The Lord High & Lifted Up -- 6/4/06 (Eternal Realities)

Sunday, June 4, 2006

THE LORD HIGH AND LIFTED UP
Isaiah 6:1-5

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said in chapter 2… (I Cor. 2:1-5)
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

This morning I understand something of that fear and trembling of which Paul wrote. More and more, I am coming to understand that our religious world is full of people whose faith will only stand in the wisdom of men, but will not stand in the power of God. If faith is worked up by man, it can be destroyed by man.

I am overwhelmed by the thought of standing before people and attempting to say something on behalf of Almighty God. Psalm 29 speaks of the power and majesty of His voice… (Ps. 29:3-9)
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. 4. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7. The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. 8. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9. The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

Come with me to that well-known passage from Isaiah 6. We have read it on a number of occasions, but even if we read it every time we meet, we could never exhaust its truth. Let’s read it again… (Is. 6:1-8)
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood 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. 4. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6. 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 altar: 7. And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Perhaps like never before, I identify with this man, when he said, "Woe is me, for I am undone." He didn’t speak those words because of some terrible deed he had committed. He didn’t say "Woe is me" because someone had convinced him that he was a scoundrel. Nor did he speak thus because he was having a pity party. He said, "Woe is me, for I am undone," because his eyes had seen the King, the Lord of hosts, the Almighty God.

Lord willing, I would like to share with you a series of messages about the great eternal realities. We are living in a day of great deception. The scriptures make it clear that though our adversary, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, he masquerades as an angel of light. He rarely confronts us directly as a lion would do. Rather, he weaves his web of deception in order to ensnare us in his trap. Then he feasts upon the one he has captured, even as lion consumes his prey. Our society is filled with deception, and that includes religious society. As a matter of fact, religion is the greatest stronghold of the devil’s deception.

In the midst of that deception, how we need the truth. Jesus gave us a great promise when He said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:32). Only God’s truth can dispel the deception that has sapped the strength of the Lord’s church. And that truth will be found in the Word of God, which is focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word.

So in these next few weeks let us look at the eternal realities. May God use His Word to quicken us, as we read repeatedly in Psalm 119. Let me read a few of these verses, rendering "quicken" as "make alive," for that is what it means…
Psa 119:25 "My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word."
Psa 119:50 "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me."
Psa 119:93 "I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me."
Psa 119:107 "I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word."
Psa 119:149 "Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment."
Psa 119:154 "Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word."

So where do we start? We start with the holiness of God. Oh yes, we could use some term other than "holiness." We could talk about the majesty of God, the glory of God, the righteousness of God, the perfection of God. Use any term you like, but understand that we are looking at the unique God who has created the universe and everything in it.

I can’t speak to you this morning without saying some things about myself. Forgive me for that, because it should not be necessary, but it is. When I read from Isaiah 6, it wasn’t because I simply needed a passage to read. "Woe is me, for I am undone" is my personal testimony. I know very little of God’s holiness. How little I have seen of the King, the Lord of hosts. I have talked about how desperately we need a deep conviction of sin. The Lord has shown me why we know so little of the conviction of sin. It is because we know so little of the holiness of God. And the primary reason for that is because the man who stands before you to share the Word of God week after week knows so little of the holiness of God. I have no excuses.

No congregation should be saddled with a man who is as ignorant and powerless as I. I say that from the depth of my heart. It is no wonder that we are so well described by the phrase "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." Please pray for me; pray for us. If the Lord would set me aside and remove me from being a leader in this church, so be it. Nothing matters except His glory.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, whose king had been Uzziah. Uzziah was one of the better kings of Judah. We read in II Chr 26:4-5, "And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. 5. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper." Do you know how long Uzziah reigned over Judah? For 52 years. That is a long time. What stability the kingdom must have enjoyed under Uzziah. No doubt, he was the only king Isaiah had ever known.

