1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000 Amen. 2 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Good job. 3 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Good job. 4 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:16,160 All right, it is now time for children's church. 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:24,560 If we got any little tikes that want to head this way toward Mr. Sidney there. 6 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:43,400 The rest of you can turn to Isaiah chapter 58. 7 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,400 Isaiah chapter 58. 8 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,920 Just put a finger in there. 9 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:52,080 You're going to think I forgot about it, but we're going to get there at some point. 10 00:00:52,080 --> 00:01:06,320 Isaiah chapter 58. 11 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,020 Isaiah chapter 58. 12 00:01:08,020 --> 00:01:10,840 Stick your finger in there and we're going to get there. 13 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,160 All right, let's pray and we'll get started. 14 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,480 Father God, we come to you. 15 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,080 We thank you for the freedom we have in this country to come into this place today. 16 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,280 We thank you that you give us a heater to keep us warm on these cold days that we have. 17 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,480 We thank you for just being good to us and blessing us and letting us be able to come 18 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,320 together, dear Lord, in your presence and just to see the smiles on all the faces that 19 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:34,320 are here today. 20 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:37,880 We just thank you for this family that we call Enterprise Baptist Church. 21 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:42,360 I pray, dear Lord, that your spirit would be among us today. 22 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:46,480 That in the next few minutes that you free us of the worries and the distractions and 23 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,880 the things of this world that we may have brought in here, dear Lord, that we would 24 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:55,560 devote our ears and our hearts to you for these next few minutes, dear Lord, that the 25 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:00,880 devil wouldn't distract us and keep us from being blessed, but that, dear Lord, we would 26 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:02,360 be blessed by your word. 27 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:07,120 So I pray, God, that you would just help us to hear from you today, that you would help 28 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,940 me to be humble this morning as I preach, dear Lord. 29 00:02:09,940 --> 00:02:14,160 You take away any fear that's within me this morning, that you would speak boldly through 30 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:16,120 me when I open my mouth. 31 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,080 And I ask these things in your name, all for your glory. 32 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,320 In Jesus' name I pray it. 33 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:23,320 Amen. 34 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:30,480 The Bible is full of different people, different names, some of which some of you have probably 35 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,240 heard many times. 36 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:38,800 But there are three people we're going to talk about briefly this morning. 37 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,480 One is Abraham. 38 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:41,720 You may have heard of him. 39 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,680 You see Abraham early on in the book of Genesis. 40 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:47,080 The next one is Jacob. 41 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,600 You'll see him a little later on in the book of Genesis. 42 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,760 And the next one is Moses. 43 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,240 Now maybe you've heard of these men or maybe not. 44 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,200 If you hadn't, you can go read about them. 45 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:01,880 They have some great stories about what they did in their lives. 46 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:08,760 But I discovered this week that there was one thing that these three men have in common. 47 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:13,920 Now I looked and I don't know if there are any others in Scripture that would meet the 48 00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:18,960 criteria of having this in common as these men, what we're going to talk about. 49 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,040 But these three men have one thing in common. 50 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:28,680 And maybe some of you know what it is or maybe you've never noticed it before. 51 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:33,440 In the story of Abraham, there's one part of Abraham's story, and I'll go through these 52 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,600 quickly for time's sake, but jot them down and go back and read these stories this week 53 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:38,600 for yourself. 54 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:47,880 But there's a story in Genesis chapter 22 in which God calls Abraham and he calls Abraham 55 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,320 to do something that is very difficult. 56 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:55,640 He calls Abraham to sacrifice his son. 57 00:03:55,640 --> 00:04:01,680 Now in this instance, what God is calling Abraham to is a test. 58 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,160 God is testing Abraham. 59 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:10,520 You flip a few pages over to Genesis chapter 31, you see another story. 60 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,960 In this story, you see a story about Jacob. 61 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:20,800 And Jacob had worked hard for his father-in-law and he had finally been able to obtain Rachel 62 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,360 and Leah as his wives. 63 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,040 And God had blessed him greatly during this time. 64 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:33,280 God was certainly with him and God had given him many flocks and much wealth. 