ISAIAH

ISAIAH 1:1

A. "THE VISION OF ISAIAH THE SON OF AMOZ, WHICH HE SAW CONCERNING JUDAH AND JERUSALEM IN THE DAYS OF UZZIAH, JOTHAM, AHAZ, AND HEZEKIAH, KINGS OF JUDAH" - ISAIAH 1:1
  1. These words are most revealing:
    1. They give us the mission of a prophet; he is essentially "a seer" - I Sam. 9:9
    2. Isaiah saw, not only the future of Judah and Jerusalem, but he saw far beyond; he saw the end of sin, and he saw a new heaven and a new earth - Is. 65:17; 66:22-23
  2. The prophet Isaiah is known among Christians as:
    1. An outstanding evangelist, picturing the Messiah in glowing terms - Is. 53:1-12
    2. Bringing hope to all who sit in darkness - Is. 61:1-3
B. A PRAYERFUL LOOK INTO THE LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH
  1. Isaiah - Jehovah is our helper or salvation is of the Lord:
    1. The name of the greatest of the Assyrian group of prophets
    2. His name is synonymous with Joshua or Jesus and symbolic of his message
    3. By comparing Is. 1:1 with chapters 2:1; 6:1; 7:3; 13:1, it appears that he himself was the son of a prophet; some have the idea that his father was the uncle to Uzziah
  2. It appears that the mission of Isaiah was fivefold:
    1. He wrote a history of the reign of Uzziah and Ahaz - 2 Chron. 26:22; 32:32
    2. No other prophet used so many beautiful and picturesque illustrations, epigrams, and metaphors as Isaiah, who was a poet in the highest sense - Is. 1:13; 5:18; 12:1-6; 13:3
    3. He strongly denounced all foreign alliances - Is. 7:5; 37:22
    4. He preached the message of reform; like Noah, Isaiah was a mighty preacher of righteousness - Is. 36:39
    5. He was the Christ-harbinger prophesying the coming of the Messianic King and suffering Saviour - Is 53:1-12
    6. He portrayed the God of Israel as a God of mercy and great compassion - compare these wonderful passages - Is. 43 with Is. 44; 45; 52; 55; 63:9
    7. Isaiah, like Daniel and John, Lifts the curtain from the future, and lets us see beyond this vale of tears, beyond the valley of the shadow of death; he permits us to see the glory grace over sin - Is. 66:22-24; 65:21-24
    8. The prophet Isaiah was a theologian in the highest sense of the word. His mission was not confined to the tragic history of his people; but it gives us some of the basic truths of the plan of redemption
C. A MIGHTY MESSAGE TO GOD'S PEOPLE IN THE TIME OF THE END
  1. His preparation for his mission - Is. 6:
    1. He had a vision of God on His throne
    2. That opened his eyes to his own condition
    3. He experienced the cleansing we all need
    4. He heard the invitation for service and he answered God's call "Here an I, send me"
  2. Isaiah had a message to the nation and also to the nations:
    1. Isaiah chapters 1-39 covers his message to his nation
    2. Isaiah chapters 40-66 covers the gospel of God to all nations
  3. The mission of God's remnant people is twofold:
    1. A message to prepare a people for translation - Joel 2:15-18; Zeph. 2:1-3; Rev. 14:6-12
    2. A message to all nations - Rev. 14:6-12
  4. Isaiah had a message of consolation and hope - Is. 43:1-22:
  5. We have a message of hope and consolation to a distraught and sin-sick world - Rev. 22:17; Is. 45:22
  6. What a real challenge Isaiah and his ministry must ever be:
    1. To us as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ
    2. Are we motivated by a vision of the Lord on His throne
    3. Have we experienced the cleansing so necessary to bear the vessels of the Lord
    4. Do we have the message of hope to a dying world


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