Let us open our Bibles today
to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6. In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted
up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims,
each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face,
and with twain he covered his feet, and 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. 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 of hosts. 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 said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity
is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the
Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then
said I, here am I, send me. And he said, go and tell this
people, hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive
not. Make the heart of this people
fat, make their ears heavy, shut their eyes, lest they see with
their eyes hear with their ears and understand with their heart
and convert and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, until the cities
be wasted without inhabitant, the houses without man, and the
land be utterly desolate. And the Lord have removed men
far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the
land. But yet in it shall be a tenth,
and it shall return and shall be eaten as a teal tree and as
an oak, whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves,
so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. I want to
call our attention this morning to four subjects that we find
in this chapter. First, Isaiah's vision in verse
one. In the year that King Uzziah
died. The historians tell us that this
was the year 740 BC, 740 years before the birth of Christ. In
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon
a throne high and lifted up. If you will, not maybe at this
time, but later, and especially you young people, if you will
look at this chapter, you will see the title Lord is six times
given. Six times we see the word or
the title Lord. And three of those times it is
spelled as it is in that first verse. I saw also the Lord, capital
L-O-R-D. But then three of the times it
is spelled as it is in verse three, holy, holy, holy is the
Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. And we recognize
that these are two of the Hebrew names of God. We pronounce these
names, the first name Adonai. That's the name that's translated
with just the first letter capitalized. But the other name is the name
Yahweh or Jehovah, which every letter is capitalized when it
is translated Lord. There's only one true and living
God who exists in a trinity of persons. If you look down in
verse eight, we read, whom shall I, singular, whom shall I send
and who will go for us, plural. There's one God and only one
God. God is omnipresent. Let me just
say there's not room for another God. Because God is everywhere. And God is omnipotent. He's the
only one who is all powerful. And he is omniscient. He knows
all things. And he is immutable. He never
changes. This verse here is much like
in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26 when we read in the creation. And God, that is singular, and
God said, let us, plural, make man in our image. God is one. There's one God. You say, I can't understand that.
Are we expected to understand everything about God? If we could
understand everything about Him, wouldn't that mean that we were
equal or above Him? No. We believe it. I believe
it. And I trust you believe it, because
it is revealed in God's Word, the inspired Word of God. There's
one true and living God, and yet He exists in a trinity of
persons. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. We sang about it just a few minutes
ago. Hail to the Father. Hail to the
Son. Hail to the Holy Spirit. Hail
to the three in one. Yes, God is one. Yet there is a trinity of persons
in the Godhead, and we notice that these seraphim, they cry
three times over, holy, holy, Yet, it is especially the second
person in the Godhead, and when we use these terms second and
third, we're not to think of first, second, and third in that
order, but first, second, and third in what they call the economical
trinity. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit, but it is always God the Son who
makes manifest God. He's the one, the eternal Son
of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
his glory as of the only begotten of the Father. And he told his
disciples, he that has seen me has seen the Father. Look with me, keep your places
here, but turn with me hurriedly, if you will, to John chapter
12. John chapter 12. In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne high and lifted up, and this train filled the temple. In John chapter 12, and let me
begin reading, in verse 35. Then Jesus said unto them, yet
a little while is the light with you. Now God is light. God is light. A little while,
the light is with you. The Lord Jesus Christ, when He
came into this world, He said, I am the light of the world. Yet a little while is the light
with you. Walk while you have the light,
lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness
knoweth not whither he goeth. While you have light, believe
in the light, that you may be the children of light. These
things spake Jesus and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many
miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. I read that just a few minutes
ago, and I could not help but think, He did so many miracles
before them, but they did not believe on Him. When He works
a miracle in you, you will then believe on Him. They saw these
miracles. He worked them before them, but
they didn't believe on Him. And all men, we see miracles
all around us. We live in a world where miracles,
if you have eyes to see, you will see every day. Coming this
way this morning, I saw the sunset, the sunrise, I'm sorry. I know that's not a miracle.
