This sermon was preached at St Matthew's Lutheran Church, Maryborough, 8.15am, and Grace Lutheran Church, Childers, 10.30am.
Grace, mercy and peace be to
you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Text (Isaiah 6:1-13):
And 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.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, send
to us all your Holy Spirit, to me that I may preach well and to all of us that
we may hear well; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Today we’re celebrating the
festival of the Holy Trinity, where we remember the particular teaching about
God, that he is one true God, in perfect unity, but also reveals himself to us
as three persons, or three individuals, the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit.
Today, for our sermon we’re
going to meditate on the words from the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 6. And there’s
a number of things that happen in this chapter:
I. Isaiah
sees a wonderful vision of God.
II. He
recognises his sin, and he receives forgiveness.
III. Isaiah
is called to be a prophet, and is given a word from God to speak.
So first, what did Isaiah
actually see? First, Isaiah gives the time: he says that all this
happened in the year that King Uzziah died. We learn here that
kings comes and go; rulers die, leaders perish – but God does not. He is the
living God.
And Isaiah says he saw him.
And actually, Isaiah says very little about what he saw—he could have said much
more, but he says just enough for us. He says: I saw the LORD sitting
upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Can you imagine? The Lord is
so far above our comprehension that the edge, the hem of his robe filled the
temple. Imagine – Isaiah saw the Lord, and yet he says nothing about what he
looked like, only that he was sitting on a throne and the hem of his robe
filled the temple. What you think Isaiah is trying to tell us about God?
But then, Isaiah tells us
about the living creatures, the holy angels, the seraphim who were there. Above
him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and
with two he covered his feet and with two he flew.
Throughout the bible, we read
about all kinds of angels and heavenly creatures that God has created. Right in
the beginning of the book of Genesis, we read about when Adam and Eve fell into
sin, that God appointed angels called cherubim to guard the entrance to the
Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword flashing back and forth. –We read later
about Jacob and his dream where he saw angels going up and down a ladder to
heaven. – Ezekiel saw some wonderful living creatures of God.
Here Isaiah calls the angels
he saw: seraphim. And we Christians sometimes talk about cherubim and seraphim,
angels and archangels. There is not just one kind of angel, but all different
kinds. “Seraphim” means a spirit of fire, an angel of burning fire. In Psalm
104, it says that God’s ministers are a flaming fire. This is
what we’re talking about here, who are standing in the presence of someone so
wonderful, so magnificent, so glorious, so holy that with two wings they cover
their faces and feet in reverence to him.
And we read that there is no
silence in this vision. Not only does Isaiah see something wonderful, he also
hears what this wonderful thing is. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
You probably recognise these
words from when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, when we sing these words: Holy,
holy, holy, together with these wonderful living creatures. Notice
also there that there are three holies: holy, holy, holy, just
as we say in the blessing: the Lord bless you and keep
you, the Lordmake his face shine on you and be gracious to
you, the Lord look upon you with favour and give you
peace. The LORD, the LORD, the LORD – holy, holy, holy – just
as in baptism we say in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit.
And so then we read: And
the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the
house was filled with smoke. Can you imagine if the words of the angel
causes the foundations to shake, how much more the voice of God himself? These
things are so holy that a cloud of smoke protects Isaiah from seeing anything
further.
So what’s going on here? In
the Gospel of John, chapter 12, we read a little explanation of what Isaiah
saw. John says that it was Jesus whom Isaiah saw. And yet this same Jesus who
had existed together with the Father and the Holy Spirit right from the
beginning of the world is so holy that the angels can’t even look at him, and
Isaiah says that the hem of his robe filled the temple.
And yet, this wonderful Jesus
has descended from heaven and become a true human being just like us, a real
man with real flesh and blood. Angels knew how wonderful this was that at his
birth, they came tearing out of heaven to sing with the shepherds in the
fields: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth among those with
whom he is pleased.
And now, this same Jesus has
died. His blood has been shed, and his hands, feet and side have been pierced.
As we read later in Isaiah: This Jesus has borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows. By his stripes we are healed. The Lord has laid on him the
iniquity of us all. And this Jesus that Isaiah saw has now risen from
the dead and has ascended into heaven. This same Jesus that Isaiah saw has
descended and has sat back down on his throne, but now with a difference:
sitting there with real human flesh and real human blood.
And yet, can you imagine—this
same Jesus whose robe just barely scraped the temple, had people come up to him
during his life and touch the hem of his robe. We read about a woman with a
bleeding problem who said to herself: If I only touch his garment, I
will be made well. Here today Jesus lets us touch the hem of his
garment as he descends in all his majesty to baptise a child. What about when
we hear the absolution? Jesus lets us touch his garment, by giving us his word
and speaking his gospel – his free forgiveness of all our sins. And we touch
this garment, his word, and like the lady, we are made well. What about the
Lord’s Supper? He clothes himself in bread and wine—we touch these things and
eat and drink them, and power goes out from them through the living and active
words: This is my body and blood given and shed for you for the
forgiveness of sins.
But then here in the church,
we are gathered with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven.
Jesus is the LORD of hosts, the king of the heavenly armies. Remember “O come,
all ye faithful” at Christmas time when we sing, “Come and behold him, born the
king of angels.”
