Okay, this evening we're going
to take a look at Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah here is given a very,
very special revelation, and the revelation that he's given
is a revelation of the exalted Lord Jesus Christ upon the throne. So I'm calling this message the
title and subject of this message, the vision of the gospel or the
revelation of the gospel that we need right now in our day. They needed it in Isaiah's day,
they needed it in the Lord's day, and we need a revelation
of the Lord Jesus Christ to our heart, that he might open our
understanding, that he might give us a heart to believe and
receive the gospel. This is a vision that we need.
Today, right now, we desperately, urgently need exactly what God
Almighty gave unto Isaiah because it's a vision of the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ, seated in glory, seated upon the throne,
a revelation of the glory of the exalted, victorious Lord
Jesus Christ as He really is, King of kings and Lord of lords. God had made that same Jesus
whom you crucified, Peter said, Lord and Christ. We need a revelation
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we also need a revelation
of our own wicked heart, our own guilty heart. When Isaiah
saw the vision of the glory and the holiness of God, the holiness
of the Lord, his response was, verse 5, then I said, woe is
me, woe is me. No longer woe is you, but woe
is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean
lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. What's the problem, Isaiah? Well,
I've seen the holiness of the Lord. When you see the holiness
of the Lord, you see something of the guilt of your sin that's
against the Holy Lord God Almighty. Mine eyes have seen the King. And then the third thing we see,
a revelation of the good news contained in the gospel, forgiveness
and pardon of all our sin. through the Lord Jesus Christ.
So the remedy of our sin is for the Lord to take away our sin,
and that's what is said in verse 7. And he laid it upon my mouth
and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips. Thine iniquity is taken
away, thy sin is purged. It's only through the blood atonement
of Christ that our sins purge, and that's the message of the
gospel. Salvation to sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ. The wise man Solomon, speaking
by the Holy Spirit, Said in Proverbs 29, 18, where there's no vision,
no revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, people perish. We perish
without a revelation of the glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Where there's no true gospel
preaching, no true revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ to our
heart by the regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit, where
there's no work of grace upon the heart by the power of God
Almighty, we'll die in our sin. God just leaving us to ourselves. We'll die in our sin. Simply
left to our own thoughts, all of our thoughts about God, about
ourself, about the gospel, all of our thoughts of ourself, all
wrong. God said, you thought I was altogether
such a one as you. Left to ourselves, our own way
is a way away from God, not to him. There's a way that seems
right unto men. The end of that way is death.
Left to ourselves, our own will, our Lord said, you will not come
to me that you might have life. He must draw us by his power. Without God's regenerating work
and revealing work, we will surely perish in our sin. Without the
gift of faith, our Lord said, if you believe not that I am,
You'll die in your sin. Lord, I want to believe. Reveal
the Lord Jesus Christ to me that I might see. See Him, see me,
and see the remedy. Those three things. That's what
we see here in these verses. But let's go back to verse 1.
This happened to Isaiah, the servant of the Lord, in the year
that the king of Israel died. His name was Uzziah. Now we studied
this in 2 Chronicles 26 several years ago when we studied 1 and
2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles. The time of this revelation is
when God killed the king of Judah, Uzziah, and he killed him with
leprosy. There's a vital connection between
the death of Uzziah and the vision given unto Isaiah at this time. Isaiah learned something of a
strict and holy character of God Almighty when he killed the
king of Israel. The king of Israel, Uzziah, reigned. He started to reign when he was
just 16 years old. He reigned 52 years. It's found
in 2 Chronicles 26. He was considered one of the
few good kings that did that which was right in the sight
of the Lord. The Lord blessed him in many
ways with prosperity and power, but one day he became full of
arrogant 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. You remember those 80 priests
went in as when King Uzziah came with the censer from off the
altar and was going to go into the Holy of Holies, they said,
don't do it. God will kill you. Well, he said,
get out of my way, I'm the king. But he went around the office
of the priest instead of going through the priest of God. He
went around the office of the priest, said, I don't need a
mediator, I'm a king. Well, as soon as he did that,
he was smitten with leprosy and he died a leper. That's when
Isaiah saw something of the holy character of God. What happened
and what Uzziah did This was a denial. He was denying the
holiness of God. He was denying the priestly work
and necessity of the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, it was a
