God is On the Throne
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Greg Waybright
- Isaiah 6
- Messiah Has Come Advent 2016
- 37 mins 43 secs
- Views: 916
Community Questions
Biblical Questions
- Isaiah has a vision of the Lord in the same year that King Uzziah died. This was a turbulent time for God’s people and God wanted to speak with them through his prophet. Through which means does God speak during turbulent times today?
- Isaiah didn’t mention the new king, thus drawing attention to the true King, namely God himself. How tempting is it for us to confuse who is really in charge? Why do you think it is so difficult for us to live like God is the true King?
- Isaiah says that he saw the Lord, high and exalted meaning that there is no one or nothing which is higher than God. How does the greatness of God the way you live?
- In verse 2 the seraphim covered their faces with one set of wings to be shielded from God’s glory and their feet with a second set out of respect. And with their third set of wings they flew, at the ready to serve God. What do you think we can learn about how to interact with God from these heavenly creatures?
- A “stump” is mentioned in Isaiah 6.13 and then again in Isaiah 11.1. This stump represents the hope of Israel, even after judgment and destruction. The Church, from its earliest days until now, has seen this “stump” as pointing to Jesus. How is Jesus the hope of Israel? And how is he our hope today?
Discussion Questions
- Read through Isaiah 6.1-3 again. What attributes of God do you find there that reveal he is worthy of worship? What do you think about each of these attributes? How can knowing these things about God lead to you living for him more and more?
- Isaiah had this vision of God’s great holiness all by himself. Those of us who follow Jesus are not alone, we have one another. Can being in community help us cope with the awesome responsibility we have as followers of Jesus to love God, love others, and make disciples?
- If we lived lives that were marked by the unparalleled greatness of God, do you think our evangelistic efforts would be impacted? If so, how?
Study Notes
Messiah Has Come: God Is on the Throne
Isaiah 6; 11:1-2a
“God is on the throne!” That’s the comment I think I heard pastors and preachers like me saying most often during the recent presidential campaign: “No matter what happens. God is on the throne.” And, usually, after we had said it, church people responded with applause or with a resounding “Amen!” That powerful phrase communicates that, no matter who might become the leader in any nation at any time in history, the God who loves us and is our Father is the one who is in control of everything in the world he created. God is God and God is on the throne. Hallelujah!
Today, on this second Advent weekend of 2016, I want to think about what it means personally and practically to you when you believe that God is on the throne. It makes a difference in any setting in this world when you know who is in charge. My Mom was in charge of the kitchen when we got ready for big meals at our home. Sometimes, I’d walk into the kitchen while she was making the meal and the whole place looked like a mess. But, over the years, I learned to know that she knew what she was doing. That “mess” was a necessary part of a marvelous meal that was to come. I knew the meal would be great, that the family dinner table would be beautiful, and that – after all was done – the kitchen would be put back into good order. Mom was in charge – and I learned to trust that the final product would be fantastic. It always was. And what was true about my Mom in the kitchen is infinitely more true about God in this world.
To show us that truth today, we will turn to Isaiah 6, the Bible passage that occurs just before Isaiah’s great prophecies about the coming of a Messiah. It’s about a young man who one day met the King on the throne.
What Was Going On When a Young Man Learned Who Is on the Throne?
In the year that King Uzziah died… (6:1)
Isaiah starts this chapter by making sure we know that what he would testify to happened in the year that King Uzziah died, i.e., 739 BC. This date was life-changing for him. You can read all about what was going on at that time in Isaiah 1-5. After years of great material and military success, the people in Judah had become smug, proud, and pleasure seeking. Oh, they still claimed that their lives were right with God – but the way they were living showed they were not. Every sin that people in other nations engaged in, the people of Judah engaged in them too. But, they excused themselves saying, “We’re better than other nations. At least we show up at worship. We’re OK!”
But the truth is that things were beginning to fall apart in their country. Their material success was diminishing. Their families and marriages were disintegrating. And, after years of feeling secure, a major superpower, i.e., Assyria, had a new dictator – Tiglath-Pilezer -- who said he was ready to expand his kingdom with an expansion that led directly through Jerusalem.
