February 15th, 2026
By: Blake Allums
“Called” (Isaiah 6:5-8)
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!” 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. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 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.”
1. Recognize your Sinfulness, compared to God’s Splendor. (V.5)
In this passage, Isaiah sees God and recognizes his sinfulness. Isaiah is not just some
random guy from the side of the street, but Isaiah is about to become a prophet from
God. If he were in church today he would be the one in his word everyday, he would be
the one raising his hands, he would be the one who was righteous. But even him, who
was righteous, is of filthy rags in the presence of the Lord Almighty.
Upon recognizing his attendance in the presence of God he sees that he is a man with
unclean lips. Here is the thing, in the Bible, lips and the heart are synonymous. Luke
6:45 says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and
the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the
heart his mouth speaks.” So the issue with Isaiah is more so his heart than his mouth.
But for the purpose of becoming a prophet he says mouth. Because Isaiah is becoming
a prophet who will speak the words of the Living God he needs to clean up his speech.
Here is a piece of advice for anyone who wants to spread the gospel, sing/ lead
worship, be a missionary, or even lead Sunday school… Clean your words in private, so
God can use your voice in public.
2. The Coal leads to the Call. (V.6-7)
In verse 6 we see a seraphim (angels who worship at the altar of God, also known as
the "burning ones”) fly to Isaiah with a coal but holding it with tongs. Why is the angel,
known as the burning one, having to hold a coal with tongs? I believe this is because
even a coal/the fire of God from the altar of the Lord of Host is more holy than even the
angels who are in God’s presence. This coal in verse 7 is significant because it is an
example of the Holy Spirit. This coal comes to Isaiah and touches his lips and cleanses
him. This is the process that we know as sanctification (becoming more like Jesus
everyday). Remember, Isaiah was a righteous man but he still needed the Holy Spirit to
correct him.
Maybe for you the coal needs to touch your…
- Eyes (things you watch)
- Ears (things you listen to)
- Mind (things you think)
- Mouth (things you say)
This will mean some things will need to be removed from you. Yes, it may be hard, you
may lose some friends, and you may need to give up some habits BUT… the
refinement is not punishment, it is preparation.
3. Many will say “Send Me” but few will go. (V.8)
This is the sad reality. We can all agree that the gospel needs to be preached. We can all agree that we don't want people to go to hell. We can all agree on these things.
But listen, the call of God upon your life is not proven by agreement, it is proven by
action. You must attach action to your agreement. The crowd may agree but the
individual must go.
Many will say “Send Me” but few will go.
Why is this the reality?
a. Get called young and forget about it.
i. If you are truly called it won’t leave your brain.
b. Don’t want to go through the practical process
i. There are seasons of waiting. Do what waiters do and SERVE.
c. Afraid you won’t make enough money.
i. The Lord will provide. Your faith is little. You must let him be God.
d. Your family won’t support you.
i. Matthew 10:34-36
Final Teaching Point:
“Here I am” (ESV) vs. “Here am I” (Other Translations)
“Here I am” tells someone your geographical location. In other words, “I am over here,
come to me.”
The Hebrew for these words suggest something different though. This is a compound
word… “hineh” → Behold/ Look “ani” → I/Me
In other words, “Look upon me”, “I am ready and willing”, “Use me for your will”, etc.
When we switch our mindset from “Here I am” to “Here am I” we become a weapon for
the Kingdom of God. We must be ready and willing to fight against darkness and take
back a generation that is slipping from our finger tips.
We must switch from “Here I am” to “HERE AM I”!
“Called” (Isaiah 6:5-8)
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!” 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. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 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.”
1. Recognize your Sinfulness, compared to God’s Splendor. (V.5)
In this passage, Isaiah sees God and recognizes his sinfulness. Isaiah is not just some
random guy from the side of the street, but Isaiah is about to become a prophet from
God. If he were in church today he would be the one in his word everyday, he would be
the one raising his hands, he would be the one who was righteous. But even him, who
was righteous, is of filthy rags in the presence of the Lord Almighty.
Upon recognizing his attendance in the presence of God he sees that he is a man with
unclean lips. Here is the thing, in the Bible, lips and the heart are synonymous. Luke
6:45 says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and
the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the
heart his mouth speaks.” So the issue with Isaiah is more so his heart than his mouth.
But for the purpose of becoming a prophet he says mouth. Because Isaiah is becoming
a prophet who will speak the words of the Living God he needs to clean up his speech.
Here is a piece of advice for anyone who wants to spread the gospel, sing/ lead
worship, be a missionary, or even lead Sunday school… Clean your words in private, so
God can use your voice in public.
2. The Coal leads to the Call. (V.6-7)
In verse 6 we see a seraphim (angels who worship at the altar of God, also known as
the "burning ones”) fly to Isaiah with a coal but holding it with tongs. Why is the angel,
known as the burning one, having to hold a coal with tongs? I believe this is because
even a coal/the fire of God from the altar of the Lord of Host is more holy than even the
angels who are in God’s presence. This coal in verse 7 is significant because it is an
example of the Holy Spirit. This coal comes to Isaiah and touches his lips and cleanses
him. This is the process that we know as sanctification (becoming more like Jesus
everyday). Remember, Isaiah was a righteous man but he still needed the Holy Spirit to
correct him.
Maybe for you the coal needs to touch your…
- Eyes (things you watch)
- Ears (things you listen to)
- Mind (things you think)
- Mouth (things you say)
This will mean some things will need to be removed from you. Yes, it may be hard, you
may lose some friends, and you may need to give up some habits BUT… the
refinement is not punishment, it is preparation.
3. Many will say “Send Me” but few will go. (V.8)
This is the sad reality. We can all agree that the gospel needs to be preached. We can all agree that we don't want people to go to hell. We can all agree on these things.
But listen, the call of God upon your life is not proven by agreement, it is proven by
action. You must attach action to your agreement. The crowd may agree but the
individual must go.
Many will say “Send Me” but few will go.
Why is this the reality?
a. Get called young and forget about it.
i. If you are truly called it won’t leave your brain.
b. Don’t want to go through the practical process
i. There are seasons of waiting. Do what waiters do and SERVE.
c. Afraid you won’t make enough money.
i. The Lord will provide. Your faith is little. You must let him be God.
d. Your family won’t support you.
i. Matthew 10:34-36
Final Teaching Point:
“Here I am” (ESV) vs. “Here am I” (Other Translations)
“Here I am” tells someone your geographical location. In other words, “I am over here,
come to me.”
The Hebrew for these words suggest something different though. This is a compound
word… “hineh” → Behold/ Look “ani” → I/Me
In other words, “Look upon me”, “I am ready and willing”, “Use me for your will”, etc.
When we switch our mindset from “Here I am” to “Here am I” we become a weapon for
the Kingdom of God. We must be ready and willing to fight against darkness and take
back a generation that is slipping from our finger tips.
We must switch from “Here I am” to “HERE AM I”!
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