Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision the people perish." Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraints.

Isaiah is presenting to us the theme of judgment and grace. He reflects upon the threefold teachings of Scripture (Sin, Salvation, Service-or-guilt, grace and gratitude-HC Q2). The Gospel of John 12:41 tells us that Isaiah spoke of Messiah and judgment, "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about Him."

In our Isaiah 6 text we see the inaugural call of Isaiah and the vision that helped Isaiah to be a willing servant. A vision is given him to strengthen him (and us) in the discharge of telling of God's judgment and of grace. The depravity of the nation and the coming of certain judgment is the message Isaiah is to proclaim. Yet, there is also promise of the "stump" or remnant. In the final end we have chapter 2:3-4 and 4:2-6.

Theme: Isaiah is given a vision of the Sovereign Lord dispensing judgment, grace and remnant.

The Vision (v 1-4)

The heart of the worldview and the goal of Reformed theology is the true worship of the Sovereign God. It is a theology that sees both the total depravity of man and the election of God. Calvin was intent on the changing of the whole person in intellect, emotion and will in order to see the glory of God. The Reformation gave light to the majesty of God. We are to look through eyeglasses that have corrected lenses when we read the condition of mankind. Those spectacles are the very Word of God. (2 Cor. 10:5, "...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ;" Rev 4:8; 5:6; Heb 1:3.)

Isaiah 6:1 immediately shows us that this is a historical narrative. It is the time when the Assyrians are building up in great strength. It is a time when the Empire of Rome is beginning. It is it is a time when Uzziah ruled from 748-734 B.C. in Israel. He had extended the boundaries of Judah. The realm became a flower of national pride. Things were good in Israel. Yet, the moral climate was on the wane. In a few years the Lord would place a "ban" or curse upon His chosen people. The "ban" would result in the people being kicked out of the land-the Exile. "Righteousness exalts a nation" and evil morals brings a nation into decline and punishment. That is part of the message of Isaiah. He is also told that the people would not listen to him and they would suffer the consequences.

God gives Isaiah the vision of Seraphim (6:2)-"the burning ones." They are glorious beings. But they shielded themselves from the greater glory. They cover their faces with reverence, their feet poised for reverent activity of service, and they fly to do the bidding of God. They shows God's atonement for sin.

Before Isaiah, God is seated with royal authority. "Host"-armies-are at His beckoning for the carrying out of His judgment and wrath. It is also the "throne of grace" of Hebrews 4:16.

The "Foundations shake" at His very presence. There is such awe and majesty that the building itself records the Lord on His throne.

"Smoke" shrouds the Lord of glory with the concept of prayer and fragrance.

His "train" is long and fills the room as a symbol of richness and wealth. The train that a king wears refers to his greatness and worth. There are times at weddings when the bride wears a long train to show wealth and richness. But it is also a symbol of honor. God has wealth and honor.

There is a song of the "Holy" triad. God is in the center enthroned and praised. The Three in One-the Trinity of God is praised and exalted. Such is the grand vision of the Creator God-the great Elohim.

The Response (v 5)

"Woe" (vs 5) is a penitent spirit. One who is "poor in spirit." There is no self-righteousness in Isaiah-it is utterly destroyed. This is a shattering experience. He knows the depth of his own depravity. Now he is faced with the presence of a Perfect and Holy God. It was said that one would die to see God. (Here it is a vision and not an actual seeing). No man can see God at any time (John 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16). God is invisible and does not have a body like a man. At the same time Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (Matt 5:18) They will not see the essence of God but will see a true manifestation of the glory in human form. This will be adapted to the capability of the finite creature. Isaiah sees Adonai, the God who carries out His purposes (Adonai in the Hebrew language means "Master-Owner"). The Apostle John fell as a dead man in the presence of God on the Island of Patmos in the presence of this God. The Publican said, "God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:3) Peter in his first letter (5:5-6) says, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God."