The one thing Judah still had was an effective king. King Uzziah had been a good king, generally speaking, and he had experienced a very long reign, 52 years. He had been a strong military leader, an efficient administrator and a man generally true to God. In any institution, or organization or nation, there always seems to be a ray of hope, even in the worst of times, when the one in charge is capable. In light of that, the significance of that little opening phrase in v.1 shouts out at us: “It was in the year that King Uzziah died.” He would no longer be on the throne.
Who Is the King Who Was, Is and Always Will Be on the Throne? I saw the Lord seated on the throne…
With all the change and uncertainty happening in his country, this young man – probably a teenager at the time -- went into the Temple one day. It seems likely that the throne for the coronation of the next king, Jothan, had already been erected there. You see, coronations took place in Jerusalem’s temple. With that in mind, Isaiah must have been shocked when he walked into the temple and saw there was someone already on the throne. What he saw was not the future king of Judah. He saw the King of Glory.
In just a few words in vv.1-4, Isaiah describes what must have been a staggering encounter. The impact of this event seems to have its way burnt into his memory and stayed with him for the remainder of his life. Imagine being there when Isaiah walked out of the sanctuary and said:
Guess what I just saw. I saw the Lord high and exalted seated on the throne; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. I saw fiery angelic beings encircling him each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
And guess what I heard. These fiery angels were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
The music must have been thunderous. Isaiah says it rocked the foundations of the entire temple. And smoke was rising in the temple. If this is, as I imagine, the smoke of incense, then the overall effect is that Isaiah’s three senses -- of sight, sound, and smell -- were overwhelmed by the power and holiness of God.
What would you think if one of our high school or college students came up to you and said that he had shown up early in church this morning and this is what he saw? But, that is what young Isaiah saw.
Let me say that to each one here today: I believe you and I – and all Christians – need to live in light of the fact that the God Isaiah saw that day is still on the throne over everything in this world. I fear that we Christians in America may be where Judah was in Isaiah’s day, i.e., saying that we are believers but having lost a sense of God’s power and holiness. I ask you: Do you believe that God is as Isaiah described him to be? Do you believe that he is “on the throne”, sovereign over everything? Mostly, is God on the throne of your life?
The genuine Jesus-follower is one who has seen that all authorities throughout the entire world are nothing compared to the authority and power of Almighty God. We are people who have surrendered our lives to the King over kings. Have you done that? If you have, you are to live each day trusting him no matter what happens in this world. God is on the throne.
Do you remember the movie Chariots of Fire when Lord Cadogen tries to compel Eric Liddell to run on a Sunday against his conscience? Cadogen said, “In my day, it was kings first, and God after.” Liddell said, “God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And when God says it, I for one intend to keep it that way.”
Think of what happened to Isaiah: He went into the temple anxious because his good king was dead. He came out confident because he knew the real King is alive eternally. I am convinced that knowing God as Isaiah knew him is the starting point for you and me living each and every day of our lives in ways that honor him – and that are at peace even when everything seems to be out of control. The Bible declares to you that no matter what happens each day in your life, this God is on the throne. Knowing that changed Isaiah’s life.
So, now the personal question: How should believing God is on the throne change you today?
How does knowing God is on the throne change your life?
I believe that knowing God changes everything. Of course, I cannot talk about everything God changes in us in one sermon. So, let’s focus on how Isaiah’s meeting began to change him and how it applies to us.
#1: You get your personal life right with God. Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. (6:7)
While he is in the presence of this holy God, Isaiah takes a look within his own life and what he sees there isn’t pretty. He cries, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Isaiah thinks, “I’ve had it now. I shouldn’t have shown up in church today! I know myself. God is holy and I am unholy!” He might have only said as so many churchgoers say, “My family needs to be here today." They really need to repent.” Or, “The politicians need to be here today. They need to meet God.” And, of course, Isaiah would have been right about that. However, it was immediately clear to him that he had to start with himself. It wasn’t just others. No, he needed to be forgiven. He needed his life to change.
