Amazed by the presence of God
Chapter 6
Amazed by the presence of God
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and sublime throne, and his skirts filled the temple. Above There were seraphim above him; each one had six wings; with two they covered Their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one the other called out, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of the armies; all the earth is full of his glory. And the thresholds of the doors trembled at the voice of the one who cried out, and the house it got filled with smoke. Then I said: Woe is me! for I am dead; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of of a people with unclean lips, my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts. And one of the seraphim flew to me, holding a lit coal in his hand, taken from the altar with some tongs; and touching it to my mouth, he said: Behold that this touched your lips, and your guilt is taken away, and your sin is cleansed. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send, and who will you go for us? Then I answered: Here I am, send me to me.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord siting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filed the temple.Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is ful of his glory.And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filed with smoke.Then said I,Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwel in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from of the altar: 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.Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,Whom shal I send, and who wil go for us?Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Over the years I have often heard people say educated and intelligent: "Let me tell you how I discovered God." No I don't know if these discoverers managed to move from their finding to worshiping God. with humility; but what I do know is that all human beings we would be in terrible trouble and completely distant from God if He it would not have been revealed to us by his grace and love.
It bothers and hurts me a little that so many people have a hope of being able to reach God, to understand Him, to have communion with Him, through their intellectual capabilities. When will they understand that if they could "discover" God through the intellect, they would be equal to
God? It would be good for us to make a discovery of God similar to the described by the prophet Isaiah.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne. high and sublime, and his skirts filled the temple. (6:1)
Now, the one that Isaiah saw was totally different and absolutely distant from anything else that had never been before sighted. Until that moment in his life, Isaiah had known the good things that God had created, but had never been in the presence of the one who was not created.
For Isaiah, the violent contrast that exists between the one who is God and that which is not was so terrifying that its own language suffered for the effort the prophet made to express his revelation. It turns out It is important to note that it was God who decided to reveal Himself to man. Isaiah I could have tried to know God through my intellect during a million years, without even having a single opportunity to fulfill its purpose. All the accumulated knowledge of the entire world is insufficient to come to know God.
Nevertheless, the living God can reveal Himself to the spirit of a man arranged in just one second. Only when an experience occurs it is possible that an Isaiah or any other man or woman would say with humility and certainty: "I know him."
Unlike men, God never acts without purpose. When He revealed himself to Isaiah, doing so with eternal purposes. The prophet tried to to give us a true account but what really happened is more magnificent than what Isaiah wrote in the same way that God is more great than the human mind. Isaiah confessed that he had never seen the Lord seated on His throne. Many modern critics who have studying the record left by Isaiah warns us of the danger of the anthropomorphism: the attempt to ascribe certain attributes to God humans.
For my part, I have never been afraid of big words. Let the others can think what they want but I believe that God is sitting on a
throne, invested with his own sovereignty. I also believe that God is sitting on a throne and determines all events so that finally happen according to the purpose that he determined in Christ Jesus before the the beginning of the world.
Now then, since we are discussing the topic of worship, let us consider the joy and delights of the heavenly creatures, the seraphim, who are around the throne of God. The following is the narration made by Isaías:
Above him were seraphim; each had six wings; with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And the one another called out, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of the armies; all the earth is full of his glory. (6:2–3)
We know very little about these creatures, but I am impressed by the attitude. of supreme worship that these angels manifest. They are near the throne of God and reveal a fervent love for the triune God. They they are absorbed in their antiphonal songs: "Holy, Holy, Holy". Many times I have wondered why the rabbis, the saints, and the worshippers of times gone by did not come to the knowledge of the trinity observing only the worship of the seraphim: "Holy, Holy, Holy. I am a Trinitarian; I believe in one God, the Almighty Father, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of Father, begotten before all ages. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who junto with the Father and the Son receives worship And glory. The scene of the seraphim adoring God is moving. The more I read my Bible, the more I believe in the triune God.
In Isaiah's vision, the seraphim sang their praise to the Trinity. eight hundred years before Maria cried with joy and her Baby left to hear his cry in the manger of Bethlehem, when the second person of the Trinidad, the Eternal Son, came to dwell among us on earth. The key words from then and the essence of our current worship It must be confessed: 'Holy, Holy, Holy.'
