Cornerstone Church July 30/31, 2011
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD ALMIGHTY!”
Isaiah 6:1-8
“During the dark days of World War II, William Temple, then Archbishop of Canterbury, in a radio address to the people of England declared,
‘This world can be saved from political chaos and
collapse by one thing only, and that is worship.’
Doesn’t that sound preposterous? Dr. Ray Pritchard wrote. Dr. Pritchard then said, listen to his definition of worship:
‘To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Dr. Pritchard went on to say, ‘If that is what worship really is, perhaps the Archbishop was correct.’ “ONLY WORSHIP CAN SAVE US.” And we will never worship as long as we are bored with God. And God will bore us until we get a glimpse of His holiness.”
Dr. Ray Prichard, Sermon Notes, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, Isaiah 6
America and the world are once again faced with Dark Days of uncertainty.
Will the US Debt Crisis lead to the collapse of our economic system?
Are we on the Road to Armageddon?
Will our country be attacked again?
Will I lose someone I know?
Will the “Moral Meltdown” continue until total meltdown – The China Syndrome?
What about the catastrophic disasters, suffering and famine in our world?
Is this the end of time?
Questions prompt us to look for answers!
Our pursuit for answers should lead us to seek God!
The Word of God has the answers to the greatest questions asked by people.
QUESTIONS LIKE:
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Is there life after death or is this all there is?
Is God real?
Is God knowable?
Does God love me or care?
Is God really in control of HIS Creation?
Isaiah the Prophet lived during a time just like our days.
Let us learn from God’s Word where a prophet found hope in the midst of dark days!
Turn to Isaiah 6:1-8
OUTLINE:
THE REASON FOR THE UNCERTAIN TIMES – Isaiah 6:1a
THE HOPE FOR ISAIAH IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAIN TIMES – Isaiah 6:1b-8
THE REASON FOR THE UNCERTAIN TIMES
Isaiah 6:1a
“In the year that King Uzziah died,”
UZZIAH THE KING
Uzziah – a great King of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (8th Century BC)
2 Chr. 26:3-5 NIV Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
Uzziah was King for 52 Years (over 5 decades) – death (740 BC)
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD!
He feared God (as did Joash, Amaziah, Jotham, Hezekiah)
He led the Southern Kingdom to prosper spiritually and nationally
It was a time like King David’s rule!
Uzziah was victorious over the Philistines and other neighboring people
He rebuilt their defenses (walls and towers) and Military
He dug new wells
The Land was producing crops
WATCH OUT!
2 Chr. 26:16 NIV But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
2 Chr. 26:21 NIV King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house — leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
This was a time that Tiglath-Pilesar III of Assyria was ascending in power and beginning his imperialistic campaigns.
It was a time of spiritual decline as well
Isa. 1:4 NIV Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
Isa. 1:10 NIV Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
Isa. 1:21 NIV See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her — but now murderers!
God was upstream and saw their continued spiritual and moral deterioration
The future captivity of the 10 Northern Kingdom Tribes of Israel by Assyria (722 BC)
The deportation of the 2 Southern Kingdom Tribes of Judah to Babylon (606 - 586 BC)
Ahaz (Hezekiah’s father)
Made images to Baal
Practiced infant sacrifice in wilderness
Placed a replicated altar (from Damascus) in the temple area in Jerusalem sacrificing at it
Shut the Temple doors – forced worshippers to use his altar
ISAIAH BEN AMOZ - PROPHET
It was during these uncertain times that the Lord raised up His prophet to proclaim His message. Isaiah is one of the Major Prophets.
Isa. 1:1 NIV The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
THE HOPE FOR ISAIAH IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAIN TIMES
Isaiah 6:1b-8
These points come from Dr. Warren Wiersbe (“Be Comforted – Book of Isaiah”)
SIGHT: HE SAW THE LORD - Isa 6:1-4
INSIGHT: HE SAW HIMSELF - Isa 6:5-7
VISION: HE SAW THE NEED - Isa 6:8
BLINDNESS: THE NATION COULD NOT SEE- Isa 6:9-13
SIGHT: HE SAW THE LORD - Isa 6:1-4
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above 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. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
Isaiah saw the transcendent holiness of God!
It is an impossible pursuit to attempt to explain the Holiness of God.
The more I read, the more I felt like I was drowning.
HOW CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN THE HOLINESS OF GOD?
Jerry Bridges tries with these illustrations:
If man had 1 Tablespoon of his own holiness in the palm of his hand, God’s Holiness would take all of the water on planet earth and more to show God’s Holiness.
If man had as much holiness as the width of his hand, God’s Holiness would stretch beyond the borders of the universe.
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,
and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Someone will immediately want to quote this verse:
John 1:18 NIV No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
Other scriptures say the same thing: Exodus 33:20, 1 Tim. 6:16
It is true that God is Spirit.
It is also true no individual has seen all of God.
God has manifested certain of His attributes to people so that they might know Him.
Throughout this section of Scripture you will see the two uses of Lord interchanged.
Lord (Adonai) = Sovereign Master vss. 1, 8, 11
LORD (YHWH / JEHOVAH) vss. 3, 5, 12
Ps. 8:1 NIV O LORD (JEHOVAH), our Lord (Adonai), how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Isaiah is experiencing a Theophany!
