Introduction

Welcome, beloved family, to another day of worship, a day set aside to bask in the glory of our Lord, a day to seek His wisdom, and a day to grow in our understanding of His divine Word. We gather here not by accident, but by divine appointment, each one of us chosen, called, and cherished by our Heavenly Father.

We turn our hearts today to the book of Isaiah, specifically chapter 6, verse 8. A verse that holds within its lines a message of profound significance, a message that echoes through the ages, speaking to each of us in our unique walks with our Lord. It reads:

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

Can you hear it? The voice of the Lord calling out, seeking those who would answer His call, those who would step forward in faith, saying, "Here am I. Send me!" This is not a call for the faint-hearted, but for the faithful. It is not a call for the complacent, but for the courageous. It is a call that demands a response.

In the words of the esteemed Charles Spurgeon, "Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter." This quote, as piercing as it is profound, reminds us that answering God's call is not an optional extra in our Christian walk, but an essential element. We are all called to be God's representatives, His ambassadors, His hands and feet in this world.

So, how do we answer this call? How do we say, like Isaiah, "Here am I. Send me!"? These are the questions we will seek to answer today as we look at Hearing the Call, Heeding the Command, and Honoring the Commission.

But before we begin, let us bow our heads in prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word, for the wisdom it imparts and the guidance it provides. As we gather here today, we ask that You open our hearts and minds to Your message. Help us to hear Your call, to heed Your command, and to honor Your commission. May we be like Isaiah, ready and willing to say, 'Here am I. Send me!' We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Savior, and our Guide. Amen.

Let’s get started!

Hearing the Call

In the book of Isaiah, we find the prophet in a state of deep reverence and awe. He is in the presence of the Lord, surrounded by His glory. It is in this moment of profound spiritual encounter that he hears the voice of the Lord. This is not a casual, everyday occurrence. It is a divine appointment, a moment of sacred communication between the Creator and His creation.

The voice of the Lord is not a mere whisper in the wind: It is a powerful, resonating sound that pierces through the noise of our daily lives, reaching the deepest recesses of our hearts. It is a voice that cannot be ignored, a voice that demands our attention, a voice that calls us to action.

How do we recognize this voice?: How do we distinguish it from the multitude of other voices that clamor for our attention? The answer lies in our relationship with God. The closer we are to Him, the more familiar we become with His voice. Just as a child recognizes the voice of their parent amidst a crowd, so too can we recognize the voice of our Heavenly Father when we spend time in His presence, when we immerse ourselves in His Word, and when we engage in constant communication with Him through prayer.

Not only about recognizing it: It is about being attentive to it, about being open to its message, about being willing to act on its instructions. It is about positioning ourselves in a posture of readiness, a posture that says, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

Isaiah's experience: This teaches us that hearing the voice of the Lord often comes in moments of deep spiritual encounter. It is in these moments, when we are stripped of our distractions and our defenses, that we are most receptive to His voice. It is in these moments, when we stand in awe of His glory, that we are most willing to heed His call.

These moments do not happen by accident: They are the result of a deliberate and intentional pursuit of God, a pursuit that involves spending time in His presence, immersing ourselves in His Word, and engaging in constant communication with Him through prayer. It is through these spiritual disciplines that we cultivate a sensitivity to His voice, a sensitivity that enables us to hear His call amidst the noise of our daily lives.

Hearing the voice of the Lord is not an end in itself: It is the beginning of a response, a response that involves obedience and action. When Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, he did not merely acknowledge it. He responded to it, saying, "Here am I. Send me!" This was not a passive response, but an active one. It was a response that demonstrated his willingness to act on the instructions he had received.

This willingness to act: It is not enough to merely hear His voice. We must be willing to act on what we hear. We must be willing to step out in faith, to take risks, to go where He leads us, to do what He commands us. It is in this willingness to act that we truly hear the voice of the Lord.

Heeding the Command

In the stillness of our hearts, we have heard the call ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO