because it's of great benefit to arrive where we need to be on time. In this passage, what we see happening is Isaiah wants to give us a clear picture of God, of Yahweh. Why? Because he knows that seeing God clearly is of great benefit to us. What is that benefit? Well, seeing God clearly helps us to see reality clearly. When we see God clearly, we can see everything else clearly. Everything else falls into So if you have your Bibles and Isaiah 6, I hope that you can follow along with me as I read the chapter for us. Starting in verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim, each had six wings, with two He covered His face, With two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, Woe is me, for I am lost. For I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, here I am, send me. And he said, go and say to the people, keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the hearts of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Then I said, How long, O Lord? And he said, Until cities lie waste, without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again. like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump." Well, Father, we thank You for this morning. We thank You for Your Word. As we turn to it, we pray that You would delight by Your Spirit to illuminate the text to our hearts, that You would speak to us over and above the words of any man, that You would Use Your Word to correct us, to teach us, to direct our eyes to Jesus Christ that we might delight in Him this morning. Use Your Word to produce the effect and the fruits that You want to see in the lives of Your people here this morning. Would You do that, we pray, in Christ's name, amen. So right away in verse 1, we're given some very important context that sets us up to understand really what is happening in this passage. Look again at verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died, See at this point in Israel's history, the kingdom had been divided. There was a northern kingdom and then there was the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom had terrible kings. One after another. They disregarded the law and they led the people within their care straight into idol worship. Now the southern kingdom wasn't too much better yet they had a few kings that would come in and when they came in would destroy the idols and restore right worship of Yahweh. Now King Uzziah was one of those few good kings. He reigned for 52 years he, in fact, expanded the borders of Israel and strengthened the army and brought prosperity back to the land. His kingship rivaled the likes of David and Solomon. And yet at the height of this, in his pride, he tried to take for himself a privilege that was only given to the priests. And so for this sin, God gives him leprosy. and he lives the rest of his life excluded from the house of God. Now the hope that the people had to return to a land that was like David or Solomon dies with the king. Now this is a quick reminder for us, the life of Uzziah, his rise and his fall is a reminder for us that past faithfulness does not guarantee future or present faithfulness. See the moment that King Uzziah took his eyes off his great God and tried to look down and take in all of his great works was the moment that he stumbled. See, until we arrive in glory, we need to stay dependent on God. Uzziah thought he arrived, and at that very moment, he stumbled in his pride. Until we arrive in glory, we need to stay dependent on God, and by the power of the Spirit, keep warring against the flesh. Uzziah gave in and died. And it's in the middle of this crisis, this national crisis. Everyone was anticipating the return of the glory to the nation. And it dies with Uzziah. In the middle of this crisis is when Isaiah has this vision. Look back at verse one. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Now the word used here in verse one of Lord, capital L, lowercase o-r-d, is different from the word all caps Lord that is used later. See, Lord, all caps, is Yahweh, God's covenant name. But this word Lord used in verse 1, capital L, lowercase o-r-d, is the word that's translated from Adonai. It's a title of Sovereign Lord or Sovereign King. What God is doing here is He's fixing Isaiah's perspective. King Uzziah might be dead, but the Sovereign King is ruling forever. King Uzziah may have reigned for 52 years over a divided kingdom, but the sovereign king rules over everything and his reign never ends. God, in his kindness, is fixing the perspective of Isaiah. He raises it up, his eyes, from the dead and decaying king up to the undying and glorious king. Now friends, brothers and sisters, this should give you great confidence. Why? Because the reality is, even in our world, leaders, rulers, kings, prime ministers, presidents will come and go. Some of them may be great, but most not. But constant through it all, God is on his throne. That he's seated, he's not pacing around, he's not worried about getting things done. Nothing gets in the way of his plan and purposes. And this eternal and undying sovereign king is also a good king who loves and cares for his people. He reigns in justice and righteousness. And unlike the reign of earthly kings, his reign is not subject to death. See, Queen Elizabeth, when she died, I'm sure many of you remember, it was almost like a worldwide mourning. Why? Because of her character and conviction. Her death marked the end of her reign. See, God's benevolent reign will never be subject to death. It will never cease due to death. So, for the Christian, the reality is Psalm 23. Goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life. Because God is king forever. and He reigns in goodness towards His people. Now this also means something else, that there is nothing that we face, good or bad, that is outside of His hand and His ability to intervene. He is using it all for our good and for His glory. Because He's sovereign king over everything that He has made, there is nothing that is outside of His power. Now look at verse two. