Discover Christ
Your timing in coming here today is perfect, because today we’re starting a new 4 week teaching series we’re calling 3D Living, and it’s about living with a greater purpose! The reason we’re calling it 3D Living, is because the 3D stands for discover, deepen, and display. We want to help people discover their identity in Jesus, deepen their walk with Jesus, and display their faith in Jesus, in ways that helps others to discover, deepen, and display. It’s called 3D living, and one of the reasons we’re doing this series is because we want March to be our Missions Month, meaning we want it to be a yearly reminder for us to serve beyond our church. We want it to be a yearly reminder for us to serve our local city and world. I know every week we encourage you to live sent lives when we dismiss you saying you’re sent. But Missions Month is a time for us to focus on living sent lives in greater detail, while also presenting a few opportunities for us to do that.
So we’re doing this 3D Living series because it’s Missions Month, but we’re also doing it because it can help address two basic questions that every skeptic, every believer, every cognitive person in every generation asks at some point in life. It’s the questions, “Who am I, and what’s my purpose in life?...Who am I, and why am I here?” We’ll get to explore those questions in this series, and today we’re talking about the first part of 3D Living, which is to discover our identity in Christ. We’re talking about how when we discover identity in Christ, it transforms who we are and what we do in life. So let’s turn to Isaiah chapter 6 and get into it. You’ll find the book of Isaiah in the middle of the Bible, and we’ll be in Isaiah 6:1-8. Title of today’s message is Discover Christ, and the big idea of the message is when we discover Christ, it transforms who we are and what we do in life...When we discover Christ, it transforms our identity and purpose in life...
Here’s your context. The book of Isaiah was written by a man named Isaiah, who’s one of the greatest prophets in Judeo-Christian history. Many scholars believe at one point he was an established scribe in the royal palace in Jerusalem, which was a respectable career back then. But God had other plans for Isaiah, and those plans were for him to be a prophet, to be a spiritual leader for God’s people. This meant he had to declare the truth of God’s commands, plans, and promises to God’s people. He had to declare whatever God wanted him to declare, including telling people to repent for their sinful rebellion against God. It was a very tough role, especially compared to being a scribe in the royal place. But Isaiah walked away from the comfortable life of a scribe, to live the tough life of a prophet. It’s because he discovered the Lord in such an incredible way, that it transformed his identity and purpose in life. As we study this text we’ll learn 3 things: 1st Isaiah discovers the Lord, 2nd Isaiah discovers a new identity, and 3rd Isaiah discovers a new purpose. We’ll learn Isaiah discovers the Lord, a new identity, and a new purpose. Let’s check it out.
Isaiah 1:1-8 states, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.’ 4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.” What’s happening here is 1st Isaiah discovers the Lord. He discovers the Lord saying I saw the Lord. In this moment the Lord’s allowing Isaiah to peek behind the curtains of the natural world, so he can see the Lord in an incredibly powerful way that would transform his life forever. Something significant he sees is the Lord seated on a throne. He sees the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne. He’s discovering a far more exalted view of God than he ever imagined or learned as a scribe. It’s a far more exalted view of God being in complete and total control, seated on his throne. The timing of Isaiah seeing the Lord like this is significanct, because it happens in the year King Uzziah died, which was a time when Judah was in turmoil and many people were abandoning their faith in the Lord. But Isaiah sees the Lord, the true King of Judah, the true King of the entire Cosmos, still seated on the throne. He doesn’t see God pacing around the throne trying to figure things out like we do. He sees God in complete and total control, seated on the throne. It’s like Corrie ten Boom said, “There’s no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans.” She says God doesn’t panic! He doesn’t have any problems, only plans! God doesn’t need an advisory board or a strategic planning meeting to figure out a solution to the world’s problems. He already knows the solution, he already knows the plan, and he doesn’t need any backup plans either because his plans always work, which we’ve seen all throughout history!
