PERMANENT HEAVENWARD TRANSFORMATION BY THE UNCHANGEABLE CHRIST
Isaiah 6:1-8; Hebrews 13:8; 2 Cor 3:18
The Lord wants to give a kind of transformation that is permanent and points in the direction of heaven. God is unchangeable and He is the same as ever. He will transform your life. The story shows the experience of a preacher, possessor and partaker of the glorious transformation of Christ. As you follow this example, you will also be a partaker of God’s glorious transformation. “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. 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. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 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. 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: 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. 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.” (Isaiah 6:1-8).
A negative thing happened in the nation at the demise of King Uzziah. Sometimes, when someone dies, we are dejected, but in Isaiah’s case, it was in the year that the king died that he saw the Lord. If anything has happened in your life that brings sorrow, you will realize that even though King Uzziah died, God is still sitting on His throne. He never quits His seat of power, creation and might. The storm may rage, the sea may roar, animals may run around the vicinity, sickness may come, and some parts of your body may be gone and dead, but the Lord is still sitting on the throne. For your problems to go away, don’t look at what’s dead and gone, look at God sitting on the throne. While darkness comes and Uzziah vacates the throne, when your helpers turn their back on you and the powers of darkness rage, when you feel sad, depressed, sick and emotionally drained, God is still on the throne and is still holy. If we realize that our God is still on the throne and is still Faithful, Loving, Powerful and Helpful, the death of Uzziah, the withdrawal of our helpers and the coming of disease will never shake us. He is still our Healer, Saviour, Deliverer and the One that conquers for us. The heavenly touch of God and Christ takes all our transgressions and iniquity away. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Our Saviour, Healer, Conqueror of death and the devil, Helper, Lifter up, is the same yesterday, today and forever. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The source, certainty and power of our transformation are in Christ. As you believe the Lord, the unchangeable Saviour, Lord and Redeemer will transform your life
- THE CONVICTING CONFESSION OF PROPHET, PRINCE, PENITENT
Isaiah 6:5; Psalm 51:1-5; gal 6:3-5; 1 John 1:9-10
Isaiah was a prophet, David was a prince, the people of Nineveh were penitent; and they made convicting confessions of their sins. Anyone who will come to the Lord cannot come with pride, arrogance or high esteem, you must come repentant and penitent. “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 6:5). Isaiah had seen the glory of God and the incredible splendour of His Majesty. Isaiah had been carrying the notion that he was good, wonderful and nice but when he saw the bright, immaculate appearance of the Holy God, he came under conviction and said, ‘Woe is me’. The Pharisees thought they were right but if anyone saw the whiteness, purity and immaculate nature of Christ, they would have been saved. As you look at your ways, thoughts, words, character, and inward life in comparison with God’s holiness, you will have to accept and confess, ‘Woe is me, I am undone and unclean.’ The angels of God are constantly and continually holy, careful and meticulously watchful in the presence of God; their talk, walk and respect in God’s presence is holy. As you compare yourself with even the angels, you will have to bend the knee before the Lord and confess, ‘Woe is me.’ As you see all the strings you tie to your gifts and good deeds, you will realize they cannot match with God’s free gift and you will make the same confession as Isaiah. When he saw the glory of God, he confessed that he dwelt in the midst of unclean people. Confession brings conversion. It is that coming before the Lord and accepting that in your own strength and power, you cannot cleanse your tongue by yourself that brings the transformation. Water does not take away lying, angry and slandering words from our tongues. It is only the heavenly agent that can cleanse us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9-10). Don’t be a spectator, be a partaker. If you have peace already, you will have purity, if you have peace and purity, you will receive power.
- THE CLEANSING CURE FOR PARDONED, PURGED PEOPLE
Isaiah 6;6-7; Psalm 51:6-12; Isaiah 33:24
The Lord touched the lips of Isaiah and pardoned and purged his sins. God forgives, cures, heals and transforms the lives of those who come to him. Every sin that has burdened you causing you to sin and shame will be cleansed and purged. When the power came to Isaiah, he said, ‘here am I send me.’ “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: 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.” (Isaiah 6:6-7). Immediately after Isaiah’s confession, an angel came directly to him and touched his lips with a live coal. The coal was brought from God’s own altar. All the coals from off the altars in Israel could not take away sin. When something from heaven comes upon you, there will be transformation. When a change comes in your life, you will be the one running after the Bible. Isaiah did not dodge when the live coal was being placed in his mouth. There are people who run away from the live coal of the word of God coming from the altar of God. Isaiah presented his lips to the Seraphim as he laid the coals on his mouth. The witness of God’s spirit is more important than the words and assurances of a thousand counsellors, you will have a definite assurance from the Lord Himself and every doubt will vanish from your heart because your life is new. All your guilt, condemnation and defilement will be taken away, and your interest in sin will be taken away – this is a supernatural and heavenward transformation, and you will not be interested in the practices of the world anymore. “And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” (Isaiah 33:24). As pardon and forgiveness come, sickness will vanish away. Sin will go, sickness will go, and you will stand up like a soldier and the power to stand will never leave your life.
- THE COMMENDABLE CONTINUATION IN PEACE, PURITY, POWER
Isaiah 6:8; Hebrews 12:14
“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.” (Isaiah 6:8). After we have received the divine touch, and He has given us peace in our hearts we now follow the path of purity. The Lord will give you the power to continue. There is something commendable about Isaiah from the point of God’s touch to the end of his life, he continued with the Lord. You will continue in salvation, holiness, healing and deliverance. You will be a man, woman, child of peace, purity and power and nothing will push you down again. You will conquer all your problems and you will not be tired. The hand of the Lord will touch you and where there is confusion and conflict, they will be taken away in Jesus name.