your parents lightly, ignoring them, minimizing them, or even mistreating them.

What it actually means to let our parents be weighty in our lives depends greatly on many factors. If we are minor children, honoring our parents includes obeying them. But this is not true during all stages of life. If our parents are suffering from serious dementia, we might find that honoring them would involve actually disobeying them. As a pastor, I have walked alongside people as they have had to get care for their parents that their parents didn’t want, even though they desperately needed it. I have also worked with people whose parents were so abusive that they needed to keep considerable distance from them. Nevertheless, the fifth commandment urged them to do this without scorn or mockery, but with godly grief and costly love. For most of us, honoring our parents means listening to them, respecting them, and loving them. It means continuing to remain in relationship with them, even if this happens over a long distance. And, as our parents get older, the fifth commandment encourages us to care for them with deference and costly love. Sometimes we are forced into terribly confusing and trying situations when our parents are aging. We may not be at all sure what honoring them implies. Nevertheless, God will be glorified by our efforts to fulfill the fifth commandment, and he will bless us as we honor him through honoring our parents.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: If your parents are still alive, in what ways do you honor them? How might taking the fifth commandment seriously make a difference in your life?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, first, I want to thank you for the wonderful parents you have given me. They faithfully raised me to know you and serve you. They loved me consistently, reflecting your own love through their faithfulness.

Thank you for my father, who has been with you for almost 23 years now. I cannot honor him in a direct way, but I can esteem him in my memory and in my prayers of gratitude.

Thank you for my mother, who continues to be such a loving presence in my life and in the life of my family, not to mention a leader in your kingdom. Help me to honor her through offering her love and respect.

And thank you, dear Lord, for those who have been like parents in my life. May I offer them the appreciation and love they deserve from me, even though we are not literal relatives.

Finally, today I pray for people whose relationships with their parents are difficult. Where there is division and hurt, bring reconciliation and healing. Where aging parents present tricky challenges, grant wisdom, patience, and strength to their adult children. And where children are mourning the loss of their parents, give comfort and hope.

All praise be to you, Heavenly Father. Amen.

Extract article from TheHighCalling.org

p/s NGC is having its annual NGC Parents Night on Sat, 23rd June from 7pm at the assembly hall.

Child Development Needs

Proverbs 19:27 ESV

Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

James 1:19 ESV

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Proverbs 12:15 ESV

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 5:1-23 ESV

My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; ...

John 3:11-18 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ...

Five Things Every Child Needs Daily
by Katy O'Neal Arrowood

With the five fingers on just one of your hands, you can remind yourself of the following five actions that will foster self confidence in your child, as well teach him/her to trust others. As the old saying goes, "It is easier to build up a child than to repair an adult."

1. Hugs - One of the best gifts you can share with your child is touch. Giving your child daily hugs demonstrates your love in a caring way that can't be replaced. Affection toward your child helps teach him/her that families nurture each other in a loving way.

2. Open communication - A child needs to hear approving words often, but a child must also feel that he/she is heard. Talking with, as well as listening to your child will help to build a strong sense of self, as well as encouraging your child to know the importance of listening to others.

3. Daily blessing - Telling your child with words that you know he/she will accomplish great things worth giving! Enlighten your child that you know he/she was created in a special way with unique talents that will fit perfectly with his/her dreams. Words spoken will help to mold your child into who he/she will be; better for the words to be uplifting than to be disapproving. Remember to tell your child daily those three little words: I love you!

4. Respect - Treat your child like a valuable person, and he/she will treat himself/herself and others with honor and respect. Setting limits, being consistent with discipline, and insisting on good manners will demonstrate to your child that you value him/her, and you have a stake in making sure his/her life is honorable.

5. Time - The debate over quality time versus quantity time is over. Yes, the time spent with your child should be quality time, but you also need to spend lots of time with your child. It is not a secret that we all are busy people, but our children must know that we enjoy just being with them. Every activity doesn't have to be spectacular; even time together in the kitchen while one is cooking and the other is working on homework puts you in the same room. You may be surprised the time your child decides to really talk to you, it probably won't be during the quality planned time, rather during just an everyday routine.

EASTER @ NILAI GOSPEL CHAPEL

There's no greater love than the love of Jesus

There's no love that's wiser, that's stronger,
that lasts longer, that's more willing or thrilling.
There's no love more beautiful, more bountiful,
more bold, more basic and unbiased.

There's no love more gracious, more giving,
more living, more sacred, more selfless,
more soul-satisfying, more pure and undying.
There's no love more verifiable, more valuable,
more validating, more victorious, more glorious.

There's no love more precious, more costly, more kingly.
There's no love that's greater-that's more wonderful,
more wild, more passionate, more powerful - than the love of Jesus.