I see that many Christians do not really feel comfortable with the such attributes of God. In such cases, I feel compelled to ask about the quality of the worship he tries to offer to the Lord. The The word 'Holy' is more than just a simple adjective that describes the fact that God is a holy God; it is a glory ascription to the triune God by some ecstatic beings. I am not sure that it really let's understand what it means but it seems to me that we should try produce a definition.
The fullness of moral purity belongs only to God; it cannot to be another way. We must overlook everything that seems to be good in men and women because we are human and none of we are morally pure. Abraham, David, Elijah, Moses, Peter and Pablo were all good men who enjoyed a full communion with God, but they all had flaws and weaknesses humans because they were members of the race of Adam. Each one of these men had to experience a humble repentance. For for God knows our hearts and our intentions, he can restore the sincere children who are part of the faith. A large part of our problem in establishing and maintaining communion with a God it is holy that many Christians repent only of what they do and not of what they are. We should learn to care about the quality of our worship when considering that Isaiah's reaction was one feeling of absolute profanity when in the presence of purity moral of God. Consider the fact that Isaiah was a commendable young man, cult, religious, and cousin of the king. He would have been a good deacon in any church. Currently, he would be asked to serve in one of our mission boards.
But the experience he went through left him perplexed. He was amazed and all. his world suddenly dissolved into a vast and eternal glow. He remained trapped by the glow that enveloped him and saw himself as he was: red and black, the colors of sin. What happened? Isaiah, who was only a human being, had a glimpse of the one whose character and nature are determined by perfection. He could only manage to say: 'My eyes have seen by the King.
The definition of the word saint undoubtedly must leave room. for the 'mystery', especially if, in our attempt at worship, we want to have a correct perspective of our God. There are leaders in various Christian circles that know so much about the things of God they offer to answer any questions one may have.
We can try to address concerns in the best possible way, but There is always a sense of divine mystery that pervades the entire realm. of God and that it is far superior to the mystery that scientists describe as I traverse the entire kingdom of nature.
There are those who claim to know everything about God; they pretend to be able to explain anything about Him, His creation, His thoughts and His judgments. They are part of rational Christians and end up eliminating the mystery of life and worship. By doing so, they also remove from God of the scene.
The know-it-all attitude that we see in some teachers of the The word currently puts them in a very difficult position. They see themselves forced to strongly criticize and condemn any other man which takes on a position somewhat different from theirs. Our intelligence and our knowledge can reach to eliminate that divine wonder that must exist in our spirit, that silent and wonderful admiration that leads us to confess: "Oh, Lord God, you you know everything.
In Isaiah six, we find a clear scene of what happens to a person in the mystery of the presence of God. Isaiah, overwhelmed for his personal failures, he can only humbly confess: "I am man of unclean lips. I would like to note that Isaiah recognized that was different from the person in front of whom he was; that experience gave him taught something of the mystery of the person of God. In that presence, Isaiah there is no room for jokes or for intelligent cynicism or for familiarity. On the contrary, he discovered something strange in God. It is to say, an unknown presence for a sinful, worldly man and self-sufficient.
A person who has felt what Isaiah experienced will never be able to joking with expressions like 'chuchito' or 'someone up there who loves me." It was recorded that one of the Hollywood actresses who he used to keep attending nightclubs after his alleged conversion to Christ said to someone: 'You should know God. Do you know' one thing? God is an adorable doll." In another part I read that a The man said: 'God is a good buddy.'
I confess that when I hear or read those things, I feel a great pain in my inner self. My beloved brother or sister, there is something of God that you it makes a difference, something that is beyond us, above we, something transcendent. We must have a humble disposition of pour out our hearts and cry out: 'God, give light my' understanding or otherwise I will never be able to know you.