But now, Isaiah gets a glimpse of a much greater king. He had seen the royalty of King Uzziah (tradition says that he was the cousin of King Uzziah), but that was nothing compared to what he saw now. You say, "But how could Isaiah see the Lord?" All I know is that the Lord revealed himself to Isaiah. Was it in a vision? Read the very first verse in the book of Isaiah. Isa 1:1 "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah." Yes, I suppose it was a vision, but it was real. Isaiah saw beyond the temporal kings of this world into the heavens, where the King of Kings sits enthroned forever. This King is high and lifted up. As we read in Ps. 97:9, "For thou, O Lord, art high above all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods."

Notice that his train filled the temple. We still use the word "train" occasionally. Though it is not as common as it used to be, a bride’s wedding dress sometimes has a train. In my Webster’s dictionary, the very first definition of the word "train" reads "a part of a gown that trails behind the wearer." The train that runs on the track is called a "train" because it is composed of an engine with a string of cars which make up its train. In that day, the longer the train of a king’s robe, the greater his majesty. So we read that the Lord’s train filled the temple. What temple was it? Was it Solomon’s earthly temple? But if this was a vision, then it would be a heavenly temple. If that is so, I would expect the heavenly temple to be at least as great and glorious as the temple on earth. And the train of the Lord’s robe filled the entire temple. There was no room for anything else in the temple. What a picture. O that there would be no room for anything else but the Lord’s glory and majesty in these temples!

Above the throne of the Lord stood the seraphim. This is the only mention in the Bible of the seraphim. Like the cherubim, which are mentioned quite often in the Bible, these are some kind of heavenly creatures. Each seraph has six wings. He used two of them to cover his face, lest he should see the Lord in all His glory. He used two more to cover his feet. Surely this was an act of reverence, even as Moses was commanded to take off his shoes at the burning bush, because he was standing on holy ground. The other two were used to fly, enabling the seraphim to perform the service of the Lord God. Though we would assume that these creatures were continually in the presence of God, they were ever aware of God’s holiness. With reverence they worshipped and served Him. There is a saying: "Familiarity breeds contempt." Too often it is true, but not in this case. These creatures never lost sight of the fact that the Lord was holy. No one can be in His presence and not be overwhelmed with His holiness and majesty.
For this reason, they cried out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of is glory." The word "holy" means "set apart." The Lord God is set apart. There is none like Him. The seraphim did not just say, "Holy is the Lord," but "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord." This three-fold repetition was used for emphasis. Let there be no mistake in anyone’s mind in heaven or earth – The Lord is holy; the Lord is holy above all; there is none like Him; the Lord is in a class totally by Himself.

Do you remember Hannah? She was a godly woman who was crushed because she had not been able to give children to her husband; she was barren. But she prayed to the Lord, and he gave her a son. From the depths of her heart, she poured out her thanksgiving to the Lord. I Sam. 2:2, "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God." [Let’s sing it…]

Then the seraphim proclaim that the whole earth is full of His glory. Think about that – the whole earth is full of His glory. You look around and see the corruption and ask, "How can it be said that the whole earth is full of His glory?" Just walk outside and look at those White Sands in the west. Then look at the mountains to the east and to the west. Later tonight, take a glance at the sun, as it is setting. Get up early tomorrow morning and go outside where it is quiet. Listen to the birds. The next time we have one of those strong east winds, go out and stand in it and think about where it comes from. Yes, the whole earth is full of His glory. The scripture echoes this theme over and over from beginning to end…
Gen 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Neh 9:6 "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee."
Psa 24:1-2 "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods."
Psa 95:3-5 "For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. 5. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land."
Psa 102:25 "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands."
Psa 146:5-6 "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: 6. Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:"
Jer 10:12 "He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion."
Rev 14:7 "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

Now Is. 6:4, "And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke." As the seraphim cried out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts," it was as if the temple itself was responding to this glorious news. Like a youngster who sees the President in person and can’t wait to tell his friends, so the posts of the door of the temple were moved. The news of the Lord’s holiness rumbled through the temple like an earthquake. Who can be still when in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth?

