Encountering A Holy God

Encountering The Holiness of God

Isaiah 6:1-8

Introduction

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” When we encounter the holiness of God our lives are transformed.

King Uzziah died in 740 B.C. after 50 years, the end of an age. This good king would be replaced by wicked King Ahaz. Some revival took place under the next king, Hezekiah. Hezekiah’s son, Manassah, was the wickedest king in the history of Judah.

Isaiah was a prophet during the reigns of these kings. He entered his ministry about the time of the founding of Rome and the first Olympic games of the Greeks. Asian powers such as Assyria and Babylon were growing,

but not world powers yet. He was evidently from a distinguished Jewish family. He was formally educated. Isaiah maintained close contact with the royal court. He was uncompromising, sincere, and compassionate. His wife was a prophetess and he fathered at least two sons (7:3; 8:3). We read of his first vision in Isaiah 6, when Isaiah encountered the holiness of God and was changed forever.

Isaiah’s Vision Isaiah 6:1-4

(In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.)

Can you imagine what this vision must have been like? A high a lofty throne lifted above all thrones! The filling of the temple by the presence of God! Majestic Seraphs in attendance …humble in his presence - covering faces & feet. Powerful as they flew above the throne. Worshipful as they said to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Still singing this in Revelation 4:8.

The scene here is of majestic greatness beyond our ability to comprehend. We can’t help but sense the… Glory … Worship … Authority … Grace. The focus is on being in His Presence. Holy Holy Holy - each intensifies the previous. Holiness of God is indescribable. Worship. Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;  they are ever praising you. Their powerful worship shakes the house, darkens with smoke … visible signs of power.

When The Unholy Meets The Holy Holy Holy (Is 6:5-7)

( “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”)

Three things happen when we worship the holiness of God:

We are convicted of our sinfulness. Isaiah sees himself:

Unholy - God’s Holiness reveals we are unholy.

Ruined - unable to be repaired on my own.

Unclean - along with all of the people

John Calvin: “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.”

We are in need of His cleansing. The seraph brings the cleansing power of God. This is God’s grace and mercy in action. Isaiah 57:15 …“I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

We are Moved to follow His Mission (Isaiah 6:8). The prophet doesn’t know what is ahead for him - it won’t be easy. He is willing because his eyes are on His Father.

How To Encounter the Holy Holy Holy

When We Spend Time in the Presence of Our Holy God. "We are … only as intimate with God as we really choose to be." -J. Oswald Sanders

When We Acknowledge Who We Really Are. The Lord’s presence makes us aware of our sin. “We feel “undone” and “unclean” like Isaiah. “This is always the sign that a man or woman is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but the concentration of sin in some personal particular. ~ Oswald Chambers