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew." What the Bible is describing for us is the seraphim. It can be translated as these fiery beings. The way that they're described is that they're covering their faces because it's an act of humility. God is too bright in the brilliance of his glory to be looked at directly. they covered their feet. Because the feet in biblical literature is a sign, a symbol of their creatureliness. So though these fiery beings are sinless and angelic and are in the very presence of God, what is being highlighted for us is they are still creatures. What the Bible is wanting us to see is how far God is above everything. That God isn't simply the highest in the order of beings. God is different. Not just in degree, but in kind. He's in His own category. God alone is God. He alone is uncreated. Everything else has been made by Him. And so what's our response to this? It should be that of worship. And that's what the seraphim do. Look at verse three. And one called out to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. Verse four. And the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called and the house was filled with smoke. Back and forth, over and over. They're singing this song. Holy, holy, holy. In fact, we just sang that a few moments ago. In Hebrew scripture, repetition is a way of communicating emphasis. So think of it as an exclamation mark. Yet the only thing in God's Word that is raised to the third degree is His holiness. God's holiness. See, God's holiness is the supreme truth of who God is. But as good students of His Word, we should ask the question, what does holiness mean? Well, it can be put this way, God's holiness is His transcendent purity in all His attributes, works, and ways. God's holiness is His transcendent purity in all of His attributes, works, and ways. In other words, God alone is God in all of His perfections. And to this, the seraphim add that God's glory, the expression of God's holiness, the evidence of God's transcendent purity in our world fills the earth. It's in fact what David says in Psalm 19 verse 1. The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies above proclaim His handiwork. What the angels, the seraphim here are communicating to us is that there is not one part of this world that does not reflect the glory of God. All of it proclaims that God made me. Now brothers and sisters, God in His kindness has given us countless tangible expressions of His glory and His goodness in everything that He has made. C.S. Lewis puts it this way, we may ignore it, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. Now what that means is that God in every moment, in everything that He has made, is inviting everyone to Himself. We are without excuse, as Paul puts it. But because of pride, and because of sin, we are blind to it. This is in fact why the Bible tells us it's so necessary for us to have His Word. The Bible is necessary because it tells us about God, His works, and how we can be saved. This is why that as those who have been saved by God, whose eyes have been opened by God's Spirit, need to go out into the world with His Word boldly. To the lost, to our family, to our community, to our city, to our world, we need to go with His Word. Because they are without excuse. God has made His world as a testament to His glory, and yet we are blind to it, and so we need Him to reveal Himself, and He has through So we go with it boldly. Now, in light of this glorious display of who God is, His sovereignty, His majesty, His holiness, His glory, we finally hear Isaiah speak for the first time. Look at verse 5. And I said, woe is me, for I am lost. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of glory. When we see God clearly, we see reality clearly, but our first point, when we see God clearly, it helps us see humanity clearly. When we see God clearly, it helps us see humanity clearly. See the clearest evidence that we have encountered the Living God and seen Him accurately and clearly is that we begin to see ourselves clearly. As those who are needy, as those who are sinful. And our lives begin to be marked like Isaiah with humility. See, this is what happens to Isaiah. He sees God clearly, so he finally sees himself. And his response is that he curses himself. Woe is me, for I am lost. I'm a man of unclean lips. See, unlike the seraphim who are ongoing in their antiphonal praise of God and His holiness, Isaiah can't participate in worship. Why? Because his lips are unclean. Because of his sin. And so, in his humility, he confesses it. But his humility doesn't stop there. He admits he's no better than anyone else. He says, I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. At home I have this vanity mirror, not myself, my wife does. I avoid it at all costs because it's kind of scary what you see when you look in. What it does, it brightens and magnifies all of these imperfections in your face that you normally wouldn't see. Now God's glory and His holiness are like that vanity mirror. The blinding brilliance of His holiness and His glory magnify and expose every imperfection and sin in us. And that's what it did to Isaiah and it's what it does to us. No sin is small or insignificant because every sin is an act of rebellion against this holy and perfect King. And as Isaiah points out, it's our common human problem. We dwell amongst the people of unclean lips. As Paul puts it in Romans 3, chapter 3, verse 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All humanity finds themselves under judgment. We are all in the same desperate situation. No individual group, culture, ethnicity finds exemption from this situation. And when we understand this reality, it should dismantle any sense of superiority and foster humility in us. Because we understand that apart from the grace of God, every person is in the exact same situation before him. of need of him. So the only right response is that of humility. Now before Isaiah can say any more, God acts in kindness. Look at verse six. