God’s Grace In My Life: 2 Chronicles 30:1 – 31:1

 

God’s Grace In My Life
2 Chronicles 30:1 – 31:1

Background

King Hezekiah was the 14th king after David and he was the son of the evil King Ahaz. The Bible considers him the greatest of all the Kings of the divided kingdom of Judah and the king most like his ancestor David. 2 Kings 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

He reigned during the rising of the Assyrian Empire, for 29 years from 715–686 bc. He probably also co-reigned with his father Ahaz for 14 years before that. (729–715). By this time Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had fallen to the Assyrians in 722 bc. Its people had mostly been deported from their homeland and settled in other countries, but some people either escaped or were overlooked and left by the Assyrians.

It is amazing that Hezekiah was such a good king because he came from a very bad father. Ahaz did more to bring Judah into idolatry and destroy the worship of the true God than any other king and only Athaliah the daughter of Jezebel, who by murder stole the throne, can even be compared

The Evil of Ahaz. Ahaz though may have been worse. We read in 2 Chronicles 28:2-4 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and made also molten images for Baalim. 3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

2 Chronicles 28:22-23 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

The Reforms of Hezekiah Yet when his son Hezekiah came to rule after his father’s death, he undid the evil that his father had imposed on Judah. In 2 Chronicles 29:3-6, 10 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. … 10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

After the Temple was reopened and cleaned Hezekiah determined to celebrate the most important of the Lord’s Holy Days, the Feast of Passover. This had not been celebrated for decades under his evil father Ahaz.

We pick up the story in …

The Invitation To Grace - 2 Chronicles 30:1 – 9

 ​1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. 4 And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation. 5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.

Hezekiah Calls

Hezekiah sent out invitations to all the people of God, not just in Judah but also in the northern Kingdom. 2 Chronicles 30:1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the LORD God of Israel.

Here is the invitation, sent from Dan to Beersheba, the two furthest cities in the north and the south of the old Kingdom of David and Solomon. Hezekiah wrote 2 Chronicles 30:6-9 Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8 Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

His invitation was a call to return to God. We in the New Testament would call it  repentance. “Do not be stubborn, yield yourselves to the Lord. God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away from you, if you repent and come to Him.”

Holy Spirit Calls

Hezekiah is no longer here, nor is there a king or a president who stands in a covenant relationship with God as Hezekiah and the sons of David stood. Though there may not be a king sending out an invitation to come and to repent, the call is going out today more powerfully than any King or ruler could ever attempt.

Today the call to grace is being sent around the world millions of times a day, by millions of God’s people, led by the Holy Spirit. Those believers who take the word of God as their daily bread, the rule of their life and the guide to their walk, in person, on TV, on radio, on the internet, in email, texts and phone calls, God’s people under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit are reaching out to the lost, the dying, the rebellious, the skeptic and the atheist, “Come to God and find grace and mercy.” If you are a true follower of God, then that is what you are trying to do every time God opens a door of opportunity for you.

And that call hasn’t changed it is still a call to return back to God by repenting of sin.

There are some who say it is not necessary to repent. You don’t need to feel sorrow for your sin, or that you don’t even have the ability choose to turn from sin and turn to God’s grace. But that isn’t what an unbiased reading of the New Testament tells us.

The word repent in the Greek is μετανοέω metanoeō; and it means to think differently to reconsider. It is found 34 times in the new Testament and in all but 3 of those times it is a call for men to repent.

John the Baptist called out to those who went into the wilderness to see him, Repent. Jesus called to the crowds who came to hear him, repent. The apostles preached to the Jews on the day of Pentecost and to the Gentiles after the day of Pentecost, repent.

Paul’s Call to Repent - Paul preached to the buyers, the sellers, the philosophers and the lawyers of Athens. Acts 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. The call will even continue during the tribulation, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Repentance is the handle that must be grasped before the door of God’s grace will open.

The Gospel is the Holy Spirit’s invitation to return to God and find grace and mercy, but in order for it to be effective it must be responded to in repentance.

Back in 2 Chronicles 30:10 the people of Israel begin to respond to Hezekiah call.

The Response To Grace 2 Chronicles 30:10-15

 10 So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the LORD.
13 And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation. 14 And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. 15 Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.

Two Responses

There were two responses as the runners went from city to city with the invitation of the Passover in Jerusalem. Some of those, who heard of the call to return and find God’s grace and mercy, responded by laughing the messengers, the couriers, to scorn. They mocked them and they rejected the invitation.

But vs. 11 tells us that some men from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulan humbled themselves and come to Jerusalem. In addition, vs. 12 tells us the response of the people of Judah, 2 Chronicles 30:12 in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the LORD.

