THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
“Isaiah’s Great Commission”
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Ben Bailey.
“Holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory” (Is. 6:3). In Isaiah 6, the prophet is confronted with God’s presence. What an awesome, soul-stirring event this must have been. In fact, I believe that it was this event that totally changed Isaiah’s life. Today, as we approach God’s presence through prayer, worship, and Bible study, we ought to feel like Isaiah felt—and feel “commissioned” just as Isaiah did. In this text, we will notice five life-changing events that took place in God’s presence. And just as they changed Isaiah’s life, so they ought to change our lives today to make us better servants and to better equip us to serve in the kingdom of the Lord.
What were these events? The first life-changing event was that Isaiah was forced to contemplate God. In Isaiah 6:1-4 we read,
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”
Imagine being in Isaiah’s shoes. He saw God—high, lifted up, and sitting on His throne. He saw creatures cry out about God’s holiness. What is it that Isaiah had to contemplate about God? Isaiah had to contemplate the character of God. Imagine the absolute holiness of God, and the perfect purity that God Himself is. He has never sinned. He is the perfection of righteousness and holiness. Imagine being in the presence of God. In Exodus 3 we see Moses going up on a mountain where he sees a burning bush. God says to him, “Take the sandals off your feet for the place upon which you stand is holy ground.” If the mountain was only a picture of God, imagine being in God’s actual presence. What a life-changing event that would be. In Jeremiah 29:13 we read, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” To search for and find God so that we can have the same type of contemplation of God that Isaiah had, we need to search for Him. Fortunately, He is not far from every one of us. We can see God in the creation around us. We can see God’s magnificence and power in this world. But we also can see Him in the pages of the Bible.
What else did Isaiah have to contemplate? He was impressed by the company surrounding God. In Isaiah 6:2 we see the seraphim—magnificent winged beasts. Imagine being in the presence of such beasts created by God! They were there to give God glory and honor. No doubt Isaiah had to be thinking, “How small I am compared to these! What magnificent creatures these are. Yet it is I whom God has called into His throne room?!” What an awe-inspiring event that would have been.
A third thing that Isaiah had to contemplate about God is the cry that he heard. One of the beasts cried out, “Holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.” Then the whole place was shaken, and the temple was full of the glory of God. Can you imagine being in a setting such as that? How something like that would change your life and change who you are! When we stop to think about Who God is, and realize that He is perfect (Mt. 5:48—we are to be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect), this reminds us of what holiness is all about. We are to “be holy as He who called us is holy” (1 Pet. 1:15). We need to remember that “without holiness, no one will see God” (Heb. 12: 14). When we contemplate Who God is, as well as His creation and what we know of God from His Word, it ought to change our lives as children of God so that we are better and so that we serve God more faithfully in this life.
Isaiah then had a second life-changing event—his conviction about man. Isaiah 6:5 says, “So I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.’” Here Isaiah feels a conviction about who man is. He realizes that he is in trouble because he is “a man of unclean lips.” Isaiah no doubt was convicted about man’s sinfulness. I am not suggesting that anyone is born in sin. The Bible teaches that God created man upright, and then man went astray. Yet we do recognize the teaching of Romans 3: 23—“All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” We realize, as Ecclesiastes 7: 20 teaches, that “there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” Even the most righteous would feel what Isaiah felt when he found himself in God’s presence. Isaiah 64:6 says that “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Why is this the case? It is because we have all sinned and been separated from God. What can we, at our best, say? Notice Luke 17:10—“When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” At our best we can say that we are unprofitable servants who are blessed to receive what we have, but we do not deserve it. James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Isaiah was convicted about man’s sinfulness.
Isaiah also was convicted about man’s lost state. The Bible teaches us that without God, we have no hope. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31) because “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). The Scriptures teach that “the soul who sins shall surely die” (Ezek. 18:24). Like Isaiah, we need to be convicted of man’s sinfulness and his lost state.
But Isaiah also had to be convinced of God’s love. After all, he had been brought into God’s company. God represents the supreme concept of holiness, while Isaiah was a sinful man. The fact that God transcends that gap speaks volumes about His love. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). Look at the love of God in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. Romans 5:687 says,
“When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This shows God’s love for us as sinners. Think about the beautiful words of 2 Corinthians 8:9—“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Jesus had everything. But He gave it up.
“Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross“ (Phil. 2:5-8).
Think about how God loves each and every one of us. Yes, we need to be reminded of sin. And yes, we need to be reminded of man’s lost state. But we also need to be reminded that it is God Who transcends that gap.