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. Verse seven. And he touched my mouth and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for. When we see God clearly, we see humanity clearly, but we also see grace clearly. When we see God clearly, we see His grace clearly. See one of the seraphim flies at Isaiah holding in his hand a burning coal that he had taken from the altar. And when the coal touches Isaiah, Isaiah isn't hurt. You would expect that from burning coal. Isaiah is healed. Though through the sacrifice of another, the judgment of a substitute on the altar, Isaiah is forgiven. See, Christian, this is our story as well, is it not? That we receive forgiveness through another sacrifice offered on a different altar. When we turn to God in humility, desperation, and in faith, God takes the blood of Christ, which was offered on the cross, and applies it to our life. And because of that, when we do that in faith, the Holy Spirit then testifies to us, not only of our adoption, but also, like the seraphim, testifies to us, your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for. The just demands of the law have been satisfied in Christ. That's what atonement means. It was paid for in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Now don't miss this. The forgiveness that is offered to Isaiah is one It's complete. See, as soon as the coal touches his lips, there's nothing more that Isaiah is called to do. It's complete. But it's also sufficient. It deals with not just his confessed sin, his lips, but also his guilt. When God forgives us in Christ, that forgiveness that He offers to us and that we receive is full and final. Something that we need to keep remembering. And we need to keep that in mind, why? Because Satan makes us doubt the finished work of Christ. He accuses us and he causes us to question and reminds us of our sin. And the temptation in this moment, in those moments, is that we think that we need to do more to earn God's favor. But we need to remember that there's nothing that we did that saved us. There's nothing that we can do to save us. Our guilt has been removed because of Jesus and his initiating grace. Now, everything else that we do, these steps of obedience, is a response in gratitude, love, and worship to our God who has extended that grace to us. In fact, that's what we see Isaiah do. Look at verse 8. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then I said, here I am, send me. In response to the grace that he has experienced before God, Isaiah offers himself in a response of gratitude, of love and worship. But quickly, I want to point out something in here. Did you notice? So far in Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah only hears God through the seraphim. But for the first time here in verse eight, Isaiah hears God directly. He's not far off anymore. He's been brought in close so he can hear. He's not worried about his unclean lips anymore. So he speaks, he speaks to God. They've been, his lips have been cleansed. The forgiveness that God offers also leads to reconciliation. Forgiveness from God leads to reconciliation with God. Now this reality should inform God. The model that God gives us in His forgiveness should inform how we forgive one another. If someone repents and asks us for forgiveness, our response should be to give it completely. But we shouldn't just stop there. We should, as far as it depends upon us, pursue reconciliation and restoration. Now that might be easier said than done. You might never get back to the same level of trust, of loyalty, of closeness, this side of heaven. But as far as it depends upon us, we will pursue not just the extension of forgiveness, but also reconciliation. Why? Because Christ did it for us. And he did it at a much greater cost. Now back to verse eight. Having experienced the grace of God, Isaiah is now reconciled to God, so he now offers himself to the service of God. And so God, hearing this response, gives Isaiah his job description. Look at verse 9. And he said, go and say to this people, keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Isaiah is given his job description from God, and God tells him that his preaching will blind eyes, deaden ears, and harden hearts. It's definitely not the kind of ministry a preacher sets out to have. No one goes to seminary expecting this to be their job description. Now it's not because Isaiah is a bad preacher. Because in the same way that some preachers have the gift of longevity, they seem to preach forever, Isaiah has the gift of simplicity. See, in chapter 28 of Isaiah's book, we are told that the people of Israel thought that Isaiah was too simple, that he was too basic, elementary, that it was below them and their level of intellect. They wanted to keep him in Sunday school. See, Isaiah was abundantly clear in his communication. But that's, in fact, what leads to their hardened hearts and blind eyes and deadened ears. Because they continually reject a message that is abundantly clear. You can't get it wrong. Isaiah is being very clear what is expected of them. And their continual rejection of it hardens their hearts. Now, a principle that we see here is that there's no neutral response to the preaching of God's Word. To not receive it is to, in fact, reject it. You are either drawn nearer to God, like Isaiah was, or hardened to Him, like the people that would hear Isaiah's preaching. Like the same sun melts both the snow and hardens the clay, the same word from God can bring life to some and deaden others. Now what is being said, I want to be very clear, is not to receive the preaching of God's Word without any qualifications, no. Be like the noble Bereans who tested what they heard against God's Word and once they saw that it was approved by