Imagine being Isaiah that day. He is in the presence of an awesome and holy God. Isaiah looks at his sin and feels that this holy God is going to destroy him. Then…just as he had feared…he sees one of the fiery angels, a seraph, pick up a fiery coal from the altar. It is so hot that even the seraph has to carry it with tongs. The seraph flies closer and closer to Isaiah with the live coal by the tongs. Then…the seraph touches Isaiah’s mouth with the hot coal. “This is the end!” Isaiah must have thought. “I am ruined.”
But Isaiah is not ruined. Hear his testimony:
One of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand... With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
What about you today? Isaiah was not the only one who has ever gone into the house of God needing to get his life right with the Lord. The same God Isaiah met is here today. Is everything in your life right with him? I tell you today: Confess your sin to him. He will say to you, “Your guilt is taken away. Your sin atoned for.”
When God broke into Isiah’s life and convicted him of his sin, God’s purpose wasn’t to shame him or to make him feel guilty – but to call Isaiah back to him and to offer him a new beginning. But, Isaiah had to receive the cleansing. Every time you hear the Word of God, you come away either a little bit closer to God or a little bit further away from him, either more softened to God or more hardened. But you are never the same. If God is convicting you of something in your life that needs to be confessed, don’t harden your heart to him.
Think about it: The angel said his sin had been atoned for. That phrase “atoned for” means that the penalty for sin had been paid. But who paid? At this moment in his life, Isaiah didn’t even know how God would atone for his sin. Later he would get foretastes of how God would pay for the sins of sinners and declare us right with him. Isaiah would begin to have prophecies of a coming Messiah. But, here, this young man just knew that this big a God could do whatever he said he would do. And God said, that his guilt was taken away.
Anytime you truly you meet God, you will be like Isaiah. You will know you have to get your life right with him. How? What you must do is confess your sins and turn from them. Ask him to save you. Place your faith in Jesus, the one who atoned for your sins on the cross. I urge you to get your life right with him now.
#2: You gain a new “first desire”, to please God – Here am I. Send me! (6:8)
I have tried to imagine what Isaiah must have felt when he heard his guilt was gone. Relief? Surprise? I think he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I think Isaiah knew that he didn’t deserve even to be alive but – suddenly – now he finds Almighty God declaring him forgiven. I am sure Isaiah was wildly grateful. He was so grateful to God that he was willing to do anything God wanted him to do. He would always have a lot of desires like we all have. But, the one that had priority over all others was that Isaiah wanted to please God.
And, the first thing God asked him to do was really hard! Isaiah was to go and tell the people that the time for God’s verdict on their sin had come. God let Isaiah know the people would not believe him when he delivered the message! What preacher wants a job like that? Preaching – but nobody believing?
But, after experiencing God’s grace and forgiveness, Isaiah is ready to do anything God asks. He doesn’t ask what the assignment is, the salary, the retirement plan or even the health care benefits under the new Judah Affordable Care Act! He only says, “I’m ready. Send me!” Are you grateful to God for loving you in spite of your sin? How grateful are you? Are you so grateful to Jesus that you say? “Here am I. Send me.”
Read through the rest of Isaiah’s book and you will read about a man with remarkable courage. Isaiah would have to confront kings and deliver unpleasant messages of judgment. He would have to call people to trust God even when they saw powerful nations bearing down on them. Isaiah’s calling was a hard calling! But he did what God asked him to do!
Let me tell you this: The times in my life when I have most experienced the closeness of God are those times when I said, “Lord, what I think You are calling me to do is bigger than I am and harder than anything I want to attempt. Even seeking to be LAC’s pastor shepherding this wonderful group of people through these volatile times in our society and country. How can that be done, Lord? But if you want me to do it, here I am. Send me.” When I simply say, “Not my will but yours” – again and again I have experienced the presence and sufficiency of God. I’m sure Isaiah did.
So, from where did Isaiah’s courage and confidence come? I say it began that day recorded in Isaiah 6 when the young man Isaiah had a personal experience of the awesome power, glory and grace of God. After that, Isaiah would need to fear nothing - even when he would stand before kings who would seem to have the power of life and death over him. He knew where the real power lay. He knew who was on the throne.
