Isaiah 5-6, The Lord Looks For Fruitfulness In Your Life
1. Consider All The Advantages God Has Given You (Isaiah 5:1-7)
2. Experience The Presence Of The Lord (Isaiah 6:1-4)
3. Confess Your Sinfulness And Be Cleansed (Isaiah 6:5-7)
4. Volunteer To Serve The Lord No Matter What (Isaiah 6:8-12)
Well, as we look at Isaiah Chapter 5 and 6 this morning I've titled the Message The Lord looks for fruitfulness in your life.
The Lord looks for fruitfulness in your life and I want to encourage you to really allow the Lord to speak to your heart.
To really kind of search your heart to insert your life and consider the fruitfulness in your life and if it is consistent.
With what God would desire and expect?
From your life, based on what he has provided for you here in the Ministry of Isaiah, he is a prophet to a nation that is in decline.
That is in rebellion against God, and so he's announcing that and using an illustration, a parable here in Chapter 5 to declare that in Chapter 6 we'll get to see.
A little bit of Isaiah's Commission in when the Lord originally
He appeared to him and called him to ministry and and combining these two things, we really get this great call for us to consider.
This morning our fruitfulness and and our relationship with God and our work for God in all the things that he has given to us.
And so we're going to walk through four points this morning.
To help us think about that fruitfulness that God desires that God is looking for in us, the first point is going to be in this passage.
Isaiah Chapter 5 verses one through 7.
Point number one is consider all the advantages God has given you.
Consider all the advantages that God has given to you.
There's there's a.
An abundance, I would say of advantages that we could consider this morning.
Again, Isaiah here is challenging the people challenging us this morning with.
The illustration with the visual picture of a vineyard, and he starts out kind of subtly and then kind of works his way into the real application for us to consider in our hearts.
He starts out saying let me sing you a song in verse one I will sing for the one I love, a song about his.
My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill.
He plowed the land, cleared it, stones, and planted it with the best vines.
In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.
Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes.
But the grapes that grew were bitter.
He tells the story.
Of this vineyard that is being prepared and planted.
And everything that is possible to do for this vineyard is done.
The ground is treated the best way possible. The protection is set-up the.
The vineyard has everything that it needs in order to grow.
Now I'm not much of a green thumb, but we were blessed this year because a couple years ago for our anniversary, we planted a couple plum trees.
Last couple months was our first harvest of plums.
I think we got like 5 or 6 or 7 plums off of that plum tree and boy they were sweet and delicious.
They were little tiny ones, but it's a baby tree. You know, both of our baby trees, so maybe it's appropriate now. It's quite possible that there is 1000 more things that we could do.
For those palm trees to produce even much better fruit, we also have an avocado tree in our back.
Yard, but we don't water it.
We never put the avocados, it just gets overgrown and it's way in the back and we never touch it.
And you're all welcome to come and.
Treat our avocado tree to as much care as it desires, and but if we did right, if we took care of it, then we could expect some great fruit from it.
Now, in some ways, the plum trees producing fruit is surprising because we really don't take care of the plum trees as well as we could.
Or perhaps we should, but but still there was this sweet fruit that was produced in this case in this vineyard that everything was done for this vineyard that could be done the best of the best.
Was providing for protecting, watering, nurturing this vineyard, and so it's reasonable in that case to expect there to be a production of good fruit.
But the surprising thing of this tale is that what was produced instead of good fruit was bitter grapes, bitter fruit.
Now jumping down to verse 7, the Lord reveals the meaning of this parable in verse 7 and says the Nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heavens armies.
The people of Judah are his pleasant garden.
He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression he expected to find righteousness.
But instead he heard cries.
Of violence.
The bitter crop is a reference to the behavior of the nation of Israel and the rest of Chapter 5.
We're not going to get into it, but really kind of goes on to outline many of the the bitterness of their fruits that the coverage is that they that they were involved in the drunkenness and carelessness.
The deception and moral decline, the pride and injustice that was happening within the nation were some of those bitter fruits that were being produced unstead instead of the good fruit that God had expected and was looking for in their lives.
But what God is doing in this parable, and in this exhortation from Isaiah, is he's calling the people to consider all that he had done for them.
In verse three, he says, now you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard.
Before they get to the big reveal of, you know what this parable is actually illustrating.
Before they know it's talking about them directly, God calls them to think about.
Think about this picture.
Here is a vineyard.
Everything has been done for it that could possibly not be done.
And so in verse four God says what more could I have done?
Is there anything else that I could have done for the vineyard?
To bring forth sweet grapes.
And the obvious answer to that is no, there was nothing more that could be done.
So why then did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
It doesn't make sense.
It doesn't line up having done all the right preparation.
Having done all the work and planted the best vines.
