Sermon Tone Analysis

THE HARDEST PRAYERS – SERMON 2

PRAYERS OF SUBMISSION

INTRODUCTION:

AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR PRAYER SERVICE NEXT WEEK, WHICH, BY THE WAY, I WANT TO REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME AND BE A PART OF…

I WANT US TO LOOK AT ONE MORE HARD PRAYER TO PRAY…

IT IS A PRAYER OF SUBMISSION…

TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF ISAIAH, CHAPTER 6…

I WANT US TO LOOK AT THE FIRST NINE VERSES OF THIS MORNING…

SO IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE TURN THERE, AND THEN STAND WITH ME, IF YOU ARE ABLE, AS WE READ THIS PASSAGE THIS MORNING…

STAND – READ – PRAY

- WE ARE, AS A PEOPLE, USUALLY LESS THAN WILLING TO SUBMIT TO SOMEONE ELSE…

- SOMETIMES, THAT CAN BE A GOOD THING.

ESPECIALLY WHEN WE THINK OF SUBMITTING TO OPPRESSIVE HUMAN AUTHORITIES…

- BUT WHEN IT COMES TO GOD, AN UNWILLINGNESS TO SUBMIT TO HIS AUTHORITY CAN HAVE DEVASTATING EFFECTS…

- IT CAN LEAD TO ANYTHING FROM A LIFE OF FRUSTRATION TO ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD, DEPENDING UPON WHAT LEVEL OF SUBMISSION WE ACCEPT OR REJECT…

- SO LET ME POINT OUT A FEW THINGS FROMTHIS PASSAGE THAT WILL HOPEFULLY HELP US BE MORE WILLING TO PRAY A PRAYER OF SUBMISSION…

- TO SUBMIT OURSELVES TO THE LORD…

- HERE’S THE FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO SEE…

POINT #1 – SUBMISSION BEGINS WITH A RIGHT VIEW OF GOD

-1 - 1 IN THE YEAR THAT KING UZZIAH DIED I SAW THE LORD SITTING UPON A THRONE, HIGH AND LIFTED UP; AND THE TRAIN OF HIS ROBE FILLED THE TEMPLE. 2 ABOVE HIM STOOD THE SERAPHIM.

EACH HAD SIX WINGS: WITH TWO HE COVERED HIS FACE, AND WITH TWO HE COVERED HIS FEET, AND WITH TWO HE FLEW. 3 AND ONE CALLED TO ANOTHER AND SAID: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD OF HOSTS; THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY!”

EXPLANATION

- ISAIAH GIVES US A WORD PICTURE OF WHAT HE SAW WHEN HE WITNESSED THE GLORY AND THE MAJESTY OF THE LORD…

- THAT HE WAS HIGH AND LIFTED UP…

o HE WAS IN A PLACE OF AUTHORITY…

o IN ISAIAH’S VISION, GOD WAS ON THE THRONE, AND HE IS STILL ON THE THRONE TODAY…

- THAT HIS GLORY WAS OVERWHELMING…

o THE TRAIN OF HIS ROBE FILLED THE TEMPLE…

o OUTSHINING EVEN THE GREAT TEMPLE OF THE LORD…

- THAT HIS HOLINESS WAS UNSURPASSED…

o THAT EVEN THE SERAPHIM COULD NOT LOOK UPON THE HOLINESS OF GOD…

ILLUSTRATION

APPLICATION

- IF WE ARE GOING TO TRULY SUBMIT TO THE LORD, WE MUST RECOGNIZE HIS AUTHORITY OVER US…

- THAT HE IS COMPLETELY HOLY, AND THAT NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO HIM…

- WE MUST HAVE A RIGHT VIEW OF GOD…

POINT #2 – SUBMISSION CONTINUES WITH A RIGHT VIEW OF SELF…

- 4 AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE THRESHOLDS SHOOK AT THE VOICE OF HIM WHO CALLED, AND THE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE.

5 AND I SAID: “WOE IS ME! FOR I AM LOST; FOR I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, AND I DWELL IN THE MIDST OF A PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS; FOR MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE KING, THE LORD OF HOSTS!” 6 THEN ONE OF THE SERAPHIM FLEW TO ME, HAVING IN HIS HAND A BURNING COAL THAT HE HAD TAKEN WITH TONGS FROM THE ALTAR.

7 AND HE TOUCHED MY MOUTH AND SAID: “BEHOLD, THIS HAS TOUCHED YOUR LIPS; YOUR GUILT IS TAKEN AWAY, AND YOUR SIN ATONED FOR.”

