PART 3 of 3 from Isaiah 6:1-8 - What can Isaiah’s experience with God teach us about Holiness?

Hi Everyone,

Good to be back in the office after Beulah and a little R&R with the family. I got to thinking how easy it is for the true follower of Jesus to embrace a self-motivated or self-inspired form of ‘godliness’ apart from a life-giving experience with Holy Spirit. It is as if we reject the popular belief, as we should, that people get into heaven by doing more good things in life before you die that bad (called works righteousness).

However, well meaning Christians sometimes embrace a kind of works righteousness (do it on your own strength) when it comes to inner purity and Christ-likeness. This should not be. Just as the un-churched secular person cannot enter heaven except by applying the historical event of Jesus death and resurrection to his/her life, so too we as Christians are unable to transform our lives into holy displays of godly power and purity without daily grace from the Holy Spirit. In other words, God is consistent in both salvation and sanctification. This very point is the gist of what God communicated to Isaiah during His epiphany to him in the temple.

I began this sermon with a question, How Do You Know When You’ve Been Touched By God? I answered that question in two ways as review: You’ll know because (1) His touch creates such an obvious transformation in life and (2) His touch is characterized by an experience of a profound biblical truth (s) (vs. 2-4). Let’s first re-read the text once again as a reminder;

1 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!" (NIV)

The final point (vs. 5-8) I which to extrapolate from Isaiah’s divine touch is;

1. YOU WILL EXCHANGE YOUR SIN FOR HIS SUPPLY AND POWER – VS. 5-7

How do you get to a place of purity and power in the Holy Spirit? Look at vs. 5-7.

Notice the problem of Isaiah – both he and his friends were unclean. What does he have to give? Nothing! What does he do – he cries out “Woe!” to God in repentance. Is he a man of God ? – Yes. Is he going to heaven? Yes. But does he have anything to contribute to his purity. No !

Notice the solution of God - Notice Isaiah’s problem – but even more important is God’s solution to Isaiah’s saint-less-ness. God provided Isaiah with both regeneration and sanctification. These are symbolized by the coal from the brazen altar. Isaiah was forgiven and cleansed.

Suppose I placed two sponges, one with the plastic wrapper remaining and the second without, into a clear casserole dish, went to the tap, and filled the dish with water. What would happen? The first would float to the top unchanged even though it is surrounded by water, while the other became saturated and submerged into the water. People are just like those two sponges spiritually. Many Christians are still living with a plastic-wrapper-like experience spiritually, dabbling in or around the things of the Spirit, but unsaturated unchanged by permeating water of the Holy Spirit.

What is the difference between a Spirit-filled Christian and someone who is not? Answer – Two words Attitude and Asking! The wrong attitude before God when seeking victory over the woe-to-me-sins is like a thick plastic over the heart. The ‘water’ of the Spirit wants to saturate you with His presence. Without repentance our hearts become cold and resistant of God presence.

Secondly, God wants us to ask Him for power from the Spirit. Luke 11:13 - If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Asking is an act of worship because it demonstrates our dependence upon God. Such requests for spiritual help are never declined by God. This is the difference between the saturated Christian and the dry hard hearted Christian.

When we position ourselves properly with an attitude of repentance with a receptivity not afraid to ask, the life of God flows in and gets transported and then released wherever we go. Just like a sponge. Do you absorb or you repel the water of his Spirit? But there’s much more! See the 7th and 8th verse again -

He touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 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!" (NIV)

In the Christian life, God has saved us not just for sainthood and purity, but to empower us for service. God expects there to be more than just purity. God wants POWER in whatever He has called us to do for him regardless or position, rank, or popularity. May I suggest to you that when Isaiah arose from the altar back then with the joy of forgiveness in his soul, he was not just purified from sinful desire, but empowered for love-filled service.

All great men and women of God served in the power of the Holy Spirit in response to forgiveness. We see in verse 8b with Isaiah - Here am I. Send me! Effective empowered ministry was characterized by Jesus after His Baptism, at Pentecost with the Church in Jerusalem, and by Paul when debating with the Jews or in healing the sick.

It is the difference between Wesley in Georgia and John Wesley and the Holy Club members at Fetter’s Lane on New Years Eve 1738.

The group held weekly meetings for prayer and discussion. On New Year's Eve, 1738-39, seven of the Oxford Methodists and sixty other people conducted a watch night service and love feast, the results of which were to usher Wesley into a new field of service. "About three in the morning," says Wesley, describing the service, "as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground. As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of His majesty we broke out with one voice, 'We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord!'" Whitefield pronounced this to be "the happiest New Year's Day he had ever seen." Three days later the seven ministers, members of the Anglican Church, met again, of which Whitefield writes, "What we were in doubt about after prayer we determined by lot and everything was carried on with great love, meekness and devotion. We continued in fasting and prayer till three o'clock, and then parted with the conviction that God was to do great things among us." (Tuttle, Robert G., John Wesley – His Life and Theology (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1982, p.251)

So many other heroes/heroines of the faith began or discovered the efficiency and effectiveness of Christ’s power in ministry. [See The Power of Pentecost by John R. Rice, pages 291-312 or Chapter 14.]

The Wesleyan Discipline States it this way …The crisis of entire sanctification perfects the believer in love and empowers that person for effective service (p.238, 2000 Edition).

It’s the emboldened portion of the John Wesley’s statement that gets the understatement of the year award in my eyes. He stated, “We continued in fasting and prayer till three o'clock, and then parted with the conviction that God was to do great things among us.” When the Holy Spirit hears and sees His children in prayer asking for power in an attitude of repentance, He responds with power to make their efforts in ministry effective. Have you been used of God in the past? Great, he wants to use you again if and when you exchange your sin for his supply and power. Do you feel that you failed Him in someway? Great, you are now in Isaiah position. Please, even now exchange your sin for his supply and power.

In summation, what have we learned in these last few articles? When you’ve been touched by God:

1. You will remember because the changes are obvious;
2. You will experience a profound biblical truth about God;
3. You will exchange your sin for his gracious supply and;
4. You will respond to God’s call with power.

Your Brother in the Battle,
Pastor Neville

* Based on a sermon preached on January 18, 2005 at Sussex Wesleyan Church by Rev. Dr. S. N. Gosman, Senior Pastor. This is PART 3 of 3 from Isaiah 6:1-8. All copy rights reserved for printing or distribution without permission from the author.