"I have seen the Lord...my eyes have seen the King, the Lord God Almighty."
When Isaiah saw God, his life would never be the same again. Let us examine who this God is whom Isaiah saw and what the result is of seeing God. Briefly, our God is holy, and when we see him, we will experience a revival in our soul that will last for an eternity.
Dryness and defeat. Many Christians have right ideas about God. They acknowledge God as Creator, Savior and Lord, as good, gracious and merciful, that God loves them and they are unworthy. They know that God hates sin and they want to change, improve, grow and make a difference. But despite such wonderful/true knowledge about God, there is a sense of dryness, deadness and defeat in them, for their right knowledge of God does not translate into right living. What's the problem?
Self-centeredness. In commenting on Heaven and Hell, Tim Keller says that people who wind up in hell are those who begin the process in this life. He describes their problem as self-centeredness: "The more self-centered people get, the more miserable and the more in denial (that they are self-centered) they become. That is to say they blame everybody else for their problems. And that is part of what self-centeredness is – you are (1) wise in your own eyes, (2) you can’t take the blame for anything, (3) nothing is ever your fault." This is an apt description of unbelievers--stuck in self-centeredness, expressed as "blaming others and acquitting/excusing yourself." Such a description of hellish people often also describes some genuine Christians.
Seeing God. What is the problem? The solution? May I suggest that the problem is a failure to catch a glimpse of God (cf. 2 Cor 3:18, 4:4-6). This results in vicious cycles of self-centeredness, which Augustine and Martin Luther calls incurvatus in se, "curved inward on oneself." The solution is to see God for who He truly is. Isa 6:1-3 gives us a snapshot of who our God truly is.
God is calling you. Often when we study Isaiah 6, we emphasize the God who is calling you, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" (Isa 6:8) God is tugging at your heart and your guilt. The hope and prayer is that you will respond like Isaiah, "Here am I. Send me!" ... even if our true response might be, "Why me? Please, send somebody else!"
Who is this God? In Isa 6:1-3, instead of focusing on the God who is calling us (which He does), let us think about who this God is who is calling us. (This was inspired by a John Piper sermon, In The Throne Room: The God of Holiness and Hope (Isa 6:1-13), preached recently at the 2012 TGC Woman's conference, and originally in 1984: Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts.)
May God bless you to see God for who He truly is as Isaiah did, and experience a revival in your soul. So who is the God whom Isaiah saw? There are at least 6 glimpses of God in Isa 6:1-3.
- God is alive.
- God is ruling.
- God is majestic.
- God is revered.
- God is holy.
- God is glorious.
1st, God is alive (Isa 6:1a). "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord..." (Isa 6:1a). King Uzziah reigned for 52 years (2 Chron 26:3). His death marked the end of a lengthy era of national prosperity. The king died but God is alive. God is alive when Nietzsche proclaimed that God is dead. God is alive before the creation of the world. 10 trillion years from now, when all of this present reality that we know is dead, God is alive. In 100 years, all of us will be no more. But God is alive. When Isaiah saw the living God, he began to live anew.
2nd, God is ruling (Isa 6:1b). "I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne" (Isa 6:1b). The one who sits on the throne is the one who rules, the one who has the authority. If we were sitting comfortably, we would stand tall when we want to have some sense of authority. But God--comfortably seated--has complete authority. The throne is God's right to sit and rule the world. We do not give God authority over our lives. God has authority regardless of whether we give it to him or not, whether we like it or not. Virginia Stem Owens, an author, said, "Let us get this one thing straight. God can do anything he damn well pleases, including damn well. And if it pleases him to damn, then it is done." No matter how bad or worse the world seems to be getting, God is never ever frustrated, worried, anxious, uncertain, nervous, or like a chicken with its head cut off. Instead, God is ruling, seated on a high and exalted throne. One who knows that God is ruling will have no fear in their hearts.
