God’s Holiness Revealed • 02.18.24
God’s Holiness Revealed
Isaiah 6
Revelations from the throne room of God
- God is incomparably great in holiness
- The right response is recognition of my sin and God’s majesty
- God is able and willing to atone for my sin
- Consider the lessons of Isaiah’s commission
Good morning, church family! Are you thankful that we serve a BIG God? He is the King to whom none can compare. That is exactly what we’re going to see today in our study of Isaiah.
Welcome visitors. Introduce self.
Today we get to study a great passage of Scripture. It is great because of what it reveals to us – the incomparably great God! Today we are jumping back into Isaiah chapter 6 which captures Isaiah’s vision of the throne room of God.
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 6; page 678)
As I was preparing for the sermon today, I couldn’t help but recall this quote by A.W. Tozer that I read many years ago. It has been burned into my heart and mind ever since.
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.
It is from his book The Knowledge of the Holy, which is a great little read about the character of God and its meaning in the Christian life. Tozer was convinced that a low view of God was the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. He believed that a loss of the sense of the majesty of God has led to a degradation of the quality of our faith and practice. I believe his assessment is accurate. This is a struggle in our day, but it is not unique to modern Christians. This was also the struggle of ancient Israel in the book of Isaiah. The people of Judah had lost their sense of the majesty and splendor of God, leading them to walk in their own ways and bring about incredible spiritual and physical destruction to their land. About these matters, we have heard quite a bit over the past month.
Today, in Isaiah chapter 6, we will join Isaiah as he has the incredible privilege to have a vision of God in his holy splendor. But this vision leaves him wrecked and full of fear of his own sinfulness and impending judgment. Isaiah is no fool. He understands that the perfectly Holy God is a dangerous reality for a sinful man.
We would do well to learn from God’s revelation to Isaiah and Isaiah’s response to God. So please pay attention to what you hear today! Without further ado, let’s turn our attention to the reading and study of God’s Word.
Isaiah 6:1–5 (ESV)
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I 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!”
Let’s pause there for now. Already, we have plenty to talk about! Let’s walk through this verse by verse as we focus on…
Revelations from the throne room of God
As the reader, in verse 1 we are rooted into a specific time in history. The year that King Uzziah died. That was 740 B.C. The King of Judah has passed away. But Uzziah is not the focal point of this text. No, notice that Isaiah’s attention is directed to an even GREATER king – the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. His vision is of the God who is exalted over all!
Now we only know what Isaiah wrote down for us. His vision of God was surely incredible. Stop for a moment and consider other instances when God reveals himself in Scripture. God manifests himself as a blazing fire, such as when he was with Moses on Mount Sinai, or as brilliant radiance, such as at the transfiguration of Jesus, all to symbolize his holiness. Whatever it was like, we can rest assured that it was magnificent to behold.
Isaiah’s vision of God includes the train of his robe filling the heavenly temple! This is indicative of just how great God’s majesty is… just the ends of his garments fill the space of worship. It is similar to when the cloud of God’s glory filled the tent of meeting or temple earlier in the Old Testament. This indicated God was present and it was a warning to keep out! God’s holiness was here and, as sinful man, it was dangerous to be in the presence of a holy God … God is great indeed!
Verse 2 continues by revealing that God has seraphim serving him. These are angels who are described in fantastic detail. Six wings, covering themselves before the Lord, likely to hide their gaze from God and to show humility before Him. Yet, as amazing as these angels are, they are focused on one greater than them. Their speech reveals the object of their worship so let’s read it again.
Verse 3 – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” They called this out to one another, and it is indicative of how incomparably great the holiness of God truly is. In Hebrew, this threefold repetition of holy means he is the holiest of all; no one else can be given this name. He is unmatched in holiness. He is so great that his glory or splendor fills the entire earth. The seraphim are nowhere near as important or powerful as the God who reigns on the throne over all things! This God is unlike any other and is worthy of all their praise!
