In his sermon titled 'The Trice Holy God,' Peter Allison explores Isaiah chapter 6, emphasizing Isaiah's vision of God's holiness. The sermon is set against the historical backdrop of King Uzziah's death, marking a significant turning point for Judah. Allison describes how Isaiah witnessed the Lord on a throne, surrounded by seraphim proclaiming 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.' This vision underscores God's absolute holiness, which is both essential and moral, setting Him apart from His creation and defining His moral purity. The seraphim's conduct in the vision illustrates the need for reverence, humility, and exuberance in worship. Allison emphasizes the incomprehensible nature of God's holiness, which should inspire humility and strengthen faith among believers. The sermon concludes by highlighting the privilege and responsibility of believers to worship and serve a holy God.

Isaiah chapter 6 today. We're going to begin at verse 1. I'd like to read beginning at verse 1. In the year that King Aziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high, and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood Seraphim.

Each one had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out and the house was filled with smoke. These testimonies are there are heritage forever.

They are the rejoicing of our hearts. Almighty Heavenly Father, rejoice our hearts with your Word and with this vision of your holiness this morning. May you give us an eye of faith to behold your glory and your holiness as it's revealed in your word. And I pray that you would sanctify my sinful lips, that they might speak the holy word of truth. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The holy, holy, holy Jehovah. The thrice holy Jehovah. I think it was Spurgeon that said we just cannot presume or begin to speak of the glory or the holiness of God. We can only stammer. And that is how I feel this morning wholly inadequate to communicate the holiness of God.

This vision that Isaiah sees occurred in the same year that Isaiah died. Judah was at a turning point at that point that marked the end of an economic and military high point in Judah's history. Isaiah's reign had begun at a rather low point. His father, King Amaziah, had tried to fight Israel, their sister nation to the North, and ended up being captured by the northern king and taken in chains to Samaria and the northern king came To Jerusalem broke down a large section of the wall in Jerusalem. Probably, you know 600 feet or more he rendered them defenseless.

He took all their gold and silver out of the temple and out of the king's house. He basically plundered all their wealth. He took members of the king's household, King Amaziah's family members, members of his administration hostage. Judah was humiliated. And Amaziah ended up being murdered by his own servants a few years later, handing over a defeated and humiliated nation to a young man of 16 years of age.

But Isaiah had turned everything around. He rebuilt the military, he fortified Jerusalem, He developed advanced military technology of his day and used it in the defense of Jerusalem and in his battles. He defeated surrounding nations and established a trade route, a coastal trade route along the Mediterranean through the land of the Philistines. He defeated the Philistines and built his own fortified cities in place of theirs. He also established a trade route on the on the east side of Israel down to the Gulf of Aqaba.

He captured Elath there on the port on the Gulf of Aqaba. He defeated the Arabs and several other nations to open up that eastern trade route. Countries were paying him tribute and he had a long and very prosperous reign lasting 52 years. One of the longer reigns of all the kings. And the Bible calls Isaiah a good king.

But all this success became a stumbling block for him. He became proud of his accomplishments, and he wasn't satisfied with his office as king, as God's minister to bring his wrath on those who do evil. And he entered into the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. The altar of incense is in the holy place with the table of showbread and the lampstand. And apparently he tried to enter that holy place in the temple where only the priests are allowed to go.

And eighty priests tried to stop him. And they pleaded with him that it doesn't belong to his office to do this. And he became angry with these priests. And as soon as he did, God struck him with leprosy. And so interestingly, I think Isaiah's vision happens in the year that King Isaiah dies.

This marked the end of the era. Following his death, Judah never regained the national prominence, the military strength, the economic prosperity that she had enjoyed under Isaiah. The Assyrians became prominent and powerful, eventually taking the northern kingdom into captivity and bringing Judah into somewhat of a vassal state. At one point, there was just basically Jerusalem left. And so God, it's interesting then that God gives to Isaiah what King Isaiah unlawfully sought to take for himself.