It doesn't make sense that bitter grapes or wild grapes would grow and be the result of this vineyard.
God says, what more could I have done?
For my vineyard.
Now as God gives this address, he's calling the people to consider to stop and think about this picture.
And then as he reveals, hey, it's you that I'm talking about.
He's calling them to understand and consider all that he had done for them and why is it that the results of their lives, the results of their.
A relationship with God.
The results of their obedience to God was not consistent with all that God had done for them.
And as God spoke those things to the nation of Israel, we can take these things for ourselves as well this morning and consider.
What more could God have done for you?
If you will stop to consider all of the advantages that God.
Has given you.
It's appropriate to ask the question what more could God have done?
Pastor Charles Spurgeon
Says, oh, you that professed to be his people.
What more could Christ have done for you?
What more could the Holy Spirit have done?
What richer promises?
What wiser precepts?
What Kinder Providence is?
And what more gracious patients?
When you think about what God has done for us and when we understand God's work on our behalf and in our lives, it is appropriate to consider what more.
Could God have done for us and in our lives?
Is there some outstanding promise, some something that is left?
That, oh if only God had done this, you know, then we could have been so much better off.
There is potentially things that we could think of.
But when we understand the scope and when we digest what the scripture reveals, we come to understand if there was something more that was good for us, God would do it.
And if there is anything lacking from our perspective.
It's lacking, perhaps from our part in not responding to what God is doing, or it's lacking, perhaps in just it's not the right timing and God intends to do it, but he also is working out other things that are good for us in the meantime.
Or perhaps we're just completely wrong in our perspective, and the thing that we feel like we're lacking so much is.
Not actually good for us and that's why God withholds it.
The reality is, God knows what's best for us.
Once what's best for us has provided what's best for us, and we must ask the question, what more?
Could God?
Do or have done for us?
The advantages that he has provided are abundant.
Now I'm not trying to be exhaustive here, but let me just consider with you a few advantages that we have.
And these are advantages that we can consider in contrast to the nation of Israel. They were earlier in God's revelation of his plans and purposes, and so they had less revelation than we have.
But we also can consider this in light of the entirety of the scriptures that we have.
So for example, we have the completed work of Jesus, the Nation of Israel had the promises of Messiah, some of them, some of them were still coming out as we get through the rest of Isaiah.
We'll see many more promises of the Messiah.
Right, they had the promises of those things.
Things, but they didn't know about Jesus.
The work on the cross, the once and for all, sacrifice for sin.
You know there was a lot that they were not aware of yet just because it had not yet been revealed by God.
But you and I today looking back we have a clearview of the completed work of God for salvation.
The completed revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
We have an incredible advantage.
Over those who walked with God before Jesus, we have an incredible advantage in that in Jesus we have everything that we need to understand God to know God to be forgiven of our sins and to have right fellowship with the father in heaven.
But we also have the promised Holy Spirit.
In fact, in John Chapter 16, Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit was an advantage for us.
He said it's to your advantage that I go away talking about his ascension into heaven, because then he would send the Holy Spirit and we would have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and empowering us.
For the life and walk that is ahead of us.
And so you and I have.
A savior who loved us so much.
Being God, he became man.
He died upon the cross for us.
Incredible expression of love and devotion to us reconciling us to God, forgiving us of our sins, providing us a Holy Spirit to lead us to guide us and to empower us for all that we need.
Another advantage we have, of course, is the scriptures themselves.
The word of God.
And you and I have an advantage today like never before in history.
You go back to the 1600s.
The printing press begins to operate.
And printed Bibles are beginning to be produced and now starting to be made widely.
For the first time in history.
Middle class people could have access to their own copy of the Word of God.
This is so.
Foreign to us.
In those days it would cost them about two or three weeks.
Worth of wages.
To be able to purchase a printed Bible.
Two or three weeks worth of wages.
So I did a quick research.
Median income in the US is $44,000. Doing the math. Dividing that by 52 weeks times three weeks $2500.
Can you imagine?
Would you even have a Bible?
If it cost $2500 for you to own one.
And today we have.
Cheap Bibles we have access to free resources and Bibles online.
We have multiple versions right prior to that, before the printing press there was only handwritten copies of the Scriptures, and those were incredibly expensive, only the most wealthiest.
Could have a copy of the scriptures.
But today I would ask you to consider.
The advantage that you have.
You have the word of God.
In any language you want.
In multiple versions.
So whatever level of reading comprehension and understanding you have, you have access to it.
You have access to it physically digitally, anywhere you are everywhere you are, you have access to the word of God.
It's unprecedented in all of history how much you and I have access to the scriptures right now.
And along with that is access to Bible teachings.
Commentaries instruction about the word of God.
You go to blueletterbible.org.org.
You have access to more than you can exhaust in your lifetime teachings.
