Isaiah’s Vision of the Coming Christ

Transcript

GRM 549
12/14/1997
Isaiah’s Vision of the Coming Christ
Isaiah 6:1-8
Gil Rugh

As we come into this time of year what we call the Christmas season, our attention is focused in a special way on the birth of Jesus Christ. Believers and unbelievers alike are impacted by all the celebrating that goes on and the giving of gifts and the enjoying of the Christmas season. I think it’s important for us to have a proper perspective in the midst of it all of how significant the birth of Jesus Christ really is. Even as believers we sometimes become rather casual about our relationship with Christ. Even some of our Christmas programs presented not in the world but in the church take on a flavor that tend to be light and airy, in line “with the spirit of the season”.

I think it’s helpful to put things in perspective. My minds come back again to the prophet Isaiah and I want you to turn to Isaiah, chapter 6. What I want to do is look at Jesus Christ as He existed before His birth at Bethlehem and then also look at Jesus Christ as He exists today following His resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven, and put the perspective, not only of His birth, but of His life and death in the context of who He is as the sovereign God and Lord of all. If we as God’s people don’t have a correct and proper perspective on Jesus Christ and who He really is and have a sense of something of the overwhelming significance and awe that is connected with the birth of Christ, we cannot expect that our testimony will have such an impact on the world around us. There are many people, many preachers, many churches that are concerned about the trivial attitude and the commercialization of Christmas, as it’s sometimes referred to.

But, that’s not really much of a concern for me quite frankly. What is a concern for me is the making trivial of the message of Christ by the church of Jesus Christ today. I think it’s helpful for all of us, this preacher included, to put things in perspective from God’s perspective.


Isaiah, chapter 6. Now you have five chapters leading up to Isaiah chapter 6 where Isaiah has spoken and given prophesies and so on. What he does in Isaiah, chapter 6 is go back to the beginning of his ministry. In effect he tells us how God called him to Himself and appointed him to a prophetic ministry. So, when you turn to Isaiah 6 you must keep in mind he’s going back to the beginning, even before what happens in Isaiah, chapter 1. He sets the time for us in the first verse when he says, “in the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted.” Let me just tell you a little bit about something of the historical setting that makes you appreciate what Isaiah experiences. King Uzziah had ruled from Jerusalem for 52 years and he was basically a godly king. So, there was stability in the land, talking about the Southern kingdom particularly now.

With his death you can imagine that there is concern, what does the future hold, and in this context there is a rising enemy on the horizon. Assyria is sweeping the world with what we know as the Assyrian empire. They loom on Israel’s horizon. In less than 20 years, King Uzziah died around 739, 740, in 722 the Northern l0 tribes will be conquered and carried away into captivity by the Assyrians. So, this is a time of concern, of fear, of uncertainty, and God reaches out and calls Isaiah, cleanses him from his sin, and appoints him to be a spokesman to Israel in these days. Also, important to keep in mind that the vision that Isaiah has when he says “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted”, that he is seeing none other than Jesus Christ before His incarnation at Bethlehem. We know this because in the New Testament in John’s gospel, chapter 12, the Apostle John quotes from Isaiah 6 and then in John 12:31 he tells us, Isaiah said these things when he saw Christ’s glory. There he says when he saw His glory, but if you read the verses there, clearly he is referring to Jesus Christ.

Now the scripture makes clear that God eternally exists in three persons, Father, Son. and Holy Spirit. They are distinct but together they comprise the one God. I don’t understand it. It’s what we call the doctrine of the Trinity. There are no human explanations or illustrations or analogies that do not fail in one point or another because Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit are totally unique. You ask me do I really understand the Trinity, my answer is no. I’m a finite created being, give me a break. But I believe it because God has revealed it. What we are seeing here is the glory of Jesus Christ who is a member of the godhead, who is the revealer of the triune God in Old Testament and New Testament alike. Why He is the one chosen among the three persons to most fully and clearly reveal God, I do not know. That was a decision made within the councils of God, but He is.