And he does it in the same year that Isaiah is dying. I think the contrast could not be more obvious as the king is dying, passing away. The sovereign king of kings is holding court in glorious majesty and power. This was also right about the same time that the Roman Empire is considered to begin. It's not a singular event that happened on a given day, but right in this time that the empire took shape and began to grow.

And this would be the instrument through whom God's final judgment would fall on Jerusalem in 70 AD. Now, it wasn't wrong of Isaiah to desire to be in God's presence or to see God. After God had promised Moses his presence would go with them, Remember Moses asked God, please show me your glory. And God said that he would make all his goodness pass before him, but God said, you cannot see my face, for no man can see my face and live. What was wrong was for Isaiah to dare to presume that he could come on his own terms and his own merits.

Isaiah's account here of this scene in the heavenly temple is the fullest so far in the history of in the scriptures is the fullest vision of the glorious splendor and holiness of God that we have Moses and the elders saw God on Mount Sinai and the prophet And the prophet Micaiah had a vision of the Lord on his throne when he was in the days of Ahab. But his vision concerned the means that the Lord had used to move Ahab to go to war. And later on, Ezekiel and Daniel have visions of the heavenly throne room. In the New Testament, the heaven was open to Stephen, the first martyr, who was gazing into heaven. He saw the glory of God in Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

The Apostle John was also privileged to be given a vision of the throne room in heaven and was invited to come up and to write the things that he saw there and that's the what comprises the most of the book of Revelation. The Apostle Paul was also given a vision of heaven, but he was not allowed to write what he saw. But Isaiah is allowed to write what he sees. And it says that Isaiah sees the Lord. Isaiah sees the Lord.

Now that's a simple statement. What could be more simple than to say you're seeing something? But a moment's reflection, I think, will show that it's not so simple to understand exactly what this means. Both the apostle John and Paul tell us in the scriptures that not only has no man seen God at any time, but that is not even possible for man to see God. God is spirit and the physical eye of flesh cannot see spirit.

But at the same time, despite that God is invisible in his being, the Bible does say that men will see him. Blessed, Jesus said, are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." So we must put both of these statements of Scripture together, for they are both truth. And taking both of these truths together, we can understand that Isaiah did not see the essence of God. God is spiritual, God is spirit and invisible. But Isaiah really and truly did see something.

What Isaiah saw was a manifestation of the glory of God in physical form such that it was made visible to the capabilities of our human body, the human eye. He saw a manifestation of the glory of God in such a way that it's made visible to us. The theological term is theophany. Now the word for Lord here, Isaiah, Isaiah, I'd say, I've says I saw the Lord. That's not Jehovah or a Jehovah, if you prefer.

It's Adonai. It's an emphatic form of the word for Lord or Master. And it refers to supreme authority or power, and it's always almost always if not always used of God in the scriptures. So Isaiah here sees the supreme God who is perfectly able to carry out all of his purposes. He sees this sovereign, omnipotent one.

And as we'll see later in this vision, this power of God will be manifested in his hardening of the hearts of men. But God's incomprehensible, transcendent glory was conveyed to Isaiah in a bodily form, sitting on a throne that was high and lifted up and wearing a robe whose train filled the entire temple. And so it's like Jesus' baptism when the Apostle John said that he saw the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and rest on Jesus. He didn't see the essence of the Holy Spirit, he saw a representation. But the representation was evidence of the real presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit was truly present as Jesus was baptized there. Isaiah saw the Lord. With New Testament eyes, we know that Isaiah saw the Lord Jesus Christ specifically. After quoting from this same chapter here, Isaiah 6, the Apostle John writes in John 12, 41, these things Isaiah said, that was what he just quoted from this chapter these things Isaiah said when he saw that his that is Christ glory and spoke of him These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. It's referring to Christ.

Colossians 1.15 tells us that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. So Isaiah saw Christ's glory. He didn't see it because he was more righteous or more holy or spiritual than the other people around him. He saw it because God chose to reveal himself to Isaiah. Now this is a comforting vision for us in this regard.

