|
RIGHTEOUS
A Call to embrace A Call to no compromise |
 |
How do we live righteous lives?
Isaiah 6:1-12
The experience of Isaiah the prophet is often used to teach us the steps to leave our lives of compromise and religiosity and to be rekindled to live a holy life dedicated to God. Isaiah 6:1-12 is used not because it is extreme and interesting (though it is), but because its clarity, preciseness and Isaiah's stirring experience. Much like Apostle Paul's encounter, it sets a pattern before us. Other accounts of God's work in individuals are spread out over time and developed through numerous experiences rather than a one time event.(1)
| 1 In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
|
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. (Isaiah 6:1-6) 7 And he touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' 10 "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed." 11 Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered, "Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people, And the land is utterly desolate, 12 "The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. (Isaiah 6:7-12) |
The Process of Becoming Righteous
| Step | Key verse | Significant point |
| 1. Meet God (Isaiah 6:1-4) |
"I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted" (1) | When we meet God, we become acquainted with His righteous standards. |
| 2. Saw his true self (Isaiah 6:5) |
"Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." ( 5) | An awareness of God's righteous standard reveals ones own sins. Upon acknowledging his unrighteousness, he seeks a covering from God's judgment. |
| 3. Found cleansing (Isaiah 6:6-7) |
"And he touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven." ( 7) |
He finds a solution of his greivous sin by accepting God's gracious offer of forgiveness. |
| 4. Commissioned to God's service (Isaiah 6:8-12) |
"Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" And He said, "Go, and tell this people..." (8-9) |
He gains desire and freedom to eagerly respond to God's purposes for him. |
In contrast to this, we never find good things happen when people cover up their sin. Psalm 28:13 says,
" He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes [them] will find compassion."
When a person hides a little sin in his life, he is not righteous. He will in fact be under God's chastising and will not prosper. Let's look at some of the consequences of covering a little sin. What will we find?
BFF Homepage | Previous | Top | Next
Biblical Foundations for Freedom