#3: You never lose hope
But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down,
So the holy seed will be the stump in the land (6:13).
This is one of the biggest things I want you to take home today. In v.13, the judgment that Isaiah would preach about would leave Isaiah’s people in a broken condition: Almost dead -- like a stump being all that’s left of what was once a beautiful forest. But, that stump was not yet dead. It had a “holy seed” in it. It was through that stump, through God’s people, that a Messiah would come. In other words, there was still hope.
Isaiah’s illustration is something we understand well here in Southern CA, i.e., that when fires burn through our lands, they do not only destroy – they also clear the ground for new growth. So, with beautiful poetry, Isaiah prophesies that there is hope when God is on the throne. Be sure of this, Isaiah says, even though sin must be judged, God will always provide a way of rescue for all who trust in him.
We will be talking about this hope for the rest of our Advent Season. Isaiah 6 is the beginning of a larger section of Isaiah’s book that runs from Isaiah 6-12. In Is 7, Isaiah will tell of a child who will be the central figure in God’s plan to rescue the world. That child will be Immanuel”, i.e., God with us.” Yes, the God whom Isaiah saw in the Temple will be born as a child through a virgin.
In Isaiah 11, we will learn that a shoot will come out of the stump. Listen to Isaiah’s words again: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him.” When he is done, “they will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Is 11:1-2a,9).”
I will stop there for now – with this final word of encouragement to you. I do not know all that is happening in your life, in your marriage, in your family or in any other part of your life. But, I do know this: God loves you with an everlasting love. He is greater than anything you are facing. If a part of the problem is you, then I tell you that God is ready to take your guilt away. He has found a way to atone for your sin. God is ready today to start again with you. I want you to tell God that you are returning to him – and that you are turning everything over to him.
No matter how hard the going may seem, when your trust is in God, you always know there is hope -- for the same God Isaiah saw on the throne one day is still on the throne.
“Trusting that God is on the throne is really the only thing that can keep us sane in the craziness of this life.
Yes, we are not to be passive and do nothing. In an election year, we need to vote and do our part as responsible citizens of this GREAT albeit broken and imperfect nation. And we need to pray...A LOT! But ultimately, I really believe that if we can remember that God is the one who removes kings and sets up kings and that he is not biting his nails over the outcome of all of this, we will actually be a whole lot more at peace, more effective and more relevant in our witness to this world and in this nation. And – to say the obvious – we will be a lot less "freaked out". God is on the throne.”
Steven Curtis Chapman
Chinese Study Notes - 中文翻译
彌賽亞已經來臨: 神在寶座上
以賽亞書 11:1-2a
“神在寶座上!” 我想，自最近總統大選以來，這是包括我在內的牧師、傳道說得最多的一句話。 “無論發生什麽，神都在寶座上”。通常當我們這麽說時，教會的信徒都會鼓掌回應“阿門！” 這句非常有力的話揭示出，在歷史上，不論哪個國家，在任何時候，是誰作領袖，那位愛我們的神都是我們的天父，都在他所造的世界中掌管萬事。神就是神，祂是坐在寶座上的那一位。贊美主！
今天是2016年聖誕月的第二個主日，我想請大家思考一下：當你相信神在寶座上的時候，這個事實對你個人有怎樣的意義？在這個世上的任何背景之中，當你知道誰在掌權時，都會有很大的不同。當我家有盛宴之時，我的母親掌管廚房。有時我在母親做飯的時候走進廚房，會發現一片混亂。但多年以後，我才領悟到，她知道自己在做什麽。那所謂的“混亂”正是美食所不可或缺的一部分，我知道，母親做出的一定是美味佳肴，而且家宴的餐桌必定是美輪美奐，飽餐之後，廚房也會恢復原樣。有母親在掌管，我學會了相信，最終一定是精彩無比，無一例外。母親在廚房尚且如此，神在世上掌權則更是如此。
請打開以賽亞書第6章，看看我們今天所要了解的真理。這段信息就在以賽亞預言彌賽亞來臨之前，講述的是一個年輕人有一天遇到了坐寶座的君王的故事。
當一個年輕人知道了誰是坐寶座的那一位時，發生了什麽?
