Esteban Bustos

And please open our Bibles, we're going to open our Bibles in Isaiah chapter 6, with the time that we have remaining. Isaiah chapter 6, and the plan is to cover verses 1 through 10, okay? Isaiah chapter 6, verses 1 through 10. And before we start, we're going to pray. Father in heaven, we pray today that you give us wisdom, Lord. We come from different backgrounds, different languages. We come before you, Father, asking for your help. We need to understand your Word, we need to learn your Word, we need to apply your Word.

And please give us wisdom, give us humility to really receive your Word, Father, so it will give fruit in our hearts. There are so many people here, Father, that have problems, crisis in their lives. Many people who maybe are involved in sin, and they cannot defeat Father. But we pray that today will be the day of repentance. If people don't know you today, Father, we pray that today will be the day of salvation. Use your Word greatly, Father, and we pray that you give me wisdom, Lord, to teach your Word.

Give me wisdom to be able to say with confidence this is what God says in His Word. In Jesus' name, amen. Isaiah chapter 6 introduces us to the story of a prophet named Isaiah. And the interesting part about Isaiah chapter 6 is that it puts us in the historical context of the death of a king. Isaiah chapter 6 verse 1 said, in the year that King Uzziah died. Who was King Uzziah? And I think it's very interesting how Isaiah uses this historical context within his prophecy to show us why is he gonna write the following verses.

And if you go with me to 2 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles chapter 26, we're gonna find out who was Uzziah. 2 Chronicles chapter 26. In 2 Chronicles chapter 26 verses 1 through 23 gives us the account of the King Uzziah. Uzziah became a king when he was 16 years old, okay? He was a very young king. And the Bible tells us that he reigned for 52 years over Judah, okay? 52 years. Look what it says in 2 Chronicles chapter 26 verse 1. Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

He built a lath and restored it to Judah. After the king rested with his father. Verse 3 says that Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king and he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hekuliah of Jerusalem. And this is very important right here. Verse 4 tells us that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. He saw God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding and the visions of God. And as long, listen to this, and as long as he saw the Lord, what happened?

God made him prosper. God made him successful, okay? Uzziah was an example of a king, okay? People felt secure in their country. People knew that they had a king who was following God. People knew that Uzziah maybe was gonna be that king that they didn't have since the time of David or Solomon. So people were hopeful that maybe this time the Messiah was gonna come. What's interesting is that from verses 6 through 15, it's gonna show us how he became prosperous. It says, now he went out and made war against the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Havneth, and the wall of Asdod.

And he built cities around Asdod and among the Philistines. And it says, verse 7, God helped him against the Philistines, okay? God helped him. Look at verse 9, and Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, at the valley gate, and the corner buttress of the wall.

Then he fortified them. Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many walls, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains. He also had farmers and vine dressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil. He was very prosperous, okay? Due to that wasn't a time of prosperity with King Uzziah, that even with Jeroboam, who was the king of the north, they say that they had even a bigger kingdom than they had with Solomon, okay? So they were prosperous. That's why when Uzziah chapter 6, verse 1 says that Uzziah died, it puts the people in a time of crisis, okay?

My king died. My president died. The person who was looking forward died. What are we going to do? But then with Uzziah in verse 16, 2nd Chronicles chapter 26, verse 16, look what it says. 2nd Chronicles chapter 26, verse 16. You have it? Look at this.

It says that when he was strong, what happened? His heart was lifted up, okay? When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord, his God, okay? He was as strong as he gets, okay? He was getting fame, was being held by God, until when? Until he was not. And it's interesting that sin began to grow in his heart and he lost help from God. And that's why in verse 16 tells us that when he became strong, okay? This word strong is not the same that they use in verse 15.

You go to verse 15, you see at the end of verse 15, it says, for he was marvelously held till he became strong. That's a different word, okay? This is strong in verse 15 shows how God was making him strong. Verse 16 is a different word, okay? It's a different word that's not strong in its definition. It means boastful, okay? Prideful. He exalted himself. He became arrogant. And in Zephaniah chapter 3, verse 11, sorry, indicates that this is a type of rebellion against God, okay? So he had so much.

