Who's On The Throne?
Isa 6:1-5
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. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!"
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 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!"
ESV
Who is on the Throne?
(Isaiah 6:1-13)
Intro:
A. Prince Phillip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, died at age 99 on Friday. While that news doesn’t affect us, it does touch the way Britons think. While the monarchy is a constitutional one and does not have strong political power or authority, it still is a perception and a part of many within the UK.
B. Spending five years in Britain as a child, lining up on a street to see the Queen pass by, I still have some psychological connection that I cannot explain. I was sadden to hear of his passing even thought I have zero personal connection.
C. In 1963, another shocking word was sent out throughout the land, “The President is dead!” It was unbelievable for many. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The young, dynamic president was killed and our country was plunged into grief and many felt our country was dividing politically as racial tensions and other issues continued to rise. The country was in turmoil.
D. King Uzziah had a good beginning. The Bible describes his long 52 year reign over Judah as one that was prosperous and whose name spread abroad, even to Egypt. Early in his reign he was faithful to Jehovah and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But near the end of his life his heart changed. He was confronted by the priest. God struck him with leprosy and lived in a separate house until his death.
D. It is that year, the year that King Uzziah died, when the outlook was questionable that Isaiah had his great encounter with God. The opening of Isaiah 6 compares the dead human king, Uzziah, with the living God, king over all, who is seated high and exalted on a throne filling the temple.
E. First, we look up and see the throne of God and encounter him. Then we look inward and see ourselves for, and at that moment we can look out and see the ministry to which God has called us. (Warren Wiersbe commentary)
I. The Upward Look – He Saw the Lord
A. As Isaiah has this vision it is shared to him in a way he would understand. Could you imagine standing in the temple, looking toward the most holy place and not seeing the curtain separating the holy place from the most holy place? Isaiah sees inside where God alone dwells. READ Is. 6:1-3 At the very sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Imagine that scene. Imagine what it would be like if God’s glory were to descend in some physical form inside this building today. For you to look up here and not see me, but instead see God in some form with smoke filling the auditorium. Then hear angelic beings crying out in honor of the Lord Our God. How you would react?
B. Someone once said, when your outlook doesn’t look so good, try the uplook. But there is a sense that our corporate worship time is like this glimpse into heaven. As Isaiah saw the worship of the temple, we can see the worship of the church. Our time together offers us an emotional opportunity and an intellectual opportunity to encounter God. The very word “worship” suggests and encounter. Whether we fall to our knees, lift up our hands, or stand before him in awe, we come before the Holy One. When our hearts are lifted in prayer, when our ears hear the reading of the Word, when our tongue sing praises, we have the opportunity to come before the Holy One.
C. Collective worship does not affect everyone the same, and neither was it the same for every person who encountered God in the Bible. We don’t all have the same emotions or the same style of how to honor God, yet we all have the same ability to encounter Him.
II. The Inward Look – Isaiah Saw Himself
A. You can’t be in the presence of God and nothing happen to you. When Peter saw Jesus as God in a fishing boat he told Jesus to go away because he, Peter, was a sinful man. As you come to the end of the story of Job we read Job’s reaction to being in God’s presence (Job. 42:2-6).
B. READ Is. 6:5-7. That is what happens when you come before the Holy God, the Great I AM, the Eternal One who is and was and is to come. You see yourself for who you are; unclean, sinful, and surrounded by people who are no better. Brethren, when we encounter God we are called to humble ourselves before him. When we encounter God we are called to repentance. When we encounter God with that heart, we experience transformation.
C. Isaiah became a living sacrifice and his sin was atoned for. Today we are called upon to become a living sacrifice which is our spiritual worship. When we encounter God at the altar we find Jesus as the lamb that was slain; yet living, whose blood cleanses us and we enter the throne room.
D. I look inside me and see grace upon grace covering over my sins. I am humble before the God of mercy.
III. The Outward Look – He Saw The Need
A. When I come before God, I have must listen to hear what God says to me. For Isaiah heard God ask “Whom shall I send?” To us the commission has already been given, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” True worship of the Holy One leads to me witness and service. How can I come before and not tell my story? How can I experience what it means to have my sins atoned for and not tell others who are still living in their sin?
B. But for Isaiah the message he was to share was not easy to say because it was not a harsh truth the people of God did not want to hear. (READ Is. 6:9-10). The people would not listen and would face judgment and wrath, but that was not to stop him from telling the message anyway. “For how long O Lord?” The answer was that some would remain, a remnant would be saved.
Conclusion:
A. Today the message of God still rings forth. The Holy One is on his throne and has opened a way for all men to come unto Him. That way is through Jesus, the Christ. There is no way to the Father except through the Son.
B. The throne room of heaven has been opened to you this day. See it through the eyes of Isaiah. Look up and see God. Look inward and see your sinfulness, yet the love of salvation. Then look outward to and decide what message God has for you to share with both fellow Christians and a people who are not connected to God through Jesus.
C. As the great creatures called out, so we sing out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God Almighty.” God sits on his throne and I must humble myself so that he will lift me up.