Called By The King

5/11/14

I want to talk with you this morning about God’s calling on your life. Every person in this room is called of the Lord to do something. You were masterfully designed by God to fulfill purpose. There a joy and contentment when that purpose is being fulfilled. There is a sense of frustration when it is not happening. God has put a variety of different gifts in us – the fulfillment of God’s call in your life will not look exactly like the fulfillment of God’s call in my life. God has given to every person a uniqueness that makes you particularly special in your relationship with Him. Our finger prints are different; our DNA is different; our voices sound different. Different gifts, different personalities, different abilities—all for the glory of God. What has God called you to do? How will you respond to His plan for your life?

Follow with me as we read Isaiah 6:1-8.

First look with me at the

I. CONTEXT of Isaiah’s experience in verse 1

Isaiah says this happened “in the year King Uzziah died.”

What is the significance of that context? Who was King Uzziah and how did his death position Isaiah to receive this revelation?

Uzziah was godly man and a successful king. He began reigning when he was only 16 years old and he ruled for 52 years. The Bible tells us that he led Judah to victory over enemies who had dominated them for years. He fortified the defenses of the nation and he lead God’s people into a wonderful time of prosperity. 2 Chron. 26:4 summarizes his life this way, “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD….”

Isaiah had grown up under the shadow of this powerful leader. As king, Uzziah was a protector for Isaiah, a mentor, and a friend. The death of Uzziah shook Isaiah’s life. Isaiah had lost someone that he deeply loved and admired. But that was not all. The way Uzziah died was the most disturbing part of all. This king had been a godly leader for many years.

What do you do when someone you have looked up to and admired, fails miserably? What do you do when a person that you have come to respect and count on, turns away from the path? This is exactly what happened with King Uzziah. In his latter years, Uzziah became prideful. God had mightily blessed him as king. But the office of king and office of priest were to be kept strictly separate. The joining of those offices was reserved for the King of Kings Messiah only. Uzziah took it upon himself to step out of his calling into a place God had not given him. He went into the temple to burn the incense. The priests were horrified and tried to stop him—but there was no stopping this man. At least Uzziah thought that. Suddenly God struck him with leprosy. It was that leprosy that killed him.

For the king to die was always a time of great vulnerability for a nation. Political turmoil almost always followed. But for this godly leader to die under the direct judgment of the Lord in that way, left the whole nation wondering what was next. If their king was under that kind of condemnation from the Lord, what did that mean for the nation?

That’s the context of Isaiah 6 – a time of desperation and turmoil, a time of personal grief and disappointment. What do you do when the people you relied upon prove unreliable? You do what Isaiah does here. You look to the Lord in prayer. There is Isaiah at the temple—and suddenly God pulls back the curtain of heaven and gives Isaiah a peek.

This revelation is first of all a message of

II. COMFORT.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord on a throne….” All is well, Isaiah. The one who is really in charge sits on the throne. If we don’t know the context of this vision, we can easily miss the comfort that God is giving through this revelation. Yes, the great king of Judah has fallen. Yes, the nation is experiencing a turbulent time. But when all is said and done, here is the Lord on a throne.

He is high and lifted up. The glory of His robe flows throughout the temple. It is a scene of indescribable glory and majesty. This is where the real security of Israel is found. This is the incomparable God who rules—not only Israel, but the whole earth. Heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool. He sits on the circle of the earth and the inhabitants of the earth are like grasshoppers. He is God and there is no other. Men may fail, great men may fail – but the King of Kings continues to rule. The kingdom of God stands firm; His will will ultimately be done.