The people had so much. They had armies, horses, they had prosperity, they trade with other countries. They were in a place where they said, maybe we don't need God anymore. We have all we need. We had a good king. We had food. We had a good country. We have a big country, okay? We have an excellent military. Who's he exalted himself. He became arrogant. He was rebellious against God. And then it says in verse 16 that his heart was lifted up to his destruction, okay? It's interesting because when he says for his destruction, that means that his heart was so proud, okay?

He was so prideful in his heart that he acted corruptly, okay? What does it mean to his destruction? That means that what he did, okay, caused destruction within the people of God and destruction within his own life, okay? He acted corruptly because a prideful heart always is going to push you towards destruction, okay? It doesn't matter what it says before. When it says that Uzziah was with God, he was faithful to God, now his heart was so strong in his own understanding that he became prideful.

So he became corrupt. And in that corruption he caused the ruin of his people. And listen what it says in there. It says he transgressed against the Lord his God. Doing what? By entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of innocence. He broke the law of God. He defiled the house of the Lord. What did he do? He wasn't a priest. He was the king. His job was not to offer sacrifices. What was his job? To be the king, okay? But what happened here? He got his duty mixed up. He thought that since he's the king, okay, I'm going to act as a king.

I'm going to take over the duties of the priest and I'm going to offer incense in the altar. He entered the temple of the Lord, okay? So his worship was mixed. And the whole nation was affected by it because he approached God the wrong way. He wasn't supposed to act as a priest because he was the king, but he became self-sufficient. He acted as he is God. And you know what happened? Go back to 2 Chronicles chapter 26. 2 Chronicles chapter 26, you have it, verse 20. Look what happened here. 2 Chronicles chapter 26, verse 20.

And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him. And there on his forehead, what happened? He got leprosy. He got leprosy and who gave it to him? He says, so they thrust him out of that place. They pushed him out of that place. Indeed also, he hurried to get out because the Lord had struck him. Do you see this? He thought that he was God. He thought that he's going to do things the way he wanted. He thought that he was going to approach, approach God his own way. And when he tried to do that, it says that God struck him.

And it says that King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his. Why? Because he thought he could approach God his own way. Because he thought he could be something else that God didn't call him to be. He was supposed to be the king. Be happy with being the king. But prideful, being prideful, being boastful took him to the place where he was not supposed to be. Offering incense in the temple. So he was struck with leprosy. And he was with leprosy until the day of his death. And it's interesting why.

Because when we come back to Isaiah chapter 6, it tells us that in the year that King Uzziah died. And we are reminded why did he die? Did he die because he was old? Did he die because he was faithful to God? No, he got leprosy because he approached God the wrong way. Because he lost the sight of God's holiness to the point where he thought that God is going to do the things that he wants to do. And he was wrong. So when we start in Isaiah chapter 6, it takes us back to 2 Chronicles chapter 26. And it tells us how should you approach God?

How should you approach God? Because King Uzziah did it his own way. And you know what happened? God killed him. God struck him with leprosy. And he's an example to Isaiah. Because he says in chapter 6 verse 1, okay, in the year that King Uzziah died, it's interesting, I saw the Lord, says Isaiah, sitting on a throne high and lifted up. And the train of his robe filled the temple. Okay? So God in his mercy is bringing back Isaiah to the right way of approaching him. Because the example of a king, a sinful king who started well.

He was an example of the one who follows God. It didn't take that long for him just to go back to where he thought that he can approach God the way he wants. So in Isaiah chapter 6 this morning, I want us to reflect on this, okay? Four actions that teach us how to respond with reverence to God. Four actions that show us how should we approach God. Because we can not be playful about how we approach God. We can not just be like those people that says, I saw God and he was wonderful and I saw him in his throne and he told me this.

And when we look at the Bible, that's not the case. Every time a person is confronted with God's presence, they are either dead or God in his mercy gives them a life. Just for a purpose. So I want us this morning to see these four actions, okay? That teaches us how to respond with reverence to God. How to approach God with reverence. And the first one is going to be to be confronted by God's character, okay?