A Throne
A Robe
A Bodily appearance
More specifically a Christophany!
John 12:41 NIV Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
This is Jesus before Bethlehem
Jesus – God the SON – Eternally Existent
700 + Years before HIS Incarnation (God / Man)
Angelic messengers proclaiming God’s Holiness around His throne!
And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isa. 6:3 NIV
God’s Holiness is extremely important! It is here that we see a Hebrew superlative used for emphasis. To make a point Hebrew words were repeated twice.
Notice that the Angelic Beings do not say:
God is Holy
Or that God is Holy, Holy!
They say that God is Holy, Holy, Holy!
GOD IS HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!
Interpreted: God is absolutely HOLY!
Holiness describes the essence of WHO HE IS! Holiness is His very Nature!
We know that God has many other attributes! But none of them receive the emphasis that His Holiness receives!
We do not say:
God is Love, Love, Love
God is Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
God is Just, Just, Just
GOD IS HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!
This is repeated in Revelation 4:8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
The only other three-fold repetition I have noted is when judgement is being pronounced:
Rev. 8:13 NIV As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”
Holy (Hebrew qadosh) = “cut off” “separate”
R. C. Sproul explains His Holiness as His Transcendence
“When we speak of the transcendence of God we are talking about that sense which God is above and beyond us. It tries to get at His supreme and altogether greatness… Transcendence describes God in His consuming majesty, His exalted loftiness. It points to the infinite distance that separates Him from every creature.”
R. C. Sproul, pg. 55, THE HOLINESS OF GOD
God’s Holiness makes HIM – Self-existent, Eternal and Self-sufficient.
God has no needs and needs no one!
This one may injure our pride a bit. God is totally independent of His creation and us.
Can we give God Glory?
Does God need our love?
Is God lonely without us?
NO!
God’s Holiness = all that He is!
God’s Holiness = He is separate from all that is not God!
CAN YOU TRY TO FATHOM NOTHING OR NOTHINGNESS?
Beyond nothing (before creation and the expanse of the universe)
God is!
Isaiah saw God’s Transcendent Holiness
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,
and the train of his robe filled the temple.
“seated on a throne!”
This reflects His Authority, His Power, and His Glory!
He is not in a panic / breaking a sweat / wringing His hands / pacing.
Nothing is out of control!
Nothing takes Him by surprise!
He is in absolute charge of everything!
WHY? Because He is Holy!
He isn’t concerned about world leaders
He isn’t concerned about our President
He isn’t concerned about our leaders in Congress, The Senate or the Supreme Court
HE IS SOVEREIGN!
Remember that little “time out” HE had with Nebuchadnezzar?
Dan. 4:34 NIV At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
After that Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t an Atheist or Idolater!
Nebuchadnezzar understood God could have killed him!
THE SERAPHIM
Above 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.
Isa. 6:2 NIV
Seraphim = (lit. “the burning ones”)
These angelic beings have not sinned and yet they reverence God by covering themselves. In the presence of absolute Holiness they remain in awe of the Creator!
And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isa. 6:3 NIV
HOLINESS IN THE FIRST AND LAST SONGS IN THE BIBLE:
Exod. 15:11 NIV “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you — majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
Rev. 15:4 NIV Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
MARY’S PROPHECY:
Luke 1:35 NIV The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
MARY’S SONG:
Luke 1:49 NIV for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.
THEN WHAT HAPPENED?
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook
and the temple was filled with smoke.
Isa. 6:4 NIV
THIS SHOULD REMINDS US ALL OF MT. SINAI
Exod. 19:18-19 NIV Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
Exod. 19:21 NIV and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish.
INSIGHT: HE SAW HIMSELF - Isa 6:5-7
“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.”
Isa. 6:5 NIV
Here we see God’s Moral Holiness
Isaiah didn’t say, “Yo!” He said, “Woe!” Woe isn’t a word we use much these days!
Woe (Yiddish = “Oy Vay!” “Oy Vay is mer” = Oh Woe is Me!)
Woe = misery about the impending doom
Isaiah pronounced a prophetic message to himself = “Woe to me!”
I say – WOE to me too!
KEY POINT: Isaiah wasn’t concerned at this moment about this person, or that person that he knew was not obedient to the Lord.
He did not point fingers at anyone else!
He pointed his own finger at himself!
I am ruined!
I am coming apart!
I am going to disintegrate!
Why did Isaiah feel this way? Because at this moment he knew that he had less then a tablespoon of his own righteousness in his hand.
“It is not the consciousness of humanity in the presence of divine power, but the consciousness of sin in the presence of moral purity.”
H. H. Rowley, pg. 66, THE FAITH OF ISRAEL
Until we see ourselves, the way God views us, we will never understand just how wretched we really are!
If we use our own standard to measure ourselves we will look pretty good. But when we use God as the standard, we feel like hiding under a rock!
Illustration: Have you ever purchased a white shirt and worn it, washed it, and bleached it over and over again and thought that the shirt looked brand new after a year? It looks great until you purchase another white shirt and hold it up next to the old shirt. Suddenly the old shirt looks gray and dingy!
