Beholding Him who is holding me - Bro Caleb Roadcap 4-3-2024

Yeah, thankful to being the Lord's house's house and he's only who Josh said.

Some of these testimonies go along with seeing God for who he is and

having a relationship with God and and all that. If you'll be turned into

Isaiah chapter six, very familiar portion of spirit. For do miss our pastor

to his sister house is her hand and brother Phillip since or Elizabeth. Pray

for them as their down in Miami and they're safe to turn back. Yeah,

thankfully overpar to preach, don't thinking like Isaiah chapter six, we're going

at verse one. In the year that King's I had died, I saw

also the Lord setting upon the throne high and lifted up, and his train

filled the temple. Dropping down to verse five, then said, I woe

is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean

lips, and I dwell among a myth in the midst of a people of

unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Go drop down to verse nine, and he said, go and tell

this people hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed,

but perceive not. Or in our primary versus a scripture. We read from

a very familiar passage, and many Bible readers loved to quote and reread this

sixth chapter of Isaiah. We love the sermon and the prayer of hearing my

Lord send me. We love it. We love to pray that when we're

you know, maybe in that time of searching for God's will. We love

It's just a really nice sermon in prayer that all of us pretty much have

probably heard at some point in time. However, as I was praying in

preparation for this service, I began to view this chapter from another angle and

study some of these latter verses that hadn't really stood out to me before.

And the title to this message that I found in prayer was beholding he who's

holding me? Beholding me? Who's holding me? And a little bit about

this. Isaiah was known as a major prophet. This is due to the

fact of the quantity of written content that he bring up that he produced.

It was very large. Isaya administered as a prophet to the people of Judah

during the reign of five different kings, and the reader will note that prior

to this chapter, prior to this vision that he saw, prior to this

great experience in the Lord that the Lord blessed him with. He had already

been preaching, and he for five other chapters, already been menising for the

Lord in five other chapters. And sometimes these messages and these these the messages

from the Lord that he would have to deliver. It was things that maybe

the people didn't always want to hear. He had obey God. And this

was before he had such a mighty encounter with the Lord that was documented.

And when praying, when I was praying, the thought began to work on

my heart and the tiele, and I couldn't help but think about as I

was thinking about beholding him, who's holding me? I thought about this vision

that Isaiah had, and I thought about what all the glory that Isaiah was

able to behold, and what he wrote about, and the things that he

witnessed. And it says here that he saw the Lord setting on the throne.

He was high and lifted up, that the train filled the temple and

instead above the seraphions. Each one of them had six wings with twain.

He covered his face with twain, he covered his feet with twain, did

five He cried one to another, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy,

is the Lord of posts. The whole earth is filled of his full of

his glory, the posts of the door's movement, the voice saying that pride,

and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah's describing here such a glory

and such a mighty, such a powerful, just this glimpse of heaven,

this glimpse of the throne, and this glimpse of the Lord. And truly

Isaiah beheld the one who for the first the five chapters prior. He was

able to be hold the one who had been holding him through those five chapters,

the one that they'd been with him. Though maybe I'm not sure how

he felt, but maybe feel like some preacher. Sometimes he's going and saying

all these things, and the people might be giving him backlash. He's wondering,

the Lord, are you there? But he knows who was dealing with

his heart. And then he has this vision and he just know he's able

to behold the Lord and see him for who he is. Next my mind

to John in Revelation chapter one and verses thirteenth or fifteen, he said,

and in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like under the sun of

man, clothed with a garment down to the foot and ward about the paps

with a golden birdle, and his head and his hairs were white like cool,

as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire,

and his feet on the fine brass, as if they had burned in

a furnace, and his voice like the sound of many waters. John here

is describing about well again what he saw, and how John had witnessed Jesus

in the flesh, in the person, he was able to behold the Maker

and the Master. And then he goes home with his ministry, and he

finds himself out and outcasting put away on that isle of papage. And yet

the Lord pro blesses him again, and he's able to behold the Lord again

and see him in this fashion, in this manner, this glory. And

then I'm begin to think about the martyr Stephen, how in his five final

moments he saw the glory of God in the heavens open, and the son

of Man is standing on the right hand of God. And I can say,

and can't I say that, Jesus, they have been at God's right

hand. But ultimately Stephen was in the hand of God, and God was

all Stephen and keeping him through that moment, and the thing will testify.

I'm just thinking about these mighty visions, these glass of glory, these these

these opportunities to behold the Lord for who he is and has been of God.

They were truly blessed to see. And truly every Christian has had a

glimpse of the Lord and beheld the Lord at some point in their life.

That moment when you knelt to pray and spiritually you made your way to the

cross. Maybe you didn't have per se and vision, but in your mind's

eye you saw Jesus and what he did for you. When you heard the

preacher lay it out so so beautifully to you and in great detail. You

made your way across the Calgary and from there you went and you beheld empty

too, And then from there you may have traveled to the Upper Room.

