God’s Glory In My Life - Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah 6:1-4 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.
Isaiah’s Remaking
Isaiah saw God on his throne, ruling and reigning over all the universe. He saw God high and lifted up. His presence filled the temple. And He heard the voices of the seraphim calling out Holy! Holy! Holy!
So great was God’s presence and so loud the cry of the seraphim that the massive columns of the temple shook as though an earthquake was taking place.
So powerful was this vision that Isaiah cries out, “I am undone.” My body cannot bear the glory of God. My soul cannot sustain the reality of His holiness. I am being tore apart by the greatness of God’s presence.
Then in that state of being reduced to nothing, one of the seraphim came with a live coal from the altar. This coal we know later symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the only sacrifice that could make Isaiah clean and worthy to be in the presence of God.
He then placed that burning hot coal to Isaiah lips but because the Messiah one day would take away the fire of God’s judgment for our sin, all that Isaiah feels is the redeeming, rebuilding warmth of God’s mercy and grace.
He is cleansed of his iniquity and purged of his sin by God’s redeeming, restoring, reviving touch of grace.
Now when God called for one to send, he could answer, “Here am I send me.” Without loss, without seeing God glory, without experiencing cleansing, without restoring grace Isaish would have remained mute, but now he can answers the call of God. “Here am I, send me.”
Isaiah was deconstructed and then reconstructed by his experience of God’s glory in his life. God filled the Temple with His Glory and then filled Isaiah with His power.
God’s Glory Will Change You
No one can truly experience the glory and greatness of God and remain the same. For this reason, I believe that most of us are afraid to risk experience God. We are afraid of the change it will bring in our lives.
Far too many church members today find comfort in legalism, joy in routines, steadfastness in traditions and in these ruts think that they experienced God.
Too often we allow the paraphernalia of piety, the regalia of religion and the trappings of tradition to replace God word, God’s house and God’s people. Ritual replaces relationship and conformity replaces confrontation. We need God in His greatness, in His glory not just the outward décor of Christianity. Without a confrontation of God in his greatness, His glory, His grandeur we will arrive in heaven very much the same as the day we were saved still waiting to experience God’s glory in our lives.
How great is God to you? Isaiah saw God’s greatness filling the temple and in a sense filling all of creation. Is God in his glory great enough to fill my life, fill my home or fill my marriage, my church, my life? Is He great enough to overcome my problems, my failures, my pain? Great enough to fill my heart, my thoughts or my hopes? Great enough to make a difference in the way you live, think or act?