Commentaries, resources for every scripture for every verse, for every passage.
Your opportunity to understand the scriptures.
This is an incredible advantage that a generation before and all the way throughout history. If you think about, think about all of history 6000 years.
And it's only been the last.
My math is rough.
400 years 2020. Yeah 400 years that we've had access to this right and 400 years to us. I mean, that's a lot right, but.
In light of 6000 years, it's not that much, but but having access to all of the resources when I was a kid like I was around for the transition to when we got MP3 Bible teachings and boy it transformed everything because now I don't need boxes and boxes and boxes of cassette tapes.
Some of you guys are old school right?
Remember the the old school Chuck CDs, right?
He'd get a stack of eight CDs and, well, that was that was incredible because before that it was boxes and boxes and boxes of cassette tapes running the sound ministry.
Back there we would have boxes and boxes and boxes of cassette tapes going back to the very beginning.
And Pastor Tom was teaching here.
But then the transition and in my truck while I was driving around doing my work, I could have hundreds of Bible teachings on one MP3 CD that I could listen to for hours and hours and hours. I was revolutionary.
But there's a tendency for us to forget the advantage that we have and and take for granted.
What God has done for us.
And so we have the completed work of Jesus.
We have the indwelling and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
We have the whole scriptures and access to teachings and commentaries about them we.
Have the church.
In our society we are blessed.
This is a huge advantage, right?
Other people living today, but in other societies and other nations do not have access to church like we have access to church.
You have an incredible advantage in that you can connect with believers and be encouraged by believers.
Be instructed by believers.
The one-on-one ministry that comes and takes place when believers gather together. You have access to hundreds of churches within a 10 mile radius of wherever you are.
I mean that is incredible.
The advantage that we have again going back in history.
It's like never before looking at what's happening around the world.
It's unique.
We live in an epen.
Is unique unlike any other nation in all of history and the freedoms that we have and the opportunities that we have.
It's a great and huge advantage for us.
But the final advantage I want to ask you to consider and this is really kind of directed at some of the youth who are perhaps sitting in with us this morning, and that is your parents.
Those of you who have parents who know the Lord, you have a godly family, godly parents.
I want to ask you to consider.
The advantage that you have, you know.
I was a kid once.
Not hard to imagine, I would suspect, but.
There is something that happens with.
Youth teens in particular.
There is the revelation of our rebellious nature.
It happens that a couple times in our history, right at two years old, the terrible twos.
Rebellious nature revealed.
And then again, you hit those teens.
And listen you as a teenager, you as a child, especially those of you who have parents who know the Lord, whether or not your parents know the Lord.
When you hit those years, there is that desire.
For rebellion that stirs up within.
And and there's.
An appropriate process that takes place in our lives.
Where we learn.
To manage the cravings and the desires of our sinful flesh.
That there needs to be that transition because eventually we become adults and we don't have the parameters and the restrictions that we once had to keep us safe.
We don't have those boundaries any longer, and so we need to develop and learn and understand.
I do have a sinful nature that is out to destroy my life and if I allow that sinful nature.
To rule over me, it will bring great destruction.
Now, whether you're talking about spiritual things or just regular things, there is this.
Common tendency for us to deviate from the ways of our parents.
My parents did the best they could.
To teach me how to handle finances well, I mean we had the shoe box that you learn how to write checks and deposit and withdraw and everything I learned.
I knew everything about it and then as soon as I had opportunity I ignored all those things and did completely opposite of everything.
They try to teach me and everything that they do in practice.
There is something within our nature guys.
Maybe it's just.
The music that you listen to and your parents don't listen to that music and their parents don't want you to listen to that music, and so that's your favorite music 'cause that's the one your parents don't like.
Don't want.
There's something that is attractive to us and the things that are different.
If you grew up in an environment where your parents were really strict.
Really rigid, then you grow up with the determination.
As soon as I have freedom, I'm going to do everything I want to explore all the freedoms and when I have kids, I'm not going to handle them like my parents handled me, right?
And then if you had parents that were super liberal and they just let.
You do whatever you want.
Then you grow up and you go.
Yeah, my parents did that and I'm.
To lock down, I know what I used to get away with, but my parents were so LAX and then you log down and it's kind of a little bit humorous if you think about it right.
'cause you have a generation that is locked.
Down so they.
Grow up and then they let all the rains fly.
So then the next generation goes out and they're like I'm locking things down.
'cause boy we got a lot away with, you know, like there's just this foot.
Like we tend to do, we desire to do the opposite.
Of the way that we're instructed, the way that we're taught, it's part of this sinful nature.
It's part of growing up, it's part of being a teenager and developing into independence.
Now all of that to say now.
Those of you who have.
Who are godly?
Who seek the Lord who are seeking to teach you in.
