-Our revival services start two weeks from today
-My prayer is that revival has already started in your heart
-And if not, it will start today
-We do not need to wait two weeks for God to begin a revival in this church
-How can revival begin, you may ask
-It begins with a willingness to change
-And let me say, in order for revival to come to this church, or any church, it will happen only when the people of the church, members and friends alike, recognize their need to change
-Many, who refuse to admit a need for change, who settle in on past spiritual victories, often become lethargic, complacent believers who no longer feel God’s presence regularly or experience His fullest blessings on their lives
-That is what happened to the Israelites
-Slavery in Egypt
-Freedom through the exodus led by Moses
-Victory in gaining the Promised Land with Joshua
-Complacency after years of dwelling there
-Which brought about defeat and captivity
-That is what happens to many Christians today
-Coming to Christ at an altar of prayer
-Excitement in discovering more about God
-Prayer, Bible, church, fellow believers
-As time goes on, the excitement factor diminishes
-Prayer seems unproductive
-Scripture seems uninspiring
-Church seems unnecessary
-Obedience seems impossible
-They become cynical, defeated believers
-In each of these cases, change came
-That is the only constant
-The difference comes in as to a change for what
-The better
-The worse
-Those who are not improving are worsening!!
-With all that in mind, let’s look at something that happened with one of those Israelites who had become complacent
I. He Looked
A. He saw the Lord (vs. 1)
-Close your eyes for a moment as I re-read this verse and try to get a mental picture of what the Lord looked like to Isaiah here
1. On His throne
-High and lifted up
-There’s something humiliating about looking up to someone
-Especially when you’re only 5’5"
-But Isaiah wasn’t just humbled because of his vantage point, he was humbled because of what the lord’s position was
-He was the supreme leader of all that is
-The heavenly king
2. In all His splendor
-He wasn’t just in great position and power, but He was also greatly arrayed
-He controls all the wealth that is
-What is in your wallet or in your bank account I not really yours, you know
-You’re just allowed to use it
B. He saw his sin (vs. 5)
-His vision of the Lord opened his eyes to the evil that was within him
1. Its prevalence
-His life was full of it
-Q: How many of the Ten Commandments have you broken?
-In all likelihood at least one
-Probably more than one
-Maybe even all
-We’re all, not just sinners, but extreme sinners
-We haven’t been satisfied with committing just one sin once in a while
-We’ve sinned many sins frequently
-Not just in himself, but all around him
2. Its putridness
-These are the words of Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, who died at the beginning of the twelfth century: "If I should see the shame of sin on the one hand, and the pain of hell on the other, and must of necessity choose one, I would rather be thrust into hell without sin than go into heaven with sin."
-Sin is worse than hell
-Hell is simply the punishment for sin
-Christ did not die so we could miss hell
-He died so we could have our sins forgiven
-Isaiah here saw how evil and ugly his sin and the sin of the people really was
-This morning, as we continue on, keep your eyes open
-Look for the Lord
-He is here
-He wants to have a special encounter with you today
-He wants you to see your sin clearly
II. He Stayed
-Many, when the see what Isaiah saw, choose to walk away (or run away)
-The seraphim (six winged creatures)
-The posts shaken
-The place filled with smoke
-The coal being brought towards him
A. In the midst of God’s glory
-Others in scripture could not stand to see God’s full glory
-Moses’ face that shone
B. In the midst of his fear
-He had already seen his sin
-He knew that there was a penalty for sin
-Rightfully so
-This morning, as we continue on, as you look and see the Lord in all His glory and your own sinfulness with all its fear, refuse to leave or to run away. Rather, stay and let the Lord continue to do what He has been longing to do in your life for a long, long time
III. He Submitted (vs. 6-7)
-He submitted to being touched with the coal
-Not something most people would submit to
-The coal on Isaiah’s lips represents the cleansing of God
-Cleansing can only come through pain
A. It took away his iniquity or punishment
-No longer was eternal damnation his destiny
-Christ took our punishment on the cross
B. It purged his sin
-His sin was deleted completely from his record
-They are never to be found again
1. Not the sins of his past
2. Not by God
-Note: Submission is always painful
-Yet, it is less painful than punishment
-It is less painful than expected
-It yield great reward
-This morning, as we continue on, submit your ways completely to the Lord, regardless of how fearful it may seem, knowing that it will produce a greater eternal reward
IV. He Volunteered (vs. 8)
-For service to the Lord
A. Willingly
-God did not command Isaiah to go
-Though He was certainly giving him the opportunity to do so
-He intimated that He wanted Isaiah to go
-Isaiah acted out of free will
-To not go would be an option
-Though not the best one
-Though not the blest one
B. Unreservedly
1. He didn’t check on the details first
-Where am I going?
-To whom am I going?
-How will I get there?
-What will I do when I get there?
-He was blindly trusting God to guide
2. He didn’t wait to get things in order first
-He said, “I’m here now, where do you want me to go?” not “Where do you want me to go, when I get around to it.”
-This morning, as we continue on, volunteer for whatever service you hear the Lord stating a need for someone to do. He likely is calling you to do it.
CONCLUSION
-This morning, we have a tremendous opportunity to have an encounter with almighty God
-He is waiting, if you will just enter into His divine presence today
