Changing the World
Isaiah 6:1-13
* Have you ever given any real thought to what it might take to change this world? (I.E. country, community, church)
* Most people would suggest legislation, delegation, and even litigation, but none of these will work. Do you know why? Simply put, it has to do with the depravity of mankind.
* The thinking of today is ‘we are okay’, ‘alright’, and ‘not so bad’, so all this talk about the vial nature, propensity to sin, and evil of man just isn’t that big of deal.
* Almost everyone I read or hear today – you know the ones (trying to straighten out mankind) seem to approach the problems we face from the premise that ‘we just need to discover the good in us (everybody) and find a way to let it out. Simply put, we need leaders, teachers, and preachers who will pat us on the back, lift our self-esteem, and make us feel good about what we are doing, and THEN our society can change for the better.
* Herein lies the problem. This American philosophy of the 21st century flies in the face of everything the Word of God (the Bible) says.
* Again, have you ever given this any real thought? Think about these;
We Say God Says
He’s a good boy (or girl) Rom. 3:10
He/She’s got a good heart Jer 17:9
My family is the most important thing Matt 10:37
We’re all pretty good & special (At the Cross) Ps 22:6
(And these are but a few)
* Unless and until we discern and admit the flawed nature of man (that would be us), we are on a course to self-destruction. The problems of mankind are like the problem of termites in a house. You can know they are there, you can know what they are, and you may even refuse to think that your house is ‘termite’ infested, but left alone, they won’t go away-they will only eat away. We cannot legislate an answer because laws do not control ‘thinking’. We cannot delegate an answer because it’s a problem for every one and not just a few. We cannot litigate an answer because the justice system is ‘just as flawed’ as the men who run it.
* This is a ‘heart’ issue. We cannot legislate, delegate, or litigate our hearts; we can only renovate our hearts. Like renovating your house, who it is, that does the renovation, is key. Could we need a renovated heart?
* Turn to Isaiah 6 and let’s get a word from God’s word about how to change our world, which may first result in a change in us. (Read)
* Isaiah begins this part of his prophecy with, “In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord.” The last four words are the key, “I Saw the Lord.”
1. A Vision of God – How long has it been since you had a clear, personal, & life-change vision of God? I am not trying to be ‘mystic’, but rather spiritual. Through the work of the person of the Holy Spirit, God reveals Himself. In salvation He reveals Himself, in times of crisis He does the same, and in times of need He reveals Himself –so that we may know Him. Can you remember when you were saved? Even if it weren’t a visible picture in your mind of Holy God, there was a sense in which you knew that Jehovah KNEW you. And it changed your life. I go on to say that if that time you recognize as your salvation did NOT produce a life-change, chances are, it was not a meeting with Jehovah God and did not result in the salvation of your soul. Satan is the great counterfeiter.
* This week I picked up and several of us read a booklet by “Manley Beasley” entitled, “Is your salvation real or counterfeit?” In it Manley describes 3 type of salvation which are counterfeit; emotional, moral, and intellectual. Answers such as, “I had this experience,” or “I’ve studied the Bible”, or “I am a good moral person” will not stand up as ‘good enough’ at the Judgment seat. An authentic experience begins with God “quickening” (I.E. speaking to, pricking, cutting) your heart. The impact is found in Acts 2:37 and the natural question comes, “What must I do?”
* Changing the world requires that change happens, ONE LIFE AT A TIME. As we look at the scripture, what changes with an authentic view of God?
a. Your Perspective – I submit that your view of HIM will change. Too often we see God as a cross between Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, & grandpa when in actuality He is seated on a throne that is beyond our human reasoning. To linger over this text, closing eyes, and seeing the picture is to have a perspective that is reversed. Think about His temple, His throne, & His robe (filling the temple). See the Seraphim which surround Him and notice how these eternal beings respond. They cover heads, feet, and they fly. Could it be that what they do serves as a symbol to us? Could it be that they cover their heads because nothing we think escapes God, their feet because no place we go is without His notice, and even their wings shows us that He knows our motivation & see us. When we get a glimpse of God, our perspective changes. It is no longer about me, but it becomes all about Him. To change our world means changing our perspective about HIM.
b. Your Definitions – When you read the entire prophecy of Isaiah, you get the idea that this experience is a defining moment in the life of Isaiah.