Good Friday Quotes

Jesus died praying. His last words were words of prayer. The habit of life was strong in death. It may seem far off; but this event will come to us also. What will our last words be? Who can tell? But would it not be beautiful if our spirit were so steeped in the habit of prayer that the language of prayer came naturally to us at the last? James Stalker


Mark 14:36 He said,"Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want."
Gethsemane is where He died; the cross is only the evidence. Leonard Ravenhill


And in the article of death, as He saw the last fold of the grand design unrolled, He passed out of the world with the cry on His lips, "It is finished!" He uttered this cry as a soldier might do on the battlefield, who perceives, with the last effort of consciousness, that the struggle in which he has sacrificed his life has been a splendid victory. But the triumph and the reward of His work never come to an end; for still, as the results of what He did unfold themselves age after age, as His words sink deeper into the minds of men, as His influence changes the face of the world, and as heaven fills with those whom He has redeemed, "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied." James Stalker


No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. William Penn


Good Friday is the mirror held up by Jesus so that we can see ourselves in all our stark reality, and then it turns us to that cross and to his eyes and we hear these words, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." That'sus! And so we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. We see in that cross a love so amazing so divine that it loves us even when we turn away from it, or spurn it, or crucify it. There is no faith in Jesus without understanding that on the cross we see into the heart of God and find it filled with mercy for the sinner whoever he or she may be. Robert G. Trache


Does God really love us? I say look to the crucified Jesus. Look to the old rugged cross. By every thorn that punctured His brow. By every mark of the back lacerating scourge. By every hair of his beard plucked from his cheeks by cruel fingers. By every bruise which heavy fists made upon His head. God said, "I love you!" By all the spit that landed on his face. By every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground. By every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross. By every beat of His loving heart. God said, I love you. Billy Lobbs


Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples, who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better - His PEACE! Matthew Henry

Eliminate The Distractions

Let's be honest, our life not just lately has had so many distractions that we have difficulties to stay focused on what the Lord is saying to us. We have so many extremely important ministry situations that absolutely need our ability to hear from God on and it just seems that other distractions are causing us to miss what He is trying to say to us, as a Church as well as individually.












Here's a sermon that worth our time for our reading and meditation.

Mark 8:13-18

13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to takebread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

INTRO:
Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse code operator.

Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled.”

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, “Wait a minute, I don’t understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair!”

The employer said, “I’m sorry, but all the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse code: ‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’

None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are our ears tuned to His voice??

Now, there are some things that interest me about this story!
1.) This young man was not the FIRST one there!
2.) There were probably men with higher qualifications!
3.) There may have been men who were better dressed.
4.) Maybe they were comparing themselves among themselves, and touting their own qualifications!
5.) Maybe each one was telling the other why he deserved the job!
6.) Maybe they were arguing about who was right and who was wrong for the position!

But, while they sat there this young man waltzed right in and got the job!

But, the reason this young man got the job was because he was listening for the right voice!

Somehow he had eliminated all distractions, all outside influences!

While others were pre-occupied with other conversations, although worthwhile they may have been, they missed the main message!

While others were talking among themselves, the small, unobtrusive voice of the telegraph machine went unnoticed! Even though the quietest sound, it was the most important sound in the room, and the one who heard it was the one who eliminated all outside influences and distractions!

I.) THE ONES WHO WILL HEAR THE STILL, SMALL VOICE OF JESUS IN THIS GENERATION ARE THE ONES WHO ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS!

The ones who block out all outside influences and concentrate on what God is saying amid the clutter, and hubbub of every day life!

WE HAVE ALL HAD PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING TO US AND WE WERE DAYDREAMING, OR OTHERWISE PRE-OCCUPIED.

And, so when we finally come back to ourselves, we say. “What did you say? I didn’t HEAR you!”
When, what we really mean is, I heard, but didn’t understand you!
I heard you speaking, but what you said didn’t register with me.
I knew you were talking to me, but my mind was preoccupied with other things, and I didn’t understand what it was that you wanted me to hear.
· I was riding in the truck with my father-in-law the other day and said something to him and he said, “Mike, I didn’t understand what you said, the doctor has told me I have lost 50% of my hearing. I can HEAR, but I don’t UNDERSTAND sometimes what has been said.”
And then he said this, which really stuck with me, “The only way I can really understand what someone says is if I am looking directly at them when they speak!”

II.) IN ORDER TO HEAR WHAT GOD IS SAYING, WE MUST REMOVE ALL DISTRACTIONS AND KEEP OUR EYES ON HIM!

Isaiah 6:1-10
In the year that king Uzziah died I SAW also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto 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 moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

King Uzziah had become a distraction to Isaiah, and it was only when he died that Isaiah saw the Lord!

