Have You Seen The King?

Introduction

It was C.L. Brenner who said, “There is much I do not know about God. But what I do know has changed my life.” Isaiah could say the same thing. Isaiah went to Church one day and he saw the one thing everyone ought to see when they go to Church; Isaiah saw the King. Look carefully at 6:5, “for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of host.”

Isaiah saw God as perhaps no other person in the Old Testament ever saw the Lord. He was allowed to share his vision of God with us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

May I say that what I believe this Church needs a fresh vision of God. It would do this Church a lot of good to get a full view of Who God really is. I believe that we as Christians need a fresh vision of God. We need to see God, not as we think He is, but we need to see God as Isaiah did. Isaiah saw the Lord for WHO HE REALLY IS.

Once we see the King of kings, the Lord of lords, a Great God in all of His Glory, we will not, in fact, we cannot ever be the same.

I was reading the other day about how some people who go to Church, actually view God. There are some who view God as a God who winks at sin and giggles at iniquity. They view God as a God who is too loving to let anyone go hell; a God who accepts everyone just the way they are, and never bothers to change them; a God who gives them everything and never expects anything in return. They view God as one who honors all religions and sees one way to Him just as good as another. They view God as a God who is so sweet that He eventually is going to let everybody into Heaven.

Now, Isaiah did not view God in that capacity. Isaiah saw A God Who was a Holy God! Isaiah went to Church and caught a glimpse of the True, Living and Holy God.

David Wells in his book “No Place For Truth” made this statement: “The Holiness of God is the very cornerstone of Christian faith; for it is the foundation of reality. Knowing that God is Holy is therefore the key to knowing life as it truly is; knowing Christ as He truly is; knowing why He came and knowing how life will end.”

Let me take a moment and say that what we believe about God and how we think about God will greatly affect our lives.

1) A low view of God tends to produce a low form of living.

2) A Lofty View of God tends to produce a higher form of living.

Let me ask you a question. Since we know what Isaiah saw when he went to Church (a Holy God), What do you see, or a better way of putting it; Who do you see when you go to Church?

As we look at this story, we will see what will happen when we see God for Who He is.

I. The Vision That Captured The Attention Of Isaiah

In 6:1-3 Isaiah saw the Lord in all of His Greatness and in all of His Grandeur. He had a glimpse of Glory never before seen and never again repeated. (Isaiah never forgot what he saw.)

A. Isaiah Saw The Position Of A Sovereign King

This vision took place 1, “In the year that king Uzziah died”.

Now, that was a very important year. (It was an important year for king Uzziah.) Uzziah was one of the greatest kings of Judah. Unlike most of the kings, before and after him, he honored God throughout most of his administration. Because he honored God, his was a Reign of Plenty. The land literally flowed with milk and honey during his administration. His was a Reign of Prosperity. Worldwide trade was at an all-time high under his administration. There were 2 cars in every garage; a turkey in every oven; cokes in every refrigerator. Fat-free ice cream in the freezer. His was a Reign of Protection. King Uzziah won ever war he fought because the Good hand of God was upon him.

But Uzziah died. And when he died , Isaiah was crushed. He was fretful and fearful of what would happen to his beloved Nation now. Isaiah probably wondered , who could possibly replace Uzziah; his trusted friend; his valued counselor; his mighty king. But then God reminded him that there is only One King that is indispensable.

There are 2 kings that are seen in vs.1. One is a dead king , One is a Divine King. One is a mortal king , One is an Immortal King. One is a human king , One is a Heavenly King. One king had died (as all kings do) , One King lives forever (as no king can).

Lamentations 5:19, “Thou, O Lord, remainest forever; Thy throne from generation to generation.”

Listen carefully. When Uzziah died, Isaiah finally saw the Lord. He turned his eyes away from the throne which had been left vacant by Uzziah, and he turned his eyes to the Throne of Heaven, which is forever being occupied by the Sovereign King.

There is something here that we need to look at very carefully. I want you to notice what God was doing during this time that King Uzziah died. You never find where God was pacing back and forth, ringing His hands; barking out orders; breaking out into a cold sweat because king Uzziah had died.

