The Vision - v. 1-4 The same God that Isaiah saw sitting on the throne still sits there today and seraphs still fly around saying to each other, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory."
The Reality Check - v. 5 Isaiah recognized he was a sinner. I'm a sinner, we are all sinners. I'm not worthy to approach holy God Almighty. My sin separates me from Him.
The Cleansing - v. 6-7 Isaiah experienced atonement for his sins. I experienced atonement of my sins when Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and I came to the realization that apart from His atonement I had no hope for a relationship with God. Note that the atonement wasn't the result of anything that Isaiah did but totally on God's part. Same way with me today. I could do nothing to earn atonement. Atonement = reconciliation with God
The Response - v. 8 Isaiah said "Here I am. Send me!" I almost picture a kid in class raising his hand shouting, "Me, me, pick me!" Isaiah sounds excited. What is my response to the call? How am I reacting to Matthew 28:18-20?
The Discipline - v. 9 God spells out the message that Isaiah is to share with His people. The discipline is about to come down on them. Not to make them miserable or make life hard on them but to bring them to the point that they return to God and do what is right. I don't know anyone who likes discipline. I know I don't. I also realize there have been times in my life that God has had to discipline me as a loving Father to restore my relationship with Him to where my relationship with Him should be. Discipline is the result of love. I discipline my kids because I love them.
The Result - v. 11 Isaiah asks, "How long, O Lord?" God answers Isaiah and spells out the result of this discipline. It will be a time of "cleansing". God had to take some pretty drastic measures with Israel to get their attention. The result of God's discipline my life should always result in cleansing, fixing, getting back to where I know I should be with Him.
The Remnant - v. 13 God would not totally wipe them out. There would be a remnant, "the holy seed will be a stump in the land." There are times in Christianity and the Church when God does a little bit of house cleaning. The churches that respond well to the cleaning usually have a remnant that remains and grows stronger. The churches that are "stubborn" or rebellious, usually become ineffective, dry up and die. There is no "stump" left.
How have you reacted to the Reality Check?
How have you experienced The Cleansing?
How have you responded to The Call?
How have you grown from the Discipline of God?
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