The Vison Isaiah Saw

Isaiah, the gospel according to Isaiah. And it is a gospel prophecy. To him give all the prophets witness. It doesn't matter if we read Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or one of what they call the minor prophets, Zechariah, Malachi, Haggai, It's all about Christ, isn't it? About the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything's about Him and this Word of God. It's all about the beauty and glory of Christ. And this is no exception this evening.

I'm going to use for title the vision that Isaiah was blessed to see. The vision of the exalted Lord Jesus Christ. He said, in the year that King Uzziah died, verse 1, I saw the Lord. I saw the Lord enthroned, sitting upon the throne in absolute control and ruling and reigning over all things. Lifted up. He's lifted up so high. He's lifted up higher than the heavens. He's lifted up above all things. Sovereign. King. over all things, and his presence filled the temple, the temple.

Now, today, right now, we desperately and urgently need exactly what Almighty God gave Isaiah, a true vision of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only the true vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the mercy that Isaiah received through that altar sacrifice, Jesus Christ. We see that also down in verse 7, where his heart and his lips was touched.

And the announcement was, thy iniquity is taken away, your sin is purged. What a blessing to see the holiness of God, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, and then to have the message from the throne of God declaring your sins put away. Who put away your sin, Isaiah? The holy and just God put away your sin. Now, the vision that God gave Isaiah is what we need to see. A revelation of the glory of the exalted, victorious Lord Jesus Christ.

He is King of Kings and He is Lord of Lords. Christ is Lord over all things. Not by anything we have done, God has made Him both Lord and Christ. We bow and acknowledge His Lordship, but we don't make Him Lord. We bow to His Lordship, don't we? That's a revelation we need of Christ the Lord. We need a revelation of our own wicked nature before God. As it says in verse 5, when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and the messengers around the throne cried, holy, holy, holy, he said, woe is me. He didn't say whoopee. He said, woe is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people who have unclean lips. Why do they have unclean lips? Because their heart is defiled. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

He's the Lord of the people. So, revelation of our own wicked nature before God. There's none righteous, no, not one. You remember Isaiah 64, all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in his sight. And then we need a revelation of the good news contained in the Gospel. Forgiveness and pardon of all our sin through this sacrifice upon the altar. Thine iniquity is taken away. Think of it. Your sin before God does not exist. Purged. Completely away. So much so that God said, your sin, your iniquity, I will remember no more.

Now you talk about an effectual atonement, that's what we have in Christ. There's none, none will perish for whom Christ died. He died for his elect. And because he fully put away their sin and declared them to be righteous, that's what they are. In God's sight, holy, unblameable, unreprovable, in God's sight, think of it.

That's what we have in Christ. The wise man Solomon speaking, By God, the Holy Spirit said, where there's no vision, no revelation of Christ, the people perish. We need a vision, a revelation of the glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ as all of our salvation. Where there's no true gospel preaching, where there's no revelation of the gospel to our heart by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, no work of grace upon the heart, when that work's not done in us, will perish in our sin unless God does something for us. We're on a fast track to eternal condemnation. All men everywhere in Adam are condemned dead in sin. We're all headed that way apart from the grace of God, apart from God's divine intervention.

Simply left to ourselves, our own thoughts are always wrong. We think too highly of ourselves and we think too low of God. You remember our God said in Isaiah 55, your thoughts are not my thoughts, your ways are not my ways. Left to our own self, our own thoughts, our own way, we'll surely perish before God. Again, Solomon said there's a way that seems right unto men, but the end of that way is death. Left to our own will, what? We'll perish. Man's will is not free. Man has a will, but it's in bondage to his nature.

Our Lord said this, none that call upon thy name and stirreth up thyself to take hold of thee. There's none that call upon his name. There's none that stirs up himself to take hold of thee. He said, no man can come to me except the Father which sent me. Draw him.