That even though Our physical eyes cannot see the presence of God. Yet when he says he is present, he is truly present. It's not just a figure of speech. The visible form that Isaiah sees is not a stand in for the actual presence of God. God is actually present.

And Isaiah sees this representation. And God is present when he says that he is present, he is present with us spiritually present, but really and truly present. Isaiah then secondly sees the Lord sitting on a throne. Now there's no throne in the temple in Jerusalem. But the earthly temple is a copy of the heavenly temple.

And so the glory of God's presence did dwell above the mercy seat as a holy of holies. What Isaiah then is seeing, what he's describing, the Lord sitting on a throne, it reveals to us the reality of the presence of this invisible God. Even though there was no throne in the earthly temple, God is truly present. God was truly present in their midst as a supreme judge, and he was ready to render judgment. It's like the Joshua servant was concerned about the army that had, Syrian army that had surrounded the city to capture Joshua.

And Joshua was not concerned. He was concerned about the army that had, Syrian army that had surrounded the city to capture Joshua. And Joshua was not concerned. He prayed, Lord, open his eyes and Lord, open his eyes. And he saw then that the hosts of the Lord surrounding that city outnumbered the Syrian army.

The reality even though he couldn't see it. The reality was there. And that's What we see here. What was true of that heavenly temple. The Lord is sitting on his throne.

What's represented in the earthly copy. That's why no man could enter the Holy of Holies except the High Priest. And that only once a year with the sacrifice. Now today there's no temple like there was in Jerusalem. We no longer have to go to a Jerusalem or any other place to worship God because we is the body of Christ or the temple of God.

He's put his name on us and he is present with us and he is sitting on his throne as he reigns, present with us. Isaiah sees the Lord sitting on a throne that is high and lifted up. To be seated on a throne is is to be ready to execute the office of a king and a judge. The judge walks into the courtroom and sits down and then the proceedings begin. Matthew Henry puts it, I think beautifully and very succinctly.

He says he sits on a throne, a throne of glory. Before which we must worship a throne of glory, before which we must worship a throne of government under which we must be subject and a throne of grace to which we may come boldly. This throne is high and lifted up above all competition and contradiction. The third detail that Isaiah gives is that the train of his robe fills the temple. There's no room left for anyone else to stand.

In Stephen's sermon before his martyrdom, he quotes Isaiah, saying in Acts 7, But Solomon buildeth my house, moreover the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says, Heaven is my throne, and Earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me says the Lord or what place what is a place of my rest has not my hand made all these things. Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. So for the Lord's train to fill the whole temple is to say that his glory fills the world. There is no region.

There's no place over which he does not sit in judgment. There's no place over which he doesn't reign. The church, which is God's temple, is filled with his glory and blessed with his presence as their King. So this is the picture of the Lord, but Isaiah sees more. He sees Seraphim serving as ministers in attendance about the king.

They proclaim his glory and they serve his government. Now interestingly, this is the only place in the whole Bible that seraphim are mentioned in the context of angelic beings. I hadn't really realized that, but it is. The word usually refers to a poisonous snake and is translated as a fiery serpent, probably from the burning sensation of a snake bite. This is the word for the fiery serpents that were sent as a judgment when the Israelites complained against God in their journey out of Egypt.

Isaiah also uses this word to refer to a fiery flying serpent, probably some sort of dragon in Isaiah 14 and Isaiah 30. And those are the only places the word is used in the Bible. So we can say that these are personal spiritual beings from this text here in that they have faces, they have feet and hands, they speak and employ language, they have moral comprehension of the situation of Isaiah's uncleanness and so forth. They are, these seraphim we know are a different order from the cherubim which are mentioned numerous times in the scriptures. They are arguably, wouldn't be dogmatic, but the highest order of angel.

The seraphim would be the messenger angels while the cherubim are considered the warrior angels. But these are the angels that stand or are in the presence of this king. But what Isaiah focuses on here is the posture. That is what's the important aspect of of Isaiah's vision. And the first thing he mentions about them is these six wings.