From Dr. Ray Pritchard Message: Holy, Holy, Holy, Isaiah 6
Each of us has a sin nature. In addition, we are sinners from birth.
We are comfortable with our sin until the light of God’s holiness is turned on our life!
Isaiah saw the pure, undiluted Holiness of God! The Awesome Holiness of God struck fear deep into his heart!
The Apostle John saw the Holiness of Jesus
Rev. 1:17-18 NIV When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Our world thinks it can set it's own standards!
Good Luck with that one!
Only God’s standard of Holiness matters!
If the angels hide their faces before the Holiness of God
If the Temple and Mt. Sinai shook before the Holiness of God
If Isaiah thought he was going to disintegrate before the Holiness of God
WHY DON’T WE SHAKE IN A REVERENTIAL FEAR BEFORE THE LORD MORE?
We have made God
Too Safe
Too Familiar
Too Comfortable
We have dumbed HIM down and tried to put HIM in a box!
We judge HIM, Worship and Church through the medium and lens of entertainment!
“We Are Amusing Ourselves To Death” to quote Neil Postman
This has caused many Christians to be bored with God and Church.
This leads many Christians to offer HIM:
Leftovers and scrapes from our earnings
Serve HIM when convenient
Sing half-heartedly when we worship
It has led Christians to pick and chose which of God’s commands and standards they want to obey or not obey!
It is why living together before marriage or fornication does not seem to matter.
Lying
Cheating
Pride
Rom. 3:18 NIV “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
This is what happens when God’s people lose reverential fear of God and adopt our own standards!
Here is wisdom:
Prov. 9:10 NIV “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Psa. 86:11 NIV Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
GOD CLEANSES ISAIAH
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand,
which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away
and your sin atoned for.”
Isa. 6:6-7 NIV
Our lips are one of the most sensitive parts on our body! Our lips are tender enough to kiss a loved one. If you have ever had chapped lips (sunburned them or wind burned them) you know how much pain can affect them!
The Seraphs took a white hot coal and touched Isaiah’s lips! Ouch!
Isaiah wasn’t just saying to God, “I’m sorry!” “I’ll try to do better next time!”
He knows that God doesn’t grade with a Bell Shaped Curve!
Before God’s Holiness he is undone!
Without God’s purification, he has no hope!
Isa. 64:6 NIV All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
“See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away
and your sin atoned for.”
Live Coal = atonement, propitiation, satisfaction, forgiveness, cleansing or reconciliation. It was looking forward 700 years to the atoning work of The Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross:
Isa. 53:6 NIV We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
VISION: HE SAW THE NEED - Isa 6:8
Then 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!”
Isaiah heard God’s Voice
Cleansed and willing to obey God’s will
Not: “I am Here” = location
But: “Here am I” = I’m willing to obey you!
APPLICATION POINTS:
Holiness is where revival begins:
“Revival happens when we see God majestic in holiness, and when we see ourselves, disobedient dust. Brokeness, repentance, unspeakable joy of forgiveness, a ‘taste for the magnificence of God.’ A hunger for His Holiness – to see it more and to live it more: that’s revival. And it comes from seeing God.”
John Piper, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD OF HOSTS, Jan. 1, 1984
2 Cor. 7:1 NIV Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
1 Pet. 1:16 NIV for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
BLINDNESS: THE NATION COULD NOT SEE - Isa 6:9-10
He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 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.”
DR. RAY PRITCHARD GIVES THESE INSIGHTS ABOUT GOD’S HOLINESS:
What happens when God’s Holiness is elevated to it’s proper position?
* Less talk about self-esteem and more talk about repentance.
* Less concern for the White House and more concern for God’s House.
* Fewer flippant jokes and more serious worship.
* Less emphasis on relevance and more emphasis on faithfulness.
* Less therapy from the pulpit and more preaching of the Cross.
* Less neglect of Church Discipline.
* Less concerned about what the world thinks and more concerned about what God thinks.
God’s Holiness:
Exposes our Sin
Shatters our Pride
Awakens our Conscience
Redirects our Will
Stirs our Emotions
Prompts our Obedience
Ignites our Worship
We learn from Isaiah and God’s Word that God is willing to cleanse us as well.
1 John 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
GOD’S HOLINESS IS BEYOND OUR EARTHY COMPREHENSION
“We are like people who ride in our carriage at night into the country to see the glory of God. But above us on either side of the carriage seat burns a gas lantern. As long as our head is surrounded by this artificial light the sky overhead is empty of Glory. But if some gracious wind of the Spirit blows out our earthly lights, then in our darkness God’s heavens are filled with stars.”
Sorren Kierkegaard
On the verge of WWI, Edward, Viscount Grey of Fallodon said,
“The lamps are going out all over Europe;
we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”
Our world is experiencing dark days! We must come to understand
the Holiness of God and begin to properly reverence and worship Him
so that the world might see Jesus!
A. W. Tozer - God is:
The Absolute Quintessence of Moral Excellence
Infinitely Perfect in Righteousness
Incomprehensible Holiness
“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
Is. 45:22 NIV