Verse 4 reveals a terrifying shaking of the thresholds/doorway as their voices ring out. Then the house of God fills up with smoke… Can you imagine being in Isaiah’s shoes? Talk about sensory overload! The sights he was seeing… the smell of the smoke (likely incense) … the shaking of the area he was in… the incredible worship he was hearing… The description of this engages nearly all the senses. The irony is thick given the rest of the nation of Judah is unable to hear, see, or believe in God’s glory, even though it fills the earth!
All that we’ve heard and been exposed to in verses 1-4 brings us to our first revelation from the throne room of God…
- God is incomparably great in holiness
There is literally no one like Him. None who can compare to Him. He is the preeminently holy One. The Most Holy.
Is this how you think of God? What comes to your mind when you conceive of God? Isaiah’s vision confronts us in our small views of God. We live in a day and age where it is tempting to think of God as ‘lesser’ or in our control. Now, as “good Christians”, you likely wouldn’t openly say you have a small view of God, but our small thoughts about God are revealed in the way we live. We FEAR that He is unable or unwilling to help us. We THINK that we know better than Him, so we pursue our own way. We keep quiet when others are struggling because we do not believe that sharing about God’s character and commands will be the answer for them.
Are you willing to be honest with yourself about your small view of God? I am. I know that I need a bigger view of God. I also know that it is a life-long journey of identifying the lies I’ve believed about God and seeking to replace them with the truth revealed in His Word. Are you engaged in the practice of rooting out lies about God and replacing them with the truth? The book of Isaiah will continue to help you do so, if you allow it!
What does it mean that God is incomparably great in holiness? It’s not simply that God gets the trophy for being the most holy. It means that He is pure and perfect in every way, and it means that when he says, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev. 19:1-2; 1 Peter 1:15-16) he is setting the bar at perfection. And he’s not just speaking about ritual purity (ceremonial cleansings/washings like the Pharisees obsessed over) but ethical purity or being morally pure. Immediately that creates problems for us, doesn’t it? Anyone who is honest with themselves knows that they are not morally perfect or pure; that they, in fact, fall far short of God’s perfection. Isaiah clearly knew this, which is why he responded in such dramatic fashion – “Woe is me!” He had previously pronounced woes on the sinful people of Judah, but now he pronounces it on himself. Why? He tells us with his own words… “Woe is me! 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!”
Before the revealed majesty of God’s holiness, there was no hiding his own sinfulness! He was guilty of a life that did not please the Lord. Later in Isaiah 29:13 we will hear that the people honor God with their lips while their heart is far from him. This is a rebuke that their outer man (words/actions/thoughts) are concealing the reality of their inner man (heart/soul/beliefs/convictions). Isaiah is convicted of his own sinfulness, as well as the sinfulness of his people. Before the incomparably holy God such a one cannot stand and survive.
Are you ready to confess your own sinfulness with such earnestness? Isaiah’s recounting of his vision invites you to do so. Certainly, this was the intended effect for the people of his day too. Come behold the holy God and worship in fear and trembling! Prostrate yourself in humility before the King, the LORD of hosts. This leads us to our second revelation from the throne room of God…
- The right response is recognition of my sin and God’s majesty
Faced with God’s unmitigated holiness, Isaiah recognized his own need for salvation from God’s judgment and wrath. He was brought low and responded in a cry of despair. Truly this is the only appropriate response when a sinful man or woman understands who God is.
This should have been the response of all of Judah! It was not just Isaiah who needed conviction and repentance. The whole nation needed it.
You must understand that what our entire world needs most is the conviction of their sin as they understand the reality of God’s holiness. God’s holiness is meant to lead us to repentance. When modern readers hear Isaiah 6, they should shake in their boots and fall to their knees and cry aloud with Isaiah! God has not changed! He is still the same incomparably HOLY God today.