The result is what we see in vs. 13, 2 Chronicles 30:13 And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation.

Our Response

Today when the Gospel invitation is given, there are still just two responses mocking God’s grace or humbling ourselves to find God’s grace.

If you ignore the call, walk away or refuse it then just like the people of Hezekiah day, you are mocking the grace, mercy and love of God.

Paul writing to the church at Rome stated this in very strong words, Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?. If you don’t respond to God’s call to grace and repent, then you are despising God’s goodness that gave you time to respond.

I pray that you have responded as those who came to Jerusalem responded, by coming to the Lord, answering the invitation of Grace by humbling ourselves and coming to the throne of Grace, the hill of Calvary, the foot of Jesus Christ the Savior who died for us. If you listen, you can hear Jesus calling you even now. Its right here in Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Over and over and over again we hear in God’s word the call to come but hearing it will never be enough, we must turn around, we must take the step, we must grasp the handle, we must go to the Lord.

Almost the last thing recorded in the New Testament is again the invitation to come. It’s written here so that it could be echoed over and over again from the time of the apostles to the time of Jesus return.

Revelation 22:16-17 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Responding to God’s call is what we must do, but grace is what God and only God can do. We see it next in this passage.

The Prayer for Grace - 2 Chronicles 30:18 -20

18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the Passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon everyone 19 That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. 20 And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

Hezekiah’s Prayer For Grace

The people have assembled in Jerusalem, the Passover lamb was slain but there was a problem. We find it in 2 Chronicles 30:18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves.

They had responded, they had returned, they had repented but they could not meet the requirement of the law in order to eat the Passover lamb. There were many requirements of the law but the Israelites from the Northern Kingdom didn’t know them and so they had  not ceremonially cleansed themselves. Now they are not worthy to partake of the Passover.  But notice what the great King Hezekiah does when this problem is brought to him.

It’s in the second half of vs. 18–20 But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

Isn’t that a moving, beautiful example of grace? King Hezekiah prays, he steps in as an intercessor between the unclean people and the holy God. He prays, “may the good Lord, pardon everyone that has set their heart to seek God, the Lord. The Lord heard Hezekiah and cleansed the unclean, he made them worthy.”

The law didn’t cleanse them. The ceremony didn’t cleanse them. Only God could take away their unworthiness, their uncleanness and because of Hezekiah’s intercession and the people setting their hearts to seek God, God made them worthy of the Passover.

Jesus Sacrifice and Prayer for Grace

The Passover was a remembrance of God’s deliverance from Egypt. The lamb without spot of blemish was slain and it blood sprinkled on the lintel and the doorposts of the house. That night when the judgment of God fell upon the Egyptians, God would “pass over” the homes where the Angle of the Lord saw the blood. The Passover was a picture of the future shedding of blood by Jesus Christ. His blood, the seal of his sacrifice, must be applied by faith to the heart of one who seeks God’s forgiveness and His judgment passes over them when He sees we are under the blood of Jesus.

That was what they celebrated that day so many centuries ago and just as they were not worthy of God’s grace then, neither are we now. They were unclean and we are also unclean, but someone has also prayed for us.

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

We could not cleanse our sin by our works, but Jesus shed his blood and paid the price to redeem us and His intercession has cleansed us in the eyes of the Father. That is Grace.

Grace, as we define and experience it in salvation, is the undeserved, unearned mercy, love and forgiveness of God. It is available to all but it is only applied through repentance.

Conclusion

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran Pastor who was hung with piano wire by Adolf Hitler, just before Hitler took his own life. Bonhoeffer had many opportunities to leave Germany but he stayed for his people and to take as stand against the evil of Nazism. He had a great quote about grace.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” - Deitrich Bonhoeffer

That isn’t grace at all, it is a sham, an eternally damning hoax, that makes people believe in anything but the truth and anyone but the Lord Jesus. Millions of people today are blind to God’s grace. They have responded with pride, with works, with belief in a false god, who has no grace for them.

God’s Glory In My Life: Isaiah 6:1-8

 

God’s Glory In My Life - Isaiah 6:1-8

As we have been preaching through the Bible chronologically, we have also been reading through the Bible and this past week we came to the book of Isaiah. The Old Testament is divided into several classes or categories.

We have the Torah, the Tanak, or the Law which is the first 5 books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. Then the books of history Joshua through Esther, the books of poetry Job through Ecclesiastes and then the books of the Prophets Isaiah Through Malachi. Isaiah is one of the major prophets, which includes Isiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, while the other prophetic books are Hosea through Malachi.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah is one of the most elegent and powerful of the Old Testament writers. His words, his style, his poetry has a majesty that impresses anyone who reads his book.

