Fill me with your glory! Are you fit to receive it?

Isaiah, chapter 6, my brothers, look at this. I think this is one of the most interesting mysteries of God. But with everything and that is one of the ways in which he works. It is something that comes from his heart, to intervene in humanity, to intervene in the human being, to put his hand in some way or another. This chapter of Isaiah 6 is the chapter where God meets Isaiah and gives him his commission, his call. But the thing is, Isaiah's perspective at first was like, who am I for this, and there are many characters in the Bible who responded that way when they met God face to face. Moses himself said, ah, but who am I, if I am a stutterer and quickly began to make excuses.

And Isaiah was obviously not far behind, and that is why I want to direct you to this text. I'm going to start reading, obviously verse 1 to have the whole context of the story. Says:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, his skirts filling the temple..."

I want you to pay attention to that first. Isaiah saw the Lord “….above him were seraphs, each one had 6 wings, with two they covered their faces, with two others they covered their feet and with two others they flew. And they cried out to each other, saying holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory. And the doorposts trembled with the voice of the one who cried and the house filled with smoke. Then I said, woe is me, I am dead because being a man with unclean lips and living in the midst of people who have unclean lips, my eyes have seen the King Jehovah of hosts….”

I want to stop there. This is where I want to refer to something, my brothers, because obviously at the time Isaiah was living, the biblical context here, remember that the people of Israel were in exile. While the people of Israel were in exile, it is as if they completely forgot all the things that God had ordered them, having followed the law, which was the Torah, they completely forgot about that. The Babylonians seized all their worship utensils. Everything that their prayer before God implied, they were left with everything and the people of Israel were left with nothing, they were a slave people, they were a people in nothing.

And that caused more than the majority of the people of Israel to forget everything that having a relationship with God implied. And in the midst of all that, forget about when you don't have that structure, that system that shapes your life, that gives it meaning and direction, that defines the way in which a person speaks or expresses himself, the way in which a person treats the other, then what happens? In the absence of that everything else in the secular world in which one is living begins to take the place of that system. And therefore that was where the people of Israel became corrupted with everything that was the Babylonian system.

They began to worship other gods, they went after other idols, after the baals, after the jackals, after the…everyone else that was out there. No, jackal didn't exist for that... right? Far as I know. If he had a trumpet lying around. But the point is that they went after other gods. Am I allowed to say that here? The point is that Isaiah is in the middle of that situation, and Isaiah recognizes that he is a sinful man, unclean of lips. God knows what kind of vocabulary he had. But God gave him a revelation that he was not going to give to anyone else.

Look how interesting. Although God himself was the one who sent that people of Israel into exile, with everything and that, God had not disconnected from his people. Although his people insisted on walking behind him, he was still there on top of them. And through all of this he identified this one person so that he would be in charge of divulging the word, the intentions, the purpose of God's heart to his people.

And here is Isaiah when he is faced with such a revelation and it is very interesting because what was the first thing he said? Oh me, what am I? Dead man. That sounds like a dead dog out there on the street, like a dead dog. But you know what? My brothers, this expression is very interesting because in the biblical event every time God revealed his glory to someone that person could not contain it, could not contain the weight of the glory of God. And or they fell to their knees, what happened when Moses found himself facing the bush? Everything lit up, and what did God say to him? It happened, discipleship 1, what did God say to Moses? Take off your sandals because the place where you are is holy. And what happened? He had to fall face down on the floor because he knew he couldn't look that way.

The Apostle John when he was on the island of Pasmos, when Jesus revealed himself to him, what was one of the first things he said? I fell dead, like a soursop, I fell there. Paul himself when Jesus revealed himself to him on the road to Damascus, what does the Scripture say? That he fell off his horse? That's what the Scripture says. No, ladies and gentlemen, read well, it doesn't say that he fell off his horse, it says that he fell. It says he fell, it doesn't say he fell off the horse, he fell. Read well.

If he was on the horse, well, that's fine, I understand that he fell from the horse, but since the biblical text does not say that he was on the horse, it only says that he fell, so I assume that he was walking with the horse and the rope of the horse. horse in hand, but he was walking on foot. I don't know, make your own story.

