"The Crisis We Must Face"

Sermon by Bro. Bert Tippett

Sunday, July 18, 2010

National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention

Before we can look at who will go, we have to examine the crisis that Isaiah faced in his life. Isaiah was a prophet under king Uzziah. We will examine the life of king Uzziah and the crisis that Isaiah faced with the king's decline and death:

1. THE PIETY THAT GUIDED HIM - 2 Chronicles 26:1-5 King Uzziah was only 16 when he became king, but he followed the example of his father and did what was right in the sight of God. He also had a godly mentor - Zechariah.
2. THE POWER THAT BLESSED HIM - 2 Chronicles 26:5-15 Because king Uzziah was faithful to God and followed Him, God blessed him and his kingdom. God gave Uzziah and his kingdom success, growth and blessings.
3. THE PRIDE THAT DESTROYED HIM - 2 Chronicles 26:15-23 Everything was going great for king Uzziah. He was a successful leader of a great nation and was being blessed by God. But in verses 15 and 16, we see that he became prideful. His pride led to his destruction when he went into the temple to burn incense in offering to God. Only the priests were allowed to burn incense, but in his pride, Uzziah wanted to do it himself. He ignored the warnings of the priests and defied God's law and insulted God's plan - the position of Priest AND King was reserved for Jesus. No other man was to have both of those positions. When Uzziah crossed that boundary set by God, he was punished with leprosy.

Isaiah watched his once godly and successful king die of a horrible disease. As he did, he faced a crisis much like the one we now face in America - He was faced with uncertainty and leadership changes that he could not control.

When we are faced with crisis, we must follow Isaiah's example and turn to God.

When you are faced with crisis, remember that:

1. YOU ARE THERE BY GOD'S APPOINTMENT. God has a reason for letting us go through hard times. Whether it's to show us something that we need to purge from our lives or to prepare us to do the work God has for us, He has His reasons.
2. YOU ARE THERE BY GOD'S KEEPING. God never lets us go through hard times alone. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there, holding your hand and is ready to carry you when you can't walk another step.
3. THERE IS A PURPOSE FOR YOU BEING THERE. God uses the storms of our lives to teach and mold us.
4. WHEN IT IS TIME, GOD WILL BRING YOU OUT OF THE STORM. He will probably not change our circumstances until we let our circumstances start to change us. When we surrender to Him and trust Him, He will bring us to the other side.