Holiness & Mercy - Isaiah 6 - The Heart of Jesus

All right guys will hate you have a copy of Scripture. All of our campuses want to invite you to take down turn with me to guess where okay Isaiah chapter 6 what a powerful set up we have for this and so we are going to dive right into it right. Let me go ahead and just out the gate give you the big idea here for this weekend. Here it is. If you're taking notes and in your book or somewhere else.

The big idea is God's holiness grows our understanding of his mercy. Okay can I get because you guys a little bit of insight on us all a little bit of fear that I have in a sermon series about the heart of Christ were talking a ton about… The humanity of Christ that he has come to us that he feels that he's a man of truth and tears that he is drawn to the sufferer and the center and my my fear and that is that we gotta just make sure that in talking about the heart of Christ we don't lose the divinity of Christ. Okay they understand like them talking about how he is so near the broken hearted.

We don't want to end up seeing him as less than totally holy and utterly okay you and I feel like sometimes it may be tempting for us to view Jesus -like review of a trainer at a gym. It's like Mather hello a stronger little better shape.

The other little further ahead but maybe I can get there if I just have more resolve or something like that and we sort of thing.

It's like no man Jesus is the early he is set apart in the God of this of this universe is holy that's working to get into that moral perfection meant Isaiah you are trying to without the blood of Christ covering us through our ourselves on to God would be like trying to hug the service of the son he is not different then us.

He is not wholly compared to where we are and are sent and I think the best way to think about this. Is this okay we we need to get to the place where that the mercy of God is not diminishing his holiness. Instead, the holiness of God is enlarging our view of his mercy.

Unitive excitement when we see him for who he is net it explodes and and in our life.

This idea of man even though he is that he has come for us and covered. I doubt and he has made atonement for our seven that's where were going to go here this weekend. Alright so let's dive in order to be in Isaiah chapter 6 numbs her walk-through. Hey, this is one of those sermons that the total belief oriented sermon. Okay there's not like a bunch of like you need to do this within the group or do this, several orders did the whole application is meant, how do you view God, how are you seeing his holiness and how it flows directly into his mercy, that when we see his holiness.

We might be tempted to try to tear that down. We don't need to. We need to see him in all of his splendor and glory and holiness and other leanness but then be sent running to the refuge of his mercy and grace.

And this is how our heart is enlarged and inflamed for him or I look Isaiah chapter 6… Were to go through verse by verse Pastor Gary are to read a beautifully luscious go through 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.

The king is dead and now we get the vision of a new king and I think that's exactly what Isaiah is after okay there is that there's been a time in Israel's history here. There's a time we can use Iowa. There is been great prosperity.

There is been great stability okay Keizai you can read this and second Chronicles 26 was 16 years old when he came to the throne. Do you think of anything scarier in the whole Bible that a 16-year-old little dude coming to the throne right what God does is he ends up using this a great time of prosperity.

But you know what is King Uzziah is fading off the scene. Babylon and Assyria getting very strong and the freedom that God's people have felt their own sovereignty in terms of being a nation is now being questioned and there's a lot of instability coming into the people's life and that is what Isaiah anchors the people in when God gives him this vision you is unique in the Bible that a prophet would anchor the time of his writing in the death of the king, but Isaiah does it for this reason so that we would understand.

Sometimes it is an instability that we get a chance to see the stability of God. One pastor pointed out like this, you realize maybe 100 hundred 10 years from now. Every single person on planet Earth will have turnover in Jesus doesn't come back.

We are but it's very unstable you understand is like Mather everything is always in flux, but we in that instability. We get a chance to see the stability of God sometimes and we met we live this okay we live this life in a place like it like the United States and and maybe the social economic bracket the many of you are in. Sometimes we live a life of prosperity and stability, and that can end up harming our view of God's should right but sometimes prosperity and stability can make it hard to see God now I don't want instability in my life right I don't want the valleys. I want all mountaintops all the time.

But isn't it true is the true terseness.

Sometimes it is in the valley. Sometimes it is an instability that we actually get a clear picture of God. You know Pastor Chris Gaynor. He came appreciative for some you guys were good leaders.