In Isaiah, chapter 6 we get a glimpse of something of the glory that was Christ’s before He set aside that glory and stepped down to this earth to be born at Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. So we look into Isaiah, chapter 6, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted.” The word for “Lord” here carries the idea of the sovereign one, the ruler, and what a reminder to Isaiah. Uzziah has just died. The stability of that 52 year reign is gone. There is fear, there is uncertainty, there is an overwhelming enemy that we will not be able to avoid, but remember, God is still on the throne. Uzziah, the king of Israel has died, God has not died. He had a long reign of 52 years. God is eternal. He is the ruler of all. What a reminder to Isaiah, to be called into the throne room of heaven and see the Lord sitting on a throne. Be reminded, there is stability in the world, there is stability in the universe. God sits on the throne. He is “lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”

“Sitting on the throne” not only pictures Him as the King and sovereign, but it brings to mind that He is the Judge, who will exercise His authority in judging the world, in particular even in judging His people Israel. For Isaiah will be sent to Jews with a message from God. In fact, the last part of Isaiah 6 tells us it is a message of judgment and condemnation for their unbelief and rebellion. He is “lofty and exalted.” The picture of His awesome presence in the temple of heaven, His robe fills the temple. The picture of that robe that fills the temple, the picture is there is no room for anyone else. He is the complete and absolute sovereign. The picture is one of glorious majesty.

There are seraphim present, verse 2 tells us. The seraphim stood above Him and we’ll have a brief description of the seraphim. Their name means burning ones. They are evidently an order of angelic beings. It is the only place in the Bible that the name seraphim is used. They may be identified with a group of angelic beings called the living creatures in the book of Revelation because of a similar description. But, these angelic creatures called seraphim, the burning ones, hover above the throne of God. We’re going to note in the context of God there is consistently the picture of fire, of burning, associated with His purity and the judgment that proceeds from this throne of holiness. These burning ones, the seraphim stood above Him, and we see them as personal beings, having a description that we can identify with, a face, wings, hands, feet, voices that speak, they each have six wings. And again, I have seen some artistic pictures that attempt to draw these kinds of pictures, and I appreciate that. When I was doing the book of Revelation some years ago someone sent to me some artistic drawings of the various descriptions in Revelation. I appreciated that and it is helpful to try to conceptualize it and put it down on paper, but it’s very difficult. As I read this description I want you to keep in mind this is the throne room of God in heaven. It’s hard for me to put this picture together in a way that doesn’t take on a grotesqueness, but you can be sure if you would see the seraphim they would be overwhelming in their glory and splendor and beauty, for they are created to serve continually in the presence of God in glory.

They have six wings, they function in pairs. The first pair are used to cover the face, a sign of reverence and awe, of respect. Even these angelic beings created for service in the presence of God show reverence and respect as they cover their face in His presence, acknowledgment of their unworthiness. With two wings they cover their feet, denotes their humility, unworthiness, so the picture in covering the feet, and with two he flew, each of these seraphim. The seraphim or seraphim is a plural, how many we don’t know. With two wings each one flies, which would indicate a readiness to do the bidding of God. We’ll see in a moment one of these seraphim will move from the presence of God to pick up a coal from the altar and take it to Isaiah. They serve in the presence of God, ready to do the bidding of God and they have a constant message that they call out one to another, as they cry out they call out.

When we look in the book of Revelation shortly, we’ll be told that they cry out ceaselessly in the presence of God. “One called out to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His Glory.” These seraphim, these burning ones have the responsibility to declare the praises of God continually in the presence of God, in the throne room of heaven. Their cry continually is holy, holy, holy.

You know, sometimes I’ve thought this could get on your nerves after a while, but you know when someone continually says the same thing again and again, I was thinking with the concert last night as I listened, it makes a difference the context of which it is presented. That’s one thing about music, it reminds us, you can hear that message again and again and something about the beauty of the music and the presentation of what is said, you don’t tire of hearing of it. I’m not saying they’re singing a melodious song here. However they are making this declaration, you can be sure it has a beauty about it, that you would not tire of, that every time you hear it your heart would join with it in the presence of God, that indeed He is the God who is holy, holy, holy.

Holiness is one of the attributes of God. His attributes of God are what make God, God, and they belong to Him by virtue of His very character and being in nature is God. There are other attributes of God and it is hard to decide what is the greatest attribute of God. We hear much about His love today, for God is love. I don’t want to put myself in a position of saying this attribute is more important than another attribute because the very fact that it is an attribute of God I would not minimize it. God’s love is overwhelming, immeasurable. But we ought to note, both here and we’ll see it in Revelation, in the very throne room of heaven what the angelic beings in the presence of God proclaim continually is holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. So, I would have to say if I’m going to emphasize one attribute of God above all the rest it would have to be His holiness. That is of utmost importance. The love of God is overwhelming in its significance and its importance in its impact upon us. But, even to understand and appreciate the love of God you must see it in the context of the holiness of God.