God's Word, they didn't just sit there, they received it. What is being highlighted is our attitude to God's Word when we approach it. And the call then is to always approach His Word with humility. To see that it is from God and then to receive it. In fact, this is what God says through Isaiah in the final chapter of this book. But this is the one to whom I will look. He who is humble, contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. When you hear God's word, are you indifferent? Or do you receive it when you know that it is from God? Now, Isaiah hearing his job description raises a question. Look at verse 11. Then I said, how long, O Lord? And God gives him his answer. And he said, until cities lie in waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again. And we'll read the rest of verse 13 in a minute. Isaiah, hearing God's job description, responds and asks, how long? And he hears God's response. See, God's people had disobeyed. And God, through Moses, had been abundantly clear that there are blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. But like a patient father, He displayed His long-suffering with them, even through their repeated rebellion. But now it's gone on for long enough. God pronounces judgment through Isaiah. And as we keep reading through the book of Isaiah, we see that the people don't respond to this warning. repentance, but they keep rejecting God and keep rebelling. So God then uses the nations of Assyria and of Babylon to scatter His people in judgment. But even in this pronouncement of judgment, we see a glimmer of hope. Because God is holy, holy, holy. And the whole earth will be filled with His glory. There's nothing stopping His plan and His purposes. And that He is a sovereign and good and kind King. Rebellion and sin might have scattered His people. But nothing can stop God's plan of salvation. Look at verse 13 again. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again. Like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled, the holy seed is its stump. When we see God clearly, we see everything clearly. When we see God clearly, we see humanity clearly, we see grace clearly, and finally, we see hope clearly. When we see God clearly, we see hope clearly. See, through the judgment that's pronounced, though it is severe, The people will be scattered and exiled, yet God promises to preserve a remnant who are faithful to Him. Now, where am I getting that? Let me show you. See, the trees mentioned in verse 13 are not random. Middle Eastern terebinth and oak trees have this ability to produce new shoots from stumps, even when they are felled and damaged. As long as a stump remains, there remains hope for new growth. The forest is cut down, but what God tells us, a stump remains. And therefore, there is still hope. Now friends, brothers and sisters, this is a word to us because for the believer, God's judgment is not final. We will experience His discipline and His correction. But as long as the stump remains, there is hope. The judgment for believers is not final. We should expect His In fact, we should expect His correction and His discipline. What we should be concerned about is if we never experience His discipline and His correction. The Bible tells us He disciplines those He loves. So if you experience no discipline and correction in your life from the Lord, that is something to be concerned about. The judgment and discipline of God for the Christian serves to purify, validate, and strengthen our faith. And like the pronouncement of judgment in Isaiah, there's always the promise of grace and hope, even in the midst of it. Now, as the book of Isaiah unfolds, we see that God here in verse 13 is pointing to more than simply a faithful remnant. Well, in Isaiah chapter 11, verse one to two, we're getting into the Christmas season. This is often a verse that is quoted, There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and of might, and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. This stump that is remaining will produce a shoot that is none other than the Messiah. God is preserving a faithful people who will then produce the Messiah, the promised Davidic King who will redeem and gather his people who have been scattered amongst the nations. Not just from a physical exile, but from sin and death. And God keeps His Word. That's why we're here this morning. The Messiah came in Jesus Christ. And as John says in his Gospel, talking about Isaiah, Isaiah said these things, concerning Isaiah chapter 6, because Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and spoke of Him. The sovereign King who is sitting upon the throne of whom the angels are singing, holy, holy, holy is none other than Yahweh in flesh, Jesus Christ. He came down from glory from his throne and went up on a cross to pay the price our sins demanded and offers to us then the grace of God and secures for us a hope that goes beyond this life. When we trust in His work by faith, through the Spirit. In this life, we see Him dimly, as the Apostle Paul says, through the eyes of faith. But the comfort for us is this, that one day, Jesus will present us blameless before the presence of His glory, with great joy and with unveiled face, we will see the glory of God. What Isaiah trembled at upon seeing, and curses himself at, woe is me, for I have seen the King of glory. For Isaiah, it was a moment of trembling, but for us, it will be a moment of great joy. That as Christ presents us before the Father, and as we see Him as He is, it will be our hearts greatest delight. In the face of Jesus Christ, because of his work, in all of his glory, we will see God. And it will be all that we've longed for and all that we've hoped for. Let's pray. God, we thank you for this time. We thank you for your word which instructs us, which reminds us of all that you have done for us. We thank you for this reminder that you are a king who is reigning on your throne. and yet you are