65 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:39,840 And God had appeared to him in a dream and in Genesis chapter 31, Jacob recounts this 66 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:45,840 dream and this dream is simply reminding Jacob of the blessings that God had poured out on 67 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:46,840 him. 68 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:52,280 And in this story, God calls Jacob to bless him. 69 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:55,760 You flip over not too many pages and you arrive in Exodus. 70 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,920 And in Exodus chapter 3, there's a well-known story that if you've not read it, you really 71 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:02,520 should read it. 72 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,760 Moses is out in the wilderness. 73 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:10,720 He's kind of out by himself and Moses sees a burning bush. 74 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:15,160 Now a bush that burns is not that extraordinary, but there was something unique about this 75 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:20,040 bush and that was that this bush was burning and burning, yet it never burned up. 76 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,960 Now naturally, this piqued Moses' interest. 77 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:31,760 And so as he went to the bush, the Lord began to speak to Moses and the Lord called Moses 78 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:33,200 to serve him. 79 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,000 The Lord called Moses to be a deliverer. 80 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:42,840 The Lord called Moses and said, look, Moses, I know you escaped from Egypt some years ago, 81 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:44,800 but you're going to have to go back there. 82 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,680 I'm sending you back in the danger zone. 83 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:49,960 I want you to go and be my servant. 84 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,600 I want you to go and deliver my people. 85 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:59,120 Now in all three of these stories, God calls these men to something. 86 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:05,960 In Abraham's case, it was a call to be tested to see if his faith was going to be strong. 87 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:11,520 In Jacob's case, it was a call of blessing, a reminder of the blessings that God had poured 88 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:12,520 out on him. 89 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:19,400 And in Moses' case, it was a call to serve the Lord and to lead God's people. 90 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:25,360 And in every one of these instances, there's one thing that these men have in common. 91 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:31,240 In each of these stories, God calls them by name. 92 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:37,320 Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Moses. 93 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:44,100 And in every instance, the same three words follow that call. 94 00:06:44,100 --> 00:06:51,200 Every single one of these men, the first thing that they say is, here I am. 95 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,280 Here I am. 96 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:56,100 God speaks to us. 97 00:06:56,100 --> 00:06:59,560 God calls to us in a variety of ways. 98 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:05,080 And it may be that God has been calling to some of you today, some of you that God has 99 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:10,400 looked at and they know that you're His and they know that you are a righteous man or 100 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:11,880 a righteous woman. 101 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,880 And it may be that you've even heard it before you come here today. 102 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:20,720 You may have heard it for the last few weeks or the last few months or the last few years. 103 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:22,220 God speaks to us. 104 00:07:22,220 --> 00:07:28,260 And if we really listen and we read His word and we really seek Him, we can hear Him speak. 105 00:07:28,260 --> 00:07:32,120 Maybe not in an audible voice or maybe in an audible voice. 106 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,600 And it's really even hard to explain. 107 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,680 But some of you know what I'm talking about. 108 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,800 You just know when the Lord speaks to you. 109 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,080 You know that the Lord is calling you to something. 110 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:46,880 I remember I was but a teenager when I felt the Lord calling me to preach and I didn't 111 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,960 want to have anything to do with it. 112 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:50,560 But I felt the Lord calling. 113 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,480 I felt the Lord speaking to me. 114 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:54,480 I didn't want to be a preacher. 115 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:55,480 That was going to be hard. 116 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:56,480 You're not going to make much money. 117 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,200 Who wants to be a preacher, right? 118 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,240 There are no cool preachers out there. 119 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:01,240 I wanted to be cool. 120 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:02,240 I was young. 121 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:03,240 I wanted to be hip. 122 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:04,240 I wanted to make money. 123 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:06,360 I didn't want to preach. 124 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:11,080 And sometimes what God calls us to is not what we want to do. 125 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:17,320 Sometimes we are not so unlike Abraham that the things God calls us to, that the things 126 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:22,280 God is calling you to right now, are a test. 127 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:26,720 And those tests, as hard as they may be and as much as they don't make sense, those tests 128 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,600 are used to strengthen our faith. 