ISAIAH 6:1-8

I found a great product the other day. It's called "Rain-X." Now, normally stuff you see advertised on TV works about half as good and is twice as hard to use as they claim. This product, however, works beyond what I thought it would. When it rains, the water beads up and runs off the windshield like a kid on a new slide. When you use "Rain-X" you can be sure you will have a clearer vision. Awhile back, Dick Berry gave me a lens cleaning tissue called "Sight Saver." That, too, is a winner. You wipe off all the smudges, specks and pollution that piles up on your glasses and sure enough, you get a clearer vision. Several of you have had cataract surgeries in the past. You know how your eyesight gradually diminished and then after the surgery your sight was somewhat blurry. But almost without single exception, most of you have told me that you ended up with a clearer vision. Isaiah had gone into the Temple to mourn the death of king Uzziah. What he saw there shook him to the core. The vision he experienced changed his life altogether. And when the first shock of the sight passed, Isaiah was given a clearer vision. When we come into the presence of the Almighty in true worship, when we meet Him through His Son Jesus Christ, when the eyes of our heart are opened by faith, when we view Him as He is portrayed in Scripture, we, too, gain a clearer vision. We get a clearer vision of God, of ourselves, and of what can happen in our lives.

1. WE NEED A CLEARER VISION OF GOD AS HE IS: VV1 - 4:

1. Note the things Isaiah says about God:
1. He is seated on a throne. He is the Ruler, the Potentate, the Absolute Monarch and Supreme Sovereign of the Universe.
2. He is lofty and exalted. This signifies that God sits in a position of honor and that He is seated in majesty and splendor.
3. Seraphim stood above Him, and one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."
2. False ideas of God that demote Him, demean His holiness and displace Him from His proper place.
1. Some portray Him as a Grandpa in the sky who is too soft and muddle-headed to know what's going on let alone be taken seriously.
2. Some represent Him as "The Force," or some impersonal energy.
3. Some view Him as " King Killjoy" the ultimate Party Pooper..
4. Some consider Him to be uninterested, apathetic and indifferent.
5. Some try to make Him "one of the boys" by referring to Him as "The Big Guy" or "The Man Upstairs."
6. Still others like to fictionalize Him and think of Him as "Mother Nature."
7. Some conceive of Him as some "Heavenly Guru" who meditates in the clouds daily and hands out tid-bits of wisdom from time to time.
3. The idolaters of the world have always had a twisted conception of God:
1. They reckon Him to be the sun or moon or other heavenly host.
2. They make images of their idea in the form of animals or fish or birds.
3. The Psalmist says, "But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man's hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them." Psalms 115:3-8.
4. The modern idolatry (aside from materialism and pleasure) is to fashion god in our own image. We create a god of our liking in our own minds. We make Him tolerant, wishy-washy, indifferent to sin, easy to manipulate, always there for our personal good luck and benefit, and just a good old boy!
4. Jimmy was drawing in a no-nonsense manner in Sunday School. The teacher said, "What are you drawing, Jimmy?" He said, "I'm drawing a picture of God." The teacher said, "But, Jimmy, nobody knows what God looks like." Jimmy said, "They will when I get this picture done."

2. WE NEED A CLEARER VISION OF OURSELVES AS WE ARE: V5:

1. Note the awareness of unworthiness Isaiah expressed: "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips;" is the same as saying, "My doom is sealed, for I am a foul-mouthed sinner, a member of a sinful, foul-mouthed race;" (Living Bible). 
2. Isaiah was not the only one to come to that self-realization in light of God's holiness:
1. Just after Jesus had provided a miraculous catch of fish, wh en Simon Peter saw it," he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'" Luke 5:8.
2. Paul's self assessment in looking back at the mercies of God:
1. "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." 1 Timothy 1:15.
2. "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." 1 Corinthians 15:9.
3. "To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, ..." Ephesians 3:8.
3. Let's add ourselves to that list as we become aware of our own inadequacies, sins, failures and shortcomings.
4. Like John the Baptist in the presence of Jesus, let us say, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30.
3. An objective look, a clearer vision of self means the end of all that
1. Is self-adulating, narcissistic, arrogant and conceited.
2. Is egocentric and self-absorbed.
3. Is self-willed and rebellious.
4. One little fellow decided to measure his height. He went into the bedroom and came out hollering, "Mom! Mom! Guess what! I'm 9 feet tall!" Mother said, "Oh, honey, you aren't really 9 feet tall. Why do you think that?" He said, "Come on in here and I'll show ya!" They went into the bedroom and he picked up his shoe and counted off 9 shoe lengths up to the mark Dad had put on the wall the day before. "See?" he said triumphantly, "I'm 9 feet tall!" The problem is, he used the wrong standard for a foot! So do many of us. We measure against our neighbor, or measure against someone we find who is really a rotten fellow and think we stand pretty tall. But when we measure up to Him as He made Himself known in Jesus Christ, we all come up short.

3. WE NEED A CLEARER VISION OF WHAT WE CAN BECOME: VV6 - 8:

1. Notice how Isaiah's sins were removed and that he was given an opportunity to volunteer for service. He was sinful, but not useless.
2. See Paul's testimony to the life-changing grace and mercy of God: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16.  We can experience the same thing through faith.
3. Think about others:
1. Peter the cowardly denier became the bold proclaimer of Pentecost. You can overcome your timidity and infidelity.
2. Mark the deserter became a useful ally to the aging Paul. You can overcome your failures.
3. John Newton the drunken, blasphemous slave-trader became a preacher and song writer giving us the great hymn, "Amazing Grace." You can become a new creation in Christ.
4. The old man who had been a long time sinner who came to Jesus. He said, "I ain't what I oughter be, and I ain't what I'm gonner be, but thank the Lord, I ain't what I uster be, neither." You can be different that you used to be and even than you are.
4. After Augustine's conversion he was walking down the street in Milan, Italy. A prostitute with whom he had been intimate called out to him, "Augustine." He did not answered but kept on walking. She called his name again, "Augustine! It is I!" He replied this time, "But it is no longer I!"  He was a new man.  We, too, in Christ can say, "It is no longer I!"  Old things pass away, all things, including us, become new in Him.

There is a beautiful chorus that says, "Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus; to reach out and touch Him; to say that we love Him. Open our ears, Lord, and teach us to listen. Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus." Another familiar song urges us to "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look Full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Is that your desire today? Have you turned your eyes upon Jesus? Have you considered yourself, have you realized your lack in His light? Have you realized His saving grace and infinite mercy? Have you sensed His call to come for saving, and then to go for serving? Open the eyes of your heart by faith and see His Glory and Majesty; see your own inadequacy and sin; and then see that He wants to save and use you anyhow. Ask Him to give you a clearer vision of what He can and will do in your life if you yield it up to Him in faith.
 

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