The ways of the Lord.
That same battle is going to happen within you.
And there is going to be.
I don't think this is a surprise.
To any youth.
There is going to be a battle.
Against the heritage that your parents have sought to impart.
To you and the things of the Lord are not just automatically transferred and your parents relationship with the Lord is not automatically transferred.
And there is oftentimes a departure.
Because it's part of that natural flow that natural course.
But listen, I I share all of that to say it's not that that is the must be course that that is the only option.
I would encourage you.
To consider the advantages that God has given to you.
Having a family that knows the Lord.
Gives you an incredible advantage.
You don't have to let.
Your sinful nature dominate and dictate your course in your path.
You know you need to recognize that that is going to be taking place and that there are going to be those temptations and battles that come with it.
But you also have the advantage listen I grew up in a Christian home, and so I know what that's like.
And I know that there's a lot of battles that come with it.
You know, a lot of people look at who didn't grow up with a Christian home.
They look at, you know.
Kids in a Christian home youth in a Christian home and think all they have it so much better.
And yes, there's much greater advantages because of the opportunities to know the Lord and walk with the Lord.
And yet many times.
We, the youth who are growing up are not responding to the Lord.
We're allowing our relationship with the Lord to kind of be like the rest of those things so my parents are always, you know, on me about this, and I want to do it this way and and we allow that same type of rebuff against their instruction and teaching and correction to apply in our spiritual lives as well.
Listen youth, you have a great advantage.
Don't let the enemy Rob you of that.
Don't let your sinful nature just run and dictate the way that you behave from here on out.
Because listen.
Young or old?
Every one of us.
Has personal responsibility.
To how fruitful we are.
The Lord is looking for fruitfulness in your life.
Whether you're a youth, whether you're an old person, the Lord is looking for fruitfulness and and the fruitfulness is really determined.
By you, the amount of fruitfulness in your life is squarely in your lap.
It's in your hands.
You are the biggest variable.
The biggest factor in how fruitful your life is.
What did God?
Say what more could have been done?
And as you walk.
Through these advantages, and again, there's many more and you can take some time to consider them, but.
You can look at even just the seven and say what more could God have done for you.
To reveal himself to you to provide for you everything that you need for life and godliness.
What more could God have done?
It's up.
To you.
He's provided everything that you need.
The question is how will you respond to what God is done and what God is provided?
And so the question that God asked is why, then did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
I did everything right?
Why then?
Was the crop bitter and not sweet?
Again, Pastor Charles Spurgeon, he says, has it been so with us?
Have we rewarded the well beloved thus ungratefully for all his pains?
Have we given him hardness of heart instead of repentance?
Unbelief instead of faith.
Indifference instead of love.
Idleness instead of holy industry impurity instead of holiness.
The Lord has done so much for us and in our lives.
Have we fallen into the pattern of the nation of Israel?
And in place of the sweet fruits.
Incredible relationship with God.
Incredible knowledge of God.
Close fellowship with God full of service unto the Lord, have we?
Neglected all of those areas, and so instead what is produced in our lives.
Is the things that are bitter consider.
All the advantages that God has given you, he's provided you everything that you need.
And the fruitfulness is.
Up to you, it's up to you.
It's your responsibility.
Like God is the one who produces the fruit and he's provided everything to make that possible.
The only thing that he hasn't done is forced you.
To comply and to be obedient and to walk with him.
And he's not going to force you.
That's where he stops.
He leaves it to you and your choice, your decision.
It's your opportunity.
How fruitful your life is.
Is dependent upon you and your response to all that God has done for you.
Well, we're going to jump into verse or chapter 6 now to consider Isaiah Colin and this is really the reason why Isaiah was not in the same condition as the rest of the nation.
Isaiah did have a fruitful life, even though everyone around him didn't.
He did because he encountered God. And so here's point. #2 as we work our way into Chapter 6 verses one through 4 experience the presence.
Of the Lord.
If you want to have a fruitful life, if you want to be a vineyard that produces sweet fruit and have your life be the fulfillment of what God desires and what God is prepared.
Then you need to experience the presence of the Lord.
Chapter 6 now verses one through 4 says.
It was in the year King Uziah died that I saw the Lord.
He was sitting on a lofty throne and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Attending him were mighty Seraphim, each having six wings with two wings.
They covered their faces with two.
They covered their feet, and with two they flew.
They were calling out to each other.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.
Of heavens armies.
The whole earth is filled with his glory.
Their voices shook the temple to its foundations.
And the entire building was filled.
With smoke.
Here we get to see the call of Isaiah by the Lord.
The commissioning of Isaiah and what an incredible scene this is, Isaiah, whether he is experiencing this in a vision or experience.
Experiencing this in some other fashion, he is caught up into heaven.