When Isaiah saw the Lord, he said; 1, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD SITTING UPON A THRONE, HIGH AND LIFTED UP.” Isaiah saw God sitting on His Throne in Heaven; a Throne that was raised to a lofty position so as to distinguish this throne as a place of honor and prestige. Isaiah saw clearly what you and I need to see (completely) in these troubled days in which we live. We need to see that GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE , His hand is on the throttle , and He is in complete control.

Listen carefully. Newspaper headlines, interest rates, devastating wars, deadly diseases, destructive crime may say that this world is out of control, but God is still in charge.

What a blessing it is to know that God is not sitting off in some distant corner of the universe (I don’t mean to be disrespectful) with His finger in His mouth, pouting because Satan and sin have taken over His world. Nothing upsets God’s apple-cart. Everything is going according to His Plan.

I don’t know of a “failure problem” that God cannot cleanse.

I don’t know of a “family problem” that God cannot cease.

I don’t know of a “fitness problem” that God cannot cure.

I don’t know of a “future problem” that God cannot control.

Disappointments, disease, discouragement, depression, defeat may take you by surprise and catch you off guard, but it didn’t take God by surprise. He is still looking out for His children. God is not worried about what is going on down here. It may look out of control, but keep in mind that God is in control. In these days of darkness, difficulty, doubt, and despair, God is on the Throne. Everything is under His authority. (So kick doubt out - let faith kick in.)

‘Have faith in God, He’s on His Throne;

Have faith in God, He watches o’re His own.

HE CANNOT FAIL; HE MUST PREVAIL!

Have faith in God! Have faith in God!”

When I read Isaiah 6:1 and notice that Isaiah got a vision of the Lord sitting on the Throne of Heaven, that blesses my heart. But the Holy Spirit revealed to me the other day that Isaiah did not look towards the Throne of God until he had personal sorrow come into his life. It took a personal tragedy to make Isaiah look up to see a Sovereign King.

Before we go on in our study I believe that it is the Will of the Lord for us to stop for a moment and ask ourselves; WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE BEFORE WE SEE THE LORD? (Isaiah saw the Position of a Sovereign King)

B. Isaiah Heard The Praise To A Sinless King

Listen to the activity in Heaven: vs.2,3, “Above it stool 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. 3, And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”

Now, Isaiah’s attention is not focused on the Seraphim, but their actions that magnified the One on the Throne in Heaven. The Seraphim are members of the Angelic family. The word “Seraphim” means “fiery ones”. It is commonly believed that the name is an allusion to their love for the Lord and their devotion to the Lord. Isaiah saw them above the Throne, indicating that they were ready at once to minister to the Lord. Anything the Lord would want them to do, they were ready and willing to do so.

It is said that the young son of Bishop Berkeley once asked him the question; “Papa, what do the words Cherubim and Seraphim mean?” The Bishop took time to tell the him that “Cherubim” was the Hebrew word meaning ‘knowledge’, and the word “Serephim” stood for ‘flame’; explaining that it is commonly supposed the Cherubim are Angels that excel in ‘knowledge’ and the Seraphim are those who excel in ‘love’ for God. The little boy said; “Then I hope that when I die I will be a Seraphim. I would lot rather love God than to know everything.”

Isaiah saw that each of the Seraphim had 6 wings. With 2 of the wings they covered their face. With 2 of the wings they covered their feet. They flew with 2 of their wings. Out of 6 wings, only 2 were used for flying. 4 of their wings were used for covering themselves.

Roy Hession in his book “When I saw Him” asked the question; “Why were the Seraphim’s doing this?” He gave his answer…

“Because although they were beautiful, the One upon the Throne was infinitely more so, and they were concerned lest in any degree their beauty should somehow divert attention from that other Beauty. So they made it their supreme task to hide themselves with 4 of their wings that only the Lord on the Throne might be seen.”

Isaiah saw One that was to get all the Glory, honor and Praise. He saw One whose Beauty was far greater than any other. One who deserved all Attention; all Affection; and all Adoration.

