A preacher was showing his young daughter pictures from a book on famous art. They got to one of the famous paintings of Christ and, not wanting to mislead his child, the preacher gently explained "It's not really Jesus. It’s just an artist's conception of him."
The girl looked a long time at the picture… and then said “Well, it sure looks like him.”
In our text this morning, the Gospel of John explains that Isaiah has painted a picture of Jesus. And apparently Isaiah’s portrait of Jesus was dead-on.
John 12:39-41 tells us “… Isaiah said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.’
Isaiah said these things because HE SAW HIS GLORY AND SPOKE OF HIM.” John was talking about Jesus… it was Christ’s GLORY that Isaiah saw and spoke of.
BUT WHEN exactly did Isaiah see that glory of Jesus? Well, let’s turn back to Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6:9-10 is what John quoted - about blinding eyes and hardening hearts, and it’s right before that… that Isaiah saw the GLORY of Jesus.
Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that King Uzziah died I (Isaiah) saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”
He sees the Lord … and suddenly Isaiah realizes he is in TROUBLE. He says: “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!” Isaiah 6:5
But now, wait a minute… I don’t see anything in that passage about Jesus! All Isaiah SEEMS to see is the Lord. He’s high and lifted up, and He’s seated on a throne. Where’s Jesus? Well, the Gospel of John is telling us – THAT was Jesus! Surrounded by angels; seated on a throne; and fearsome enough to make Isaiah think He’s going to die. THAT was Jesus.
What is more - John is telling us (by telling us Isaiah saw GLORY) - that Jesus was God. Did you notice that Isaiah’s statement said “… my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Notice that word LORD? It’s in all capital letters. Whenever you see GOD or LORD in all caps, that’s the translators way of telling you this is the special name of God - Jehovah/Yahweh (depending on how you pronounce it). When Isaiah saw Jehovah, high and lifted up and seated on a throne - THAT was Jesus. Jesus was Jehovah – JESUS WAS GOD!!!
Now, you see that several times in Scripture (Jesus shown to be God). In Exodus, Moses asked God "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?"
Do you remember what God told Moses? “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) God was telling Moses – my name is “I AM”!
Well, in John 8:58 Jesus said ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.’”
Jesus called Himself “I AM” – the name of God. And this wasn’t the only time Jesus referred to Himself as “I AM.” Whenever Jesus told people WHO He was He used an odd Greek phrase to describe Himself. That phrase was “Ego (I), eimi (I AM).”
It would be like me saying “I, I am, Jeff.” And Jesus said that a lot. For example, Jesus said:
“I - I am - the bread of life, he that comes to me shall never hunger.”
“I - I am - the light of the world, he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life”
“I - I am - the door. If any man enter through me he shall be saved.”
“I - I am - the good shepherd, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”
“I - I am - the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me - though he were dead, shall live.”
“I - I am - the way, the truth and the life; no man comes unto the Father but by me.”
“I - I am - the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”
And in John 8:24 (Jesus literally says) “If you don't believe that ‘I am’ you will die in your sins.”
Jesus repeatedly said “I AM.” And when He did that He was identifying Himself as the God who met Moses at Burning Bush. That was HIS NAME! John 1:1 makes it even clearer when it says “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was God.”
JESUS WAS GOD!
Now, why was THIS so important? Why would it be so important that Jesus was God - that He was the great “I AM”? Well… if Jesus isn’t God, a lot of stuff in Scripture doesn’t make sense.
* If Jesus wasn’t God, why does the angel tell Joseph “… that which is conceived in (Mary) is from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20) If Jesus was JUST a man, it would not have been necessary for the angel say that Jesus had to be born thru the Holy Spirit.
* If Jesus wasn’t God, His telling His people sins were forgiven would’ve been illogical. Only God can forgive sins. Now I can forgive your sins against me, but if (after church) you back into someone else’s car in the parking lot, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to run out and say “It’s OK. I forgive you.” Not my car.
* If Jesus wasn’t God His death on the cross would have been meaningless. If Jesus was merely a man…He couldn’t have died for you or me. All mortals have sinned, so they couldn’t even die for your sins, let alone for their own sins.
* AND if Jesus wasn’t God, John 3:16 would have been an empty verse. “For God so loved the world that He … sent somebody else” just doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it. It’s like God couldn’t be bothered… it wouldn’t cost Him anything.
The only thing that explains Jesus and His ministry is the truth that Jesus IS God.
Now … John’s comment that Isaiah saw Jesus’ GLORY is interesting. Back in the Old Testament, we read a lot about God’s GLORY.
When God came down on the Mountain to meet Moses we’re told “The GLORY of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai” Exodus 24:16
Numbers 14:10 tells us “the GLORY of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation.”
And when Solomon finished building the Temple in Jerusalem - “… the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the GLORY of the LORD filled the LORD’s house” 2 Chronicles 7:2
Then in Isaiah 6:3 (the same passage where Isaiah sees Jesus) an angels says “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the WHOLE EARTH is full of his glory!”
