Plastic Surgery

PLASTIC SURGERY

Isaiah 64:4-8

Text: verse 8

Song: Amazing Grace (page 132)

1. Amazing grace - how sweet the sound - That saved a wretch like me!

- I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

2. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved;

- How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!

3. Thru many dangers, toils and snares I have already come;

- Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

4. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun,

- We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.

Prayer:

Father the task of preaching your Gospel is once again in my keeping. I commit myself to do the very best that I can. Clear my mind of distractions, warm my heart with compassion, and fill my soul with faith in your goodness and power. Speak to me that I may speak for you. Speak through me that I may speak to those who wait to hear your Gospel. Right now Lord I ask that you remove self, I ask that you remove pride -- increase in me and I decrease in you; hide me behind your cross. Lord, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart are acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord you are my strength and my redeemer. This is my prayer.

Acknowledgements:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is truly an honor to have this opportunity to stand in proxy for Pastor Hudson and be granted this privilege to stand behind this sacred desk to preach God’s unadulterated Gospel. Make no mistake about it, for I am truly unworthy ... but with God’s help -- and an Amen every now and then -- we can and will make it through. Amen.

NOW -- LETS PREACH

For our scriptures this morning let us consider Isaiah, chapter 64 in its entirety, but for our text let us focus in on verse 8 only.

We will deal with the preceding and precluding scriptures in a minute but for now, I want us to focus our attention on verse 8 only. Let us read it together [read]:

[Verse 8]

“But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand.” [Repeat]

You may be seated. [Repeat scripture]

I would like to use as a subject or theme this morning: PLASTIC SURGERY [Repeat]

Turn to your neighbor and look them DEAD in the eye and say NEIGHBOR: I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU -- BUT I NEED PLASTIC SURGERY.

[Text]

“But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand.” [Repeat]

[*] Ushers -- thank you -- you may be seated

Well preacher, what is this plastic surgery theme you talking about?

Well -- I’m not in the habit of building sermons around Webster’s definitions, but I took the liberty of looking up the word plastic and was instantly intrigued by the definition.

According to Webster, the word plastic [by itself] means: Something that is capable of being formed or shaped. Relating to or dealing with shaping or modeling. It means giving form or shape to a substance. Easily influenced. Impressionable. Having sculptural qualities. Webster went on to define plastic as: forming, growing and developing.

Now that’s all good -- so I dug a little further and discovered that the two words together [plastic & surgery] means to remodel, repair, or restore something lost, injured, or defective. It means to make right, to correct, repair, to improve or reform, heal, to correct errors and to set right.

Based on those definitions -- that was all I needed to read ... to understand that I needed plastic surgery! Then -- instantly it became clear to me what God is prepared to do in the life’s of people who ain’t ashamed to admit that they need some help, [you ain’t got to say Amen, I know I’m right] it became clear to me what God is prepared to do for people who ain’t ashamed to admit that need some cosmetic [spiritual surgery].

Now I don’t know what requires reconstruction in your life -- but there is one thing I do know. God can fix whatever is ailing you, and He will do it week after week, month after month, year after year, until the soul -- that once rejected Him looks JUST LIKE HIM.

Repeat subject: PLASTIC SURGERY

Walk with me [Verse 8]

“But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand.”