In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high
and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him
were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces,
with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And
they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the
whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the
doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For 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 Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal
in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he
touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken
away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am
I. Send me!”
- Isaiah 6:1-8, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
In the name of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, dear friends:
Well, we’ve finally made it. We have come to the end of a long journey, a journey that began all the way back in December. Let’s take a few moments to retrace our steps. The journey began when an angel announced to a young virgin named Mary that she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah. That Advent announcement eventually brought us to an out of the way place in the foothills of Judea, to a village called Bethlehem. It was there, in a humble stable, that God the Father demonstrated his amazing love. God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son to be our Savior.
We followed Jesus across Judea and Samaria and Galilee. We watched him grow in wisdom and stature. We witnessed his baptism in the Jordan River. We marveled at his miracles. And we traveled with him along the winding path up to Jerusalem. It was there, on a hill called Calvary, that God’s Son demonstrated his amazing love. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose victoriously from the grave on Easter morning.
Most recently, we climbed the Mount of Olives and looked up to see Jesus ascend into heaven. But our Savior did not leave this earth without giving his disciples some final instructions. He told them to go back into the city and wait for the gift his Father had promised.
So we went back to Jerusalem with the disciples and waited. It was on Pentecost, ten days later, that God’s Spirit demonstrated his amazing love. He gave the disciples the ability to speak in foreign tongues. He gave them the power to preach boldly. And on a single day, about three thousand were brought to faith through the working of the Holy Spirit.
The festival half of the church year is now over, but that doesn’t mean its time to take a vacation from worship until next December. On this Trinity Sunday, it is our privilege to give thanks and praise to the Triune God. But we are not the only ones who bow down before the Lord in humble awe.
In our text for this morning, God’s holy angels, the seraphs, did exactly the same thing. Through a vision, God allowed Isaiah to see and hear these six-winged creatures as they declared God’s praises to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (3). Even though the angels’ song of praise is almost three thousand years old, it lives on as a model for our worship today. May God use the inspired words of Isaiah to inspire us to...
Sing the Song of the Seraphs
I. The Triune God is a holy God
II. The Triune God is a merciful God
What do you think God looks like? When you think about God, are there certain images that immediately come to mind? Some people probably think of the famous Warner Sallman painting of Jesus, the one where he has shoulder length hair parted down the middle with an almost angelic glow behind his head. Others may picture God as a grandfatherly figure with a gray beard looking down from the clouds. Maybe you have decided to not even try to get a picture of God in your mind because God is a spirit.
Most people will never catch even a glimpse of God on this side of eternity. That is what makes this account so unique. Isaiah’s vision was exceptional because in it he was allowed to see God. What exactly did he see? Listen to his own words: "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple" (1). In Isaiah’s vision, God looks like a king. He is dressed in royal robes. He is seated on a royal throne. He displays the power of a royal ruler.
But God was not the only thing Isaiah saw in his vision: "Above (God) were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying" (2). We don’t know how many of these angels there were: two or two hundred or two thousand. What we do know is that each of them had six wings and they were hovering around God’s throne.
Isaiah’s vision is hard to even imagine, but what he heard was just as amazing. The angels proclaimed: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (3). The triple refrain of "Holy" may not be a direct reference to the Trinity, but the repetition reminds us that our God has revealed himself to us as the Triune God.
In the Old Testament, God instructed Moses to tell his people: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). These words could not be more clear. There is only one God. All other gods are nothing compared to the one true God.
God also reveals himself as three persons. We just witnessed a baptism this morning. According to God’s command, this child was baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). These words could not be more clear either. The one true God reveals himself as three persons. That is why the God of the Bible is called the Triune God. He is three-in-one.
We call the different characteristics of God his attributes. For example, God is eternal. He always was, always is and always will be. God is omniscient. He knows all things. God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful.
Of all of the attributes of God, the seraphs’ song focused on one, God’s holiness. God is holy. He is perfect. He is without sin. Holiness gets at the very essence, the very heart and core of who God is. This holy Triune God was the God that Isaiah saw in his vision.
If this were your vision, not Isaiah’s, how do you think you would react? Would you get down on his hands and knees and thank God for this unique privilege? Would your relationship with God be strengthened by this once in a lifetime encounter?
Here is what Isaiah did. He cried out: "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips" (5). This vision didn’t give Isaiah great joy. It didn’t give him encouragement. Instead, the very thought of seeing God filled him with fear.
Why? What did Isaiah have to worry about? Compared with the people that God called him to serve, Isaiah probably looked pretty good. He was the good guy. God called him to warn the people about their lives of sins, to threaten them with God’s judgment.
