The Vision, The Vessel, & The Volunteer
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
I’ve had this passage in my mind since quoting from it in last Sunday night’s message, and I’ve not been able to get away from it, so this morning, we will be looking at this passage and the lessons it can teach us about faith and service to God.
The title for today’s message is this: “The Vision, The Vessel & The Volunteer”
We are going to look at Isaiah’s life changing experience of God’s call and his response of willingness to serve, and how we can apply that to our lives today.
1-The Upward Look - He Saw Deity
1-The Upward Look - He Saw Deity
Isaiah 6:1 (KJV 1900)
1 In the year that king Uzziah died...
King Uzziah of Judah had a long and distinguished reign, described in 2 Chronicles 26, and 2 Kings 15. In 2 Kings 15, he is called Azariah.
Uzziah began his reign when he was only 16 years old, and he reigned 52 years. Overall, he was a good king, and 2 Kings 15:3 says, “...he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;”
2 Chron. 26:5 says, “...he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.”
Uzziah also led Israel in military victories over the Philistines and other neighboring nations, and he was a strong king. Uzziah was an energetic builder, planner, and general. 2 Chron. 26:8 says, “...his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.”
But Uzziah was human. Intoxicated by his success as king and by his blessings from the Lord, his pride became his downfall.
In 2 Chronicles 26, we find that he went into the temple to offer an incense sacrifice to God. This was a work that only the priest could perform. When Uzziah sinned in this manner, he was immediately stricken with leprosy. He never recovered. When the king died, the news was heralded throughout the kingdom, “The king is dead!”
Isaiah was shaken. His king was gone. He lifted his eyes beyond the mortal remains of his earthly king to the heavenly King. He saw God!
Isaiah 6:1 (KJV 1900)
1 ...I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isaiah did not have this vision of God until King Uzziah died. But when Uzziah died, Isaiah saw God!
Sometimes we are guilty of putting other people or things in the place of God. Often these people or things must become secondary before we can see God in all of His glory and power.
- Some never see God until death knocks at the door of the home. Many never call on God until their riches are stripped away or health is broken.
Broken and battered, we find ourselves looking beyond ourselves and this earth to the Heavenly Father.
The earthly throne of Judah was empty for King Uzziah had died, but Isaiah saw Jesus reigning, “sitting upon a throne” (v. 1).
Isn’t it wonderful in days of uncertainty to know that there is a throne established in heaven forever and that Jesus reigns upon that throne.
Ps. 45:6 says, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever...”
Surrounding the throne of God are angels known here as seraphim...
2 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. 3 And one cried unto another, and said,
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts:
The whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
These magnificent angelic creatures were utterly humbled in Christ’s presence, covering their faces and feet. They were prepared to immediately carry out the Lord’s commands symbolized by the wings that enabled them to fly swiftly. They cried, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (6:3).
Why do they repeat “holy” three times? Wasn’t it enough to simply say that the LORD was “holy” once? It wasn’t enough.
Some say this refers to the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but also, in the Hebrew language, intensity is communicated by repetition.
To say the LORD is holy says something. To say the LORD is holy, holy, says far more. To say, holy, holy, holy is the LORD is to declare His holiness in the highest possible degree.
When these angelic beings worshiped Jesus, they covered their faces because the purity of our Lord was so dazzling.
They recognized His power, saying, “The whole earth is full of his glory.”
They referred to Him as “the Lord of hosts,” meaning that He commanded all of the angels of heaven.
We, like Isaiah, need to look up and behold Deity…
2-The Inward Look - He Saw Depravity
2-The Inward Look - He Saw Depravity
Isaiah saw himself and his helplessness.
5 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.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, he instantly realized that there were problems within his own heart. That is what happens when you get close to Him!
Moving closer to God and seeing Him as He is, reveals the wickedness and sin in our own lives.
I want you to understand Isaiah probably thought all was well in his life until he saw the Lord in His glory and holiness. When he did, he was made aware of his own shortcomings!
