Speaking For the Lord (Part 6)

This is the sixth in a series of articles I am writing to apply Isaiah 6:1-8 to the preacher. If you have not yet done so, please go back first and read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5. If you are blessed by this article, please feel free to comment and definitely watch for more articles in this series.

BRIEF REVIEW: In trying to explain preaching to someone recently, my mind settled on Isaiah 6:1-8 as a very relevant passage for every preacher to hold in mind about the nature of what we do when we speak for God.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto 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 moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. - Isaiah 6:1-8.

I. First of all, WHO IS THIS GOD THAT SENT THE PREACHER? Answered in Parts 1 through 4 and applied to the preaching.

II. Secondly, WHO IS THE PREACHER THAT GOD SENT?

A. He is a man of unclean lips, Isaiah 6:5 - dealt with in Part 5.
B. He dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips - see Part 5.

C. Thirdly, this God-called preacher is a man that realizes his limitations and disabilities. Notice this in verse 5: "Woe is me! for I am undone...for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

1. Upon seeing Who exactly God is, the preacher realizes who himself is.

Preacher, have you been to the altar and realized the holiness and absolute glory of God?  No, of course you haven't.  "No man hath seen God at any time."  You would be undone, as Isaiah was after just a brief glimpse - literally in verse 5 it means "done for" as in "I am done for.  I am over with.  I will cease to exist."

That is the proper attitude for the preacher - No more of ME!  I am DONE!  Now, All of HIM!  John the Baptist said, "He must increase and I must decrease."  If we truly held in mind Who it is that we represent when we preach, we would realize what Paul means when he says, "I am crucified with Christ" and "I die daily."  We would never let our ego get in the way of speaking for the Lord.

Preacher, please realize you have nothing to offer anybody personally.  God did not call you because you are special or anything like that.  Remember that He "hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" - II Timothy 1:9.  He has His reasons, and it is not because of anything you bring into the picture.

Are you undone?  Does your preaching show it?  Does the rest of your ministry show it?  How much of YOU is present in your preaching, ministry, philosophy, etc?

Get to the point of Isaiah, "Woe is me, for I am undone."  Are you undone or is "ME" still holding on tightly when you stand up to speak for the Lord?

Here are some concrete applications of this principle:

a) Do your sermon illustrations tend to regularly cast you in the best light, make you the hero of the story, etc?  Get rid of it.  There's no room for it.

b) How much do your favorite doctrines, hobby horses, pet peeves, etc, drive your sermons or influence how you approach a topic?  Be careful!  Is that God's hobby horse, pet peeve or favorite doctrine?  Probably not, but you claim to be speaking for Him.

c) In your prayer during study and preparation time and before preaching, ask God to give you this attitude, "Woe is me, for I am undone."  Ask God to humble you before Him and before the people and remove you completely out of the way so that only Christ can be seen.

2. Upon being properly humbled, this preacher is then enabled to properly speak on the Lord's behalf, vv. 6-7.  Watch for this in Part 7, coming soon.

VM