Unless God intervenes and does something for us, we'll surely perish in our sin. Our Lord said this in John 8, 24. He said, if you believe not that I am, and that word he has been added, if you believe not that I am, you'll die in your sins. You'll die in your sins. He said, if you believe not that I am, you cannot come where I am. We can only come to God through Christ.

That was Uzziah's big issue, wasn't it? He tried to come unto the Lord apart from the priest and the sacrifice, the blood sacrifice that God provided. Now notice the time of this revelation when God killed the king of Judah, Uzziah. God killed him with leprosy. God smote him with leprosy because he violated the law of God.

There's a vital connection between the death of Uzziah and the vision given to Isaiah, a vital connection. Isaiah learned something of a strict and holy character of Almighty God. Uzziah reigned in Israel for 52 years. He considered a good king. He was anointed king when he was just 16 years old. He was considered one of the good kings in Judah.

The Lord blessed him in many ways with prosperity and power and riches, but he came full of pride and presumption. He thought he could officiate as his own priest before God. He thought he could bring an offering unto God without a designated priest, without a mediator between him and God. He said, I don't need a mediator. I can come to God. I'm the king. No, you can't. You have to have a mediator.

This was a denial of the holiness of God, a denial of the priestly work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the denial of the gospel of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's priest, typified by the Old Testament priesthood. Not even a king can come to God except through the priesthood. except through the priest with a designated sin offering ordained of God. And that's all a picture of Christ.

Remember, our Lord said, I am the way. Thomas said, show us the way. And the Lord said, you're looking at the way. He said, I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. No man comes to the Father but by and through me. Uzziah tried to break that mold. God said, uh-uh. God killed him over it. God smote him with leprosy and he died for violating the character of God. God judged Uzziah and he died a leper. When Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the glory and beauty and power and holiness of Almighty God. Isaiah saw the supreme glory of Christ. It was the enthroned Christ, the sovereign Christ, with all authority, glory, and power. Now let's turn and read this. Hold your bookmark here in Isaiah 6. Turn to John chapter 12. This is interesting here. John chapter 12, verse 37. John 12, 37. John 12, 37. You with me?

But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. That the saying of Isaiah, the prophet might be fulfilled which he spake, who had believed our report? To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Isaiah 53. Therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, verse 40, he had blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. That's what we read. See the reference there? Isaiah 610. that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart that Me converted and I should heal them.

These things said Isaiah when he saw His glory and spake of Him." Spake of Christ. He saw His glory and He spake of Him. Isaiah saw the victorious Christ before He was sitting upon the throne. Men and nations today rush to and fro. They pace the floor and fret and worry. The Lord Jesus Christ is not pacing the floor. He sits enthroned on His holy throne, ruling and reigning all things absolutely. You remember our message from Psalm 135? Whatsoever the Lord please, that did He in heaven and earth, sea, and all deep places. You remember this scripture?

Let's turn and read this again over here in Isaiah 46. in absolute control of and over all things. Isaiah 46, look at verse 9. Isaiah 46, 9. Remember the former things of old. For I am God, there is none else. I am God, there is none like me. Isaiah 46, 9. Declaring the end from the beginning. He declares the end from the beginning. From ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand, I'll do all my pleasure. calling a ravenous bird from the east, a man that executes my counsel from a far country. I've spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I purposed it. I will also do it.

God is on the absolute throne, ruling and reigning all things. Isaiah saw the victorious Christ. Isaiah saw the infinite glory of Christ. He's high and lifted up. His name, His throne, are above every name, every throne. None can stay His hand, or say unto Him, Lord God Almighty, what doest Thou? You can't preach God too big. You can't preach God too high. You can't give God too much glory, too much honor.

He's just worthy of all honor and glory, isn't He? Isaiah saw the universal glory of Christ. His glory and presence filled the temple, it says there. Christ is all and in all. Every revelation of God to the human eye, ear, or heart is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every revelation in this book of God is Christ, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to this scripture, John 118. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." Any revelation of God in the Old Testament is God the Son. When Moses was confronted with God upon the mountain, and it smoked and it quaked, and God told him, Moses, take off your shoes, for you're on holy ground.

