All right, this evening we're
going to observe the Lord's table in just a few moments, but I
want you to take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 6. I started to preach tonight. I've got a message prepared out
of Genesis 21, verses 1 to 7. And that's what I was planning
to preach on tonight. And I got up this morning and
I thought about the wording of the Spirit of God when he moved
upon Jude to start his epistle. Jude wrote these words. He started off, he said, Jude
the servant, of Jesus Christ and brother of James to them
that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus
Christ and called, mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. He said, beloved, when I gave
all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was
needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto
the saints." Jude was saying, he said, I had it in my mind
that I was going to be writing unto you concerning, when he
says the common salvation, that salvation that is common to all
God's people, salvation by the grace of God. He said that's
what I was going to write about. That's what he had in his heart
to write on that particular book, the book of Jude. The Spirit
of God moved his heart, changed his heart in another direction. Well, that's what happened to
me. I purposed, I've been looking at and preparing Genesis chapter
21 verses 1 to 7 now for a week and a half. And I started going
over my notes this morning and the Lord has tuned my heart to
want to look at this passage of scripture out of Isaiah chapter
6. And it's a blessed account of
the Lord dealing with Isaiah and it's a precious account to
God's people. It's an account that's giving
the people of God the assurance that the Lord has purged their
sin purge them from the bondage and the guilt of sin, and they
need that assurance. So before we look at this, let's
ask the Lord's blessing. Our Father, as we call upon you
this evening, we're so thankful that, Lord, we can call you our
Lord and our God. We thank you for the blessing
of assembling ourselves together. Oh, what a privilege. to be here
with our family. I ask you now, Lord, have mercy,
teach us tonight, help us, and Lord, forgive us. We pray for
Christ's sake. Amen. Now, this assurance. This assurance is essential because
the regenerate, he knows something. I say it like that because we
know in part. Paul said we preach in part. We see through a glass darkly.
We know, but we want to know. So a believer knows something
about two essential things, two things. Number one, he knows
something about the holiness of God. He knows something about
it. He doesn't know what he wants
to know, doesn't know what he shall know, but he knows. He knows something. And I'll
tell you something else that he knows something about. He
knows something about his utter depravity and his inability in
himself to be reconciled to God. by his own works. He knows something
about that. And again, I mean it. We know,
but we want to know. Now the scripture sets forth
a particular event that happened in the life of a man named Isaiah. He was a prophet. And this particular
event made a very great impression on Isaiah, an event that God
greatly used to teach this prophet something that all God's people
need to know. I want you to hold your place
in Isaiah 6 and turn to 2 Chronicles 26. 2 Chronicles 26. 2 Chronicles
26. There was a king. His name was Uzziah. This was a man that the Lord
had used for the good of Israel. And it says in 2 Chronicles 26
verse 14, Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the whole
shields and spears and helmets, and bows and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem engines
invented by cunning men to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks
to shoot arrows and great stones with all. And his name spread
far abroad, for he was marvelously helped till he was strong, till
he thought too highly of himself. But when he was strong, his heart
was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the
Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense
upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in
after him, with him fourscore priests of the Lord that were
valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah, the
king, and said unto him, it appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn
incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron,
that are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary,
for thou hast transgressed. Neither shall it be for thine
honor from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth. and had
a censure in his hand to burn incense. And while he was wroth
with the priest, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead
before the priest in the house of the Lord from beside the incense
altar. And Azariah, the chief priest,
and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous
in his forehead. And they thrust him out from
thence. Yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had
smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper
until the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being
a leper. For he was cut off from the house
of the Lord. And Jotham, his son, was over
the king's house, judging the people of the land." Now, back in Isaiah chapter 6,
Isaiah is remembering that event. And he says in verse 1 of Isaiah
6, in the year that King Uzziah died. Now he just referenced
that time. It was something of that time,
of that event, that he saw the Lord showed him something. Uzziah
was a king that was beneficial. He was blessed, wise men, cunning
men, they built engines. I got to reading that and I thought,
man, they built engines back then. And he's implements of
war, shot arrows through stones and he just, all these things. And he was a marvelous king until
he till he was strong. In the year that King Uzziah
died, in that year that King Uzziah's heart was lifted up
to his destruction, in that year when he thought that he could
and had the right to approach God on his own merit by going
into the temple to burn incense upon the altar of incense, a
duty that was only reserved for God's priest. There was a picture. That's a beautiful picture and
type that the Lord God of heaven is going to be approached one
way. Through the person, the priest,
the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Uzziah, like all men fallen in
Adam, thought that God would accept his service, thought that
God would accept his will, his decision. But he realized immediately
the error of his way. God smote him. We're going to
look at it in just a minute. It's a great, great blessing
of God. whenever the Lord reveals to
a man or a woman, you're not worthy. Before, man by nature,
carnal man, born in Adam, he thinks that he can do something
and God will accept it. He thinks he can exercise his
will and God will accept it. He saw, Isaiah saw, Whenever
Uzziah tried to approach God in the way that was only reserved
for Aaron and his sons, the priest, God smote him with leprosy, and
he was cast out. For the rest of his life, he
was cut off, the scripture says, from the house of the Lord, and
he died a leper. Now that affected Isaiah. That
affected him. He'd seen something. He'd seen
something of the works of Uzziah the king and the help that he
was. But when he was strong, Isaiah
saw God. In the year that King Uzziah
died, in that year, Isaiah said, I saw also the Lord. sitting upon a throne, high and
lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Now here, Isaiah
was blessed to behold God's priest. He saw. He saw this in the new
eyes to see vision. He saw the Lord Jesus Christ.
