Freedom Follows Following: Living Out a God Calling
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Living out a God Calling requires experiencing God and engaging His call.
Background on Isaiah
Mini-Bible: First 39 declare judgement, final 27 hope through Jesus
Known as the Mount Everest of Hebrew Prophecy
Israel split into two: Isaiah called to Judah in the south. Judah riddled with moral and spiritual disease - neglecting God.
Isaiah 6:1-4
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple."
"2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke."
Living Out a God Calling
Experiencing God
1. God's Glory
Glory- Kahvod - Weight
God's glory refocuses us and reminds us of who is in control.
2. God's Holiness
“Woe to me!” I cried. “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 6:5
"Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar." With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” - Isaiah 6:6
The one who touches us and removes our guilt and atoned for our sin is Jesus.
Without Jesus, the weight and perfection of God would crush us, but because of Jesus they lift us.
God's glory refocuses us, God's holiness repositions us - need both before the call.
How do we experience His glory and holiness?
Experiencing God: Gaze at God
Glance at the world, but gaze at God.
"Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence." - Ephesians 3:12
Our lack of gazing at God isn't an access issue, it's a practice issue.
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
What are you gazing at other than God?
How can you begin gazing at God in the midst of every day life and letting the weight of His glory refocus you and His holiness reposition you?
Engaging His Call
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" - Isaiah 6:8
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”” - Isaiah 6:8
1. No hesitation
You don’t have to know all of the what’s, when’s and where’s as long as I am constantly pursuing The Who.
"9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and be healed.” - Isaiah 6:9-10
2. No conditions
As Christians, we aren’t promised to comfort and control in the worldly sense. But we are promised that we serve the God of all comfort and a God who is always in control.
Engaging the Call: Go Unconditionally
What do you need to say yes to?
Do you need to take off the conditions off of your obedience?
"Isaiahs calling is not to a success as the world counts success, but to faithfulness. And because he accepts the difficult commission, we still read his book 27 centuries later." - John N. Oswalt, The NIV Application Commentary