AW Tozer said:
what comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important thing about us. He went on to say
‘’For this reason, the gravest (meaning most serious) question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous (significant) fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.’’ (Tozer quoted in Chester, Tim. Isaiah For You: Enlarging Your Vision of Who God Is (God’s Word For You) . The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition).
What can happen is that we come to think of God as a bigger or better version of ourselves – he is like us, just more powerful, or more morally consistent…
We explore who God is, through the words of Isaiah…
Isaiah 6 God on the Throne.
V1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death.
Is this simple dating. A link it to a national event to make it easier for people to know when it happened?
It can also be a theological statement. King Uzziah was probably the best king in Judah since Solomon. Efficient at administration, able military leader and under him Judah had grown in every way. It would have been easy to place hopes, and trust on such a person. But what happens when such a person dies? And now Judah faced the threat of neighbouring greedy and aggressive superpower Assyria…
In this time of insecurity and instability, Isaiah sees the true King.
‘’I saw the Lord.’’
This is not the Covenant name LORD or Yahweh, but Lord meaning ‘sovereign or master’.
Later in verse 5 Isaiah calls him the King…
He is high and exalted – suggesting he is high above anyone and anything else, superpower or your neighbour…
When Queen Elisabeth II was crowned Queen in 1953, she wore the Robe of State. It was 6 yards or 5.5m of silk velvet which required 7 people to carry it. She couldn’t walk in it. But it showed her majesty and power.
God is wearing a robe. But it isn’t 6 yards long. It fills the temple, it floods it, and emphases his majesty and power…
Uzziah is God. Assyria is around and threatening. But God remains on the throne.
We are in changing times. Change seems so fast. Future feels stressful perhaps. World seems more and more unstable and greater suffering than before. Our Christian values are being challenged. Church in many parts of Europe is in decline…
But God remains on the throne…
just like he did when Uzziah died…
HOLINESS
V2 Isaiah becomes aware of other creatures. Seraphim. They seem to be a little strange – 6 wings, two cover face, two cover the feet, two fly and sing. They are all wings and voice.
Yet they show an appropriate response to God’s holiness.
Their faces covered – for even the most perfect of creatures cannot gaze on the Creator.
God is so holy and pure, they cannot look.
In fact, they spend 2/3 of their energy protecting themselves from God’s holiness – as two of their wings cover their feet – which can also mean their body… two wings fly and they sing…
And the cry is ‘Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.’’
In response to this praise, the doorpost shook – maybe that is where Isaiah was lying or standing when the vision happened…
What Isaiah sees in the physical actions of the seraphim, he hears in the voices – Holy Holy Holy.
Said three times. I don’t know how you Whatsapp, but I guess some people, when they want to emphasis something, they put it in BIG CAPITALS. Like I want that project finished TOMORROW, clean your room TOMORROW… etc…
Well Hebrew achieves the same thing by repetition. So an example in Genesis 14, we read of tar pits. But the Hebrew actually says – the pit – pit – of tar…’; Or Jesus in some translations – truly truly I tell you.
The song of heaven.
They are not just singing – God is holy holy…
Not just that God is the holiest of holy beings…
It means – Our God is holiest of holiest of holy beings…
Isaiah sees the holiness of God – by the wings on the seraphim.
He hears the holiness of God by their shouts of praise.
Then he feels the holiness of God as the doors and building are rocked, and he smells the holiness as smoke fills the temple.
ME, MYSELF AND I. slide
V5.
Isaiah stands there in all the smoke and noise.
Isaiah has been aware of the desperate need in his nation; he has been made aware of God’s awe-inspiring holiness; and now he is aware of himself…
Isaiah says ‘woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.’
Isaiah is convicted, he is like the nation, that his character is not in keeping with God’s character. He has not been Holy as God is Holy.
Why are his lips unclean? Because the lips express what is in the heart and the mind – and they do not belong to God he realises…
It hits us. Isaiah was one of the best. He did many good things. Yet at his core he realised he was a sinner.
And that leads us to GRACE
GRACE slide
V6-7
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 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. ” Isaiah 6:6-7
This is a verse shows the depths of grace.
Isaiah does not plead for mercy, nor does he make great promises to God if he will be forgiven or cleansed.
He sees his case as hopeless.
I am ruined he said.
Yet from the smoke comes a seraph.
This is the third thing revealed to us about God in the vision – he is king, he is holy and he is gracious…
There is a beautiful quote: ‘’God does not reveal himself to destroy us, but rather to redeem us…’’ (John Oswalt).
We have a problem of God’s holiness and our guilt –
for we know if we sit and compare ourselves to others, we can do pretty well;
yet when we consider God and Jesus, we realise our failings, our sins, our guilt…
But the wonderful news, is that there is Grace. God can take away out guilt…
That coal came from the altar. The altar in the OT was where animals were sacrificed for sin.
The punishment for the sin taken by the animal.
Yet it is symbol and a promise – which points us to Jesus, the perfect sacrifice who takes away the sin of the world, our sin in this world…
V8 Service Slide
Now God speaks.
Whom shall I send? Who shall go for us.
It is as if Isaiah was not ready to hear before now.