He pre-breach of our great literature in the fall, so that gives you mental picture is older God as teenagers at home and he was sharing this with our group of pastors and he was saying in you… Is really confronted because Len I was really convicted by this because it's like man.

I pray for my kids faith and that I merely begin to pray that their life is awesome right and he said that he was sitting in his and in his living room and is praying for his kids, and he's praying for their faith and he felt like God spoke right into his soul and said Chris every single week you pray for their faith and in the next thing out of your mouth as you pray. That they would have a life or they don't need it right. You pray them to have faith within the next thing out of your mouth is no tame, no instability, all blessing all the time, a sacred.

He said the Lord said Chris what if you can't have both. That which one you want for them right that's convicting is in it not want instability and I think it's fine to pray for blessing are really all that I've taught you that many times like that they are personally huge terms what we want for our life. What we want.

You know to to see God do in our life as long as our motivations appears about his glory.

I love death, stuff okay. But then, like they always gonna be like that right and there's times when we are gonna be in an unstable sort of environment and in that moment we have the opportunity you.

I don't know what it looks like for Keizai to die in our day and maybe this is that his bring it to too low, but I just think about things that may be shipped the sand under our feet guys I think about sickness. I think about people in our church that been waiting and waiting and waiting on adoption scenario and it feels like it's never gonna work out Matthew like even things like inflation or OR or or fracturing of relational dynamics in a high school setting. Maybe among teenagers you what what is sort of a destabilizing event in our life can we see that, I don't want that one.

I know I don't want it, but in that moment can we see that maybe we have an opportunity to catch a clear vision that yes use I is dead. But God is alive right he's alive, the king is still on the throne and and actually you know he's sitting on the throne to either the train of his robe, he's not really all that bothered. He's not in a hurry. It's almost like you get the picture here that he's fine and it is not. He's not frazzled in any way by the criticism verse two above him. Let's keep keep going out this picture stood the seraphim each had six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet with to recut with two he flew in one call to another and they said I love that we sing this beautifully holy, holy, holy is the Lord of host host the whole earth is filled with his glory and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called and the house was filled with smoke. We saw in verse one of a rule picture. I think from Psalm 93. Actually, that God is still with majesty and splendor, but then we get a verse two and we realized that that he is being praised by the seraphim bodies angelic piece that are that are coming around him encircling him and it's just this beautiful scene. I think the seraphim is one of those things that maybe we don't know exactly what it is.

The Scripture gives us a little bit of of inside the literal translation seraphim is burning one's okay then and it actually ends other places were almost seems serpent like adding the idea is that these angelic piece are flying and burning and screaming and many of us have the wrong view of angels were thinking of Cupid and a baby in a diaper and wings amateurs wrong right most of the time in the scriptural people see in Angel they're afraid and this is not even like that that that kind of picture it's it's an angelic D's who is there for a particular reason you know the angelic D's thing there was. There were stories on this. In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt of different places were beastlike.

This would guard Pharaoh will regard the different guards and all that comes into God's elect, stuff but you got understand something here. These are not regarding anything they got there face covered they're not there to guard they are there. The seraphim are about not there to guard there there to glorify God. That's what they're there to do med there there to shout his praise and if you are Isaiah you're getting this picture majesty. I'm using this picture of these bees are there just to see him. And behold him and every time they go around there saying, holy, holy, holy, this beautiful picture. It's not the chubby little angel. Instead, I think the picture and what you given Isaiah's a little more like you're the blue Angels show.

Okay I love you guys know the blue Angels are.

I realize some of our younger people there you are the blue Angels are an elite fighting college fours that do a lot of trick shows and this is what they do. Flying 400 miles an hour 18 inches apart at different times during the show. Okay number it only shows and I was a kid and we would go to the movement's actual naval base out there. We would go out there and and making you prepare three other it's kind of cool but it's also like the scariest thing you've ever been to. I mean these jets are flying 400 miles an hour and a total death dive right attitude and their breaking the sound barrier and the ground is shaking underneath you and you're six years old and you're just like hiding under blanket and it's kind of like did we come to think about like the look Cupid baby angels I know anything blue Angels.

