In the Face of Disaster

Written by Ed Allen
Saturday, 15 September 2001 19:00

In the Face of Disaster

Isaiah 6:1-5

“(1) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2) Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. (3) And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (4) At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. (5) “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty”.”

• God is alive
  
  
  • Background
  • Uzziah is not alive, but God is
  • “I saw the Lord”
    • Shouldn't have been a surprise to Isaiah, but was
  • Reminded of Steve Martin in “Money Pit”; surprised by the stairs
    • We have been shocked out of our routine this week
    • Some of you have had your faith confirmed and rewarded
    • Some of you are looking for something larger than yourselves to help make sense of it
  • To all of us, the message from Isaiah is: God is alive.
  
  
  
• God is omnipotent and in control
  
  
  • Seated on a throne (symbol of rule and authority
  • High and exalted (unrivaled)
  • Train of his robe filled the temple
  • Religiologists tell us that this was Israel's great contribution to religion: they invented monotheism.
    • They didn't invent it, it invented them
    • In fact, the prophets would say God revealed Himself to them as one God.
    • They came to understand that this one God is all-powerful and in control.

    Psalm 115:1-3

    “(1) Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (2) Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” (3) Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”

    Psalm 135:5-6

    “(5) I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. (6) The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.”

  • Perhaps the occurance of bad things threatens the notion of God's absolute governance of the world. OR perhaps God's sovereignty encompasses the good and the bad. Perhaps God assured us that there would be difficulty. Perhaps these point not to God's vulnerability but to ours and to our need of Him.
    
    
    
• God is naturally worshipped
  
  

  Isaiah 6:2-4

  “(2) Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. (3) And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (4) At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.”

  • The Sailor Who Tried to Capture the Moon
  • Isaiah may have gone looking for answers and guidance, but what he found was perspective

    Isaiah 6:5

    “(5) “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

  • We don't figure God out -- when we encounter Him, we worship.
  
  
  
• God is completely unique
  
  
  • Holy, holy, holy

    Psalm 71:19-21

    “(19) Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? (20) Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. (21) You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.”

  
  
  
• God is set apart, above circumstances
  
  
  • Jesus calming the sea
    • Showed us God is alive
    • Showed us God is omnipotent
    • Showed us God is unique
    • And that we must worship Him
  
  Worship Him doesn't mean to agree that there is a God. You can acknowledge that there is an army and still not be a soldier. Worship Him means to bring our whole lives into agreement with the universe that He is sovereign and to live in light of that reality. It means to surrender to His rulership. To have every decision measured against His will and His desires.