Lord’s Day, Vol. 11 No. 16
His Glorious Presence (2)
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Isaiah 6:5 (KJV) 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.
The sight of the Lord gave the prophet Isaiah insight about himself. Isaiah had pronounced woes on other people, but now he cried, “Woe is me”. He admitted he was a sinner. He confessed his sin and the Lord cleansed him. Were it not for the sacrifice on the altar by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away sin, we could never approach the sovereign God at the throne. John Calvin said, “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God. This was not only true of Isaiah but of Job (Job 42:5-6), Daniel (Daniel 10:16-17) and the Apostle John (Revelation 1:17).”
Job said Job 42:5-6 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
Daniel testified in Daniel 10:16-17 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
So did the Apostle John in Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
The Apostle Paul had that same life-transforming experience on the road to Damascus from the great persecutor of the church to the most useful of God’s servants in the New Testament times.
Isaiah was a prophet, and as a prophet, he is called to speak God’s Word. In the course of his work, he often had occasion to pronounce judgment against the sins of others. He first had to fully understand the depth of his own depravity, and it was not until he saw God’s glory that he realized that he himself was a sinner with unclean lips. When he was confronted with God’s holiness, he was forced to admit that he, too, was a man of unclean lips-a sinner like everyone else.
Furthermore, Isaiah recognized that he lived “among a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). In other words, he had a heightened sensitivity to the depravity of his entire generation. Isaiah realized that his contemporaries were living unholy lives in the sight of a thrice holy God as the people of God. This realization was necessary for him to fulfil his calling as a prophet. What preserved him and sustained him was his unforgettable encounter with God’s transcendent glory, which produced a forthright confession of his own personal sinfulness. An encounter that jolts his conscience throughout his lifelong ministry.
Subsequently, when Isaiah confronted the sins of others, he did so in a spirit of humble contrition. A penitent heart is one of the hallmarks of a true prophet of God. Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
This healthy mistrust of one’s own capacity for godliness and a corresponding dependence on God for His grace is the hallmark of a true servant of God. It enables a Christian to promote God’s holiness with all humility and gentleness. This is so important in the life of the soul winner.”
God did not leave Isaiah in his sins. Isaiah knew that he was a sinner and that he was too unholy to stand in the presence of the thrice-holy God. But once Isaiah confessed his sins, he received abundant grace and mercy. Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. It was a powerful demonstration of God’s saving grace. The angel took the coal from the altar. In other words – and this is the important thing -the coal came from the place of sacrifice, the altar where the lamb had been offered to atone for sin. Therefore, Isaiah was reconciled to God on the basis of a blood sacrifice. This is fundamental for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22).
Next, the sacrifice was applied directly to the place of Isaiah’s guilt. Sssssss! The burning coal made contact with the prophet’s lips. It must have been excruciatingly painful. It was necessary, however, because Isaiah admitted he was a man of unclean lips. The angel said, “See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for (Isa 6:7). Realize here that Isaiah did nothing to remove his own guilt or to pay for his own sins, he was the passive party in the entire encounter. He had the opportunity to search his own heart and realize his total depravity. He was the object of God’s sovereign grace. It does not require much imagination to see how all these point to the grace that God has given to Jesus Christ. Christ’s death on the Cross was a guilt-removing, sin-atoning sacrifice. His crucifixion served to actually accomplish our redemption. The Holy Spirit’s work is to apply that redemption to the individual sinner. He does this by His irresistible grace, touching (as it were) the live coal of Christ’s atonement directly to the unclean lips of our sin. In this way, the ruined sinner is reconciled to the God who reigns. Indeed, a vision of heaven is a vision of the cross.
The only proper response to such amazing grace is profound gratitude. If God has touched us with His mercy, thereby infallibly securing our salvation, then we must thank Him with grateful hearts. Let us recognize the connection between grace and gratitude.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Paul’s sense of personal identity was determined by his understanding of the doctrine of grace. He was so painfully aware of his own depravity that on occasion he described himself as the very worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Whatever he attained in the Christian life, therefore he owed entirely to God’s grace, election and redemption. He was what he was by the sheer grace of God, giving to Him all the glory.
As overwhelmed as he was by God’s majesty, and as grateful as he was to have sins forgiven, Isaiah did not stay in the throne room of heaven for long. God had work for him to do: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8)
There was no hesitation, no negotiation, no discussion or argument. Isaiah was ready to go. Sovereign grace constrained him to surrender his will to God’s will, and thus to commit his whole life to the service of God. True worship leads to service. If you hear God’s call, you can respond with obedience as Isaiah did. God did not send Isaiah to a receptive people or give him an easy message to preach.
The doctrine of grace teaches that, in salvation, God does for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. This is true at every step of the way. Long before we would choose God, the Father chose us in Christ. When we are unable to remove our sins, the Son died for our sins. And when we would not come to God in faith, the Spirit drew us by His irresistible grace. The doctrines of grace thus require the sinner to accept God’s sovereignty in salvation. This submission also comes to characterize the Christian’s entire experience, beginning with his conversion.
One true way to demonstrate the total dependence on a submissive will is by making a commitment to a life of prayer. In prayer, we surrender our will to God’s will. Prayer is not a way of getting God to do what we want him to do, rather, it is a way of submitting to God’s will in all things. When we pray for sinners to be converted, therefore, we ask God to do something for them that we know they are utterly incapable of doing for themselves. We ask God to invade their minds, change their hearts, and bend their wills so that they will come to him in faith and repentance. In short, in our intercession, we depend on God to save them. May God bless His church in prayer and preaching of the gospel for His glory.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee