Isaiah 56-57 Series

Isaiah 56-57

Readying Our Hearts for Revival

Servants who Pray vs. 56:1-8

Leaders who See vs. 56:9-57:2

Idols Removed vs. 57:3-13

Hearts that are Contrite vs. 57:14-21

Intro:

Happy Father’s Day

Have you ever watched a medical show, whether it is on discovery or one of the drama’s on a network?

Invariably you will see a patient have heart problems

The doctors pull out a crash cart which has a defibrillator on it

Those are the paddles they use to shock the person heart back to working

They always yell clear and then the body jumps after it is shocked

What’s even more amazing is when a person has open heart surgery or transplant they put the persons heart on bypass so there is a machine doing the work of the heart while they work on it

After they have replaced a valve or repaired the heart they will stick two paddles that look like plastic spoons on the heart and shock it back into to working

Both instances are used to revive a heart that stopped working properly

Hopefully we won’t ever get to a point where we need our heart revived like that

As Isaiah talks to Israel he is talking revival of their collective heart

They have gone thru judgement, been comforted by the Lord, and now he wants to revive a country that has lost it’s way

In Isaiah 56–66, the third major section of his book, the prophet shows us the way into ongoing revival as we await the fullness of God’s coming kingdom

Isaiah is showing us that the One who is high and lifted up also dwells with the lowly, and with no one else, in reviving power. The implications are significant

Read 57:14-16

Transition:

Revival is often misunderstood.

When you drive by a church displaying a sign, “Revival here next week,” you can bet there won’t be a revival there next week. Revival can’t be scheduled

True revival is the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing over a church.

The wind blows where it wants to. We hear its sound, but we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes

What is revival? True revival is God coming down among us, visiting us, dwelling among us in his glory, overflowing into our need (Isaiah 57:15).

Revival is the manifest presence of God, the immediacy of God, the kiss of God, the nearness of God in his goodness and power.

Revival is a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:20).

It’s a season in the life of the church when God causes the normal ministry of the gospel to surge forward with extraordinary spiritual power.

It is not foolish hysterics. It is God becoming overwhelmingly real to us.

Isaiah leads us by the hand toward true revival.

His ministry was not intended for people who were spiritually advanced.

God promises that, in both the near term and the far term, he will save his sinful people.

Servants who Pray vs. 56:1-8

The first step that leads to a church that is ready for revival are servants who pray

For a few chapters now God has been laying out his plan to restore Israel

Now he wants to revive them as a country but he needs open receptacles

The restoring is building up what has been tore down, the reviving is pouring His Spirit into what he has rebuilt

With every great revival in all of time it has always started with servants who pray

These are the willing hearts that desperately want Christ to work

Vs. 1 Salvation is about to come, my righteousness revealed

Salvation is coming through the Messiah and God’s righteousness will be available to everyone

This includes Gentiles

Is 65:1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.

God is calling out to every person of every nation now

He is looking for people who will be faithful to Him

For centuries Israel has been everything but faithful

Now the new kingdom will based on those who follow Christ

Vs. 6 And the Foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, minister to Him, love the name of the Lord, and be his servants… these I will bring to my holy mountain

Notice what God says to the foreigners

If you will join yourselves to me, minister, love my name, and serve you will included

This is the picture of the faithful servant

Join yourselves to me is indicative of us coming to Christ in faith

It symbolizes how we believe and put our trust in Him