The Nature of Man
The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing our true nature, which is deeply flawed, and seeking a profound transformation from the inside out.
Robert S. Candlish delivers a powerful sermon on self-reflection and confession, drawing inspiration from Isaiah 6:5 where Isaiah acknowledges his unclean lips before God. Candlish emphasizes the need for individuals to recognize their own sinful nature, not as a superficial flaw, but as a deep-rooted part of their being that requires genuine repentance and transformation. He challenges the congregation to humble themselves before God, acknowledging their innermost impurities and seeking purification from the Lord. Candlish highlights the importance of true self-awareness and surrendering to God's cleansing work in our hearts, recognizing that our sinful nature is inherent and in need of divine redemption.
Text
"Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips..." (Isa. 6:5).
Ah! It is high time for me to place myself where Isaiah was, and to prostrate myself as Isaiah did. And let it not be as if this uncleanness of my own lips and tolerance of the uncleanness of the lips of the world were a casual infirmity, an outward excrescence upon my character and life. Ah, no! It is myself; my very self! I am a man of unclean lips! The unclean lips constitute my very manhood, my very nature. They are the sign and index of what I am. It is not that I have them, hanging as an uncongenial burden around me. But I am what they express. They proceed out of my heart. They are what my inner man, my whole inner man, truly is.
It is my nature that I feel to be so deeply, thoroughly, hopelessly vitiated. Not only are my lips unclean, I am myself a man of unclean lips! That is my very nature. That is myself. Myself as I see myself, when mine eyes see the King, the Lord of Hosts.
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of Man
- The Problem of Unclean Lips
- The Significance of Unclean Lips
- The Nature of Man Revealed
Key Quotes
“Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips...” — Robert S. Candlish
Application Points
- Recognize your true nature and the flaws that come with it.
- Seek a deep transformation from the inside out, allowing God to change you.
- Allow God's presence to reveal your true nature and prompt you towards change.