Sermon #22 Series: Isaiah
Title: The Making Of A Prophet
Text: Isaiah 6:8
Subject: Isaiah’s
Prophetic Call
Date: Sunday Evening - September 10, 1989
Tape
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Introduction:
I
am often asked, “What is the call to the ministry? How can I know if God has called me to preach the gospel?’ The answer to those questions is found in
Isaiah 6. Here we have a detailed
account of Isaiah’s call to be God’s spokesman and Isaiah’s response to God’s
call. The climax of this passage is
verse 8. Isaiah has seen the Lord in
his glory, confessed his own sin and experienced the joy of redemption and
forgiveness by the blood of Christ. Now
we read, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us? Then said I, Here am I;
send me.”
Now
listen carefully to my introduction. It
is as important as the message itself.
1.
The Lord our God has decreed from eternity to save a great
multitude of sinners for the glory of his own great name; and they must be
saved - (Eph. 1:3-6; II Thess. 2:13-14).
They
are elected, adopted, and predestinated heirs of God. We do not hedge when it comes to the preaching of God’s
sovereignty in grace. Election and
predestination are Bible terms in which we rejoice. God’s elect must be saved.
2.
The Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed that elect multitude,
God’s chosen seed, and must have them with him in heaven for the satisfaction
of his soul’s travail (Isa. 53:9-12; Heb. 2:13).
Christ
did not shed his blood in vain. The
cross of Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage. Every sinner for whom atonement was made
shall be with Christ in heaven.
3.
God the Holy Spirit sovereignly, irresistibly regenerates,
calls, and preserves every sinner chosen by God and redeemed by Christ (Ps.
65:4; 110:3; John 6:63).
“Salvation
is of the Lord.” Grace never
fails. The Holy Spirit has been sent
into this world to savingly apply the benefits of Christ’s finished work to
those for whom he lived and died.
4.
Every sinner who comes to God by faith in Christ shall be
saved (John 6:37-40; Rom. 10:9-13).
5. But no sinner can or will be saved apart from the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 10:14-17).
“The
word of this salvation avails not until it is declared in the ear; it must be
published, or men cannot hear it; and not hearing, they cannot believe; and not
believing, they cannot be saved” - (C.H. Spurgeon).
Proposition:
The men and women of this world are perishing all around us
for lack of knowledge; and it is our responsibility, yours and mine, to tell
them how God saves sinners by his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Note: All of God’s people are missionaries, people
sent on a mission. And our mission in this world is to preach
the gospel of Christ to all men.
Tonight, I am calling for some volunteers, volunteers sent of God, to
tell the world about God’s dear Son and his saving grace. I am calling for us to give ourselves up to
our Savior, to be used of God wherever and however he sees fit to use us.
Divisions: Look at
Isaiah 6:8. I want to show you three
things in our text.
1.
The Call of God.
2.
The Response of Faith.
3.
The Commission Given.
I.
First,
I want us to look at THE CALL OF GOD which Isaiah heard - “Also I heard the
voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
Here is a
man, nothing more than a man, a man clothed with human flesh, incumbered with
human weaknesses, and corrupted with human sin. But he is a man called of God, clothed with divine grace, and
sent with divine authority. Who is this
man called of God?
A. He is a man chosen of God.
Notice
the wording of the text, the Lord said, “Whom shall I send?” It is as though in the eternal counsel a
question was once raised, as though the Lord had said, “Who shall be the chosen
man, who shall be the object of my love, through whom the unsearchable riches
of Christ shall be proclaimed?’
Election, you see, is the fountain head of all divine mercy and divine
work (Eph. 1:3-4).
1.
There is an Election to Salvation (II Thess. 2:13-14; I
Pet. 1:2).
2. There is also an Election to Specific Service in the Kingdom of God (John 15:16).
B. The question also implies that the person
called of God is one who cheerfully, willfully, voluntarily responds to God’s
gracious call.
God says,
“Whom shall I send?” That question
speaks of God’s will. But he also says,
“Who will go for us?” And that question
speaks of man’s will.
Now
listen to me - Though man is not saved by his will, he is not saved without his
will, or against his will - (Ps. 110:3).
The sovereign grace of God, and the purpose of grace in predestination,
do nothing to violate the will of man or destroy the responsibility of man.
1.
Salvation is determined by the will of God - but salvation
only comes to those who are willing to trust Christ.
2. Even so, it is God’s will that determines who will preach the gospel - but no man is sent of God to preach until he is made willing to go.
Spurgeon
said, “The true worker for God must be impelled by divine election, but yet he
must make and will make, by divine grace, his own election for his work.”
C. That man who is called of God represents God,
as an ambassador represents his king - (II Cor. 5:18-21).
The
Lord says, “Who will go for us?” Who
will go to represent and speak for God?
1.
We are sent into this world as the representatives of the
Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
We
are all (all who believe) God’s witnesses to perishing sinners. I am a public preacher of the gospel. But you are all witnesses of Christ, called
and sent of God, in your own sphere, to tell out the wonders of redemption and
grace in Christ.
2.
God’s ambassador carries God’s message - Substitution (I
Cor. 2:2).
3. And God’s ambassador is armed with God’s authority - “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”
I
want everyone of you to hear the call of God - “Whom shall I send, and who will
go for us?” And I want you to respond
to God’s call like Isaiah did.
II.
So,
secondly, let’s consider THE RESPONSE OF FAITH.
When
Isaiah heard God’s gracious call, he responded, “Here am I, send me.” The response of faith is always the
same. It asks no questions, considers
no costs, and offers no conditions. It
is a free, voluntary, unqualified surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ - (Gen.
22:1).
Note: In the Kingdom of God, all service is
voluntary. That which is given as the
result of a preacher priming, pumping, pulling, pushing, and promoting is not
of God!
-Giving
- Church attendance - Witnessing - Etc.
A. Isaiah was a man who knew
and felt his own unworthiness to serve his God - (v. 5).
No
one will ever be useful in the cause of Christ who entertains flattering
notions of his own worth, ability, and importance.
Illustration: “Broken pieces” (Acts 27:44).
God will never use that which is
not broken (Ps. 51:1-17).
Let
me remind you of the way in which Isaiah was broken.
1.
He saw Christ in his exalted glory - Redeemer King! (v. 2).
2. He saw the Holiness of God (v. 3).
3. He experienced the joy of Pardoning Mercy by Blood Atonement (vv. 6-7).
4. And Isaiah had a sense of God’s presence!
B. Isaiah was a pardoned sinner, given
opportunity to be of some service, he knew not what, and he seized the
opportunity - “Here am I, send me.”
It is as
though he said, “Lord, I do not know where you may be pleased to use me, or
how, but, O my great God, if you will use me in anyway, for anything, at
anytime, Here I am.”
· His response was one of gratitude.
· His surrender was unreserved.
· His commitment was an act of faith.
III. Thirdly, here is THE COMMISSION GIVEN - “Go,
and tell this people.”
· Tell them what you have seen, heard, and experienced.
· Tell them of sin and judgment - (vv. 9-12).
· Tell them of sure mercy and salvation for an elect remnant - (v. 13).
Application:
1.
You and I have been called and sent of God to preach the gospel
to this generation - (John 20:21).
2. Whatever God gives us the opportunity and ability to do, he has called us to do -
· David - “Is there not a cause?”
· Paul’s Macedonian Vision - “Come over and help us.”
· Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
· The Widow’s Oil and Meal.