Keep your finger in Isaiah 6 and turn over to Revelation, chapter 4. We’ll be coming back to Revelation if you want to leave something here, although it’s easy to get to Revelation since it’s the last book in your New Testament. The book of Revelation, chapter 4. Now whether these beings are to be identified with the seraphim or the living creatures form another order of angelic beings, I would not be able to say with finality, but which ever it is, these angelic beings in Revelation, chapter 4 carry on a similar function.

Look at verse 8, And four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, we're in the throne room of heaven again. These have six wings, these four living creatures as they are called in Revelation, they are full of eyes around and within; and “day and night they do not cease to say, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is, and who is to come”. That description would indicate that they are particularly focusing on Jesus Christ, the second person of the godhead. He’s the God who was, who is, and who is to come, and that that declaration to the second person of the triune God would be true of all of them because of the identity that they have as the one God. But you note that emphasis, holy, holy, holy. I take it that if we would be transported to the throne room of God in heaven today, the message which Revelation says they declare ceaselessly is what we would be hearing. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

We must be impacted with the holiness of God and the seriousness of the holiness of God. Because God is holy it is impossible, absolutely impossible for us as sinful beings, to experience a relationship with Him and to be brought into His presence to enjoy Him forever, unless we experience a cleansing and a forgiveness and a transformation. So in love God has provided a Savior who could cleanse us and provide forgiveness.

Back in Isaiah, chapter 6, you note something here. They cry out “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts”, note, “the whole earth is full of His glory”. And you could literally translate that, the fullness of the whole earth is His glory. The point being, the glory of God saturates His creation and even though sin has marred the creation, the glory of God still permeates it. Back up to Psalm 19, and this great Psalm written by David begins, “the heavens are telling of the glory of God, the firmament is declaring the work of His hands, day to day pours forth speech, night to night reveals knowledge” and it goes on down through verse 6 to tell us that the glory of God is declared by His creation day and night around the world.

Now he will go on, pick up in verse 7, to tell us that the glory of God is revealed through His spoken and written word as well. But the focus here in the first six verses, the glory of God saturates His creation. In fact this is why in Romans, chapter 1 we’re told that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who reject the knowledge of God, who even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God”. In the context of Revelation 1beginning with verse 18 and following you remember, is that in the creation the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen.

I was thinking this yesterday. On the news, perhaps some of you saw it, they were talking about a distant galaxy they’ve found, and they think it’s the oldest galaxy that they’ve ever found. My mind doesn’t even connect with what they are talking about. They had a scientist on there explaining how they determine it’s the oldest. Certain galaxies are in certain alignment that makes the universe project out to be the most distant telescope so it carries their telescopes beyond. If I’m wrong don’t correct me, because it doesn’t make any difference, I don’t know what I’m talking about. But he was trying to explain that they measure how old this galaxy is by how fast it’s moving away from the earth. That it’s moving like 19 times the speed of light or something like that. I’m saying what a display of the Glory and majesty of God. I don’t understand what he’s talking about, but you’re telling me this is the speed of light and this whole galaxy is moving away from us so much faster than the speed of light, and it’s been doing this so long that we think it’s been in existence these million years? I say, and you don’t believe that our God is awesome, His glory is overwhelming, that He has brought this all into existence and He oversees it and controls it? You have to be willfully ignorant to reject this God.

Incidentally, Romans 1 says there is enough revelation in creation to condemn a man but not to save a man. You must have the specific revelation of the word of God to experience God’s salvation in Christ. But your rejection of the revelation God has given in creation demonstrates your attitude toward God and your sinful rejection of Him and thus your worthiness of condemnation as a fallen being.

So you come back to Isaiah 6, “the whole earth is full of His Glory”. Isn’t that true when you have been saved by God’s grace? I mean everywhere you look you see the beauty of God and His power, and His Majesty and you were in awe of the God who has brought it into existence. I sometimes watch some of these nature programs and you see all these animals. Some of them so ugly you don’t even want to watch the program and you think God called them all into existence. Everything and every cell had to work just right, and they would reproduce their ugly cells and on it goes. I say, man, how long would it take me and all the colors, and everything? This is my God. “The whole earth is full of His glory”, and He is a God who is holy, holy, holy.

Note the impact of this revelation, verse 4 of Isaiah 6, The foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. The impact produces awe and reverence. The place shakes, it fills with smoke. What’s the significance of the smoke. Well, even today you see a movie and they want to make an impact of awe and you see smoke bellowing into the room. A picture of awe and reverence and splendor, of fear that is to be produced, and its impact on Isaiah is complete. Then I said, “woe is me, for I am ruined”. King James says “undone”. This is the end for me. Why? Because “I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts”. Isaiah says, I can’t expect to live. I’m a man of unclean lips.