You see, whenever God’s glory showed up… the people worshipped. They worshipped at the Mountain, in the Tabernacle and in the Temple.
In fact, Psalm 113:1-6 tells us His GLORY should cause us to “Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! The LORD is high above all nations, and his GLORY above the heavens!”
So when you and I come into the glory of Jesus it should cause us to praise/worship Him. The very idea of being in church and praising Jesus should fill us with an anticipation and an excitement and a pleasure that nothing else can give.
ILLUS: Erma Bombeck told about a little boy at church with his mother. He was a good little boy, quiet and well behaved. He didn’t cause any problems. But every once in a while he would stand up in the pew, turn around, look at the people behind him and smile at them. Soon everybody was smiling back at him.
It was all going fine until the mother realized what the little boy was doing. When she did, she grabbed him by his ear and twisted it a bit, told him to sit down and remember that he was in church. Then he started sniffling and crying, and she turned to him and said, "That’s better."
Somewhere in the past, somebody thought it was a GREAT IDEA to have church be a time to be somber and sad. THEY WERE WRONG.
Revelation tells us that “they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” Revelation 5:9-13
There was such a level of excitement and joy that EVERY creature EVERYWHERE in heaven/ on earth/ under the earth – sang praises and gave glory to Christ. If you don’t feel that kind of pleasure and excitement by being in church there’s either something wrong with you, or something wrong with the church.
And even if there’s something wrong with the church… you can still feel the pleasure and excitement by giving praise and glory to Christ.
(LONG PAUSE…) A couple more things caught my attention here.
When Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus we’re told that he cried out and 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!” Isaiah 6:5
Seeing the glory of Jesus and standing in the presence of a holy and righteous savior, Isaiah realized how unclean and unworthy he was. And any Christian who comes into the presence of Jesus and doesn’t recognize how unworthy they are hasn’t truly recognized WHO Jesus really is.
Someone once observed that “The Church is a society of sinners - the only society in the world in which membership is based upon the single qualification that the candidate shall be unworthy of membership.” Charles C. Morrison
The best Christians are the ones most aware of how unworthy they are. They don’t look down on others because they don’t see themselves as being that high up. That’s why Paul wrote: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” I Timothy 1:15
Now, I also noticed one more thing - when Isaiah recognized that truth (that he was unworthy) something changed inside of him. No sooner had Isaiah cried out “I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…”
“(And) THEN one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:6-7
You see, in order to become a Christian, you’ve got to realize 2 things. The first is that you are unworthy … and you need to repent of your sins. Acts 3:19 tells us Repent… and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
ILLUS: Years ago a man wanted to be baptized into Christ and I went through the basics to make sure he knew what he was committing himself to. I asked him if he believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God and he said “Yes.” Then I asked if he believed he was a sinner in need of forgiveness. He paused a moment and then said “Well, I’m not ‘that bad’ a sinner.”
I told him “Well, I’m sorry then. I can’t help you. If you don’t see yourself as a sinner in need of forgiveness then you’re saying you don’t need the blood of Jesus to cleanse you of your sins.”
He almost came out of his chair “Oh no! I am a sinner! I am a sinner!”
So, 1st you need to realize you are unworthy and need to repent. Then 2ndly, you need to realize that only God can take your guilt away/ atone for your sins. When Isaiah repented - God took away his guilt AND atoned for his sin. And that’s what we’re told Jesus did for us. “… he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
That’s what happens when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, when we repent of our sins, when we confess that Jesus will be our Lord and Master, and when we are buried in the waters of baptism and rise to walk in newness of life. At that point – our sins guilt is removed and our sins atoned for.
(PAUSE)
CLOSE: Now, one last thing… you cannot come into the presence of Jesus and remain unchanged. Once you’ve realized how wonderful and glorious Jesus is, you’ll never again be satisfied with just sitting in a pew and being entertained. Any person who has come into the GLORY of Jesus can’t just SIT there! The glory of Jesus should so fill us with joy and thanksgiving for forgiveness that we could NEVER be content not being used by Him.
Did you notice that when Isaiah’s guilt was removed God asked “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"
And do you remember what Isaiah said? "Here I am! Send me."
ILLUS: Someone once asked: would you do more for Jesus if you got paid? Would you be more involved in some ministry if you knew there was a paycheck? Would you do more for GOLD than you do for GOD?
A lot of you have already answered that question. A lot of you serve Jesus like He had already given you great wealth… because you know that He has.
I Peter 1:18-19 “you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ...”
If you have truly experienced the joy of being forgiven by Jesus of your sins DO NOT (I repeat) DO NOT sit on your hands. FIND A WAY TO BE USED BY GOD! Say to Jesus – HERE I AM!!!! Send me!!!
A famous preacher once said: “I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncallused hand – a hand never dirtied by serving and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.” - Bill Hybels
INVITATION
