Isaiah's Potty Mouth

• This passage is about the

majesty and glory of God.

• There are a couple

important subtexts in this

passage:

• One: We clearly see that God

is commissioning Isaiah as a

prophet.

• Two: This passage is about

communication.

• Unclean lips come from an unclean

heart.

• “The good person out of the good treasure

of his heart produces good, and the evil

person out of his evil treasure produces

evil, for out of the abundance of the heart

his mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45).

• Our lips are so difficult to control.

• “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The

tongue is set among our members, staining the whole

body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set

on fire by hell” (Js 3:6).

• “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let

him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from

speaking deceit” (1 Pet 3:10).

• The context says a lot about

communication.

• In Isaiah 6, you will find 17

occurrences of words dealing

directly with communication.

• Nouns (first occurrence): voice (v 4),

lips (v 5), mouth (v 7), and ears (v 10).

• Verbs (first occurrence): called (v 3),

said [past tense] (v 5), heard [past

tense] (v 8), say [present tense] (v 9),

and hearing [present progressive] (v

9).

• The Holy Creator commands holy

conversation.

• What was Isaiah’s sinful

conversation?

• Context:

• The seraphim use their lips to

praise God.

• God needs someone to use his

lips to take his message

Judah and Jerusalem.

• In this passage, Isaiah was

not praising God, but the

seraphim were.

• God is worthy of our praise.

• “Great is the LORD and greatly to

be praised in the city of our God!”

(Ps 48:1).

• “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and

power, for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and

were created” (Rev 4:11).

• Private praise:

• Jesus: “And rising very early in

the morning, while it was still

dark, he departed and went out

to a desolate place, and there

he prayed” (Mk 1:35).

• We’re to offer private praise to

God.

• “Our Father in heaven, hallowed

be your name” (Matt 6:9).

• “When you pray, go into your

room and shut the door and pray

to your Father” (Matt 6:6).

• How do we offer private praise

to God?

• Spend time in prayer.

• Pray once a day and do nothing but

praise God.

• Sing.

• Make your life praise to God.

• “I appeal to you therefore, brothers,

by the mercies of God, to present

your bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and acceptable to God, which

is your spiritual worship” (Rom

12:1).

• You need to offer public praise

to God, too.

• Five acts of worship most fully

take place in public worship:

• Lord’s Supper and preaching

[Acts 20:7], singing [Eph 5:19],

contribution [1 Cor 16:1-2; as

you look at the context, the

church was together], prayer [1

Cor 14:13-19]).

• You need to be in worship.

• We often think about prophecy

as a prediction of the future.

• Isaiah predicted Jesus’ crucifixion

(Is 53).

• Yet, prophets were really God’s

spokesmen.

• Micaiah: “As the LORD lives, what

the LORD says to me, that I will

speak” (1 Ki 22:14).

• “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O

earth; for the LORD has spoken” (Is

1:2).

• Are we God’s spokesmen?

• “The lion has roared; who will not

fear? The Lord GOD has spoken;

who can but prophesy?” (Amos

3:8).

• Prophesing is speaking for the

Lord.

• Notice that the prophet must prophesy for

the Lord GOD has spoken.

• Is it not the case that our God has spoken in

his holy word (2 Tim 3:16)?

• Is it not also the case that word is “profitable

for teaching” (2 Tim 3:16)?

• “Go . . . and make disciples of all

nations” (Matt 28:19).

• Become active in Proclaiming

the Potentate.

• What ministries fit your talents?

• How can you be an example?

• “Let your light shine before

others, so that they may see

your good works and give glory

to your Father who is in heaven”

(Matt 5:16).

• Commit to setting an example

before others this week.