That's kind of more the idea actually Pastor Brian one was theologically astute people in our entire church. Okay, he was convinced that this passage is where they got their name from the blue Angels actually turns on the wrong they got it from a nightclub in New York City. Okay, so what was it wasn't Isaiah sonata more than Michael got its name okay but not the blimp. Anyway, you don't understand what these angels are doing all there there there hot that one abasing to each other. Holy, holy, holy is holiness is holy, not the word that we use everything else fails, like mandate that every time they go around us like holy. That's what what is holy mean holy means morally perfect holy means set apart totally. That's what it means morally perfect and totally set apart. It's kind of like you're in a JV basketball game or something like one side of the crowd is going we go spirit yes we do right and are thrown into the other side and the other side is saying about all that's what these guys are doing all day, day and night and they're saying mandate every time they come around, holy, holy, holy, no holy holy holy holy holy holy, I mean it's just this beautiful picture of of God in all of his Majesty. We are being confronted with this image today. Look what happens to me that the glory of God is filling the temple in Isaiah.

Is there he is beholding all of this is getting this picture and then this is what happens in this world will bring you today I want I want us to see to it don't only understand listen does everybody in here knows somebody that has really low self-awareness okay don't always rent right but everybody's like advisor yeah buddy, knows about you. Everybody knows somebody that has low self-awareness, which means that every one of us are probably what somebody else was thinking of right like every everyone of us and so far Harvard business Journal put on the thing is that man if you actually look at the tenets of software is about 14% of population is actually self-aware, you know, and I did have probably bought exactly 5 pretty generous okay what my bring that up now I'm a tell you why, because this passage gives us extreme self-awareness, MD, Martin Lloyd Jones and like this. He said we are all very, very, we are all on very good terms of ourselves units with the Marlins on where we all are on very good terms ourselves and we see ourselves releasing them a little bit is a little bit that I got a little bit UG cottages like that trainer is a little ahead of me is a little better, but if I just little more determination and I'm in a get there. This passage is meant to show us like do it if it were talk about something else and were actually confront. This is self-awareness. Look at verse five and I said whoa is me, for I am lost.

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. This God is magnificent and great, and when I see him.

The ground is shaking in his high and lifted up his and all is Psalm 93 majesty and splendor, and the seraphim and the smoke is filling the temple and when I see all that.

Don't you notice that he doesn't say wow he says whoa whoa whoa is me.

I am undone. This is not a hey what's up God is not of this is not a 90 subculture little T-shirt for Christians of Jesus is my homeboy. That's not where were at in Isaiah 6 where where were at is I see God and I immediately know the gig is up like when I see holiness straight up everything in my heart is exposed and that's what's going on here in this passage I see myself for who I am. I see you my sin is against. I see that gap between where I am and where I could never on this is all coming to light.

When you actually begin to contemplate and think about how: countercultural is this this message is so countercultural. We live in a culture that says everything about God affirms everything about you. Like we go look for a guy that already agrees with everything we already think that's identical we do.

And here we have is Nona not a God who is there to serve what we think about ourselves and to say yes yes yes and affirm everything about us, what we serve is a God who is totally separate other way and we see holiness.

The gig is up and we know that when we see moral perfection. When we see that he is totally set apart minutes changes our view of self and is all happening in Isaiah's wife.

It's all happening in this vision that he sees and hears what I want to get into if you look at verse six. Listen, this is crushing right the holiness of God is crushing when he says undone if you get into the language that what he saying is I am coming apart. I I'm totally coming apart.

Everyone of us would be undone. The presence of God, who was if the listen if the story ended there.

We would all be in big time trouble right but doesn't in there.

Look at verse six. Then one of the seraphim flew to me and having his hand and in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar and he touched my mouth. Behold, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for in Isaiah realizes without God's intervention. I'm absolutely undone. There is a gap here between me and him that will never be overcome by my good works. It'll never be overcome by me putting a little more time that there is a gap that is here there is such a massive amount of holiness, God is holy. I am not.

