Sermon by Bishop Clarence McClain
BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
THE DIVINE EXCHANGE
BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
7/20/25
LCFM
ACKOWLEDGEMENT
Job 14:1-7
Man that is born of a woman is of few days.
The brevity and burden of life
Man, that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. (2) He cometh forth like a flower
and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. (3) And dost thou open thine eyes
upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? (4) Who can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean? not one. (5) Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast
appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; (6) Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish,
as an hireling, his day. (7) For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and
that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
The knowledge and the conduct of mankind are frequently at variance. How general is the
conviction of the brevity of human life and of the certainty of death! How wise, virtuous, and happy
would the human species be were their conduct conformable to this conviction! But how rarely is this
the case! Do not the generality live as if their life were never to have an end?
1. Our life is of short duration . Many are snatched away by death while we are still children. A
considerable portion of mankind fall a prey to the grave in the liveliest period of their youth. Many are
taken off by sudden disease. If a man lives long, how short life appears to him on review of it.
2. Our life is full of trouble . To how many evils and dangers, how many calamities are we not subject
from our birth to our death! How often are our joys converted into sorrows! Our life is interwoven with
many perils and distresses. Let us never add to their number by a disorderly and criminal conduct. If life
then be so short and so insecure, how irrational is it to confine our hopes to these few moments, and to
seek the whole of our happiness here on earth! We impose upon ourselves in thinking to build our felicity
on the unstable possession and enjoyment of these fugacious objects. We are formed for eternity. Our
present condition is only a state of preparation and discipline; it only contains the first act of our life
which is never to terminate. The blessed, undecaying life should be the object of our affections, our
views and our exertions; it should be the principal ground of our hopes and our comfort. ( G. J. Zollikofer. )
There is a plan for us that is greater for us than what is here on earth.
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
7/20/25
LCFM
Beauty of the Ashes: The Divine Exchange Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound; (2) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the
day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (3) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might
be glorified.
He’s Coming For The Ashes, That Has Been Transformed For His GLORY.
Introduction: A God Who Transforms
Church, we gather today not just to be inspired, but to be reminded. Isaiah 61 is not a
poem—it is a prophetic proclamation. It is the Word of the Lord spoken centuries before
Christ, yet fulfilled in Jesus, the Anointed One.
Autumn teaches us something sacred. Trees release their leaves, which fall, crumble, and
decay. They are raked, burned, and forgotten—leaving behind ashes. But what the world
discards, God redeems . What seems useless to man becomes the raw material for a
miracle in God’s hands. God doesn’t toss away the ruined parts of our lives. He doesn’t
avoid the burned-out places, the sorrow, the shame, or the ruins. He gathers them. Isaiah
61:3 tells us of this divine exchange—a promise of transformation. Through the
redemptive power of Jesus, we trade our ashes for beauty, our mourning for joy, our
heaviness for praise.
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
When Jesus opened the scroll in Luke 4 and read from Isaiah 61, He was declaring the
dawn of divine restoration . "Beauty Of The Ashes" is not a poetic fancy; it is a promise
for the broken and the poor in spirit. God is not intimidated by our ashes. For sin cannot
stand in the presence of God. For our sins have been cast into the sea of ashes anointed
with the oil of the Holy Spirit. He is not overwhelmed by our mourning. He does not
abandon those weighed down by the spirit of heaviness. Instead, He moves toward us. He
appoints, He exchanges, and He glorifies Himself through our transformation. Oh, the
beauty of our Ashes.
The Context of Isaiah 61
The people of Israel had been through
Devastation, Exile, Destruction,
Disappointment . Isaiah 61 comes as a message of Hope : a divine reversal. The prophet
speaks to the Weary , the Wounded , and the Worn-Out . Have you ever been their saints?
Isaiah 61:1-2 sets the tone: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me..." and by verse 3,
we find the core of the message—a triple exchange:
• Beauty of the ashes - “At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I
gather you : for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth,
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.” { Zep 3:20 }
• Joy for mourning- “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the
morning.”
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
• Praise for heaviness- “ Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” {Mat.11:29}
This was more than comfort; it was a covenant. A promise of restoration that redefines
your identity.
Ashes, appears to be--The Symbol of Ruin and Regret
Ashes in Scripture represent Loss, Repentance, Humiliation , and Grief . However, in
ancient Israel, people would sit in ashes or sprinkle them on their heads to publicly display
sorrow (Job 2:8, Esther 4:1, Jonah 3:6). Such we have Ash Wednesday.
What are the ashes in your life today ?
• Failed relationships , that began in the first home you knew and spread into your
adult life, because you never knew how to nurture and kindle the right wood for
the right fire. Just as wood is different it burns differently, so are humans. Our
desires for love and attention come in a different direction and a different package
and their needs are different.
• Buried dreams , that lay in the tomb with Lazurus, and remain there with
disobedience, for fear of not being able to accomplish what God may have shown
you what is already yours by faith. But faith without works is dead.
