Cleansing - Gods Way!

Intro: Weclome to our new series on the Book of Isaiah! This is a wonderful book of the Bible filled with amazing glimpses of Gods work and prophecy! The prophet Isaiah ministered during a turbulent time in Israel’s history. The nation had abandoned the way of the Lord and was living in open sin and idolatry. The verses leading up to our text chronicle a scene of rebellion and sin. Isaiah 1:18King James Version18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Ø v. 2 – The people were in open rebellion against the LordØ v. 3 – They refused to acknowledge God and, spiritually, they were dumber than the farm animals around them.Ø v. 4 – They had forsaken the Lord and had provoked Him to anger.Ø v. 5 – They had refused to respond to the Lord’s attempts at chastisement.Ø v. 5-6 - They were sick spiritually and they desperately needed help.Ø v. 7-8 – Violence filled the whole land.Ø v. 9-10 – In many ways, they had become as vile as ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.Ø v. 11-15 – Their religious services were an abomination to the Lord.Ø v. 9 – The only thing that held the nation together was a small remnant of faithful Jews.It sounds as though these events could have been lifted straight from the headlines of today’s newspapers. We are in as bad a spiritual shape as was ancient Israel.In the midst of this sad commentary, we see an amazing scene acted out. These people had been blessed by the Lord in many wonderful ways. Israel should have been seeking God and they should have been looking for ways to mend their relationship with Him. Instead of that, we see the Lord seeking His people and inviting them to make things right with Him. This fact underscores a truth we encounter throughout the pages of the Bible.