Who are you, Lord? I am that I am. Who is that I am? He said, I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the way, the truth, the life. I'm the door. I'm the resurrection. Christ is everything. He's all in all. You see that? Isaiah saw the infinite glory of Christ high and lifted up. Isaiah saw the universal glory of Christ. His glory is present filled the temple. Notice verse 2.

Isaiah 6 verse 2, and above it, that is this vision, in this vision, above it, above the throne, around the throne, stood the seraphims. These winged creatures. I think it's talking about the elect angels. The elect angels are ministers of God sent forth to minister to them who shall be the heirs of salvation. Above it, above the thrones, stood the seraphims.

Each one had six wings. With two, they covered his face. With two, he covered his feet. And with two, he did fly. They fly swiftly to carry out God's Purpose, don't they? Notice also who was about to throne was the Lord's messengers, heavenly creatures sent to do His business. In figurative language, they represent true ministers and messengers of the gospel. A similar picture is given to us in Revelation chapter 4, verse 8 through 11.

They cover their feet in modesty, humility before the Lord, for they know, as Paul said, less than the least of all the saints. unworthy sinners called to minister and preach the gospel. Chief of sinners, Paul called himself, they are the voice of one crying in the wilderness, what? Behold the Lamb of God. They cover their feet, conscious of their imperfection of their walk and conduct and ways, as Paul said, oh wretched man that I am. With two wings they did fly in haste to declare the truth of the gospel. the person and work of Christ, ready to declare the gospel to all that will hear, as Paul said, for as much as in me is. I'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome, for I'm not ashamed of that gospel. It's the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believes.

Verse three and verse four, and one cried to another. These seraphims, these winged creatures, these ministers of God, one cried to another and said, holy, holy, holy. Why did he say three times, holy, holy, holy? God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. One God manifest in three distinct persons. Each one is holy. The Holy Spirit, God the Son is holy. And God the Father is holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, known as capital L-O-R-D, Jehovah.

He's the Lord of a people. He's the host of His delight. And the whole earth, the whole earth, everywhere, the earth is full of His glory. The glory of the Lord shines all over this earth, all over His creation, all over the universe. Now, it's interesting what they said. Their message was holiness unto the Lord. Holiness unto the Lord.

Turn back to Psalm 99. Do you remember this Psalm? Psalm 99. Now, Psalm 99 verse 1, The Lord reigneth, let the people tremble. He sitteth between the cherubim, seraphim, let the earth be moved. Look at verse 2. The Lord is great in Zion. He is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name, for it is... What? What's his name? Holy. Look at verse 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship at His footstool, for He is holy. Look at verse 9. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill, for the Lord our God is...

What is He? Holy. What would you say the central character attribute of God, the God of Scripture, the God of Bible, what would you say His central character and attribute is? His main character? It's holy, isn't it? God is holy. Now we hear a lot of people talking about love. Love, love, love. All they want to talk about is love, love, love. God is holy. His love has to be holy love. God is holy. This is a missing note in most preaching in our day. Today, it's all about smile. God loves you. Smile. God wants to save you, but you won't let Him. Smile. God loves everybody without exception. They have forgotten the Bible message of God is holy.

God must punish sin. You know, it's interesting. I've said this over the years. We've studied through the book of Acts at least three times. And in the book of Acts, we see all the preaching of Peter, Pentecost, and the Apostle Paul preaching on Mars Hill, all them different sermons that those preachers preached all through the book of Acts. You know how many times they talked about the love of God? How many times they mentioned the love of God? How many times they used that word, God loves you? None. Zero. The word L-O-V-E is not even in the book of Acts.