He's seeing all of that and then all the sudden he realizes there is mercy, and that's the whole point of the sermon today is that God's holiness will we don't need to tamp down his holiness because were talk about mercy.

But we need to see is in light of God's holiness. Look how grand his mercy is that that that he had Isaiah would feel like a worm in this moment and that God would still come to him and I was a man.

There's nothing you could do that I'm going to take it away what happens. This angel comes in this this great image right it's a vision of this burning coal and this coal comes and touches its poster is supposed to come to be that imagery of purity right it's good at what God is doing in case I am a man of unclean lips honey what our lives what our words and how you notice what you know somebody by their words. You know somebody by what they say and what he saying is meant the things that we say reflective of our heart whole sinful beings coming out in our words. So here's what God does him to meet you in the place of your need and I'm to come in on the take away.

I'm atone for the sin that you mention in the unclean lips that is symbolic really of all of the sin that goes on in our life and I'm in a do that by taking a burning coal from the altar call, because what happens on the altar. Think about a thing about your Old Testament here was was is built altar. You don't just go get it from somewhere it like that.

He gave great. What where you get the burning coal you do you get it from the altar and this all was the altar. The always see the Leviticus chapter 1 Leviticus chapter 16 know the altar is where the sacrifice goes as a symbolic symbol of God saying one day I will make right what you have gotten wrong, but in order to do that blood has to be shed. I require life or what you have done in your sin against me because of how holy I am, how majestic I am. But what will do is this.

This is a placeholder in the Old Testament. Leviticus the animal goes down, so that you go free. Write the animal will take what you deserve and you will be slain upon the altar so that you will be able to go free.

If you want to be atone for you know tone just means covering. That's all it means. If you have your sin covered.

Something has got to die in your place, and it was all course it was all of course a placeholder for Jesus Christ know Jesus Christ went to the cross and died for our sin.

He was the true sacrifice that could actually atone for all of our sins as as Tanner concertina because her this last week so beautifully saying the entire song.

Okay, which was awesome. I meant to look on him and parted eyes.

Jesus had to go to the cross and the blood of bulls Rams was never sufficient was always a placeholder so that Jesus, the one who could actually stand in for us the perfect Lamb of God could do and that's what he did you think about this Jesus laid on the altar so that we could stand before God in the temple. That's what he did. This is how eyes, and I believe okay and it is maybe a little bit of a stretch. Okay, I think Isaiah is seeing all of that GM to go into because it would be another whole sermon, but you get into the later parts of Isaiah and other things that he begins to see in the suffering servant and the suffering savior that is going to come is like mad. There is a lot going on in this vision will be enough. Seeing I think is that he's seeing this this the scene God on his throne but is also seen God involved in the sacrifice.

Now this was interesting. This was super interesting on your right is no right John chapter 12 verse 41, what you end up with is the apostle John goes back to the vision of Isaiah right and he goes back to what Isaiah wrote about and in John chapter 12 what I what John ends up saying is if he ends up interpreting Isaiah's writing as something like this, he says, Isaiah saw his glory. But when he says his glory. He's actually referencing Jesus. So, Michael. My question for you is this.

We know and and this gets in the Trinitarian theology.

God father son and Holy Spirit. I understand that but who is he actually seen on the throne. What I would argue, according to the apostle John. It it I would say this that Jesus is the one that Isaiah is referencing on the throne and what that me know you think about this.

What that means is that Jesus is not only the one who is high and lifted up on the throne, but he was also the one who ended up being high lifted up on the cross that he was the king but he was also the sacrifice he was high lifted up on the throne. He was high lifted up on the cross. Sure he had a robe whose train filled the temple with that same guy imagery and an idea of of clothes he would be stripped and it would be torn and it would be gambled over. Yes, the very foundations of the temple in this vision that shook but then you also see the earth shake because the heart of God is breaking. When Jesus dies on the cross. It's not just this vision of the king is this vision of the sacrifice of what it would take for us to be brought back into the family of God. Again, you know this. We got a seat today, right, holiness, and it flows in the mercy you see is beautiful picture I'm undone.

