Responding To God

Responding to God’s Holiness (Isaiah 6:1-13) Background: Judah needed a reminder of God’s awesome power King Uzziah had just died (Reminder of JFK’s death) (note: leprosy incident, 2 Chron. 26:1620, pride: Contrast the modesty of the Seraphim in covering himself) Also: Assyria threatened Reassurance: God still “seated on his throne”, which was “high & lofty” (i.e. above Assyria, etc., and with ability to provide, signified by lengthy robe (a sign of great wealth). Problem: Complacency (Deut. 6:10-13, Prov. 1:28-33, Zeph. 1:12-13, Hosea 13:5-6, Luke 17:26-28, 1 Cor. 4:8-21, Rev. 3:14-22) Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, told a story about a goose who was wounded and who landed in a barnyard with some chickens. He played with the chickens and ate with the chickens. After a while that goose thought he was a chicken. One day a flight of geese came over, migrating to their home. They gave a honk up there in the sky, and he heard it. Kierkegaard said, "Something stirred within the breast of this goose. Something called him to the skies. He began to flap the wings he hadn’t used, and he rose a few feet into the air. Then he stopped, and he settled back again into the mud of the barnyard. He heard the cry, but he settled for less." God’s Holiness – separate & righteous An encounter with God’s holiness makes us aware of our unholiness. Isaiah was unclean By his own words & actions By his association with other unclean people Isaiah’s Response (see 1 John 1:9-10) Fear/Admission/Contrition Burning coal From incense burner, relates to prayer Removed wickedness, Sin atoned for Not by his actions, but by the grace of God, to serve God’s purpose Made clean to be used as a spokesman for Holy God

Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? (Isa. 6:8) Us? (Gen. 1:26 (Let us make man in our image) Here am I. Send me. Have you been called? Christians are referred to in the New Testament as “the called” (Rom. 8:28). We find such phrases as “the called of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:6), “the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28), and “called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2). The meaning of all this is that God took the initiative in our salvation (1 John 4:10). God called Paul on the road to Damascus God called Isaiah in the temple as he pondered the nation’s sad predicament “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20) The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocatio, which means "summons" or "invitation." How have you responded? Elijah lost heart and left his post of duty, but God found him in a cave on Mount Horeb and asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). Jonah fled from his call, but God’s voice found him and brought him back to his task. We may try to hide from God, but we cannot escape Him. God called His people to repentance (see 2 Pe. 3:9) But he also knew their hearts Takes a special faithfulness required to speak up for God when no visible positive response/result (read part on verse 11, p. 28 of Teacher’s Guide) God saved a remnant/stump/holy seed for rebirth