Isaiah 6:1-13, Psalm 138, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11.
A). THE MISSION OF ISAIAH.
Isaiah 6:1-13.
(I). WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH MEET
Isaiah 6:1-8
1. The Awesomeness And Majesty Of God (Isaiah 6:1-4)
It was the year that King Uzziah, king of Judah, died (Isaiah 6:1).
In Jerusalem, the prophet Isaiah was in the Temple, the place where the LORD God had set His tabernacle amongst His people (Leviticus 26:11-12). Here heaven and earth met, and the Temple below merged with the Temple above - of which it was a type and symbol. It was an awesome event.
Isaiah saw the LORD, enthroned in heaven, “high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1), and His train filled the Temple. Here the LORD was seen to be above the manipulation that hypocritical worshippers were offering (Isaiah 1:12-17; Isaiah 2:22). “The King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5) is set in stark contrast to the presumptuousness of King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16).
The word “seraph” (Isaiah 6:2) comes from the Hebrew verb for burning. Burning was a sign of divine holiness, as had been seen at Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:2; Deuteronomy 5:23-24). The same word is used of the serpents which bit the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 21:6), and is echoed in Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6.
One of the seraphim sang the praises of the thrice holy God (Isaiah 6:3). This is a variation on the song of heaven (Revelation 4:8). To be “holy” is to be separate: the LORD is totally Other.
“Glory” speaks of heaviness: He ‘carries weight’ in the world. “The earth is full of His glory” - and at the cry of the voice the posts of the door moved, and the house filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:4). Manifestations of God’s ‘glory’ is evidence of His presence (Ezekiel 10:18; Ezekiel 43:4-5).
2. A Sense Of Inadequacy (Isaiah 6:5)
Isaiah’s awareness of his own sin, and that of his nation, set him apart from his unrepentant contemporaries. Against a background of ‘woes’ (Isaiah 5:8; Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 5:18; Isaiah 5:20-22), his “Woe!” is a confession of being “undone” - lost, utterly ruined. Isaiah sees two reasons for his ruin:
(a) “Unclean lips.” The ‘lips’ stands for the whole person, but ‘unclean’ lips is set against the background of King Uzziah’s leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:21; Leviticus 13:45). Isaiah stands as a representative of his people.
(b) Isaiah has seen the LORD. The LORD had told Moses, ‘there shall no man see me, and live’ (Exodus 33:20). The children of Israel also perceived this to be true (Deuteronomy 5:25). This was what was in the mind of Samson’s father when he said to his wife, ‘We shall surely die, because we have seen God’ (Judges 13:22).
Now Isaiah pronounces “woe” upon himself, because he has “seen God” (Isaiah 6:5). Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) - yet faith can (Job 19:25-27). Amazingly, we are told in the last book of the Bible that the servants of ‘God and the Lamb’ - ‘shall see His (singular) face; and His name is upon their foreheads’ (Revelation 22:4).
3. Equipped By Grace (Isaiah 6:6-7)
No sooner had Isaiah confessed his sin and sinfulness, than one of the seraphim took a “live coal” from the altar with a pair of tongs. A coal too hot for even a fiery seraph to handle! The “live coal” had the effect of:
(a) Cleansing Isaiah. No mere man, no angel, no seraph could hope to cleanse a man of the leprosy of sin. This was from beginning to end an act of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8).
(b) Preparing his “lips” to speak for God.
4. An Attitude Of Gratitude (Isaiah 6:8)
- gives rise to a willingness to serve.
Isaiah recognised the gift in him, and responded to God’s call.
In the temple of our experience, where the LORD makes His dwelling amongst men, the cry still goes forth:
“Whom shall I send?”
What will be the response of our hearts to the call of God?
(II). THE HOLY SEED.
Isaiah 6:9-13.
