The word time is a word that is often taken for granted. We are all guilty of often wasting time. We are all guilty of not using our time wisely. In fact the old cliché says that, “Time waits on no man.”
The American Heritage College Dictionary defines time as a nonspatial continuum in which events occur in an apparently irreversible succession from the past through to the present, and from the present to the future. So therefore time is something we don’t have much of. The facts are, there are many of us sitting here in church who has often wished that we could recapture the past. We have often said I wish that I could turn back the hands of time.”
Time is one of the most valuable things that God has given us. We can waste money and its okay. Well preacher I’m not following you on that one. I say this because, we have the opportunities to earn more money, or save money by not spending so much of it, or even by working a part time job to earn more of it. But wasted time is time wasted. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. There is no earning it back, there is no negotiating it back, and there’s definitely no buying it back. Time only comes from God. For the few moments that I have I just want to expound on two points. I’ll try not to be too long.
My first point is: when it’s time to go to our Island of Patmos.
There comes a time in life that we have to remove ourselves from everyone and everything. There are going to be some situations that require all of our attention, our mental discipline, and concentration.
There’s going to come a time when advice from family and friends isn’t going to mean much, and for some people seeking the advice of a physic, just save your money because it’s not going to work either.
But I just wanted to share with you where you can go to seek counsel, peace, and the solutions, some resolutions and some answers for some unanswered questions.
There is a place that you can go to, that can give you all the answers you seek. That place is called your “Island of Patmos.”
I know we have some Bible scholars in here, but I’m not talking about that place where John was exiled, that was about 20 miles long and 10 miles wide or that high mountain that reached almost an altitude of 500 feet. I’m not talking about that place when John went into the mountains and received revelations from God. I’m not talking about that kind of physical place.
I’m simply talking about a place that you can go to seek God’s face.
I know 2nd Chronicles 7:14 says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
You need a place where it’s just you and God; a place that has peace. A place that is serene, and this has to be a place and a time of separation. You need a place where there are no distracts, because saints the reason that we can’t move forward in ministry is because there are just too many distractions, too many interruptions, disruptions, disturbances, and too much commotions.
And this place will need to be a place where the television is off. This is a place where the cell phones and land phones are turned off. This is a place where only you and God need to commune.
That’s why the senior generation say’s “Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.” That’s why the song writer wrote the song “Steal Away,” because sometimes you have to steal away, just for you and God so that you can seek his face for some of the answers that you have been seeking.
Now you must know this that going to your Island of Patmos is not a fun place. Some tears are going to be shed, on this island some pain and suffering is going to take place. On this island you will suffer, be lied on, abused, and drugged the mud. On this island it is a time of fasting and praying. So, the record is Hezekiah found himself in this type of situation. Hezekiah understood quite well the meaning of time.
The scripture says: In those days Hezekiah became ill and he was at the point of death. And the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; and you will not recover." The bible portrays that Hezekiah was devastated by the news for two reasons:
One: He wanted to live. Hezekiah wanted life just like the rest of us. I don’t know about you, but I want to live as long as I can, and then I want to see Jesus for myself.
Secondly, if you look at the history the Old Covenant promised temporal prosperity, including length of days to the righteous. So, Hezekiah’s mind went into a whirlwind asking himself these questions: Lord I walked like you told me to walk and I’m asking why is this for me? I kept a high level of integrity towards you, I served you faithfully. God What’s up?
Lord I kept the highest standards of morality, and now why must I get my house in order? Did I not follow you, as you instructed me to?
I don’t know about you, but I know that I would’ve been asking God some deep questions as to why me. But Hezekiah knew something; he knew that he had to seek God face.
And saints if you don’t get anything else from this word, get this, when you are going through, when you are having heartaches and pain. Whenever you are going through just know that you must seek God’s face.
And there can be no interruptions; there can be no talking from others, and no interference, no intrusion, no interloping. There can be no disruptions, disturbances, disconnections, or any intermissions. You must get with God.
Thinking spiritually, I would say Hezekiah had everyone to leave his room; he faced the wall and began to pray. He couldn’t go to the temple to pray, he needed to seek God right away.
He needed to go into his Island of Patmos. He faced the wall and went into fervent prayer. James 5:16 in the NIV says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16 in the KJV says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. We all have to go to our Island of Patmos from time to time.
Sometimes when our spouses are acting strange and we have to go to our Island of Patmos.
Sometimes when our friends/relatives are tripping and we have to go to our Island of Patmos.
Whenever your church family you will have to go to the island.
When our children are acting out.
When our health begins to fail.
Our jobs are on the brink.
When we lose a family member.
We will to visit our island of Patmos.
While Hezekiah was praying on his Island of Patmos we can see hope and faithfulness. The reason I see hope and faithfulness is because he could have cursed God and died, but he held on to hope and to the faith.
As some of the season saints would say, I’m Just Holding On.” I can even take it a little farther because from the old Traditional Baptist Church we use to say years ago “I’m just holding on because I want run on and see what the ends going be.
My second point, you must know is that, what you are going
through don’t determine where you are going to.
Some of you in here right now think that your condition is your conclusion. Some of you in here right now think that because you have an illness that that’s. Well the old cliché says “I haven’t heard the fat lady sing yet.” And I don’t hear her tuning up either.
How can you say these things pastor? When we look at 2nd Kings 20:4 it says “Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the Word of the LORD came to him and said: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, `This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD, and I will add fifteen years to your life.
It’s something about that number three that makes me want to shout. Just hold on, I will revisit the number three.
God says in essence that your condition can change. God says that your condition may not be permanent. Some of the things that we are dealing with, Satan want to make you feel that you are trapped, and held hostage. Satan is a liar. And the Bible clearly says in James 8:44. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
In other words it’s not over until God says it’s over. I’m here as a witness before the almighty God to let you know, it’s not over until God say’s so.
Remember what God said through the mouth of the Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 4:17, he said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
But if we read a little further to the verse 18, it says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For what is seen is temporary. In other words thank God trouble don’t last always.
I don’t think you’re feeling me yet. Come on Moses. Moses had a condition. He was a murderer. If you read Exodus 2:12, he slew an Egyptian and hid him in the sand. It was his condition, but it wasn’t his conclusion.
Naaman had a condition. Naaman was a leper. If you read 2 Kings 5:10 Elisha told Naaman to go the River Jordan, that old muddy river Jordan and dip yourself seven times and your flesh will be as clean as a newborn baby. Being a leper was his condition but it wasn’t his conclusion.
Come on Lazarus. You were sick and then you died. Death was his condition, but it wasn’t his conclusion. Jesus came to the tomb and called him forth.
I just want to revisit that special number: the number three. In 2 Kings 20:5-6 says "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, `This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life.
Come on Jesus. People just knew that your cross was your conclusion. Can I just park here for a minute? Jesus came into this world 40 and 2 generations for you and for me.
40 and 2 generations preacher? I’m not feeling you right now. Come with me to the beginning book of Matthews the very first chapter. Follow along as I read the geneology of Jesus the Christ. He came through the lineage of David, so that he could set us free on that special day. That day that Jesus went to the old rugged cross. They hung him high and they stretched him wide. He died on that Friday, but on the third day. Early one Sunday morning, he got up with all power in his hands....PRAISE GOD!!!!!