Into the throne room of God.
And there is the Lord sitting on a lofty throne.
He's high and lifted up.
And the temple is filled with glory.
The train of his robe fills the temple.
Speaking of the glory and the Majesty of God.
And then he sees these creatures, these living beings, these angelic creatures.
He calls them seraphim.
It's only.
Uh, referred to here by that name.
But in other passages we see them described as well and Ezekiel chapter one.
We see Ezekiel in a similar occasion, seeing the throne of God.
Ezekiel chapter one, verse 13.
He says the living beings looked like bright coals of fire, brilliant torches and lightning seemed to flash back and forth among them, and the living beings darted to and fro, like flashes of lightning.
The name Seraphim could literally be translated burning ones, and so he sees the Lord High and lifted up.
And then there's these angelic creatures that are like torches of fire with Lightnings and and just flashes just completely happening all around them.
There's this brilliance that is taking place.
They've got six wings.
They're flying.
All kinds of stuff that we could get into, but we're not going to get into.
But just this incredible picture.
Here as they worship the Lord, they're calling out to each other.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.
Of heavens armies.
These angelic beings continually in the presence of God and continually.
Declaring the holiness of God the word holy, it means to be set apart.
And God is set apart.
He is distinct from everything that we know.
One of the difficulties about God is the fact that he is infinite and so us in our humanity and our finiteness.
It is really hard to understand God who is without limit, who has no.
End beginning or end in time, but also has no end in potential in power in wisdom like it's really difficult for us to understand.
He is completely set apart and different than anything else we've ever known.
You might have had the best earthly father that's ever been possible.
And our heavenly Father.
Has some parallels to that, but also he is so far superior to the best father on Earth.
He is set apart completely different.
He is.
The creator.
And everything else that exists is creation.
He's different, he's distinct, he's set apart, and so these angelic beings are calling out the holiness of the Lord continually recognizing the purity of God.
The complete separation from sin and evil and wickedness.
The complete devotion to everything that is good and right.
And as they worship the Lord, it's so powerful it shakes the foundations.
The entire building filled with smoke.
It was a powerful scene that Isaiah experiences.
But why did Isaiah experience this?
Verse one tells us it was in the year that King Uziah died that I saw the Lord.
And I would suggest to you this morning.
We can understand we can declare Isaiah saw the Lord because Isaiah sought the Lord.
Isaiah saw the Lord because Isaiah sought the Lord in this time, all of Israel was fruitless.
And on the verge of judgment from God, because they were.
Rebellious against God, and instead of bringing forth good fruit, they were bringing forth bad fruit continually, but Isaiah.
Did not fall in line with the rest of society.
And Isaiah was fruitful, while everyone around him was fruitless.
Because he sought the Lord.
King Isaiah was a good king.
It's reasonable to think and to understand that in the loss of a good king.
Was seeking the Lord.
For his people, for his nation.
He sought the Lord.
And this is important because each of us individually has.
The responsibility to seek the Lord like Isaiah, even if everybody around us is fruitless and has no interest in the things of God and is in opposition to the things of God.
Every individual has the responsibility and the opportunity to seek God.
And all throughout the scriptures we see men and women who have sought God, and you know what they experience when they seek the Lord.
They experience the presence of the Lord.
People who seek God experience God.
There's a few exceptions where you know God surprises people.
When they weren't expecting it right, Moses and the burning Bush.
He wasn't seeking the Lord.
At that time.
But you know later in Moses his life, he does seek the Lord.
He says look, I want to see more of you and and he gets to have an encounter and an experience with God.
Because he was seeking to know God more, seeking for God to reveal himself to him.
Saul, on the road to Damascus, was surprised at the appearance of the Lord.
And yet later, as he began to seek the Lord.
He would experience the presence of God.
You can look at profits like Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah.
All who have experiences when they seek the Lord that they get to experience that presence of the Lord.
You can think about David.
He was a man who sought after the heart of the Lord, and he had much experience with the presence of God and interaction with God.
You can think about an example like job.
He sought the Lord.
In the midst of his suffering, and.
When God finally showed up, he said that's it.
That's all I needed.
I just needed the presence of God.
I don't need answers to all my questions.
I don't need all those other things.
But but as he.
Sought the Lord.
He experienced the presence of the Lord.
Daniel and as he sought the Lord Daniel.
Chapter 10 the Lord shows up, reveals himself to him, gives him prophecies, gives him things to say he's overwhelmed, much like Isaiah responds here in Isaiah Chapter 6.
Daniel responds in Daniel Chapter 10.
Completely overwhelmed by the presence of God in this incredible time that he has.
With the Lord.
We could go on and on and on.
But one last example, I would have us consider is that of Manoa.
Not Noah, not Minoa.
Minoa minoa.
Found in judges chapter 13.
