An Eye Opening Experience

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8

        There are some experiences that we go through that are considered eye-opening experiences.  There are just some things that when seen with our eyes, it changes our lives forever.  Had we not had those experiences we possibly might have remained the same, however seeing what we saw we were never ever the same.  Today God wants to share with us 4 eye-openers that Isaiah had. 

          Uzziah was a powerful and wise king.  Uzziah was crowned king at the age of 16 and reigned 52 years. He became very strong and was feared by neighboring countries. His strength got into his head and he became filled with pride. He became so filled with pride that he tried to perform the duties that were only assigned to the priest.  Because of his boastful and proud spirit, he was stricken with leprosy and was a leper until the day of his death. Uzziah forgot his place and brought pain and destruction upon himself. We must understand that God has given each of us various gifts and assignments.  No matter how anointed we think that we are we should always stay in our appointed places.  Although he was king, he was cut off from the house of the Lord and had to live in an isolated house. (2^nd Chronicles 26:16-23)

        He was really a better king than many; his reign was great but money and splendor corrupted the hearts of the people. God’s people forgot their calling as a holy nation. They were no longer living in conformity with the statutes of the Lord. They no longer trusted in God to protect them and provide for them. They conformed to the unholy ways of the nations around them. Their bellies and ears became heavy; they were unable to speak the Word of God. They could not even hear from God.

          About 700 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, the sad announcement was made, “THE KING IS DEAD”.  King Uzziah, the tenth King of Judah, had died. Despite his failings he was known as the greatest king since David.

Read vs. 6:1

Eye-Opener #1 ~ Isaiah Saw God

The prophet Isaiah hears the news that King Uzziah has died.  His heart was broken. Isaiah had seen little success in his ministry and had contemplated giving it up, until he saw the Lord and his life was forever changed. In Isaiah 6: 1-8 the prophet Isaiah whose name means the Lord has saved, has an eye-opening experience.

Isaiah finds that although the king is dead, God is yet alive and seated high upon His holy throne.    Isaiah sees the greatest vision anyone can have.  Isaiah sees the Lord!  Isaiah saw God’s nature and God’s character.  Isaiah sees the Lord sitting high upon His throne and the train (or the skirt ) of His robe fills the temple.  Isaiah saw something that he had never seen before.  When we come to worship God, we should be come with a spirit of expectancy. We should come into the Lord’s house desiring to see His manifest presence.   It is He who should be the center of all of our attention. He is God!  God is the eternal one who is without beginning and without end.  There is enough of Him to totally consume the entire width and depth of our minds and this room.

 Look at Isaiah’s vision.  His train fills the temple.  God wants to fill this place today.  But like Isaiah we have to make room for God.  He is too big and we can’t just squeeze him in betwixt all our other stuff.  He has to have space and time to do what He wants to do in our lives.  The song says He’s so high you can’t get over him. He’s so low you can’t get under Him.  He’s so wide you can’t get around Him you must come in at the door.  God is infinite and Isaiah notices that every location is consumed by Him. 

Why is it that Isaiah had not experienced God this way before?  King Uzziah was blocking his view of God. I’m going to say that one more time because we need to understand this.  King Uzziah was blocking his view of God.  Before, Isaiah had only seen King Uzziah sitting upon the throne but today He gets an understanding of who is the King of Kings. There are just some things in our lives that God must kill before we can truly see who He is.

 What’s your Uzziah?  King Uzziah represents pride (arrogance) and overconfidence.  Uzziah are those hindrances in your life that keep you from being all that God has called, appointed, and anointed you to be.  Anything blocking you from seeing the Lord is a ‘King Uzziah’. Uzziah is that thing, which prevents you from seeing what God sees for your life.  Uzziah is that one sin that keeps distracting you over and over again.  Uzziah is the thing that makes you so comfortable, that you do not have time to humble yourself before a mighty God. Uzziah is that thing or person, which occupies your time at the expense of your anointing. If you want to be mighty for God and see nations shaken King Uzziah has to die in your life.