He saw the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He saw Him sitting upon
a throne. He saw Him in His mediatorial
glory. He had His trained robes of His
office and He was sitting there because the work of redemption
was done. This is how God saw. This is
before the Lord ever came into this world. This is the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. He sees it. And here
sits the King of kings and the Lord of lords, that one mediator
between God and men, the man, Jesus Christ. And he said in
verse 2 to 4, Above that throne, the seraphims. Each one had six
wings. With twain, he covered his face.
With twain, he covered his feet. With twain, he did fly. And one
cried unto another and said, holy. Holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts. The whole earth is full of his
glory. And the post of the door moved
at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with
smoke. Now, above this throne, this
is what Isaiah beheld, seraphims, interpreted fiery or burning
ones, And here's these seraphim, these created beings, covering
their faces and their feet with four wings and flying with two
more. And they stand, that's what it
says, above the seraphim, above it, verse 2, stood. Here they stood, it means either
appointed or abide. But they were above the throne. And it had one message. One message, holy, holy, holy is the Lord. I looked at this, look back at
verse one. In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw also the capital L, lowercase o, lowercase r,
lowercase d. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
There's the fullness of the Godhead bodily. But here's what, look
at verse 3. One cried unto another and said,
holy, holy, holy is the triune God, Jehovah, the Lord of hosts,
the whole earth Scripture says it's full of his glory if you
have a margin my marginal reading says his glory is the fullness
of the whole earth I Was I was reading over this this morning
looking at this and preparing this message and as I looked
at that I thought In this world right now We've got so many things
that are so distracting to us We've got the government seems
to be in upheaval, the world's in wars, and rumors of wars,
and it's this, that, and the other, and the economy, you know.
I say, well, it could be collapsing, and it's just a mess, a mess. You know what the scripture says?
These seraphims cry, holy, holy, holy, His glory is the fullness
of the whole earth. I'm thinking, Marvin, settle
down. Just settle down. Settle down. Here's where Isaiah was brought
to. Isaiah beheld sitting on the
throne the one who is worthy to approach Jehovah in his own
merit None is holy in himself but God. Listen, 1 Samuel 2.2,
there is none holy as the capital L, capital O, capital R, capital,
as Jehovah. There's none beside thee, neither
is there any rock like our God. The angels of glory, the angels
in heaven. They're said to be the holy angels.
But their holiness is derived from the Lord. God's people, the scripture declares
that God's people are chosen in Him that they should be holy
and without blame before the Father in love. Where does their holiness come
from? Him. Him. Robed in His righteousness, there's
one holy. There's one. And these seraphims
concerning the glory of the triune God, holy, holy, holy. and having seen something of
the holiness of God. This is the blessing. And again, I can't stress enough. It is, to me, it's just embarrassing
how little I know. How little I know. I know I'm
just a child. It was Jeremiah that said that
near one of those prophets. I'm just a child. I'm just a
child. Who am I? Here's Isaiah, blessed of God
to see the holiness of God, and he saw God kill Uzziah because
Uzziah thought that Uzziah could approach God, Uzziah's way, and
God killed him. But here, here, Here is the one
sitting on the throne and the seraphim's above that throne,
you know, two wings that cover their face, two wings that cover
their feet, two wings they fly. Holy, holy, holy. Isaiah saw something of his holiness.
And then seeing something of his holiness. Here's the second
thing he saw. Look at verse five. Then said I, woe is me, for I
am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen
the King, the Lord Jehovah of hosts, He saw Jehovah, he saw
the Lord Jesus Christ, the fullness. Here's where a needy sinner must
be brought. Brought by the grace and the
mercy of God, brought to see something of his own corruption. And you know this, all of you
know this. Before the Lord calls us out, before He teaches us
something, of ourself, he shows us himself. He's something of
him. We see something of the glory, the sovereignty of God.