烏西亞王崩的那一年… (6:1)
在這一章的開始，以賽亞就想要讓我們知道，他要見證在公元前739年，烏西亞王死的那年所發生的事情。那一天改變了他的生命。你可以從第1-5章看見當時歷史背景的全貌，經過多年的物質積累、軍事勝利，猶大人變得驕奢淫逸，還自稱神看他們為好，事實則完全相反。其它國家犯的罪，猶大都會犯，但他們還找借口：“我們比其它國家好，最少我們在敬拜神，所以我們沒有問題！”
但事實上國家已經開始分崩離析，物質的積累也消失殆盡，家庭與婚姻也都四分五裂。特別是在他們覺得安穩之時，興起了一個強權國家敘利亞，那裏的新獨裁者提古拉準備擴張，並長驅直入耶路撒冷。
猶大唯一擁有的，是一個好國王烏西亞，他在位52年，曾經是軍事強人，行政能手，又對神真誠。無論什麽機構、組織、國家，即使在最差的光景中，一個能幹的領袖總能帶來一線希望，然而第一節開頭的一個很重要的短句說：“當烏西亞王崩的那一年”，他已經不在寶座上了。
誰是昔在、今在、永在寶座上的王呢？
我看見主在寶座上…
面對國家的改變和不穩定，這個年輕人---可能那時只是一個青少年，有一天進入了聖殿。為下一個王----約坦加冕的寶座已經設立在那裏。國王的加冕儀式要在耶路撒冷的聖殿中舉行。這名年輕人，就是以賽亞，進去之後發現有人已經坐在寶座上，十分震驚。但是他看見的不是下一個王約坦，而是榮耀的君王。
短短的1-4節裏，以賽亞描述了一個奇異的相遇。這一事件深深印在他的腦海裏，伴隨了他的一生。讓我們設身處地想想以賽亞步入聖殿時的場景：
猜猜他看到了什麽。我見主坐在高高的寶座上，他的衣裳垂下，遮滿聖殿。 2 其上有撒拉弗侍立，各有六個翅膀，用兩個翅膀遮臉，兩個翅膀遮腳，兩個翅膀飛翔，
猜猜他聽到了什麽。 彼此呼喊說：“聖哉，聖哉，聖哉，萬軍之耶和華！他的榮光充滿全地！”
樂聲如雷，門檻的根基震動，有煙從聖殿升起，這可能就是焚香的煙，那場景讓以賽亞看見、聽見、聞見，身臨其境，被神的能力與聖潔所震撼。
假如一個高中生或大學生告訴你，今早他去教會看到了這樣的景象，你會作何感想？但這正是以賽亞所看見的。
我要對今天的每一位說：我相信，你我和所有的信徒都活在一個事實中，就是以賽亞那天看到的神依然坐著為王掌管萬有。我擔心美國的信徒像以賽亞時代的猶大人，一方面說自己是信徒，一方面對神的能力與聖潔失去感覺。我問你: 你相信神就是以賽亞所描述的那一位嗎? 你相信他是坐寶座、掌管萬有的那一位嗎？進一步來說，神坐在你生命的寶座上嗎？
只有那些真心跟隨耶穌基督的信徒才能看到，世界上的一切權力，都無法與全能上帝的力量和權威相比，我們已經全然把自己交給了萬王之王。 你這樣做了嗎？如果真是這樣，你就會不管世界上發生什麽事，每天都信靠他，因為他坐著為王。
你還記得嗎？在“烈火戰車”裏，卡多金試圖強迫艾瑞克違背良心，在星期日參賽，他說：“我每天第一是王，第二是神。”艾瑞克卻說：“神建立國家、設立國王，設立管理律例。這些律例規定，安息日屬於他。神既然如此說，我只有如此做。”
想想以賽亞遇見了什麽：他焦急地進入聖殿，因為他所喜悅的王駕崩了。然而他出來時滿懷信心，知道真正的王是永活的。我確信像以賽亞那樣認識神，是你我每天生活的一個新的開始。我們當用我們的生命來榮耀他，不管是在和平時候還是事情似乎失控的時候。聖經向你宣告，無論你每天生活發生了什麽，神坐著為王。以賽亞因為認識到這點，他的生命就得以改變。
現在向大家提出一個比較個人性問題: 相信神坐著為王會如何改變你？
認識到神在寶座上如何改變你的生命?