EXPLANATION

- ISAIAH RIGHTLY NOTICED THAT WHEN HE LOOKED UPON THE MAJESTY OF GOD, THE ONLY THING HE NOTICED WAS THE MAGNITUDE OF HIS SIN…

o AND OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL…

ILLUSTRATION

APPLICATION

- THANK GOD THAT EVEN THOUGH WE STAND IN SINFUL GUILT BEFORE THE LORD…

o GOD, IN HIS LOVE FOR US OFFERS CLEANSING AND FORGIVENESS FOR THOSE SINS…

o IN VERSES 6 AND 7, WE SEE THAT CLEANSING ILLUSTRATED BY THE SERAPHIM BRINGING THE HOT COAL FROM THE ALTAR TO CLEANSE THE LIPS OF ISAIAH…

o THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED…

o REMEMBER, GOD WAS CALLING ISAIAH TO A MINISTRY OF PRONOUNCEMENT, BUT ISAIAH’S OBJECTION WAS THAT HIS SIN STOOD IN THE WAY OF THAT…

§ THAT HE WAS A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS…

o BUT GOD PROVIDED THE CLEANSING NECESSARY TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ISAIAH TO CARRY OUT WHAT HE HAD BEEN CALLED TO…

- YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT GOD WILL DO THE SAME FOR YOU…

o IF YOU ARE WILLING TO RECOGNIZE YOUR SIN…

o AND ACCEPT GOD’S ATONING SACRIFICE FOR YOUR SIN…

POINT #3 – SUBMISSION MEANS ACCEPTING THE OUTCOME…

- 8 AND I HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD SAYING, “WHOM SHALL I SEND, AND WHO WILL GO FOR US?” THEN I SAID, “HERE I AM! SEND ME.” 9 AND HE SAID, “GO, AND SAY TO THIS PEOPLE: “‘KEEP ON HEARING, BUT DO NOT UNDERSTAND; KEEP ON SEEING, BUT DO NOT PERCEIVE.’”

EXPLANATION

- MOST LIKELY, ISAIAH, RESPONDING AS HE DID IN VERSE 8, THOUGHT THAT HIS SERVING THE LORD WOULD RESULT IN THE NATION’S CLEANSING.

- HOWEVER, THE LORD TOLD HIM HIS MESSAGE WOULD NOT RESULT IN MUCH SPIRITUAL RESPONSE.

- THE PEOPLE HAD NOT LISTENED BEFORE AND THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN NOW.

- ISAIAH HAD TO LEARN, AND WE HAVE TO LEARN THAT SUBMISSION TO GOD MEANS THAT WE RELINQUISH NOT ONLY OURSELVES TO HIM, BUT ALSO ALL THE PERIPHERY OF OUR LIVES AS WELL…

- FOR ISAIAH, IT MEANT THE SUBMISSION OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO THE WILL OF GOD…

- FOR YOU AND ME, IT MAY MEAN THE SUBMISSION OF OUR FAMILIES, OR OUR FORTUNES TO THE WILL OF GOD…

ILLUSTRATION

APPLICATION

- THE DUTY TO SUBMIT IS OURS, THE OUTCOME OF OUR SUBMISSION IS GOD’S…

- WE ARE ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT WHICH WE CAN CONTROL…

- AND WE CAN ONLY CONTROL OUR RESPONSE TO GOD…

- THIS IS CONTRARY TO THE CULTURAL POSITION, WHICH SAYS THAT WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER OUR ACTIONS…

o THAT WE ARE NOT FAR BEYOND THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD…

o THE TRUTH IS THAT WE ACTUALLY CAN CONTROL THE WAY WE RESPOND TO THE MAJESTY OF GOD AND OUR OWN SINFULLNESS…

- AND THE WAY WE DO THAT IS BY SUBMITTING TO HIM, AND TRUSTING HIM WITH THE OUTCOME…

- BUT SUBMITTING TO GOD IS DIFFICULT…

o PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE LIKE TO THINK WE ARE IN CONTROL…

o BUT ALSO BECAUSE BLIND TRUST IS NOT IN OUR DNA…

§ WE’VE BEEN BETRAYED AND DISAPPOINTED SO MANY TIMES BY MEN THAT WE BEGIN TO BELIEVE THAT GOD IS NOT TRUSTWORTHY EITHER…

CONCLUSION:

IN CLOSING, LET ME SAY THIS…

EVERY PERSON IS CALLED TO SUBMIT TO GOD…

BUT TO PRAY AND GIVE OURSELVES OVER TO HIM…

UNDERSTANDING ALL THAT THIS MEANS…

IS A VERY HARD THING TO DO…

BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT WE ARE GIVING MORE THAN JUST OURSELVES…

WE ARE GIVING EVERY FACET OF OUR LIVES TO HIM…

SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST NOT READY TO DO THAT…

BUT MAYBE TODAY, YOU ARE READY…

AND TODAY…THIS DAY…YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED THE MAJESTY AND THE HOLINESS OF GOD…

AND YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED YOUR OWN SINFULNESS…

AND YOU ARE READY TO REPENT AND RELENQUISH CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE TO HIM…

UNDERSTANDING THAT GOD IS NOT CALLING YOU TO JUST GIVE HIM CONTROL OF A NARROW SLIVER OF YOUR LIFE, BUT OF EVERYTHING…

IF YOU ARE READY TO DO THAT, GOD IS READY TO RECEIVE YOU THIS MORNING…