Now, Isaiah not only saw what the Seraphim were doing, he also heard what they were saying. 3, “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” One of the things the Seraphim are to do, as well as others in Heaven, is to magnify the Holiness of God.

If you want to know the chief attribute of God, it is seen in these 2 verses. The chief character trait of God is not Power. The seraphim were not crying; ‘Omnipotent, omnipotent, omnipotent is the Lord of host…For Thou are All Powerful’. The chief attribute of God is not Perception. They were not crying out; ‘Omniscient; omniscient; omniscient is the Lord of hosts … For Thou knowest all things’.

The chief attribute of God is not Presence. They were not crying out; ‘Omnipresent, omnipresent, omnipresent is the Lord of hosts … You are everywhere at all times.’ They would have been right if they would have said these things.

He we are told that the chief attribute of God is PURITY. 6:3, “And one cried unto another, and said; Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts”. More than anything else , GOD IS A HOLY GOD!! He is not some nameless creator that we cannot know. He is not some absentee landlord who has no interest in the affairs of this world. He is the thrice Holy God of Israel who loves godliness and hates wickedness; and will one day just this world in righteousness. Holiness is not something that God has. Holiness is not something that God does. HOLINESS IS SOME-THING THAT GOD IS. We are told in 1 Samuel 2:2, “There is none Holy as the Lord: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”

Now every one of us know that we are to Praise God. Every one of us knows that we are to Worship God. Every one of know that we are to exalt God. But the primary reason we are to do so is this: Psalms 99:5, “Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is Holy.”

It is interesting to notice that in the song of the seraphim the word HOLY is repeated 3 times. In Hebrew poetry, repetition is a form of emphasis). When we emphasize something in English, we do it in one of several ways. We might underline a word; we might put it in italics; we might put it in boldface type. Perhaps we will attach an exclamation point following a word.

Sometime we might set them off in quotation marks. (But the Jewish people had different ways to indicate emphasis , and one of the primary ways was the method of repetition). To mention something 3 times in succession was to elevate it to a superlative degree. It would attach to it the greatest importance.

Only one time in all of the Bible is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a character trait of God mentioned in succession. The Bible says that GOD IS HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!

You will never know God, as God is to be known, until you see Him as He really is. You will never see God as He really is until you see Him in His Perfect, Pure Holiness. (Isaiah saw the Position of a Sovereign King) , (Isaiah heard the Praise to a Sinless King)

C. Isaiah Learned The Purpose For A Supreme King

“The whole earth is full of His Glory”. If you want to know where the world is headed, I believe I can sum it up for you in 4 words: The Glory of God! Now, this is not quite yet a statement of fact , because at this moment, the whole earth is not filled with His Glory. But this is a statement of Faith , for one day this whole earth will be filled with His Glory.

Let me ask you a question. Do you know why you are here? Do you know why you were born? Do you know why you were even put on this earth to begin with? You have only one purpose in life. And that is TO GLORIFY GOD. Everything else is a waste of time, talent, and treasure.

The Great Westminster confession rightly said:

“The chief end of man is to Glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”

The Word of God sums it up this way. Paul states: 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” The motivation force behind everything you do is to be the Glory of God. Anything you can do for the Glory of God you ought to do , and anything you cannot do for the Glory of God you should never do.

The Vision That Captured The Attention of Isaiah

II. The Verdict That Changed The Attitude Of Isaiah

Look at 6:5, “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips.”

When Isaiah saw the Lord in His Holiness, he saw himself in his sinfulness, and he saw the people in their wickedness.

Now, up to this time Isaiah had put in overtime pointing the finger at other people, condemning the sins of other people. Isaiah had already seen what it is easy to see, and that is, other people’s faults.

Go back to chapter 5 and notice how he condemns the people with a “woe” … 5:8, 11, 18 ,20-22,

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.” 11, “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!” 18, “Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope.” 20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” 21, “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight.” 22, “Woe unto them that are might to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink.”

Up until now the “woe” was on everybody else. But once Isaiah saw the Lord, he says, “Woe is me, for I am undone”.