129 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,640 Those tests can prove what's there or maybe what's not there. 130 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,240 Maybe God calls us to a test and we fail that test. 131 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:41,280 Maybe we think we are one that's walking in faith and we find that we don't have faith 132 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,440 at all. 133 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:49,420 So if God's calling you today, if God's put a test in front of you today, don't give up, 134 00:08:49,420 --> 00:08:51,480 but let your faith shine in that. 135 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,760 Trust God all the more. 136 00:08:53,760 --> 00:09:01,120 If God is calling you to test you today, then let our response be, here I am. 137 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,720 Let our response be, here I am, Lord. 138 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:10,320 Maybe today our story is not so unlike that of Jacob. 139 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,960 God had blessed Jacob tremendously. 140 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,400 And in Genesis 31, God reminds him of that. 141 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,840 God says, look, didn't I tell you that I was going to give you all these speckled and spotted 142 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,440 and striped sheep from Laban and I've blessed your flocks? 143 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,800 And Rachel and Aaliyah said, man, look at this. 144 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,120 Jacob, he's already got all our father's wealth. 145 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,240 He's a wealthy man. 146 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:38,320 And God appeared to Jacob in that dream and the angel of the Lord spoke to Jacob and said, 147 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:39,320 Jacob. 148 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,720 And Jacob said, here I am. 149 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,160 God, you have blessed me. 150 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:45,160 Here I am. 151 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,960 What do you have me do? 152 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:52,200 Maybe God's calling some of us in our blessing today. 153 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,720 Maybe today God's saying, I have blessed you. 154 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:02,420 Maybe God's calling us to use our blessing to bless someone else. 155 00:10:02,420 --> 00:10:05,940 Maybe today we are like Moses. 156 00:10:05,940 --> 00:10:09,240 Maybe God's calling your name today. 157 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,320 Maybe God wants you to serve in some way. 158 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:16,420 Maybe you're just as afraid of that call as I was. 159 00:10:16,420 --> 00:10:20,720 God may not be calling you to preach, but he still may be calling you to serve. 160 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:22,960 He may be calling you to lead. 161 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:27,900 He may be calling you to deliver a person or a people. 162 00:10:27,900 --> 00:10:32,600 It might be somebody you know that just needs a call, that just needs a hug, that just needs 163 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:34,620 some help. 164 00:10:34,620 --> 00:10:37,840 Maybe God's calling you to serve today. 165 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,120 Maybe God's calling you to go back somewhere you don't want to be, somewhere you left in 166 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:45,000 the past and you never thought you'd be back there. 167 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:50,560 But yet he called Moses and he said, I know this is going to be hard, but I want you to 168 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:52,280 go back there. 169 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,040 I want you to go back where you came from. 170 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,800 I want you to go back and help these people. 171 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:03,160 Maybe God today is calling you to serve in some way. 172 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:09,040 And maybe today what he's calling you to serve in is very, very difficult. 173 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,360 God calls us in a variety of ways. 174 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:18,320 But the question we must answer today is how will we respond? 175 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,600 Sometimes God calls us and we say not I. 176 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,720 Some times God calls us and we have selective hearing. 177 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:31,920 Yeah, we hear him call and we know it's him, but we don't want to do what he says. 178 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,440 But maybe today we could learn from these guys. 179 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:40,000 Maybe today our response could be here I am. 180 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,320 There's some other honorable mentions that almost meet the criteria. 181 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:49,640 In Samuel, 1 Samuel chapter 3, God calls out to Samuel when he's a boy. 182 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,040 He doesn't know it's the Lord calling out to him. 183 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:59,560 He finally discovers that's what it is and is told that next time the Lord comes to respond. 184 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:06,720 And so Samuel responds, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. 185 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,800 Perhaps that needs to be our response today. 186 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:10,200 God here I am. 187 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,580 Speak for your servant is listening. 188 00:12:14,580 --> 00:12:15,580 God wants to speak. 189 00:12:15,580 --> 00:12:18,560 Maybe sometimes we don't even recognize God's voice. 