Isaiah also had to be reminded about a confession to God. Isaiah said, “Woe is me, for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Is. 6:5). Here we see Isaiah confessing that man cannot save himself. Throughout history there have been people who made that same confession. Achan said too late, “I have sinned.” David said, “I have sinned.” Saul said, “I have sinned. I have erred exceedingly. I played the fool.” The prodigal son said, “I have sinned”—and then went home and made things right. Are we willing to say, “I cannot save myself; I need God’s help, mercy, and grace.” Jeremiah 10:23 teaches us that it is impossible for us to save ourselves. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” Here we clearly are taught that no matter how hard we may try or what we may do, we cannot save ourselves. Instead of putting our trust in ourselves, we need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and “lean not on our own understanding” (Prov. 3:5-7).
Isaiah also had to confess the holiness of God. Just as Isaiah made that good confession, so people today likewise are taught to make the good confession about Jesus Christ. Romans 10:10 says, “With the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Just like Isaiah, we must make the good confession. We must realize that God is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Ps. 90:2).
A fourth life-changing event in Isaiah’s life was his reception of a cleansing from God. Isaiah 6:6-7 states, “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.’” Don’t you know that Isaiah’s life was changed when that coal hit his lips?! What did that piece of burning coal represent? It represented the Word of God. In Jeremiah 23 Jeremiah observed that the Word of God is like a piece of burning coal. In verse 29 he said, “‘Is not My word like a fire?’ says the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’” When that piece of burning coal from the altar touched Isaiah’s lips, it was representative of God making a way through His Word for Isaiah’s sins to be forgiven. The same is true for us. God’s Word ought to be like a burning fire inside our hearts (Lk. 24). Just as in Jeremiah’s life God’s Word was a burning fire shut up in the prophet’s bones (Jer. 20:9), so today we must receive the cleansing from God that comes from His Word. When the burning coal touched Isaiah’s lips, God told him that his iniquity had been taken away. When the Word of God comes to us and we obey it, we also receive a cleansing. But the cleansing does not come from coals under the altar. Rather, it comes from something far more precious—the blood of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Christ “tasted death for every person.” God wants “all people to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, yet not for ours alone, but for the sins of the whole world. He gave His life as a sacrifice. When we come in contact with the blood of Christ, that is when we obey the Gospel and when we become children of God.
How does a person receive that cleansing from God today? What must a person do to have the sin purged from his life? The good news is that our sins can be forgiven. Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” We can receive forgiveness, just as Hebrews 8:12 says. God said, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” How do we receive cleansing? Where do we get forgiveness? We receive such things by being obedient to the Gospel of Christ. In Luke 6:46 Jesus asked a haunting question of the Jews who thought that they were the elite of the day: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” We must obey whatever God says concerning salvation if we want to be right with Him.
So what does God say that a person must do in order to be saved? What must a person do to be cleansed so that his sins can be purged? He must hear God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith is essential, because Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” A person must have faith. This means that the manner by which faith comes also is essential. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word. Then a person must believe in Jesus. Jesus Himself said in John 8:24, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Once a person believes that Jesus is the Son of God, then that person must be willing to repent and make changes in his life. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:5). A person also must make the good confession, just as Jesus taught in Matthew 10:32-33, and just as the Ethiopian eunuch did in Acts 8:37. A person must be willing to say, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” Having done those things, a person then must be baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins. Look at what Jesus said a person must do to be saved and have his sins purged. Let the Master Teacher tell us in Mark 16: 16—“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus plainly taught that in order to be saved and have his sins purged, a person must believe and be baptized. How much clearer could God have made His teaching about baptism? We do not need to ask, “Why did God say that?” That is now what God wants, and it is not what Isaiah did. Isaiah did not say when his lips were touched with the piece of coal, “God, I don’t want you to do that. It’s too hot.” We simply need to obey what God has said so that we can receive the cleansing that comes only from God.