And these wonderful angels
are singing the praises still of this same Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slain
to take away the sin of the world. They sing the words: Holy is the Father of
this Jesus, Holy is this Jesus himself, and Holy is the Spirit that is breathed
out of the mouth of Jesus.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
of hosts.
But then remember that Isaiah
said that when the voice called out, the thresholds shook. Do you realise that
we would know nothing about Jesus at all if it weren’t for the word? It is the
voice, the speaking, the word that makes the threshold, the foundations shake.
A church without the word of
God is no church.
A sermon without the word of
God is no sermon.
Baptism without the word of
God is no baptism.
The Lord’s Supper without the
word of God is a supper, a very light supper, but it not the Lord’s.
God had willed that his word
be spoken here on the earth and it is this word that makes the threshold shake.
But then if we are going to
hear God’s word here and enter into the presence of Jesus, how are we going to
do it? What should we say? How would we be prepared?
Isaiah tells us: I
said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!
Woe is me! This is the word of a man who knows his sin, and that
he is totally unworthy to be in the presence of God. What about you? Can you
say, “Woe is me” – or would you rather say, “Yay for me!” Be careful what you
say—when you stand before God, you must know which one of you is the holy God
and which one of you is the sinner. Isaiah knows who he is. And he says: I
am lost. I am a man of unclean lips. Has God lost his way, or have
you? Is God unclean, or are you? – Know who you are. If you are not lost, your
Good Shepehrd cannot find you. If you are not unclean, then the blood of the
Lamb cannot cleanse you. As St John says: If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
But there is something else,
something new that God also wants to speak to us. We read: Then one of
the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken
with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
What a wonderful gift the
angel gives to Isaiah! Isaiah says: Woe is me! and yet the
angel gives God’s blessing, his forgives, his atonement. His guilt is taken
away, and his sin atoned for. Isaiah says: I am lost, and yet the
angel finds him. Isaiah says: I am a man of unclean lips, and yet
those same lips are prepared and purified by the burning coal.
Jesus is very much like this
burning coal. Here is a coal but it is also red hot with fire. Jesus is a true
man, and yet he glows red hot with his divine nature. He is true man and true
God in one person, just like this burning coal is both coal and fire together.
And it is this Jesus who finds you, whose angels present him to you, who
touches your lips. And he sets this water of baptism on fire with his word so
that this baptism saves you. And the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper he
sets on fire with his true body and blood. Why? Purely so that when these
things touch your lips, that your guilt will be taken away and your sin atoned
for. This is also the whole reason why we have preaching, and sermons, and
readings, and pastors, and a church at all – so that the wonderful forgiveness
of sins in all of its simplicity and in all of its richness can come to you.
What a wonderful loving Saviour we have who still comes to forgive us even
today, even now through his words and his own promises!
There’s something I’d like to
mention just before we finish. God actually calls Isaiah after this to be a
prophet. He says: Here I am, send me! And then God sends him,
but with a frightening message, and this is a message very much for our church
today. God says: Go and say to this people: Keep hearing but do not
understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive; make the heart of this people
dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their hears and understand with their hearts, and turn and be
healed.
There are so many wonderful
things that Isaiah has seen and heard, and yet many people will not hear, and
yet he must preach, he must speak what God has told him to speak.
Many people are looking for a
quick fix in the church today to all kinds of problems, especially in mission!
What’s the one thing that could let the floodgates open up so that people could
come flowing into the church again?
If only we realise what a
wonderful Saviour we meet every Sunday when we sing his praises! If only we
knew what a precious gift we have in the word of God and the sacraments! If
only we knew that when we have the forgiveness of sins, we have everything and
when we don’t have forgiveness we have nothing. And yet Jesus promises
forgiveness to you and his word never lies.
But there will be many people
who will simply be uninterested in this living Jesus, in the holy Triune God,
in the holy Trinity. And yet, whether they believe or not, it is not us who
converts them, but the Holy Spirit. We must stick to the word, and speak it in
truth and hold to it with all our strength.
It is a great sorrow to many
pastors of our church when people are just too lazy to read the bible, too
uninterested in God’s word, bored with forgiveness—and yet God’s word is still
powerful and his Spirit is living and active.
Many people have given up on
God’s word and many pastors don’t preach it, because nobody expects God to call.
God calls Isaiah here – and he calls him to speak a specific word. God has
called me to be a pastor – and if it is him who calls, then his word is the
only thing I can preach. God has baptised you, and if it is him who has called
you as his own, then it is his word and nothing less and nothing more than his
word that you are called to hear, to believe, and to help bring to the nations
however and wherever God uses you.
Of course, when we have given
up on God’s call, then the only thing we have left is dodgy church politics, we
just intimidate others with the devil’s own power and use people to build up
our own personal kingdom.
No—it is God who calls. And
if it is He who calls, then it is His word which must be spoken, and no matter
how many of how few people will hear it, Christ crucified must be preached,
because it is this living Jesus and this living Jesus alone who finds our
sinful lips and who speaks the living voice of His Holy Spirit into your ears
to forgive each and every single one of your sins! Jesus says: Blessed
are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.
Holy, holy, holy, LORD God
of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! Amen.
Dear Jesus, open our ears so
that they hear, and our eyes so that they see. Give understanding to our hearts
so that we may turn and be healed by your holy and powerful word, Lamb of God,
Good Shepherd, thank you for taking away our guilt, and atoning for our sin.
Take us, and use us, and send us as you will. Amen.
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