God's Call and Our Response:  "The Call of Isaiah"

LIFE (Living In Fellowship Everyday):  We are on a relational Journey--Greater connection with God and people.

This Week:  We will explore the call of Isaiah.  Just like the other prophets, Isaiah was raised up to meet a crises that was confronting Israel; he was from the southern kingdom--Judah.   Isaiah gets in the face of the Israelites and rebukes their endeavors to put God into some man-made form or mindset; they would be punished by seeking to manipulate God.  He corrects the social and political evil around him; stood against insincere religious observances.  Isaiah calls for obedience to God's covenant and exhorts God's people to pick up their personal responsibilities. 

Introduction:  Isaiah's name means "salvation of God."  He was born around 760BC; about the same time Amos appeared at Bethel.  Some theologians believe Isaiah was a cousin to King Uzziah; perhaps Isaiah was of royal descent.  One thing is clear; Isaiah was a very informed and intelligent man; who was well versed in the standing of the monarchy.   Because God was with him, Isaiah stepped into a call to greatness.  We can all be called into greatness; a place where we do great things in the power of God's love.

A Little Humor:  The Pope, Billy Graham, and Oral Roberts were in a three-way plane crash over the Pacific Ocean. They all died and went to heaven together.
"Oh, this is terrible," exclaims St. Peter, "I know you guys think we summoned you here, but this is just one of those coincidences that happen.  Since we weren't expecting you, your quarters just aren't ready... We can't take you in and we can't send you back...."
Then he got an idea. He picked up the phone, "Lucifer, this is Pete. Hey, I got these three guys up here. They're ours, but we weren't expecting them, and we gotta fix the place up for 'em. I was hoping you could put them up for a while. It'll only be a couple of days. What d'ya say?"
Reluctantly, the Devil agreed.
However, two days later, St. Peter got a call.
"Pete, Lu.  Hey, you gotta come get these three clowns.
This Pope fellow is forgiving everybody,
the Graham guy is saving everybody,
and that Oral Roberts has raised enough money to buy air conditioning."
Everyone has seeds of "greatness" within them!

READ: Isaiah 6:1-13

I find it interesting that Isaiah's spiritual birth came at the death of Uzziah.  Both the northing and southern kingdoms were out of sync with God.  Both kingdoms were filled with social, moral, and spiritual degeneracy.  The noble were leading evil.  The poor continued to be oppressed; the love of money and "fun" caused the people to become hard-hearted in their worship.  King Uzziah was power hungry; as well as governing the monarchy he went after the power of the priesthood.  The kings of other nations ruled and served as priests.  He wanted to run it all; have you ever met anyone who wanted to direct everything around them.  Well, some priests stood against Uzziah's bent to control and made him furious!  God struck him with leprosy (spiritual blindness) for his lack of reverence and disobedience to God's ways.   Uzziah suffered and lived in isolation until his death.  Isaiah had loved this king.  God showed him that King Uzziah had become proud and self-sufficient.  Israel had done the same; Isaiah would have to tell them.

A Holy Experience:   Isaiah entered the temple asking many questions.  He had an unusual and vivid vision.  He sees with an "inward eye" a vision of God's holiness and beauty.   His king has died; Isaiah begins to think about the king of glory.  There are more prophetic images in Isaiah that gives glimpses of the coming Savior-the Christ--than any other OT book.   Isaiah sees seraphim and hears them singing.  Seraphim are also mentioned in the Revelation of John in NT.

A Self-Portrait:  When God reveals a glimpse of himself to us; we begin to see who we really are and our own great need to mercy. Isaiah got a picture of God's holiness and he realized he was sinful; he was unfit to stand before God.  He couldn't just condemn others for their sin; he had to look at himself.  Have you ever been tempted to judge someone else and dismiss your own sin?

Self-Purification:  Isaiah did not experience condemnation from God; he experienced love and forgiveness.  We was invited to stay in God's presence.  God is looking for us to do some spiritual self-examination.  
 
The Call:  I want you to grab hold with your understanding that Isaiah's call was a sequential thing.  Until he went through the purification and cleansing process, Isaiah did not hear the voice of God calling.  With his lips purified, he was now able to enjoy personal communication and intimacy with God.  It reminds me of what Jesus does for each one of us.  He cleanses us from unrighteousness before God.

Isaiah heard the question of the Lord, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?  I am sure Isaiah had no idea what he was agreeing to, but he managed to say, "Here am I; send me."

Nowhere in the writing does Isaiah contend with God and try to escape his call.  Isaiah volunteered in response to a divine invitation.  This experience of Isaiah's can be compared with the burning bush experience of Moses.  The Saul could related as he experienced the call on the road to Damascus; the Apostle Paul emerged.  God will call you to serve; to volunteer your time on behalf of the kingdom.  Will you answer?  

God blesses us when we seek to follow His gentle nudges toward service.  Do you have to be drafted to find time to serve God; or is your hearing keen and you quickly respond, "Here am I; send me?"