The Heavenly Vision and the Inspiration to Share your Faith. (Isaiah 6:1-8)

[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/the-heavenly-vision.mp3″]

Our passage today is Isaiah 6:1-8

Introduction to Isaiah –

– One of the most important book in the old testament
– Not much is known about Isaiah’s personal life
– Collection of oracles, prophecies and reports
– God was using the pagan nations to chasten Israel for its sins and cleanse it from iniquity

Isaiah mean “Salvation of Yahweh” or “Yahweh Saves”

It was Isaiah who prophesied about Jesus Christ many years back in Isaiah 7:14 & Isaiah 9:6

Book of Isiah starts with a vision Isaiah saw concerning the nations Judah and Israel.

V2. He starts by saying “for the Lord has spoken”

In the first 5 chapters Isaiah speaks on behalf of God conveys how upset he is with the people because of their disobedience and rebelliousness.

Our passage in chapter 6 starts with this beautiful vision where Isaiah says “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne.

A Parallel to our current generation:
– The problem in those days were that people had forgotten their creator God.
– They had become self centered, arrogant & pleasure seeking.
– They made idols for themselves and worshipped them instead of their creator God.
– Gave themselves to drunkenness
– Did everything that dishonoured God

Which is what we see happening even today in our generation.

In a situation like that Isaiah is saying “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne”

Often times when people go through suffering and pain they ask questions like “Where is God?”, “Is God really watching us?”, “Does God really care for us?”, If yes then why doesn’t he doing anything about it?

I believe the same visuals Isaiah saw about the Lord is true even today. The Lord is seated on a high and lofty throne watching over us.

When I read that verse It assures me that our God is not absent from our lives but He is sovereign over all that is happening to us. I believe He is in control.

And everything we go through is because of our own sinful choices, arrogance and rebelliousness towards God.

The pain and the suffering we experience is the consequences of the sinful choices we make every single day. It is our failure to acknowledge this great big God who created us in his image. We often forget that we live under the mercy of God. We fail to acknowledge that tomorrow our very lives can be taken away.

If God wants to wipe us out of this earth all it takes for him is to shake the ground and cause an earthquake. He can wipe us out in seconds.

Our very existence is uncertain if it was not for the mercy of God.

And here we are selfish, wicked, self-seeking creatures who does not care about anything except our own pleasures and needs.

The bible says in Romans 3:23 that’s the condition of every single human being.
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”

None is righteous, not even me.

And how do we get right with God? Can any of our human goodness please God?

In comparison to the standard of God holiness can any of our efforts match up to that?

You’re saying that by doing 100 good things and just 2 bad things you can please God?

The bible says Isaiah 64:6 “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” in comparison to God’s holiness.

What that means is that a man who’ve done all good things in all his lifetime – never harmed anyone – never killed anyone – had been a good man as per human standards. Even he is unworthy to stand before God with all his worthy deeds.

The verses go on to say that that the Seraphim had 6 wings, with 2 he covered his face, with 2 he covered his feet and with 2 he flew. The Seraphim then takes a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar and touched Isaiah’s mouth with it and said –

“Now that this has touched your lips your wickedness is removed and your sins is atoned for”

How did that happen?

The altar from where the seraphim picked up the coal was a place where sacrifices were offered. In the olden days’ men would offer animal sacrifices on the altar to please God.

The altar of sacrifice signifies and symbolizes the place where the true and worthy sacrifice would be offered. The one that will please God. The one that will truly cleanse us of our sins and wash us of our iniquities.

And what is that sacrifice?

It is a sacrifice that God himself provided for us.

Romans 3:25 says “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood”

Because we were unholy and unworthy to please God in any way, because we were sinful and all that we deserved was punishment and hell. God sent his only son – the one who lived a perfect and holy life while he was on earth – to take the punishment of our sins on our behalf – to dies for our rebelliousness – offered him as a worthy sacrifice on the ALTAR – to remove our wickedness and atone for our sins just as in the vision Isaiah saw.

The Christian faith is not based on stories and mythologies, the birth, death and resurrection of Christ are not just mere man made stories.

Jesus was not an imaginary person. No one in history will even deny the fact that a man called

Jesus lived and walked in this earth 2000 years back.

You may now want to ask why did God have to do something like that?

The answer is plain and simple in John 3:16

“For God so loved the world in this way, He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Now think about this – after all that God did for us through his son Jesus Christ – What does he asks as to do?

Does he say you need to walk a 100 miles to receive his forgiveness? Does he say you need to offer a thousand other sacrifices to gain this eternal life? Does he say you need to burn a hundred candle to please him?

All he says is “everyone who believes in this Jesus”

Unfortunately, the Christian world around us has become corrupt and has diluted this simple truth of the gospel. The Britishers made it worse for us. They called themselves Christians but set wrong examples to what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Mahatma Gandhi in his book “My experiments with Truth” said “I like the Christ in the bible but I hate the men who follow him”

The truth is that the Christian faith is plainly believing in Jesus as the only way, truth and life. It is believing the fact that Jesus dies in our place, conquered death and rose again on the third day.
It is about repenting before God and turning away from our sinful ways. To love Jesus and love one another as Jesus loved us.

The last verse in the passage (verse 8) Isaiah hears a voice from the Lord saying “Who should I send? Who will go for me?”

The Lord is asking who will go to my people and tell this good news. And Isaiah replies and says “Here I am, send me”

Just as we heard and received this love and forgiveness through Jesus, we are called to share this truth with our friends, family and whoever comes in contact with us.

I was 18-year-old, and even though I was born in a Christian family. An old uncle who visited our home to pray for us explained this truth of Jesus to me and I can’t explain how my life has changed since then.

I’m at peace with God, I enjoy a joy that is inexpressible – I feel loved and that compels me to love others.

Jesus is real to me. And just as Isaiah I am happy to happy this joy with you.

So, here’s what I have to say as I end my sermon.

If you’ve never heard this truth before I want to encourage you to take out time and ponder upon this truth. And all you have to do is believe.

And if you’ve already believed and enjoyed fellowship with God you know what I’m talking about – Now go and tell it to others.