But where is the hope in that?! What good comes from recognizing my sin and God’s majesty!? Every possible good! Isaiah’s conviction and redemption by God is meant to serve as an example to everyone else! It should have been a portrait of hope to the entire nation! If God will atone for Isaiah’s sin, then He is able and willing to do it for others.
Recognizing and confessing your sin before the holy God is the heart posture of humility that God blesses.
Isaiah 66:2b (ESV)
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
The Hebrew word for humble means to be poor in spirit or lowly. The word for contrite also means to be struck or smitten. This passage is conveying that God looks not to those who are puffed up with their opinion of self (Look at how great I am!) but rather to those who understand they can add nothing to God, nor do they deserve anything other than judgment from him, yet they desire to do all that he commands! This is a posture of humility and lowliness before God.
Would this describe the regular posture of your soul? Are you cultivating a humble and contrite spirit? Do you tremble at the awesome opportunity to know and obey God’s Word? If the answer is no, then I want to encourage you to be broken over that today. Confess your pride and recognize that you are inviting God’s opposition into your life. That is a dangerous place to be. Allow the teachings of Isaiah 6 to lead you to a place of humble brokenness before the Holy God.
This is the position of soul that invites God’s mercy and grace in atoning for our sin. This is exactly what we see happen next in Isaiah 6. God blesses Isaiah’s contrite and humble heart with forgiveness or atonement. The alternative is following in the path of Judah who hardened their hearts and continued in their sin towards destruction… Let’s keep reading Isaiah 6 to see what happens next.
Isaiah 6:6–7 (ESV)
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Can you imagine?! One of these majestic angels flew to Isaiah. That in and of itself was probably quite terrifying. But then in his outstretched hand he has a tong with a burning coal in it from the altar of God’s throne room! What is he about to do with that?! He touches Isaiah’s mouth and declares that his guilt has been taken away and his sin atoned for (literally covered over; removed and God’s wrath satisfied).
Absolutely incredible! Isaiah’s greatest problem has been addressed by a merciful, forgiving God. He no longer has to fear being in God’s presence. He is forgiven… purified… made holy… This development reveals that…
- God is able and willing to atone for our sin
Sin is our greatest problem. It separates us from the Holy God. It invites God’s wrath into our lives. It is the great problem we cannot resolve on our own. You cannot remove your own sin. You cannot pay for your own sin. The testimony of Scripture is that we are spiritually dead in our sin.
Ephesians 2:1–2 (ESV)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
This is the condition of our soul outside of God’s forgiveness! And now you are seeing from Isaiah’s life and testimony that God is able and willing to atone for our sin! God can resolve our sin problem. He can remove our sin. He can pay for our sin. He can make us spiritually alive.
In Isaiah’s situation, this was symbolized in an act of mercy with the burning coal. The coal came from the holy altar in God’s throne room. It was holy and by touching Isaiah’s lips it made him holy. I really appreciated Commentator John Oswalt’s observations about this interaction:
This verse speaks of the depths of God’s grace. Isaiah does not plead for mercy, nor does he make great vows if God will but deliver him. All of the evidence makes it appear that he considers his case hopeless. Yet out of the smoke comes a seraph with a purifying coal. God does not reveal himself to destroy us, but rather to redeem us (so with Jacob in Gen. 32, and with the Israelites in Exod. 19–24).
So it is by fire, the fire of God’s own purity, that the repentant are made like himself (1:25).
God is incomparably great in holiness AND mercy! Stop and consider this for a moment. God, in his perfect holiness, would be right and just to judge and destroy sinners who have rejected him. However, in his mercy he provides a way of redemption! He does not leave us dead in our sin. He is merciful!
For Isaiah, God chose the burning coal as the means of his grace pouring out to cover over his sins. However, as we read the Bible, we understand that this is not the usual way that God atones for sin.
Under the Old Covenant given by Moses, God chose to atone for man’s sins through an act of mercy of counting an animal’s shed blood in their place. We have been reading in our annual Bible reading plans about this in Exodus and Leviticus. There were specific sacrifices to offer for sin and atonement, both individually and corporately for the entire nation.