What Isaiah was really saying was this; ‘Its not my father; its not my mother; its not my brother; its not my sister; its not this Nation – but its me O Lord, standing in the need of Prayer.’

When Isaiah was God in all His Holiness , he saw himself in all his hellishness. When Isaiah’s soul was placed against the bright pure Holiness of God , his right became wrong , his might became weak. (What Isaiah saw when he saw God , is the same thing you and I must see when we see the Lord)

YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOURSELF FOR “WHAT YOU REALLY ARE” UNTIL YOU SEE GOD FOR WHO HE REALLY IS!!!

Until you meet God, you will never know that your biggest problem is you! (Think about something: You and I, apart from the Lord, are fit and fueled for hell. We have no hope of real life, and no of ever seeing and entering Heaven a part from the Lord.)

I heard about a fellow who woke up feeling like one big wound. He immediately went to his doctor’s office. He told the Doctor; “Doc; everywhere I touch it hurts. I touch my left shoulder it hurts. I touch my right shoulder it hurts. I touch my head, it hurts. I touch my foot it hurts. Everywhere I touch it hurts. Am I dying?”

The Doctor quickly examined the man. After an hour of thorough examination, the Doctor said; “You have a real problem. Your right index finger is broken.”

You will never see your full spiritual condition until you see God for “Who He Really is.”

Job was a Righteous man. He was a God-fearing man. As you continue to read, when he saw God for “Who He really is” , Job said; Job 42:5,6, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. 6, Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

You think about something. There are actually 3 people sitting in your seat right now. (1), There is the person you hope you are. (2), There is the person others think you are. (3), There is the person that God knows you are.

Isaiah was the leading Prophet of his day. To his contemporaries he was a man of unquestioned integrity. (He would have been considered, more than likely, the most righteous man in the Nation) He was highly respected. Then, he took one look at a Holy God; all it took looking at deity to reveal his dirtiness. It took looking at God to reveal his guilt.

I want you to notice what happen when problem was sensed by Isaiah…

A. There Was A Prayerful Confession

Isaiah said in 6:5, “I am undone … I am a man of unclean lips”.

The word “UNDONE” means “to come apart at the seams.” Isaiah had been exposed for who he was and what he was before he gazed at a Holy and Righteous God. God exposed Isaiah’s sin to Isaiah himself. Once Isaiah fell under true conviction, it brought out his true confession. When Isaiah saw the Lord, there was a problem that he sensed. This speaks of Conviction.

You don’t find that Isaiah refused his sin; nor did he try to excuse his sin. He didn’t try to justify his sin. He didn’t try to blame it on his environment. Isaiah simply confessed that that he was undone , and that he was unclean.

I do not believe that you will ever be freed from the bondage of sin until you first admit you are a slave to sin. You will never get out of Satan’s prison until you admit your sin , and call it what it really is.

B. There Was A Perfect Cleansing

Look at 6:6, 7, “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 alter: 7, And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touch thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”

A seraphim takes a blazing white-hot coal off of the alter and touches the lips of Isaiah. (You may wonder why the emphasis on the lips) Isaiah himself had emphasized that his lips, and the lips of his people, were unclean. And so the seraphim comes and touches the lips.

Now, why not the heart? Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

The Old country farmer put it:

‘What is down in the well comes up in the bucket.’

Isaiah had a dirty mouth because he had a dirty heart. But these seraphim (keep in mind that the word “seraphm” literally means ‘flame bearers’ or ‘burning ones’) come and touch his lips with a hot coal from a flaming fire.

I honestly believe that we need our lips touched with Heavenly fire. You see, we basically have [2] problems with our lips. (1), We say thing we shouldn’t say … But worse than this, (2), We don’t say things that we should say.

Now, notice that after this seraph touched the lips of Isaiah, he was never the same again. God couldn’t use Isaiah as long as he was spiritually dirty. Once he confessed his sin, he was clean and then he became useable to God.

We need clean lips to witness for God. We need clean hands to work for God. We need clean feet to walk before God. We need clean hearts to worship God.

The Holiness of God, which reveals the sinfulness of man, will always result in the forgiveness of sin.