3rd, God is majestic (Isa 6:1c). "...and the train of his robe filled the temple" (Isa 6:1c). Wedding gowns with a long robe adds an elegance to an already gorgeous and lovely bride. That God's robe fills the entire heavenly temple means that he is a God of incomparable splendor. The fullness of God's splendor shows itself in countless ways. Sorry to non-cat lovers, but whenever I look at my cat, my heart is softened and made exquisitely tender by her beauty, elegance, and splendor. I say to her in my heart, "I can look at you and hang around you all day and every day all the days of my life." And that's just a cat!--a miniscule speck of all of God's marvellous creatures. There are thousands of fish 6-7 miles deep in the ocean with their own built-in lights--with their own lamps hanging from their head, or luminous noses, or beacons under their eyes--with no electric outlets or sockets, and which no one sees. Why are they there? Why not just a dozen or so efficient streamlined models? Because God is lavish and majestic in splendor. His creative fullness spills over in excessive beauty. If that's the way the created world is, how much more resplendent or majestic must be the God who thought it up and made it! Is your heart filled with awe at the beauty and majesty of God?
4th, God is revered (Isa 6:2). "Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying" (Isa 6:2). No one knows what these strange 6-winged creatures are. They do not appear again in the Bible until Rev 4:8. According to Isa 6:4, when one of them speaks, the foundations of the temple shake. The point is that not even they can look upon the Lord nor do they feel worthy even to leave their feet exposed in his presence. Great and good as they are, untainted by human sin, yet they revere their Maker in great humility. An angel terrifies a man with his brilliance and power. But angels themselves hide in holy fear and reverence from the splendor of God. How much more will we shudder and quake in his presence who cannot even endure the splendor of his angels! Do you revere God?
5th, God is holy (Isa 6:3a). "And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty'" (Isa 6:3a). The seraphs were speaking to each other in antiphonal (sung, recited, or played alternately by 2 groups) praise. The primary thrust of the 3-fold repetition of God's holiness (trihagion) is to emphasize God's separateness from and independence of His fallen creation. Secondarily, it implies that God is 3 Persons.
2nd, God is ruling (Isa 6:1b). "I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne" (Isa 6:1b). The one who sits on the throne is the one who rules, the one who has the authority. If we were sitting comfortably, we would stand tall when we want to have some sense of authority. But God--comfortably seated--has complete authority. The throne is God's right to sit and rule the world. We do not give God authority over our lives. God has authority regardless of whether we give it to him or not, whether we like it or not. Virginia Stem Owens, an author, said, "Let us get this one thing straight. God can do anything he damn well pleases, including damn well. And if it pleases him to damn, then it is done." No matter how bad or worse the world seems to be getting, God is never ever frustrated, worried, anxious, uncertain, nervous, or like a chicken with its head cut off. Instead, God is ruling, seated on a high and exalted throne. One who knows that God is ruling will have no fear in their hearts.
3rd, God is majestic (Isa 6:1c). "...and the train of his robe filled the temple" (Isa 6:1c). Wedding gowns with a long robe adds an elegance to an already gorgeous and lovely bride. That God's robe fills the entire heavenly temple means that he is a God of incomparable splendor. The fullness of God's splendor shows itself in countless ways. Sorry to non-cat lovers, but whenever I look at my cat, my heart is softened and made exquisitely tender by her beauty, elegance, and splendor. I say to her in my heart, "I can look at you and hang around you all day and every day all the days of my life." And that's just a cat!--a miniscule speck of all of God's marvellous creatures. There are thousands of fish 6-7 miles deep in the ocean with their own built-in lights--with their own lamps hanging from their head, or luminous noses, or beacons under their eyes--with no electric outlets or sockets, and which no one sees. Why are they there? Why not just a dozen or so efficient streamlined models? Because God is lavish and majestic in splendor. His creative fullness spills over in excessive beauty. If that's the way the created world is, how much more resplendent or majestic must be the God who thought it up and made it! Is your heart filled with awe at the beauty and majesty of God?
4th, God is revered (Isa 6:2). "Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying" (Isa 6:2). No one knows what these strange 6-winged creatures are. They do not appear again in the Bible until Rev 4:8. According to Isa 6:4, when one of them speaks, the foundations of the temple shake. The point is that not even they can look upon the Lord nor do they feel worthy even to leave their feet exposed in his presence. Great and good as they are, untainted by human sin, yet they revere their Maker in great humility. An angel terrifies a man with his brilliance and power. But angels themselves hide in holy fear and reverence from the splendor of God. How much more will we shudder and quake in his presence who cannot even endure the splendor of his angels! Do you revere God?
5th, God is holy (Isa 6:3a). "And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty'" (Isa 6:3a). The seraphs were speaking to each other in antiphonal (sung, recited, or played alternately by 2 groups) praise. The primary thrust of the 3-fold repetition of God's holiness (trihagion) is to emphasize God's separateness from and independence of His fallen creation. Secondarily, it implies that God is 3 Persons.