They didn't tell everybody, well, God loves you and he's trying to do his best he can. He can't save you, but you know, you're too stubborn. Won't you let God have his way? They're not talking about the God of the Bible. They're talking about another God. Talking about another gospel. God is love. God is love, but not at the expense of his holiness. Not at the expense of his holiness. Not one time does it say in the Bible, smile, God loves you. Not one time does it say God's trying to save you. Not one time does it say that Christ died to put all the sin of all men away. Not one time does it say that. Call His name Jesus, He shall save His people from their sin.

God is love. The Scriptures say that. But not at the expense of His holiness. If you look at the character of God, Arthur Paint's got a very good book I'd recommend it to you on the attributes of God. The attributes of God. If you look at all the attributes of God, His sovereignty, His power, His love, His mercy, His long-suffering, all these different things, all the different characteristics and attributes of God, the center of that wheel is holiness.

It's His holy mercy. It's His holy justice. It's His holy love. It's His holy providence. It's His holy sovereignty. You see what I'm saying? Everything connected with His holy character. The beauty and power and mystery of the Gospel is how God can justify the ungodly and honor and magnify His holy law at the same time. You remember Isaiah 45, don't you? You remember that?

He says, Just God and Savior. There's none beside me. There's none else. I'm the only just God. The only holy God. But I'm a Savior. He's a just God and Savior. He said, look unto Me and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth. You remember from our study in the book of Romans that He's the just and the justifier of those who look to Christ.

Notice verse 4. The post of the door moved. That's pretty hard to move, the post of a door. Moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. What was the message? God is holy. What did it do? It moved the temple. It moved it, shook it.

This is a vision we need. This is a message we need to constantly hear. This is a message that will call us out of darkness and reveal Christ to our heart. It's the only message that will move us, that will break us, that will bring us to the Lord Jesus Christ, that will expose the refuge of lies that we hide in by nature and drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ and show us that Christ is the only foundation upon which we can rest.

Not only does it move us, but it fills us. The house was full of His glory. He does fill us with His salvation. He does fill us with the good hope through grace. He fills us with Christ, our justifying righteousness. In Him dwells all the fullness of a Godhead bodily, and you stand complete in Him. Nothing lacking. Christ is all and in all.

I mentioned to one of the preachers the other night in Ashton at the Bible Conference. You can find that message on Sermon Audio that I preached last Friday night. But I mentioned to one of the preachers, they had sung a hymn that evening that Christ is all and in all. I said to one of the preachers, I said, is Christ enough? And he said, if He's all you've got, you've got enough. He's everything. Christ is all and in all. Look at verse 5.

So the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, the post of the door moved. We are convicted by our sin from the Word of God, and the house was full of smoke full of God's presence, then said I, woe is me. This is the conviction of sin. It's a painful thing, but necessary. Woe is me, I'm undone, because I'm a man. I'm a man of unclean lips.

This is God prophet Isaiah. You remember how the book of Isaiah started? And Isaiah 1, he said, from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, there is nothing in me but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores that neither bound up or mollified with ointment. Isaiah said, you're looking at a mass of sin.

I'm six feet tall. Six feet of sin. Within and without. Everything about me. Everything I think, say, and do. It's sinful. We are sinners not based upon what we do. You know that? We're sinners based upon what we are. Born in sin, shaped in iniquity. That's the other missing note in preaching today. They don't talk about the holiness of God, nor the sinfulness of men, nor the sufficiency of Christ to do something for us.

Then said I, woe is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people have the same problem I have. We're all totally depraved. Totally, totally sinful. One word describes God, holy. What's the best word describes us? Sin. Guilt. Depravity. Darkness. Death.

Am I telling it too plain? No. God's holy and we're sinful. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips because, look at verse 5, 4, because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord, the Lord of hosts. I tell you, if you ever see His glory, if you ever see His holiness, you'll bow before Him and smite upon your breast, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. You won't stand before God like the Pharisees. Say, Lord, I thank You. Oh, I'm not like that. I'm not like that other man. I do all these good things.

