Here Am I [Isaiah 6]

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Powerful services today at North Side.  I love worshipping with our church family.  I love all the new folks God is bringing our way.  I love watching people just get it.

Here is how our services came together:

  • Little Drummer Boy – We arranged this song on Wednesday using cups, trash cans, roto toms, and drums.  I used my boys because they have played cups at our house so much, they know it better than anyone else!  Everybody did a great job with the arrangement.
  • Messiah Video – We used this video in “The Word” to bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Love watching how God’s Word leads to Christ.
  • Fear Not – North Side Worship
  • Go Tell It On the Mountain – North Side Worship [Love the medley of “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go” in this version]
  • Prayer Time
  • Video – First Christmas – Shepherds
  • A Christmas Alleluia – Chris Tomlin
  • What a Savior – North Side Worship
  • Sermon – Isaiah 6
  • Almighty – Chris Tomlin
  • We Exalt Thee (11:00 Service)

The band did a fantastic job this morning.  Christmas is always a challenge since you are working on songs you haven’t done in a year.  These guys worked really hard to lead worship today.  So honored to walk alongside them!

I promise that I did not pray that Jeff would get sick so I could preach Isaiah 6.

Jeff shared the story this morning at the beginning of his message.  I joked in prayer class that I thought about it though.  Isaiah 6 might be my favorite passage in Scripture.  I actually asked if he wanted to let our Mission Pastor candidate preach it, but then commented if everyone got sick and he needed a replacement, I would gladly tag in.

When he called on Friday and said he was feeling sick, I reassured him I was not praying he went down.  I have always believed in being ready in season and out of season (2 Tim. 4:2), but I wasn’t hoping for it.  Jeff absolutely preached the fire out of this passage.  I loved how he preached the passage backwards.

Here are some of my notes from the sermon:

  1. While the earthly king resided in a tomb, the heavenly King reigned upon a throne!
  2. A prophet’s message is either “blessed are you” or “woe is you.”
  3. After 5 chapters of confronting Judah’s sin, Isaiah acknowledges he is personally included in these warnings.
  4. Grace precedes works.
  5. We need to be a people focused more on our obedience than we are the outcome.
  6. We should serve God from a grateful heart and not a guilty conscience.