The root meaning of ‘'holy'’ is to cut or to separate. A holy thing is cut off from or separated from something else for devotion. So, holiness consists of being not part of the common, the profane, the impure, but devoted unto God. The very god-ness of God means that he is separate from all that is not God (1 Sam 2:2). There is an infinite qualitative difference between Creator and creature. God is one of a kind. Sui generis (unique). In a class by himself. God is utterly holy. Holiness is His utterly unique, one of a kind, pure essence which therefore has infinite value. The more rare a diamond, the more valuable. Only one of its kind. It's infinitely valuable! God is infinitely valuable (Isa 40:25).
The most important value in the universe is not you (Hos 11:9), your family, 7 billion human beings and not billions upon billions of galaxies. We are as nothing as a drop in the bucket compared to the value of God (Isa 40:15,17). The main problem in the world is the failure to feel that God is holy. God has infinite worth; all other value has value only in proportion to its reflection of His value: this truth changes everything. There is no question anymore of whether we have any rights. We have none and we had none before we fell. Humans and angels don't have rights before their Maker. God has all rights. God defines rights. God is right and holy. His holiness is what he is as God which no one else is or ever will be. Call it his majesty, his divinity, his greatness, his value as the pearl of great price (Mt 13:46). In the end language runs out. God says, "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet 1:16; Lev 19:2, 20:7, 26). Is it sweet to you or does His holiness seem far away and irrelevant?How can you assess for yourself how holy you are? Are you a holy person or a hypocrite? How can you tell the difference? In Nancy DeMoss' workbook, Seeking Him: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival, she distinguishes between holy and hypocritical Christians:
- Holy people behave in certain ways because they love God.
- Hypocrites behave in certain ways because they want others to think they love God.
- Holy people are concerned about being pleasing to God - inside and out.
- Hypocrites are concerned about how they are perceived by others.
- Holy people have a heart to love and serve others, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
- Hypocrites like to associate with "movers and shakers" and the "up-and-coming" to enhance their own standing.
- Holy people bow to the authority of Scripture and live radically obedient lives.
- Hypocrites will excuse disobedience to the Word of God through use of pious-sounding logic, while slavishly adhering to their own man-made rules and standards.
- Holy people give themselves unreservedly to God and are patient with others who are still in process.
- Hypocrites expect more from others than they are willing to give of themselves.
- Holy people have a humble estimation of themselves because God is their standard.
- Hypocrites compare themselves to others and develop a spiritual superiority complex.
- Holy people base their convictions on the standard of God's Word.
- Hypocrites exalt personal preferences and human traditions to a position of equal (or greater) authority with the Word of God.
- Holy people are real.
- Hypocrites pretend...
Isaiah's life after seeing God. This personal encounter with God transformed Isaiah from a "regular" believer to a "revived" believer. What is the evidence of his revival? 4 signs to assess whether or not revival is happening in one's heart:
- Sin. Isaiah has an acute awareness of his sin. Unrevived Christians treat their own sins lightly, while blasting others for their sin. But when Isaiah met God, he cried out, "Woe to me! I am ruined!" (Isa 6:5) Unrevived Christians say, "Yeah, I sinned. But I'm OK. But that guy's sin makes me sick!" No one senses their own sin without holiness and glory. A revival begins with honest self-criticism and personal repentance, while “regular Christians” tend to be moralistic, critical and judgmental of others.
- Sanctification. When Isaiah felt the pangs of death his sins and guilt brought him, he experienced God's cleansing and forgiveness and a newness of life (Isa 6:6). One who treats their sins lightly experience dryness, deadness and defeat. Revival, however, brings times of refreshing (Acts 3:19).
- Sent. Isaiah was ready to be sent by God to his people to share the message of God regardless of the cost and with no conditions. But it won't go well for him. His life would be hard. The response to his message would be hardness of heart leading to God's wrath and judgment upon his entire nation.
- Salvation. However, God would not fail. Though the nation is cut down, "the holy seed will be the stump in the land” (Isa 6:13). God would preserve a remnant through Isaiah's ministry.
Like Isaiah, others have met God anew and a revival began in them. Let me share 2 stories.
