April 15, 2007
Morning Worship
Text: Isaiah 6:1-13
Subject: A Vision of God
Title: I See The Lord
Last summer I did a series called “Why we believe what we believe.” It focused on the sixteen fundamental doctrines that we adhere to. If you will remember, at that time I challenged you to study for yourself to se if these things were not so. The reason that I encourage you to see for yourself is that I never want you to get to the place in your “religion” that you say, “I don’t know where it’s at in the Bible but that’s what we believe.” I want you to see for yourself and be sure of what you believe. On the same note, I’m pretty sure that I have said some things from this pulpit that you aren’t too sure about – you’ve never heard it taught that way before. So what has your response to that been? Do you arbitrarily throw it out because it’s different than what the “old time preachers” used to teach, or do you search the scriptures, like the Bereans did with Paul’s preaching, to see if what I say is true? Do you hold on to your old traditions because that is what you have always been taught?
William Poteet wrote in The Pentecostal Minister how in 1903 the Russian Czar noticed a sentry posted for no apparent reason on the Kremlin grounds. Upon inquiry, he discovered that in 1776 Catherine the Great found there the first flower of spring. "Post a sentry here," she commanded, "so that no one tramples that flower under foot!" Some traditions die hard.
Leadership, Summer, 1989, p. 43.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied in the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of four different kings. He began in the reign of king Uzziah, a godly king who brought much religious reform to Israel. It is thought that Isaiah may have been related to the King. He probably was one of the court prophets. He likely had been used by God to speak His words to the king. But I think that Isaiah was a prophet in a traditional sense more than in experience. What I mean by that is that Isaiah was being used by God, but his incomplete understanding of who God is really kept him form being what God wanted him to be. But that is about to change.
Isaiah is about to
See God for who He really is,
Trust God for what He really wants,
Fear God for what He’ll really do.
God is calling us to the same place. Open your hearts to receive from the Lord this morning.
I. SEEING GOD FOR WHO HE REALLY IS. (1-4) 1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted… You know, I think that Isaiah was like many Christians are today. We are so thrilled that we have a “Professing Christian” in the White House that we somehow are convinced that he’ll make everything right. As I said before Isaiah was a prophet in the court of a godly king. Something happened to bring Isaiah to a new place in his relationship with the Lord. King Uzziah died… He died as a leper for a sin he committed. The tragic loss of this godly relative, friend, leader, would cause anyone to stop and do a reality check. What do we do now? Where is God in all this? And the answer to that question is the same as the answer for Christians when we don’t have a godly man in the White House. We go to prayer. And when you go to prayer, God responds. I saw the Lord high and exalted… So many times I fear that our “tradition” has placed God in a box so that we think that we know exactly who He is, what He wants, and how he will respond. When Isaiah began to seek God’s face he saw Him in different way than he ever had. He saw Him high and exalted. The two Hebrew words that are translated “high” and “exalted” literally mean the same thing. It refers to self-exaltation. Not that God exalts Himself in the sense that He is proud, but that by His very nature he is high and exalted above every other thing in the universe. He is the creator – everything else is created. So by nature He is revealed as high and exalted above all else. In answer to the question, “Where is God in all this?” Isaiah saw Him seated on a throne. That’s the way He should be seen since He is the king of all. …and the train of his robe filled the temple. Isaiah’s vision places God in the place where He said He would dwell – the temple. This vision was not a vision of the earthly temple, but of heaven. In Isaiah’s day the length of the train of a king’s robe was a declaration of his importance. “I’m important enough that I can have as many attendants as I need to follow along behind me and take care of my robe. I don’t have to worry about a thing.” The train of God’s robe filled the temple. All of a sudden Isaiah gets it. Even though things aren’t going the way I think they ought to go, God is still God. He’s still on the throne. He’s still high and exalted, and He’s still filling the temple with the train of His robe. Now, I want you to get a picture of what is taking place in the throne room. 2Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying..” 4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Has anyone here ever seen an angel? Have you heard the stories of people who have? These “seraphs” who are worshipping around the throne of God are angels that were chosen to do so. The word “seraph” means, “burning ones”. It may refer to purity. If that is the case then the picture is that only those who are pure can come before the throne of God. 3And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory… God is high and exalted; He is Holy; He is worthy of worship. Did you get that? Not only is the train of His robe filling up the temple in heaven, His glory is filling the earth. Look around! See God for who He really is, and worship Him! When we do that we can expect a mighty shaking like that in heaven.