"lo"-See! Isaiah has his lips cleansed with the coal of the altar. (Vs 6-7) Atonement-the price of sin is paid-guilt is removed. Here we have the instance where we find God because we are found by God. He is "seeking and saving those that are lost." The sacrifice of Jesus on the altar of the cross brings complete and utter salvation. Now He has entered the Holy of Holies of heaven with the salvation of the saints. The message of salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Who to send? "Here am I! Send me" says Isaiah (v. 8). He has no hesitation. There is no argumentation by the great young prophet of God. He is ready to go. Jesus said, "As you are going, baptize and teach all nations." (Matt 28:19) As we are going on our way we are to proceed with enthusiasm. We do not shuffle along. We are not to be grim- looking people who look like they have been soaked in embalming fluid. We are to do service with a fervent reverence. We go about with uplifted head looking for the Savior to come. We go with a message of doom and joy. A message that "Jesus saves."

"Go, and say to this people (vs. 9-10)." This is a message of judgment. There is a history of God bringing judgment upon His world and, at times, His people. Israel, according to several of the Old Testament prophets, would go into captivity. The Babylonians held Israel in captivity for 70 years because God's people had sinned. They were placed under the "ban." Daniel in exile realized the "ban" of God was upon him and his people. Daniel 1:2 says, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand (Nebuchadnezzar)..."

God also judged the whole world with a flood. Don't fool with Him. Jehovah is a God of wrath. (Romans 1:18-32)

Augustine, who wrote the "City of God", was provoked to examine the fact of the sacking of Rome by Aleric the Goth in 410 A.D. The pagan world was insisting that the fall of the "Eternal" city had been due to the abandonment of the pagan gods and the growing Christian church. The pagans said gods had made Rome great. To them the Christian Church brought division and chaos. Augustine in his book sees the reason for the downfall of the "Christian" nations. The church had become weak, lazy and corrupt. Christians were killing Christians. The gospel had been compromised with pagan practices both in theology and in morals. Augustine saw the Sovereign Lord punishing the nations as Isaiah would see Assyria destroy Israel. The judgment was so severe that the Old Testament Church would lose forever its ten northern tribes. The great Christian apologist expounded the seven deadly sins that were helping to overthrow the Roman Empire and corrupting the Christian Church. He saw an age of ignorance and sin.

In a Bethlehem cave, Jerome heard of the fall of Rome and said, "The world is rushing to ruin. Churches once hallowed have sunk to ashes." He was very upset and thought the world was coming to an end. Jerome did not see clearly, as Augustine, the sin of his present age as he lived as a monk with his books and Bible.

Do we see clearly the judgment of God on the horizon? Do we realize that the Church of Jesus Christ has lasted for over 2000 years through the falling and rising of nations, through plagues, through madmen who wanted to rule the earth, through heresy from without and from within? Daniel understood that God, "changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them." (Daniel 2:21) Will the mighty USA become a wasteland of nuclear contamination by several terrorists with suitcase bombs?

We are called by Jesus to minister to this generation. We minister to a country that Islam can overtake by immigration, propagation and evangelization. It is predicted that by the year 2020 Minneapolis, Minnesota, will have a very large and prominent Islamic population that will control the politics and social order of that city.

In the year 740 A.D, the historian Amenadan in Spain saw Islam fly like locusts from the burning desert of Arabia, trampling North Africa, the near East, even to the gates of Constantinople and parts of Spain. He saw God's judgment again upon the "Christian" nations and a weakened Christian Church. Remember that after Mohammed died, for the next one hundred years his followers with large hosts of fierce horsemen swept out of the hot deserts of Arabia and conquered India, Asia Minor, Constantinople, North Africa, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Palestine. The emblem of the crescent is still over many lands. Why? First, the church had lost its salt. (Matt 5:13) Second, formalized religion had taken away the lively spirit of evangelism. Third, internal controversy had weakened the church. Many false, cultic and spurious teachings and doctrines were causing confusion within and without the established church. Fourth, the church persecuted other Christians. Fifth, they did not see the threat of Islam. Fifth, some nations were glad to be free of the persecuting Christians. Sixth, the church had become an ignorant church that did not know the simplicity the gospel. All was "dumbed down" and no strong meat was being preached. Something like our modern Seeker Friendly and Seeker Sensitive churches that either generalize the gospel or skip it altogether for spectacular entertainment purposes. Being an older fellow, I have seen the old evangelical church community of several Reformed and Presbyterian denominations go from stalwart catechizing and textual teaching churches to ones that rely on pablum and window shopping preaching (with a bit of modern pagan psychology thrown into the mix.) How much do we as RCUS churches resemble the six factors mentioned above? Will God judge us?

