Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• One of the outstanding chapters of the Bible
• A mere man (like you and I) came into the presence of God
• He was really seeking God
• A very unusual and rare thing occurred
• He had a vision of God
• It was a devastating experience
• "Woe is me"
• He experienced cleansing of his sin
• He was commissioned to do a great work for God
• He had a great vision like Paul and John
• A special situation
• Given great revelation of God
• Isaiah's experience
• An Old Testament believer seeing something of the New Testament Gospel
• John 12:41
• He saw the glory of Jesus Christ
• This vision would have changed him forever
• Overview:
• When did this happen?
• What happened?
• Why did it happen?

When did this happen?

• In the year when King Uzziah died
• 739 BC
• He had reigned for 52 years in the Southern Kingdom of Judah
• He had a good reign (he was a good king)
• But towards the end he became proud and committed sacrilege
• He offered incense in the temple (only a priests job)
• God strikes him with leprosy
• It is thought he lived for another 15 years and then died a leper
• This must have been sad for Isaiah
• He likely went into the temple with a heavy heart
• The Northern Kingdom was living in apostasy
• Politically unstable times
• Chapter 6 does not record his conversion or initial commission
• 1:1 - he had already been a prophet
• He served during the reign of 4 kings
• He was already serving
• It would be a difficult ministry
• (v9)
• To preach until a time of great destruction and war
• His vision would have sustained him through this difficult time
• This should encourage us
• We are living in difficult times
• People do not believe in the truth of the Bible
• We are living in days when people have turned their backs on God
• We must say that God is raised up
• We can know God in a very real and deep way
• We will not have visions like Isaiah or be met like Moses & Joshua and the vision for the apostle John
• These were for significant reasons
• We can know the reality of God and His presence

What happened?

• He was taken out of the earthly temple and taken into the heavenly temple
• Some of these events are mentioned in Revelation
• A throne
• Seraphim
• Holy, holy, holy is the Triune God
• An altar
• A sublime vision of the Son of God
• Christ sitting on His throne
• John 12:41
• High and lifted up - comparison with last weeks sermon
• A majestic and glorious vision of God
• Our vision of God
• 1 Cor 13 - we see dimly now (even though we have the full revelation of Scripture)
• We cannot experience Him completely
• One day we will see him face to face
• We are declare about God to those around us
• What did he see?
• Seraphim
• Means burning ones
• Had six wings
• With two winds they covered their eyes from God
• With two winds they covered their feet
• With two wings thy fly - messengers of God
• Singing about God: "Holy, holy, holy"
• An awesome holiness and love
• Absolute justice
• True faithfulness
• Singing about God: "The whole earth is full of His glory"
• God is glorious and omnipresence
• God's glory is stamped upon creation
• A reference when one day all nations shall worship God
• The door posts shaking
• God's presence in this
• Like a room in Acts 4
• This is teaching us about who God is
• A call to us to reconsider our views of God
• To mediate upon His characteristics
• Not a God of our own imagination
• The true God revealed in the Bible

Why did it happen?

• He needed to understand God was on the throne
• He needed to understand Himself
• To know and confess his sin
• To be cleansed by God
• To be made small
• So that God could raised him up
• Consider the example of Simon Peter
• Not just to read the Scripture [the Ten Commandments] and to examine his heart and life (to see his sin)
• When God revealed Himself his sin was revealed
• No logical conclusion but absolute conviction
• This goes against modern thinking
• We will not cry out for salvation unless we see our need
• Job had to know God personally
• Those who are Christians know this experience
• To know forgiveness of sin (v6-7)
• We are unclean
• We need cleansing
• A live coal from the altar - sacrifice and burnt offering
• Pointing forward to the final offering of Jesus Christ
• Salvation is only through the blood of Jesus Christ
• It must be known personally
• A cleansing within and without
• Have you known this cleansing?

Closing Remarks