我相信，認識神可以改變萬事。當然，藉著一篇講道，我無法講完神在我們生命中的改變。讓我們著重看看以賽亞的經歷如何改變他的生命，以及如何應用在我們身上。
#1: 使你的生命，在神眼中看為美好。 你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了(6:7)
以賽亞在聖潔的神面前時，他看見自己的生命並不潔凈，於是他說：“禍哉！我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人，又住在嘴唇不潔的民中，又因我眼見大君王萬軍之耶和華。”
以賽亞想，“既然是這樣，我今天不應該來到這裏。我有自知之明，神是聖潔的，我是不潔的！”他可能之前說了和許多去教會的人一樣的話：“我的家人今天應該來這裏，他們實在需要悔改”, 或者 “那些政治家今天需要來這裏，他們需要遇見神。”當然，以賽亞可能是對的；然而以賽亞立即明白，應該從我做起，而不是別人。是他自己需要被赦免，是他的生命需要改變。
想象一下，你天就是那天的以賽亞，站在大而可畏的聖潔的神面前；以賽亞看見自己的罪並感到神要毀滅他。這時，他所擔心的事發生了。。。 有一撒拉弗飛到他跟前，手裏拿著紅炭，是用火剪從壇上取下來的。炭太熱了，以致天使也要拿著火剪。 撒拉弗用火剪拿著火炭飛近以賽亞，用熱炭碰以賽亞的唇。以賽亞一定想，“這下可完了，我沒命了！”
但他沒有死，請聽他的見證:
有一撒拉弗飛到我跟前，手裏拿著紅炭，是用火剪從壇上取下來的， 將炭沾我的口，說：“看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。”
你今天又如何呢？以賽亞不是唯一一個去聖殿，需要生命更新、並得神喜悅的。以賽亞遇見的神今天就在這裏。在你的生命中，是否各個方面在神的眼中都看為美好？我今天告訴大家：向他認罪；他就會對你說：“你的罪孽被除掉，你的罪惡得以赦免了。”
當神破碎以賽亞的生命，使他承認罪孽時，神並非要羞辱他，讓他負疚；而是要尋找他，給他一個新的開始；但以賽亞首先需要被潔凈。事實上，每次聽到神的呼召，你都會或許走近神一步，或者遠離神一步；你向著神的心都會更柔軟或更堅硬一些，你不會保持不變的。如果神感動你悔改認罪，不可向他硬著心。
想想看，天使告訴以賽亞說，他的罪已經被贖清，意思是，贖罪的代價已經付過了。誰付的代價呢？以賽亞此時不知道神是如何替他贖罪的；在這之後，他就會經歷到神如何為罪人付清罪債，並宣告我們在他面前為義。以賽亞要開口預言一位將來的彌賽亞。但此時，這個年輕人只知道這位神能成就他所說的。神說，以賽亞的罪已經被除掉了。
任何時候你遇見神，也要像以賽亞一樣。你知道，你的生命必須要在神眼前看為正。怎樣才能如此呢？你一定要到，承認你的罪並遠離罪，求耶穌基督拯救你；把你的信心放在耶穌身上，他在十字架上為你贖清了罪債。我奉勸你，要讓你的生命在他眼前看為正。
#2: 你有一個新的“首要盼望”, 就是討神喜悅 – 我在這裏，請差遣我! (6:8)
我曾經試著想象，當以賽亞聽到他的罪被除去時，是何感受，輕松？驚喜？我想，他會被感恩之情所充滿。以賽亞知道，其實自己都不配活著，但突然間，他發現永恒的主宣告，他已被赦免。我確信以賽亞的心中充滿感恩，他願意做神讓他做的任何事。他曾經和我們一樣有許多欲望，但現在超越一切的唯有一件，就是討神喜悅。