And then we see something of our own corruption and depravity
before what we thought ourselves able. No believer in this congregation
tonight, no believer would say, I'm able. I can approach God. God forbid. God forbid that thought. Man thinks so lightly of sin. He's brought by God's grace to
see himself as unrighteous. He sees himself as unfit to approach
God in his own merit. He's brought like the children
of Israel were when God was going to meet with Moses up on the
mountain and the lightnings and the thunder And the fire, and
what do people say? Moses, you go up there. You go. We'll stay here. We'll stay here. We don't want to go. God brings
a man and a woman to see something of who He is and who they are.
And when the Lord has shown us something of who we are, then
that's when we begin to be honest. You know, you've heard me say
so many times, a believer talks like a believer. I don't know
how to explain that. But you just listen, you just
listen to somebody talk, and it'll come out. If grace is there,
grace comes out. They just have a, there's just
something about it. I don't know, but I tell you,
The first thing I noticed about something, there's a spirit of
humility. There's humility there. Isaiah saw a little bit of himself,
and he got real honest. Woe is me, for I am undone. Here's what he said. I deserve
to be struck dead. In myself, I deserve to be struck
dead and cut off for what I am. A believer is convinced by the
revelation of God's Spirit through this word. He's convinced of
this, that God is of pure eyes than to behold iniquity. And
Isaiah said, I'm a sinner. And everybody I live around are
sinners too. We're all dug out of the same
pit. And all of us have been made
by the grace of God to see something of who we are. Why? For mine eyes have seen the King. I've seen something of who God
is. And according to the marvelous mercy and compassion of God,
The Lord who is everlastingly purposed to show kindness to
His people, unworthy sinners like me and like you, directed
one of His ministering spirits to do something for a comfort,
for some assurance to Isaiah. Now you think about where he's
at. He's seen the Lord. In the year the king Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord. He was sitting on the throne.
The seraphims crying, holy, holy, holy. He said, I saw something
of me. I see something of what I am.
I see I'm a man of unclean lips. I don't know how to talk right.
I don't know how to approach him. I don't know how to praise
him. I don't know how to honor him. I'm a sinner. I am a sinner. I'm undone. And the scripture
says that God then called one of these seraphims, verse 6 and
7, then flew one of the seraphims unto me. having a live coal in
his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth.
And he said, lo, this hath touched thy lips. And listen to this. And thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is
purged. Now, to a needy sinner. to somebody that's seen something
of themselves, that knows something about what they are. I know you
just like me. I know just enough about myself
to know if I had to stand before God in my sin, if my iniquity
was charged unto me, blessed is the man to whom the Lord will
not impute sin, if I had to stand before God answerable, accountable. I'm undone. I'm cut off. That seraphim came and took a
coal. This is what he saw. He took
a live coal off of the altar. That beautiful, glorious picture. Now here's an altar. That altar,
that is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who laid down his
own life. Now there's the altar. There's
the altar. He laid down his life, willingly. How is a sinner's iniquity purged? How is his sin put away? How? One way. That seraphim took that live
coal. Now here's a live coal. Now this is off the altar. This
is where the incense is put. The merit. Here's a live coal
off that altar. That beautiful type of the willingness
of the Lord Jesus Christ to lay down His life for His sheep. That altar upon which He shed
His own blood to pay for the sins of his people that he bore
in his own body. That sins that were surely included
for Isaiah, for me, for you, for all that are the Lord's.
And that live coal, picturing the justice and the wrath. God is a consuming fire. And
here's that live coal. And he laid that coal on Isaiah's
mouth. He touched his lips. Somebody
said, I don't understand all the symbolism. I can tell you
this. He said, I'm a man of unclean
lips. And that seraphim, he took it
and touched those lips. He said, God's purged your sin. God put it away. by the shedding
of His own blood under the wrath of Almighty God. Oh, the wonder
that God would be pleased to remove iniquity and purge sin
by shedding of His own blood, that blood that was shed under
the justice, the justice of God, the wrath of Almighty God, wrath
that was spewed out Because God is just, but wrath that is spewed
out because of God's love for his own. He loved him. He loved him. I've loved you
with an everlasting love. God so loved the world. Jew,
Gentile, people out of every nation, kindred, tribe, tongue,
you know, his elect. God so loved the world that what? He gave his only begotten son. Woe is me. I'm a man of unclean
lips. And that seraphim came and took
that coal and just touched his lips. He said, God's put away
your guilt. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for his glory and our good.