Chuck Colson: I gained a new understanding of God. In 1973, Chuck Colson heard the Gospel for the first time, even as the Watergate scandal was exploding. That night the then aide to former President Richard Nixon said,
Colson was convicted for his role in the Watergate scandal in 1974. He became a committed Christian while the Watergate charges were still pending against him. His conversion led him to plead guilty to obstruction of justice while a judge was considering dismissing the case against him. He served 7 months of a 1 to 3 year prison sentence.
Years later, Colson underwent a period of spiritual dryness. A friend suggested to Colson that he watch a videocassette lecture series by R.C. Sproul on the holiness of God. Here's what Colson wrote:
Job: My eyes have seen you. Who was Job? "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). Job was a believer, a deeply devout and prayerful man. Surely he knew God as he ought. Surely he had a "taste for the majesty of God." But then came the excruciating pain and abject misery of his unrelenting afflictions of losing virtually everything--wealth, children, health--safe his life and his wife who said, "Curse God and die" (Job 2:9). As Job was groaning and lamenting endlessly, God spoke to him: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 'Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me" (Job 40:7-8; 41:10-11).
In the end Job responds, like Colson, to a "completely new understanding of the Holy God." He says, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3-6).
Seeing God = Revival. Have you seen God like Isaiah, Colson and Job? More Christians than you realize had life-changing encounters with God in the midst of a major storm, or when nothing seemed to be happening other than busyness and weariness. "The darkest time of night is right before the dawn." We meet God when we feel helpless. We meet God anew when we no longer treat our besetting sins lightly. We meet God when we are emptied of ourselves and depend on him entirely. Can such a revival happen to you? In our church? I would be hard pressed to continue if I did not believe that perseverance is the key to revival. A.J. Gordon wrote in The Holy Spirit in Missions (pp. 139, 140):
In conclusion, how is it possible for a sinful man to see the God who is holy and not perish? Isaiah 6 reveals a God who is majestic in glory. But Isaiah 53 speaks of the Messiah as a repulsive Servant who was afflicted and crushed, despised and rejected by men. There is overwhelming glory in Isaiah 6 and palpable bleakness in Isaiah 53. John understood this apparent dichotomy by quoting Isa 53:1 in Jn 12:38 to explain why sinners harden their hearts and reject the God who loves them. It is because we love praise from men more than praise from God (Jn 12:43). We love to look good in the eyes of men, rather than to see ourselves before the eyes of God. We like men to approve of us and to think well of us, rather than to consider how God thinks of us and how God sees us. We want to live off man's visible outward derived glory rather than to live before the invisible sublime glory of God.
Despite our sins, God would yet love us. Jesus the Son would become the Suffering Servant. God would heap our sins upon Him. On that bloody Cross, all my sins were tattooed deeply on every square inch of his broken bleeding body. The Being who is eternally holy would become like the most hideous monster on account of my sins. On the Cross, God would turn his face away from His Son, so that I, with my multitude of sins, can see the face of God and not be destroyed. God had to look away from His Son so that he can begin to look at me with favor. This is the eternal plan of God to save man from his sins.
Chuck Colson: I gained a new understanding of God. In 1973, Chuck Colson heard the Gospel for the first time, even as the Watergate scandal was exploding. That night the then aide to former President Richard Nixon said,
"That night I was confronted with my own sin—not just Watergate's dirty tricks, but the sin deep within me, the hidden evil that lives in every human heart. It was painful and I could not escape. I cried out to God and found myself drawn irresistibly into his waiting arms. That was the night I gave my life to Jesus Christ and began the greatest adventure of my life." (Loving God, p. 247)
Colson was convicted for his role in the Watergate scandal in 1974. He became a committed Christian while the Watergate charges were still pending against him. His conversion led him to plead guilty to obstruction of justice while a judge was considering dismissing the case against him. He served 7 months of a 1 to 3 year prison sentence.
Years later, Colson underwent a period of spiritual dryness. A friend suggested to Colson that he watch a videocassette lecture series by R.C. Sproul on the holiness of God. Here's what Colson wrote:
"All I knew about Sproul was that he was a theologian, so I wasn't enthusiastic. After all, I reasoned, theology was for people who had time to study, locked in ivory towers far from the battlefield of human need. However, at my friend's urging I finally agreed to watch Sproul's series.