MISSPELLING: Helmut Thielicke or Paul Tillich ?

Let me further elaborate with a story about Bonhoeffer and Tillicke, who were two prominent Lutheran ministers in Germany during WW II. Bonhoeffer, in a correspondence with Tillicke, asked "How could this happen in Luther's Germany." as he is in a concentration camp where he later died. Tillicke responded with these words, "This is not Luther's Germany. It is a Germany taken over by a Liberal theology and an uncaring and unbelieving society of Nazi locusts."

The people of our day are like those in our text in Isaiah 6:9 and are being taught, "There is no God and there is no soul. Hence there are no needs for the props of traditional religion with dogma and creed. We exclude immutable truths as being dead and buried. There is no room for fixed, natural law or moral absolutes." That is a quote from John Dewey, the founder of our modern pagan educational system. The quote of course is an absolute and fixed proposition that was held by Mr. Dewey. Abraham Lincoln said, "The philosophy of the classroom in one generation is the philosophy of government in the next." When we see activist judges, brought up on Dewey's worldview, allowing sex offenders to go scot free, when we see them allowing for gay marriages, when we see them denounce the use of the Ten Commandments in public and when we see them hindering the free speech of young people in the government schools, we should not be surprised.

Again we see the rise of Islam today. Mohammed's people are the fastest growing religion in our day. Is this another judgment upon the lazy, ignorant, dumbed-down, liberal and liturgical church of our day? Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S.-growing by 4 to 6% each year. There are 25,000 converted to Islam each year. There are more Muslims in the U.S. than Presbyterians and Reformed combined. There are more Muslims than Jews in the USA. There is a Mosque opening every week somewhere in our country. It is estimated that by the year 2020, most major urban centers in the US will be predominately Muslim including Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Denver and Los. Angeles. Here is an example of what I am getting at; Robert Lewis Stevenson Elementary School is now South Tulsa Muslim Cultural Center.

The Stump (v 13)

"The remnant" (The Hebrew word used here is "elah" which is the stump of an oak that grows again). Here is a message of grace. God's chosen people will always be around. Nations come and go. But the church will always be here until Jesus comes again.

Jeremiah predicted the return of the Babylonian captives after 70 years. And they did return. (In 586 B.C. the Babylonian captivity occurred and in 516 BC the Persians allowed Israel to return to Palestine. Only a remnant returned.

All this was also predicted by Isaiah. He named his son "Shear Jasheb"-"a remnant shall return to the land and to God. (10:21) Isaiah predicts judgment and show God's future mercy.

Zachariah predicted a return and the coming of the Messianic Age when Jesus would set up the New Testament Kingdom (12:10-13). We see a further fulfillment of that in the second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7)

When we study Church History from Pentecost to the present day, we see the nations come and go. We see the fall of Rome and the Goths, the Vandals, the Germanic tribes, the Celts, the European countries, and the formation of the New World on two large continents. We also see the church as a remnant in all those periods of time. We see the wave of false cults that try to destroy sound doctrine, a liberal theology that tries to destroy the Bible, and a weak evangelical church that teaches touchy-feely personal expressions that takes away the whole council of God from the people. What we have today is popular preachers peddling psychological pep pills for pale and puny people. Will God eventually throw us out of our Republic? Just last evening on one of the left broadcast stations a few evangelical preachers were called "crazy" and "deranged" because they said that 9/11 and Katrina were judgments of God upon our nation. Katrina came when one city was saying that they were going to have a gay parade that would show in full detail the sexual activity of loving gays. Now, I want us to be careful at this point. But we are to remember that God did judge and destroy Sodom. Will God judge us?

