God's Majesty, Mercy And Mission

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalms 29; John 3:1-17

Theme: God's Identity

Proposition: Isaiah 6:1-8 reveal to us God's Identity. In this passage we see I. The Majesty of our God (a. He is God, there is no other b. He is King c. He is holy) 2. The Mercy of God (a. He reaches down to our earth, b. He reaches down to His People c. He reaches down to individual man) 3. The Mission of God (a. To create within us a new heart/spirit b. To enable us to join in praise/worship c. To live out a life of progressive holiness and invite others to join)

INTRO:

Good morning and welcome in the name of the LORD!

Each Lord's Day about 1.5 billion people around the world spend time worshipping the LORD. They come from every tribe and every nation, but they all have one purpose in mind. That purpose is to worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Now, each group may have their own unique styles, rituals and methods but all are dedicated to being a faithful and true disciple of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit and living out a life of progressive holiness.

For this pastor, that is simply amazing. It is amazing and wonderful to know that some 1. 5 billion people are worshipping the true God of the Universe. One billion and half strong and growing each and every day. That in itself is enough to praise God today!

However, I do have a rather simple inquiry that needs to be examined. In particular, I would like for us to ask ourselves and examine for just a few minutes this question - Do we know exactly who we are gathering to serve and worship? When we say we are coming to Church to serve the LORD, what do we mean? When we say we are coming to worship Him, what exactly do we mean? Who exactly, is the LORD? What are His attributes, His characteristics? How do we come before His Presence? How are we tell others about this God of ours?

Now, that is a great many questions and we don't have the time this morning to answer them all to the depth they deserve. However, our Isaiah passage allows us to begin to understand who our God is, what it means to be in His Presence and what a Relationship with God both looks like and is experienced.

I. Isaiah 6:1-8 shares with us that Our God is a GOD OF SUPREME MAJESTY

"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train(hem) of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.' And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke." - Isaiah 6:1-4 (ESV)

Isaiah, immediately shares that he is caught up in an otherworldly experience. The veil that normally separates the common from the divine has been removed and Isaiah is thrust into the presence of heaven and all its glory. The Prophet finds himself in the very presence of God Almighty. He sees God's robe, God's throne and God's fiery attendants.

a. In all of this glory, Isaiah is reminded that there is God. There is simply God and no others - no other gods, no goddess and no rivals. Isaiah sees no other thrones, nor is there a vision of a pantheon of gods and goddesses. There is only God sitting on His throne. To be sure Isaiah sees other heavenly beings, but none to compare with the one on the Throne. There is simply God. He is God and there are no others.

This morning, we need to pause and capture this image, we need to capture this reality. There is only One God - there are no other gods or rivals. There exists only Our God.

Rev. Paul Apple of Solid Rock Community Church is right when he shares:

"Our view of God has suffered from our failure to capture a sense of His Majesty. The God of contemporary evangelicalism is a very personal God--someone with whom we can enjoy intimate fellowship. He is our best friend and the one to whom we can bring all of our troubles. We have a great high priest who became flesh and blood so that He can be a perfect mediator between God and man. But in stressing our closeness to God we have lost sight of His majesty -- the great gulf that exists between God and us because of His greatness. He is not like us -- God is not limited like we are in His wisdom, in His presence, in His power, in His effectiveness. He is eternal, infinite, almighty."