190 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:20,080 That's okay. 191 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:21,600 Some of you might be saying, I don't know. 192 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,480 How do I know if God's speaking to me? 193 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:26,680 Well ask God to help you to know. 194 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:30,880 Ask God to speak so clearly and in such a way to help you to know for sure that that 195 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:35,840 is him, to affirm that to you in whatever way that he can. 196 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:41,000 But I think most of the time we probably know if we just stop and listen to that still small 197 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:47,840 voice, we can probably tell what things are of God and what things are of the enemy. 198 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:53,000 And Isaiah, at the beginning of the book of Isaiah, God calls the prophet to speak to 199 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,660 the people. 200 00:12:54,660 --> 00:12:59,040 And God acknowledges that things are not good there. 201 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:05,960 And Isaiah in this vision is before the Lord and as we probably would be too, Isaiah says, 202 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:06,960 Woe is me. 203 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:07,960 Woe is me. 204 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:08,960 I'm an evil man. 205 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:15,040 I'm a wicked man and here I am in the presence of God. 206 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:22,040 And the Lord is having this conversation with the other beings around and he says, Who are 207 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:23,040 we sinning? 208 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,040 Who can we send to these people? 209 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,200 Who can I send to speak my message? 210 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:31,760 Who can I send to my people that I have called that just they're abandoning me? 211 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:32,880 They're not following me. 212 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,760 They're not listening to me. 213 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,400 And after Isaiah is made clean in that vision and his lips are made clean and God says, 214 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,400 Who can go for us? 215 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:46,280 Isaiah says, Here I am. 216 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:47,280 Here I am. 217 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,680 Send me. 218 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:54,920 So we see lots of examples in scripture of people that God called to serve in a variety 219 00:13:54,920 --> 00:14:00,400 of ways, of people that God wants to speak to. 220 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:06,080 And if we would just listen, if we would just surrender ourselves, if we would just humble 221 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:11,480 ourselves and say, God, here I am. 222 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:12,760 Here I am, God. 223 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:14,560 I'm a sinner. 224 00:14:14,560 --> 00:14:17,160 I'm not worthy of your grace. 225 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:22,080 Go to me for I'm a man of unclean lips. 226 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:29,680 God I'm not capable to do what you call me to on my own, but God here I am. 227 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:30,960 God here I am. 228 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,040 Speak for your servant is listening. 229 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:41,200 And there's one more person that's important for us to consider in this passage that spoke 230 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:46,280 these very words and that's found in Isaiah chapter 58. 231 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:53,600 In Isaiah chapter 58, God is speaking of his people and they're soon going to be handed 232 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:57,760 over to the Babylonians for their disobedience and God's people. 233 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,420 They they kind of think that they're doing good. 234 00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:04,160 If you read the first part of those verses, they're they're really going through all the 235 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:05,560 all the outward stuff. 236 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,240 They're they're kind of doing some of the religious practices. 237 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,440 It sounds like and and it's really focusing on fast. 238 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:16,560 No, they're really doing all this fast and and they're they're they're they're covering 239 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,440 yourselves in ashes and sackcloth and all these things you're supposed to do when you 240 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:21,040 have a repented heart. 241 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:25,080 And they're they're going through all these motions and doing all these things. 242 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:26,820 But their heart is just not right. 243 00:15:26,820 --> 00:15:32,680 Their heart is so far from him that they are they are they're in a bad place and they think 244 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,000 they're in a pretty good place. 245 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,520 But God says you're not doing so good. 246 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:43,280 So what God does is through Isaiah, he calls them to what he really desires for them to 247 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:44,560 do. 248 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:55,560 And Isaiah chapter 58 verse six Isaiah chapter 58 verse six. 249 00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:00,480 Here's the kind of fast that God really desires of his people. 250 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:06,560 Isn't this the fast excuse me isn't the fast I choose to break the chains of wickedness 251 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:14,680 to untie the ropes of the yoke to set the oppressed free and to tear off every yoke. 252 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:21,120 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry to bring the poor and homeless into your house 253 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:27,840 to clothe the naked when you see him and not to ignore your own flesh and blood. 254 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:33,460 Then your light will appear like the dawn and your recovery will come quickly. 255 00:16:33,460 --> 00:16:41,840 Your righteousness will go before you and the Lord's glory will be your rear guard. 