Transformed by God’s Glory

Trevor S Ferguson

May 5, 2012

Isaiah 6:1-8 (KJV)
¹ In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
⁴ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
⁵ 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.
⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
⁸ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

INTRODUCTION

The glory of God refers to the awesome weighty importance and shining majesty of God’s presence. The word glory comes from the Hebrew ‘kabod’ which means ‘heavy in weight’ but also refers to splendor or copiousness.

In order to get a picture of the glory of God we can reflect on some of the references to his appearance in scripture. One of the best examples of this is the encounter with Israel on Mount Sinai as recorded in Exodus 19. Firstly, we note that the people had to make extensive preparation for God’s appearance. They were to sanctify themselves for two days, wash their clothes and abstain from sexual activities. They were warned not to go near to the mountain or they would die. On the third day God manifested himself before the people. There were thunders and lightning and a thick cloud upon the mountain. This was accompanied by the voice of a trumpet, which was so exceedingly loud that the people trembled. Mount Sinai was altogether covered in smoke in smoke as God descended with fire and the whole mountain quaked greatly. So awesome was the presence of God that the people requested of Moses that he should speak to them, instead of God, for they feared that if they came into the presence of God they would die!

The awe of Sinai has caused many persons to fear entering into the presence of God. This need not be the case however as we are encouraged in the New Testament to come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). We are also assured that in this dispensation “we are come unto mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to the general assembly of the church of the firstborn…” (Heb. 12:22-23). Regardless of the situation, however, there is an awe that is associated with the presence of God. It’s an awe that is transforming. I believe that anyone who experiences the awesome glory of God is changed forever!

Today, I want us to reflect on Isaiah’s life changing encounter with God, to see how we can be transformed by God’s glory.   

EXPOSITION

Isaiah was one of the great Old Testament prophets. His prophetic ministry spanned over 50 years and four kings, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He was apparently from an influential upper class background and as such gave prophetic counsel to the kings. His early ministry records prophecies of judgment for Israel’s rebelliousness and haughty spirit. He also prophesied concerning the day of the Lord and the final judgment. His later ministry contains numerous Messianic prophecies such as the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14 and the promised son in Isaiah 9:6. His vision of Christ’s passion is unparalleled, prompting him to ask “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” as he reveals a picture of the Messiah as a suffering servant (Isaiah 53 vs. 1-5).

One might question what is it about Isaiah that opened him up to such great revelations? Why did God use him in this way? The answer, I believe, is that he was transformed by God’s glory! He had an encounter with God that was life changing and when called, he was willing to go.

This encounter is the subject of Isaiah 6. Prior to this Isaiah was an ordinary prophet but after this life transforming encounter, his ministry was enlarged and God used him as a mouthpiece to herald the mysteries of heaven.

The date is approximately 740 B.C.; the year King Uzziah died. In his vision he saw the Lord, high and lifted up. The Lord was in the position of a king, He was sitting on a throne, the throne was high and lofty, and He wore a kingly robe, the train of which filled the temple. Not only was the Lord high and lifted up but heavenly beings ministered unto Him. Above the throne stood seraphims – angelic beings of high order. The angels worshipped saying, holy, holy, holy is the LORD, the whole earth is filled with His glory. Isaiah was struck by the awesomeness of God’s glory and immediately his own sinfulness and inadequacy became apparent as he cried Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips. One of the angels then placed a live coal from the altar on his lips so that he could be cleansed. After his cleansing the question was asked: Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Isaiah answered – Here I am; Send me.

Note the sequence of Isaiah’s transformation: It started with the VISION; this was followed by the CONFESSION, and then the CLEANSING. After the cleansing came the CHALLENGE; next came Isaiah’s ANSWER and finally came the COMMISSION.

APPLICATION

The call of God to the church today is for a transformation. Many people attend church services regularly but still have not seen God for who he is. Some see God as a benevolent supplier of needs; others may see Him as distant father, out there somewhere but not too involved in their daily affairs. God however wants to reveal Himself to you in His power and His glory. He wants to show you His awesome majesty; he wants you to feel his overwhelming presence. Like Isaiah he wants you to get a glimpse of His throne; to see the extent of His influence and His train which filled the temple. He wants you to see the angels as they minister unto Him. He wants you to see the multitude of men and women who bow down and worship Him.  With such a vision of his majesty, we would immediately recognize our sinfulness, repent and confess our sins, as we make ourselves ready to do his work.

Too many of us have been satisfied with the ordinary. We are happy with a little church attendance, a little prayer, a little convention here or there, but beyond that we are not moved and more than that, we are not changed. God wants to change your perspective today. God wants to show you His glory, to transform your life and create in you a passionate ministry. Will you answer the call today?