We've seen it rise every day for however old we are. But I
tell you, it's still so beautiful, isn't it? Just to see a sunrise. To see a baby born. To see how
our bodies work. We see, men see miracles before
them. But oh, that God might work a
miracle in us! Quickening us! Calling us! out of death into life, translating
us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear
son. Though he had worked so many
miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. Notice,
in order that the saying of Isaiah, the prophet might be fulfilled,
which he spoke Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom
hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Now that is found in
Isaiah 53, of course. But notice, therefore, they could
not believe, because that Esaias, or Isaiah, said again, He hath
blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts. that they should
not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart,
and be converted, and I should heal them. Now notice, these
things said Esaias when? When he saw his glory and spoke
of him. Whose glory did he see? He saw
the glory of God, he saw the glory of the incarnate Christ,
the eternal Son of God. Turn back with me now to Isaiah. Isaiah's vision. In Ezekiel 18, God said this
concerning the house of Israel. The way of the Lord is not equal. That's what they said. The house
of Israel. This is what they said. The way
of the Lord is not equal. And God said that it was just
the opposite. Their way is not equal. We may not always understand
God's ways, but we always know that His way is equal, that He
is just and righteous in all of His works. Holy, holy, holy. is the Lord God omnipotent. He cannot deny Himself. As I said, we may not always
understand His ways, but we have this rock, solid assurance. Whatever the Lord does is right. It's just. It's holy because
He cannot deny Himself. Now the second subject is Isaiah's
cleansing. If you notice down in verse 7,
the last part of the verse, it says, Lo, this hath touched thy
lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Isaiah experienced what the natural
man always experiences when he comes into the presence of God,
has a vision somehow of the Lord. You remember Job, the patriarch
Job. This is what God says about Job,
this man in the first chapter of Job. God said this, that man
was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed
evil. That's what God said about Job.
But now listen to what Job says about himself in the last chapter,
chapter 42. Job said, I have heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear. But now mine eye seeth thee,
wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Woe is me, Isaiah cries when
he sees the Lord high and lifted up. When I have seen thee, now I
abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Remember in Revelation
chapter one, when the apostle John exiled to the Isle of Patmos,
he had a vision of God. First he heard the voice of the
Lord, and we read there, I turned to see the voice that spoke with
me, and when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. Woe is me, for I am undone, a
man of unclean lips. Have you ever seen the Lord? And I'm not talking about a vision
like Isaiah had, but if you ever, through the preaching of the
word or the gospel, seen the Lord, how holy He is, how great
He is. When the Lord Jesus Christ began
His message called the Sermon on the Mount, you remember He
said, blessed are the poor in spirit. Man by nature is not
poor in spirit. He's proud, he's haughty, he's
self-sufficient, he can take care of himself, doesn't need
anybody. Blessed are they that mourn.
Man doesn't mourn over his sin. Why? Because he doesn't know
he has any. He doesn't believe he has any.
He doesn't see himself as undone. Blessed are the meek, those who
are teachable. Oh no, I know it all. I don't
need anyone to teach me. I know. Blessed are they that
hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. How
does a person come to be poor and mourn and meek and hunger
and thirst? A vision of Christ. A vision
of Christ. And we see ourselves like Job
did. I abhorred myself. Like John
did. I fell at his feet as dead. I'm not going to say much this
morning about his unclean lips. That's what Isaiah said. I am
a man of unclean lips. But I do think of this scripture,
the words of our Lord in Matthew 12 and verse 34. He said, Oh,
generation of vipers, how can you being evil speak good things
for out of the abundance of the heart? the mouth speaketh. Out of the abundance of the heart.
You see, unclean lips tells us there's an unclean heart. Out
of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. And James
tells us, if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man. But let me ask you this morning,
Can you imagine being told what Isaiah was told? Can you imagine
he was told, thine iniquity is taken away? Thy sin is purged. Can you imagine being told that? Well, that's what I'm here today
to tell you. I want you to follow with me.
Follow with me as we look at this. Who told him this? God didn't tell him that, but
he did. God told him this, but he told
him this through one of the seraphims. How many seraphim were there? We know there were more than
one, but I suggest to us this morning there were four. And
I say that because in Ezekiel's vision of God, he saw there was
four living creatures and they are
described then in that place as burning coals of fire. And that's what the word seraphim
means. It literally means burning, burning. And in the Apostle John's vision
of heaven in Revelation chapter 4, when he was able to see into
the throne room, remember there were four beasts before the throne. Now these beasts, these burning
ones, represent ministers of the gospel. Ministers who preach
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who with a live coal
The seraphim, with a live coal from off the altar, touched his
lips, and told him, Thine iniquity is taken away, thy sin is purged. Now, Isaiah, the temple he was
familiar with, the temple that God gave the instructions to
build, had two altars, basically. There was a brazen altar and
there was a golden altar. The brazen altar is the altar
upon which the atonement was made, where the blood was poured
out and the fat was burned. And then the golden altar was
the altar upon which incense was burned, which is a type,
of course, of intercession of prayer. In Romans chapter 5 and
verse 10, we read, This is Paul speaking to believers.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son, we were reconciled to God, how? By that
brazen altar, the death of His Son, that atonement, the blood,
we sang about it, saved by the blood of the crucified one. That is by His death and the
place of His people. But Paul goes on to say, much
more being reconciled. What does it mean to be reconciled
to God? It means to be brought into a
state of peace with God. We who come into this world,
not at enmity with God, but enmity with God. For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God, how? The only way, by the
blood, by the death of His Son. Much more, much more, Paul says,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. That is His
ongoing intercession. He continues to live and to make
intercession for ALL who come unto God by Him. So whichever
altar it was, both altars are necessary. Both the altar upon
which the sacrifice, the atonement was made, and the altar upon
which the intercession, the incense was burned. We need both for
our salvation. And Christ, he is both the sacrifice
and the intercessor. Now the Lord uses man in preaching
the gospel. He's commanded us to go into
all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Someone
said, well, I just believe we ought to preach to God's elect.