A fifth life-changing event in Isaiah’s life after he was cleansed was his reception of the commission from God. Isaiah 6:9 records, “Go, and tell this people, ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” One verse earlier God had asked, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me!” Thus, God told Isaiah to tell the people what He had to say. What a wonderful attitude Isaiah had when he said, “I’ve just been cleansed. I now have new purpose and new meaning in life. Here am I; send me!” So God says, “OK. You go and tell them what I have said.” How wonderful it was that Isaiah heard that commission, and then accepted it as his personal responsibility. It was something that Isaiah himself could do and fulfill. One of the clearest things about the great commission is that is a personal commission. When God says, “Go!,” He is not talking only to our neighbors, friends, elders, or preachers. Rather, He is talking to each one of us. In Matthew 28:18-19 Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” How we need to realize that the Great Commission is a personal commission for each and every Christian! Why did Jesus leave Heaven? In John 17:3 He prayed to the Father, “Restore that which we have had from eternity.” Jesus gave up Heaven. He separated Himself from God. Why? Jesus came to “seek and save that which is lost” (Lk. 19:10). If we are going to walk in Jesus’ footsteps (1 Pet. 2:21), and if we are going to imitate the Savior (1 Cor. 11:1), then we need to be busy telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a great privilege it is for us to have the opportunity to share the Gospel with others. Imagine that you had the cure to the world’s most-dreaded disease. Let’s say that you found a cure for AIDS or cancer. Would you be quiet about that? Would you refuse to tell others? Of course not! If you found such cures, you would tell everyone you met. You would go on television and radio. And you would shout it from the tops of building—because you could save people who are suffering and dying from those diseases. But there is something far worse occurring that people dying physically. People are dying from sin and will perish for eternity in the fires of Hell! We hold in our hands the “pearl of great price.” We have God’s power to save such people. We have the Word of God, which is able to save. Oh, how we need to take the Great Commission seriously.
In Isaiah 6 we see God’s holiness. So let’s ask ourselves if we are living a life of holiness. Hebrews 12:14 tells us that “without holiness, no one shall see God.” Are we doing things in our lives that would make God unhappy? Is there some type of sin that represents a defilement of the beautiful garment of Christianity? During Isaiah’s contemplation of God, he was forced to think about his own sins. Each of us has “sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Have we dealt with that sin problem? Maybe you are a child of God, but you have not taken seriously the privilege of serving the Savior in everything you do. You need to make that right before it is too late. You need to be sure that you are living a life that is pleasing to God in every way. God is not going to be happy with 90%. He will not be happy with 95%. God expects us to give everything we have to His cause. The mindset of the apostle Paul was this:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
Paul realized that, in view of all that Jesus has done for us, we need to live a life of faithful service to Him each and every day. Think about how much God loves us. In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 we read,
“The love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
The Savior gave up everything so that we could have the hope of Heaven and the joy of being a Christian! If we are going to take seriously the commission that God has given us, here are some things that we need to do.
First, we need to give ourselves over to a study of the Word of God. If we are commissioned to teach and preach the Gospel, then we need to study the Bible. We are to “present ourselves approved to God, workers who do not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
Second, we need to live our lives in harmony with the Bible. Paul said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).
Third, we also need to have the courage and determination of heart that the Bible contains the only way of salvation, and that we want to share it with others. Do you have such a desire? Think about the people who are closest to you right now—neighbors, friends, or people with whom you work. If they are not Christians, and they do not obey the Gospel, do we really understand that they will be lost in the fires of Hell for all eternity? May the contemplation of Isaiah, and the Great Commission that he was given, encourage each and every one of us to take seriously the great commission so that can spread the Gospel to each and every lost person.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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“Isaiah’s Great Commission”
1. How does Isaiah 6:3 describe God?
2. According to Jeremiah 29:13, what must a person do to “find God”?
3. What does Matthew 5:48 admonish us to do?
4. In Isaiah 6:5, how did the prophet Isaiah describe himself?
5. What does Romans 3:23 have to say about all accountable human beings?
6. What important point about man’s condition before God is found in Ecclesiastes 7:20?
7. According to Isaiah 64:6, how does God view humankind’s self-made righteousness?
8. In Luke 17:1, what did Jesus say about man’s best-intentioned attempts to be righteous before God?
9. What does Jeremiah 10:23 teach us?
10. In Isaiah 6:6-7 we read of a piece of hot coal coming into contact with Isaiah’s lips. Of what was that hot coal representative, and what did it accomplish for Isaiah?
11. According to 1 Timothy 2:4, what does God want for all humans?
12. This lesson discusses in some detail the things that a person must do in order to be saved from sin and an eternity in Hell. What must a person do to be saved?
13. Isaiah 6:8 depicts God as seeking someone to take on an enormous task. What question did God ask?
14. According to Isaiah 6:8, who answered the question God answered in that verse, and was the answer that was offered?
15. What important point is found in Hebrews 12:14?
16. According to Galatians 2:20, what was the apostle Paul’s mindset regarding his faith and Christian life?
17. What does 2 Tim. 2:15 admonish all Christians to do?
18. We read in 1 Corinthians 9:27 of something that the apostle Paul did that all Christians should do. What is it?
19. What does 1 Peter 2:21 urge all Christians to do on a daily basis?
20. What command did Jesus give Christians in Matthew 28:19?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 607 McLish Ave., Ardmore, OK 73401; (580) 223-3289; www.thegospelofchrist.com