然而神讓他做的第一件事就非常困難！以賽亞要去告訴人們，神定他們罪的時間到了。神讓以賽亞知道，當他如此傳講時，人們不會相信他！有哪一個傳道人願意做這樣的事？傳講信息卻沒人相信！
然而，經歷了神的恩典和赦免，以賽亞準備做神所要求的任何事。他不問神任務是什麽，不問待遇、退休計劃，不問“新猶大”健康保險；他只說：我準備好了，請差遣我！你感謝神愛你、赦免你的罪嗎？你有多感恩？你的感恩是否能使你說：“我在這裏，請差遣我”麽？
通讀以賽亞書，你會看見一個大有膽量的人。以賽亞不得不面對王去傳講那讓人不快的審判信息；不得不在大軍壓境時號召人們相信神。以賽亞得到的呼召是艱難的呼召，但他做了神讓他做的！
我要告訴你：我生命中最靠近神的時候，是我說“主啊，你在呼召我做一個我無法勝任，超乎我能力的事的時候，包括作為湖邊大道教會的牧師，牧養這些出眾的人，一起經歷國家、社會的動蕩不安。主，我怎麽能完成這樣的工作呢？然而如果你要我做，我在這裏，請差遣我。”當我只說：“這不是我的意思，而是你的意思”時，我一次又一次經歷了神的同在和他足夠的幫助。我確信以賽亞也是如此。
以賽亞的勇氣和信心從哪裏來？我想，就是從第6章記載的這一天，當年輕的以賽亞親身經歷了大而可畏、榮耀恩典的神的時候。從此以後，他無所畏懼---甚至當他站在王的面前，連性命都受到威脅之時。他知道真正的力量所在，他知道誰在寶座上。
#3: 你不會失去盼望
像栗樹、橡樹，雖被砍伐，樹不子卻仍存留，這聖潔的種類在國中也是如此。 (6:13).
這就是我希望你們今天帶回家的一件最大的禮物。在13節，以賽亞要宣講的審判，會使以賽亞的百姓處於破碎的境地： 他們幾乎死亡，就像是一片曾經是美麗森林的樹樁。但樹樁並沒有死，有“聖潔的種子”存留其間。就是藉著這些樹樁，也就是神的子民，彌賽亞即將來臨。換句話說，盼望猶存。
以賽亞所用的例子，我們在南加州可以更好地理解：當火燒了土地，不僅是摧毀了其上的東西，也為將要新生長的植物清理土壤。以賽亞藉著美麗的詩歌預言，當神在寶座時，我們就有盼望。在確信了這一點之後，以賽亞說，盡管罪一定要得到審判，但神總是為信他的人開出一條拯救之路。
在接下來的聖誕季節裏，我們將會談論有關盼望的主題。在以賽亞書6：6-12節中，展開了宏大的畫卷。在第7章，以賽亞將宣告，在神的救贖計劃中心，將會有一嬰孩，他名稱為以馬內利，就是“神與我們同在”的意思。是的，以賽亞在聖殿裏看見的神，將會以一個嬰孩的方式由童貞女而出。
在第11章，我們會學到，有一枝子將從根發出，請聽他的話語：“從耶西的本必發一條，從他根生的枝子必結果實。 耶和華的靈必住在他身上。。。”他成就救贖後， “在我聖山的遍處，這一切都不傷人，不害物，因為認識耶和華的知識要充滿遍地，好像水充滿洋海一般”（賽 11：1-2a, 9）
我要先停在這裏---希望能用這最後的話语激勵大家。我不知道任何發生在你生命中的事情，包括你的婚姻，你的家庭，或其它的事。但我知道，神以永遠的愛來愛你。他比你所面對的任何事情都大。如果發生的任何事情是你的問題，那麽我告訴你，神要除去你的罪咎。他已經找出贖清你罪的道路。神今天就要從你開始。我要你告訴神，你正回轉向他---你正完全轉向他。
不管看起來多麽艱難，當你信神的時候，你總會有盼望，因為那天以賽亞所看見的那位坐在寶座之上的神，仍然坐著為王！
榮耀歸給神，
Greg Waybright 博士
主任牧師