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Isaiah 6:1-13
6 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!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste,
12 and the Lord removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.
Watch the Sermon
Summary: As we prepare to enter a new year, we will meditate on God's nature revealed in Isaiah 6:1-13. This is where Isaiah, a prophet, sees a vision of God surrounded by amazing angelic beings who proclaim His holiness. Isaiah's response to seeing God in this way is not initially positive or warm. When he encounters the purity and majesty of God, Isaiah becomes uncomfortably aware of his sin and cries out that he is ruined. Yet, God does not leave Isaiah in the pit of despair. Through the touch of a burning coal, Isaiah is told that he is forgiven and he then offers himself in service to God - a service, he is told, that will be marked by difficulty. But God leaves Isaiah with a word of hope: the holy seed, or the promise to Abraham to bless the nations, is still to come. We look back from this side of the cross with worship and awe that God provided that seed in Christ, and that our holy God is not like us, but loves us.
Review & Apply
Why does Isaiah note that this vision came the year that King Uzziah was dying? What is important about the king's death?
What do you notice about the seraphim's song about God? Why do they repeat "holy" three times?
How do we make sense of Isaiah's commision? Does God not want people to believe?
Have we grown comfortable with sin? How does this passage challenge our low view of God and sin?
Where do we see God's grace in this passage? How can Isaiah's forgiveness from the burning coal draw us to confession and repentance?
Have you lost your awe of God or the gospel? How does this passage shake off the cobwebs of our monotony with God and unbelief?
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