Outward -Vs- Inward

Outward -vs- inward

Isaiah 6:1-10

I think it is important …for us to look at the majestic word pictures the prophet Isaiah gives us in his writing. I think it is necessary for us to be reminded from time to time that we worship the God …who is high and lifted up. …the God who is Holy Holy Holy! …the God whose train fills the whole temple and whose glory fills all of creation! …the God who is attended by beings so incredible, so stupendous that they have only been seen by a hand full of people throughout the whole history of humanity! …a God whose authority is so great that His attendants’ voices cause the foundations of the world to shake!

Folks, this is an awe-inspiring visual image Isaiah gives us here in Chapter 6! …but more important to us than the awe that is struck within us when we take a few minutes to contemplate this scene …is the great truths that God communicates through His WORD!

Here in these 10 little verses are multiple sermons that need to be preached! …but there are just a couple of these verses I want us to focus on this morning…

The first of those is verse 3. The Angelic beings attending the Throne call out: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

The word we have repeated three times here as ‘holy’ is the Hebrew word QA-dO-wOs. It is an adjective – a descriptive word – and it means sacred or set-apart! God is sacred and set apart!

The fact that it is repeated 3 times is significant too! 3 times signifies perfection and completeness – so not only is God sacred and set-apart, but he is perfectly and completely sacred …and perfectly and completely set-apart! There is no quivering or questioning! It is already decided, and it is final! God is Holy!

My friends, we serve …a Holy God! …A God who is sacred – which means sanctified …to be revered …hallowed …we often extend the meaning to include …justified. God is the one who needs no justification because he is already justified and sanctified in and of himself! He told Moses in Exodus3:14, “I AM THAT I AM!” (KJV)

But God is also set-apart! …set apart from all that is and has been …created. God is the creator …and as creator, God is separate from the things He has created. …He is separate from the attitudes of mankind …separate from the selfishness that dominates our world and our society …separate from the pettiness that we are so easily caught up into!

Folks, it is these things that makes God worthy of our praise! ….Worthy of our adoration! …Worthy of our worship!

…and there is one other thing about God …God is ONE! …God is the ONLY ONE and God is ONE! In Exodus 8:10, Moses declared “There is no one like our God!” and in Deuteronomy 6:4 we have those notorious words of the ‘Shema’; “Hear, o Israel, The Lord your God is One”.(KJV)

So, why am I harping on these things that you already know? …because this is the reason we gather! …Folks, we know a God worthy of our time and our attention and our gifts and our obedience! …we know a God whose robes fill the WHOLE Temple! Praise be His name! …and it is important for us to hear about His majesty from time to time.

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The Second thing I want to point out from this passage this morning is verses 9 and 10 – God commissions Isaiah to go and tell all the people of God – actually God commissions Isaiah to warn the people of God …that if they continue to live with their attention placed on the riches of the world and the temporary satisfaction of the senses that is all the world has to give, then they are going to be lost for all eternity!

Look at what God tells Isaiah; “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

10 Make the heart of this people calloused;

make their ears dull

and close their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”

My friends, do you see that this is a clear and ominous warning for all believers …both 2700 years ago and today! Folks, if you just hear the Word, but never put it into practice, then you have simply not understood it! …you are ever hearing but never understanding!

…have you seen what a difference God brings into your life? …but yet, you continue to rebel and insist on chasing after this WORLD and refusing to realize that God is calling you to be Holy …to be set apart from the world …like He is? …then you are seeing but never perceiving!