29. Isaiah

Right, I need to say at the outset that I feel very unworthy to make any comments and comparisons on the life of Isaiah - this guy was the ninja of all ninjas when it came to being a prophet. 

The period around 740-680 BC was an incredibly tumultuous time in the history of Israel and Judah. What made it worse was that the people of God were not listening to God at all. It was a period of sugar-coated messages, leaders vying for popularity and position. It was the dawn of superpowers, when nations were busy building great arsenals and military might. Does all this sound familiar to you? 

Then, right in the middle of this Isaiah has a power encounter with God, he feels dirty inside but God flushes him out and calls him to one of the toughest ministries on record. Isaiah would preach to people who would ignore him, proclaim the coming of the Messiah who would then be killed, prophesy about the destruction of Israel and then finally be killed in a brutal way himself (he was sawn in half). No wonder the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us that “the world was not worthy of [him]"

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Idea 1: Not your average Sunday morning in church I am not sure what your expectations are when you go to your local church service on an average Sunday morning. For me, it often starts with a lot of rushing around getting the family sorted, wondering where I last put the car keys, and hoping that I haven’t forgotten anything else important.

For Isaiah, it was very different. I get the impression he went to the temple expecting to meet with God. In the chapter, you have just read from Isaiah you will know that he had a power encounter with God that was to change him forever. We hear a lot about ‘power encounters’ today and don’t get me wrong I am not doubting what God is doing or anyone’s testimony. However, what is really obvious about this encounter that Isaiah has is that it brought him to a real heartfelt need to confess his sin and repent.

We need a lot more heartfelt confession of sin and repentance today!

•  What are your expectations when you go to your church on an average Sunday morning?

•  Have you ever experienced an encounter with God that has changed you forever? Why not share your testimony with your brothers right now?

Idea 2: It’s all about becoming available Are you a man who says that he will go and do whatever the Lord wants you to do, no matter what?

When Isaiah has this incredible vision in the Temple, his first response is "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6: 5 

This is such a great response and it certainly grabs the attention of God but Isaiah doesn’t stay there. As soon as God declares that he needs a messenger, Isaiah is quick to say “Here am I. Send me!”

The only requirement God makes on us, for him to use us, is that we make ourselves available. I love that quote you often see on Facebook: “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called!” And we can certainly see the change in Isaiah once he made himself available. He goes from being a self-confessed man of unclean lips to a man who never masked the truth, even when he made enemies in the process.

•  Are you ready to man up before God and say with Isaiah “Here am I, send me”?

•  Or are you making excuses for not being available to God? Do your excuses really hold water?

Idea 3: It may get tough, but you never back down Once Isaiah had made himself available, God gave him the Job Description (Isaiah 6:9-13). It was no easy task. Isaiah was called to take the message of judgement to the people. But more than that, they were not going to listen, they would be stubborn, they would fail to understand and in the end, they would come pretty close to being destroyed.

We are all in the business of telling our mates about Jesus. This is not an easy task either. Sometimes it can take years to lead our mates to the Lord, statistically it takes around five years, but it can take even longer than that. Anyone who is involved in reaching men for Christ will tell you, we are definitely in this for the long haul. But guys, know this, we cannot back down. We cannot quit, it is just not an option.

Erwin McManus says that we must live our lives fully, giving it everything, “…don’t leave anything in the tank for the next life!” Isaiah accepted the commission, and he gave it everything he had. He even chose not to back down when threatened with a brutal and painful death.  

In Hebrews 12 it says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

•  Have you been finding it tough to follow Jesus lately? Have you faced the temptation to quit?

•  Take this opportunity to share your challenges together and pray for each other.

Actions

Spend some time thinking about the holiness of God, as outlined in Isaiah 6:1-7. Have you ever really considered what our response should be to such an awesome and sovereign God? Pray for your family and your friends, ask God what will it take for them to see God in the same way and then make yourself available to God, no matter how tough you think that might be.