There's three pairs of wings. One pair covers their eyes. It's a sign of reverence. They don't presume to look directly at the glory of God. It's a It's another indication that God dwells in what Paul says is unapproachable light.

And so even these sinless creatures who aren't defiled cannot look directly at the incomprehensible glory of the triune God. I mean I think it illustrates what is said earlier that no one is able to see God. Their wings, they cover their eyes. Another pair covers their feet. The feet often represent the lowest part of the body, the least honorable.

When John wanted to represent his lowly status compared to Christ, how did he compare himself to? He said, I'm not worthy to untie the sandal on his foot. It is the lowest servant that washed the feet of the visitors. And when Jesus wanted to demonstrate his humility as a servant, he washed his disciples feet. And so in covering their feet, the posture of the seraphim is one of humility before their sovereign creator, that even these feet, these lowly parts of them are not worthy to be seen.

They're covered. And the third pair of wings was for flying. These were the wings that they used to carry out their duties as they ministered in the service of the Lord. Isaiah also says that the Seraphim stood above it. It's not immediately obvious what they are above, but I don't think it fits for them to be above the throne or above the head.

I think what fits better given that they are pictured as flying. When the, we'll see a little later, when one of these seraphim comes to Isaiah to purify him, he flies there. And so, I think what's better is that, what fits better is that they fly with one pair of their wings and and that they are that this that they're hovering over they're standing over this train which fills the whole temple. So they are above it, above that train that's covering the temple as they stand, hovering with their wings and attend to the Lord as he seated on this throne. It says they He saw the Lord high and lifted up with the train of his robe, and the train of his robe filled the temple and above it stood the Seraphim.

Standing then refers to their position, more than not necessarily standing on ground but in the upright position over this over the train of the robe standing implies subordination doesn't it Inferior rank always stand in the presence of seniors, superiors. And superiors, those in a position of rule or judgment sit, as we saw earlier. It also, I think, signifies a posture of readiness to serve. They are standing by. They are ready to do what the Lord calls them to do.

They're standing at the ready. And finally, Isaiah says that they cry out to each other. They cry out to each other. They sing antiphonally, Holy, Holy, holy is Jehovah of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.

This was also the exact same song that was sung by the living creatures in Revelation 4, 8, who also had six wings. And they do not rest day or night saying, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. So this is the purpose then of these burning ones, these seraphim. They exist to adore, to magnify, to worship, to praise and honor the glory of God. It's God of glory.

This calling consumes their entire existence. They do not cease day and night to shout his praise. And their voices are powerful. Their voices are so filled with fervor and passion that the sound of their voice shakes the frame of the door. I was at a rock concert in college.

I think it was a mandatory event. So I volunteered to usher. Figured I could maybe get, do something useful in that time. But the music was so loud, so I think it was the first and only one I've ever been to. The music was so loud though, that you could feel the vibrations through the ground.

And this was a massive structure. But the whole thing was vibrating. Ear plugs were completely useless. They didn't do anything. You didn't need ears to hear the music, whatever it was, when you call it music.

Sometimes, you know, you can find yourself next to a car in a stoplight, on the ground, they're shaking, and somebody's got some music they're playing out of it. Well, That gives you some of the sense of what this was. The shout, the voice of these angels was so pervasive, so powerful, so exuberant that it shook the door posts, the frame of the door of the building. The house was also filled with smoke. And considering that these were fiery beings, That's that's what that word means.

I don't know whether if it came from their mouths or from somewhere else. But that smoke does remind us of the cloud of the incense that covered the mercy seat on the day of atonement when the incense was put on the fire of the altar. It also maybe reminds us of the smoke of the incense in Revelation 8 which ascended before God from the angels hand. John wrote in Revelation 8, an angel having a golden censer came and stood at the altar, and he was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne, and the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angels hand. That was and I think this is something what Isaiah is referring to when he says that the house was filled with smoke, the temple was filled with smoke.