• Aborted callings , failure to carry your calling to full term. You start off strong and
the devil start throwing darts. Mismanagement of finances causes you to stop
supporting the church and the ministry. This brings you your first guilt trip. You
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BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
may get a new love interest that does not carry the same spiritual values as you,
here comes another guilt trip. Your job schedule change, and you forget that the
Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Where there is a will there
is a way. Here comes another guilt trip.
• Then there is our Personal sin and its aftermath , church what is your excuse.
What is going to be in your ashes? I say what is going to be in your Ashes.
Ashes say, "This is what's left after the fire." But God says, "This is where beauty begins."
The world discards ashes. God collects them. “Ashes to Ashes Dust to Dust.” To whom
much is given much is required. For every cremation that goes on the ground and a green
plant grows. Oxygen is produced back into the natural air.
The Divine Exchange—Beauty for Ashes
God never leaves us in the place of mourning. He moves us to the place of magnificence .
The Hebrew word for "beauty" here is "pe'er," which refers to a crown or ornament of
glory. “ Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” {Jas.1:12}
In other words, God doesn't just sweep up our ashes. He replaces them with something
glorious:
• He gives worth where there was shame.
• He gives healing where there was heartbreak.
• He gives hope where there was hopelessness.
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
This is not cosmetic restoration, it is a core transformation. God works from the inside
out.
Oil of Joy—Anointing for Mourning
Oil in Scripture is symbolic of anointing, healing, and the Holy Spirit. When David said,
" You anointed my head with oil " (Psalm 23:5), he was speaking of divine refreshment.
Mourning is real. Jesus never said we wouldn’t mourn. But Isaiah 61 tells us that
mourning is not the end, it’s only the beginning of the life you have yearned for.
The oil of joy: Hear what I say:
• Heals what mourning has fractured.
1. Job a. Sat in ashes, covered in boils b. Lost everything—children, wealth, health c. But Job 42:10 says, “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends...”
• Refreshes what loss has dried up. It was in the valley of dry bones, when God said,
can these bones live, and Ezekiel said, you know Lord.
• Empowers what grief has weakened.
2. Ruth a. Lost her husband, home, and future b. Gleaned in fields, barely surviving c. But God gave her Boaz, a legacy, and placed her in the lineage of Christ
This oil is not found in a bottle. It is found in His presence.
When You Wear The Garment of Praise, You Are Freed from Heaviness
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
Heaviness is more than sadness; it is oppression. The Hebrew word for "heaviness" can
mean dimness or faint spirit. It is a spiritual fog that weighs you down.
God’s answer is not just to lift the heaviness—but to give you a new wardrobe.
The Garment Of Praise:
• Changes your posture. Are you looking down or looking up? I look to the hills from
which commith my help, for no other help I know. For if you turn your back on me
where would I go?
• Repositions your spirit. Lord help me to “Trust in You with all my heart; and lean
not unto my own understanding. And in this I will acknowledge You, and You shall
direct my paths at all times.
• Reorients your focus from Problems To Praise.
Praise is a weapon . Praise is a perspective . Praise is the prescription for the heaviness
that plagues your soul.
Trees of Righteousness—The End Goal of Restoration
"That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might
be glorified."
God is not doing Cosmetic Renovations —He is planting trees . Stabilizing humanity ,
Deep-Rooting In Spirituality, For An Enduring World .
When God restores :
He stabilizes your walk.
•
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
He fortifies your faith.
•
• He makes your life a testimony.
Trees don’t grow overnight. But when planted by the Lord, they bear fruit in due season.
Real-Life Examples of Divine Exchange
1. The woman at the well (John 4) came with shame and left with a mission.
2. Peter, after denying Christ, was restored to leadership (John 21).
3. Mary Magdalene, once tormented, became the first witness of the resurrection.
Each of them gave Jesus their ashes. He gave them beauty.
What ashes do you need to hand over today? What ashes do you need to hand over today?
Personal Application—How to Step into the Exchange
1. Surrender: Let God have your ashes—don’t hide them.
2. Repent: Own your pain and trust His power to restore.
3. Receive: Let go of what you thought life should be and receive His better plan.
4. Rejoice: Begin to worship before the beauty is visible.
Faith believes beauty is coming—while you are still holding ashes.
Encouragement for the Weary
You are not forgotten. Your ashes are not too messy. Your mourning is not meaningless.
Your heaviness is not permanent.
Jesus has come for such a time as this. He did not have to do it, but He did. The cross is
the ultimate divine exchange; He took the Ashes of our sins with Him in His death
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BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
on Calvary Cross. our sin for His salvation, our death for His life, our ashes for His glory.
A crown that says that He is the King of Kings, Nails in Hands that “stretched out his
arms between heaven and earth in the everlasting sign of God’s covenant.”
Final Charge and Prayer
Beloved do not carry your ashes another day. Lay them at the altar. There is beauty ahead,
joy ahead, praise ahead. Let this be your season of exchange.
Prayer: Father, I surrender all that is burned, broken, and bitter. I release to You my
ashes—my regrets, my ruins, my heaviness. Clothe me in the oil of joy. Wrap me in the
garment of praise. Make me a tree of righteousness—strong, steady, and secure in You.
Let my life glorify You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Amen and Amen.
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