The point is that the glory of God is so heavy, my brothers, that it cannot be contained. I ask you a question, let's be honest, let's talk here honestly: how many of us at some point in our prayer time have asked the Lord, Lord, show me your glory. I want more of your glory, Lord. Fill me up, fill me up, here I am. Here is the target. Fill me with your glory. How many of us have said that? huh? No, they haven't asked for that? Look, gosh! Ok, if you haven't asked why not, someone explain it to me. Why haven't you asked for that in prayer? huh? Out of fear, that's a good answer, I liked it.

But aha, very good. I am glad for that answer, I hope that today here you will learn how to ask then. I'm going to that right now. I'm going to that right now. So I'm glad for that comment. But look, brothers, you know what? There are times when, and it is not that we ask with bad intentions, asking to live under the glory, under the cover, under the very presence of God is good. But the point is that we cannot contain that power.

If right now God were to lower his shekinah, with his glory, his presence and come down here, I'm going to be the first to fall on the floor. And after me it's going to be a domino effect. Everyone else is going to go that way. What's more, I think we're going to have to run out of here because it's going to be something so, so heavy. No? Haven't you read the biblical text? When Solomon finished dedicating the temple that they restored all praise through the Levites and that God commanded them to sanctify themselves, and when those Levites began to worship in the temple, what did the text say? That the presence of God lowered in such a way that the people had to leave because they could not contain the glory of God.

Interesting because seeing all that God is doing now in Congregación León de Judá, the messages that he has been transmitting through our pastor, one of the things that he has emphasized is that part, or one of the intentions and the purpose of God for the church at this time, is to renew and revitalize what praise and adoration is in the church. You know what, my brother, my sister? And I know that here I also have a musician and part of the praise and prayer group, but I long for it and maybe I don't know how I'm asking, I identify with you, even as a pastor I think maybe I don't know what I'm asking for, but if it is God's will that this be here, that praise and prayer be renewed in such a way that the presence of God is manifested in this place, that everyone has to run out of here because it's like... that's too much!

You imagine that the fire alarms go off or something like that because the presence is so, so strong, the temperature in this place is going to rise in such a way that we either fall down or leave here dying. And I am not saying it in a negative way, my brothers, I am not saying that but I am saying that the visitation that God wants to bring in our midst these days is of such and such a magnitude that even if we wish it, our human limitation does not he will be able to contain, he will not be able to resist what God wants to do, that we are going to have to deal with, as if to say, take it easy on me. Woe to me, I am a dead man. right yes?

Do you understand where Isaiah's expression goes? Look what the presence of God does in the middle of a place, the presence of God reveals everything that is hidden. I can hide many things from all of you, there are things about Pastor Omar Soto that you don't even know, nor will you know because I'm not going to tell you. That is the intention of a secret, right? But I am sure that if within those secrets that Omar is holding there is something that God has to deal with and if Omar happens to be here on the day that the presence of God is manifested, I know that I am going to have to say, woe is me, Lord! I am a man with unclean lips, I am a man with an unclean heart. But the beauty, the mystery of all this is that with everything and that, God longs to reveal himself to his people.

Although we live in this fallen façade, yet God longs and desires to reveal himself to each of us. In some way or another, my brothers and sisters, you know what? It is interesting because when God looks at you, when God looks at you, the first thing that God sees is not the sin that could harm us, what God sees is the beauty that he put in you.

Look how the text says, verse 6: “…. And one of the seraphim flew towards me, having in his hand a live coal, taken from the altar with tongs, and what did he do? Touching it on my mouth, he said, behold, this touched your lips and your guilt is removed and your sin cleansed….”

Before Isaiah maybe started to list all his sin to God, God said, wait, before you say anything, let me let you know what I think of you. In Zechariah, turn with me to the book of Zechariah. Have you met someone named Zacarías Piedras del Río? It's here in the Bible. It is the Zacarías we are talking about, what happens is that Zacarías is one of those books that the pages stick together and you can't find it quickly… ok, here.

Zechariah, chapter 3, look at this, Zechariah chapter 3, the vision of the high priest Joshua. Let's start in verse 1, it says:

"He showed me the high priest Joshua who was before the angel of the Lord and Satan was at his right hand to accuse him...."

Look at that panorama how interesting. The devil himself was next to this man chosen by God to give him a stick. And what did Jehovah say to Satan himself? Jehovah rebuke you, boy, Satan, pardon me. I got excited there.