Could have been the prayers of the saints, the incense offered by the hands of the angels. I think their posture in the presence of the living God has some lessons for our worship, because we are also in the presence of the living God, especially so when we are assembled in His name as we are now. First, it teaches a need for reverence in worship, Reverence when we are in the presence of the living God. It is no light or trivial or small matter to be in the presence of the holy transcendent God. To come before His throne of grace.

Yes, you know, we are to come boldly. We are to come with confidence. We are to come with joy and rejoicing. But that should never weaken our sense of His majesty and His splendor or the necessity of reverence in the worship of God. Secondly, we see their humility in their posture.

They cover their face, not presuming to look at him. We have to come humbly. God resists those who don't. He only knows those who don't from afar. It's the humble that he guides injustice.

It's the humble that he teaches his way. But the but the proud he knows only he is near to those who are humble, but the proud are only from afar. So if we were to draw near to God, we have to come humbly, recognizing our own unworthiness, our own inability, and his condescension to dwell with us. But third, is their exuberance of their praise. Right?

Their cry, their praise caused the post of the door to be shaken. Now that's some powerful singing. That's raising the roof as it were. They worship the Holy, Holy, Holy God with great exuberance, with energy, with enthusiasm. Their whole being here is involved in this worship.

And that ought to characterize our worship as well. That it ought to be energetic, enthusiastic, fervent. Because we see something of the glory and the majesty and the power of God and not to thrill our soul. It ought to move us. Think we can say their worship is the epitome of creaturely worship.

The highest worship is not just reverent recognition of His majestic glory, It's not just consciousness of our own unworthiness or insufficiency, nor is it just the exuberant praise that rang out from their lips. But it is all of these together and in conjunction with the obedient life of service, doing the will of the father in daily life. And that is the example that they give to us of worship. Reverence. Of his majestic glory.

Humility and consciousness of our own unworthiness, exuberant praise, coupled with an obedient service to everything that God called them to do. That is true worship. The entire focus of this worship concentrated. It's centered on God's holiness. Hebrew emphasizes things by repeating it.

Jesus did this in his preaching. When he would say verily verily, truly truly by repeating it, He is simply emphasizing it. That's the way they emphasized it. We might say very very but And so repeating holiness three times puts it in the highest superlative. This is the only attribute of God that is ever stressed with three repetitions in the scriptures.

It's done in two places here and as we've said in John's vision of the throne room in Revelation four. Holiness is essential to who God is. It is essential to his being. Above all else, God, God is holy. You There, is that better?

Okay it covers every other attribute. It covers these two concepts in English. We have two different roots for that, separate and sanctified. That which is holy is that which is set apart from all that is common or ordinary, and it's set apart from all that is unclean. And so we often speak of these two things as his essential or majestic holiness and his moral holiness.

His essential holiness, that which is essential to his being is His transcendent august and revered majesty that sets him apart from everything else that he creates that exists And so in proclaiming God to be thrice holy, they're saying, first of all, that God is completely separate and distinct from his creation. It's not a quantitative difference. It's not that God is better than anyone else or anything. It's not that he's like in just another league in terms of him being better. He is holy other.

God is absolutely distinct from his creatures and exalted above them in infinite majesty. He exists in himself. He gives existence in himself to himself. He can't be compared with anything else. So in that sense holiness refers to what we might call a metaphysical gap between himself and everything else that he has created.

A.W. Tozier puts it this way in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy. He says, We must not think of God as highest in an ascending order of things, starting with a single cell and going on up from fish to bird to animal to man to angel to cherub to God. He says we can't think of it that way. This would be to grant God eminence, even preeminence, but that's not enough.

We must grant him transcendence. Transcendence goes above and beyond. We must grant him transcendence in the fullest meaning of that word. Forever God stands apart in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar for the golf that separates The archangel from the caterpillar is a finite difference.