The mission of Isaiah was to go to a people who were proudly short-sighted, stubbornly deaf, and wilfully ignorant of the word of God (Isaiah 6:9; cf. Matthew 13:13-15). The prophet’s message was to be one which confirmed them in their preferred blindness, deafness, and ignorance; their pride, their carnality, and their prejudice (Isaiah 6:10; cf. John 12:40). This was the real reason Jesus spoke in parables: not to give nice homey illustrations in order to convert the unwilling, but to sift out those who were genuinely interested and responsive to His message (cf. Matthew 13:10-12).
In the face of such a commission, the plaintive cry of many a Psalmist, prophet and preacher has often been, “How long, LORD?” (Isaiah 6:11). The answer of the LORD to Isaiah was, effectively, “Until” (Isaiah 6:11). Until when? Until the job is done (Isaiah 6:11-12).
Jesus healed a man born blind (John 9:11), and also brought him to faith (John 9:35-38). And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and they which see might be made blind’ (John 9:39). Some of the Pharisees asked, ‘Are we blind also?’ To whom Jesus replied, ‘If you were blind, you should have no sin: but now you say, We see; therefore your sin remains’ (John 9:40-41).
This is a hard message to preach, but sometimes we must bring people to the brink in order to have any hope of healing them of the malady of sin and indifference. And even then, we might fail. We must preach the gospel as it is, faithfully and without compromise, regardless of our fear of failure. Words sown now may yet yield fruit.
Which brings us to the final verse of the chapter. Isaiah prophesied exile, but also that “a tenth” (a tithe) might return. But even then, the sifting and pruning would not be finished (Isaiah 6:13). Israel is left as just a stump - but out of that stump comes Messiah Jesus (Isaiah 11:1-2; Romans 11:26).
After the exile, and even into the Christian era, there remained a hardening of the heart of Israel (Romans 11:25) - just as there is a hardening of the heart of all mankind against the gospel to this very day. But still we are encouraged to look to Jesus, the holy seed, even yet producing new branches (Romans 11:12), showing life from the dead (Romans 11:15).
B). THE LORD WILL PERFECT ME.
Psalm 138:1-8.
In Psalms 138:1, David praises the LORD.
1st, his praise is wholehearted (cf. Psalms 9:1; Psalms 86:12-13; Psalms 103:1-2; Psalms 111:1).
2nd, it is ‘in the face of’ (to use a contemporary term) all other would-be or otherwise imaginary ‘gods’ (cf. Psalms 95:3; Psalms 96:4).
Psalms 138:2.
1st, like Daniel after him (Daniel 6:10), the Psalmist bows down and worships towards the holy temple (or tabernacle) of the LORD. That would be the place where the Ark of the Covenant was to be found, and all that that represents (i.e. the presence of God among His people). Thereby he affirms the sovereignty of the LORD God of Israel alone.
When we have a right ‘fear’, or reverence, of the LORD (Psalms 5:7); we can indeed ‘lift our hands’, with pleas and cries for help, toward His ‘most holy sanctuary’ (Psalms 28:2; cf. 1 Kings 8:29-30). Yet now we worship through Jesus: One ‘greater than the Temple’ (Matthew 12:6; cf. Hebrews 10:19-22)!
2nd, the Psalmist praises “the Name” of the LORD. The Name YHWH speaks of the One who was, and is, and is to come (cf. Revelation 1:8). The Name Jesus tells us that YHWH saves, and Jesus is so named ‘for He will save His people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21).
3rd, David praises the LORD for His steadfast love and faithfulness (cf. Psalms 115:1), and most specifically for the reliability of His Word. Jesus indicated that not a dot of God’s Word will fail, but all will be accomplished (Matthew 5:18). Heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus’ words will not (Matthew 24:35)!
Psalms 138:3. The LORD answers prayer!
1st, in the day that David cried out, “the LORD answered” him (cf. Psalms 18:6; Psalms 34:4-6; Isaiah 65:24).
2nd the LORD gives us strength (cf. Isaiah 41:10; 1 Peter 5:10). Sometimes it is His strength even in the midst of our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-9; cf. Ephesians 6:10; Philippians 4:13).
In Psalms 138:4 it appears that, in response to the call of Psalms 2:10-12, the “kings of the earth” are at last yielding to Jesus (cf. Psalms 72:11; Psalms 102:15).