Well, the only way God's elect are revealed is those who believe. No, we're not. We go into the
world, preach the gospel to every man, every woman, every boy,
and every girl, and whosoever believeth and is baptized shall
be saved. Thine iniquity is taken away. Thy sin is purged, washed away. How? By believing in Jesus Christ. trusting in Him and Him alone. That was the way Isaiah was cleansed. That's the way his iniquity was
taken away. And praise God, that's the way
our iniquity is taken away. And our sins are purged. Took them away. How did He take
them away? By burying them in His own body
on the tree. Just like that scapegoat, right?
Taking them away. They're gone. They're gone. We're clean. We're washed in
the blood of Jesus Christ. Now notice third, Isaiah's mission,
verse nine. And he said, go and tell this
people, hear you indeed, but understand not and see you indeed,
but perceive not. The Lord Jesus Christ quoted
these verses as part of his answer. One day he was teaching, teaching
to many people, and his disciples asked him this question, why
speakest thou unto them in parables? Why are you speaking unto them
in parables? And our Lord quoted these verses. This is what he said, this is
his answer. Therefore speak I unto them in
parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing hear not,
neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah, which said, by hearing you shall hear and
shall not understand, and seeing you shall see and shall not understand. For this people's heart is waxed
gross, that is fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes, now listen, and their eyes they have closed. Lest at any time they should
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand
with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal
them. This speaks to us of a subject,
my friends, that is often called judicial blindness. Judicial
blindness. I want you to look in 2 Corinthians
just a moment. 2 Corinthians chapter 2. 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse
13. I'll begin with verse 14. Now thanks
be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh
manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. For we
are, that is gospel ministers, we are unto God a sweet saver
of Christ. In them that are saved and in
them that perish. To the one we are the saver of
death unto death and to the other the saver of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these
things? How do you explain the difference?
A saver, well, gospel preachers are always, he says here, a saver
of Christ unto God. And those who believe, a saver
of life. And those who do not believe,
a saver of death. How do you explain the difference?
Same preacher, same message, same gospel. How do you explain,
who is sufficient for these things? We know it is the Lord who maketh
thee to differ. The Lord. Several years ago I
read this story about William Wilberforce. Most of you know
him as a As a member of Parliament in England who fought to abolish
the slave trade, he had a friend by the name of William Pitt. William Pitt later became Prime
Minister of England. And William Wilberforce, he loved
the preaching of John Newton, that old man that wrote that
hymn, Amazing Grace. And he talked his friend, William
Pitt, into going to hear John Newton preach, at least on one
occasion, maybe more. And when they left the service,
well before, his heart was running over with thanksgiving and praise
for the grace of God. And William Pitt wasn't interested
at all, no impression at all. How do you explain that? Who is sufficient for these things?
We know that it is God who maketh thee to live. But of him are
you in Christ. But my point this morning is
this. It is a serious matter to hear
the preaching of the gospel. the nation of Israel, they would
not hear and the day came when they could not hear. It's a serious matter in preaching
and in hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is such a
thing as judicial blindness. They became The Jewish nation
came to a place where they could see, but they couldn't understand. And they could hear, though he
had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on
him. Go back to Isaiah 6, if you will. One other subject, Isaiah's assurance. In verse 13, we read, yet in
it shall be a tenth. The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah
saying, though the number of the children of Israel be as
the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. There was a remnant
here, no doubt under the number 10, a tenth, a tenth. shall be in it. And I want to, we know there's
an election of grace. It's a remnant according to the
election of grace. And that was among the Israelites.
And I'm confident that's among every nation. There is a remnant
according to the election of grace. I want to close by calling our
attention to the word desolate in verse 11. When Isaiah asked,
how long, how long shall I be preaching? How long? And he answered, until the cities
be wasted without inhabitant, the houses without man, and the
land be utterly desolate. When was this fulfilled? It was fulfilled, of course,
when Christ came from Isaiah's time to the Lord Jesus Christ.
God was sending prophets, prophets, prophets unto the nation of Israel. But remember, he said this, this
word desolate here, Isaiah, until the land is completely desolate. Our Lord one day said this, oh,
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee. How often, how often would I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under
his wings, and you would not. Behold, Your house is left unto
you desolate, desolate. When you hear the gospel, you are to believe the gospel.
This is the Lord's word. He can't lie. And His Word is, Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. It's a serious matter
to hear the Gospel and not commit and believe His Word. I pray that the Lord would use
this message in all of our lives.