Wed Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

As soon as Isaiah sees the real God notice his reaction.

“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ (Isaiah 6:4-5)

When Isaiah looked through the window and saw a God on His throne and all of His holiness that window became a mirror that showed a man and all of his sinfulness. That is what happens when you see the real God. You see the real you. You will never see yourself for what you really are until you see God for who He really is.

I had one of the most amazing conversations recently that I’ve ever had in my life with an 83 year old man who lives in this county. His name is John. A man in our church who knows him very well took me out to his farm to talk to him about God. John lives alone and minds his own business, is a decent man, good neighbor and to my knowledge has never even gotten a traffic ticket. He doesn’t bother anybody, but when I tried to talk to him about his need for Jesus Christ, for a solid hour, this man adamantly told me how good he was, how decent he was, how righteous he was and finally in indignation pounded his fist on his knee and said, “If my righteousness is not good enough for God then He will just have to send me to hell.” I could not help but look at him and say with a broken heart, “You’re righteousness is not good enough for God and He will send you to hell.”

Can I tell you what I have discovered in my own spiritual pilgrimage? The more I know of God the less I think of me. Most of us live in two extremes. We are either full of God and empty of ourselves or we are full of ourselves and empty of God. When Isaiah saw who he really was he didn’t like the picture. He said,

“I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5)

The word “ruined” means “to come unraveled.” It is like the little 5 year old boy who went down to Florida for the first time and he got sunburned. A few days later his skin started peeling off. He ran to his bedroom to his mother and said, “Mommy look at me. I’m 5 years old and coming apart already!” When Isaiah saw God for who He was and then saw himself for who he was he literally said, “I’m coming apart. All of my so-called goodness, integrity, and decency is nothing compared to God’s holiness. When God is high and lifted up we will be low and taken down.

Notice what happens next. When we get honest in our relationship to God he gets merciful in His relationship to us.

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’ (Isaiah 6:6-7)

What you see here is a perfect illustration of that truth, “God loves a sinner, but hates the sin.” What Isaiah hates in himself God hates even more, but God’s love for the sinner is greater than His hatred for the sin. Isaiah is cleansed and Isaiah is forgiven.

The one thing that has to happen for you and me to have a relationship with this God is we have to get real. We have to see Him for who He really is and we have to see us for who we really are.