II. TRUSTING GOD FOR WHAT HE REALLY WANTS. (5-8) I believe that there are only three things that God desires from humans. 1) He desires that none should perish but that all would come to repentance… (2 Peter 3:9) Repentance involves understanding who we are in the light of a holy and awesome God – sinners deserving of judgment but offered grace instead. 2) He desires that we accept the cleansing that He has provided for us. Ephesians 5:25-27, 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing£ her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 3) He desires then that would live our lives in response to His grace. Hebrews 10:32-39, 32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.38But my righteous one£ will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”£ 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Isaiah’s response mirrors God’s desire for all mankind. 1) Repentance - 5“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.” 2) Cleansing - 6Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 3) Action - 8Then 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!” We presume that we know what is best for our lives. We take into consideration what we want. But what is best for our lives is always the life God wants for you. Can you trust Him for that? Proverbs 3:5,6, 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding 6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. What God thinks is best for you is best for you!
III. FEARING GOD FOR WHAT HE’LL REALLY DO (9-13) In these last verse God speaks His word to the prophet, “Go and tell this people…” But God knows that the people will reject His message. And the rejection of His message will always bring judgment. If only the world today could get a firm grasp on the judgment that is promised to come to those who do not know Christ, they would change their minds. But our society continues to promote the lie that either God doesn’t care about sin or He is unable to do anything about it. Isaiah asked the Lord, “How long do I have to prophesy this message?” The answer? “Till judgment comes.” The world has no fear of God. One of my favorite books of all time is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It is book 1 in the Chronicles of Narnia Series. In the book Susan and Lucy, getting ready to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Christ. Two talking animals, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, prepare the children for the encounter. "Ooh," said Susan, "I though he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, dearie." said Mrs. Beaver. "And make no mistake, if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knee’s knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly." "Then isn’t he safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!" Proverbs 1:7, “7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools£ despise wisdom and discipline…” The promise of judgment is as true today as it was when Isaiah prophesied it. That judgment was met when Judah was taken into captivity in 586 BC. The judgment that is coming to the world is the awesome “Day of the Lord” that we know as the Great Tribulation. For those who know Jesus the only fear we need to have is reverent fear of an awesome and holy God. For those who don’t know Him, the fear of the judgment to come. Read through the book of Revelation and see for yourself the wrath that God is going to pour out on those that are left behind.
I want to close by asking you some questions.
Are you seeing God for who He really is? I’m talking about really knowing Him. Is your vision of God tainted by the tradition of what others have told you? Or are you seeking His face and studying His word to gain new insight to His nature. Have you relegated Him to the ways things used to be? Are you assuming that He doesn’t heal any more, He doesn’t bless any more, He doesn’t work miracles any more? Then it’s time for you to get a fresh look. You need to know that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we ask or think… You need to see Him as the God who still does the impossible… you have to understand that in you, He is filling up in the flesh that which is lacking in the afflictions of Christ – that the work isn’t finished until Jesus returns.
Are you trusting God for what He really wants? When was the last time you said, “Here I am Lord. Send me!”? Do you understand that more than anything else God wants to save you? Or do your desires outweigh God’s desires for you? When we say, “Here I am Lord. Send me.” We can trust completely in Him to move in our lives and take us to where He wants us to go.
Are you fearing God for what He’ll really do? Two areas of concern here. First, are you living your life for God? If you are saved, do your actions show it? Second, are you the least bit concerned about all those around you who are lost and going to hell?
The three points I made today go hand in hand. You cannot see God for who He really is without trusting Him and fearing Him. If you do that then you will be like the prophet who experienced God in a new and refreshing way. Do you want that in your life today?