denial of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is God's
high priest, typified by the Old Testament priest, not even
a king, not even the king of Israel. can come to God except
through a mediator, a priest of God, and that is the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the king priest. There's
no coming to God apart from Christ. You remember he said, I'm the
way, the truth, the life, No man come to the Father but by
and through me." And what Uzziah was doing, he was presuming that
he could offer a sacrifice to God apart from the Lord Jesus
Christ. God judged Uzziah and he died
a leper. When Uzziah died, Isaiah saw
the holiness and the holy character of God. Isaiah saw the supreme
glory of Christ. He was the Christ in throne,
the sovereign Christ of all authority and glory. Well, John wrote of
him in John 12, 41, when Isaiah saw his glory, he spake of him. He spake of him. Isaiah saw the
victorious Christ where he was sitting upon the throne. You
see that? Sitting upon a throne, that's the revelation we're going
to see all through the book of Revelation. The Lamb sitting
upon the throne. Isaiah saw the victorious Christ,
for he was sitting on a throne. Men and nations rushed to and
fro, paced the floor, and fret and worried. The Lord Jesus Christ
sits in complete repose, complete order and purpose, for he orders
all things after the counsel of his own will. He's sitting
on a throne, ruling and reigning all things. Not upset, not disturbed. Things are not out of order.
Everything is working exactly according to God's own purpose. Isaiah saw the infinite glory
of Christ, for he is high and lifted up. Well, how high is
he? So high I can't describe it. So high and lifted up and
His glory fills everything. The glory of God fills everything. High and lifted up. His name,
His throne, above every name, above every throne. God's given
Him a name above every name. His throne above every throne.
None can stay his hand, and none can say unto him, Lord God Almighty,
what doest thou? Isaiah saw the universal glory
of Christ, his glory, his presence filled, filled the temple, filled
the temple. Christ is all and in all. Every revelation of God to the
human heart is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every
revelation of God in the word is a revelation of the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah saw the Christ of God,
the Lord, the King of kings and Lord of lords, high and lifted
up. On the throne of glory. On the
throne of glory. Look at verse 2. Above it stood
the seraphims. Now there's some discussion as
to who these seraphims represent, but to me, if you look at the
reference Revelation 4 verse 8, I think these seraphims, each
one had six wings, with two, he covered his face, And with
two, he covered his feet, and with two, with twenty, he did
fly. I think they're representing,
and it's a description of God's messengers of the gospel. Heavenly
creatures sent to do His will in preaching the gospel. And
the good reference there is to Revelation 4 verse 8, where it
describes really the same creatures sent to preach the gospel. In
figurative language then, they represent true ministers and
messengers of the gospel who cry out, well they cry, Holy,
Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty. That's their message. The Lord
does reign. But notice this, they cover their
face. Each one had six wings and with two he covered his face,
he covered his feet, And then they did fly. They cover their
faces in modesty and humility before the Lord, for these sent
to preach the gospel are less than the least unworthy to be
called a serpent. Chief of sinners, they are a
voice of the Lord in the wilderness, crying, behold, the Lamb of God. And it says they cover their
feet, conscience of their in perfection, their sinfulness,
and their conduct, and their walk. They say, as the Apostle
Paul said, O wretched, wretched man that I am, less than the
least of all the saints. And with two wings they did fly
in haste to declare the truth of the glorious person and work
of Christ, ready to declare the gospel to all that will hear. And with two they did fly, swift
like eagles, to declare God's message. We preached not ourselves,
but Christ the Lord. Paul said, as much as in me is,
I'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome. And notice
the message here. One cried to another, the servant
of the Lord, sent of God, flying and sent with the message. They
cry one to another, Or they cry, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. I don't think it's any mistake
that it doesn't say, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, or holy, three
things. God the Father is holy. God the
Son is holy. God the Holy Spirit is holy. The whole Trinity is holy, holy. That's the whole message of the
word of God. God is holy. His angels are holy. His word is holy. His tabernacle
is called the holy of holies. The temple is called the holy
place. The message we need to hear that's not being sounded
in our day, God is holy. What is a central character attribute
of God? God is holy. God is holy. Now we hear a lot of preaching
today, in our day, about love. About love. And most ministers
and most ministries and most preachers, all they talk about
is some kind of universal love. They say things like God loves
everybody. That's not so, the love of God
in Christ. Our message is God is holy. God is holy. God is holy. In all the preaching of the apostles