In Isaiah, kings appear as foster-fathers and wet-nurses to the Church (Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 60:16). In Revelation 21:24, kings bring their glory and honour to the new Jerusalem. In the meantime, we should continue to pray that the LORD’s “words” will be heard in the corridors of power (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Psalms 138:5.
1st, the kings yield their sovereignty to YHWH, celebrating “the ways of the LORD.” Jesus is the Way (John 14:6), and there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
2nd, “the glory of the LORD” represents His reign (cf. Psalms 24:10; Psalms 145:11-12).
In Psalms 138:6, we see the LORD setting things the right side up. He exalts the lowly and puts down the proud (cf. Luke 1:51-53; James 4:6). This is what makes His kingdom so superior.
Psalms 138:7.
1st, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble” reminds us of the ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ in Psalms 23:4. There David feared no evil, because the presence of the LORD was with him; His rod and staff to comfort him. Here David visualises the LORD’s hand stretched out against his enemies. The enemies of God’s people are the enemies of God and will not prevail! The LORD is with us to “revive” (i.e. “give life”) and to “save” (and all that that means). ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31).
2nd. David had prayed: ‘Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man’ (Psalms 71:4). Here (in Psalms 138:7) we see God “stretching out His hand”, just as Jesus stretched out His hands on the Cross. In Psalms 71:20, incidentally, the strength of our hope to be ‘revived’ is found in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Psalms 138:8.
1st. David had cried out to God Most High ‘who performs (all things) for me’ (Psalms 57:2). Now the Psalmist confidently asserts, “THE LORD WILL PERFECT (THAT WHICH) CONCERNS ME.” His covenant faithfulness (cf. Psalms 138:2) guarantees it. This is echoed in the New Testament hope of God working ‘all things for good’ for the good of His people (Romans 8:28).
2nd, “Do not forsake the work of Your hands” means, ‘since I am in Your hands, I shall trust you not to drop me!’ It is a petition of faith which anticipates a good result. ‘HE WHO HAS BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST’ (Philippians 1:6).
BENEDICTION
‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. HE WHO CALLS YOU IS FAITHFUL; HE WILL SURELY DO IT!’ (2 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
C). A PROCLAMATION TO BE BELIEVED.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11.
Sometimes it is necessary for Christian people to get back to the basics of their faith, to remind themselves what they are about. Here in 1 Corinthians, Paul is not teaching his readers something new, but reviewing that which he taught them from the very beginning (1 Corinthians 15:1). Perhaps now, as much as at any other time, the Church needs to remind herself of the fundamental truths of the gospel.
Paul does not deny that the majority of the congregation are still standing in the truth (1 Corinthians 15:1), but he still exhorts them to “hold fast” (1 Corinthians 15:2). We need to reiterate, from time to time: 'This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith, and so we believe and trust.'
The gospel which Paul preached was no different from that of the other Apostles, nor was it any different from that which the Church had received. The good news is that Christ has died (1 Corinthians 15:3), Christ is risen (1 Corinthians 15:4), and that Christ will come again (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:23). All this was in fulfilment of the Scriptures.
The death of Jesus is foreseen in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. His resurrection is foretold in Psalm 16:10, and in the typological accounts of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22), and Jonah and the big fish. Our resurrection upon the Lord's return is anticipated in Job 19:25-27.
The evidence in favour of Jesus' resurrection is overwhelming. He was seen by Peter and “the twelve”; by five hundred of His followers at once (most of whom were still living when Paul wrote, and others who had “fallen asleep” and were no doubt awaiting their own resurrection); by James the brother of Jesus (who no doubt needed some convincing); then by the apostles again; and then by Paul himself “as one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). In any court of law a matter is established by two or three witnesses, but some of these people had not even believed it themselves, but now were willing to suffer for the truth of it (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:30).
The testimony is unanimous. Whether the other Apostles proclaimed it, or Paul himself, so they preached, and so the Church believed (1 Corinthians 15:11).