For example, his plans to save Noah and his family from the flood worked! His plans to save Moses and the Jews from brutal Egyptian slavery worked! His plans to die and rise again for the forgiveness of our sins worked! Jesus came to die for our sins on the cross, and then he rose again on the 3rd day proving his plans are greater than the Romans, Jews, or any other human plans! He doesn’t have any problems, only plans, and his plans always work! We need to remember when our plans fail in life, he’s still seated on the throne and has greater plans for our lives that’ll never fail. Like Isaiah we need to view the Lord in a greater exalted way like this. We need to realize whatever we imagine God is like, he’s far greater than we imagine. If you believe God is loving, he’s far more loving than you realize. If you believe God is holy, he’s far more holy than you realize. If you believe God is wise and powerful, he's far more wise and powerful than you realize. God is far greater than you and I could ever imagine. A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important thing about us.” If you think God is small, then your faith will be small. But if you think God is big, then your faith will be big. When Isaiah discovered the Lord like this, he had an exalted view of God that transformed his life forever. When he discovered how incredibly holy the Lord was, it shook the foundation of his soul, more than the angelic Seraphim voices shook the foundation of the temple. Check out Isaiah’s response.
Again vs. 3, “The seraphim called to another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.’ 4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.’ 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.’” What’s happening here is 1st Isaiah discovers the Lord, and 2nd Isaiah discovers a new identity. He realized his identity as a sinful man, but then he received a new identity as a forgiven man. It completely changes his life and is the perfect commissioning for Isaiah to start living out his prophetic role. Like I said before, he’s experiencing this during a time when Judah started declining morally and spiritually. This situation equipped him for declaring God’s holiness and forgiveness publicly, since he’s now experienced God’s holiness and forgiveness personally. When he sees the Seraphim declaring, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord,” he discovers how sinful he is compared to the Lord. In fact the Hebrew word for holy is qadowsh, and it means God is separated from us. He’s so holy, so perfect, so pure, that he’s in a category of his own completely separated from us. When Isaiah discovers this, when he discovers how holy God is, that’s when he realizes how sinful he is. That’s when he realizes he’s a sinner who needs saving, and he cries out, “Woe is me!”
See the holiness of God is a terrible threat to us, if God doesn’t forgive us. The reason Isaiah says “Woe is me,” is because he realizes he isn’t worthy to be in the presence of a holy God. He realizes he should be destroyed for his sins, but instead God offers him forgiveness for his sins. It’s a foreshadow of what Jesus eventually does for us on the cross. Because of our sins we don’t deserve God’s love and forgiveness, but Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we can enjoy God’s love and forgiveness. Anyone who puts their faith in Jesus can enjoy a new life, a new identity like Isaiah, where we go from saying “Woe is me,” to saying “I’m forgiven because Jesus died for me.” In the words of Tim Keller, “The gospel is this! We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” The good news of the gospel is that we can go from having an identity that says, “Woe is me,” to having a new identity that says, “I’m forgiven because Jesus died for me.”So when we discover the Lord, we also discover a new identity in the Lord. The Lord gives Isaiah a new life, a new identity, a forgiven identity, and this changes everything for Isaiah. It changes his perspective on life, and gives him a new purpose in life. Listen to vs. 8.
Vs. 8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: ‘Who will I send? Who will go for us?’ I said: ‘Here I am. Send me.’” What’s happening here is 1st Isaiah discovers the Lord, 2nd Isaiah discovers a new identity, and 3rd Isaiah discovers a new purpose. He discovers a new purpose in wanting to serve the Lord saying, “Here I am, send me!” After experiencing God’s forgiveness he was willing to do anything for the Lord, and without conditions. He doesn’t have any conditions like when we’re trying to bargain with the Lord saying, “If you answer my prayers. If you give me what I want, then I’ll do what you want.” He doesn’t have any conditions like when we want to know all the details of the Lord’s plans saying, “If you show me your plans. If you show me the financial ledger, don’t make it too hard, and allow it to fit into my plans, then I’ll consider doing what you want.” Isaiah doesn’t say any of that! He just says, “Here I am, send me!” without conditions. It’s because his confidence grew as his view of the Lord grew, and his motivation grew as his view of the Lord’s forgiveness grew. He had a new confidence and motivation in the Lord, that sparked a new purpose for his life, to serve the Lord without conditions. He had a new confidence and motivation in the Lord, that sparked his desire to leave his comfortable life as a scribe in the royal palace, to live the tough life of a prophet. He entered the temple that day as a sinful man saying, “Woe is me!” But he left the temple as a forgiven man saying, “Here I am, send me!” He left the temple that day, as a man on a mission. He left the temple that day, as a man who discovered the Lord, a new identity, and a new purpose in wanting to serve the Lord without conditions. In a similar way we came to church today, but we can all walk away discovering those same things. Even those of us who are Christians need to be reminded of these things, because we often forget them. So regardless of how you walked in here today, walk away remembering...