He's the father of Samson.
And it's interesting because the Lord reveals himself to his wife first.
Speaks to her, she runs in.
She tells her husband.
They go try to find him, they don't.
See him so.
He tells her if he shows up again, come get me like we need to find out more information about this.
So Lord shows up again.
She goes to get him.
They have some time conversation with the Lord some fellowship.
With the Lord.
As they end the feast.
The Lord ascends.
In front of their eyes, and Manila realizes we've been in the presence of God.
We're certainly going to die similar occasion to.
What Isaiah says here in Chapter 6.
I think Mano is a good example because you know we can look at the profits and go.
Of course God revealed himself to profits their profits, you know.
But this is just a guy who's going to be a dad of some guy.
He sought the Lord.
He wanted to know, Lord, you said something about this about the kid.
We're going to have, and so we we want to know more, we want to hear more.
We want to understand better what it is that you're saying and the Lord revealed himself to him.
Every individual.
Has the opportunity and the responsibility to seek God and those who do will experience the presence of God.
It's different in every case.
Every time you look at all these examples about the scriptures.
They're all different.
You can't expect for God to reveal himself to you in the way that you define the way that you declare in the way that you decide exactly the same way and exactly at the time that you want.
I'm not suggesting that you don't demand that God do something.
You know your.
Way or else.
But but the promises, if you will seek the Lord.
God will reveal himself.
To you, God declares this to his people in Deuteronomy chapter 4.
In a passage that's really talking about the times of rebellion that will take place in the people of God.
When God judges them and scatters them because of their rebellion against God, he says.
Deuteronomy chapter 4 from there, after having been judged by God because you rejected him from their recipients of judgment from there, if you will worship.
God, if you will search again for the Lord your God, if you will search for him with all your heart and all your soul, you will find him.
You have the opportunity.
God tells his people even after having rejected God and suffered the consequences for it.
But in the midst of those consequences now you don't have to wait and go all the way to that end and receive all those consequences to start searching for the Lord, right?
But even if you go that far in your rebellion against God?
Even from there you have the opportunity.
And if you search.
For the Lord, with all your heart and all your soul.
If you really want to know God.
You will find him. That's God's promise.
And God reiterates that promise later on in their history when it actually is taking place through the prophet Jeremiah.
That judgment that God promised back in Deuteronomy is happening and is about to be completely fulfilled.
And God speaks again the same thing through the prophet Jeremiah.
And he says, I know the plans I have for you.
Plans for good, not for evil, to give you a future and a hope in those days when you pray, I will listen if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
When they're experiencing the very things that God told them that they would experience if they rebelled against him back in Deuteronomy.
Now, when they're experiencing it, God reiterates this and says, look this, I still hold to this promise.
I'm still going to fulfill this.
And even from that police have destruction that consequence of sin if you will wholeheartedly.
Look for me.
If you'll turn back to me with all of your heart, you will find me.
And so experience the presence.
Of the Lord, you have that opportunity.
And you have that responsibility.
And if you don't experience the presence of the Lord, it's only because.
You are not seeking the Lord.
With all your heart.
It doesn't mean every day is the supernatural experience, right? It doesn't mean that every moment we have this overwhelming feeling of God's presence.
But as often as we need it as we.
Seek the Lord.
We can count on.
Revealing himself to us in powerful ways that remind us and teach us that he is with us and will never leave us and will not forsake us.
James tells us in James Chapter 4 humble yourself before God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Come close to God and he will come close.
To you, it's in your hands how much you experience the presence of the Lord.
Is in your hands, you have the opportunity to seek him to know him.
And it's the only way that you will experience fruitfulness in your life.
And so when God looks for fruitfulness in your life, it's going to be a direct result of your time with him and in his presence.
And that's in your hands. Experience the presence of the Lord moving on to verses 5 through 7 we get point #3 today and that is confess your sinfulness and be cleansed.
Here's the next thing that we need to do in order to be fruitful in our lives.
We need to make sure that we don't take for granted all that God has done for us that we utilize all of those resources and things that he's provided for us.
In our pursuit of him to know him and will experience his presence as we do.
We also need to deal with.
As I mentioned, we have that sinful nature that desires to rebel.
Well, we can't let those things go unchecked.
But we need to deal.
With the sin we need to deal with those bad attitudes we need to deal with those wrong thoughts and bad decisions we need to deal with that sin in our lives and verse 7.
I'm sorry, verse five Isaiah says.
Then I said it is all over.
I am doomed for I am a sinful man.
I have filthy lips.
And that live among the people with filthy lips.
Yet I have seen the king, the Lord of heavens armies.
Then one of the Seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
He touched my lips with it and said, see this coal has touched your lips.
Now your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven.
As I see it takes in this incredible scene of heaven.