“….Jehovah, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you, he says it twice. Is not this, Joshua, a brand taken from the fire? And Joshua was clothed in vile garments, and was before the angel. That image, dressed in vile garments, means that he was dirty in the presence of God himself. But the angel spoke and commanded those who were before him, saying: take off those vile garments and to him, to Joshua, he said, look, I have taken away your sin from you and I have made you dress in gala clothes. Then he said, put a clean miter on his head, and they put a clean miter on his head and put the clothes on him. And the angel of Jehovah was what? Go on, go on, and the angel of the LORD then admonished Joshua saying, thus saith the LORD of hosts. This is the part that gives me…. If you walk in my ways, and if you keep my ordinance, you will also govern my house, you will also keep my courts, and among these who are here I will give you a place."

Look what God can do with a person that he, so to speak, has an intention and a purpose. Look, even if the devil himself stands in front of you to make your life impossible, if the Lord has something with you you'll come through, that is, it will be done.

You know what? That encounter has something special, because I imagine Josué perhaps with a sense of shame, like why they don't look at me, and the confrontation he had with the angel. In other words, look, I recognize that there was something wrong with you, but that is taken away from you so that you can truly enter into what God has in mind for you. It would have been very interesting if Josué had said, no, no, no, I'm fine with these vile clothes, so stinky and so ragged, I'm fine like this. leave me like this It's interesting, because there are people who respond like that, there are people who are so used to those vile clothes, those dirty, stinking clothes that when you want to help them change... I press the button and they take off by themselves and disappear. she puts herself alone, as Roberto sometimes says. The clothes put themselves and everything falls into place. But look, as I was saying last Wednesday, look, when God has his eyes on you and your heart is there too, look, there is nothing that can get in the way of God's desire.

I want to end by reading this last text that I know many of us know, my brothers. First Corinthians, chapter 2, sorry, chapter 1, first Corinthians chapter 1. This is where the mysteries of God are that I, no matter how hard I break my head, I am not going to understand. But it says in verse 25, First Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 25, it says:

“…. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men….” and the women too, of course, let's not go away for something about gender, we are going to add them both there. Look, brothers, your vocation, many of you are not wise according to the flesh and not many are powerful, and not many are noble, but rather the foolishness of the world, listen, I hope you have a good self-esteem because the same Pablo is saying, the fool, the fool, he said to me fool Paul, what's going on? Maybe some of you, Omar, maybe you say that he called you a fool, but I don't.

“…But the foolish things of the world chose God to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God chose to shame the strong. And the vile of the world and the despised God chose and what is not to undo what is..."

Tell me if that's not a great mystery. That is a great mystery, my brothers, because it only occurs to God to say something like that. In other words, we are so used to thinking in the other way, that here what counts is the strong, here what counts is the noble, here what counts is the one who has all his PhD degrees from the best university, like this It's how this world works. And the tendency or the thought that they want to plant in us is that if you want to function at that level, you are going to have to achieve all these things in order to function, so that they listen to you, so that your voice is heard and you are taken into account. , and then they can give you the credit when a good idea comes out.

But God doesn't work like that. What are we Hispanics here in the US? What are we? That is the political term they give us. Minority. We're going to see if that's going to be the case when the 2010 census comes around now, right? Let's see if we really are a minority. TRUE? We are the largest minority. Look what a coincidence, what irony, what irony, the ironies of God. We are the majority minority here in the US.

And my brothers, it's so interesting. You know what? As I mention all these things, my brothers, I share this from my heart because I have to tell you, my brothers, the last few weeks for me have been a time of, how can I say, breaking my head. But I know that I will not find the solution. But the mere fact that I am hearing more and more and more that God has intentions, that God has purposes, that God is going to do something, you know what? I have been hearing that since I arrived here in the United States, 10, 11 years ago. I've been listening to the same thing, the same thing, the same thing, it seems like a broken record. God is going to be something, and every prophet who appears around there, every Apostle who appears around there, says the same thing, the same thing, the same thing and the same thing.