The Lord said of that man, he went down to his house condemned. The Pharisees justified himself and was condemned. The publican condemned himself and was justified. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of hosts. Job experienced the same thing. All the things that Job went through, you read the book of Job until you get to the last chapter. Job said, I've heard of thee, O I've heard of thee, by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see of thee.

I hate myself. I repent in dust and ashes. I hate myself. Oh, wretched man that I am. You know, the philosophy of today is love yourself. Love yourself. Just love yourself. That's not what this book teaches. This book teaches submit, bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, hate yourself. But Job said, I hate myself. I repent in dust and ashes. I'm unclean. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Thank God that he came to save sinners. He came to save sinners. Paul said, I'm a chief one. He came to save. I'm a chief of sinners. All whom God is pleased to save will know this. Learn this lesson well. God is holy. All flesh is grass. Christ is all and in all. After he saw the glory of the Lord, and after he confessed his sinfulness before God, and that's what it's about here, is confessing who you are before God. The only place a sinner will worship is for the throne of the absolute holy God.

Then, verse 6, I'm going to wind this up. Then flew one of those seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongue from off the altar. Now this is, remember, this is a vision. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, lo, this hath touched thy lips. Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged. The news of the gospel came.

God revealed to Isaiah, the sinner, his mercy, his grace, when he saw the holiness of God, and realized the corruption and evil, and confessed his sinfulness, inability, and then there follows the application of mercy. Painful conviction, but necessary. Self-judgment precedes forgiveness. Grace is for the guilty. Mercy is for the miserable.

If you miss Holy Spirit conviction, you'll miss faith and repentance. You miss faith and repentance, you'll miss Christ. If you miss Holy Spirit conviction, you'll miss true faith and true repentance. If you miss true faith and true repentance, you'll miss Christ who is salvation.

The seraphim came to him as a minister of the gospel and gave him the good news. God sent Philip to the eunuch and God will send his preacher with the gospel, with the live coal of the gospel, the glorious good news of Christ putting away our sin, establishing righteousness for us, the word of His grace and His mercy is good news.

And it came from the altar of fire, and that altar speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The altar of fire from which the live coal was taken is the sacrifice of Christ our Lord. The Passover lamb was roasted on the altar of fire as the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Passover, is sacrificed for our sin. The pardon of sin and the cleansing of the power of God to redeem come from the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he laid it upon my mouth, that is cleansing and purging fire from Calvary's tree. The blood of the Son of God actually met our sin, came in contact with all of our iniquity, engaged to purge and burn out and eradicate all our sin. He bare our sin in His own body on the tree. I love this statement here. This had touched our lips. Touched our heart too. And the messenger said, your iniquity is taken away. Now how is it taken away? It's purged. Your sin is purged. When He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. Your sin is purged.

This is the sacrifice we need. The Savior we need. The Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel we need. The Gospel of God. concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. In closing, also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Holy, holy, holy, the Trinity. Who will go for us? God said, Let us make man in our own image, in our own likeness.

Isaiah said, Then said I, Well, here am I. I'm ready to go with that message of sin taken away by the blood of Christ. I'm ready to preach that message. The sovereign grace of God planted within the center motivates us, stimulates us, and cheers us to declare this message to others. Who will go with this message of substitution, satisfaction through the personal work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Those who have seen His glory, those who have experienced His grace, those who have been taught by the Spirit of God, those who know and have experienced this power of the gospel at the power of God and salvation.

He said, Lord, here am I, send me. Send me to tell others how great things you have done. You remember the Demoniac, running around in a cemetery, naked, wild, nobody could tame him until he met the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord made him a new creature. He was clothed and sitting in his right mind. And the Lord started the journey on and that man wanted to follow Him.

And He said, no, you go home. You go home to your family and tell them how great things He hath done for you. That's our message. We don't talk about what great things we have done, we tell about how great things He hath done for us. He performed all things for us. All things are finished. Who finished it? Salvation. He did. You remember Saul of Tarsus when he met the Lord Jesus Christ, you remember what he said?

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The Vison Isaiah Saw

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