Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. In John chapter 12, verse 41,
we read, these things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake
of him. Now of this I am sure, I know
what a man will be preaching if he has seen His glory. He
will speak of Him. That will be his subject matter. That is all he will preach. If
he's seen His glory, he will speak of Him. When he saw his
glory, that's what I've entitled this message. Now I want to jump
back up to verse 37 of John chapter 12. It says with regard to the
people who did not believe the gospel. But though he had done
so many miracles before them, yet they believe not on him. Two things I want to say, unbelief
is willful and faith is never by sight. They saw these miracles,
they did not believe. They did not believe what they
could see, and they willfully rejected what they did see and
chose not to believe. Now, when he's speaking of these
miracles, there are seven miracles spoken of in the Gospel of John
that the whole book really is centered around. Number one,
he changed water into wine. In John chapter two, it wasn't
water that tasted like wine, or it wasn't water that smelled
like wine, or it wasn't water that looked like wine, it was
wine. He made it to be what it was
not before. Only God can do that. And then
we read in John chapter four where he healed a man simply
as an act of his will, without the use of means, the nobleman's
son. Only God can do that. And then in John chapter 5, he
healed a paralytic who had been in that condition for 38 years. And he simply said, rise, take
up your bed, and walk. And he didn't tremble and get
up. He got up, strengthened. Only God can do that. And then
in John chapter 6, we read of him walking on the water in control
of the law of physics, because he made those laws. Only God
could do that. We read of Him bringing matter
into the universe that was not there before. When He fed 5,000
people from five loaves and two small fishes or two He brought matter into existence. Only God can do that. There was
matter brought into the universe that wasn't there before. He
controlled the weather at that time. When he entered the ship,
the storm ceased. In John chapter 9, he healed
a man that was born blind. John chapter 11, he raised a
man from the dead who had been dead four days and actually was
in the process of decay, stinking, and he raised him from the dead.
Only God can do what he did. And these people saw these miracles,
yet they believed not. Now, they chose not to believe. If you do not believe, it is
a choice you have made, because there was no denying these evidences
that he is who he said he is, yet they believe not. Now, here's
the second thing I'd like to say about this thing of unbelief,
you never believe because of what you see. Never. They saw
these things and yet they did not believe. We don't walk by
sight, we walk by faith. Now, what does that mean? Well,
somebody says, well, I could believe if I could see how God's
changed my life. If I could see more victory over
sin, if I could see less trials in my life, if I could look at
something in me and see it, I could believe then. No, you wouldn't
be believing. You believe on Christ. What you're
talking about is believing in yourself. That's no good. If you can look at something
in your life and say, well, that's evidence that God saved me. He's
done this for me. I've quit doing that. I've changed. I've fill in the blank. Anything
that begins with you, if you look at something you see and
conclude, I must be saved because of that, that is not faith. As a matter of fact, those things
are antichrist. They're not faith. The ground of assurance is Christ
only. Now, But though he had done so
many miracles, I mention those before them, yet they believed
not on him that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled. Now everything that takes place,
takes place because the scriptures are gonna be fulfilled. Everything,
everything that happens in time was decreed in eternity. And
all this took place that the saying of Isaiah might be, the
prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who had believed
our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? Now, Isaiah says, nobody believes. These people didn't. Who has
believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed? Now, I'll tell you who will believe
the report are those to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed. You see, salvation comes by revelation. Not by education, not by you
figuring it out. It comes from God revealing himself
to you. That's when there is saving faith.
Faith is not a choice you make, I've decided to believe. No,
faith is a response to the revelation of God. It's a response to the
grace of God. It's the gift of God's grace.
If he reveals himself to you, you will believe. And then Isaiah,
or John goes on to say, verse 39, therefore they could not
believe. It doesn't say they may not believe.
It says they could not believe. They lacked the ability to believe. Now, understand this. You and
I do not have the ability to believe. Somebody says, why would
you say that? Because it's not until you find
out that you can't believe, you won't believe until you find
out you can't believe. It's only when you find out you
can't believe, that you are unable to believe, that you will begin
to believe. Because that's when God is teaching
you. They could not, they were unable to believe. Just like
the Lord said, no man can come to me except the Father which
has sent me, draw him. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. No man can come to him. No man can believe. And
that's what he said. He said, therefore they could
not believe because Isaiah said again. Now, what I'm going to
read now is a quotation from Isaiah chapter six, and this
is the most often quoted passage in the New Testament that comes
out of the Old Testament. Let me read these words to you.
He quotes Isaiah chapter six at the end of the chapter. He,
God, hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. That's
why they don't believe. That's why they can't believe.
He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. Pharaoh's
not the only person whose heart God hardened. You know all the
Lord's got to do to harden my heart and harden your heart is
leave us alone. Nothing else is needed. Just
leave us alone. And our hearts will harden. He hath blinded their eyes and
hardened their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts, and be converted. And I should
heal them. Now, like I said, this is the
end of Isaiah chapter 6. And then John tells us, these
things said Isaiah, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him."