* Reading chapter 7 you get the idea that Isaiah gains a new courage to stand for the Lord because He has now seen the Lord and been reminded of what real power is like. The power of a man or even mankind seems insignificant in the light of divine power. When I read about shaking doors at the sound of voices & envision the smoke in the temple, I am reminded that God is a God to be feared. One of the issues which hinder the church in America is the fear of God (the lack of it). When you get a vision of God, you will no longer fear anything man can do to you. It was the fear of God in Acts 5 that caused increasing numbers of people to be saved. It was the fear of God that caused the numbers to be MULTIPLIED in Acts 9. It will be the fear of God which returns to hearts when we get a vision of Him. Seeing Him will change your definition of POWER.
* It will change your definition of worship. Honestly, most worship today is directed at “US”. That is, what we like or dislike, the time, the style, and so on and so forth. Real worship is from our hearts to HIM. He is the focus, He is the centerpiece, and He is the object. When you sing, you sing for an audience of ONE. When you pray, you pray to the hearer of ONE. When you respond (or not), it is still to HIM.
* It will change your definition of HOLY. Our flawed definition of holy kind of keeps us warm and protects us. We think ‘holiness’ is ‘purity’ & our cop out is that ‘no one is perfect, so what’s the use.’ First of all, never forget those unchanging & ever challenging words, “Be Holy and as I am Holy.” Did you realize that these words are recorded 5 times in Holy Scripture? God is serious about our holiness. The word “holy” carries with it the idea of “other.” God is other than anything we know and we are called to be like Him. It is a divine designation.
c. Your Evaluations – Here is a critical truth. When we get a vision of God, like our perspective, how we evaluate things will change. The first change will be your view of yourself. Possibly, Isaiah felt pretty good about himself as he penned those first 5 chapters. After all, this was a vision given to him by almighty God & he, Isaiah, had been chosen to deliver the message. Could there be more of an ego boost than to know you have been chosen by God? Faced with deity, his personal self-esteem is beset. Here is the need. Verse 5 is not a pity party, it is painful reality. His pride was revealed to himself, his talk was revealed, & His friends we exposed. Our evaluations of self and our friends are so much different seeing Him.
d. You – When Isaiah saw God, his life changed dramatically. He was a prophet and yet he understood the vial nature of his tongue, his attitude, his priorities, and his willingness. He knew that he was not worthy.
* In his attitude of ‘unworthiness’, God made him worthy. Now, his attitude is seen in “Here I am Lord, send me.” It is only when God’s people have an encounter with Him which leads to their cleansing which accompanies an attitude change from “Send Johnny” to “Here I am, send me” that there is any hope of changing the world.
* The reason it is time for judgment to begin at the house of God is because it is only among the people of God that there exist any conscience.
* So the question is; if changing the world is dependent on the people of God getting a fresh vision of God so their lives will be reordered, how does this happen? I believe that we find a clue in the first part of verse 1.
* The phrase, “In the year King Uzziah died” is significant. Sadly for Uzziah, his life was one that began well and ended badly. Turn to 2 Chron. 26. (Read and explain about the life of Uzziah) What does this have to do with changing the world & getting a vision of God?
2. Allow King Uzziah to be a SYMBOL. Remember that Uzziah started out well, he feared and sought God during his early years, but then something happened. He became wicked and God stopped blessing him. Uzziah could be a something or someone because he represents anything or anyone which keeps God from working in your life. Before Isaiah could have a clear picture of God to relate to Judah, Uzziah had to die. Uzziah started off good, but was not totally good, so Satan had an entrée to work. When we hold any part of our lives back from God, it is an entry point for Satan. The enemy will come in, get a toehold, gain a foothold, and develop it into a stronghold. While we may not see the physical manifestation of a skin disease breakout, there will come a spiritual disease which will keep us from God’s fellowship & friendship.
* Do you have anything in your life which Uzziah symbolizes? It could be a possession, a hobby, priorities, attitudes, friend, or many other things. What is going to have to die in you for God to show up?
* September 11, 2001, is said to be the day the world changed. Many things did change that day.
* The days which will change the world will be the day when a small group of God’s redeemed people puts the death our own personal Uzziah. It is only in this death that we have the opportunity to see God. It is only in this death & the renewed vision of God that we can hear, sense, & ‘know’ Him the we might come to grips with who we are in light of Him. Only when we get this honest, will we become His army saying, “Here I am, send ME.” Then this world will change. One life, heart & soul at a time.