The Vision that Captured the Attention of Isaiah

The Verdict that Changed the Attitude of Isaiah

III. The Voice That Conquered The Allegiance Of Isaiah

Now, once Isaiah got into the right place (place of confessing and cleansing) , then he realized that God had something for him to do.

A. There Was The Call From The Lord

Look at verse 8, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

After the confessing and the cleansing comes the calling. We must keep it in God’s order. You see, you never find where God demands a perfect vessel , but God does demand a clean vessel.

Just as Isaiah had a ‘calling’ on his life there is also a calling on your life. God’s calling is not just for Preachers. Every Christian ought to be making a living doing what God has called them to do at that moment of their life. This ought to be the desire of your heart , to find God’s Plan for your life and to get in on it.

B. There Was The Commitment To the Lord

Look at 6:8, “Then said I, Here am I; send me”. Isaiah did not hesitate. He stepped right up to the front. Notice that Isaiah did not say; ‘Here am I, send him’ … ‘Here am I, send the Pastor’ … Here am I, send some-one besides me.’ Isaiah made it very plain: ‘Here am I! Send me.’

In making this statement, he was basically making a 3-fold commitment of his life that you and I ought to make in our lives …

He was Committed to Desire the Will of God. Isaiah didn’t answer God’s question with a question. When God asked the question; “Whom shall I send; and who will go for us?” – Isaiah didn’t say; ‘God, that all depends on where you want me to go?’ … ‘God; that all depends upon what You want me to do’. Isaiah signed the contract before it was even typed.

When he said; ‘Here am I’, all he was saying to God was ‘Look no further; Send me … Wherever You lead me, I’ll go; whatever You ask me, I will do. Whatever You want, I’ll give.’

I truly believe that GOD CAN DO anything with anyone , at anytime , in any place, if they would just say; ‘Here am I! Send me.’

Our Daily Prayer should be:

‘Mine are the hands to do the work;

My feet shall fun for Thee.

My lips shall sound the Glorious news;

Lord, here am I; Send me.’

He was Committed to Deliver the Word of God. Immediately God says to Isaiah; 9, “Go, and tell this people”. When a person sees God (really sees God), then he wants to share God. They will go and tell. They will not only worship , they will also witness.

WHEN A SINNER SEES THE SAVIOR, HE WILL BECOME A SAINT WHO SHARES THE SAVIOR.

He was Committed to Do the Work of God. Even though he was to go and tell, God warned him that the people would not listen to him. In 10 God tells him that their hearts would be dull , their ears would be heavy , their eyes would be shut , and they would not listen. > But this was not to concern Isaiah. He was not responsible for the harvest. Isaiah was simply responsible for the sowing of the seed.

We must remember that God has not called up to be successful , God has called us to be faithful.

Conclusion

Robert E. Lee said, "You can never do more than your duty, and you should never wish to do less."

In 1868 Daniel March was invited to Preach to the Christian Association in Philadelphia. He felt led to speak on the Holiness of God, and especially on the question found in Isaiah 6:8, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The day before he was to preach, as he was meditating on the Holiness of God and all that it meant, he got so full of his subject that he wrote a hymn. It is the only one that he ever wrote.

The following day at the close of his sermon, he sang that hymn he had written the day before. It went like this:

“Hark the voice of Jesus calling,

Who will go and work today?

Fields are white and harvest waiting;

Who will bear the sheaves away?

Loud and long the Master calls,

Rich reward He offers thee;

Who will answer gladly saying,

Here am I; send me; send me?

Let none hear you idly saying,

There is nothing I can do.

While the souls of men are dying;

And the Master calls for you.

Gladly take the task He gives you;

Let His Work your pleasure be;

Answer quickly when He calls;

Here am I. Send me! Send me!”

How do you know that you have seen the Right God? How do you know that you know the Right God? When you know God in all His Holiness, you will see yourself in all of your sinfulness. You will not stop until you receive His forgiveness, and then you will give the rest of your life to His usefulness.

WHOM SHALL I SEND? HERE AM I, LORD, SEND ME!