ISAIAH 6:1-8
INTRODUCTION
Consider this when it comes to worship:
· Draw near and listen well, because God is communicating.
· Be quiet and stay calm, because God hears the inaudible and sees the invisible.
· Make a commitment and keep it, because God doesn’t forget.
· Don’t decide now and deny later, because God doesn’t ignore decisions.
Last Sunday we ended at Isaiah 6:5 where Isaiah recognizes who he really is in the presence of the awesome God. He realizes how unclean his lips have been and how unclean the lips of the people to whom he has ministered. Isaiah sees his situation as so hopeless that he does not even bother to ask for cleansing or deliverance. However, he underestimates the grace of God. God has not given Isaiah this vision in order to destroy him. God does not reveal Himself to you in order to destroy you. God has not revealed Himself to Isaiah in order to annihilate him, and He does not bring the fire to destroy the offending lips. Rather He brings these terrifying things into the prophet’s life in order to sanctify his lips to resume his true vocation. When you are with others listen to what they say about themselves and their achievements. Some people brag about themselves, but when you and I catch a glimpse of the glory of God, we see how unworthy and unrighteous we are. The Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). What you are in the sight of God is your true self.
A grateful father and mother knelt at the feet of a medical missionary, to worship her as a god, for she had restored their child to health. Hastily the missionary cried out to them, “We are not gods. Worship the true God.”
“You must be god,” they said; “no one but a god could have saved our child.” “Suppose,” said the missionary, “that I wish to bestow a valuable gift upon you and sent it by the hand of one of my coolies; whom would you thank, the coolie or myself?”
“We would thank you, of course; the coolie is your servant.” “And so I am God’s coolie, by whose hand God has been pleased to send you this gift of healing, and it is to Him you must now give thanks.”
The reason many people are not broken when they come to the presence of the Lord is because they have not had an encounter with Him. The reason many people do not worship God as they should is because they have not met or experienced Him. Unless you realize your true condition of sin before the Lord, you are not ready to worship Him; neither are you ready to represent Him to other sinners.
I. THE CLEANSING AND FORGIVENESS OF GOD VV. 6-7
As Isaiah was filled with grief and affliction for his sinful condition before the Holy God, a seraph (fiery one) flew to him with a burning coal in his hand, and he touched his lip and said, “Behold this touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” It was not the burning coal that healed Isaiah of his sins, but God. Also, it was not the angel who cleansed and forgave Isaiah of his sins but God. The angel was a messenger of God to do His bidding. The fire was a symbol of the presence of God. Throughout the Bible, fire is the symbol of God. The flaming swords of Genesis 3 symbolize God’s unapproachable holiness that forever barred sinful Adam and Eve from going back to the simple fellowship they once knew. On Sinai where Moses drew closer to observe, it was a bush that was burning but was not consumed. Later it was the fire descending on the mountain. It was fire blazing forth and consuming Nadab and Abihu when they criticized and opposed Moses leadership (Lev. 10:1ff.). There was the fire of Gideon’s torches, and the fire that fell from heaven consuming Elijah’s sacrifice on Mount Carmel where he challenged the prophets of Baal (1 Kings -37).
Fire is destructive, yet cleansing; it is frightening, yet fascinating; it turns mass into energy; what it consumes it leaves dark, but in the process make light. Verses 6-7 speak of God’s grace. Isaiah does not plead for mercy, nor does he make vows if God will but deliver him. Isaiah considered his case as hopeless but God’s grace was abundant to him. The fiery coal from the hand of the fiery one touches the prophet’s mouth. The truth is that God has provision for sin and iniquity whereby the effect is mitigated and their power is broken. When God takes away the iniquity and sin in which we have lived for years, the experience is wrenching and a searing one. But more deeply, what causes sin and iniquity? It is that arrogant self-sufficiency which refuses to bow the knee to God. This is the ultimate uncleanness of which Isaiah had been accusing his people and now finds resident in himself. This spirit of self-sufficiency never gives up without a fight. Apart from the fires of self-surrender and divine surgery the clean heart is unattainable. It is foolish for us to think that we can somehow worship and serve God until we have come to the end of ourselves. David has this insight when he said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17). As long as you think there is hope of some human solution to your problems; there is little chance of you genuinely seeing God. Nor there is no hope for you becoming the servant of the Living God without there first being an adequate understanding of who God is. As long as you think you can solve your problems, then you are the Sovereign and He is the servant. Isaiah knew who he really was when he saw a glimpse of the presence of God in the temple. When you realize who you are before God, you are filled with grief and affliction of heart. You do not call the shots; God calls the shots.