Conclusion

Do we stand and see the Sovereign Lord in 2008? Do we understand the message we are to proclaim to this generation of pagans and Christians? We need to preach the message of Isaiah-the message of judgment and grace. Then the question is, "Who will go?"

Who Will Go? Will You go?

"I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and chasing after the wind ..I have set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly: I realized that this also is chasing after the wind ...The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment." Eccl. 1:14, 17; 12:13-14

Introduction

As a high school teacher at Mitchell Christian High, at the beginning of every semester with every one of my seven courses, I would ask the following questions. "Do you think?" Knowing they were being set up, the students would reply. "Yes, of course we think. In fact we are made to think by our teachers. We get weary of their warnings to think about their pet subject."

Next question: "Do you know how to think?" Answer: "Of course we know how to think by putting our ‘x's" and "y's' in the proper place in Algebra and we know how to use some logic in our Church History course." Next question (now really a set up): "What do you think before you think?" (This is an old question by one of my seminary professors of Apologetics, Dr. Cornelius Van Til.)

Now the freshmen would always look at me with "Duh" on their minds. My response was always, "You see, we all have preconceived ideas called presuppositions." The unconverted man looks through the eyeglasses of natural, instilled, or studied ideas of his soul that are sinful and destructive. The believer, on the other hand, looks through the prescription glasses of Scripture. As trees have roots that make the tree grow, so we have the roots of thoughts that mold us. As a man thinks, he is (Prov. 23:7).

We look at morality and religious truth with filters of thought. Because of our sin, we look at the world in a sinful way that causes optical illusions and distortions in our concepts of truth, righteousness, and even who God is. This is especially true of the way we look at morality or what may be our ideas of the highest good. Man is chasing after the wind.

The believer is looking toward the Creator God, who has given us a dictated order of life by a specific revelation in the Bible (Exodus 20). All this is defined as being "epistemologically self-conscious." Our knowledge of self and the world is not chasing after the wind but being true to the knowledge of God. The God we know is the Creator God who has given us a Kingdom and Covenant.

The remedy for a meaningless chasing after the wind is listening to the wise teacher, who reminds us of our worldview that includes remembering the Creator, fearing God, keeping His Commandments, and knowing of His judgment.

Defining the "meaningless chasing after the wind" (Eccl. 1:1, 15, 17)

Meaningless and futility, in Hebrew terms, is deceptive thinking that brings on bad acts. In Ecclesiastes 2:1-9 we note that laughter, liquor, grand projects, hard work, possessions, and fame were not the answers to a good life. They are defined as a vapor, a puff, a "phhht." Old age and death are depicted as coming fairly soon to each person-so shape up now. The absence of God brings a meaningless and a purposeless life. But the fear of God brings a good life. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and destroy the speculations of human thought (2 Cor. 10:5).

The "wind" is seen in the labyrinth of lies and falsehoods found in the thoughts and teaching of men. Let me give you a few statements of these chasers after the wind. Disraeli, one of Britain's most famous prime ministers and a converted Jew, said, "Youth is a mistake, manhood a struggle, old age a regret." He was not able to get away from his Jewish pessimism. Here is another chaser after the wind: an ancient Mesopotamian philosopher king was told by his wise men that the meaning of life consisted in three parts, "Man is born in pain, lives a life of toil and frustration, and finally dies in anguish and hopelessness." Does that remind you of Eph. 2:1-13? Here in the Bible man is shown as being a totally depraved person. He is without Christ and is pictured as having no God and no hope (vs. 11).

Another chaser was Charles Darwin, who stated that all of life is a heartless process of evolution where nature is full of claw and blood with the survival of the fittest. No wonder young people kill other young people in school massacres.

Karl Marx, a wind chaser, states that all is material and economic factors. "It's the economy, stupid." Lenin followed this form of socialism and brought death and poverty to untold millions. Russia and her satellites are still trying to recover.

Some godless modern educators chasing after the wind have financially and morally bankrupted many of the youth of our nation.