By the end of the sixth lecture I was on my knees, deep in prayer, in awe of God's absolute holiness. It was a life-changing experience as I gained a completely new understanding of the holy God I believe in and worship.Though Colson was a Christian, several years later something else wonderful happened. A theologian spoke on the holiness of God and Colson fell to his knees and "gained a completely new understanding of the holy God." From that point on he had what he calls a "taste for the majesty of God." Have you seen God's holiness to have an insatiable taste for his majesty?
My spiritual drought ended, but this taste for the majesty of God only made me thirst for more of him." (Loving God, pp. 14–15)
Job: My eyes have seen you. Who was Job? "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). Job was a believer, a deeply devout and prayerful man. Surely he knew God as he ought. Surely he had a "taste for the majesty of God." But then came the excruciating pain and abject misery of his unrelenting afflictions of losing virtually everything--wealth, children, health--safe his life and his wife who said, "Curse God and die" (Job 2:9). As Job was groaning and lamenting endlessly, God spoke to him: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 'Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me" (Job 40:7-8; 41:10-11).
In the end Job responds, like Colson, to a "completely new understanding of the Holy God." He says, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3-6).
Seeing God = Revival. Have you seen God like Isaiah, Colson and Job? More Christians than you realize had life-changing encounters with God in the midst of a major storm, or when nothing seemed to be happening other than busyness and weariness. "The darkest time of night is right before the dawn." We meet God when we feel helpless. We meet God anew when we no longer treat our besetting sins lightly. We meet God when we are emptied of ourselves and depend on him entirely. Can such a revival happen to you? In our church? I would be hard pressed to continue if I did not believe that perseverance is the key to revival. A.J. Gordon wrote in The Holy Spirit in Missions (pp. 139, 140):
"It was 7 years before Carey baptized his first convert in India; it was 7 years before Judson won his first disciple in Burma; Morrison toiled 7 years before the first Chinaman was brought to Christ; Moffat declared that he waited 7 years to see the first evident moving of the Holy Spirit upon the Bechuanas of Africa; Henry Richards wrought 7 years on the Congo before the first convert was gained at Banza Manteka."Perseverance, prayer and labor is a key to revival. But so is expectation and hope. And God has given me small signs of hope that the experience of Job, Colson and Isaiah can happen here at our church if we continue to seek hard after the holy God. The main small sign of revival in us may be our own inner sense of peace, joy and fulfillment in Jesus. Like Isaiah, Colson and Job many of you have seen the holy God and have experienced a revival in your soul. As a result, you are thirsting and seeking hard after God. Jer 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me (seek hard after God) with all your heart." God is indeed ever alive, ruling, majestic, revered, holy, and glorious among us.
In conclusion, how is it possible for a sinful man to see the God who is holy and not perish? Isaiah 6 reveals a God who is majestic in glory. But Isaiah 53 speaks of the Messiah as a repulsive Servant who was afflicted and crushed, despised and rejected by men. There is overwhelming glory in Isaiah 6 and palpable bleakness in Isaiah 53. John understood this apparent dichotomy by quoting Isa 53:1 in Jn 12:38 to explain why sinners harden their hearts and reject the God who loves them. It is because we love praise from men more than praise from God (Jn 12:43). We love to look good in the eyes of men, rather than to see ourselves before the eyes of God. We like men to approve of us and to think well of us, rather than to consider how God thinks of us and how God sees us. We want to live off man's visible outward derived glory rather than to live before the invisible sublime glory of God.
Despite our sins, God would yet love us. Jesus the Son would become the Suffering Servant. God would heap our sins upon Him. On that bloody Cross, all my sins were tattooed deeply on every square inch of his broken bleeding body. The Being who is eternally holy would become like the most hideous monster on account of my sins. On the Cross, God would turn his face away from His Son, so that I, with my multitude of sins, can see the face of God and not be destroyed. God had to look away from His Son so that he can begin to look at me with favor. This is the eternal plan of God to save man from his sins.
- Do you see the God who is holy, holy, holy?
- Does his holiness and glory capture your soul?
- Does his beauty and majesty compel you to seek Him more than man's glory?
- Are you more bothered by your sins or by the sins of others?
- Are you experiencing times of refreshing and a revival in your heart?
References:
- In The Throne Room: The God of Holiness and Hope (Isa 6:1-13). John Piper, 2012. (Sermon notes/transcript.)
- Revival Comes When We See God Anew. Report of Piper's sermon from the 2012 TGC Woman' conference.
- Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts (Isa 6:1-8). John Piper, 1984.
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