It sends us looking what ascends is looking for. We actually find in the heart of the Savior who sacrificed himself for us.

The only thing that should move us more than the vision of holiness in Isaiah 6 is what it actually cost Jesus to make us holy that it wasn't just he's holy as a king.

But what we see is all he was willing to be sacrificed so that you and I be brought to the family of God and that we can have a covering so that we can no matter what. It was the we can have a covering enter his family get theirs listened the big application for this week and is a belief oriented application at all of our campuses. It's just that we would be moved to the affections of our heart would be reoriented only call you to praise God for his great mercy and light of his holiness. We don't want to take the bait of single yellow or talk a lot about Jesus and his heart for me and many of these truth in tears and he loves me and he feels like we've analyzed up and therefore he's not God will allow yourself to see the majesty and glory and holiness, and then make that next leap… He came for me became to cover me.

This is what we need to see today. We need to see that in light of him in light of him.

We are set in light of him. We are we are undone. Woe is me, but for his great grace and mercy in our life. Withholding from us what we deserve for arson and giving to us that which we did not deserve this grace and mercy. Now there's only call you soon as we close right.

I want to call you all way from the temptation that many of us have okay when we begin to feel and understand the holiness of God. Universal temptation here are temptation is to try to get away from that guilt and shame that we fill over our sin and many times we do is in order to get away from that. We want to push down the holiness of God will instead of seeing him for who he is. We got we got to get that back in a box.

We have pushed it because I don't want that gap to be that far between me and him I will call you if not today, giving illustration about the notice of the subject for second was on those on many of your heart so my heart as well. You got saw the document came out this week. League Supreme Court decision coming out Roe and Casey and all that in manner I know you probably think about is heavy on her heart is heavy on my heart, everything about for months. Knowing this, this decision coming out in June and he has been following that may not, you know, I don't know, here, here, about ugly document. Here's what I would say okay I want to help. Try to think about this, make sure you think about it early. Well, please let you know how were think about is the leadership of our church.

Okay, what we need to be thinking about here in terms of of of, where were at cultural moment is that we need to we need to be a people of prayer.

Right now we've ever been okay meant we needed. We to pray specifically for the resolve of the court to not be swayed in this moment because a backlash and all that, stuff we need to be you guys know we talk about this issue of abortion. We talk about in two ways. Mercy hill.

I miss how you confuse the world because the world wants the lineup by the world was the lineup would be a voice crying in the wilderness, or they want to line up on the side of compassion will we need to do similar Genghis categories were going to be a prophet and priest. Okay, that's what we did have the voice of a prophet in the heart of a priest. What that means is this thing about this issue we need to have the voice of a prophet. What I mean is we cry out against such injustice. There's been a grievous injustice that history will judge God's heart is broken, not just for all of these innocent children.

Millions upon millions but also for all the lives that have been destroyed through mothers and fathers.

We got a crown against this.

We pray for the resolve. The court went along to get in line with the way that we would say and the Bible is clear about where God will be on this issue in terms of life. We had so many we need to give a voice I got that. We also need to have the heart of a priest okay and the heart of a priest is one who looks in and has a very understanding attitude number one, they say, but for the grace of God go I. Okay that's number one. But the number two they say man just because the law gets right though, it needs absolutely get right just because the laws get rights and it doesn't mean that there aren't any people in fear filled broken situations that are looking for a way out and don't know what to do and that's exactly where the church is rice of the heart of the priest says meant yes we want to make sure the law and voice and truth and got all that but meant we want to be the ones that are there. We want to be there may want to be there through the privacy network we will be there with our time town treasure like that in that moment of fear. That's we will show up to continue that ministry through foster care and adoption through helping people build their families through pregnancy network and touring majors all the stuff that we want to be there long after, so they were praying that this is overturned or also understand this well thought I was little my family and try to talk to kids about this. I said listen if if June comes around.

This ends up being holding and all I can stop and Roe and Casey get repealed. What worked and what was he to do is hit our knees weak probably uncontrollably. Praise God like crazy and get up and get back to work right.