256 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,120 So here's what God says to his people. 257 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:45,520 This is throughout the whole scripture. 258 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,440 If you'd have been in Sunday school this morning we talked about this. 259 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:53,720 What God really desires more than everything is not us going through the motions not us 260 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:58,720 just come in the church not us dressing nice not us singing loud on the songs. 261 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:03,680 What God really desires is our heart to be in those things and for our heart to be in 262 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,320 service to him. 263 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:10,920 God says what I really want from you is not the outward stuff. 264 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:16,080 He says what I really want from you is to turn away from your wickedness. 265 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:20,880 What I really want for you is to break free from that yoke of sin and slavery. 266 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,560 What I really want for you is to love other people. 267 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:28,400 What I really want for you is to help those who are hungry and clothe those who are naked. 268 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:32,720 What I really want from you is to help the widows and to help the orphans and to do things 269 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:37,680 out of love and to care for your neighbors and to care for one another. 270 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:43,480 And then God says once you do these things then your light's going to shine. 271 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,920 Then you're going to see a difference in your life. 272 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:47,480 Then you can be delivered. 273 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:52,520 Then I will come quickly to you if you would only do what I really call you to if you would 274 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:57,960 only just really seek me with all of your heart and quit going through the motions. 275 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,840 Then, then your deliverance would come. 276 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:06,640 And listen to what he says in the next verse in verse 9. 277 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:11,860 At that time when you call the Lord will answer when you cry out. 278 00:18:11,860 --> 00:18:17,160 He will say here I am. 279 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,360 Here I am. 280 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:26,080 The Bible is full of some examples of those that God calls who respond and say God here 281 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,040 I am. 282 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:32,240 And here to God's people he says look you've not been living right. 283 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,840 You've not been doing right. 284 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:39,160 But if you would just turn to me and if you would seek me with all of your heart. 285 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:44,960 If you would come to me right now I would be here with you with open arms saying here 286 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,840 I am. 287 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:54,400 Maybe today you're already a child of God and maybe today he's calling you to something 288 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:59,560 and maybe today you need to say here I am to God. 289 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:04,400 And maybe today some of you need to know that God is calling you. 290 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,260 Maybe you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 291 00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:13,640 Maybe you've been living a religious life like these these folks here in Isaiah chapter 292 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:14,640 58. 293 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,320 You go on through a lot of the motions but your heart's not really in it. 294 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,200 You're not really seeking God. 295 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:26,040 And maybe today you need to know that God is calling out to you and God today says here 296 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,040 I am. 297 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,600 If you would only seek me if you would only repent of your sins if you would only put 298 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,680 your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 299 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,440 Here I am. 300 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,760 Would you respond to the Lord today. 301 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,740 Maybe you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today. 302 00:19:44,740 --> 00:19:47,140 Hear the words of the Lord today. 303 00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:51,580 Here I am if you would only come and repent. 304 00:19:51,580 --> 00:19:55,680 Perhaps today you've already put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 305 00:19:55,680 --> 00:20:02,220 And maybe you're a man or a woman and it doesn't seem like it to you but in God's eyes he says 306 00:20:02,220 --> 00:20:05,200 that's the one I want to use. 307 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:08,040 That's the one I'm calling today. 308 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,820 Is God calling you today? 309 00:20:10,820 --> 00:20:13,120 Is he calling you to test you? 310 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:15,880 Is he calling you to bless you? 311 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:18,680 Is he calling you to serve him in some way? 312 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,100 I don't know the answer to that but you do. 313 00:20:22,100 --> 00:20:29,000 And if God is calling you today our response needs to be here I am. 314 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,000 Let's pray. 315 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:34,360 God we come to you we thank you for your good word and we thank you for these good examples 316 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:40,520 of these men that we looked at dear Lord that they were those that were faithful to you. 317 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:48,080 That were faithful to respond in the right way dear Lord that God when you spoke they 318 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,520 said here I am. 319 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,960 God we thank you for your word. 320 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:59,160 We thank you that God even though we're pretty rotten and we are sinners just like these 321 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:05,280 folks in Isaiah 58 dear Lord we do a lot of stuff and sometimes we fool ourselves with 322 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:09,680 our religion dear Lord we kind of go through the motions but our hearts not really in it. 323 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:14,680 We're not really doing anything for you we don't we don't really seek you dear Lord we 324 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:19,320 don't really live for you we just we just kind of go through the motions. 