But the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. Even though the Caterpillar, he says, and the Archangel are far removed from each other in the scale of created things, they are nevertheless one in that they are both created. They are alike created. They both belong in the category of that which is not God and are separated from God by infinitude itself. God puts it this way in Isaiah 45.

And there is no other God besides me, a just God and a savior. There is none besides me. Look to me and be saved all you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other." God's holiness then means that he is set apart by his glory for his glory. His majesty or his essential holiness is that which compels us to worship him just by his very presence. The second aspect though of this holiness, as the Bible uses this word, is his moral purity.

And it's not a separate attribute, but it's an aspect of his holiness, his moral purity. This is the absolute righteousness of his whole nature, the moral perfection and supremacy of his whole nature and his abhorrence of an opposition to all that is unclean. It's his moral perfection. It's his opposition and abhorrence of all that is unclean. Habakkuk says, are you not from everlasting?

Oh, Jehovah, my God, my Holy One, you are of purer eyes and to behold evil and cannot look on wickedness, such as God's moral holiness. And so God's perfect, this perfect holiness of God is the standard for our moral character. It's the motivation for our obedience. Our human holiness is obedience to the law of God, conforming to his standard to grow in holiness and is to grow in obedience to God's law. Quoting from Leviticus, Peter writes in First Peter one verse 13, he says, Gird up the minds of your gird up the loins of your mind, be sober.

And rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, You also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, be holy for I am holy. That's God's moral holiness. It's the standard for our obedience, for our character. God's law, you see, that's why we can say that God's law is a reflection of his character.

It represents who he is. And he is incomprehensible. Tozier wrote again a little later in the same book, we cannot grasp the true meaning of divine holiness By thinking of someone or something very pure, and then raising the concept to the highest degree, we are capable. God's holiness is not simply the best, We know infinitely better. We know nothing like divine holiness.

It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. Only the Holy Spirit can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the Holy. It is only with eyes of faith that we can see and behold the beauty and the glory and the holiness of God as Isaiah describes it. So I think there's a couple things in closing that we ought to take away from the holiness of God, this vision of Isaiah, that Isaiah had of God's holiness.

First when we see the greatness of God, it should be a strengthening and a building of our faith as we realize that there is no one that is like God, there's no one beside him, there's no one next to him, there is no principality or power or dominion, there's no army big enough, There's no natural force great enough. That can resist God. That can thwart his plans and his purposes for his creation to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. Should also, I think, bring humility and a realization of our weakness. Less like Isaiah, we become proud and lifted up at the things that the Lord enables us to do.

Isaiah was a good king. The Bible says he was a good king. It wasn't sinless, but it was the Lord that raised him up and enabled him to do the things that he did, could do, but he lost sight of the holiness of God and his. Sinfulness and unworthiness in the sight of God, we need to always keep that picture. That realization before us to bring proper humility.

And I think thirdly, when we when we understand or see the holiness of God, then we are never willing, will never be brought to question what he's doing or to become angry with him or his works in our life. He is the Holy One. There is none beside him. There is none like him. He calls to the ends of the earth, look to me and be saved for I am God and there is no other.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the majesty of your word and for the work of your Holy Spirit to give us, to enable us to see with eyes of faith what the natural man cannot see, what the physical eye cannot see. You are holy, holy, holy. Perfect in all of your practices, all of your practices. And all of you.

All of you. All of you. All of you. But it is it is in your life that we see life. And it is with you and you alone that is the fountain of life.

Lord, send out your truth and your righteousness. And let them lead us. May this vision of your holiness, of your majesty, a majesty that causes the earth to tremble, Causes the foundations of the earth to shake. That humbles us. And yet Lord, you have called us to know you.

You have fellowship with you. What a wonderful privilege. May we never grow weary, grow tired of this great privilege, of this great blessing that as your children we can come before your very throne room. And to ask of you the desires of our heart that you might be glorified in our life, that your will might be done here on earth as it is in heaven, that your kingdom might come, might be advanced, that all the world might know that you are God and there is no other. In Jesus name we ask, Amen.