And there are times when one says, like, already, enough is enough. When is it really coming? But there is something, my brothers, there is something in the air. There is something in the environment and I don't know how to tell you, I can't explain it with words, but there is something in the environment. There is something in the air that is taking place. I imagine when Daniel began to pray that he dedicated himself to praying and fasting for 21 days and that when that angel appeared to him and revealed himself to him, the first thing he said to him was, look Daniel, sorry I'm late but I had to stop by a fight in the air against the hosts of Satan. And I imagine that right now in the air there is a fight that is unleashing between the forces of good and the forces of evil. There is something that is happening, there is a sword that God is using to pierce the darkness and truly bring his light. There is a sacred judgment that is approaching the earth today, and it is something that is already written in the same Hebrew, it says, it is time for God's judgment to begin and where does it begin? For the house of God.

There is a purification process in which God is going to put the church, just like when in the time of Solomon, when the building of the temple finished, and then God gave the order, I want the people to sanctify themselves, because there is something that I I'm going to do here what's going to cause the coming glory of this house to be greater than, what? that the last There is something, my brothers, there is something in the air. And I don't want to be left behind. I don't want to be left behind.

And look how God is speaking. God is speaking now more clearly than ever. If you don't pay attention, my brothers, a shrimp that falls asleep will be carried away by the current. Look how interesting: yesterday I was watching the news in the morning while I was preparing Lucas to take him to care, and they were interviewing this girl who was Miss California, I don't know if you heard the news about her today, Carrie Prejean, her name is They were interviewing her because if you don't know, well, I'm telling you now, she won the Miss California pageant, to go to participate in Miss Universe, but you know what? Although she won when they were asking one of the questions at the end, they asked her the question of, what was the question like? No, it wasn't necessarily the gays, I think they asked her a somewhat distorted question to see how she would respond. It had something to do with family and marriage and the thing was that she responded by saying, I understand that marriage has to be between a man and a woman, and then she said, I feel sorry for those who are there in the public that such You may not agree with my answer, but that's how I think. Look, my brothers, that woman got bugs all over her. That woman was attacked like you know and called the ugliest names you can imagine, they called her that on National TV.

Yesterday when I was watching this interview she came out with a book called “Still standing”, I am still standing, because in that book she is saying, and she is complaining about the irony of the media that defines the United States, that supposedly The US has this law of freedom of speech, that everyone can express themselves freely, but she was robbed of that right that every American has. For the mere fact that she gave her perspective on an issue she was bombarded and is still being bombarded. Obviously there came to light photos that she took naked in an earlier time, even a sex tape that she made to her boyfriend when she was 16, 17 years old supposedly came to light. Everything to damage his image, everything to damage his reputation.

She identifies as a conservative, Christian woman and still for that she has been criticized. They have criticized her because they say then that she is a hypocrite, that if you are a Christian how are you going to be posing in a bikini in a beauty pageant. So many things have been said to her, but what caught my attention in her response was, she said the following, look, all this wrong, all these mistakes that I have made have come to light now, but I I am still standing because I believe in the principles on which I am based. I believe in the principles of the word of God and my Christian faith, she expressed it that way, and no one is going to take me away from that.

When I heard that woman saying that, I said to myself, wow! How inspiring is this. Because many times what one is afraid of is that all the skeletons that one has locked up in the closet will come out, but nevertheless, what God wants to do is precisely for those skeletons to come out for him, then truly do what he wants to do with his own, with their sons and with their daughters. God cannot deal with a town that has skeletons locked away.

And look, I'm telling you this with fear and trembling. I start to think, wow, Lord, if all my skeletons come out of me, oh mom! They prefer to be buried, I prefer to be buried for real. I mean, don't think so badly of me, I'm not… I may seem but I'm not.

But my brothers, it is something that I see that God is doing in his people. There is something that God is doing, things so minimal that one can think that God does not care about that. Look, even that the Lord wants to deal with it. And you know what? He's facing there, he's facing the church right now and he's saying the same words that he said with Isaiah. These are the words that Jesus, that God, Jesus is saying right now in front of his people. I end here.

He is saying now, who will I send and who will go for us, who will I send and who will go for us. After he purifies he commissions you. Because that was a rhetorical question that God asked. It was as if Isaiah had been there and suddenly God stops like this, wow! Who will I send, who will go, who will go for us? So, since he is not Isaiah, that is why he must be.

But you get the idea, it was a rhetorical question that he asked, because he knew, he knew that he had marked Isaiah for it, he was just waiting for him to give the answer. What's more, this is very revealing for me now. God could easily have said, let me get someone else from Isaiah then. Easily, don't let me stay here. God could easily have said, look Isaiah, I already stuck this coal in your mouth, you are healed. Go away. Now, let's answer. And he, ok, fine, no but God was like, wow! Let me see if he gets the picture. Let me see if he understands what I truly intend with him.

