August 16, 2026 • Pastor Steve
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Drawing from Isaiah 6, this message calls us to encounter the holiness of God, receive His grace, and respond with wholehearted surrender to His call.
Encountering God in the Book of Isaiah
When King Uzziah died, the nation of Israel was shaken—uncertain about the future and desperate for stability. It was in that moment of national crisis that the prophet Isaiah encountered the living God seated on His throne, robes filling the temple, angels crying "Holy, holy, holy." This vision reminds us that no matter how uncertain our world feels, heaven has never needed a special election. God reigns, His glory fills everything, and He is far greater than we often allow ourselves to believe in our casual, self-focused age.
Isaiah's response to encountering God's holiness was immediate humility and a deep awareness of his own unworthiness—yet grace came before the mission, as a burning coal touched his lips and cleansed him. That same grace, fulfilled once and for all in Jesus Christ, is the foundation of our own calling. Like Isaiah, when we truly encounter the holiness and forgiveness of God, the only response is surrender: "Here I am, send me." Real worship moves our feet, and God's kingdom advances through ordinary people who have had extraordinary encounters with Jesus.
- God's holiness should humble us and recalibrate how casually we approach Him in worship and daily life.
- Grace always comes before the mission—Isaiah was cleansed before he was called, and the same is true for us.
- A genuine encounter with the living God moves us from spectator to willing servant, ready to say "Here I am, send me."