Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah 6:1-8

Lifechanging Glory

I.                    Proper perspective in life is only rightly defined by the proper perspective of God, because if we see God in His true glory, we must worship only Him (Vv. 1-4)

a.       Everything Judah and the prophet Isaiah had known had been thrown into chaos with the death of King Uzziah. His long reign had been marked by provision, protection, power, and prosperity, but now his death left a vacuum of uncertainty. In this hour of confusion, hurt, and uncertainty, God gives Isaiah a view into heaven which alters him permanently. Isaiah sees God sitting comfortably in His rightful place, high and lifted up above all things, with His Kingly nature filling the whole temple! God isn’t concerned, because He’s the only One who truly knows exactly what’s happening at that moment, and exactly what will happen in every moment to come. Times of provision, protection, power, and prosperity will fade, and human rulers will perish, but God will never change. God gave Isaiah a view to His full and true glory, where the Seraphim demonstrated the humility, reverence, and constant worship that God’s glory demands. These powerful angelic beings glorified God for His chief characteristic. They didn’t praise God by calling Him merciful, gracious, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, righteous, just, or even loving, they exalted Him in triplet for His holiness. God is utterly unequaled and beyond all comparison; beyond Him, there is only more of Him! One day the earth will be full of the knowledge of His glory, but God calls us to look up to Him and see His holiness, His glory, and to worship Him now. When we see the Living God of universe as He truly is, through the reality of His Son Jesus Christ, our whole lives must echo the cry of the Seraphim through our words and actions. When we worship God for who He truly is, the radiance and magnitude of His holiness and glory will utterly drown out, overwhelm life’s fears and distractions, and provide the proper perspective in all of life! (Vv. 1-4; Lev. 10:3; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Chron. 26:16-23; Neh. 12:40-43; Ps. 90:2; 99:5; Isa. 40:25-31; Lam. 5:19; Hosea 11:9; Hab. 2:14; John 1:14-18; 12:1-3, 37-41; Rom. 11:33-36)

II.                 Proper perspective in life is only rightly defined by the proper perspective of God, because if we see God in His true glory, we must truly see ourselves, and truly trust faithfully in Him     (Vv. 5-7)

a.       Isaiah is immediately convicted of the utter sinfulness of himself and humanity because he has truly seen the King! We’ll never see ourselves for what and who we really are, until we see God for who He really is. When that occurs, like Isaiah, we’ll be compelled to confess our sinfulness. But God didn’t convict Isaiah of his sin to make him feel bad or worthless. He reveled Isaiah’s sin so that He could take it away, and remove the barrier that existed between them. God burned the sin from Isaiah’s heart via his lips. We’re utterly powerless to remove sin from our lives, or to fight effectively against it, but God has won our victory over sin exclusively through the shed blood of Christ. When we confess it to Him through a broken heart, He’s faithful to cleanse us completely. We only see our sin as it truly is when we see God in His true glory. And only then will we be able to properly perceive the world and people around us. It’s always easiest to point to others as the issue which plagues the world and makes life overwhelming. When we don’t properly and continually assess our own hearts against the righteous glory of God revealed in Christ, the world will overwhelm us, confuse us, and embitter us, but in Christ we’ll see the world through the eyes of God’s grace and live for His glory.        (Vv. 5-7; Job 40:1-4; 42:1-6; Ps. 51:1-6, 10, 16-17; Prov. 28:13; Matt. 12:33-37; Rom. 3:23; 5:6-11; 6:4-14, 21-23; 8:1; 10:8-13 2 Cor. 4:5-7; 5:16-17, 21; 1 John 1:6-10)

III.              Proper perspective in life is only rightly defined by the proper perspective of God, because if we see God in His true glory, we must truly serve Him (v. 8)

a.       Now, having been awed, convicted, and cleansed, Isaiah hears God’s call. God desired to send someone out with His Word, and Isaiah was un-hesitantly ready to serve. He had encountered God for who He truly is, and there was nothing he wasn’t willing to trust Him with faithfully. So often we wonder what our purpose is, or what God’s will is for our lives. God simply desires faithfulness! God had a calling, plan, and purpose for Isaiah’s life, which he set in motion by revealing His true holiness and glory. A true and proper perspective of God always results in a desire to serve Him faithfully. Whether simple or complex, God has a lifechanging calling, plan, and purpose for you today as well. He simply calls for your faithfulness to trust and serve Him! (v. 8; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:14-15, 18-20; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8-10; 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 13:20-21)