However, as we continue reading the Bible, specifically in the New Testament, we find that the blood of goats and bulls could never permanently take away sin. That is what the author of Hebrews summarizes for us in chapters 9-10. Which is why an ultimate act of mercy was needed; one that would be sufficient to cover the sins of many and permanently. The Bible reveals this ultimate act of mercy as God’s counting Christ’s sacrifice in the place of repentant sinners.
Hebrews 10:11–14 (ESV)
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Thank you, Father, for sending your Son to rescue and redeem us! Thank you, Jesus, for offering yourself up for our sins! We’ve spoken often about this passage over the last two years. Jesus was the once for all sacrifice for our sins. He sat down at the right hand of God because the work was completed, and the Father considered his sacrifice sufficient to pay for our sins and to accomplish our redemption! This is the hope of all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Would you say that this is your hope today? I’d love to talk with you further about that if you can’t answer that confidently. *pause*
What a wonderfully BIG view of God that is given to us. Isaiah 6 reveals that God is incomparably great in holiness AND mercy! He is the One, True God who judges AND saves. He is the hope of Isaiah, the hope of Judah, and our hope today.
The question is… How will you respond to Him? Will you cry out in recognition of your need for forgiveness? Will you bow the knee in humility before the King, the Lord of hosts? Or will you continue to go your own way in proud independence?
Isaiah’s interaction with God is a great example for us today. May we recognize the depth of our sinfulness on the one hand and, after crying out in despair to the Lord, recognize the extravagance of God’s mercy and grace on the other hand! May the burning coal of Isaiah remind us of the cross of Golgotha where Jesus paid for our sin and redemption.
One who understands the depth of their own sinfulness and the mercies of God like Isaiah will not be paralyzed in fear but spurred on in faith. They will understand that though they are deeply marred by sin, they are deeply loved by their Creator and Savior. This is the fuel for worship and a life lived boldly for God. After all, that is what we see happening next in Isaiah’s own life. Look with me now at the rest of chapter 6.
Isaiah 6:8–13 (ESV)
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste,
12 and the Lord removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.
Our final revelations from the throne room of God are lumped into the call to…
- Consider the lessons of Isaiah’s commission
Beginning with Isaiah’s response to God’s invitation! Upon hearing the Lord inquire about whom he should send, Isaiah willingly and obediently said, “Here I am! Send me.” You can almost picture him throwing his hand in the air and waving enthusiastically as he says this! Realize there is no indication in the text that God was speaking directly to him. Thus far God has not directly addressed Isaiah, so it seems far more likely that God was speaking to those in his throne room, of which Isaiah was one party.
But Isaiah, as the newly forgiven and redeemed sinner, is EXCITED to be able to serve the Lord! His response is one of humility and worship. It is the expected response of one who has been forgiven much. No coercion is needed for a sinner who is now a saint! Isaiah recognizes the beauty of what he has received, and it has spurred him on to love and good deeds for the Lord. He wants to be used by God!
Christian, is that your response to the Lord? Are you expectantly seeking ways to be used by and for Him? “God, here I am! Send me!”
- Send me to share the Gospel in my neighborhood
- Send me to advocate for biblical morality in a godless culture
- Send me to train up the next generation in the ways of the Lord
- Send me to be the hands and feet of Christ to the widow and orphans
- Send me to meet needs within my own church body
- Send me to take the Gospel to the nations who do not yet know you
There are many ways we could fill in that statement… Are you expectantly seeking to be used by God each day? Our ministry leaders would love to help you be deployed in Gospel ministry both locally and around the globe! *pause*
Oh, if only Judah had responded this way… Alas they do not and therefore God reveals that Isaiah’s preaching of God’s Word will only serve to further harden their hearts and reveal that they are spiritually blind, deaf, and dumb. They will hear the word, but not comprehend it. They will see amazing things of God, but not perceive its importance. This is both a function of their own sinfulness and the response they choose when God’s Word is taught to them.