The mystery, the strangeness is in God. Our Lord does not expect us to we behave like zombies when we become Christians but yes wait for our soul to be open to the mystery that is in God. I believe What is appropriate to say is that a Christian should be a walking mystery. because it is certainly a walking mystery. By the guidance and the power of Holy Spirit, the Christian is immersed in a habit and in a life a daily experience that cannot be explained. A Christian should have in their life an element that is beyond psychology, beyond the laws natural and in accordance with spiritual laws.
God is a consuming fire. We read that it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Do you remember the first chapter of Ezekiel? The the prophet saw the heavens opened. He had a vision of God and then I witnessed creatures with four faces that shone like bronze. I believe that Christians should have ministries and testimonies. that characterize us as men who shine like bronze. Given that our God is holy, He is completely hostile towards sin. God it can only be a consuming fire against sin for all eternity. In another passage, Isaiah asked: 'Who among us shall dwell with the' Consuming fire? Who among us will dwell with the flames eternals?
Isaiah was not thinking about those who would be separated from God, but in which they would be with God and dwell with Him. He answers his own Question: "He who walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly; … he shall dwell in the heights" (33:15–16).
The slogan of the Salvation Army has always been "blood and fire." I am in favor of that in God's matters. We know that the blood of Christ cleanses us. The references that exist in Scripture regarding the God's procedures are usually associated with a holy flame. John the Baptist pointed to the coming of Christ and said: "I truly tell you..." baptism in water for repentance;... he will baptize you in Spirit Holy and fire" (Matthew 3:11).
The exclamation of Isaiah was a cry of pain. It was the anguished and revealing cry of someone who is aware of their impurity. The prophet he experienced the imperfection of the creature compared to holiness from the Creator. What should happen in a genuine conversion? What What should a person feel when experiencing the new birth? There should be a genuine exclamation of pain. That's why I don't I like the evangelism that invites people to establish communion. with God simply signing an acceptance card.
There should be an inner birth as a result of a light. celestial. There should be an experience of pain that arises from the fact of seeing ourselves before the image of a holy, holy, holy God. Unless let's reach that conviction and that pain, I'm not sure that may our repentance be true and profound.
Currently, the point is not whether we have the purity of Isaiah; if we have the awareness that he had about his sinful state. He was impure and, thank God, was aware of that. The current world is also impure but does not seem to be aware of its state.
Impurity combined with unconsciousness produces terrible consequences. That is what is wrong in the Christian church and in everything Protestantism. Our problem is the evil that is found in the circle of the just, of those who are called saints, those who
they pretend to be great men of God. We like the vision and the the awareness that the prophet Isaiah had but we do not like coal burning that they placed on his lips. The purification is by blood and by fire. Isaiah's lips represented his entire nature and They were purified by fire. Then, God was able to say to him: "It is removed your guilt, and I cleanse your sin" (6:7).
Isaiah came to have a sense of moral restoration through pain. and the amazement and moments after regaining that innocence, I was ready to worship and willing to serve according to God's will. If each one of us wants to have the certainty of forgiveness and wishes that his moral innocence must be restored, the fire of God's grace must touch us. Only through the deep love of God can man to find forgiveness and be restored and taken to serve.
It is fair to ask ourselves if there is another way in which God's creatures we can reach the state of being willing to serve you. In response to that question, I want to remind you of the deep needs of our modern days in which men try to adapt to God to the idea that they have of the divine. Many believe that it is possible to come to control a sovereign God and reduce Him to a plane in which They can use it as they see fit.
Even in our Christian circles, we tend to depend on techniques and methods in the work that Christ has given us. Without a complete dependency on the Holy Spirit, we are prone to failure. If we have mistakenly come to think that we can do the work of Christ for ourselves, we will never see the fulfillment of the task. that the Lord has entrusted us. The man that God will use is the one that has been broken by the vision of the holiness of the Lord; it is a man who has seen the King in his beauty and splendor.
We should never take anything for granted regarding our State. Do you know which person worries me the most? Do you know who it is? Is there more gold in my pastoral work?
For myself. I don't say that to pretend to be humble, but because All my life I have preached to people who are better than me.
Once again I tell you that God has saved us to be worshipers. I pray to God that He shows us a vision of our state and that He we totally break down because when we are in that state we can to come to worship God and to be His witnesses.