Sunday Morning September 9, 2001 Bel Aire Baptist Church, Hobbs, New Mexico
Series: Finding Freedom From Sin #6
FRESH AIR
Isaiah 6:1-8
Introduction:
1. While working for a fast food company as the manager, I remember several of my agitated employees deciding to get back me. I was counting the inventory in the freezer and they locked the freezer and turned off the power with me inside. Now I want you to know, that not only was I really cold; but even worse, I was not getting any fresh air in that dark enclosed area. The employees told me later that I was only in there about 5 minutes, but I want to assure you it seemed like an hour to me. When they let me out, I remember how good it felt to breathe that fresh air.
2. Did you know that sin could hold you captive? When sin holds you captive it is like that cold, dark freezer without air, but when you are set free, you get to experience the wonderfulness of the fresh air of God.
3. As a Christian, I want to be in the presence of God, but I have learned that I can’t go to God in my own nature.
4. Let’s look this morning at what happens when we get a breath of the fresh air of God.
5. Turn with me to Isaiah 6:1-8.
I. Trouble
Isaiah 6:1
“In the year the King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.”
A. Sad Situation
1. This was a sad time for the Nation of Israel because Uzziah was one of the good kings.
a) Now he was dead.
b) History would show that Uzziah was the last great king of the southern kingdom of Judah.
2. Isaiah is thinking at this point, “Alright, the good king has died and now things are getting ready to get bad again”.
a) With that in mind, Isaiah goes into the temple.
b) He goes to the proper place, the place where he could meet with God.
3. In God’s temple Isaiah makes the discovery that the true King of the nation is not dead.
B. Situation Solved
1. Isaiah sees God sitting upon a throne.
a) God is on the throne.
b) God is still in charge.
2. Isaiah has already told us not to put confidence in man.
a) Just like Uzziah, we can die at any moment.
3. We as God’s people need to be reminded that God is still on the throne.
a) God still hears and answers prayer.
b) God is still working miracles in lives everyday.
C. Second Discovery
1. Isaiah makes a second discovery and that is: God is high and lifted up and His train fills the temple.
2. God is high and lifted up.
3. God will not and cannot compromise with sin.
II. Truth
Isaiah 6:2
“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.”
A. Seraphim
1. These angels described here are mentioned only a few times in Scripture.
2. Seraph means, “to burn”.
a) It is the word used in connection with the sin offerings and judgment.
b) The seraphim usually are the angels that search out sin.
3. The seraphim in our text are protecting the holiness of God.
a) He is “high and lifted up”.
B. Sin
1. God will not compromise with evil.
2. God hates sin and in the end will destroy sin.
3. When Isaiah saw God on the throne, it brought him down upon his face.
Isaiah 6:3
“And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
C. Scene
1. God is holy and we cannot just rush into His presence.
a) It is not permitted.
b) So how do we go to God?
2. You go to the Father through Jesus Christ.
a) You can never go to the Father because of who you are.
b) Jesus says, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
3. As a Christian, you can go boldly to the throne of the Father, but only because of Jesus.
III. Terror
Isaiah 6:4-5
“At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.”
“’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.’”
A. See Yourself
1. Isaiah was God’s man before this experience, but it had a huge effect on him.
2. Isaiah sees himself as he really is in the presence of God- undone.
3. It shows him his true condition.
B. See God
1. When he had seen God, he could see himself.
2. The problem with many of us today is that we don’t walk in the light of the Word of God.
a) If we did, we would see ourselves for what we really are.
1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
3. If we walk in the light of God’s Word, we are going to see exactly what Isaiah saw- that we are undone and a people of unclean lips.
C. Similar Experiences
1. Job
Job 42:5-6
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
“Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
2. John
Revelation 1:17
“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.’”
3. Paul
Philippians 3:7
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
IV. Triumph
Isaiah 6:6
“Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.”
A. Live Coal
1. This “live coal” has come from the burnt altar where sin had been dealt with.
a) In the next chapter you will find the prediction of the birth of Jesus, but is not the birth of Christ that saves us.
b) It is His death on the cross that saves us.
2. For this reason, Isaiah needs the live coal from the burnt altar, which is symbolic of Christ’s death.
3. This “living coal” represents the cleansing blood of Christ that keeps on cleansing us from all sin.
Isaiah 6:7
“With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’”
B. Lips
1. Isaiah was a man of unclean lips, and the condition for cleansing is confession.
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
2. This glowing coal is symbolic of Jesus.
3. Jesus was the One high and lifted up on the throne and Jesus is also the One that was high and lifted up on the cross.
C. Life
1. Paul also said he was undone.
2. Part of life as a Christian is realizing that you cannot walk in your own strength and stay clean.
3. Paul realized this and realized that when he was on his own he was so dirty and undone.
V. Time
Isaiah 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!’”
A. Hearing The Call
1. It is interesting that up to this time Isaiah had never heard the call of God.
2. I think many Christians have never felt like they were called to do anything for God because they have never been cleansed.
3. God is not going to use a dirty vessel, I can assure you of that.
B. Heeding To The Call
1. Isaiah heard God’s call: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
2. Notice it says us. That is the Trinity.
3. Isaiah’s response was, “Here am I; send me.”
C. He Followed
1. Isaiah heard God’s call for the first time and responded to it, as a cleansed individual will do.
2. There are too many people today who are asked to do something in the church that first of all ought to get cleansed and straightened out with the Lord.
3. They need to confess the sins in their lives, because their service will be sterile and frustrating until that takes place.
Conclusion:
1) Have you heard God’s call on your life?
2) If you have are you doing as He as said?
3) If you have not heard God’s call, why is that?
a) Do you need to be cleansed of those sins by God?
b) What are you waiting for?
4) Are you God’s child?
5) Just as Isaiah learned that day, today is the time to follow the Lord.
