Isaiah 59:16
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Abraham
Moses
Samuel
Elijah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Every one of these Bible characters had something very specific in common. Do you know what it was?
They were all identified in the scriptures as intercessors.
Now let's look at this word "intercessor" The dictionary defines the word " intercessor," as one who intervenes on the behalf of another.
The work of an intercessor is to...
*Stand in the middle between two parties.
*Arrange a meeting.
*Bridge a gap.
*Plead on the behalf of another.
Elijah's persistent prayer on Mt Carmel, was a picture of his intercession on the behalf of Israel.
*A true intercessor has to enter the place of intercession with complete abandonment as relates to personal desires or ambition. An intercessor is acting not on their part, but on the part of another.
*An intercessor operates with delegated authority on the behalf of the party they represent.
*An intercessor is a represenative of one party to another.
*Intercession creates a meeting place with God, and with the powers of darkness.
*In intercession you will clash with the darkness, in order to bring the light.
Intercession is not prayer. You can pray for yourself, for things, even for others without intercedeing.
*So you can pray without intercedeing, but you can't intercede without praying.
Intercession is to vicariously take the place of another.
*Prayer itself does not assume the place of another, but intercession does.
An intercessor does not just pray for another's burdens. An intercessor actually in the spirit, gets under the burden, to lift it off of the one they are intercedeing for.
I have often felt the spirit of intercession for the lost, and for the bound. And I have felt the spirit of intercession to break something the devil was trying to do to someone.
I have also felt the burden of intercession for someone who is going through a major problem, or has lost a loved one.
Who are the intercessors? Are they just specific specially anointed individuals who are called as intercessors?
No, it is my conviction that every child of God is called to a life of prayer and intercession, but very few actually pick up the mantle and move into this level.
The call to intercession is as universal as the call to prayer. But intercession requires much more sacrifice and time.
It is true though that the more you yield to and co-operate with the spirit of intercession, the stronger the anointing will be in that area.
The spirit of intercession is the spirit that Christ lived by. Everything he did, he did for us. That's why he is the greatest intercessor. He is still intercedeing for us.
I have just been laying a foundation for this word. I feel this word very heavy in my spirit. I know that I have heard from God.
I want you to lift your hands and pray in the spirit. I want the atmosphere clear for this word today.
Come on, pray in the Holy Ghost, bring out the bull dozier. God is wanting to speak to us today.
I believe somebody is going to leave this house with a mantle today.
Someone who knows there is an anointing and the mantle of an intercessor on your life, but for whatever reason, you have just laid it aside. But today you're going to pick it back up.
Ok, let's get to our text
Isaiah 59:16 KJV And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Now let's read it from the Nlt... Isaiah 59:15-16 The LORD looked and was displeased to find there was no justice.¹6 He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him.
Now the message bible... Isaiah 59:15 MSG - ¹5?¹? GOD looked and saw evil looming on the horizon—so much evil and no sign of Justice.
He couldn’t believe what he saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation.
The King James version says that God wondered that there was no intercessor.
The word "wondered" could also be defined as... was astonished, dumbfounded, stunned, devastated, and stupefied. And finally this word... horrified.
Let me give you the whole passage we're preaching from today.
Isaiah 59:12-16 KJV For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; [13] In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. [14] And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. [15] Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. [16] And he saw that there was no man, and "wondered" that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
I want you to really get this in your spirit. God was stunned, stupefied, dumbfounded, and horrified. Not that there wasn't an apostle, or pastor, or teacher, or even an evangelist.
What dumbfounded and horrified God, was that there was no intercessor.
I want to interject this right here. As much as we love and need true apostles and prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, the absence of these is not what stunned and horrified God, it was that there was no intercessor.
I am absolutely convinced that the greatest need of any generation, and any society or people groups, is intercessors.
*The generation, the society, the people groups or the culture that have no intercessors, are the poorest, most vulnerable, most defenseless, and most likely to be deceived and destroyed people on the face of the earth.
*It is my conviction that the highest calling ever conferred upon a human being, is not apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, evangelist, presbyter, or bishop.
The highest calling and the highest office ratified by heaven is the office and the calling of the intercessor.