Get up and get back to work so that our church, we mobilize now, here's my cell that right now wants only use illustration. The feeling we need to understand something about these things are, here's illustration his library. In light of Patty's video. Lastly, powerful right someone willing to go there.

Someone will decide and understanding man the grace of God and these issues are mean and in the church our size so so many people in our church and been touched by this and have walk through abortion and and that there such praise for you there. Such grace for you right. But here's the deal.

If the other reaction is that we want to shrink the holiness of God as a way to get away from the feeling of guilt or shame. What we saw Patty do.

Lastly was a no-no that what once I finally kind of understand what we gotta do is throw ourselves on the grace and mercy of God, because the cross is bigger than all of this right, but the other reaction is to say that I got a tamp down the holiness because I can't live feeling this guilt so unmanned names public figure came out last week, and here's what they sent me the second of document was leaked. There was rallies all over all that, stuff against you know what the court may do and this is what one woman said that with a microphone.

She said she was on matter 20s how you know she had a she she felt like she know how to make this decision because of the plans yet for her life.

Listen way she talked about okay this is hard stuff stuff.

She said I want proudly into Planned Parenthood and I make no apologies to anyone this is that this my God teaches me all about love and acceptance. My God teaches me about privacy. My God says you got to make the best decision for your body and for your life. And so I make no apologies to anyone. This library not right, but maybe see my God, my God, my God, I me what the Scripture says is that we are his possession, not the other way right. But here, here is the heartbeat and this is why I think someone would want to go to the place that she went and why some of us are to go there today. You have the chance to run headlong into God's grace and his mercy to see his holiness. Feel probably the gift of a little bit of guilt and shame over your sin, so that you would run to his mercy and grace, but instead to get away from that will work and it was worth a no reason not hold these in my box because what I say and what would I say he does is he tells me that I'm okay and everything I've ever done is right and all of that and made maybe minute it literally may be the issue of abortion or might be, you have a gambling addiction or might be. You stepped out on the marriage or or might be that you have tons of pride in your life or tons of greed in your life or their secret purchases that are going on in your spouse doesn't know. I don't know what the actual thing is don't understand the temptation is always to say push down the holiness pushed down the holiness will we gotta do today is to know what the holiness be what it is and allow that to enlarge our view of his grace and his mercy in our life. Would you bow your heads for just a minute because all of our locations, bow your heads were not were not going to long to long invitation here, but I do want to give you the opportunity listen, if you're not a believer in all of our locations. You're not a believer today. You know you're not a Christian, yet meant meant what what are you ashamed of in a way that you're running and trying desperately to believe things about God and the Bible doesn't talk about in order to get out of that guilt and to get out of that shame would you instead see him for who he is in moral perfection and allow all the sudden allow that to enlarge your view of his mercy and his grace when he saw everything you ever did.

Whatever it is it's on your mind right now you're trying to get away from shame and guilt that he saw before the world began to he loves you not to go to the cross and died for you anyway. He loves you he wants you his heart breaks for the center and the sufferer would you would you trust them today. Hate admit you are center believe in what Christ has done for you on the cross.

He was the sacrifice to atone for your sins confess him as the Lord of your life. But believer. Same question for you today Ryan to his grace, and what are you feeling shame and guilt over today, would you run to his grace and mercy. Would you realize that there is forgiveness at the foot of the cross for every center and suffer today, would you allow that to wash over you and he is holy.

He is in his glory.

He is majestic he is all we are seeing today and yet it flows directly into his mercy up or you would see that respondent father we come before you today, Lori asked right now that you would move in our congregation got a prelude move in our hearts will allow us just to see you for who you are.everyone of us have stuff. Everyone of us have things in our life that we wonder is the cross big enough. Can you handle it, pray today and convince us your grace and mercy overcomes all of arson. We put our faith in you Lord for the believer. I pray that any feelings of shame and guilt would send us running headlong into your arms. It's your gracious arms at your merciful arms got our heart would be a large in our loving and in response to you in Christ, and we pray, amen