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Isaiah 6:1-5(NKJV) 1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
Isaiah 6:1-5(NKJV) 4And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5So I said: “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 my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
I Surrender My Denial Isaiah 6:1-5
I Surrender My Denial • Our theme for 2013 has been “I Surrender All” • We have already focused on some specific lessons that deal with our theme • This morning, we want to do the same as we continue with our theme
I Surrender My Denial • When we talk about denial, there are different meanings to the idea • One is very Biblical in nature; it’s the denial Jesus spoke of in Matthew 16:24 • We are to deny ourselves of anything that might prohibit us from following after Christ
I Surrender My Denial • The denial that we are going to speak of today deals with a different type of self denial • It’s perhaps more of a blindness or ignorance when it comes to our own lives • It’s the idea of focusing on the bad in others instead of in ourselves
I Surrender My Denial • It’s easy to look at others and point out what is wrong or what needs to be fixed/improved • It’s not quite as easy to see the same in ourselves • Perhaps because of this we just choose not to focus on ourselves
Comparisons, Comparisons • We are all guilty of playing the comparison game • We do it with our spiritual and moral lives • We generally compare ourselves to someone much worse and think, “I’m not that bad”
Comparisons, Comparisons • Instead of being the best we can be, we just end up being better than the next guy • The standard for many is no longer Jesus, but the least of those around us • No doubt, others around us are bad (Israel - Is. 5).
Face To Face With God • What happens though, when we come face to face with God? • Look at what happen to Isaiah (6:1-5) • “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 my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”
Face To Face With God • Isaiah was forced to see himself in comparison to who God was • He had no choice but to see himself as the sinner that he was • If we are going to compare ourselves, then we should do so looking to God, the greatest standard
Face To Face With God • This is precisely what should happen to us when we come face to face with God • It doesn’t have to happen in a physical sense, but can happen through the word • Do we too recognize our own sinfulness before God in humbleness of heart?
What About Others? • Perhaps we are still tempted to say, “But what about others?” • So let’s look at others who were willing to look at God and be honest about themselves • David came face to face with God through His creation – Psalm 8
What About Others? • Peter came face to face with God in the flesh – Luke 5:8 • Paul came face to face with God through his conversion – I Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; I Timothy 1:15 • Paul even refers to himself as the chief of sinners
So What Now? • What do I do when I come face to face with God and the reality that I am a sinner? • Do I just quit or give up because “woe is me”? • What did Isaiah do following his own realization?
So What Now? • v. 7 – “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged” • The first thing we notice is that there was atonement for Isaiah and his “unclean lips” • Because of Christ we enjoy the same (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:6-11)
So What Now? • We don’t have to give up, Christ made a way for us to be cleansed and free from sin! • This should cause us to rejoice, but never feel as though we were good enough to deserve what He did for us • It’s okay to admit who we are
So What Now? • Look at what else Isaiah did… • v. 8 – “Also 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.’” • Following Isaiah’s realization and atonement, he began to work
So What Now? • Isaiah gives us the perfect response to God’s holiness • We should always be willing to look at ourselves in comparison to God • We can gain forgiveness through Christ, and then get busy doing the will of God!