through the book of Acts, and we've studied all the way through
the book of Acts, remember? How many times did we read about
God is love? Or how many times did we read
in the book of Acts that God loves everybody everywhere? God
loves all men everywhere. How many times did we read The
word L-O-V-E. Zero. In all the preaching of
Peter and the Apostles and Paul, not one time do they mention
the word L-O-V-E. So that leads us to know the
essential character of God is not love, it's holy. His love is His holy love. His mercy is His holy mercy. God must be holy. God must show
mercy, but not as expensive as holiness. God is holy. No time in the Word of God do
we read, smile, God loves you. Not one time does it say in the
Word of God that God's trying to save you, but you won't let
Him. Not one time in the Word of God does it say Christ tried
to put the sin away of all men everywhere. Not one time. He
died for a sheep. He put away the sin of His covenant
people. The Word of God does say twice,
God is love. But how many times do we read
that God is holy? God is love, but not at the expense
of His holiness. The beauty and power and mystery
of the gospel is how God can justify the ungodly, and honor
and magnify His holy law, and at the same time show mercy. How God can be a just God and
Savior. How He can be just and the justifier. That's the beauty and mystery
of the gospel. God is holy. God is love. How can He show love and not
violate His holy character? How can He be merciful and save
guilty sinners and not violate His holy character? That is the
mystery and beauty of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. One
cry to another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole
earth is full of his glory. Look at verse 4 now. And the
post of the door moved, moved at the voice of him that cried,
and the house was filled with his glory. His smoke is his glory. The vision we need is this. and
the message we constantly need to hear. This is a message that
will call us out of darkness and reveal Christ to our heart. Notice when the messenger went
forth with the message, when it was brought to the heart,
the heart was moved, the door moved. And I think that is saying
that sinners are convicted and moved by the message of the gospel
that God is holy. That's the only message that
will really move us and convert us and make us new creatures
in Christ is the truth that God is holy and that God saved sinners
only through the high and lifted up Lord Jesus Christ. Now look
at verse five. When Isaiah got a glimpse of
the holiness of God and he heard the messengers from the throne
of God sent with the gospel of God crying, and describing the
character of God, God our Savior, holy, holy, holy, then said I,
woe is me. Woe is me. Isaiah's saying, I'm
in trouble. I'm in trouble. I'm undone. I'm
undone. I'm cut off, is the marginal
reference. Because, what's the problem, Isaiah? I'm a man. That's a sinner. I've got unclean
lips because my heart is guilty before God. I dwell in the midst
of a people. Not only am I guilty, but everybody
around me is guilty. What's the problem? I've seen,
mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. That's when
we see how sinful we are when we see the holy character of
Almighty God. This is a state we need to be
brought unto to make this good confession before God. I'm a
sinner and God is most holy. You ever been there? I stay there
all the time. God is holy. When given a sight
of God as most holy, we see ourselves as what? Most sinful. Most sinful,
don't we? Then we say, woe is me, I'm undone. I've seen the king. If we're
ever brought to this state before God to know our true nature,
what we are, I'm not talking about what we've done, I'm talking
about what we are, sinners before him, it will stop our mouth. When God says guilty, we say
amen, amen, you're right, I'm guilty. He will stop our mouth,
stop our mouth in justifying ourselves and cause us to agree
with God and take our place before Him just as we are as guilty
sinners in need of mercy. And He will make us to cry out
like the publican, Lord have mercy upon me, the sinner, the
sinner. That was Job's experience too.
Job finally said, I've heard of thee, but now I see thee,
wherefore I hate myself. I repent in dust and ashes. We're going to see in Revelation
chapter 1 on Sunday, when John received that revelation there
of the full glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, he
fell at his feet as a dead man. And the Lord laid His hands upon
him and said, fear not, I'm the first, I'm the last. The Lord
must teach us what we are. I'm unclean, all people are unclean,
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God teaches us as we studied
in Isaiah 40, all flesh is grass. All flesh is grass. The word
of the Lord abides forever. Behold, you're God, but all flesh
is grass. Now look at verse six and seven. Then, realizing that God is high
and lifted up, he's a sovereign king, he is holy, holy, holy,
that's our message. And when that is preached, the
power of God's spirit And God the Holy Spirit convicts of sin,
we say we are guilty. I'm undone. Then the remedy is
seen here. Then through one of the seraphims,
the messengers of the gospel, having a living coal, a live
coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar,
the altar of sacrifice, What is the sacrifice that puts away
our sin? Well, it's the sacrifice of Christ.