Ernest Hemingway, a literary chaser, has his main character in The Sun Also Rises answer the question of how he feels about life; the man says, "Detached!" Hemingway's characters in For Whom the Bell Tolls are tragic figures who never see the good side of life. Hemingway believed so much in pessimism that he finally put and end to it all with a bullet to his head in a grand suicide. All of the above are examples of foolish thought.

The chasing is seen in the frustrations of H. G. Wells. In the War of the Worlds mankind finally wins over the destructive blood-sucking aliens because man had adapted to the germs of his environment. The aliens died because they did not have the evolutionary process of adaptation. Yet, at the end of his life, Wells wrote a book entitled, Mind at the End of Its Tether (rope). Why not? The poor man could not see that evolution is chasing after the wind. Wells had no answer to life. Life is a bad scene. You can only know death as a cold relentless curse.

The psychologist Karl Menninger said "Death makes life meaningless." His presupposition is part of the labyrinth of foolishness. For the Christian, death is a gain (Phil. 1:21). We believe in a resurrection of the physical body we possess (John 11:25; HC Q54-57). "Meaninglessness" is mentioned in our text.

A number of years ago in my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts, there was a group of Irish workers building a road with songs and good humor. The work was proceeding in a rapid manner of almost a mile a day. Then the workers found out that it was just labor for a road that was going nowhere. The road was a way for the state government to keep them busy. The road had no purpose-it was meaningless. The workers, even though they possessed an Irish spirit, lost hope and enthusiasm and ended up discouraged. The work slowed down considerably and was eventually abandoned. The government has not changed much over the years. It is still paying people to do nothing. Our city ghettos are full of meaninglessness and hopelessness. Chasing after the wind with warmed-over failed socialism does not help people; it keeps people slaves of the state.

Defining the remedy for "meaningless chasing after the wind" (Eccl. 12:9-14)

Listening to the Teacher. The description of the Teacher as: 1) a teacher (instructor); 2) wise; 3) imparts knowledge; 4) ponders; 5) searches out; 6) sets in order; 7) gives knowledge; 8) goads; 9) writes out; 10) gives truth; 11) gives what is upright; 12) warns; and 13) teaches from long experience (vv. 12: 9-10). A summation is found in 3:9-15. New Testament teachers are also described in 1 Cor. 1:24; 2 Cor. 4:6; 10:3-5; Col. 2:8.

The Content of the Teacher's Wisdom and Instruction: 1) Remember the Creator while you are young. It is interesting that we are told to "remember." Jesus told us we are to "remember" Him when we take the Lord's Supper. We easily forget to place God first, or even put Him in our lives. Not knowing God as Creator is named as one of the reasons why youth are leaving the evangelical church by a margin of two thirds. A few years ago I was teaching a class of nine seniors. I had six of them stand near the door ready to exit. Three remained seated. I noted that if statistics were correct in a few years only the three left sitting would be in the church and in the faith. (Also note vv 11:9; 12:1.)

There is an observation that many youth today do not know who to trust; do not know what truth is; do not know what Christianity really is; and do not know how to think. Modern educators says that youth today are self-absorbed, want immediate gratification, are not willing to sacrifice, and are not loyal to a church or religious movements. Evangelical churches are noting that youth are sheep shifting to popular places of fellowship. In all, religion is not a directing and compelling force in their secular orientated lives. Many of our youth do not see Jesus as Creator and Comforter (Heb. 1:2; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16). It is Jesus who created us, not some mindless evolutionary chance (HC27). We were not produced by some eternally existing universe, which by some accident threw all our parts together (Rom. 11:36).

Why is there a chasing after the wind? The edu-babble in our schools, both secular and Christian, tells teachers to use purple instead of red markings on tests-don‘t be hard on the little darlings. Modern educators are using too many hands-on projects rather than the brain This is even found in many Sunday School curriculums where there is coloring pictures of imaginary biblical characters instead of hands-on Bible study. Educators in the college realm are telling young people to cast off the shackles of their parent's small-town mentality and morality. (I heard this personally when one of my grandsons was going through orientation at a local college.)

Current psycho-babble presupposes that youth are to stabilize their equilibrium because all of humanity is just a continuation of molecules. Youth are pictured as sophisticated animals seeking to be fed, seeking to make love, seeking to reproduce, and seeking to contribute to self.