We are truly a blessed people, and you hear we may physically see it.

No, maybe not. Everyone has maybe a vision from the Lord.

We can and see the Lord in some way in all life and into theurtusties.

In my study, there was some portions of scripture that really came to

mind and stood out to me while I was reading. You look into Luke

twenty three. You don't have to turn there if you want to, just

listen. I want you to picture this, and some of this will sound

familiar from what passengers breached on Sunday, Verses forty four down. And it

was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth

until the ninth hour, and the sun was darkened, and the veil of

the temple was rent in the midst And when Jesus had cried with a loud

voice, he said, Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit.

And having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Now, when

this centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying certainly this was

a righteous man. And all the people came together that to that site,

beholding the things which were done. They spoke their us and returned, and

all his acquaintances and the women that followed from Galilee stood afar off beholding these

things. I got to thinking right here that there was three different groups.

There was a soldier, and there's two other groups of people. They all

witnessed the same thing. They all beheld the same thing, the same experience,

and yet they all three had different reactions to this, to this,

to what they beheld. The soldier, the centurion, he said, Wow,

this was a man of God, This was a righteous man that truly,

this was the Son of God. The people that had put him on

the cross and wanted him there and wanted him to die, they spoke their

rest and they said, oh, look he couldn't save himself. Who is

he's just another man away with this person who's vexed, doesn't caused his problems.

And then there's the ones that they had followed him. They they went

with them, they ministered with them, They were ministered unto by him.

The sadness that they beheld at this site, this man that had been with

them, teacher that they had followed, and he had left everything for her

to follow him, And the sadness and beholding this you read about those who

witnessed Jesus death and his burial, they beheld him in that stage of the

salvation plan. And we just celebrated Easter, and it truly it comes around

once a year. The Easter season comes around once a year. But may

we never forget each day what a price that was paid by the son of

God, and that he willingly and gladly like sister Rachel, I believe said,

he chose to do it for you, and I I began to think

about focusing on God. Let me say when Pastor I think believe, I

believe, he says, sometimes focus on the Lord, you know, thinking

about the Lord of your horsem and focus on him. What it means to

focus, you're when you focus with your eyes, you're you're getting rid of

the blurriness and it becomes a clearer picture. You focus in on God and

you beholding for who he is, and you realize that it's him who's holding

He He has you in his head and who's keeping you in guide for every

part of life and on his journey. In Mark sixteen and six, it

says, and he said, unto him being not a frightened you see Jesus

a Nazareth, which is s crucified. He has risen. He is not

here. Behold the place where they lay him. And like I said,

every Christian he has. We surveyed the cross, we see what he did.

We behold him in that time of suffering, taking the payment. But

we also view him in the empty tomb that the tomb is. He viewed

the tone that is empty, and that he is the power, that he

is a rose, and that he is alive and living for hoor more in

heaven. The women came to the tomb or early Sunday morning, and they

were eyewitnesses to behold the empty tomb. In Acts One, chapter one,

Versus nine to eleven, we read of those who beheld Jesus returning into heaven,

and the promise that he would indeed return and come again. It says,

and when he has spoken these things, while they beheld, he was

taken up, and a cloud received him out of the sight. And while

they look steadfastly towards heaven, as he went up, behold two men stood

by them in wide apparel, which said, which also said, even at

Galilee, why stand he gazing up into heaven. This same Jesus, which

is taken up from you all into heaven, shall so come in like manner

as you have seen him go into heaven. These disciples were blessed to enable

to hold Jesus in the flesh here on earth. And while he's away preparing

a mansion for those who believe in him and do his will, he has

sent us the Holy Gos, the comforter to be with us and to be

in us, and truly we can make contact. Like brother Jesse said,

I believe it was Sunday morning. God, he's still available, and he's

still accessible. I will still behold him when we take the time two girls

are and to try to make contact. That's true, that he really isn't

far from any one of us. And so I've asked us have we been

held in recently? I was so blessed and so stirred by that servant Sunday

night, that pastor breach on falling at the feet of Jesus. And I

feel like I did it myself, and I trust everyone else did that week.

We fell at the feet of Jesus, and we beheld him for who

had for what he did on Easter those over two thousand years ago, and

for just him always being there, for us, being mindful of us and

keep us in holding us, beholding him who's holding me right? God.