And he laid it upon my mouth and said, boy, well, this is
good news. Lo, this hath touched thy lips. Thine iniquity is taken away. Thine iniquity is taken away
and your sin is purged. How is our sin purged? Only by
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the message of
the gospel. The effectual atonement of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The effectual redeeming work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He takes away our sin by Himself,
with Himself. He purged our sin with the sacrifice
of Himself. That's the message of the Gospel.
That's the only thing that will give relief and comfort to the
heart of the guilty one, knowing that Christ dealt with our sin
on Calvary's tree, that God made Him to be sin for us who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ
Jesus. And this language here is all
describing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the living
coal, the living fire of the gospel of God, taken from the
altar of sacrifice, and he laid it upon my mouth. He made application
to my heart. And then God said, thy iniquity
is taken away, thy sin is purged. What good news! The blood of
Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all our sin. Your iniquity, your iniquity,
your iniquity is taken away. Let me read this to you over
here. Remember from Psalm 32. Don't turn, let me just read
it to you. Psalm 32, verse 1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity, in whose spirit there is no guile.
That's the blessed man whose sin's been put away by the blood
atonement of Christ. Sin's not put away by what we
do. Sin's not put away by repentance. Sin's not put away by faith.
True faith and true repentance acknowledge how sin is put away
by the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a
sacrifice we need. This is a Savior we need, is
it not? Who is able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him. Christ and Christ alone. Christ
and Him crucified. Nothing less, nothing more, nothing
else. When all that happens, and I
believe what we see here is really a story of a sinner's conversion.
He sees the holy character of God, he sees the sinfulness of
himself, and he sees here how sin is taken away by the sacrifice
of Christ. And when all that's made Applied
to the heart and made application by God the Holy Spirit in the
power of God with the gospel of God's power of God unto salvation
And when he makes this new creatures in Christ look at verse 8 also. I heard the voice of the Lord
saying Whom shall I send? Whom shall I send with this message
who will go for us for us father son Holy Spirit? then said I
Then said I, behold me, here am I, send me, send me. You remember Saul of Tarsus when
he met the Lord on the road to Damascus and the Lord, he saw
the holy character of God. He saw the sinfulness of himself.
He knew and was taught how his sin was put away. And you remember
what Saul of Tarsus said, Lord, Here am I, what will you have
me to do? Well, go preach the gospel. Go
preach the gospel. The sovereign grace of God planted
within us motivates us, stimulates us, cheers us to go and declare
this message to others. Who will go with the message
of substitution and satisfaction? Salvation is of the Lord through
the personal work of the Lord Jesus Christ, those who've seen
His glory. When Isaiah saw Him, he spake
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who will go with this message
of the gospel of Christ? Those who've seen His glory.
Who will go with this message? Those who've experienced His
grace. Who will go with this message
and preach this message? Those who have been taught by
God the Holy Spirit. Woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel. Those who have experienced the
grace and mercy of God, in the Lord Jesus Christ they go, not
preaching experience, but preaching Christ. Determined to preach
Christ and Him crucified. Christ and Him crucified. Let
me read this to you. Don't turn, let me just read
it to you. The risen Lord appeared to the disciples the same day,
the same evening being the first day of the week when the doors
were shut. Disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews. This is
the risen Lord came and stood in the midst and saith unto them,
Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed
them his hands and his side, and they, the disciples, were
glad when they saw the risen Lord. Then said Jesus unto them,
again, peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me, even so
I send you. He still sends sinners. who have
seen His glory, who have seen their sin and guilt, who have
seen the beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and His
atoning work, His redeeming blood to put away our sin, then when
He teaches us that, we have something to say. We have something to
preach. God is holy and the Lord Jesus
Christ, He is the only satisfying sacrifice for our sin. That's
the message we love to tell.