You know our lips, our mouths reveal our character, so it becomes a way of expressing the fact I am a sinful being and I live among sinful people, I’m defiled, both personally and by associations. I cannot expect to survive in the presence of God who is overwhelmingly holy. I think we need to come to grips with the impact, a true impact of God on a life. It begins with the impression of your complete and overwhelming sinfulness. I fear that often to make the message we have to proclaim more attractive to people, we have played down the emphasis on the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. What we have done is distorted and corrupted the revelation that God has given of Himself. With good intention we want to attract to them.

It is true when a person is brought into confrontation with the God who is holy and they are impacted by the reality of their sinfulness only one of two things happens. The one we don’t want to happen is they say, I’ll never go back to that place again. Can you blame them. Or, by the grace of God, they will bow before this God and believing in Him, be cleansed from their sin. That’s what God graciously does with Isaiah, verse 6. No, God doesn’t say, look Isaiah you’ve got to have better self-esteem than this. Don’t be so hard on yourself Isaiah. Isaiah there’s a lot worse people in this world than you. No, the impact of what God says conveys Isaiah your evaluation is exactly right. If it were not for the grace of God that intervenes, Isaiah would be undone, ruined, destroyed in the presence of the holiness of God.

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs, and he touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips, your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”” You see we don’t need to avoid the reality of sin, we need to confront sin in light of the holiness of God and the provision of His grace for our forgiveness. I don’t need someone to tell me I’m okay, you’re doing well, you’re better than most. I need someone to tell me God is overwhelmingly holy and I am overwhelmingly sinful and my only hope is to cast myself on Him and plead for mercy. I don’t want justice, I want mercy, and God reaches out and touches Isaiah’s lips, which portray the cleansing of his person, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What does He say, your iniquity is taken away, your sin is forgiven. The response of Isaiah then, “then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for Us. Then I said, Here am I, send me.” Immediately he sees himself as a servant of God. That’s the transformation that takes place. Now I’m willing to serve Him, to be His servant. Awesome picture of the preincarnate Christ, sitting on a throne of glory, the full impact of His holiness overwhelming Isaiah. Isaiah realizing his wretched condition and Jesus Christ in mercy reaching out with cleansing and declaring him forgiven.

Turn over to John’s gospel in the New Testament, chapter 17, John’s gospel, Chapter 17. This is what is known as Jesus Christ’s high priestly prayer, prayed immediately before His betrayal in the garden and subsequent crucifixion. It begins in verse 1, “These things Jesus spoke lifting up His eyes to heaven, said, Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as you gave Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life, and this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” Now, note verse 5, “Now glorify Me together with Yourself, Father, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” What had happened in Isaiah 6 was God had opened a little window into heaven, and given Isaiah a glimpse of the glory that was eternally Christ’s with the Father before He created the earth. Now Christ prays, restore Me to that glory.

So come over to Revelation, Chapter l. We have done a detailed study of this on other occasions. You could get the tapes if you want to do a detailed study of Revelation 1, which if you haven’t, will thrill your soul. But in Revelation, chapter l the apostle John, who is a saved man, the beloved disciple, perhaps the most intimate among the twelve with Christ, the one who reclined on the chest of Christ at the Last Supper. Now, has a confrontation with the resurrected, glorified Christ and you find that God the Father has answered His prayer of Revelation 17. He has been restored to the glory that we saw displayed before His incarnation in Isaiah chapter 6, the glory that was eternally His. We just have to break into the context here. John is on the island of Patmos and in verse 10 “he heard a voice behind him, an awesome, majestic voice like the sound of a trumpet.” Verse 12, “I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands.” The vision unfolds, each of these lampstands represents one of the seven churches of Asia Minor, that will be addressed in the letters of Revelation 2 and 3. Seven golden lampstands, and in the middle of the lampstands, one like a Son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. The description of Jesus Christ following His ascension to heaven.

Now it’s important for us that we put this picture of Christ as contained both in the Old Testament before His birth at Bethlehem and the New Testament following His crucifixion and resurrection in perspective. This glorious truth of scripture, that as our Savior, for those who have been redeemed, we enjoy an intimacy with Christ we can enjoy with no other being. He has brought us into fellowship with God. He dwells within us. He has assured us He will never leave us or forsake us. In theology we have two terms you have to come to grips with. The imminency of God and the transcendence of God. Basically we talk about His being with us as His creation, but we also have to keep in perspective He is separated from us as His creation. I fear that we have reduced God to just some kind of good friend and even in our presentation of Him as we celebrate His birth, the concern is that it be fun.

