SERIES: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD
TEXT: ISAIAH 6:1-9.
In the evangelical world, today is World Mission Sunday. Today’s message is also good message for World Missions. Out outline is
- Isaiah’s upward look.
- Isaiah’s inward look.
- Isaiah’s outward look.
Isaiah the prophet had a very close encounter with God. Let us be reminded this morning that no matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter where you have been, you and I can have close encounters with God. So far into this series, we have talked about Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, Job, Moses, Simon, Peter and John. We will finish the series looking at a few women who had very close encounters with the Loving God. Let us look again at Isaiah 6:1-9.
Without question, Isaiah is the great statesman prophet of the Old Testament. Unlike other prophets Isaiah walked among royalty. He was close and frequent to the Jewish White House (state house) in Jerusalem.
He enjoyed very close audience with the king unlike Amos who was a farmer, Ezekiel who was a priest, Isaiah was a statesman. He was kind of Billy Graham of his day, only with a strong message.
Isaiah’s ministry spanned the reign of 4 (four) kings.
Isaiah was married to a prophetess and his children were mightily used of God as well.
When you read the entirely of the Book of Isaiah, you will see how his prophesies span time and eternity.
Isaiah spoke to the present condition of the people then, but He was far into the future even our future.
- He prophesied of the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ-Isaiah 9:6.
- He prophesied of the crucified Lord-Isaiah 53.
- He saw the millennial kingdom where the lion shall lay down beside a lamb and a little child shall play on a snake’s hole.
- He spoke of a time of unparalleled peace when the nations shall beat their swords into plowshares-Isaiah 2:4.
- The Book of Isaiah is a “Little Bible.” It has 66 chapters, the Bible has 66 books.
- The book of Isaiah has 39 chapters speaking on judgement of the nations (look at Africa, 18/19). It has 27 chapters talking about the gospel of grace and the coming back of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
- On this World Mission Sunday, we know-
- That the harvest is plenteous.
- That there is much to do.
- That the laborers are few.
- That in this critical hour we need men and women, boys and girls, teenagers, seniors, married and single, everyone to report to duty, to have close encounters with God like Isaiah did.
Let us consider Isaiah’s close encounters with the Loving God.
- ISAIAH’S UPWARD LOOK.
- It happened when king Uzziah died.
- It was a day of national crisis.
- It was a time of transition.
- It was a time of uncertainty.
- Now Uzziah was one of the greatest and godliest kings of that time (52 years rule).
- During these days of crisis and transition Isaiah looked up-He looked beyond the earthly king, to the heavenly king of kings.
- It does not matter who is the president of Kenya-It matters who sits on the throne of heaven.
- It matters not who is the president of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, America or Britain, what matters who is the Lord.
- During the time of crisis, Isaiah SAW THE LORD.
- Isaiah saw Lord High and lifted up.
- The Lord God was high and lifted up and His train filled the entire temple.
- ISAIAH’S INWARD LOOK.
- Because Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and he saw God’s holiness, he recognized sin in his heart and life.
- The closer we get to God, the more we will recognize sin in our hearts and lives.
- The closes we are to God the more we see our faults, failures and unholiness and sinfulness.
- If you never say sorry, I repent and I feel my own sinfulness-you haven’t had a close encounters lately.
- Isaiah said “Woe is me.” Before chapter six Isaiah said “Woe” 8 times, 6 times in Chapter 5.
- But in chapter 6 Isaiah saw God and he said “WOE IS ME.”
- When you have a personal encounter with God you quit saying:-
- Someone else is your problem.
- The preacher is your problem.
- Your boss is your problem.
- You will say, “WOE IS ME.”
- When you come into the presence of a thrice HOLY GOD- you will fall down and say, “I am undone”!!
- When Isaiah saw himself and said “WOE is me”, “I am undone,” God did not leave him there. Isaiah got a touch from the altar.
- God purged his sin- a revival happened in the life of Isaiah.
- To encounter God there must be an upward look and inward look and then:-
- ISAIAH’S OUTWARD LOOK
- Isaiah heard the tri-union God speaking, “Who will go for us?” then Isaiah said, “I will go.”
- People are not going because there is no “closer encounters” with God.
- We seriously need close encounters with God, will you go?
- Today the need in the world for the gospel is greater than Isaiah’s time.
- If you line up all the lost people of the world, the line would circle the globe 40 times.
- There are more than 400,000 births every day.
- The line of lost people grows about 32km longer every day.
- If you stopped time, no deaths and no births, it would take 320 years to win the lost in East Africa and 4,000 years to reach the entire world.
- This vision needs to stir us up- only closer encounters with God are needed.
- Edward Kimball was determined to win his Sunday school class to Christ.
- Edward reached out to D.L. Moody.
- L. Moody in crusade in Britain reached out to F.B Meyer at a Liverpool Baptist Chapel on June 17, 1873.
- B. Meyer reached out to J. Wilber Chapman in 1900. Chapman reached out to Billy Sunday and in an Evangelistic outreach in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through Billy Sunday and Mordecai citywide crusade, Billy Graham was converted in 1934.
- Spiritual multiplication will do the job to help change the world and fulfill the great commission- Matt. 28:18-20.
CONCLUSION
- On this world Mission’s Sunday- let us do all that we can do for Christ.
- Let us reach out to the world today- talk to one person today.
- It was a close encounter with God for Isaiah.
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