The Lord on the throne, the glory filling the temple, the Seraphim, crying out, holy, holy, holy, the whole building, shaking as they worship the Lord.
He's overwhelmed by the holiness of God.
And it reveals to him his own unholiness.
And he says, Oh no, I am doomed.
For I am a sinful man.
It is not right for me to be in the presence of God.
The unholy in the presence of a holy God.
Can expect severe judgment, right?
We can expect to drop dead.
Remember in the Tabernacle and in the temple, God declared.
Listen if you walk into the Holy of Holies.
He's unprepared, not right.
You can expect to drop dead.
You remember when David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and he didn't consult the Lord and he was bringing it in the wrong way?
And then Uriah has to hold out his arm to try to prevent the Ark of the Covenant from falling off.
The carts that it was on.
That uriah.
Struck dead.
Right there.
The Holiness of God, I say, and perhaps kind of thinking back through all these things, right?
He's like.
I am in big trouble.
Because here I am.
I am unholy.
I am sinful.
The people that I live with are sinful.
But here I am in the presence of God.
I've seen the king.
The Lord of Heaven's armies.
Pastor David Guzik points out the vision of the throne of God did not immediately make Isaiah feel good.
The more clearly he saw the Lord, the more clearly he saw how bad his state was.
This is something for us to consider.
If you're wanting to seek the Lord, but your expectation, your anticipation is.
You know it's always going to be good things and you'll never have to deal with anything hard or hurtful.
You need to understand that there is a real battle.
That is going to take place internally.
As you seek the Lord.
Your greatest enemy is within.
It's your sinful nature and it's like weeds.
You know, we kind of deal with the ones that we can see, but a lot of times the.
Roots are in there and.
They're like taken hold and they're grasping on.
For dear life.
And as we walk with the Lord and spend time in his presence, he.
Uncovers some of those roots and says, OK, we need to work on this, and it's like, oh, it's painful.
I don't want to dig, it hurts.
I don't want to deal with that emotion.
I don't want to deal with that.
Thought I don't want to deal with that conduct in my life.
Isaiah says I'm undone.
I have all these dirty roots.
This filthiness, not that he was in outright rebellion, he was a
One who is faithful to the Lord and sought to know the Lord.
But the best of the best of those who want to know the Lord and seek the Lord, still are filthy and sinful.
And cannot cannot be in the presence of God.
There is a cleansing and so in verse, six and seven we see that cleansing.
The Seraphim grabs a coal from the altar, brings it to his lips, and touches his lips, and says, you are cleansed.
Your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven.
This is the way that God works.
In his presence as we draw nearer to him, there is a greater revelation.
Of the issues, and the sinfulness that we have.
And we have the opportunity every time whether or not we're going to repent of that sin that is being revealed to us.
And how we respond to that?
Sometimes we justify it.
Sometimes we try to explain it away.
Sometimes we ignore it, sometimes we try to.
See if we can get away with continuing on in that sin while still.
Hoping that God works in our lives and blesses us.
In other areas.
But what we need to do is.
Acknowledge the sin to repent.
Of the sin.
And it's then.
That we receive the forgiveness of God.
And notice he's completely cleanse.
By the hand of God, by the Act of God, Pastor Thomas Constable says Isaiah only acknowledged his hopeless condition.
He did not plead with God or make vows to God.
And God.
Went into action.
As they didn't start to bargain.
OK, yeah, I know I'm a mess God, but listen, if you'll forgive me, you know, here's what.
I will do for you.
If you'll allow this thing to continue in my life and let me serve you, you know I'll, I'll be extra devoted if you'll.
He wasn't negotiating.
He was in horror.
The sinfulness of his sin.
And that's what God needs from us.
For us to confess.
To acknowledge sin.
And that is the opportunity God goes into action when we're trying to explain away sin or justify sin, or pretend that it's not there.
That sin remains.
But when we will come clean before God and say God, I agree this is the state of my heart.
This is the state of my mind.
It is despicable.
It is filthy.
Then God goes into action.
And it's the same type of thing.
It's the altar.
That represents that substitution.
The altar.
Brings the cleansing for us.
Jesus, our sacrifice.
Is the one who brings the cleansing for us.
And we just have to come in contact with him.
The cold just touched.
Isaiah's lips.
We just have to connect with Jesus, receive that offer of forgiveness and and we are completely cleansed.
And first John chapter one.
The apostle John tells us we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness.
We're not practicing the truth.
But if we are living in the light as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin.
We're only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth, but if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
If we try to pretend if we try to continue on living in sin.
We're not Clintons.
But if we will confess, if we will acknowledge our sin.
We will be cleansed completely.
And then we'll have opportunity to serve God. That gives us point #4
Verses 8 through 12 volunteer to serve the Lord no matter what.