I bumped into someone who was coming from a Christmas program and their response was, we’re just coming from such and such a program, it was such fun. Yes, it was really fun, everybody had a good time. I say, are they talking about their staff party or are they talking about the program that was to present Jesus Christ? I don’t want to forget that we are presenting that He is the sovereign, awesome, awe-producing God before Whom we must bow.

You know we become concerned. I fear often at times like this we want to make our ministry appealing to the unbeliever. I must tell you this is an awesome and frightening and fear producing God. He is holy, holy, holy. His holiness will overwhelm you and it will destroy you if you do not respond to the mercy and grace that He offers you in Christ. The impact is the same on John. We just walked through, highlighting some of this description. This picture is one like a Son of Man. He is depicted in his humanness. The title the Son of Man comes from Daniel, Chapter 7, where Daniel had a picture of God the Father, the Ancient of Days, enthroned in heaven, and there came before him one like the Son of Man, who received from the Father, a kingdom over which He would reign in righteousness, which is yet future. “One like a Son of Man.” Remember in our study of Colossians, “all the fullness of deity dwells in Him in bodily form.” I do not comprehend that but, the fullness of the majestic glory of the creating God could dwell in human body. It was veiled in that body, except for a glimpse like at the Mount of Transfiguration where that glory was displayed.

Here, one like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe, reaching to the feet and girded across his breast with a golden girdle. Picture seems to be drawn from the garments of the high priest in the Old Testament. We don’t have time to go back, you could read Exodus, chapter 28 for a depiction of the garments of Aaron and his sons. Jesus pictured here as the High Priest and that’s what He is. We have access to God because “we have a great High Priest who is passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Now therefore, let us come with boldness before the throne of grace” is the exhortation in the book of Hebrews.

Now He stands in His glory in the midst of the candlesticks. The lampstands depicting Christ in the middle of His church as their great High Priest, as their Sovereign and as their Judge. You remember in the Old Testament it was the responsibility of the high priest to keep the lampstand in the tabernacle in the temple cared for and burning. Also the Old Testament in Exodus 28 tells us these garments were for beauty and glory. So here you see now Christ in His beauty and His glory, as our high priest, as our judge, and the letters to the seven churches will evaluate them. Will tell them what must be corrected, warning like to Ephesus, straighten it out or I’ll remove your lampstand. This is a serious matter.

Look as the description goes on, verse 14, “His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow”. Again, drawn from Daniel, chapter 7, verse 9, where the Ancient of Days is described in this way. Remember Isaiah 9:6, Jesus Christ, the Son who would be born, the Son who would be given, is the Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. He is not God the Father, but He shares the characteristics that God the Father as well as God the Holy Spirit would. This white hair would depict His eternality. We still use that. We wanted to pick, and I don’t want to make any other connection, “father-time”, how he is depicted with the long, flowing white hair. The picture still to us today something of his eternality. Well, that’s here. God who is eternal depicted in this glorious way.

“His eyes were like a flame of fire.” Eyes denoting His evaluation, His watching, and they are like a flame of fire because they are discerning and judging. Now keep in mind this is a picture that John the beloved apostle is seeing not just for the unredeemed world that certainly is going to come under His judgment in a special way. Beginning in Revelation, chapter 6. “His feet were like burnished bronze” when it has been caused to glow in a furnace. This consistent picture that we find of the burning, the glowing metal. You ought to read Isaiah 6 again, read Ezekiel, chapter 1 because there you have a similar vision of the glory of God. Then in Daniel, chapter 7, then Revelation, chapter l. This burning bronze, where Ezekiel, chapter 1 portrays the glowing metal. You remember the brazen altar in the Old Testament tabernacle is a picture of judgment in Exodus, Chapter 38. So here judgment is a strong part of the revelation given here.

It’s true the earth and the unbelieving world is about to come under the judgment of God, but you must understand that this glorious, glorified Christ will begin His judgment and evaluation with the church in Revelation 2 and 3. “His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. It felt like the sound of a trumpet.” It’s like when you stand at the ocean and the waves literally roar, the majesty and power of His voice. “In His right hand He held seven stars.” The seven stars represent the seven angels or messengers to the churches. “Out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.” Remember the word of God is like a sword, sharper than any two-edged sword. It “pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intense of the heart”, Hebrews 4 tells us. Here you see the God who will exercise His discerning judgments over His people and over the unbelieving world also.

