Lifted Up
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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.
2nd Scripture
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Introduction.
Introduction.
The Old Testament view of God was Isaiah’s vision. God, high and lifted up. God on His throne.
O clap your hands, all ye people; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the Lord most high is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth.
Isaiah saw Him this way.
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.
Let’s look at the vision the prophet saw, and break it down. Two wings covered Their faces. Think of it, even holy Angels had to hide Their sinless faces, to stand in the Presence of God. Was given wings to hide Their face, in the Presence of the holy God!
How are you and I going to stand There, if the Seraphims had to use wings, God’s provided way to hide Their face, to stand in His Presence, to sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty”? Reverence in His Presence!
Now we don’t have any reverence to God. Everybody just thinks he is so secured, till they don’t reverent God like they should. Why? Why do they do this? Because they’re not conscious of His Presence. That’s the reason people do that. They don’t recognize It.
They can’t comprehend that they’re in the Presence of God. Their minds become so perverted and taken up in the things of the world, till they don’t even pay any attention to It.
They go to church, sure. But to realize that you’re in the Presence of God! Not only in a church; wherever you are, you’re in the Presence of God.
(David said I’m always in Your Presence)
You say, “Well, Brother Branham, you just said They were provided with two wings.”And you are provided with something, too, the Blood of Jesus Christ. That’s your covering.
That, you don’t stand as a Seraphim, you don’t stand as a Cherubim, you don’t stand as an Angel. But, you stand as a redeemed son or daughter of God, by this Blood. You don’t have to have these wings that They had.
They’re a special covering for Them in that Presence. But you’ve got the Blood of Jesus Christ for a covering, to stand There. Now, you, if you’ve got that Blood, then you honor God, you love God, you respect God; and God is the Word.
Now notice, secondly, with two wings They covered Their feet. What did that mean? Humility before God, in His Presence.
(Moses, Paul, John)
Here is a good example. Always be conscious of your littleness, not your bigness. Today, we Americans, so much, that we try to think that we’re big somebody,
“We belong to something big, some big organization, some great big something that’s got…” Oh, great big, big, big is all we see.
(Still, Small Voice)
Thirdly, He could fly by the other two. Now remember, two, He covered His face, in the Presence of God, and to be reverent. Secondly, the two wings over His feet meant humility, before God. And third set of wings, now, He put Hisself into action.
He could fly with them two wings, see. Two over His face, two over His feet, and flying with two, now what was it? Reverence, humility, and in action. 64-0315 - Influence
God was high and lifted up, no wonder they had difficulty seeing Him in a humble carpenter’s son.
The creature, man, was made where he could fall, and one of the ways he couild fall was by pride.
Uzziah fell because his heart was lifted up.
Satan fell for the same reason.
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Satan said “I will”, but Jesus said, “not my will”. Jesus heart was not lifted up, his ego wasn’t important. He lifted up His flesh to be nailed to the cross.
He was so humble He hid the mighty Jehovah.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The way to glorification was by the lifting up of the cross.
And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
This he said, signifying what death he should die.
The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
The way up is down.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The way up is down. “He that humbles himself shall be exalted; he that exalts himself shall be abased.” Humbled himself. Don’t try to be a big something; try to be a little something, but be what you are.
Be little in the sight of God, be little in your own sight, everybody else is above you. “Lets him’s the greatest among you be minister to all.”
Who could be greater than Jesus Christ who girded Himself and washed the disciples’ feet? A foot-washing Flunky, He become.
The God of Heaven, the Creator of heavens and earth, washing dirty feet for fishermen (Oh!) with manure and stuff, and dust off the roads, where their garments had swept it up, and washing it off; a foot-washing Flunky, what He was.
And then we think, “We’re somebody. We got to be Doctor, Ph.D., So-and-so.” Oh, my! That ain’t Christ. That don’t display the lovely Jesus Christ. He become Servant to all.
Taught us an example that we should do to one another as He’s did unto us. Oh, that’s my Lord. What makes Him big, because He made Hisself little. 60-1207 - The Pergamean Church Age
(Artificial Tooth = reputation, real tooth no reputation)
The way up is down. Always remember that. Be humble; be sweet and kind; be creative. Let Christ be in you. 61-0205E - Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever
Now, what was He yesterday? Now, if He was a great, rich man yesterday, He would be a great, rich man today. But when He come yesterday, we find out that He didn’t even have a place to lay His head.
That’s right. “The birds of the air have nests, the foxes has dens; but I don’t even have a place to lay My head.”
When He come to the world, He borrowed a womb to be borned in, they had no cradle to lay Him in, so they laid Him in a box of straw. When He died, He was nailed to a Roman tree under capital punishment.
He had one robe to put on, it’d been made for Him, “wove throughout without a seam.” He had to borrow a grave to be buried in. So there’s none of us that bad off.
He come to show what God was. Anything that’s high and haughty isn’t God. God is low and humble, that’s what made Him God.
See, something that comes low, not them that goes high. So God doesn’t dwell in hierarchies, and things, He dwells in humility.
The way up is down. “Humble yourself and you’ll be exalted; exalt yourself and you’ll be humble.” 62-0724 - Sir, We Would See Jesus
(Birth is a Mess. Boss in Pigpen)
If you’re looking for a big show, He might speak in a still small voice. He might want you to be quiet.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
If you’re cold and starchy He might make you scream and speak in tongues. He wants to make a servant out of you, like Simon, who carried His cross.
And so is the new Birth. It’s a mess, any way you take It, but It produces Life. Amen. It produces Life. What kind of Life? Servant Life, to humble yourselves, to deny yourself.
That’s the kind of Life. Oh, they say, “But I’ve seen them cry and boo around the altar and carry on.” Sure. They’re being born. It’s a mess, I don’t care where you go.
You might get up, your face all full of tears, and your eyes red, and your hands raw from beating on the altar, but it’s a Birth. It does something to you.
It makes you a servant. It takes the starch out of you. It makes image, molding new Life, new creation. You may be all messed up, when you get up, but you’re borned again.
No matter where you are, it makes a new Life. It brings a new, image Life. It makes a servant out of you. You want to serve, then. Jesus want us to serve one another, love one another. And as we serve each other, we serve Him.
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Now, remember, it’s only the sick that demands attention, service. Just the sick, they demand attention.
And when you see a preacher…And may I not only limit it to a preacher, but may I limit it to every church member that wants attention, “I’m somebody,” just remember, there is a spiritual sick person.
They are needing attention. They need the attention of the Spirit of God, to give them something that’ll take that attitude out of them, and heal them from their selfishness and big ideas, and “big me and little you.” The Holy Ghost makes us all the same. 59-0525 - Images Of Christ
When Isaiah saw Him high and lifted up, it made Him conscious of his own littleness.
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.
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
A true revelation of who you are doesn’t make you arrogant, it makes you humble. It makes you a servant like He was.
Who did Eleazer look for? The servant Bride. Willing to water the power that would finally take her home.
There is None Like You