Verse 8 then I heard the Lord asking, whom shall I send as a messenger to this people, who will go for us?
And I said here I am send me.
Isaiah as he sees the Lord.
He's horrified by his sinfulness, but as he confesses his sinfulness, he's cleanse.
And he doesn't just survive the incident.
But now he's even given opportunity.
To be God's agent.
To serve God.
And God is.
Looking for someone.
To be his agent.
Isaiah says here I am.
Send me I volunteer.
I volunteer.
Pastor David Guzik says how strange it is that God of Majesty and sovereignty and power asked for volunteers he could easily create robots to do his work.
Command angels to carry out his will.
But God wants willing, surrendered servants.
Have you been waiting?
For God to force you to serve him.
He's not going to.
He looks for volunteers.
For those who will raise their hand and sign up and say yes.
I'll go now.
The Lord goes on in the following verses, and we're not going to get into them, but.
He goes on to prepare.
I said look this is not going to be an easy service.
It's not going to be an easy ministry.
People aren't going to celebrate your message and receive it.
They're going to resist it and oppose it, but you need to go anyways.
You need to deliver the message anyways.
The issue is not.
How the people receive it, but how faithful you are in delivering it, and so no matter if there's opposition, no matter if there's no apparent fruit volunteer to serve the Lord.
Volunteer to carry out what he has called you to.
Is looking for fruitfulness in your life.
And as you consider that this morning, I would ask you to think about what.
What does he find as he goes to investigate the vineyard right now?
He's here in our midst.
He's checking out your heart.
Flipping through the things that are going through your mind.
What kind of fruitfulness is God finding?
Is it sweet fruit?
Or is there wild fruit bitter fruit?
The type of fruit that you produce, the amount of fruit that.
You produce is.
Entirely up to you.
And so it's appropriate for us.
Understanding God's looking for fruitfulness for us to take action to take steps to move forward, to make sure that we are producing good fruit.
For God.
I would encourage you to start by considering the advantages that God had given has given to you that you would not take them for granted.
That you would seek the Lord to experience his presence, that you would tune your heart towards him directly and completely.
Confessing your sinfulness.
To experience the cleansing of God.
And volunteering to serve the Lord.
No matter what.
As we prepare our hearts for communion to wrap up our time together this morning, the apostle Paul and 1st Corinthians Chapter 11.
Instructs us about communion he.
Says I revealed to you what God revealed to me, the bread and the cup.
The bread represents the body of Jesus being broken for us.
The cup represents his blood being shed for us, and every time you do this.
You partake of the Lord.
Every time you do this, you proclaim his death until he comes.
And there's this presence of God that you get to experience as you partake of communion as you remember what Christ has done for you.
But he also goes on in first Corinthians 1128. He says that is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
Examine yourself before you do this.
Because God's gonna be checking out your vineyard.
And so it's prudent it's wise for you.
To check it out first.
And to allow the Lord.
To bring you to a place of repentance, confession and cleansing.
So that you can experience his presence.
That your sins can be cleansed.
And that you can have the opportunity to serve the Lord.
In the way that he has called you to Pastor Charles Spurgeon.
Says considering our privileges, advantages, and opportunities, I fear that many of us have need to feel great searchings of the heart.
So John and Lena are gonna close this in a time of worship.
I would ask you this morning.
To do some great searchings of your heart.
Invite the Lord to help you to work with you.
To consider the fruitfulness of your life.
To consider it, ask the Lord if it's consistent with what he has provided for you.
If it's consistent with all of the advantages that he has given you, all of the opportunities and the blessings.
Does your life reflect?
The life that God has provided for you, or at least the opportunities that God has given to you.
And so let's take this time.
To invite the Lord to search us to search our own hearts, to examine ourselves and prepare ourselves now as they lead us in this time of worship, the communion elements are on the back table.
For those of you.
Here in the sanctuary, if you're outside.
It's up on the front by the TV.
The community elements are there for you.
Whenever you're ready, you it's self-serve OK. You go and retrieve the bread in the cup.
Do so as a declaration to yourself to the Lord.
I've examined myself.
And those issues, but I'm confessing them to you.
And what as I partake I'm receiving?
Your body, your blood, your forgiveness.
Your work in my life.
Let's take this time.
And take some steps to seek the Lord.
Let it be an experience of the presence of God.
He's here with us.
He's right there with you, no matter your history, no matter your context.
If from there the worst of the worst of the worst spot you seek the Lord with all your heart, you will find him.
Let's seek the Lord.
Let's worship him.
And let's receive his cleansing, his forgiveness and his commissioning to serve him and walk with him in this life.
You can partake at any time during the worship and at the end.
If you haven't, John will give you an opportunity.
Let's worship the Lord and examine our hearts together.