Bible ReadingIsaiah 6:1-131. “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.”
[25:49]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.”
[26:01]3. “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’”
[26:10]4. “And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.”
[26:23]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!’”
[26:23]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.”
[26:44]7. “And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’”
[26:54]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.’”
[27:02]9. “And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’”
[59:21]10. “‘Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’”
[59:30]11. “Then I said, ‘How long, O Lord?’ And he said: ‘Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste,’”
[59:43]12. “‘and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.’”
[59:56]13. “The holy seed is its stump.”
[01:00:11]Isaiah 5:8-238. “Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”
[45:09]9. “The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing: ‘Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.’”
[45:30]10. “For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”
[45:39]11. “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!”
[45:53]12. “They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands.”
[46:14]13. “Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.”
[46:27]14. “Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, her revelers and he who exults in her.”
[46:27]15. “Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.”
[46:27]16. “But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”
[46:27]17. “Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and nomads will eat among the ruins of the rich.”
[46:27]18. “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes.”
[46:32]19. “Who say: ‘Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!’”
[46:32]20. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
[46:54]21. “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!”
[47:23]22. “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink.”
[47:41]23. “Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!”
[47:45]Matthew 28:18-2018. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
[01:03:55]19. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
[01:03:56]20. “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
[01:04:00]1 John 1:9-2:11:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
[55:33]1:10. “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
[56:04]2:1. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
[56:24]Observation questions- What details in Isaiah’s vision show both God’s greatness and Isaiah’s smallness before him?
- In Isaiah 5:8-23, what specific sins receive “woe,” and what do those sins have in common?
- What changes in Isaiah between his earlier “woes” against the people in chapter 5 and his words, “Woe is me,” in chapter 6? [48:02]
- After Isaiah’s guilt is taken away, what is the next thing God says and how does Isaiah respond? [59:10]
Interpretation questions- King Uzziah’s death and the threat of Assyria would have made people feel unsafe. How does seeing the Lord still seated on the throne change the meaning of a fearful or uncertain moment? [34:29]
- Isaiah calls himself a man of “unclean lips,” and then a coal touches his lips. Why might God’s cleansing of Isaiah’s mouth matter before God sends him to speak?
- First John says that Jesus is the believer’s advocate with the Father. How is Jesus an advocate for guilty people without pretending that their sin is not serious? [56:39]
- Isaiah receives an assignment where many people will not listen. What does this show about the difference between being faithful to God and seeing immediate visible success? [01:10:21]
Application questions- What currently feels like it is shaking your sense of security—work, health, finances, relationships, family, or something else? How does the picture of God seated on his throne speak into that specific concern? [35:34]
- What tends to take your attention away from God’s glory during an ordinary week? Are there particular habits, screens, worries, pleasures, or goals that can make Christ feel common rather than precious? [42:27]
- It is easy to notice the sins, blind spots, and failures of others first. Where are you most tempted to say “woe to you” instead of honestly praying, “Woe is me”? [49:43]
- Is there a sin you have been minimizing, excusing, or hiding because you have compared yourself to other people? What would honest confession to God look like this week in light of his promise to forgive and cleanse? [55:33]
- Jesus does not merely remove shame; he removes guilt through his finished sacrifice. When you sin, do you tend to hide from God, try to earn your way back, or come to Christ as your advocate? [56:54]
- Think about your normal places this week—your workplace, school, neighborhood, store, gym, or friendships. Who might God have placed near you for a loving and clear gospel conversation? [01:05:10]
- What fear makes it hardest for you to speak about Jesus with someone you know? How could remembering that your role is to announce, God’s role is to awaken, and the hearer’s role is to answer help you take one faithful step? [01:07:22]
