“The Isaiah Principle”
Please read - Isaiah 6:1-8
When it comes to the “born again”
experience of the Christian life, I could hand out a survey form, and we would
soon discover that we all share some pretty common experiences. Although the
particular circum-stances may differ, and it may happen at different times or
stages of life, I think we all have experienced some degree of what Isaiah
experienced. As we look closer at this scripture, ask
yourself how many of
these things I am going to list, have I experienced in my own Christian walk?
The first thing we ought to notice is that
Isaiah had what I would call a true “worship” experience. Listen again
to the expressive words he uses; “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and
exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs,
each with six wings…and they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their
voices the door-posts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with
smoke …What a sight! It’s the kind of thing that would take your breath
away! It was a WOW! experience.
This is similar to the experience of John
in Revelation 1:12 - “I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And
when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was
someone like a “son of man” dressed in a robe reach-ing down to his feet with a
golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were like wool, as white as
snow, and his eyes like a blazing fire!”…There ought to come a time in the life
of every-one who calls himself a Christian, when they have this type of worship
experience. A time when the holiness and majesty of God become very real. A time
when we stand in his presence, and the who, what, where, why, and how of
Almighty God overwhelms you and fills your eyes with tears and causes you to
fall to your knees…or lift your hands in praise! While my experience was not as grand as that of Isaiah or John, the principle was still the same…There was a time when I came to really know that GOD IS! (I talk about that time in my book “By His Hand”) You see, the Bible says that those who come to Him must first believe that He is! He told Moses that “I AM” and HE IS! You can go as far as you want into eternity past, and God is! You can go as far as you want into eternity future, and God is! And, if you are really looking for Him in the present, He is!
Second, Isaiah experiences a brokenness. It’s a brokenness that leads to repentance and confession. It’s a realization of himself as he really is; sinful, unbelieving, as a filthy rag in comparison to God.
Like all of us, I’m sure Isaiah was always comparing himself to someone else…thinking he was a pretty good person. You know, “Compared to Charles Manson, the mass murderer, I’m a pretty good person!” But, now he compares himself to the holiness of God and says; “Woe unto me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” It’s a humble confession of who Isaiah is and a fearful profession of who God is! When we see God for who He is, we also see ourselves for who and what we are. In my personal experience, like Isaiah, there was a time when I saw who I really was, and I didn’t like what I saw.
Third principle; Isaiah receives cleansing. The seraph touched his mouth with a live coal and says; “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” For you and me it is the cleansing and purifying power of the Cross of Calvary. God’s Word says “The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Once understood, it washes us clean of un-righteousness and sin. The death Jesus died on the Cross he died once and for all! He took upon himself the sins of the world… and the Bible says “whosoever” will call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved. Like Isaiah, our sin, our guilt, is taken away and atoned for. The Bible says we are “Born again”…“Saved”…“A new creation”…“A child of God.”
Let me also say this; although some of the other experiences may vary, the experience of cleansing is the same for everyone. “There is no other name under heaven by which you must be saved”… “I am the Truth, the Way, and the Life” said Jesus, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Only Jesus has the cleansing power!... (To be continued.)
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