Here I am, Send Me!
Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord
6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Big Idea: The Lord our God is Sovereign
1. God Calls Us
2. God Cleanses Us
3. God Sends Us
Point One: God calls us.
Scripture: 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Illustration:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Watching a child learning to walk reveals much wisdom. As a child’s curiosity grows, so do their bumps and bruises. They will often grasp onto something…a mother, a father, a table, or a couch – struggling with all their might to bring themselves up onto their own two feet. They stumble, they fall, they drop, and they roll – accumulating their war wounds. Not far away, Mom or Dad is observing – even helping their child. But the inevitable does occur. The child will fall and hurt themselves, just shy of mastering their balance and equilibrium. What happens next is fundamental to understanding our relationship with Jesus. The child will cry out… the child will reach out… the child will search for their mom or Dad to comfort them – to help them get back up.
Application:
The Lord calls us by His grace. To hear, we must first be silent and listen. We must open our ears to hear the whispers of Jesus. What is He saying to you? What changes is He asking you to make? His grace begins with a whisper, but if we fail to listen, His gentle voice can turn into a raging quake should we fail to answer.
Children of God are nurtured, refined, molded, and yes – even disciplined when necessary. But Jesus tells us to come to Him. Jesus gives us the comfort we need when we are hurt. Jesus calls us to be as children if we are to inherit the kingdom of God.
Bridge:
When we are called, we are first called to repent. Humility and the realization that we are anything but holy is the first step. We must be washed clean.
Point Two: The Lord Cleanses/Atones
Scripture: 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Illustration:
Conversion
It’s What’s Inside that Counts
“Clothes make the man,” so the popular saying goes. But do they? Liars may be dressed well, but they are still Liars. Conversely, saints may be clothed in rags, but they are still saints. The clothes on the person is not what counts but who is in the clothes.
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32
Zechariah 3:3-4
3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
Application:
What the Lord has made Holy, is Holy. Although the finer things in life can bring positive reactions from the world, it is what we can’t see that matters the most. Our heart holds the truth about us. Who we really are as a person. If we focus on how the world sees us on the outside, we deny ourselves the true joy, happiness, and peace of the eternal. When we align our hearts with the will of God, it begins a great work in the only thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus and His purpose for us.
Bridge
Just as a child eagerly responds to a parent’s voice, we must heed the calling of our Father in Heaven. Our dirty clothing must be changed in preparation for a great wedding feast.
Point Three: The Lord Sends
Scripture: 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Illustration:
His Work, Not Ours
We often speak of expanding God’s kingdom, but that’s His business, not ours. We are to be witnesses concerning the kingdom and how one can become a part of it.
As a child, I remember my parents assigning the simplest chores. Emptying the trash, replacing trash bags, taking my laundry to the laundry room – cleaning up my room. I had always looked at these tasks as unnecessary – mundane – not required in everyday life. As this child grew, I came to realize there was a greater purpose behind the assignment. Part of that was to help me become more responsible and ready for larger tasks. The other part was to maintain and keep the order of my room and the house. Stacked-up trash bags are unclean, and uncleanliness brings bugs and disease. The chores I saw as tedious and unnecessary were in fact paramount in developing a disciplined and organized young child. Before long, I found it pleasing to surprise my parents with a clean house with all chores checked off. Pleasing my parents gave me satisfaction when I saw their happy smiles.
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. John 4:34
Application:
We may ask ourselves, who cares? We may think, “How can I be sent if I’m stuck here?”
The answer to that question is simple….
YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN SENT AND HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR APPROPRIATE DESTINATION.
The assignment Jesus has given us is to take on His yoke – obey His command to love – and make disciples. Our purpose isn’t to “save” people. Our purpose is to share love, and that love is the Gospel of Jesus. What greater love is there than that of what Jesus did for us, and how urgent the matter is to share that love with others.
Only when the Lord has fulfilled His purpose for you in the present will you be given a new assignment and a new destination in the future. When God has finished paving a new road for you to travel, He will reveal the appropriate directions and provide you with a map. We may not understand the why right now, but just as a child may not understand, we must trust and obey. The why will be revealed in due time.
Now this journey will be over rough terrain, traveling over deserts and wilderness. But as you take this journey, you are not alone. You are promised that God will be with you, and God is always faithful in His promises.
Some of you may have a Jonah moment. You may turn away and refuse to go to “your Nineveh.”
The Lord, in His sovereignty, may have you swallowed by a whale to steer you back on His path. It may be the case that some of us are even trapped in the belly of this great whale as we speak. If that is the case, the only relief is to yield to the Holy Spirit and be spit out onto the shores of refuge.
Only when we yield in obedience to Christ will we find our rest. Only then will we discover our oasis in the desert, our very own Eden. The Lord is calling you; the Lord has a job for you – will you stand as Isaiah stood and speak the words Isaiah spoke? “HERE I AM, SEND ME”
Conclusion:
God is Holy. God is sovereign. God transcends above all things.
Out of His love for us, our Lord calls, He redeems, and He sends us out to take part in His plan. What an honor! What a privilege!
The Apostle Paul thrived while in shackles. God used his situation for His glory and extended His kingdom. God will do the very same with us, if we let Him.
God will use our history, our story, our testimony to plant seeds in fertile, rich soil. We are not promised an easy life when we accept Jesus. Fortunately, it is the complete opposite. The Lord’s fire refines. Just as silver is refined to remove impurities, we too are being refined. When we are refined, our sinful deeds are exposed and burned in the fire. It will make us uncomfortable, cause us pain, and bring suffering. But as a child seeks the comfort of a parent, so too will Jesus be our comfort.
Remember that God does not call the equipped; God equips the called. He is our strength and our salvation. He is our everything.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord our God almighty!
Let’s Pray.