And it would be almost impossible to preach from the Book of Isaiah and not bring a sermon on chapter 6, where Isaiah sees a vision of God sitting upon the throne, high and lifted it. The vision shares much with Moses, Ezekiel, and John in the book of Revelation. In the vision of these men we also get to glimpse the Glory of God. In every case they are overwhelmed and changed by what they see and we need to take time to read and meditate on these visions because until we get to heaven, their visions are our introduction to God’s glory.

And we need to understand as much as we can of God and his glory because as James Packer, in his book, Knowing God, wrote, “Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life with it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know God. Disregard the study of God and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”

We need to know as much as we can of the God who made us, saved us, called us and one day will resurrect us and part of knowing Him is glimpsing His glory. So, turn to Isaiah chapter 6 and one of the most dramatic passage of scripture in the Bible. This sure isn’t another list of fathers begetting sons, or offerings to build the tabernacle.

God Glory In My Loss Isaiah 6:1

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord…

Isaiah’s Loss

Isaiah dates his vision by the year his King Uzziah died. King Uzziah for the most part was a good king. One of the last that Judah would have.

2 Kings 15:3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;

Then something happened. Uzziah became proud and he entered the holy place of God’s Temple to burn incense. 2 Chronicles 26:16-20 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: 18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. 19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.

I believe that Isaiah who lived at this same time may have been looking to Uzziah as a king who would once again lead Israel to follow God but instead, he was severely punished by God because of his pride and he then he died, leaving that great task undone. Isaiah and Israel have lost their King and their hope. It is at this time of loss for Isaiah and the nation that the God chooses to show his glory to the prophet.

In Our Loss We Often See God

Many times in life, if not always, it is necessary to suffer loss in order to know God, to glimpse His glory in our lives. It is often after loss, brokenness, great sorrow or complete weakness, that we experience the power, hope and strength of God. The Bible is filled with examples of this truth. 

Israel after facing certain death at the Red Sea, with no way to retreat and no way to go forward in Exodus 24:9-11 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God,

Ezekiel the prophet is taken as a prisoner of war suffering the loss of family, friends and home, all he had ever known and then in  Ezekiel 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

John according to history is dipped into burning oil for preaching the word of God, banished to a barren rock of an island called Patmos and left to die. Then this near 100 years old the last of the apostles sees the great vision of God and the conclusion of God’s plan for the ages. Revelation 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

To begin to experience and know God as He wants us to see Him, we must understand the loss, pain and defeat. We must come to the end of ourselves before we can come to the beginning of God.

We must lose our belief in ourselves, lose hope in our goodness. We must see the reality of our weakness and fallibility. We must die to ourselves in order to truly become alive to the reality of God. We must be willing to believe that the greatest loss, our greatest failure may result in our greatest gain by experiencing God.

Philippians 3:8-10 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Jacob Wrestles with the Lord - Genesis 32:24-26

Probably the best example of this is the conniving, supplanting Jacob. When he was sure Esau would kill him, he went away by himself and their on Mt. Penuel, he met God and in his brokenness became Israel a prince with God. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

The Lord could have slain Jacob with just a whisper, but instead he lets Jacob use up all his strength, cripples him for life and then Jacob finally cries out as he cling to the Lord, “I will not release thee, except thou bless me.”

Without that loss Jacoub would never have been made Israel by God’s and without loss in our life we cannot fully receive the blessings of God in our life.

God’s Glory In His House Isaiah 6:1

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.

Isaiah’s Worship

I don’t think it was coincidental that God revealed himself to Isaiah when he came to the Temple.

I think Isaiah was seeking God in God’s House. I think he was praying to God for his nation in the loss of Uzziah. Perhaps he was trying to find hope in the place where hope is always found. So, he comes to the House of God and there he saw and experienced God as he never had before.

We also see this over and over again in scripture.

John in the spirit on the Lord’s Day. He was worshipping God on the day God ordained Christians to worship.

Solomon at the dedication of the Temple prays and the Shekinah glory of God fills the Temple.

The apostle and the first church of Jerusalem are worshipping in the upper room on Sunday in the only house of worship they had and the Holy Spirit filled the room, the NT parallel of the OT Shekinah Glory of God filling the Temple.

In Our Worship We Find God’s Glory

I ask people who tell me they are Christians and yet don’t go to church, “How can you say you love God and don’t even come to his house? How can you say you want to go to Heaven for eternity, when you won’t come to church for 2 or 3 hours a week?”

God meets us in His word, in prayer, in praise, in the fellowship of brothers and sister in Christ and all those come together in one place, the church of Jesus Christ, the House of God.

I know we all hear people say, I worship God in the outdoors, or my backyard or any place other than the church where God tells His people to assemble together.

