CONDITIONS OF REVIVAL:
SEEING HIS HOLINESS
ISAIAH 6:1-8
HOLY – HOLY – HOLY! The God of all creation is infinitely holy. But what does that mean? We have been told that the word holy means to sanctify or to be set apart. R.C. Sproul in his book The Holiness of God (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1985) writes that “The primary meaning of holy is ‘separate.’ It comes from an ancient word that meant, ‘to cut,’ or ‘to separate.’ Perhaps even more accurate would be the phrase ‘a cut above something.’ When we find a garment or another piece of merchandise that is outstanding, that has a superior excellence, we use the expression that it is ‘a cut above the rest.” When the Bible calls God holy it means that God is unsurpassed in power, incomparable in judgment and wisdom, unrivaled in love, consummate purity, and matchless in beauty. To be in His Holy Presence is awesome and transforming. Seeing the Holiness of God and being aware of His Presence should produce a fearful wonder and reverence of God, a terrifying vision of our own sinfulness, and a sanctified yieldedness to the Holy Sovereign One.
I. Produces an awe and reverence of God
A. Psalm 113:5 “Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high?”
B. Exodus 15:11 “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”
C. 1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.”
D. Isaiah 6:1-3 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’”
1. The seraphim, the shining ones, the guarding angels that surround the throne, in the presence of the Beauty of Holiness would not dare look on it and cover their faces with two of their wings. These holy angels paled in their holiness compared to God’s holiness to the extent that in contrition they won’t even look at God.
2. Not only did they cover their eyes but with two of their wings they covered their feet. In ancient times when one entered the presence of a king they were to take their outer cape or robe and cover their legs as they bowed before the king. It was an act of humility signifying subservience and humility. The seraphim covered their feet because they realized they were completely unworthy to be in the presence of the Holy Sovereign Creator of all existence, in spite of their sinless perfection.
3. So impacted by the Holiness of God all these holy shining ones can do is cry out to one another – “Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lord of hosts!” They are awe struck to be eternally in His presence.
E. God’s holiness is beyond anything we can possibly conceive. It ought to fill us with wonder and adoration.
F. John when seeing the unbridled holiness and glory of Christ said in Revelation 1:17, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”
G. Habakkuk commenting on hearing the Holy One’s voice said in Habakkuk 3, “O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid” (vs. 2)... “When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself” (vs. 16a)
H. Tragically we see throughout Christendom the loss of a sense of God’s holiness. Prayer has become a trivial pursuit. Reading God’s Holy Word has become just another book. Sitting in the pews, Christians sit in judgment on the sermon, grading it for quality, length, clarity, and interest, as the Pastor attempts to present the Word of God. People are more concerned with the clock than the realization that surely the presence of the Lord is in the house. For indeed Christ promised in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” The Lord’s Day has become more a day for relaxation, recreation, reunions, retail, and home renovation than a day of religious observance and reflection on the Holy Trinity.
I. In the Bible we are provided with accounts of people have died because they did not take the holiness of God seriously enough. Our approach to God and His worship must never be casual. Even though we can approach the throne of God with boldness and confidence because of Jesus, we must do so with fear and reverence.
J. Are we overwhelmed by His Holy Presence or do we walk (or casually prance) into worship without a thought of our sin and his greatness? Do we tremble at all? Or do we come carelessly into the presence of God without a single thought to His great mercy and infinite holiness?
Transition: Not only does an awareness of the holiness and presence of the Lord produce an awe and reverence of God but it also…
II. Produces an awareness of our sinfulness
A. “When we lose a sense of God’s holiness (as many have), then we lose the realization that anything is holy or unholy. In this latter case, we also lose a sense of our own sinfulness, our need for God’s grace, and the desperate plight of our culture” – Art Lindsley, Ph.D.C.S., The Holiness of God
B. Isaiah 6:5 Then I said “Woe is me; for I am undone (I am ruined)! Because 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.”
C. When Peter saw the Holy Power of the Son of God demonstrated Luke 5:8 states that “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
D. It is the vision of the holiness of God that reveals our sins and our need for his help. John Calvin said: “...Until God reveals himself to us, we do not think that we are men, or rather, we think that we are gods; but when we have seen God, we then begin to feel and know what we are.”
E. When we behold His holiness, we see in that very instant our un-holiness. We see His glory and our shame; His purity our uncleanness; His light our darkness; His power our weakness; His beauty our ugliness; His infiniteness our finiteness; our need and His great grace.
F. Isaiah 6:6-7 “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “ Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”
G. We have been commanded to be Holy by the Holy Lord - 1 Peter 1:15-16 (HCSB) “as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
H. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Transition: Having an awe and reverence for God with the right view of who and what we are produces a willingness to be used by God. Seeing
III. Produces a willingness to serve
A. Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
B. Having seen God, seen ourselves for what we are, and been forgiven of our sins, our response to God ought to be: “Here am I Lord. Send me!”
C. Genuine worship of God results in genuine living for God – copied
D. When we see God’s holiness we see his call on us to separate ourselves (or be holy) for service unto Him. As we grow in awareness of His presence and holiness, we will be increasingly motivated to live a life of obedient service.
E. Paul when meeting the Holy Lord responded with willingness and obedience to the call of Christ.
1. Acts 9:6 “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
2. Acts 26:19 “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision”
F. Oswald Chambers said “The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God is not an eternal blessing machine for men. He did not come to save men out of pity; He came to save men because He had created them to be holy.” – Bruce Wilkinson, Set Apart, p. 17.
G. Revelation 7:15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.”
H. Isaiah 6:5 “…I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…”
I. Seeing God’s holiness made Isaiah aware of the mission field that lay before him. He not only saw his need but that of his people and stepped up to the call of holy service as light and salt – to be a cut above. That is what God wants of you!
Disclaimer: Source material for this sermon has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources whenever possible. Please feel free to use this message as God’s Holy Spirit directs your heart.