I don't care what position you may hold in the church, the highest office you can occupy from heavens perspective, is the office of an intercessor.
When I read the text that we are speaking from today, it's like reading todays news paper. It's like we are that people. And the attitudes and the characteristics that are spoken of here, are running rampant in America today.
When God looked at that self-loving, truth hating, Godless society, what horrified him was that there were no intercessors.
Abrahams time had Abraham.
Moses time had Moses.
Samuels time had Samuel.
Elijah's time had Elijah.
Ezekiels time had Ezekiel
Daniel's time had Daniel.
It doesn't matter what title you put upon them. Prophet etc. Foremost and most importantly of all, they were intercessors.
The very thought that we would be living in a society and a time when there are no intercessors, should send chills down your spine. It should shake you to the core of your being. It horrified God. Why was it such a disturbing thing to God, that when he looked he didn't see an intercessor?
Because God knows that without an intercessor, he is locked out of the affairs of men. God knows that intercessors are the ones who build the bridge between two worlds.
God knows that intercessors are the link between heaven and earth.
God was horrified that there was no intercessor, because he knew that every ministry in the earth, would fall and fail without the intercessor.
*The work of God in the earth is irrevocably tied to human co-operation and participation.
*Before God does anything in the earth somebody has to pray it.
Simeon was an intercessor who prayed for the birth of the messaiah.
Intercessors are the most valued asset in heaven. But on the earth in many cases, they are the least valued and least appreciated.
I appreciate financial blessings, but if you never sowed a dime in to my life, but faithfully interceded for me, I would consider myself rich.
Since the work and the ministry of the intercessor is mostly done in secret, many times they are over looked and taken for granted.
To me the intercessor is like a jewel that is so precious to God, that he keeps it hidden and protected. Then it is up to us in the ministry, and positions of ministry to honor them, and appreciate them, and use them.
The ministry of the intercessor is the watchman on the wall.
Intercessors are our first line of defence against the attacks of hell. Very often intercessors see things, and feel things in the spirit, before they are manifested in the natural. This gives us advance notice so we can have the advantage over the devil, and so we can be prepared before the attack comes.
I have a pastor friend. He tells his story. One day one of his intercessors came to him weeping, evidently very distraught. He asked her what was the matter? She said the Lord had showed her that the devil was going to try to kill him.
Now if this would have been just anyone, he would just brushed it off, and said... ok, thank you.
But she was a true intercessor, with a track record of hearing and seeing in the spirit. So he pressed her about it. She said pastor, the Lord shows me that the devil will try to kill you, but he will not succeed. You will not die.
Now what do you do with that? Well they began to take that advance reconnaissance information and war against the devils plans.
About 2-3 weeks later he was between his car and trailer checking his hitch, when he stepped out from between them, a car hit him. It tore him up, he went through surgery after surgery, he almost lost his life, then his leg.
But that advanced warning, and pre-emptive intercession kept ringing in his ears. You will live and not die.
About a year later, he's back in the pulpit preaching with more power and more anointing, and more faith than ever, because he understood how to the flow with the ministry of intercession.
The greatest void in the church world today is not apostles, prophets, preachers, or evangelists. The greatest void in the church today, are the true consecrated, yielded, and anointed intercessors.
The reason why our altars are empty and dry, is because we have lost the art of intercession. We live in a world and a culture, and a society that can't see beyond their own noses.
We can't see beyond our own prosperity. We can't see beyond our own troubles and our own discomfort. Everything is about me, and mine. And my four and no more.
Pastor, when will we see revival? When will we see the altars filled with sinners seeking salvation, and saints seeking consecration? I'll tell you when...
When we pick up the intercessors mantle.
When we get under the burden of the Lord for the lost.
The old saying is still true... The fire will fall when the wood is wet.
When the tears of the intercessors fall upon the altars again, it won't be long till the sinners tears will be mingled together with tears of the saints, and the glory of God will be seen again.
I know God is speaking to someone today to pick your mantle back up.
He's speaking to someone today to get up under the burden of intercession.
Yes it's a sacrifice, but the burden of the Lord is not heavy.
His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.