Note, Isaiah is not addressed. He is not asked. Isaiah does not need to pressured or forced, he just needs an opportunity to volunteer.
Isaiah said he was ruined. He has received complete cleansing instead. He has been saved, you could put it.
What else would he rather do – than throw himself into God’s service…
Isaiah reveals that fourth characteristic of God – he is king, he is holy, he is gracious and he calls us to serve…
Service of God is a response to the grace of God. We may see ourselves as unclean lips when we seen the majesty of God. Yet when we have experienced his grace, our response cannot help but be service…
Our Service like Isaiah can flow from an unexpected Encounter.
Through conviction, or through moved. We did not expect it. In that place something happened and we offered ourselves afresh to the Lord or in that ministry.
It reminds us of whom we serve.
Whom shall we send? Whatever we do, even if it is within this community, our service is ultimately for Him. As Colossians 3 say – whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord.
Need
Whom shall we send? What God said. There was a kingdom need.
What needs are you aware of? Could your awareness be Him inviting you to serve there?
Or you have heard his voice and now is the time to step in or step up?
Where is there an opportunity at the moment?
In your college or school, your neighbourhood?
Here at All Saints we have needs for people to serve:
Sunday School and YETI.
Sound team.
Computer Techies to run our live stream and powerpoint…
Just three we have at this moment in All Saints…
Time
Isaiah’s call was one for the long term. This was a serious life shaping, commitment.
So. If you are in full time education – instead of going straight into your next study or into work, what about offering God the coming year to serve him – to go where he wants you to? Or what about offering part of or your whole coming year? Here at All Saints we have seen a few recent examples of Susanna and Ruben Tucker at Capenwray to study; Christine and Vera on ships ministries; Abel about to go …
Or are you on a path like Tristan, exploring if God could be calling you to become a pastor, or full time paid Christian worker / missionary for the rest of your days? You could chat to Tristan, or to John and Marijke who work for missionary agencies Iteams and World Vision…
Unexpected Service (v9-11)
When I was ordained, one of the common passages read at the Cathedral Ordination Service and often preached upon, was this chapter but only up to that v8 – Here am I , send me’.
However during training, our OT tutor, Bob Fyall, enjoyed reminding us that Isaiah 6 doesn’t end at v8.
If you read v9- end, you realise Isaiah is given a job to speak to people who will not listen.
In fact the situation won’t improve – the more he speaks, the more people will not listen…
Isaiah’s preaching will not make it easier for the people to believe and repent, but it will make it more difficult. They would become apathetic and not interested. This is not unique to Isaiah. Jesus used these words to explain why he spoke in parables, and John, as we heard in John 12, said the same thing that was promised to Isaiah was seen in Jesus ministry.
But what is going on? Why would God not want them to be healed.
The passage is pointing to God’s character and to the human condition.
If Isaiah faithfully declare what he knew to be true, then there would not be an admission of guilt as he has just done, and there would not be a turning back to God.
Rather it would lead to an even stronger refusal to recognize their need.
The faithful proclamation would produce the effect predicted.
What was the alternative?
Well if Isaiah would alter the truth in someway the people may be more responsive and be healed in a certain manner. Yet would that be true healing? What can heal bar God’s truth?
The temptation is for Isaiah to tell them
that they do not need to see God as he has,
or be cleansed as he was, in order to serve.
Yet that would be deadly. It would confirm the generation in their syncretism – worship and live as you want. It would twist the truth. It would be selling the present for the future.
Isaiah is therefore called to be – as it is of all servants of God – not to be successful in a human sense but to be faithful…
Isaiah is also warned: your ministry will be challenging. Success is not always the flow of service and especially ministry in the name of the Lord. I think I could sum it up in four words what people like I and many other full time Christian workers do. Battles, Blessings, Pain, Victories.
Sometimes there is seasons of these, other times alongside each other. Victories you see; Blessings you see; yet battles exist; and pain – pain as people may fall away; or pain in the ministry.
I remember on sabbatical, as a team we were praying for a Christian who suffered a devastating loss through persecution. We were a team of mostly pastors and experienced Christians. We pray at length with this man. At the end, the emotion in the room, we grieved as he did; she had to leave the room at the end, and you could hear her outside crying over this Christian’s loss. The pain….
Is the pain, blessings, victories and battles worth it – yes, totally.
But we are aware, that in full time ministry, it isn’t always success and blessing…
Future
V12-13
How long? he cries, will his nation would not respond.
His heart’s cry is not answered as he hoped.
Until the cities are lie ruined. Until the trees – as a metaphor – are all cut down.
But there is still hope.
The holy seed will be the stump in the land.
In other words, there will be something – is the image – something alive. This theme re-emerges in Isaiah 11 – which we will focus on next week.
We learn the shoot will come from the stump of Jesse – the father of King David.
So a chapter that began with the death of a king,
ends with the promise of another – out of the wastes,
the Messiah – the promised King – will come.
Conclusion
Each element has led to the next one.
The king’s death prepares the way for the vision of God
The vision of God leads to self awareness and conviction
Conviction opens the door to cleansing
Cleansing makes it possible to recognize the possibility of service…
The whole experience leads to an offering of yourself…
A service which will be difficult, with battles and blessings, pain and victories.
Shall we pray…