In John chapter ten, we read the verses where it says, my sheep

hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and

I give up to them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither

shall any man pluck them. Out of my hand my father, which gave

them me. He is greater than all, and no man is able to

plug them out of my Father's hand. Now, this does not mean we

can't lose our salvation like many people try to use these verses, as we

still have the free will, and we can step away from God's hold if

we choose to. We can step out of his hands and away from the

hedge, if we choose to. Like Pastor said so well, say day

morning. Not even Hell itself as authority or power over those who are Christ

and has to hold on us. He to keep us. We allow ourselves

to be kept to the latter verses of juven the final part. It's some

of my favorite verses, and many of us quote it. It says,

now on to him that is able to keep you from falling, and to

present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy to the only

wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,

both now and ever. Amen. We love those verses, but just a

couple verses prior it says there's something we have to do. It says,

keep yourself in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord

Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And surely we must do our part and holde

to God and to the things which we have learned. The id is are

his worth the things that it reveals unto us God, because when we do

be holding, when he lets us be hoping in his good, when he

lets us see his hopingess, his seed planning for us, and see what

he what he asking us to do, when he requires everyone to do,

he's holding on us. But we must hold to what he's shown us and

what he's asking us to do. Then this will bring us back to those

latter verses verse nine in Isaiah chapter six. And this is as I was

studying it. It began with beholding him, who's holding me? In truth,

that's a glorious thing, pastor really pretty showing it so well with a

little a little different of the thought, but ultimately being at Jesus' feet beholding

him. It really it was blessing to me as I was praying. But

then this is where things and go to reading these latter verses, and this

is where the world really begin to deal with me. So ask for a

praying church. He's verses Jesus himself, and so he kind of reiterates these

phrases. And he says to mcim reading verses nine and ten, and he

said, go and tell this people hear he indeed, but understand, not

see He indeed will perceived. God make the heart of this people fat and

make their ears heavy, shut their eyes unless they see with their eyes and

hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and

be healed. And I will say that this phrase used to leave them with

questions. I was right, honestly confused. But as I began to study

this out, the way I understand it now is God isn't being unfair to

his people. He's not an unjust God. He's not punishing them because they

don't understand everything I once. He's not being unfaired with them in any way.

This is a spiritual punishment to those who have been enlightened to the truth,

to those who know right from wrong, those who have been raised ways

of God, and yet they choose to hold fasten their sins. God eventually

gives them up to a spiritual blindness because for so long they willingly chose to

ignore what it is God's been saying to them. God in Matthew thirteen this

is Jesus repeating basically these phrases. It says, therefore I speak one of

them in parables, because they see and see not, and hearing they hear

not, neither do they understand. And in them it's fulfilled the prophecy of

Isaiahs were said, by hearing you shall hear and shall not understand. And

seeing they shall see, you shall not perceive. For this people's heart is

waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes have they

closed? Listen? Their ears are dull of hearing. They're tired of hearing.

They don't want to hear any more. Their eyes have they closed?

Right blest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their

ears ears, and should understand what their heart and should be converted, and

I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes free they see, and

your ears for they heard, And we are blessed people. And anyone who

is you're beholding God for who he is, you feel at Jesus' feet you're

a blessed person. Well, if not coaches for a little wo for that

person that they you're plugging your ears. Maybe you're not, but maybe somebody

at some point they get tired. You get tired of it, you get

aggravated. For some reason, something inside, some seed gets planted them against

the something against the fester. Paraphrase what Matthew Henry said, But basically what

he said was, Jesus did not give more knowledge to this people because they

were not using what they already had, having all means of seeing, hearing,

understanding, they didn't use any of it. They did not effectually see

or hear understand anything they would surely hear in the natural sense, they had

all possible means given to them. Then it would profit them nothing because they

were sensual and insensible. Their spiritual senses were shut up, and they had

closed their eyes to the light, unwilling to understand the things of God,

not even desiring him to heal them. It's truly a sad and dangerous position

when somebody they're content in their sin, are content in their age, They're

content with how they see it, they're content with what they want to believe

about it. And I believe something along those lines with said during the revolval.

But I begin to think our pastors. So often he'll he'll use with

prementive maintenance. I'll bump things that the world gives the Lord, because to

deal with him, he'll he'll bump some things, and I'll deal with some

things. And as as I was thinking about that, I began to see

it as he's putting down spiritual pest control, spiritual pest de sign because this

is before those the pests of the world, the pests of pride, before

any of that has a chance to carry out on the seeds or we need

him away at the fruit that has been cultivated already. He's gonna put down

that spiritual pesticide and it's gonna keep those things back. However, I mean

when more than a couple of services, and he has and it seems like

he has to keep layer and then keep layering and putting more and more.

When it's more than just a few services, when it's more than just the

one we grow live, and when you fail on a certain certain things,

then it begins to feel like maybe there's a spiritual infestation in the floor.

