Subject: “Isaiah’s New Vision"
Text: Isaiah 6:1-8 “It was in the year King Uzziah died[a] that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
Introduction: Prov. 29:18 Where there is no vision the people perish. “A church in a community brought a piece of property and built a building. They were excited about serving the Lord. They wanted to win the lost for Christ and encourage the saved to live for Jesus. They really had a vision for God. It was their desire to carry out the Great Commission. They put a sign over the door of their church: "WHERE THERE IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH.
Over the years they forgot their purpose and let the building run down and lost many members. Over the door of the church the sign had gotten in bad disarray. It had become old and the paint was faded and one of the letters had fallen off. The "W" on the word "WHERE" had fallen off. Now it read: HERE THERE IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH. What a difference a ”w” makes! How did these sincere, God loving people begin a good work that failed. They simply lost their vision. What is your vision? Where are you going? What does God want to do through your ministry in the next few years. The years ahead will be challenging years, but they can be the most rewarding.
What is a vision? (1) Well, the simplest definition is "to be able to see something ahead? (2) To have supernatural foresight (3) To be able to keep life in focus and know how to properly prioritize the events of your life. (4) To be able to place the emphasis on the important and not waste time, talent, and energy on the unimportant. Having a vision is not a crystal ball or necessarily hearing audible voices. It is the belief in one’s heart that God is going to do something that is consistent with His Word and consistent with His will and believing that what God is going to do will have an amazing impact on your life. Having vision is having the confident belief that the promises of God are going to be realized in the future of your ministry. It has been said, “A Blind man’s world is bound by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world is bound by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world is bound by the limits of his vision."
In our text, Isaiah seemed to have lost his vision and this is the place where he regained it. King had died, politics were changing, people were corrupt, the economy was uncertain, people were less interested in God. There are several specific lessons Isaiah experienced when he has a new vision. Those same lessons we need to see. The vision which Isaiah saw in the temple is contrast with the Lord declaring blindness to come upon the Jewish nation and the destruction which would follow. Judah and Jerusalem enjoyed many years of prosperity and plenty under the rule of king Uzziah. Now Assyria, a powerful aggressor had destroyed the northern kingdom and had scattered the people of Israel throughout its own empire. Sin has consequences. Although it may not be immediate, sin will eventually bring judgment.
Uzziah had meant so much to the nation of Judah and Jerusalem, but his reign had come to a tragedy end. He died under the judgment of leprosy for trying to take over the High Priest's duties. Although he was generally a good king, with a long and prosperous reign, many of his people turned away from God. Prosperity and abundance should cause men to serve God more faithfully, but many times it will separate men from God.
How do you see God? Your perception of God determines your response to God. Isaiah needs a new vision of God. Maybe Isaiah had become too impressed with earthly kings. Maybe Isaiah thought that all hope was loss with the death of Uzziah. In our lesson, Isaiah is not praying for a vision, nor does he expect a vision. God choose to reveal himself to this prophet in a brand-new way. A revelation of God can lift you above the walls of your circumstances. Revival begins with a new revelation of God in the midst of your situation." To carry out this new assignment, God gives Isaiah a new vision of Himself.
1. Isaiah sees A New Vision of God - God is more than what we have seen! Isaiah had a traditional view of God. Generally, Judah and Jerusalem viewed God as being primarily a God concerned about their nation alone. Tradition has its limitations. God dwelled among them in the Holy land, but now he sees the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah had participated many times in bringing sacrifices to God, he remembered all the holy days. Isaiah knew all of the rituals. Yet, Israel seemed to had long forgotten why they were doing what they were doing. It was simply tradition. Rituals may be beautiful, ceremonies may be decent and in order, but we must not forget why we do what we do. We are called to worship a holy God. The Father seeks those who worship him in spirit and in truth. Isaiah’s traditional view of God is replaced by a fresh revelation of God.