325 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:24,320 But I pray today that if there is one in this room that does not know Jesus Christ that 326 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,680 today that they would know that your word is true to them God. 327 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:32,000 That if we would only turn from our wickedness and seek you dear Lord that today the invitation 328 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,940 is here that God you are saying here I am. 329 00:21:35,940 --> 00:21:39,720 God I pray that if there are some that do not know you today that they would hear you 330 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:45,160 call to their hearts right now that they would hear you calling to them saying here I am 331 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:49,180 God and I pray that they would come to you that even in this moment that they would begin 332 00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:54,520 to repent to pour out their sins before you dear Lord. 333 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,520 Maybe there are some of us in here today and maybe we are yours God maybe we hadn't been 334 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:01,080 living like it. 335 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:07,200 I pray that we would we would hear these these commands of scripture that we would feed the 336 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:11,160 hungry that we would clothe the naked that we would take care of the poor and the needy 337 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:12,160 dear Lord. 338 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,080 That is our call. 339 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,160 God if we're not doing that we we need to stop and take a step back dear Lord if we 340 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:23,040 don't start there then God we have started in the wrong place. 341 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,640 So I pray dear Lord that you would help us as individuals to be faithful to carry out 342 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:33,160 those commands that you would help us as a church dear Lord to be faithful to carry out 343 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,440 those commands. 344 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,640 Dear Lord maybe there are some in here today and they are yours and maybe you've been working 345 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:44,520 on maybe you've been working on them for for some time now maybe there's something you 346 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,720 call on them to God maybe there's some in here today and they are being tested and they 347 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:50,680 just don't know if they can make it dear Lord. 348 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:55,400 I pray that you give them the strength that their faith in you would hold tight God that 349 00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:00,400 they would not give up but after the test dear Lord they would experience your blessing 350 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,120 just as Abraham did. 351 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:07,720 Dear Lord maybe you are calling some in here today to serve in some way. 352 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,520 God I pray that you would help us to be obedient to that whatever it is no matter how big or 353 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:18,280 how small it may seem dear Lord I pray that if you call us in any way God that we would 354 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:23,480 not leave this this this room today without responding properly to you. 355 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:29,720 God is not turning deaf ear to you dear Lord let us not make excuses but I pray today that 356 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:35,840 we would simply humble ourself before you that today we would hear your response your 357 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:42,960 call God as you say here I am and that we too dear Lord would respond to you and say 358 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:49,500 God here I am in Jesus name I pray it amen. 359 00:23:49,500 --> 00:23:53,600 As we stand and sing the day of God has spoken to you in some way if you need prayer I will 360 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:58,200 be glad to pray for you if today you have accepted God's invitation if you put your 361 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,680 faith in Jesus Christ come share that with us so we can pray over you and pray for you 362 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:07,920 and baptize you maybe today God has called you to something now is your chance to respond 363 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:08,920 to the Lord. 364 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:29,920 Take up thy cross and follow me I heard my master say I made my life to be a blessing 365 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:52,360 I heard my master say I made my life to ransom me surrender you all today wherever he needs 366 00:24:52,360 --> 00:25:13,920 I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he 367 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:32,320 needs I'll follow he drew me closer to his side my soul is willing to go and in that 368 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:52,720 I will follow him wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he 369 00:25:52,720 --> 00:26:15,720 needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he 370 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:26,640 needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he 371 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:53,240 needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he needs I'll follow wherever he