“His face was like the sun shining in its strength.” You see the fire, the glowing, the light that is associated with God. His face, like the sun, it’s bright. Is it any wonder that apart from God’s mighty redemption, we would never be able to endure His glorious presence? What’s the impact on John? Verse l7, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man.” He’s overwhelmed. It was Daniel’s impression in Daniel, Chapter l0 after a heavenly vision. “I had no strength left within me”, he said. What happened to Ezekiel at the end of Ezekiel, Chapter l, he fell over, he had to be set back up on his feet.

We ought to be terribly bothered by the lightness of our presentation of the majestic person and work of the Son of God. He is my Redeemer. I am privileged by His grace through His salvation to enjoy a relationship of intimacy with Him. I call God my Father. Within all of that I must never lose my sense of awe and wonder and reverence and fear of Him, who is Lord and God. There is no way I can make you comfortable in the presence of this God and as soon as I start to make that the ministry of this church or of my preaching, I have corrupted the message of this God. Rather our desire is to so present the glorious majesty of this God and His awesome holiness so that we would be uncomfortable in His presence. Is that not true even for those of us who have been redeemed? What happens to me when, even as a child of God who has been saved by His grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, when I get involved in sin? You know what? I become uncomfortable in reading the bible, so I stop doing it. I become uncomfortable in coming to church to worship with fellow believers, so I look for reasons not to come. What I am saying is I am uncomfortable in the presence of a God who is holy, holy, holy, and even at my best, I am unworthy, I come sensing unworthiness.

What a salvation this one born at Bethlehem has provided, that could so cleanse us, that we are welcome to come with boldness into the throne of God. That we keep that into perspective, this boldness is not cockiness, this boldness is not self-assurance, this boldness is an unshakable confidence in the one who is our high priest. This causes me to appreciate all the more the wonder of the birth of Jesus Christ, that that baby born in that stable at Bethlehem was the glorious enthroned God of Isaiah 6. I can’t fathom it.

Philippians 2 tells me He voluntarily emptied Himself. He didn’t cease to be God, but the display of that glory was set aside as He lived on this earth for 33 years and was crucified on a cross, awesome. That was the God-man “bearing my sins in His body on the cross, so that I might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Any wonder that the apostles proclaimed in the book of Acts “there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved”? He is the only Savior. Not because He was born at Bethlehem, but because the one born at Bethlehem is God becoming man, so that now as the God-man He could pay the penalty for my sin, which is death. By His death on the cross, He paid it in full, and now has been restored to the fullness of the glory that was eternally His. What a Savior. We must not lose our perspective. Recognizing Him, His majestic holiness must cause me as one who has been redeemed to find sin even more repulsive and ugly and vile than the unbelieving world around me can ever conceive.
What a privilege to offer to sinful human beings the free gift of eternal life. This amazing God, this awesome God offers to cleanse you, wash you clean. As Isaiah says in Chapter l, “Come now and let us reason together says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, though they are red like crimson, I’ll make them white like wool, as white as snow.” What an offer.

Have you ever come to see yourself in light of the awesome holiness of this wonderful God, so impacted by the wonder of God and His holiness, that you saw yourself as nothing but a defiled, wretched, hell deserving sinner, with no escape but to cast yourself on God’s mercy and say, Lord, I let go of everything, my confidence in my church, in my baptism, in my good works. I’m laying hold of what you have provided for me. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died for me. I’m trusting Him alone as my Savior. That’s the salvation that God has provided. That’s who Jesus Christ is. That’s why in Him and in Him alone you can have forgiveness and cleansing for time and eternity. Let’s pray together.

Thank you, Lord, for the wonder of who you are, that you are the God who is holy, holy, holy, that the one born at Bethlehem was enthroned in glory with You before the world was ever created. Lord, the fact of His birth becomes more amazing as we contemplate it in the light of Your revealed truth and to consider that this Savior is once again enthroned in glory in heaven, and yet we walk in intimacy with Him and through Him with You. Lord, may we never lose that sense of awe and reverence and fear and respect, the hatred of sin that comes from a relationship of purity with a holy God, and for any who are here, Father, who may have been raised in this church and baptized in this church, maybe visiting today, we don’t know, You are the one who searches our hearts and know us as we are, for any who do not know you, may this be a day of salvation for them, they turn from their sin and believe in the Savior and experience the miraculous power of your transforming salvation in their life, all to the honor and glory of the Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen.