Isaiah 6

Today i went to Grace Evangelical Free Church. I was pretty curious about it because a few people told me to go check it out. I thought the pastor's sermon was very well prepared. He spoke on Isaiah 6 and titled it "You Become What You Worship." This message closely ties into the sins of idolatry and making Christ the center of our lives. You might wanna read Isaiah 6 before reading on..

If you read Isaiah 6 you'll see how he stood before the throne of God and saw the sheer holiness of God. He also spoke of seraphs who would be increasingly worshiping the Lord. Isaiah can barely describe the event because it was like no other. Isaiah then cries out "Woe to me!" because he saw his own sins and unworthiness to stand before the Lord. But as he confessed and repented one of the seraphs flew with a coal and touched his lips. This signifies that his guilt and sin would be completely taken away and atoned for by God's grace. Direct fellowship is restored only because of the work of God. God tells him to go out and give His message, even though the people will not have a positive or accepting response. He says that their ears are dull and that they are blind. Even if God speaks His message and Word, people will reject it. But God gives us the ability to open our eyes, ears and hearts to understand His message. And if we turn in repentance and seek God He forgives and heals our sin.

What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The pastor asked "What is it that you want more than anything else?" What is it that we truly desire? Because what we set our minds upon and what we worship is what we become. You will reap what you sow. What you chase and worship you become. We are all idolaters is some shape and form. We put things before God. We place things of higher importance before God. We worship so many things that we may not even realize. Our hearts seek to find satisfaction in our lust.

"But their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.

They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;

they have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but they cannot smell;

they have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but they cannot walk;
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them" -Psalm 115:4-8

One example he gave was the bombardment of worldly media. Much of media displays that sin is the norm and acceptable in society. Media also makes righteousness and seeking God seem strange. Media tells us to turn to new possessions the hottest fads, and the most current fashions. We begin to conform to carnal ways without even knowing it. We feed our minds with so much garbage, that it begins to dim our sight of the holiness of God. People lift up the love of relationships and it can become a huge idol. We seek someone to fill that void. We probably don't carve idols out of wood anymore, or bow down to golden images anymore, but idols could be desiring education, fitness, health, power, and even a family. I believe the biggest idol we have is ourselves. What or Who is it that we worship? Paul says that stomachs have become their gods. We are constantly craving something to satisfy us.We chase after things that can never fill, and the result is that we become empty. I always mention Jeremiah 2 because it demonstrates that these empty and broken cisterns can never hold water. There is only One who can quench and satisfy our thirst.

"You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them." -Exodus 20:3-4

The pastor went on to mention how God gives us over to our sinful desires and impurities. We serve created things rather than the Creator. To many of us, this may all that we know. We turn to things, new hobbies, and people instead of the Living God. He went back to his main point that we become what we worship. So, what do we look like when we worship God first and foremost? When God is on the throne of our lives, we begin to look in His likeness, shining and reflecting His glory.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." -Romans 1:21-25

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Cor 3:16-18

We can no longer go about trying to keep one foot on the sand and one on the rock. We cannot attempt to just tact God onto our lives as just another area or part of our lives. He must become our lives. We must become desperate for the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are completely and utterly useless relying on our strength. Come to the Lord with your sin like Isaiah. Present and surrender yourself before Him, and He'll take care of the rest. He is an everlasting source of strength. Trust in His mercy and grace.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." -Acts 20:24