Young People's Group

THE CALLING OF ISAIAH (I)

by Pastor Mitch
November 03, 2013

The Context Of The Calling Of The Servant Of God

What does it mean to be called to be a servant of the Lord? This important yet often misunderstood doctrine has seen its fair share of abuse by perpetrators of falsehood. Very often, people speak of being called by the Almighty God without a proper comprehension of what it means. Isaiah was a servant of the Lord who was called by God to serve Him in a special way. Isaiah would have an extensive and prolific prophetic ministry that would span four kings; King Uzziah, King Jotham, King Ahaz and King Hezekiah. The book of Isaiah would become the longest book in the Bible. His calling would especially include prophesying in great detail the life, ministry and suffering of the Messiah. He would bring much glory and honour to the coming Messiah. It was with this context in mind that Isaiah was called to the ministry.

The Comprehension Of The Holiness Of God

“I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!'” 
Isaiah 6:1-3

The first thing that God wanted to show to Isaiah was how holy He is. The Lord God sat on His heavenly throne as a sovereign and mighty God. He is awesome and glorious, far greater than any human being. He is truly exalted and lifted up above all. The Lord God was so holy and glorious that the seraphim would cover their faces with their wings as they fly above the throne. Even angels with great power would not dare to look on the holiness of God. One of the angels cried out and declared the holiness of God. The word “holy” is repeated three times for great emphasis. The Lord is indeed the purest and holiest. He is the commander of the heavenly host and He will carry out His judgment in holiness.

“But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness” 
Isaiah 5:16

The Lord God has to be hallowed in righteousness. Man cannot come before the Lord in sinfulness to honour and hallow Him. When Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he understood this.

The Contrition Of The Servant

“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because 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.” 
Isaiah 6:5

Isaiah responded to this vision with deep contrition before God. He saw how sinful he was before the Lord as he sensed His holy presence. Isaiah knew that he was a man who had spoken wrong and sinful words because he had been influenced by people with unclean lips. He had seen the glorious and holy King of heaven. He is the Lord of the great host of heaven. He confessed his sinfulness before God. Before we can be used by the Lord for His calling, we need to confront our sins. Let’s learn to confess our sins before God. Let’s seek to humble ourselves and to be contrite before Him. Let’s seek to learn more about our calling by coming to Youth Conference 2013.

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