II. THE COMMUNICATION OF GOD V. 8A
In this amazing encounter in the vision of Isaiah in the temple of God
When God wanted Isaiah to represent Him to Israel Israel Calvary to pay for our sin debt. He continues to cleanse anyone who comes to Him with His precious blood. After the cleansing, He commissions us to be His witnesses in the world. You see, Jesus did not ask angels to take the gospel to the nations. On the contrary, He asks Christians to take the gospel to the lost world and says, even as the Father sent Me so do I send you.
III. THE COMMISSION OF GOD’S SERVANT V. 8B
When Isaiah heard God’s request he knew without a doubt that He was speaking to him. When the Lord speaks to you, you know without a shadow of a doubt that He is speaking to you. You may lie to yourself but you know God is speaking to you. You may look around you and find out that nobody is around you but you alone. There is no mistake when God speaks to you. When God was sending Moses to Egypt Israel
As soon as God ended His request, Isaiah did not pause but said, “Here am I. Send me.” Isaiah is now ready to do whatever God wants him to do. The painful cleansing process was necessary before Isaiah could fulfill the task to which God was calling him. Before you accept God’s call to speak for Him to those around you, you must be cleansed as Isaiah was, confessing your sins and submitting to God’s control. The reason many Christians are not speaking for God is because they have not submitted to God’s cleansing power and confession of sins. Letting God purify you must be a painful process, but you must be purified so that you can truly represent God, who is pure and holy. Many people are fascinated with gold watches, necklaces, bracelets, and so forth. However, before gold becomes the fascination of millions of people, it goes through a painful process of purifying. The goldsmith puts the gold into a ball of fire. He removes it and put it on an anvil and strikes it repeatedly with hammer until the dross is removed. This is a painful process for the gold. However, when the gold is refined, it turns into something special and elegant.
Until you worship God in the spirit of contrition and brokenness, you cannot be His witness, representative, or spokesperson. Worship is the act of the abandoned heart adoring its God. Simply showing up on Sunday is not even close to worship. Neither does singing songs with religious content pass for worship. What counts is the posture of the soul involved, the open heart pouring forth its love toward God and communing with Him. Worship happens when you say to God from the depth of your heart, “You are the One whom I desire.” As Thomas ά Kempis prayed, “There is nothing created that can fully satisfy my desires. Make me one with You in a sure bond of heavenly love, for You alone are sufficient to Your lover, and without You all things are vain and of no substance.”
Isaiah is ready to be God’s vessel and prophet to his people, because he has seen and heard from God. He has put things in their proper perspective. First, he thought it was vain and a lost cause, because of the death of King Uzziah. However, after his experience with the majestic and exalted Lord in the temple, he now recognizes that it is God in whom he should confide and worship; and it is God whose mission is to be carried out. With this encounter with the holy God, Isaiah proceeded to become the most celebrated, eloquent, and prolific prophet of all time in the Old Testament. Apart from the Book of Psalms, the prophecy of Isaiah is quoted more in the New Testament than any other Old Testament book. Besides the Psalms, Isaiah provides us with more Messianic prophecies than the rest of the Old Testament writings.
The question is, “Have you met God in the person of Jesus Christ?” If you have, then, God is sending you to represent Him in the market place, in your school, in your business place, in your work place, are you ready to speak for Him? All that God needs from you is your availability, your readiness. Leave the rest in His care and he will provide, because His name is Jehovah Jire, “The Lord shall provide.” Apostle Paul put it this way, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Our prayer therefore should be:
Day by day, dear Lord,
Of You three things I pray;
To see You more clearly,
Love You more dearly,
Follow You more nearly,
Day by day.
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