Be confronted by God's character. That means that we need to have fear in the presence of God. Fear in the presence of God. This is going to be on verses 1 through 4. Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1 through 4. In the year that King Uzziah 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, is the Lord of armies.

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. What is the first picture, what is the first image that we have before listening about the story of Uzziah?

We have an image of a holy God who is sitting on his throne, who's been sitting on his throne the day that Uzziah died. And it's interesting that Isaiah places us in the historical context of his vision, okay? We're talking about the year 734 BC, and then in chapter 5, what Isaiah is doing is he's giving these curses to the people who are insane within the people of God. And what he's doing is he's bringing us to the chapter 6, where he's going to have this vision that's going to describe God's holiness.

And it's amazing to see that the first four verses are the most beautiful picture that one could paint about God's holiness.

The beauty of God's glory cannot be compared to anything in this world. Look what it says in here, the Prophet begins saying, I saw the Lord, okay? The first thing that he establishes about being confronted with God's character is that he saw God, he saw Yahweh, he saw the Lord, and they use this word that is used to address God in a reverent and submissive way.

This is what, when he says Lord, what he's saying is, this is the sovereign God who exercises dominion over all the earth. So when we read this, we read just, this is the Lord. And when we pray, we pray, Lord please help us. But in a scripture, it has this meaning of where God is the one who deserves reverence and deserves us to be submissive to him. Because this term implies the recognition of authority and majesty. It says that the Lord was sitting on the throne, most high and exalted. Okay? Why?

Because it says that Uzziah died, and Uzziah's heart was exalted like he was God. But Isaiah says, no, no, no, the king is not the most high, the most exalted. Who is the most exalted? Who is the high one? The one who has been sitting on his throne the whole time. God the Lord, he's sovereign, he's also the judge, and will judge sin in his people. And there is a great contrast with the day of the death of Uzziah and the eternal king who is seated on the throne. Okay? God never ceases to be sovereign.

He does not die. He does not wear out. He is eternally reigning with power from his throne. You understand that, right? God doesn't fall asleep. Okay? He's always there. And when we have this image in our heads, because sometimes you know why we fall in sin? Because we forget about God's holiness. We forget that God is always there with his presence. And he's holy. He's sovereign over all. And I know that politics in this country are hard right now, in a tough place. But we don't put our hope in the president.

We don't put our hope in senators. We don't put our hope in this political party. Where is our hope? In the God who is sitting on the throne. In the God who is sitting on the throne. And the text tells us that his robe, he says right here, that the train of his robe filled the temple. It is referring to the presence of God filling the entire temple. Can you imagine this? It's like Isaiah looking at this vision of God and seeing the most exalted being in the whole universe. The one who is the most high and exalted than everybody else.

Because for 52 years people trusted in Uzziah. And he just died. And the Lord tells Isaiah, hey, don't worry. I'm still on the throne. I was before Uzziah, and I'll be here after Uzziah. And it's amazing to see even a commentator said it this way. We keep trying to fill the earth with monuments to our own glory, kingdoms, businesses, hit songs, athletic victories, and other mechanisms of self-salvation. But the truth is better than that. Created reality is a continuous explosion of the glory of God.

And brothers, it's interesting to see how Isaiah is in shock. And each time he's more aware of what he's living, the more overwhelmed he is by the holiness of God. Because now it tells us that Isaiah looks in verse two at the seraphim, okay? Seraphims who are serving Yahweh in the throne. And Isaiah describes them as having six wings, okay? The first two wings are covering what?

Their faces. Why? Why are they covering their faces? Because they cannot see directly God's glory. Because they will get killed as well. Although they are serving him all day, they are covering their faces because they cannot see God's glory directly. And they are covering their feet. Why? It reminds me of Exodus chapter three, verse five, when Moses sees the burning bush and the angel of Jehovah tells him, take off your sandals because this is holy ground. So it's interesting how the seraphim is teaching us how should we approach God.