So he asks the question who will go, who will I send, who will go for us? He knows, he knows it's you, he knows it, he knows it's you, he knows it's you, he knows it's me. He knows. But he is giving you space so that you can say, here I am, here I am, Lord, here I am, I am imperfect, I have a knee that does not give much, but here I am. Here I am, maybe my hair is not the most beautiful of all but look, here I am. Here I am, Lord, look, I don't have much money in my wallet but here I am. Here I am, Lord, look, I have ailments in my back, but hey, look, here I am. Here I am, Lord, I am fighting a very strong disease but hey, here I am. Here I am, send me, like a rocket, to the moon with you we go. Here I am, Lord, look, I still have struggles with this diction, but look, here I am, I want to be on your team. Here I am Lord look my sons my daughters are still giving me headaches but hey here I am. Here I am. Here I am, Lord, look, that pastor is giving me a headache, I can't deal with him, but Lord, here I am. Here I am. Here I am. Send me, use me, I want to be part of your team, Lord, I don't want to lose this adventure even if it hurts Lord, even if you have to squeeze and squeeze me and turn me upside down like a stocking, Lord, do it but if I'm in your hands, it is better to suffer under your hand than to suffer under someone else's hand.

Of course, there are times when God uses people to move us in this way. So with that prayer I say, Lord, help us understand when you are dealing with us through other people.

We are going to stand up, my brothers, and we are going to pray. Wow! Father, I give you glory and honor only to you Lord Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you God because in you our lives are safe, in you we have meaning, in you we have purpose, there is an intention that you give us, Lord Jesus. As Isaiah said, Lord, woe to us, we are so imperfect, Lord, we are so imperfect in lips, mind, actions, thoughts, but with everything and that you stand before us, Lord Jesus and you are willing to cleanse us , to purify ourselves, to change those vile clothes and put on full gala clothing, to put a burning coal in our mouths to purify our speech, to truly function as your spokespersons. There he is in front of us telling us, who will I send, who will go for us?

Lord, I declare what your Scripture says, that you put in us both to want and to do. Good intentions are not enough. Just wanting is not enough. Put in us, Lord Jesus, that wanting as doing. Asking yes that you fill us with your presence but that at the same time we let your hands treat us, God.

And Lord, maybe I myself don't know how I'm praying, I don't know what's going to happen when we leave here, I don't know what awaits us out there, Lord. I don't know what new fight, I don't know what new situation is going to await us out there, Lord, that is going to put us in a tank, that perhaps is going to cause us a sense of despair. I don't know. But whatever it is, Lord, I know that with the test you provide the way out and that you give us a test that is not too strong that we cannot bear it. I ask that on each one of us rest that strength that only you give, that certainty in your promises, that conviction that the purposes and intentions of your heart for ours are good, that you have good plans, Lord, that surpass our so limited mind. You surpass everything.

Help us to trust you, Lord, at all times please. Help us to rest in you, help us to know how to discern, to know how to discern when you are working Lord in the circumstances of life to bring us to the level that you want us to be. I beg you to be with each one of my brothers and sisters, Lord, that this word, tonight be a word of encouragement, be a word of effort, be a word that affirms their hearts, their minds, their bodies, their families, their spirit in you, Lord.

Whatever the situation that my brothers and sisters are experiencing right now, I firmly declare that you are in their midst as a powerful giant, Lord, that you are going to provide that way out that they are looking for, that you are going to provide those finances, those resources that they need to be able to achieve their goals, that these new stages of life into which many of us are entering now, Lord, that although we may not know what that other side of the mountain is going to be like, you will also be there, Lord, that you are also going to provide your coverage, you will provide your wisdom, you will provide your resources, you are the owner of gold and silver, Lord, and that from your abundant riches in glory you will be in charge of supplying each one of your sons and daughters. Your blessing enriches and brings no shame, Lord. There is no reason why we as your people, as your sons and daughters, have to live in shame because it is your blessing that enriches our lives. To you I give all the glory and all the honor forever and ever, Lord Jesus. Receive the honor tonight and give your blessing to each one of your sons and daughters, for you Jesus. Amen and amen.