6/4/23 Isaiah 6:1-8 “He’s Just a Little Bit Bigger!”

02 Jun 6/4/23 Isaiah 6:1-8 “He’s Just a Little Bit Bigger!”

6/4/23   Isaiah 6:1-8           “He’s Just a Little Bit Bigger!”

It always fascinates me to study the Old Testament.  It is filled with glorious stories and visions like the one we have today.  I remember finishing a Bible study of Revelation once and it was awesome how much the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament.  This isn’t just in Revelation either.  It is in all the New Testament.  It seems that all of the Old Testament points to what will happen in the New Testament.  Another thing to realize when you read the Old Testament stories is that this part of the Bible is about the people.  The New Testament is about Jesus and how we as individuals can have a relationship with Him.  The Old Testament is more about the people and how they are to follow God.  But once again the amazing part is how it all points to Jesus.  Last week we talked about the famous passage of the valley of dead bones.  This week we will look at the famous passage of Isaiah being touched on the lips with a hot coal.  Let’s see if we can come to the conclusion that the message is the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament.

Jeff Strite tells the story of holding a Bible study in his home which included a man from another church that was known for its liberal teachings.  They were studying Acts 5 and the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  If you remember they lied about contributing to the church and were immediately struck dead.  Now the text doesn’t say explicitly that God killed them, but it is an obvious implication.  This really offended the man from the liberal church.  He became quite agitated and tried to prove that God had done nothing to cause their deaths.  During the discussion the man shared his beliefs about God and what he had been taught.  He said that there were 2 Gods in the Bible, the one in the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament and they were as different from each other as night and day.  He was taught that the Old Testament God was a God of anger and judgment while the New Testament God was all about love and compassion.  He said that he could never love and honor a God like the one in the Old Testament.  This is pure heresy, total baloney!  God is the God of both testaments with everything pointing to Jesus Christ.  It is no wonder we have such a hard time with so many churches in this country because this is the type of false theology that is being taught.  I would almost dare to say that there might be more people in this country who believe like this man than those who believe in the one mighty God of all.  Now let’s look at what happened to Isaiah.

The very first line of this reading has a lot to do with what is going on in the passage.  It says that King Uzziah had died.  As a little refresher, King Uzziah was one of the best kings that Israel ever had.  He was a Godly king and did what was pleasing to God.  He had ruled for many years and the people loved him.  So this kind of tells us that he not only did what was good in God’s sight but also in the sight of the people.

Just as a little reminder of how this is even important to us, I would like to say that if you are pleasing God then you are pleasing to those believers around you.  This is just the way we are made.  However, if you are pleasing those around you it doesn’t follow that you are pleasing God.  Many people make the mistake of thinking this.  If you just remember one thing today, it would be this.  All things start with God and flow down.  If this is how you live your life, then you will be successful as far as God is concerned and He should be the only one you are trying to please.

One of the things that was happening to Isaiah and others from Israel is that they were mourning the loss this great king.  He had been everything to everyone.  Now that he was gone, someone else was going to have to step up to the plate.  They are a bit apprehensive.  Now God knows Isaiah like He knows all of us.  There is no hiding from God.  God knows that Isaiah is a good man so He gives him this vision of God sitting on the throne.  As a matter of fact, He is sitting high on the throne and the train of His robe fills the Temple.  And there are these beings called seraphs flying around the throne.  This is God sitting in His glory.

I think there is a good reason for God to present Himself like this.  He is reassuring Isaiah that all is good.  Yes, they have lost a great king but the even greater King is still on the throne and He is still very much in control.  Nothing has changed for God except that now King Uzziah is home with Him.

This is a hard thing for us to remember.  On a personal basis we lose people all the time.  People go home to be with Jesus and we are left here to mourn.  At the time of the loss, it sometimes seems like we just can’t make it without this person.  This is natural and normal.  These are the times that we need to be reminded of who we are and that our loved ones are now with Jesus in a place that is so great that we cannot even begin to imagine what it is like.

The same thing happens when we lose a leader who has been very popular.  I remember when President John F. Kennedy was killed.  There were many people who didn’t know if we would survive another day without this leader.  We didn’t have turmoil but we did have a lot of doubt.  This is, once again, something that is natural.  We need to remember that no matter what happens in our lives or in our country, God is always on the throne and He fills the Temple as well as the universe as He is always there and He is always caring and loving you.  That is a promise that you can take to the bank.

I would also like us to notice the reverence that is given God.  These seraphs are holy creatures that are also mentioned in Revelation.   They are flying and saying praises to God.  They probably have more power in the end of one of their wings than we have if we combined together with everyone in the world.  And yet they praise God.  And when they praise God, the doors rattle and the thresholds shake.  Suddenly, the Temple is filled with smoke.  Everywhere you look there is glory.  At the sight of all this glory, Isaiah shouts out, “Woe is me.  I am ruined.”

I would like to stop here for just a moment.  I don’t think that we have that kind of praise very much anymore.  We praise God because He is this wonderful God who loves us all no matter who we are or what we have done.  God is worthy of all this kind of praise because we really aren’t very nice and yet He loves us anyway.  However, we don’t want to look at Him as a God of judgment and a God of power.  We don’t like to think of Him as a God who has the power to destroy this world with a single thought.  Friends and neighbors in Christ, this will happen and it may be much sooner than you think.  This world will be destroyed so that nothing impure may enter into heaven and the New Jerusalem.  It is only by doing this that we can be guaranteed such a safe place for eternity.  Many people, many churches teach that our God is a God of love and would never do these things.  However, our God is a God of love but also a God of truth, honesty and justice.  He has said that this will happen so it will happen just like He has told us.

