God's Gracious Response
God's gracious response is to treat His servants with consideration and generosity, giving them the privilege of serving Him voluntarily.
Robert S. Candlish preaches on the willingness and privilege of volunteering for God's service, highlighting the grace and consideration of the Lord in allowing His servants to offer themselves willingly. Rather than issuing a command, God graciously invites His servants to respond voluntarily, understanding the brokenness and repentance in their hearts. This act of volunteering is a profound expression of love and gratitude towards the Lord who willingly sacrificed Himself for His people.
Text
"Then said 1, Here am I; send me" (Isa. 6:8).
It is a signal instance of grace on the part of the Lord that I am allowed to be a volunteer. The Lord has a right, a dearly purchased fight, to deal with me very differently He might issue a peremptory command. He might utter his stern voice of authority, and at once order me. But he knows what is in man better than to treat thus the broken and relenting heart of one whom he has smitten by the brightness of his glorious holiness to the ground, and healed by the touch of his everliving sacrifice of blood. He is considerate. He is generous. His servant is not coerced or constrained, as with bit and bridle.
He has the unspeakable privilege and happiness of giving himself voluntarily and, as it were, ultroneously, to the Lord, who willingly gave himself for him. He simply hears, or overhears, a conversation in heaven; a question asked and waiting to be answered.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Lord's Considerate Treatment of His Servant
- A. He might have issued a peremptory command
- B. But instead, He treats the broken and relenting heart with care
- II. The Privilege of Voluntary Service
- A. The servant is not coerced or constrained
- B. He has the privilege of giving himself to the Lord
- III. The Lord's Generosity and Consideration
- A. He is generous in His treatment of His servant
- B. He is considerate of the servant's broken and relenting heart
Key Quotes
“He is considerate. He is generous. His servant is not coerced or constrained, as with bit and bridle.” — Robert S. Candlish
“He has the unspeakable privilege and happiness of giving himself voluntarily and, as it were, ultroneously, to the Lord, who willingly gave himself for him.” — Robert S. Candlish
Application Points
- We should seek to serve God voluntarily, rather than out of coercion or constraint.
- God's consideration and generosity towards us should motivate us to serve Him with gratitude and joy.
- We should recognize the privilege of serving God, and give ourselves to Him willingly and freely.