There are only two possible responses to God’s Word – conviction that leads to repentance/obedience and hardening of the heart that leads to rejection of God/rebellion. Isaiah experienced the former, but the nation of Judah will choose the latter. And as is made clear, God will judge the nation for their unrepentant sin. He is the Holy God, and he must respond to their rebellion. God’s judgment comes in multiple avenues – their hearts/faculties are hardened to the truth; their land is decimated by foreign nations that God has sent; and he allows them to be taken into exile in Babylon.
The reality of judgment is a sobering one that the book of Isaiah will continue to hammer home for us. Yet this is an essential reality to understand, so it is a great mercy of God that he makes it known to us! If you do not want to face the judgment of the Holy God, then respond to His Word with conviction that leads to repentance/obedience. Ironically, this is a work of God in you, so your first step needs to be to ask God to convict you. “Lord, help me to respond to this teaching! Convict me of my sin and need for a Savior! Help me to see and hear and believe the truth of your word.” This is a position of humility that God will bless. I pray that everyone of us would have no qualms with responding in such a way today.
I need God to convict me of my sin and need for a Savior! It is my daily necessity lest I be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin! I need to see and hear and believe the truth of God’s word each and every day. And so do you. This is the reality of how God works in our lives. Just as he did in Isaiah’s so many years ago.
And in the midst of such hard words to the nation of Judah, aren’t you thankful that it ends with a note of hope? Verse 13’s final words were “The holy seed is its stump.” In the midst of great judgment, there is still a glimmer of hope. Though the forest of Judah will be burnt to the ground by the judgment of God, he preserves a remnant, a holy seed that will grow again. A people that will be his possession. This is not elaborated on further at this time, but as we continue to read Isaiah, we will see that God does not give up on his people. He will rescue and redeem the repentant. He restores the contrite in heart. *pause*
Communion
Speaking of being contrite in heart, we are going to close out our services today by worshiping the Lord through the celebration of communion or the Lord’s table.
Communion is an opportunity for Christians to remember all that the Lord has done for us through his death, burial, and resurrection. This is an opportunity for Christians to remember that we have embraced the promised hope of the Messiah for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation of our souls!
We will celebrate by partaking of both the bread and the cup as a symbol and reminder of Jesus’ body broken in our place and his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Communion is an opportunity to remember how great a price was paid so that we could be saved from our sin. It is a sobering, yet joyful celebration for Christians. Sobering that the Son of God would give himself for us as a ransom. Joyful that he did, and the result is a living hope that cannot be taken from us! Jesus is victorious; therefore, we have the hope of heaven with Him!
At this time, I’d like to invite the ushers forward with the elements.
Before we pass them, I want to share the biblical requirements for joining in this celebration.
This celebration was given by Jesus to his followers. We invite anyone who has trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation to join us in this celebration today. If your faith is not in Jesus Christ alone, then we would encourage you to let the elements pass by you and simply consider what you’ve heard so far during the service this morning and reflect on what is keeping you from trusting him.
The second requirement we see in Scripture is a call to examine ourselves. This is the idea of making sure that you’ve confessed any known sins and sought to turn away from it. It would not be wise to partake of the table if you have sin in your life for which you are not repentant. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11 that taking the table while living in sin is eating and drinking judgment on yourself. I would ask you not to do that, for your sake and the sake of God’s glory. Instead, I would encourage you to use this time to confess that sin and make a plan to address it right away. If you know you need to be reconciled to someone else in this church, please take care of that during this time. The table is time to protect the unity of the church.
The ushers are going to pass the elements now as we have a time of silent reflection and prayer to prepare for the table. Please use this time to reflect on all that we’ve talked about today and to prepare yourself to take communion by confessing and repenting of any known sin. After the elements have been passed, I’ll lead us in prayer and taking communion together.
Ushers pass elements
Silent prayer. Corporate prayer.
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (ESV)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Take bread.
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Take cup
Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!