D). A SINNER SAVED.
Luke 5:1-11.
I can remember reading a quaint old book by a Puritan whose only acknowledged qualification for conducting a Christian ministry was, ‘Sinner Saved’. Without that we are either honestly mistaken, or really just charlatans and frauds! This begs the question, ‘What Must I Do to Be Saved?’ (Acts 16:30), which is also the title of one my other sermons; to which the answer is, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved’ (Acts 16:31).
As we open this chapter, we find the multitude pressing in upon Jesus to hear the word of God (Luke 5:1). It is wonderful to see such enthusiasm: but also quite alarming for the preacher. However, Jesus was not fazed by this: He had a work to do (John 9:4) and was tireless in fulfilling it (Luke 2:49).
There was a danger that Jesus might be trampled underfoot, but a solution lay at hand. Two empty boats lay by the shore. The fishermen had left them there while they were washing their nets (Luke 5:2).
The matter of teaching the people was urgent enough for Jesus to commandeer one of the boats. He invited Himself into the one belonging to Simon, and asked Simon to put out a little from the land. [This encounter between Jesus and Simon was not as sudden as it seems: Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law the previous day (Luke 4:38-39).] Jesus sat down (the customary posture for teaching) and taught the multitude (Luke 5:3).
There is a natural auditorium in each inlet of a zigzagging coastline like that of Lake Gennesaret. It is possible for a person on the shore to hear a voice from a boat with great clarity. In a similar setting, I have heard voices of boatmen a little way out at sea as clearly as if they were standing right beside me!
When Jesus had finished speaking, Jesus said to Simon “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). The average fisherman might be offended at someone else telling them how to ply their trade. However, what we need to learn too, is that Jesus knows best!
Simon’s response was respectful: he addressed Jesus as “Master/Teacher” which is equivalent to ‘Rabbi’. Then he began to frame what may have begun as an excuse: “through the whole night having laboured, nothing have we TAKEN.” However, there is a ‘nevertheless’ of obedience: “Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).
“And this having done, they ENCLOSED a great shoal of fishes…” (Luke 5:6). It is never a loss to us when we obey the word of Jesus: quite the contrary. Putting it into cold figures: there and then, Simon was enriched (as long as his net didn’t break)!
Simon’s crew signalled to their partners in the other boat (a silent gesture, otherwise every fisherman in Capernaum would be pressing in towards their little boat). Together they filled both boats to the point of almost sinking (Luke 5:7).
Somewhere in the midst of all this frenetic activity (by fishermen who still hadn’t gone to bed after what had begun as an unsuccessful night), Simon’s priorities began to change. It wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about the catch. It was about Jesus coming into his life!
We often speak of Simon Peter’s call to the ministry. However, prior to that, what we have here is his overwhelming sense of being ‘undone’ (cf. Isaiah 6:5). “Depart from me, for a man a sinner am I, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).
So the first stage in Simon Peter’s call to the ministry was conviction of sin, contrition for sin, and an awareness of his wrong standing with God. The repentant King David had acknowledged, ‘I have sinned against the LORD’ (2 Samuel 12:13); and later confessed, ‘Against thee, thee only have I sinned’ (Psalms 51:4). But David soon discovered, as did Isaiah and Simon Peter after him: ‘A contrite heart, O God, you will not despise’ (Psalms 51:17).
Here Luke skilfully introduces what was to become Jesus’ inner circle of disciples: Peter, James and John (Luke 5:8-10). Initially “astonishment laid hold” upon them, and all with them (Luke 5:9).
But Jesus said to Simon, “Fear not; from henceforth men you shall be ‘CAPTURING-ALIVE’(!)” At Pentecost, that is just what happened. After Peter’s inaugural sermon, 3,000 people were added to the church (Acts 2:41). And so the work goes on.
After the miraculous catch of fish, they brought their boats to land, forsook all (including the fish!) and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11). It wasn’t about them. It wasn’t about the catch. It was about Jesus coming into their lives!
‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved’ (Acts 16:31).