Religio-babble abounds in churches that are more interested in being popular and friendly without the details of truth. "Doctrine will divide," say they. Give parishioners a little bit of touchy feely well-being. In preaching, "Make them laugh, make them cry, and above all make them feel religious." So you have popular preachers peddling psychological pep pills for pale and puny people.-

You are told never to ask your congregation to sing "Dare to Be a Daniel." After all, Christianity is a wonderful life without too much sacrifice, without too much commitment to many truths, or too much commitment to a life of thankfulness.

We see dysfunctional homes where Mom and Dad are afraid to punish their children for wrongdoing, homes that are placing youth in the care of a secularized education system that is failing them. Many youth today want a place where there is acceptance and a warm puppy feeling.

Recent polls say that youth want: a) a stable family life; b) an easy acceptance by others; c) a church that has a friendly pastor with whom they feel comfortable; d) an acceptance of those who have a deviant life style; e) a general happiness; f) a place where they and others are not condemned; g) freedom to believe what they want to believe without the old-fashioned principles of worship; h) restrictions of the memorization of irrelevant and impractical forms of orthodoxy; and of course i) party, party, party. It's not just the youth though-people in general, it seems, do not want to put up with "sound teaching" (2 Tim. 4:1-5).

Fear God (vs. 12:13). Here we have a reverence to a Personal Divine greatness and glory that inspires our devotion. This is the beginning of wisdom. This presupposition is not chasing after the wind, because it gives us direction in knowing in Whom we believe. We are to have a great "awe" of this Spirit, who is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in His being-a person who is holy, just, true, good, and wise. Jehovah is a personable Almighty Being. God is not "The Force" or a divine "Wow." He is a God Who has established a relationship with us in Jesus, the Christ. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10).

Keep His Commandments (vs. 12:13). This is God's way to the good life. The commandments give us direction on how we are to live. They show us how we are to be thankful to Him (HC Q91-92).

Today, evil men believe that it is wrong to tell children to fear God. It is wrong to try to apply the Covenant/Kingdom rule in the use of the seventh commandment. It is also wrong to try to change the belief system of other churches, other races, and other nations by the use of the Ten Words. Tell that to the human sacrifices of the Mayan religion. Tell that to those who are living under the evil Muslim clerics with Islamic and Sharia Law in Iran. Tell that to those who live under the crazy Communist ruler of North Korea. Tell that to those who have been told in their churches that they will go to heaven if they are good or practice the correct rituals. Without His commandments we are chasing after the wind. The summation of these words of wisdom show us how to love God and love our neighbor (Deut. 6:5: Matt. 22:37-40; Lk. 10:27).

Know His Judgment, Be Happy, But. . . (vs. 11:9; 3:16-17; 12:14; Gen 18:25; Heb 9:27-28). Are we going to talk about the @#!*% thing now? You bet! There is a place called " @#!*% " (Ps. 18:5; Matt. 5:22; 23:33; 2 Pet. 2:4)). There is a time of judgment (Heb. 9:27-28). Yes, it's real.

We are to know how great are our sin and misery is (Rom. 3:20). The sorrows of death, @#!*% , and judgment hang over us all the days of our lives (Ps. 18:5; 116:3; Heb. 2:15). Hebrews says that the fear of death makes us slaves to our mortality. Mankind cannot cope with personal death and judgment. Death seems to make life meaningless.

Jesus is the way out of that powerful mood. In fact we are given a "lively hope" (1 Pet. 1:3, 4, 21). We are redeemed (Rom. 7:24-25). Hallelujah-we are redeemed. Therefore we can live happily, but also die happily (HC Q2). Jesus is our only comfort in life and in death (HC Q1).

Conclusion

What glasses do you look through? Do you perceive reality through the glasses of your own autonomous sinful nature?  Or do you comprehend the world through the corrective lenses found in the Word of God and in Jesus Christ? We are to know who made us and why He made us (2 Tim. 2:22-26). "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" (Westminster SC Q1).