What Does It Take to be a Gospel Proclaimer?

5th Sunday after Epiphany, 2/6/22 Isaiah 6:1-8 What Does It Take to be a Gospel Proclaimer? I. It takes divine purification. II. It takes gospel motivation. I saw the report just a few days ago. It stated that an unprecedented number of Americans changed their employment situation in 2021. The month of August saw the greatest number when 4.3 million did so. Polls conducted among those job-changers reveal a number of variables. Some did it for better pay. Others did it because they were dissatisfied with their current position. Meanwhile, the number of open positions skyrocketed, making an employment move much easier. The majority indicated that COVID had a major influence on their decision. But, no doubt, every one of them pondered whether or not they had the qualifications desired or required by the open position they were pondering, and they concluded that they did. And that’s critical, because entering into a new position doubtful that you’re qualified makes those opening weeks and months that much more stressful. “Do I have what it takes?” is a critical question to ponder. In this morning’s Scripture readings, we see how God uncovers his choices for the position of messenger of his gospel. In today’s gospel we heard how Jesus instructed some of his disciples to follow him and be fishers of men. His intent was to send them throughout the world. Did these men ever ponder if they had what it takes for what was inarguably the most critical position in the history of the world? I imagine they did, every one of them, more than once. And that’s nothing new. It happened among God’s prophets in the Old Testament as well. One of them was Isaiah who not only doubted his qualifications to serve in God’s kingdom, he flat-out declared to God himself that he was unfit. We have those words before us this morning. And yet, he became one of God’s prophets and certainly ranks high on any list of great prophets of the Lord. One of the truths of our Christian faith which we know but conveniently try not to ponder too often is that God calls each one of his people to share his gospel with others. Not just me, but you and you and you. And that truth pushes us to ask the question, “Do I have what it takes?” But, before we ask that question, we should ask a different, but related one. What does it take to be a gospel proclaimer? Let’s use that question to focus our thoughts on this portion of God’s word which relates to us the calling of Isaiah to become the Lord’s prophet. I. I hope you’ve noticed this: we all have problems. Every person on this earth has at least one problem in their life. Most people have more problems than they care to consider. Pretensions aside, no one has it all together. Most people are hurting in one way or another. We all need “fixing,” and therapists will tell you that they first step in recovery is admitting that you have a problem. From Isaiah’s conversation with the Lord, we know that he was painfully aware that he needed fixing. The Lord appeared to him, probably in a vision, and Isaiah was immediately confronted with the holiness of the Lord which made Isaiah’s sinfulness all too apparent. Let’s spend a moment reviewing some of the details of his vision. He saw the Lord seated on a throne. In referring to this event, John’s Gospel informs us that this was the Son of God. Being seated on a throne indicates his rule over all things with his almighty power. Isaiah informs us that there were seraphs flying above the Son of God. This is the only time in the Bible that seraphs are mentioned, and we’re not sure exactly how seraphs differ from angels. Perhaps they are an elite class of angels. What’s more, they each had six wings instead of two. With two of their wings they covered their faces and with two they covered their feet, an act of humility while in the presence of the Son of God. They used their voices to shout praises to the Son of God, and their voices caused the doorposts and the thresholds of the temple to shake. Imagine hearing those voices and feeling the building beneath you shaking. Incredible! And Isaiah’s reaction to all of this is nothing unexpected. He cried, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” The seraphs, who were holy, stood in humble awe of the Son of God, whose essence includes holiness. That same holiness filled Isaiah with fear because he instantly realized that the holiness of God rightly and immediately condemns and destroys what is sinful. Sinful people cannot stand in the presence of God. Isaiah realized he was ruined. He needed fixing. And he could do nothing to fix himself. That was something only the Lord could do, and he used one of the seraphs to purify Isaiah. The seraph took a live coal from the altar of the temple. On that altar sacrifices were made for the sins of the people. That coal symbolized the forgiveness that only the Son of God can provide. We know that 700 years later he would sacrifice himself on Calvary’s cross to win forgiveness and eternal life for every sinful person. The seraph touched Isaiah’s mouth with the coal and declared, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” The Lord himself provided the solution to the problem of Isaiah’s sin and guilt. And with that forgiveness, Isaiah was now ready to serve as the Lord’s messenger. What does it take to be a gospel proclaimer? It takes divine purification. I think it’s safe to say that none of us have ever been confronted with the Lord’s holiness in the way that Isaiah was on this day in his life. But maybe we should receive a vision like Isaiah did, because our natural inclination is to think that even though we’re not perfect, we’re fine as far as our relationship with the holy God goes. We try to do the right thing, we’re not living openly sinful lives, and we possess membership in a Christian congregation. I’m sure Isaiah could have claimed the same things. He might have even been spiritually complacent, but not once he saw his holy God. The holiness of God rightly drove him to despair. And a proper spiritual self-evaluation should do the same in us. The Lord’s holiness exposes our sinfulness which infects us to the core. It even reveals our sinful pride and selfishness, our critical judgment of others, and our vengefulness, to say nothing of the times we’ve pushed our God to the edges of lives. All of these are glaring evidence that we need spiritual fixing, and only the holy God can do it. Thanks be to God he does just that! And it’s what he wants to do. It’s what he’s all about. Our God’s greatest desire is to purify you with his forgiveness every day of your life. That’s how much he thinks of you! The holy Son of God left his throne in heaven to live a holy life in your place and to offer that holy life on the cross to remove your sin and guilt. II. Isaiah received the assurance of that forgiveness in this vision from the Lord. Purified by God himself, he was ready and equipped for service in God’s kingdom. Listen again to Isaiah’s words. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” The Lord had chosen Isaiah for a critical position in his kingdom at a critical time. God’s people had largely turned their backs on him. There was only one option left for the Lord, and that was to discipline and refine his people so that he could still carry out his plan to send a Savior into the world through these people. The Lord needed a messenger to proclaim his impending judgment on his people, to call them to repentance, and to prepare them for exile in Babylon. Isaiah was his man. So, when the Lord asked Isaiah to serve, Isaiah jumped at the opportunity. That’s what love for the Lord and appreciation of his forgiveness create. They move God’s people to offer themselves in service to the Lord. And what more important service in God’s kingdom is there besides proclaiming his word to others? Isaiah had just experienced the Lord’s forgiveness in a dramatic way. That’s exactly what all of God’s people living at Isaiah’s time needed to experience. Isaiah was motivated by the gospel to share the gospel. As he did so, I wonder if Isaiah ever considered this question: Why doesn’t God use his angels to share his gospel with others? After all, Isaiah had heard the seraphs proclaiming the praises of God and it literally shook him. He had never heard anything like it. If the Lord used angels to proclaim his gospel to the entire human race, wouldn’t that be incredible and far more effective than sending out sinful human people to share his gospel? But there’s a problem with that suggestion. You see, angels have never experienced the forgiveness of sins. They’ve never felt the weight of guilt crushing them and the spiritual relief that forgiveness brings. They don’t know the fear of death and having that fear removed by the resurrection of Jesus. They’re unable to share what a difference Jesus has made in their lives because they’ve been holy since they were created. But you’ve experienced all those blessings and more. You’ve come to appreciate what the Lord has done for you. In the advertising world, you’re a satisfied customer and the testimony of a satisfied customer is an effective advertising method. In other words, you have what it takes to be a gospel proclaimer. You’ve been divinely purified, and you have the gospel to motivate you. So, let’s get going. We have the greatest good news to proclaim. God promises to bless our efforts according to his plan. Amen.