Now, who is this fellow named Isaiah?  He was a prophet under King Uzziah.  But I get the feeling that he didn’t have a lot to do.  Here is what I mean.  The king was a good king so basically all Isaiah had to do was keep him in line.  This shouldn’t be a problem with a good king.  So now that the good king is gone, what happens to Isaiah?  This is where we find him today.  He is before God as a good man and a good prophet of God. Amidst all this he suddenly realizes just how unworthy he really is.  He is a man of unclean lips.  Now we can only guess as to what this means.  It could be that he said bad things or had thought bad things or maybe his attitude was bad.  We don’t really know.  All we know is that Isaiah is a sinner.  He is standing before God and he realizes what a terrible sinner he really is.  So he cries out to God, “Woe is me! Woe is me!”  This is a scene that is played out many times in the Bible.  When mortal people come before God, they become overwhelmed by all the sin in their lives.  Adam and Eve tried to find cover.  Moses covered his face as the people of Israel kept their distance.  The Apostle John fell at his feet as though dead.  This is what happens when we come into the presence of God.

This is why I try to tell you that God isn’t a buddy of yours that you throw your arm around and take him out on the town.  God is your buddy and He loves you but you also have to realize just how great a sinner you really are.  We all are!  I don’t compare to these great leaders of the Bible so I know that I am in trouble as far as sin goes.  This is a tough thing for many people to get past.  This is why we are having so much trouble in this country and our churches.  Many teach the false doctrine of a feel good gospel.  This is the gospel where there is no judgment.  You can do whatever you want and it is ok with God.  All I can say about this is that feel good theology isn’t what I read in the Bible.  On the other hand, if you obey God then you will feel good but you have to be aware that there is also this truth and justice.

Now look what happens next.  One of the seraphs takes a hot coal from the throne of God and puts it on the lips of Isaiah.  By doing this the seraph tells Isaiah that his guilt has been taken away and his sins have been atoned for.  Hopefully, this sounds rather familiar to you.

As I told you in the beginning, the message is the same in the Old Testament as in the New.  We are to come before God and acknowledge that He is the God of our lives.  We are to see ourselves as the pitiful sinners that we are.  Then we are to repent of all our sins and Jesus will take them away.  Then we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives.  Then you will be clean and ready to roll.  Do this today and you will never regret it.  I can still remember that wonderful feeling that I had the minute I first came to Jesus Christ.  It was wonderful.  It will be wonderful for you also.

I have been preaching for 17+ years now.  You folks have been very patient and kind to me and Sharon as I try to preach truth and love.  I wasn’t very good when I started and I might not be much better now.  But I do love Jesus and all that He stands for.  I hope that you don’t mind me giving this invitation to join Jesus.  I have been giving it for 17 years and I will try to give it for many years to come.  Many, many pastors don’t do this because they don’t feel comfortable.  Consequently, if people aren’t invited, churches and the faith cannot grow.  We have been commanded by Jesus Christ to spread His Good News to where ever we go.  I really cannot think of a better way to do it.  And just as a little reminder to all you who have this relationship with Jesus, when I give this invitation would be a good time for you to pray that someone accepts it.  If we all work together as a team, I say that Satan doesn’t have a chance.  Do I hear an ‘amen?’

So what happens when we accept this wonderful invitation?  God asks the question, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  The response that God gets is that this broken man named Isaiah, who is totally unworthy of any consideration from God, says, “Here am I.  Send me!”

Send me!  Send me!  This should be our response when Jesus calls on you.  As I told you last week, Jesus will never send you on a mission that you cannot complete.  He will always equip you so that you can do the job.  In the future, we are going to take a look at our spiritual gifts a little so that when, and not if, when Jesus calls on you, you will know that you are gifted in an area to help.  Jesus loves you and He wants you to be His hands and feet in this world.  It will be only after you begin your ministry anchored in the ways of God that you will feel the glory of what it is like to be a Christian.

Steven Dow tells the story of Ranger John Elliott who was checking for avalanches in the Canadian Rockies when a blizzard came upon him.  He had gone many miles that day through deep snow and was exhausted.   He decided to hole up in a cabin that he came upon.  Unfortunately, he was rather dazed with fatigue and didn’t bother to light a fire or take off his wet clothes.  As the blizzard raged outside, the forest ranger fell to the floor and into a deep, deep sleep.  He was freezing to death and he didn’t even realize it.  However, his dog was with him and he sprang into action.  He whined and nudged and licked the ranger until he finally woke up.  The dog actually woke him up.  He was at the point of freezing to death, he remembered later, and it actually felt warm and good.  This poor guy was feeling warm and good and yet he was dying.

This is where many of the people around us are.  The devil has them and they are dying and they go about thinking all is great and they are just fine.  But they are not fine.  It is up to you to wake them up somehow.  Isaiah was now awake and alive in God.  You too can be awake and alive in Jesus Christ.  Then you can go out to where God sends you with this wonderful message of Jesus Christ.  Remember this as you go about your week.  Look for ways to serve God by serving others.

There was once a little girl who had always heard about how great and wonderful God is.  As she was getting ready for bed one evening she asked her dad, “How big is God?”  The wise dad thought for a moment and answered, “Honey, He is always just a little bigger than what you need.”  He is a little bigger than what we all need.  This is the love He has for you.  You are never alone.  And thank you, Jesus, for first loving us.  Let’s pray.