Until we see God and are confronted with out own condition before Him, we will remain haughty and proud, but when we come face to face with Who He is and what we are, it will produce humility and confession!
Isaiah did not cry out “Woe is my neighbor!”. He cried out “Woe is me!”
Until we are able to see our own failures and our need for repentance before the Lord, we will never come clean.
Spurgeon wrote, “God will never do anything with us till he has first of all undone us.”
Isaiah saw his sinfulness, and the sinfulness of his people, mainly in terms of a sinful tongue.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Isaiah’s life may have been as brilliant as a diamond. But when you lay a diamond against a perfectly black background and have the right light upon it, you can see every flaw and imperfection – flaws that were invisible before.
Even so, when Isaiah’s righteous life lay against the background of God’s perfection, it looked different.
6 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: 7 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.
Seeing God and confessing his sins, Isaiah experienced the forgiveness of the Almighty.
The seraphim represents the Holy Spirit. The live coal represents the blood of Christ. The altar represents the cross. The Holy Spirit takes the blood of Christ from the altar of God and applies it to our hearts. This cleanses us of sin.
In the Old Testament, the altar was a place of sacrifice. It symbolized the forgiveness of sin. You and I need to come to the altar of God and ask that our sins be forgiven.
One of the most difficult things for us to say is, “I have sinned!”
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The closer you get to God, the worse you look! But, when that realization comes, and we deal with it in repentance before the Lord, we will experience His cleansing and we will be able to stand in His presence and receive all He has for us!
We, like Isaiah, need to look in and see Depravity!
3-The Outward Look - He Saw Duty
3-The Outward Look - He Saw Duty
Isaiah saw the world and their hopelessness.
8 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.
As soon as Isaiah gets His heart clean, he hears the call of the Lord to service.
The Lord said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Here we find another reference to the Trinity. Notice the Lord uses the pronoun “us.”
God has been seeking for those who will serve Him all throughout the ages. He continues His search today.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
What a tremendous experience Isaiah had as he went to the temple.
He beheld God!
He confessed his sins!
He experienced cleansing forgiveness!
The natural result of all of this, with the fire of God burning in his own heart, Isaiah, without hesitation told the Lord, “Here am I! Send me!” - Isaiah wanted to be the answer to God’s question!
What created this kind of heart in Isaiah?
First, he had a heart that had been in the presence of God. He had a heart that knew its own sinfulness.
He had a heart that knew the need among the people, the need for God’s word.
He had a heart that had been touched by God’s cleansing fire.
And he had a heart that heard God’s heart to reach the nations.
When the hour of worship ends, our service to God should begin. As we go from church, we should be saying with Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord; send me.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Isaiah had an encounter with God that changed him forever!
How about you?
A true encounter with God will change you!
I was listening to some preaching this weekend on YouTube and the man I was listening to gave this illustration,
“Let’s imagine that I show up late and I run up here on the platform, and all the leaders are angry with me and say, “Brother Paul, don’t you appreciate the fact you’re given an opportunity to speak here and you come late?”
And I’d say, “Brothers, you have to forgive me.”
“Well, why?”
“Well, I was out here on the highway, and I was driving and I had a flat tire and I got out to change the tire, and when I was changing the tire, the lug nut fell off, and I wasn’t paying attention that I was on the highway and I ran out and I grabbed the lug nut, and as soon as I picked it up in the middle of the highway, I stood up and there was a 30-ton logging truck going 120 miles an hour about ten yards in front of me, and it ran me over and that’s why I’m late.”
Now, there would only be two logical conclusions. One, I’m a liar or, two, I’m a madman. You would say, “Brother Paul, it’s absolutely absurd. It is impossible, Brother Paul, to have an encounter with something as large as a logging truck and not be changed.” And then my question would be to you–What is larger? A logging truck or God?”
Isaiah had an encounter with God and was never the same! There are many others also throughout the Bible the same way…My question this morning is what about you?