#1 You can find confidence in an exalted view of Jesus. – You can find confidence in an exalted view of Jesus, being seated on the throne. I know sometimes it can feel like things are spiraling out of control in your life, but you need to remember they aren’t spiraling out of control for Jesus. You need to remember Jesus doesn’t have problems, he has plans. We have problems, Jesus has plans. We have problems, but Jesus has plans for every one of our problems. So don’t let it wreck you when things aren’t going as you planned in life, instead remind yourself that Jesus is still seated on the throne, and he has greater plans for your life. The more you view Jesus in a high and exalted way like Isaiah, the more confidence you’ll have in his greater plans for your life.
#2 You can find forgiveness and a new identity in Jesus. – You can find forgiveness, a new identity, a fresh start every morning with Jesus. Just like the Lord didn’t want Isaiah to stay knocked down by his sin, Jesus didn’t go to the cross for you to stay knocked down by your sin. Just like the Lord wanted to give Isaiah forgiveness, a new identity, and a fresh start, Jesus went to the cross to give you forgiveness, a new identity, and a fresh start. I know some of you might be feeling too broken, too messed up, too far gone for the Lord to save you and use you for his eternal purposes, but Isaiah’s story says otherwise. He goes from saying, “Woe is me,” to saying, “I’m forgiven! So here I am, send me!” He’s so moved by God’s love and forgiveness, that he's willing to give up his entire life for God. In a similar way it’s the love Jesus showed us when he died for our sins on the cross, that should cause us to want to give up our entire lives for him. It should cause us to wake up each morning with a fresh start saying, “I’m forgiven! So here I am, send me!” As C.T. Studd said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” If Jesus was willing to give up his life for me, how can I not be willing to give up my life for him? How can I not say, “Here I am, send me!”
The big idea of the message is when we discover Christ, it transforms who we are and what we do in life. When we discover Christ, it transforms our identity and purpose in life...Jesus wants us to live 3D Lives where we discover, deepen, and display his love in ways that leads others to discover, deepen, and display. But it all starts with discovering the Lord like Isaiah did. It starts with discovering Christ, and the transformative relationship he offers us. When we put our faith in him, like Isaiah our sinful lives can be transformed from saying, “Woe is me,” to having a new identity with a new purpose saying, “I’m forgiven. So here I am, send me!”
Communion
Communion is a reminder that when we put our faith in Jesus we go from saying, “Woe is me,” to saying, “I’m forgiven, because Jesus died for me.” It’s a reminder that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so we can enjoy a life transformative friendship with him. If you don’t believe he died on the cross for your sins, then please refrain from taking communion so you don’t go through the motions of this. Instead use this time to reflect on the message and consider putting your faith in Jesus today, so you can find a new identity with a new purpose in him. For those of you who already put your faith in Jesus we have three stations set up, and in a few minutes I’ll invite you to come forward to the station closest to you. If you have a gluten allergy the table in the back has gluten free bread. When you come forward we’ll give you a piece of bread as a symbol of the body of Christ broken for your sins, and you’ll dip it in the cup of juice as a symbol of the blood of Christ shed for your sins. After that you can eat, drink, and head back to your seat to pray before we close in worship. So at this time let’s have those who are serving Communion start heading to your stations, as we prepare to remember and receive the good news of Jesus again.
On the night Jesus was betrayed he took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, and gave thanks for it saying “This is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” Respond to this good news by remembering and receiving. Remember what he’s done for you on the cross, and receive the fresh start of his grace for your life again. Come as you feel led.