God’s Big Story: Isaiah

Isaiah Chapter 6 - The Call and Commission

• Isaiah’s vision of God on throne after King Uzziah’s death

  • Seraphim with six wings declaring “Holy, holy, holy”

  • Isaiah realizes need for cleansing despite being “good dude”

  • Angel touches lips with burning coal - sin forgiven

• God’s question: “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”

  • Isaiah responds: “Here I am, send me”

  • Mission: preach to people who won’t listen or understand

  • Success in kingdom = obedience, not human results

• Promise of remnant despite judgment

  • “Life in the stump” - always hope with Jesus

  • God never finished, always new beginnings

Book Structure and Historical Context

• Isaiah as “mini Bible”: 66 chapters (39 judgment-focused, 27 redemption-focused)

• Timeline during northern kingdom’s end, before southern kingdom exile

• Isaiah served under kings Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah

  • Brother kingdoms fighting each other, teaming with enemies

  • Parallel to Christians weaponizing theology against each other

• Hezekiah’s crisis with Assyrian empire

  • Took threats to house of Lord, laid before God

  • Angel killed 180,000 Assyrians overnight

• Isaiah likely sawn in two by evil king Manasseh

  • Manasseh later repented in exile - “most evil figure” forgiven

Key Themes and Prophetic Elements

• God’s holiness: separate from sin, sovereign, seeking separated people

• Eight-book structure from introduction to future glory restoration

• Dead Sea Scrolls (1947) proved Isaiah’s prophecies predated Jesus by 200+ years

  • Shepherd found scrolls, sold 24-foot Isaiah scroll for $14

  • Ministry bought back for $250,000

• Structural centers reveal Jesus as focal point

  • Isaiah 53: suffering servant at geometric center of second half

  • “He was pierced for our transgressions” - main point of good news

• Jesus’ name (Yeshua) woven into text: “God is my Jesus” (Isaiah 12:2)

Application and Prophetic Word

• Three-part approach: “Study like scholar, listen like prophet, act like apostle”

• Vision of rising world chaos swallowing everything not built on Jesus

  • Charismatic leaders, savings accounts, pet doctrines will be consumed

  • Need to “climb higher on mountain” - focus solely on Jesus

• Spiritual warfare through worship music

  • “Assyria terrified by voice of Lord with tambourines and lyres”

  • Spirit of God rides on worship, fights battles

• Inheritance of suffering servant mantle

  • Jesus quoted three Isaiah passages at ascension

  • Called to participate in total planetary redemption, not escape