This is what David said when he was in the outdoors, the wilderness and could not come to the Temple. Psalms 63:1-2 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Where? In the sanctuary, the temple, the church. God’s house is where God has chosen to let us experience Him more than any other place.

God in My Experience

I have seen the greatness of God while standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon or looking up from the depths of its deep valleys. I have seen the greatness of God in the birth of my children and in the death of one of his saints but the place I have most often seen the greatness of God is in the church.

In the church, I saw his greatness reach done in love and grace and save my soul as a young 7-year-old boy. In church I felt his hand on my shoulder as I wept over an alcoholic father and a broken hearted mother. In church, I experienced his presence when I knelt with my Pastor and told him God was dealing with me to be a pastor. In church, I saw my children saved one by precious one. In church, I have seen God touch hearts, hard as stones and break them fine dust and then remake them into his own throne. In church, I have seen lives changed and souls saved and people caught up in the greatness and grace of God. In church, I have experienced God more often than anywhere else and that is not an accident, it is by the plan and will of God.

If you would experience the greatness of God, you must understand failure and loss. You must also seek God where He has told us He would be found in His House of Worship. Now let us look at what happens when we experience God’s Glory in my life.

God’s Glory In My Life - Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah 6:1-4 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.

Isaiah’s Remaking

Isaiah saw God on his throne, ruling and reigning over all the universe.  He saw God high and lifted up. His presence filled the temple. And He heard the voices of the seraphim calling out Holy! Holy! Holy!

So great was God’s presence and so loud the cry of the seraphim that the massive columns of the temple shook as though an earthquake was taking place.

So powerful was this vision that Isaiah cries out, “I am undone.” My body cannot bear the glory of God.  My soul cannot sustain the reality of His holiness. I am being tore apart by the greatness of God’s presence.

Then in that state of being reduced to nothing, one of the seraphim came with a live coal from the altar. This coal we know later symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the only sacrifice that could make Isaiah clean and worthy to be in the presence of God.

He then placed that burning hot coal to Isaiah lips but because the Messiah one day would take away the fire of God’s judgment for our sin, all that Isaiah feels is the redeeming, rebuilding warmth of God’s mercy and grace.

He is  cleansed of his iniquity and purged of his sin by God’s redeeming, restoring, reviving touch of grace.

Now when God called for one to send, he could answer, “Here am I send me.” Without loss, without seeing God glory, without experiencing cleansing, without restoring grace Isaish would have remained mute, but now he can answers the call of God. “Here am I, send me.”

Isaiah was deconstructed and then reconstructed by his experience of   God’s glory in his life. God filled the Temple with His Glory and then filled Isaiah with His power.

God’s Glory Will Change You

No one can truly experience the glory and greatness of God and remain the same. For this reason, I believe that most of us are afraid to risk experience God. We are afraid of the change it will bring in our lives.

Far too many church members today find comfort in legalism, joy in routines, steadfastness in traditions and in these ruts think that they experienced God.

 Too often we allow the paraphernalia of piety, the regalia of religion and the trappings of tradition to replace God word, God’s house and God’s people. Ritual replaces relationship and conformity replaces confrontation. We need God in His greatness, in His glory not just the outward décor of Christianity. Without a confrontation of God in his greatness, His glory, His grandeur we will arrive in heaven very much the same as the day we were saved still waiting to experience God’s glory in our lives.    

How great is God to you? Isaiah saw God’s greatness filling the temple and in a sense filling all of creation. Is God in his glory great enough to fill my life, fill my home or fill my marriage, my church, my life? Is He great enough to overcome my problems, my failures, my pain? Great enough to fill my heart, my thoughts or my hopes? Great enough to make a difference in the way you live, think or act?

The Story of How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art – The History of the hymn
The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. He was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell ringing in the distance calling people to the Lord’s house. The words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart -- O Lord, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. He had glimpsed God and the result it a hymn that is a testimony to  God’s glory and one of the most powerful after all these years.

The hymn is so popular because it strikes a chord in our souls that echoes like that church bell so long ago. Oh how much we need in our own hearts to experience God in his greatness and glory, to truly know How Great Thou Art.

Conclusion

God’s Glory in My life to most of us it will only be another sermon title, just a like a dozen or a thousand before it. But to some it will be more, it will be an awaking, a call, a stirring to a quest to truly experience the greatness of the God of the Universe, here in His word, through prayer, through God’s weak but wonderful saints and especially in God’s house of worship and truth.   

The Glory of God can annihilate you and then reform you, it can overwhelm your senses and fill your soul. The Glory of God is so much more than a theme, it is the desire of those who truly long for more than just the routine of religion.

Could that be you today? Could that be us? Is God stirring your heart to experience His greatness and His glory?