Furthermore, the temple was filled with smoke. I am reminded of the scene at Mt. Sinai, when the Lord came down and revealed His glory and His holiness. Let’s read it in Exo 19:16-18…
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

In II Sam. 22, David is praising God for delivering him from all his enemies, especially from King Saul. David speaks in very figurative language. Let’s pick it up in verse 7. Read II Sam. 22:7-14…
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. 8. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. 9. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 10. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. 11. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12. And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. 13. Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled. 14. The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

There are two other Old Testament references to smoke coming out of His nostrils. And listen to

Psa 104:32, "He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke." And Psa 144:5, "Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke." And finally in Rev. 15:8 we read of the heavenly temple: "And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."

The presence of the smoke speaks of the holy and glorious LORD. Let me read one more passage along those lines. In this passage smoke isn’t mentioned, but the glory of the Lord fills the temple, just as we read here in Isaiah. The occasion was the dedication of Solomon’s magnificent temple. When the building of it was completed, they had an elaborate celebration and dedication. Of the amount of sacrifices they offered, it is said, "which could not be told nor numbered for multitude" (II Chron. 5:6). Then chapter 6 of II Chron. 6 is Solomon’s prayer, as he prayed that God would hear them when then looked toward the temple and prayed (42 verses). Now let’s read 2 Chr 7:1-3…
Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house. 3. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Wednesday evening some of us read the story from I Kings 18, where Elijah staged the great contest between the Lord and Baal. On the one side was the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. On the other side, there was Elijah, the prophet of the Lord. The contest was simple enough. The Baal prophets would kill a bull, lay it on the altar, and pray for their god to come down and consume the sacrifice with fire. Then Elijah would do the same, calling on his God to come down and consume the sacrifice with fire. Whichever god answered by fire, let him be God.

And so it was. The Baal prophets prepared the sacrifice and prayed to their god, but nothing happened. Even though they danced on the altar and cried out, nothing. They even cut themselves with knives until the blood flowed out of them, but still nothing. When it was Elijah’s turn, he prepared the sacrifice with confidence. Then he had them soak the sacrifice with barrels of water three times, even filling a trench he had made around the altar. Now listen to him call upon the Lord God… (I Kings 18:36-37)
LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

Did God answer? Let’s read it in I Kings 18:38-39… "Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God."

This is the Lord, whom Isaiah saw high and lifted up, of whom the seraphim cried, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." This is the God whose holy presence shook the door posts and filled the house with smoke. Is it any wonder that Isaiah cried out in anguish, "Woe is me, for I am undone"?

Later in Isaiah’s prophecies, it becomes very evident that this vision never lost its effect on the prophet. Surely there are no loftier passages in all of scripture concerning the greatness, the holiness, the power and majesty of the Lord our God. Please allow me to read some of them…
Read… Isaiah 40:12-31
41:8-9
43:9-13
44:6-8
44:24-45:7


Conclusion

So I leave us to ponder the living God, the Holy One of Israel, the One with whom no other can compare. Surely someone will say, "But that isn’t the whole story. The Bible also tells us that He is a God of love." Yes, it certainly does, but because we have largely passed over the holiness and majesty of the Lord God Almighty and run so quickly to His love, we have warped our minds and hardened our hearts. The love of God is a common theme in our world today, but few who speak of that love can truly appreciate it, because they have not knelt before the holiness and glory of God. May we not be in that group.

I remind you of the passage we read earlier from Exodus 19, where God thundered from Mt. Sinai and the whole mountain smoked because of His glorious presence. Not it’s true that there is also another great mount, the mount called Calvary, where Jesus died for sinners like us. Now hear me. Between God’s revelation at Mt. Sinai and His revelation at Mt. Calvary there was roughly 1,500 years. Surely we can pause for a few days, a few weeks to ponder the awesome majesty of the One we claim as our God.

Isaiah is often called the Prince of Prophets. Surely at least part of the reason is his experience in chapter 6, when he saw the Lord, sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; when he heard the seraphim cry out, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory"; when he saw the door posts shake and the house fill up with smoke. Yes, from God would come a commission to speak to His people, but before that commission came cleansing. And before that cleansing came the confession, "Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."