Part 1 - On The Holiness Of God Series

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 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. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:1-8)

INTRODUCTION

In the year President Kennedy was shot (1963). In the year Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated (1968). In the year the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986). In the year of the planes hit the World Trade Center Towers (2001). There are some of you who can remember some all of these events that changed our nation. If I were take a poll here this morning that nearly all of you experienced life-changing event. There is a year in your life that sticks out in your mind.

I’ve had many. I can tell you about this or that. In 2012 I was involved in an auto accident that permanently ended my career in law enforcement. That same year my grand-pap died. This all came immediately after I answered the call to return to full-time ministry.

I. Encountering God Changes the Perspective of Pain

We all have experienced pain at some time in our life, whether it’s physical pain, emotional pain, the pain of losing someone, or even spiritual pain. Pain has a way of changing people and change the way we look at life and relationships. You will get a fresh outlook when you touch/encounter God.

“In the year that King Uzziah died…”

Uzziah became King when he was 16 years old. He ruled Judah for 52 years. He was loved by his people. Prior to his rule, the walls of Jerusalem was destroyed and the city was vulnerable and unsafe to attack. Now the city was secure.

There was great spiritual prosperity. Uzziah was one of the great kings of Judah that restored the glory and power of David. "He did right in the sight of the Lord" (2 Chronicles. 26:4). He had great military prosperity. "God helped him against the Philistines" (2 Chronicles 26:6,7). "Built towers in Jerusalem . . . built towers in the desert" (v.9). Had 307,500 soldiers. There was abundant food. "He dug many wells . . . much cattle . . . he loved husbandry" (v.10). He instituted great technology. "Invented . . . bulwarks to shoot arrows, and great stones" (v.15). He brought to the kingdom economic prosperity, military power, and political influence.

At the same time, Uzziah sinned, and he became proud because of his power and his success. He went into the temple to offer sacrifice, which was only for the priests to do, and 80 priests withstood him. God struck his with leprosy, and he spent his last years ruling as a leper, a constant reminder to all the people of God’s great power.

It is pretty hard to forget when someone that influential passes from sight, or when something that traumatic happens in our lives. And so, Isaiah brings to people’s memory a time everyone would remember; the year Uzziah died, 740 BC.

Think of Churchill in World War II. No matter how afraid the British people were, and the Nazi bombings, Churchill comes out on the streets, and gives his powerful, stirring speeches that allay all the fears of the people.

Think back to the days following 9/11. Our nation is in a panic, flights are grounded, where will the terrorists strike next. But in the midst of all the confusion and turmoil, our nation’s president spoke with confidence and determination.

Isaiah was doing much the same thing as you and I are doing this morning when God came to him. Isaiah was worshipping. Isaiah went to the Temple just like he did every other Sabbath. Who knows what was going on in his life that day? Who knows what his week had been like? Who knows if he was even thinking about God and heavenly things? And then it happened. He saw the Lord. He really saw the Lord.