And I think what the preacher said this as well, But there's not there's

not a group chat going on where somebody decides, Hey, this is the

topic for the month of the year. That's not how things work. But

it's the God, the God who loves you, the God there, God,

the preacher are God. He cares about you. And it's deal with

people giving them a burden for your soul. God. And the fear is

that a root they have been gonna take hold? And then a soul could

be willingly shutting their eyes to what God showing them, closing their ears to

what He's saying to them. Reading on verses eleven and twelve, it says,

this said our Lord, how long? And he answered, until the

cities be wasted without inhabitant, until the house is without man, and the

land being utterly desolate, and the Lord have removed men far away, and

there would be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Can I

say truly? The preacher will keep preaching until you're bond, until your pew

is desolate, until your spiritual senses are desolate, and no more. The

preacher will keep preaching. He'll keep going for you. The saints of God,

they'll keep going for your praying for who haven't anybody? But does that

move us? And you may be president body, but you may find yourself

in a place that sometime where grace is being extended. The conviction is so

strong, the grace and good is so wonderful, but yet you don't feel

it. You don't feel the conviction, and you no longer feel the urgency.

That's what I was praying. I'm gonna think about when the Lord was

telling us for over a year seeking and we've heard so many things about that,

and I don't want to drag something out, but it's been a lengthy

time of prayer and a cry and to plead with probably praying the hold of

us for a long time, that somebody would ignore the voice of the Lord.

And during this time of prayer that I felt this laying on my heart

and I wrote it down. If you're not seeking him, how will you

ever see him? How will you ever behold him? Right? Could it

means that someone is if somebody does not begin to realize and acknowledge you has

been holding them and whose hand has been the hedge around about them, that

the protection will be taken and the church family will behold if someone falls and

slips away, is consumed by the enemy. And as I cried prayed,

and as the holds just came down and in such a mighty way. And

I don't say that that I'm anybody is it's it's what the Lord doesn't even

is to deal with somebody. But there was such an inward burden and an

inward fire as just to realize that somebody could close their eyes and not want

to behold God and not want to see what He's trying to do for them

to do in their life. But again I asked, does that move you?

Does that bother you? You know when I just hope it's just now

when when I'm when I have my eyes closed, that for some reason or

whatever, maybe I can't hear something altogether, something might get your attention and

your life. You're curious, You want to open your eyes, You want

to find what's going on. You wanna you want to hear where? What

is it that they're saying that there's a wall in no way, something's in

my way? Are you not curious to what God has for you? Because

it's above our imagination, it's above our expectations. Are you not concerned?

Are you not moved by that my prayers that somebody would catch a vision of

him to the hold he who's holding me, to catch a vision of him

who's holding you, to surrender to him instead. It's set. It's our

time in her day. We all we go. We gotta do a lot

of name time in our day to focus on him, to see him for

who he is and what he's done for us. To acknowledge that it's him

who holds us, Him that protects us, who he is and what he

does for us every day. Cause truly it's every day, whether we see

it or not, whether we feel it or not, whether we hear him

speaking to us or not, He's there every day in every situation, every

circumstance that we finally saying, he's working in it some way, somehow we

don't stand. We're gonna come into these althars Church. We will behold Him

in his glory one day, and as I I pray that you will be

stirred about the reality of eternity, will behold a destination either one some day.

I would much rather behold the Lord and his glory in heaven. And

I've heard that I see everyone else there. And if if it's not for

him, then praise the Lord that you beheld him. Thank you ever mad.

It's open your eyes to see him for who he is and maybe take

another trip. I take another trip and see him for who he is,

and just love him. He truly is a good God, and I want

to be able to behold him and to serve him. Open the eyes of

my hearts, Open the eyes of my heart. I want want to see

you now. I want to see. Open the eyes of my heart.

Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see now. I want

to see see I leave, get up shining in a lot of your glovey,

pour out your power and love, because me seeing, Holy, Holy,

Holy, I want to see. M hm h the eyes of my

heart. Open the eyes of my heart, I want it see now.

I want to see. Open the eyes of my uncle, coming the eyes

of my I want to see now. I want to see to see you.

Hide d up, shining out of your gold, pour out of power

love if we see, hold holdly hopefully. I want to see you.

I want to see. Open the eyes of my barnor open the eyes of

my lord. I want to see. I want to see. Open the

eyes of my bar loor, open the eyes of my horn, for I

want to see you. I want to see see high live did shine in

the light of Lord. What at your power love as we see, Holy,

Holy, Holy, I want to see ho open the eyes of my

heart. Lord, Please open the eyes of my I want to see.

I want to see. Open the eyes of my heart. Lord, open

the eyes of my heart. I want to see. I want to see

see you highly shining on the lot of your blow. More at your power,

love as we see, Holy, Holy Holy. I won't and horn

looking the out of I won't see. I want to see, looking out

of the horn, openly out of man. I want to see. I

want to see see I leave it up shining in the light of your go.

We've pout your bow a love we see, Holy, Loly Holy.

I want to see s