2. Isaiah sees A New Vision of God’s Temple. Isaiah sees beyond the veil. Isaiah has only seen the temple from the outside, but in this vision, the temple is thrown open to view, even to the most holy place. The prophet, standing outside the temple, sees the Divine Presence seated on the mercy-seat, raised over the ark of the covenant, between the cherubim and seraphim, and the Divine glory filled the whole temple. Isaiah now saw Christ's glory, and spake of Him. The lofty throne, the attending angels, and threefold holy, all stressed God's holiness. At a time when the nation had sank to an all time low morally and spiritually, it was important for Isaiah to see God in his holiness. Holiness means morally pure, perfect, and set apart from sin. We too need to see beyond the veil, because of our daily experiences, society's pressures, and our shortcomings can reduce and narrow our view of God. We need to see the biblical view of God high and lifted up and well able to lift us up out of our problems and concerns. He can purify us from our sins, clear our minds from problems and enable us to worship and serve him in the beauty of holiness. God is a holy God and he dwells in a holy temple. We are the temple of God.
3. Isaiah sees A New Vision of God’s Love and Concern for the world. Isaiah sees a new vision of God and His temple, then he sees beyond the borders of Israel;"the whole earth is full of his glory." Yes, God is in his holy temple, he does dwell in Jerusalem, but the temple cannot contain him. His presence and his word moved the door post and the whole earth is full of his glory. We, too, must see God beyond our borders. God is in this place, He is at work in our lives, but he is also at work in others. He is at work among the Methodists, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, etc. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” This vision expands Isaiah’s view of God, His Temple and His presence.
4. Isaiah sees A New Vision of Himself. When Isaiah sees God, his temple and his concern for the world, Isaiah sees himself clearly. In the light of God's greatness, mystery and power, Isaiah sees himself. The perfectness of God exposes Isaiah’s imperfections. Isaiah's example of recognizing his sinfulness before God encourages us to confess our sins that we too might experience cleansing. His picture of forgiveness reminds us that we all can be forgiven in Christ Jesus. God is seated on a throne of grace; and through him the way into the holiest is laid open. All vain-glory, unholy ambition, ignorance, and pride, can be done away with by one view of Christ in his glory. This awful vision of the Divine Majesty overwhelmed the prophet with a sense of his own vileness. We are undone if there is not a Mediator between us and this holy God. A glimpse of heavenly glory is enough to convince us that all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags. The live coal from the altar gives the prophet assurance that his sins are purged, and his pardon is complete. We can find forgiveness and acceptance through the atoning work of Christ Jesus. It is great comfort to those whom God sends, that they go for God, and may therefore speak in his name, assured that he will be with them and bear them out. Isaiah sees A New Vision of God, His Temple, His World, His Servant and now a new vision of others…
5. Isaiah sees A New Vision of Others. When Isaiah sees himself clearly, he sees others properly - "I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips" Isaiah could sense God calling him to be a messenger to his people. He had to tell people who believed they were blessed and highly favored that God was not pleased with them. If they persist on their present course, God will judge them. God was going to judge them because of their disobedience. To be successful, Isaiah must see them as they are. God will send Isaiah to foretell the ruin of his people. Many will hear God's word but resist the power of it. Yet the Lord will preserve a remnant for Himself. How we see others will determine how we act towards them. It determines what we will say to them. People will never pray for the lost, or witness to the lost until they see them as being lost!
6. Isaiah sees A New Vision of Ministry. A New Vision of God, His Temple, His World, Isaiah, His Servant, and others allows Isaiah to see a new vision of ministry. Isaiah answers the call to ministry. 'then said I, Here am I; send me." In response to the vision of God, He submits himself to the service of God. No matter how difficult his task would be, he said, Here am I, send me. The painful process of cleansing was necessary before He accepted this call. Before we accept the call of God to speak to those around us, we must be cleansed of our sin. Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy. We must remove the beam from our own eyes, so we can see clearly how to remove the mote from our brother's eye. A new vision of God allows us to see God as he is, then we will see ourselves as we are, and then we can see the condition of others. When we see a world laden with sin, sickness, and poverty, we will see our duty and answer the call.
Matthew 25:34-40 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
I trust that God will give us a new vision of God, His Glory, His work in the world, Ourselves, Our mission field and Our mission!