Now, what I'd like for us to do is go back to Isaiah chapter
6, where this statement is made. In Isaiah chapter 6, verse 1,
in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Now, this is very significant. King Uzziah was Isaiah's cousin,
and he was one of the greatest kings that Israel ever knew. He was actually the king of Judah,
and he was one of the good kings that the Lord used in a mighty
way. Now, I'd like to read about what
happened when King Uzziah died. Because as Isaiah says, it was
in the year that King Uzziah died that I saw also the Lord. Now, we read about King Uzziah's
death in 2 Chronicles 26. Now, the scripture says he was
marvelously helped. and God used him in a mighty
way. Somebody once said he was one
of the top five kings in the history of all the kings of Israel.
But verse 16 says with regard to this King Uzziah, but when
he was strong, and the previous verse, it says his name spread
far abroad for he was marvelously helped till he was strong. The
Lord blessed this man and Israel was a mighty victor throughout
the earth under his reign, 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. Now only the
priests were allowed to burn incense. Incense represents the
intercession of Christ. He takes us, and as sweet incense
presents us and our prayers before the Father, and it's a sweet
aroma to God through him. The only way God can be approached
is through the intercession of Christ. God will not speak to
nor be spoken to apart from his dear son. Now, Uzziah all of
a sudden thought, I can come and bring the incense on my own.
Look how God has blessed me. Look how strong I am. I can come
into God's presence and present the incense on my own. I don't
need the priest. And that's another way of saying
is I don't really need Christ. I can come into God's presence
on my own, in my own strength and in my own power. Verse 17,
and Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore
priests of the Lord that were valued men. You see, he went
into the holy place where he had no business going. Only the
priest could go. 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 trespassed, neither it should be for thine honor
from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth and had
a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was wroth
with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead
before the priests in the house of the Lord and from beside the
incense altar. And as arrived the chief priests
and all the priests looked upon him and behold, he was a leprous
in his forehead and they thrust him out from thence. Yea, he
himself hasted also to get out because the Lord had smitten
him. Now Isaiah says, when I saw that,
I saw also the Lord. He saw maybe for the first time
God's utter holiness and his unapproachableness apart from
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's when he saw the Lord. In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw also the Lord. And look at his description of
how he saw him Sitting upon a throne. Now if you ever see the Lord
spiritually, and if I ever see the Lord spiritually, we're gonna
see him the same way Isaiah saw him. Sitting on a throne. Sitting. Why sitting? Because
his work is accomplished. When he said, it is finished,
all the work of salvation was accomplished. There was nothing
left to do. Sitting on a throne. Hebrews 1.3 says, when he had
by himself purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of
the throne of the majesty in the heavens. He is sitting, having
finished his work, he's sitting on a throne ruling and reigning. This is talking about the sovereignty
of Jesus Christ. My dear friend, Jesus Christ
is absolutely sovereign. That means He controls everything. He's the first cause of everything. He's the cause of causes. You
and I are in His hand. Now, in this thing of salvation,
our salvation is not up to us. It's up to Him because He's sovereign.
Sitting on a throne, the glorious Son of God sitting on a throne,
Isaiah says, high and lifted up. Undisturbed by opposition,
nobody can get to Him. He's in absolute control, sitting
on His throne, high and lifted up. And I haven't seen Christ,
if I haven't seen Him, as seated, having finished His work, seated
on a throne, high and lifted up. He's not pacing back and
forth, worried because His will's not being done, wanting men to
let Him have His way. No. He's seated on a throne high
and lifted up. And Isaiah said his train, the
skirts of his garment, filled the temple. That's all they could
see where his feet were. Above it, this throne that he
sat upon, stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings. With
Twain, he covered his face. With Twain, he covered his feet.
With Twain, he did fly. The word seraphims means burning
ones or shining ones. Perhaps because of their near
proximity to the throne, they, like Moses, glowed. Remember how his face shined
and he had to put a veil over it because he'd been in the presence
of the Lord? These were burning ones. Somebody says, you believe
in extraterrestrial beings? Of course I do. I believe in
angels. The Bible teaches this. These seraphims, these mighty
ones, they may be the cherubims. Same thing. I'm not sure. in
Genesis chapter 3 after they were guarding the garden. I'm
positive that they are the living creatures spoken of in Revelation
chapter 4 with six wings. But it says with regard to these
cherubims, they had six wings. With two, they covered their
face. With two, they covered their
feet. And with two, they did fly. Now what does that represent? They covered their face because
no one can look upon the face of God. Do you understand that? Is that your concept of God?
that it would kill you because of His holiness and your sinfulness,
because of His transcendent excellence and glory as the God of glory,
it would kill you to look on His face. No man can look on
His face and live. Well, that was true with regard
to the seraphims. With two, they covered their
face. With two, they covered their
feet. Now, what's this all about? With two, they covered their
feet. I think it has something to do with their creatureliness. They knew they were nothing but
creatures, and they knew they were mutable creatures. They
had seen the other angels fall, and they knew that they would
fall if God did not hold them up. And this is shamefacedness. This is humility. They covered
their feet. They weren't proud of themselves.