Uzziah - a contracted form of Azari’ah the Lord is my strength. (1.) One of Amaziah’s sons, whom the people made king of Judah in his father’s stead (2 Kings 14:21; 2 Chr. 26:1). His long reign of about fifty-two years was “the most prosperous except that of Jehosaphat since the time of Solomon.” He was a vigorous and able ruler, and “his name spread abroad, even to the entering in of Egypt” (2 Chr. 26:8, 14). In the earlier part of his reign, under the influence of Zechariah, he was faithful to Jehovah, and “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chr. 26:4, 5); but toward the close of his long life “his heart was lifted up to his destruction,” and he wantonly invaded the priest’s office (2 Chr. 26:16), and entering the sanctuary proceeded to offer incense on the golden altar. Azariah the high priest saw the tendency of such a daring act on the part of the king, and with a band of eighty priests he withstood him (2 Chr. 26:17), saying, “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense.” Uzziah was suddenly struck with leprosy while in the act of offering incense (26:19-21), and he was driven from the temple and compelled to reside in “a several house” to the day of his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chr. 26:3). He was buried in a separate grave “in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings” (2 Kings 15:7; 2 Chr. 26:23).

Isaiah learned that position was not what he should be seeking!

Uzziah gave him a position, and when he got his position, he lost sight of God!
I want you to notice Isaiah’s 3-fold vision:

1.) When the man who had taken care of him died, Isaiah turned again to the Lord, and it was then that he received his vision!

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

Isaiah said, when my distractions were eliminated, then I saw the Lord!
When I stopped looking to the arm of the flesh, I saw the Lord!
When I got my focus off of the things that man could do for me and to me, I saw the Lord!

2.) After Isaiah saw the Lord, he saw himself!
5 Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isaiah realized how far he had drifted away from God when he finally saw God again! He realized how unclean he was after he got a vision of God! And, immediately he began to repent!

3.) And, finally, after he saw God and himself, he got a vision of the world that he was sent to witness to.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

I am saying to this church tonight, God has a job for someone to do!
There is a work to be done, and the position is open, who will fill it?
Who will go and do the work of God in this generation?

III.) THE JOB POSITION IS OPEN, AND THE ADVERTISEMENT HAS GONE FORTH!

Matthew 28:19
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mark 16:15-16
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Matthew 9:37-38
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The job?
Reach the lost at any cost!

The Pay?
Matthew 16:26-27
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

The benefits?
Romans 14:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
And a life insurance policy that is out of this world!
And, the applicants have come from near and far, and are sitting in the interview room, waiting for their turn!
But, I would say to you today, that it is not the most qualified, not the most well-dressed, not the first on the scene, or not the ones with the most ability that will get the job, but the ones that will get the nod from the Lord of the Harvest are those who will hear his still, small, voice and understand what the purpose of the church is in this day!

Those whose attention is not diverted by the other sounds that clamor all around, those who don’t think that they have already arrived and deserve the job because of their superior qualifications, but those who are listening and understanding the voice of God!

We can argue all day long amongst ourselves, and use scripture to back up why we are right, and everyone else is wrong, but while we are crossing theological swords, people are dying and going to hell!

IV.) THE ONES WHOM GOD WILL WORK THROUGH IN THIS GENERATION ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE ELIMINATED THE DISTRACTIONS IN THEIR LIVES.

Not the most educated,
Not the best dressed,
Not the ones with the most impressive pedigree or heritage,

But, those who have eliminated distractions!

Psalm 24:3-6
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

It’s interesting to note that one of the meanings of both of the words used here, CLEAN and PURE, is CLEAR!

Not muddled or double-minded, but a clear, unhindered direction.
Matthew 6:22
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
One of the definitions for SINGLE in this passage is SIMPLE, or CLEAR!
I truly believe that what God is looking for in this generation is not talent, ability, pedigree, heritage, etc.

I BELIEVE THAT GOD IS SIMPLY LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS!
PEOPLE WHO WILL KEEP THEIR PURPOSE CLEAR, THEIR LIVES UNCLUTTERED, AND FREE FROM THE THINGS OF THE WORLD THAT WILL DIVERT OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE STILL, SMALL VOICE OF GOD!

People that will not only hear, but understand what God is saying.

CONCLUSION
How do I hear and understand the voice of God?

It’s not enough to hear the voice of God; I must understand what God is saying.
SAMUEL HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD, BUT RAN TO ELI TO ASK HIM WHAT HE WANTED!

It’s one thing to hear the voice, but another to know from where it is coming and what it is saying.

John 10:27
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
The way that I can hear the voice of God is only through prayer, fasting, spending time in the Word and eliminating distractions.

We are going to work on ELIMINATING DISTRACTIONS.