Sermon Tone Analysis

A Visit to the Throne of God

Spring Valley Mennonite Church; July 24, 2022; Isaiah 6:1-6

I've been thinking this week about profound, life-changing experiences, times when one's life is never the same afterwards.

An example would be when each of us initially and personally placed our faith in Jesus.

Then as we mature in our faith, we often experience significant spiritual events which determine a change in our focus in life.

For Moses it was the burning bush.

For Gideon it happened when he was threshing wheat while hiding in a wine press.

Jacob wrestled with an angel and was never the same afterward.

Isaiah's life was profoundly affected on the day he saw the Lord on His throne.

How do you visualize God's "Throne of grace"?

If we could visually visit God as He sits on the Throne of Heaven, what would we see?

This morning I want to lead you through an encounter with God found in Isaiah 6, the remarkable vision Isaiah had into the Throne Room of God.

By examining this scene, perhaps we can learn more about the God we worship, and our response to Him.

Join me as we look into the experience of a young prophet-to-be.

I. WHAT ISAIAH SAW

Isaiah 6:1: "In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne..." It was in the same year that Uzziah passed that God gave Isaiah a vision which profoundly changed and commissioned this young man.

This vision ignited an inner fire that enabled Isaiah to fearlessly proclaim God's judgment while also giving him insight into the future reign of Messiah Jesus.

This book is not strictly chronological, as I would place the first five chapters after the experience of chapter 6.

I believe we are observing here the calling and commissioning of Isaiah as a prophet of God.

In the 6th chapter, Isaiah was escorted into the very throne room of God in heaven.

Let me clear up a potential bit of confusion about whom Isaiah saw.

The Bible in multiple places tells us that man cannot view God the Father and live.

Yet in multiple places, like this passage in Isaiah, we are told that God was seen.

The solution lies in the nature of the Trinity.

God is One in essence, but three-fold in personality and functionality.

We worship the Unseen God, the Father, Whose fully revealed glory is so consuming that it is unapproachable by sinful man.

Yet God has clearly revealed Himself to man, most fully in the incarnation, the earthly life of God the Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that "He who has seen Me has seen the Father", making claim that He and the Father are equally God.

But what about before Bethlehem?

Since the Father is said to "dwell in unapproachable light," at each time God is seen in the Old Testament, including this one in Isaiah 6, we are observing a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of John describes how the people would not believe in Jesus by the words of Isaiah 6:10.

John 12:41: "These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him." John clearly states that Isaiah saw Jesus!

When the Bible says that Jesus, after His resurrection, sat down at the right hand of the Father, He was only returning to the throne where He had been before.

This truth has great implications for us today.

As we study the life of Jesus as presented in the Gospels and contrast it with His heavenly glory seen in Isaiah 6, we begin to understand God's love for us.

Philippians 2 puts it like this: "...although

He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Jesus laid aside His glory to become a man and live among sinful men-and to die as a sacrifice for our sin.

I believe this vision of Isaiah gives us a picture of Jesus in all His majesty on the Throne of Heaven.

"I saw the Lord" This is the Hebrew "Adonai."

Whereas God's personal name is YHWH, like my personal name is David, His functional name-Adonai-is what He does, like my functional name and title is "Pastor".

Adonai is the most exalted title used of God in the Bible.

It means "Sovereign One" or "Master".

Get the picture: Here is Isaiah, anticipating the death of his King, perhaps Uzziah's health had deteriorated to the point that he could die any day.

This was the King who has been in control of the nation of Judah for 52 years.

Isaiah, as well as all Judah, was filled with uncertainty and apprehension.

God then appears to Isaiah as "The Sovereign Master of the Universe" seated upon His Throne in Heaven.

God is not disturbed or walking up and down wringing His hands at the death of the king of Judah-He is calmly and majestically seated on His throne.

Understand what this means to us: not matter how great the crisis might be here on earth, or how great the crisis might be in your life, God is still seated on His throne in heaven; He remains the Sovereign Master of the Universe.

God remains "Adonai-Sovereign Master".

He has not changed.

He promises to meet the needs of all those who come to His Throne of Grace.

This view of God is to bring peace and confidence to us in uncertain days.

Psalm 46:1 tells us that God is "Our refuge and strength; a very present help in times of trouble".

God supplied a vision to Isaiah to refocus his life to be God's Prophet.

What else did Isaiah see, and what can we learn about worship from his vision?

II.

YHWH ON HIS THRONE

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple."

Here in the United States, we are unfamiliar with the ceremonial aspects of royalty.

Even today, and even more in Isaiah's day, the clothing of a monarch demonstrated their majesty and status.

In is fascinating for we Americans to watch the pageantry of the English Royalty, like the occasion of a royal wedding; but can we imagine what it is like when they might crown a new King or Queen, which may happen fairly soon.

The Queen of England is 96 years old, and next year will have reigned for 70 years!

I understand that one of the first television specials ever aired in the 1953 was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

The majestic gown she wore received special attention as it took four people to hold the train off the floor.

Note the robe which the Lord Jesus is wearing in this scene: the train of His robe spilled down over the sides of the throne; down the sides of the great throne room and billowed around to fill the whole temple!

This was the way God revealed Himself to Isaiah-one author describes this as "Persuasive Majesty".

Let me skip down to a phrase in verse 3 where we read "The whole earth is filled with His glory."

Now notice in verse 4 about how "the temple was filling with smoke."

Smoke is a visible symbol of God's glory.

We remember the scene on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law, described in Exodus 19:18: "Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and it smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently."

I want you to get the picture of the Majesty of God which Isaiah saw, the same Majestic God who sits on the same throne today!

God has not changed; His magnificence still fills the Temple of Heaven; and His glory still fills the earth.

Let your mind grasp the greatness of God Almighty!

He is beyond anything we could ever imagine in Majesty and glory!

As we think of the awesome scenes of God's creation: as we view the vast and mighty oceans, the excellent grandeur of mountain heights; the night sky filled with stars; a sunrise of sunset so beautiful that it takes away your breath; when we gaze upon the wonders of nature, UNDERSTAND that what we see is the visible expression of the glory of God.

Psalm 19:1: "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."

But these things are just a shadow of the fullness of His glory!

This magnificent glory of God was what Isaiah was privileged to see.

Oh, that we might catch a glimpse of Almighty God this morning and be moved to worship our Sovereign Master!

How insignificant Isaiah's problems seemed in light of this vision!

How petty were his concerns and worries over the nation.

God desires this morning for you to gaze upon His Magnificent Greatness and to worship Him for He alone is worthy-not because of what He might do for you, but for who and What He is! Understand this, brothers and sisters, life is not about us.

Life is about God and what He is doing.

And we have the privilege of being along for the ride!

That is not all Isaiah saw: He also saw---

III.

THE ANGELIC GUARDIANS

Verse 2 expands upon the vision: "Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Isaiah observed heavenly creatures, a type of angel, especially created for the task of hovering above God's throne to extol His holiness.

The name--"Seraph"--of these special creatures comes from the word meaning "burning".

God is described in described in Deuteronomy 4:24: "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

The appearance of these being is reflective of God's burning holiness.

God's Holy Spirit, as He inspired Isaiah's recording of this heavenly scene, was sure to include the description of these angelic beings.

The Spirit revealed that they had three separate sets of wings.

When we think of wings, immediately we think of what?

What do we think of when we hear of wings?

Flying!

The Seraphim have one set of wings for flying.