They knew that they would fall, just like the other angels, if
God didn't preserve them from it. With two, they covered their
feet, and with two, the scripture says, they did fly, ready to
execute God's commands. And let's look at what they said
in verse 3. And they cried one to another
and said, Holy, holy, holy. is the Lord of hosts. The whole
earth is full of His glory." Now, they didn't say love, love,
love. They didn't say merciful, merciful, merciful. They didn't
say forgiving, forgiving, forgiving. They said holy, holy, holy. Other, other. Other, separate, separate, separate
is the Lord God of hosts. Holy. There's none like him. There's none he can be compared
to. He said, who are you liking unto
me? It can't be done. He's other. He's holy. Three times, I think this refers
to the Trinity of the one God. Holy is the Father. Holy is the
Son. Holy is the Holy Spirit. The holiness of God. Now somebody says his holiness
is his moral purity. I think that's derogatory toward
his holiness. His holiness is simply who he
is. His otherness. He doesn't have
a law he's trying to live up to. He doesn't have a standard
he's trying to reach. He's holy. He doesn't do something
because it's right. It's right because he does it
because of who he is. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts. The whole earth is filled with
His glory. Holiness is the attribute of
the attributes. Every attribute of God is holy. He's got a holy wrath. He's got
a holy love. His holy sovereignty, His holy
justice, His holy power, His holy wisdom, His holy immutability,
everything with regard to God is holy, other, separate. Verse four, and the posts of
the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house
was filled with smoke. This is the power of that message. Holy, holy, holy, the posts of
the temple were moved, and the house was filled with smoke.
You see, when we see something of who he is, we can't see very
well, and we're seeing through smoke. We see through a glass
darkly, Paul said. Now, Isaiah's response, then
said I, woe is me. Now, don't miss this. In the previous chapter, at least
five times, he said, woe is them. woe unto them. And he spake of
certain practices that indeed woe unto them that do those things. But now, after he's seen the
Lord, it's not woe is them. You know, I hear people saying
we're living in such degenerate, debauched times, and they say
it in moral outrage, this country is going to hell in a handbasket.
I've heard so many things like that. But I tell you what, if
I see the Lord, here's my cry. Woe is me. I am the problem. Not woe to them. Woe unto me. For I am undone. I'm cut off. I'm brought to nothing. I'm brought to silence. I'm brought
to failure. I'm cut off. For I'm a man of
unclean lips. Isaiah realized the reason his
lips were unclean was because his heart was unclean, his sinful
heart. The heart is deceitful above
all things, desperately wicked. Who can know it? And Isaiah understood
from the uncleanness of his heart, it made everything he said unclean. He spoke of the uncleanness of
his lips, and he said, everybody's just like me. I dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips. And here is why I have
seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Now, my dear friend, If you and
I are ever given a sight of who He is, that is where we're going
to come up with an understanding of who we are. When I see Him,
I'll see my own sinfulness, my desperate wickedness. And if
I don't see that about myself, there's one reason, because I've
never seen Him. Job said, I've heard of thee
with the hearing of the ears, but now mine eye seeth thee.
Wherefore I hate myself and repent in dust and ashes. Daniel said,
when I saw him, my comeliness turned to corruption. What did
Isaiah say when he saw him? Woe is me, I am undone. Now let's go on reading verse
six. Then Then, when Isaiah saw the Lord, and then he saw who
he was, then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live
cold in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off
the altar, and he laid it on my mouth, and said, lo, this
hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy
sin is purged. Now, the seraphim comes with
a cold from off the altar. What is the altar for? Sacrifice. This has something to do with
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This seraphim comes with
his live coal from off the altar that represented the sacrifice,
the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. On Calvary's tree, he
made atonement for sin. He took sin away. He satisfied
the justice of God. And this seraphim touched his
lips. And he didn't say, if you'll
accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you're going to have
these things. He didn't say God is offering you these things.
He made a declaration of what God has done. He says in verse
7, He laid it upon my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched thy
lips, and thine iniquity is taken away. Thy sin is purged. And this is what happens when
you hear the gospel. You find out what God has done for you.
He's taken your iniquity away. He's purged your sin. He's accomplished
your salvation. It's not His response to something
you've done. You hear what He has done. Now,
false religion puts this at the end of the equation. If you do
this, if you do that, if you do that, you'll be forgiven.
No, but when you hear the gospel, you find out the gospel begins
with the full forgiveness of sins. He said, also, I heard
the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will
go for us? And notice, whom shall I send?
The one God, who will go for us? The three persons of the
Trinity. Whom shall I send? How should they preach except
they'd be sent? Who will go for us? Who will
volunteer for this? And here's what Isaiah said, here am I. Send me. And that's when we hear those
words, go and tell these people here and you shall hear indeed.
And you shall not hear indeed. These things said Isaiah when
he saw his glory and spake of him. To receive a copy of the
sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.neibert
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