They are covering their faces. They are covering their feet because they know that they are in a holy place and they are also flying. It says with the two he flew. That means that they are always ready to take the message wherever God needs them to take it. They are always ready for service. Always ready for service. And these guys are worshiping God and proclaiming. What are they proclaiming? Verse three tells us that they cry one another saying, 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 the smoke. Brothers and sisters, this song shook the pivots of the gates and the doors and the whole temple. The repetition of the word holy, holy, holy does not refer to the Trinity. But it's interesting that it refers to the strongest form of the language Hebrew to express the holiness of a person. This is to say, there is a way to say that God is holy, that God is different, that God in his character is pure.

This is the way to say it. There is nobody else like him. There is nobody else is going to be like him or was like him. He's unique. That's why he says, holy, holy, holy. It is the expression of holiness to the utmost. There is no one like him in his person. There is no one like him in his moral purity. God is above everything and everyone. And this confession from the serpents, this song shakes everything around him. Imagine Isaiah looking at this and then trying to wrap up his mind around the fact that he might die because the song holy, holy, holy is shaking everything because he's in the presence of the holy God.

Because he's listening to this song and he's trying to find out why he's there. Why is he there? Only once in the scripture, an attribute of God is elevated to the third level, okay?

It's interesting that his holiness is elevated to the third level, okay? Three times in succession. Holy, holy, holy. The whole earth is full of his glory. Just heaven, the full earth is full of his glory. Let me ask you this morning, have you been living your life, have you been living your life being conscious of God's presence in your life?

Even in the intimacy of your house, even in the deeper parts of your thoughts, do you have the consciousness that God is there, that God is holy, that there is nobody like him, that it doesn't matter where I am, whether it be work, school, family time, vacation time, God is there and he's still holy, he's still unique, he's the only one, there is no other like him. Are you conscious of God's character? Do you have fear of God? Do you have fear of God? Because when we have a country that's pushing towards the things that God hates, it doesn't take that long for you just to go along with it.

If you lose the consciousness of who God is in his character, if you are not confronted anymore with who God is. And in John chapter 12, let me take you to John chapter 12 please.

John chapter 12 verse 40. Right now Jesus is going to quote from Isaiah chapter 6 verses 9 through 10. You have it? John chapter 12 verse 39 okay. Therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. Okay, these things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. Who is he? It's Jesus. He's talking about Jesus, so it's interesting that John is taking us back to Isaiah and says Isaiah was looking at Jesus's glory.

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine that John is telling us Isaiah saw Jesus Christ in heaven? He saw his glory. Okay, and then we are confronted this morning brothers and sisters with the reality of God's character. Okay, we are confronted this morning with the reality of God's character. Who do you think God is? He's going to determine the way you live. If you think that God is somebody that you can hide from, sin is going to be in your life hiding forever. If you think that God is just another one of many gods, you're going to pick and choose which one, which God you like the most.

If you believe that God is only in the church, that his glory only fills the church every time you get off from church, you're going to live like King Uzziah. You're going to try to do and approach God your own way. But this morning I wanted us to be confronted with God's character so we understand that if we really want to live a holy life in a time of crisis, like we are right now, right? We need to be confronted with God's character and fear him because he's the only God. He's the true God. He's been revealing himself in the scripture.

He's incomprehensible. But the things that we understand from him are right here in the scripture. And the things we know about him are sufficient for salvation and to live a holy life. So that's all we need. So I want to encourage you this morning because time is out. I want to encourage you this morning, okay, to be confronted with God's character because in a time of crisis, the first thing that we're going to lose is God's character, okay?

The view of God's character. And I want to encourage you to look at God as the scripture says that God is, okay?

Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you Lord for today. We pray Father that you help us to really Lord see you as you are. The world, Father, wants us to just have many guts to don't believe that there is a God. But Father, thank you for reminding us that you are the only God. And through the pages of scripture, Father, show us that we have no option. That we either approach you the way you have prescribed in the scripture or we're going to suffer the consequences, Lord, of not doing that. Help us learn from the past, Father.

Give us wisdom to not commit the same mistakes and errors of the people who came before us. And help us to always be mindful, Lord, of who you are. In Jesus' name, amen.