But degrees of sin mean nothing in the presence of a just and holy God. The Almighty Lord demands total perfection from all people. Isaiah knew that he fell far short of that perfect standard. In the presence of God, Isaiah was nothing. He didn’t deserve special treatment. He didn’t deserve to see God’s glory. He deserved to feel God’s wrath.
Compared with the rest of the world, those of us gathered here today probably look pretty good too. Christians are the light of the world. God calls Christians to let their light shine. We are God’s witnesses. We are the last line of defense for morality and decency and truth in the world.
But once again, degrees of sin melt away in the presence of a just and holy God. No one can live up to God’s perfect standard. Absolutely no one can meet God on his terms and live. If you think I’m wrong, if you disagree, then answer one question. If you were to stand before God right now, the God who knows everything you have ever done, the God who sees each and every thought and desire in your heart, would you be comfortable? Would you be confident? Or would you be afraid?
Isaiah knew the answer to that question. That is why he cried out: "Woe is me! I am ruined!" But God did not allow Isaiah to despair. God intervened. And the God who came to the aid of Isaiah is our source of comfort and strength. The second half of Isaiah’s vision assures us that the Triune God is a merciful God.
Up to this point in the vision, Isaiah had seen only one side of God. He saw God’s glory as the room was filled with smoke. He saw God’s power as the foundations of the temple shook.
What one of the seraphs did next showed Isaiah another side of God. "Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" (6-7).
As a part of their Old Testament worship, the Israelites came to the temple in Jerusalem at different times during the year to offer sacrifices at the altar. These sacrifices had no special power in and of themselves. The act of killing animals could not forgive a single sin. All of these sacrifices were symbolic. They symbolized a greater sacrifice that was to come, a sacrifice that would pay for sins. In fact, that single sacrifice would take away the sins of the world.
When the angel took the hot burning coal from the altar and touched it to Isaiah’s lips, he was making use of the same imagery. The seraphs’ song proclaimed: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." The angel’s actions proclaimed to Isaiah, "Loving, loving, loving, is the Lord all-merciful." The angel’s actions meant that God heard Isaiah’s plea for mercy. The angel’s words assured Isaiah that he was forgiven and his guilt had been taken away.
God may not come to us via singing seraphs today, but we have the same assurance. God doesn’t put hot coals to our lips. He doesn’t give us visions. We don’t have to rely on symbols or visions anymore because the reality is right in front of us.
We can open up our Bibles and read about God’s plan of salvation. We can see how God put that plan into action. Jesus did come to earth with a real human body. He shed real tears. He shed real blood on the cross. His resurrection was not just a story, a myth, a legend, a fable. It really happened, and because it did, forgiveness is ours. Life is ours. Salvation is ours.
After the angel touched Isaiah and announced God’s forgiveness, there was a noticeable change in Isaiah’s attitude. Before he cried out in despair. Now he spoke with boldness. Before he was frozen by his fear. Now he was eager to serve. His response to the seraphs’ song was: "Woe is me!" His response to God’s call was: "Here am I. Send me!"
What was the reason for the complete turnaround? God had not changed, but Isaiah’s relationship with God had. God rescued Isaiah from certain death. God plucked Isaiah out of the pit of despair. God’s mercy and love motivated Isaiah to say "thank you." "Thank you, Lord, for your undeserved love. Thank you, Lord, for saving a sinner like me. Thank you, Lord, and now use me. Use me to serve you."
The same Gospel motivates us to action. Maybe you can’t be a great prophet like Isaiah, but you can still say: "Here am I. Send me!" Maybe you will never die a martyr’s death like Stephen, but you can still stand up for God’s truth in difficult situations. Maybe you will never have the opportunity to preach to thousands like Jesus, but you can share the love of God with a little child. Maybe you will never do mission work in a foreign country like Paul, but you can let the love of Christ can shine through in everything you say and do.
Many different illustrations have been suggested to explain the Trinity. Perhaps the most common one is the triangle. A triangle has three sides, yet it remains a single shape. Another illustration uses water. Water is one substance, but comes in three phases: solid, liquid and gas.
These examples can be helpful, but they are incomplete. Our weak human minds cannot comprehend the mystery of the Trinity. We will never be able to understand how God exists as three distinct persons and as one undivided being.
That’s why it is good for us on Trinity Sunday to not only talk about who the true God is, but also what he is. The Triune God is a holy God. The Triune God is a merciful God. Most importantly, the Triune God is our God. He has loved us from eternity and desires nothing more than our soul’s salvation. This love leads us to thank him, to serve him, and to sing the seraphs’ song of praise: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."Amen.