Get Prepared Now to Stand Before God’s Throne

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

If you were to stand before God’s throne today, would you be prepared? We must live the day knowing that God will judge.

Introduction

Would you be prepared if you were caught up and stood before God’s throne today?  I hope that you will take a moment to join me for this week’s lesson because now is the time for all people to prepare themselves to stand before God.  This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover scripture from Isaiah 6:1-13.

Isaiah Stands Before God

Isaiah 6 covers the call of Isaiah to be a prophet of God.  Isaiah prophesised at least 60 years, at the minimum.  His prophecy was directed to Judah, the southern kingdom, though he did prophesy the fall of Israel, the northern kingdom.

God is on the throne

When he was called to prophecy, Isaiah tells us, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple (Is. 6:1).”  

Now, there is an interesting take on Isaiah 6:1 that I would like to share with you that really highlights the dichotomy between man and God’s throne.  King Uzziah is said to be the last great king of Judah, though I’d argue that Hezekiah was a really good one as well.  

Near the tail end of his life, Uzziah had begun to become prideful, transgressing against the temple, and therefore, against the Lord (2 Chr. 26:16).  He was struck by leprosy and lived as a leper until the day of his death (2 Chr. 26:21).  His ending was actually a sad and tragic ending for a man who had lived so faithfully, and done so many good things.

With his death, things looked rather bleak for Judah.  Yet, in that same year, Isaiah said that he saw God sitting on his throne.  God sitting on His throne at such a bleak time is the beautiful dichotomy I wish to share with you.  

I think of how dire things appear to be in our world today, yet this scripture is a reminder to us that God is still sitting on His throne.  Things may seem bleak in your life, yet this scripture is a reminder to you that God is still sitting on His throne.  As I preached in my sermon – God Is at the Wheel – we should always remember that God is sitting on His throne and He is in complete control.

The wonder of God’s throne room

Now, in this vision, Isaiah tells us that he was in God’s throne room.  In Isaiah 6:2, he speaks of seeing the seraphim, angelic beings, above God’s throne, and describes what they looked like.  The seraphim, he noted, cried one to another, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory (Is. 6:3).”

Isaiah’s description of the seraphim matches the apostle John’s description from Revelation 4.  John called them four living creatures that had six wings, were full of eyes, and flew around God’s throne singing praises night and day without rest (Rev. 4:8).  They sang out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 

Now, as Isaiah was standing before God’s throne, he tells us that the voice of the seraphim who cried out shook the doorposts, and the room was filled with smoke (Is. 6:4).  The smoke that filled the throne room was the complete glory of God.  

Again, in Revelation 4:5, John tells us that from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.  Then, he noted that he saw seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God – the fullness of God was filling the temple.

Paul also spoke of a similar experience that he had.  In 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, Paul said he was “caught up into Paradise”.  Paul tells us that this happened after he was stoned to death in Lystra (Acts 14:8-20).  When he was caught up into Paradise, he heard inexpressible words, which he said were not lawful for him to speak (or share).

Isaiah becomes undone

Isaiah, recognizing what he was seeing and where he was, said, “Woe is me, for I am undone!  Because 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 (Is. 6:5).”

Isaiah, I believe, may have thought he had died and gone to heaven to face judgment.  He was not prepared for this moment and felt he was in trouble because he knew he was a sinner.  Isaiah was fearful of the Lord!  

Do you think you would be prepared for such a moment?  The thought of standing before God as a sinner ought to send chills down your back, as I know it does for me!  I don’t want to be condemned by the Lord!  The one who does not fear standing before the Lord stands as a fool.  

For me, the thought of standing before the Lord makes me want to do right, and this, you should understand, is the fear of God.  The one who fears God will do everything they can to remain in good graces with Him so as not to be condemned for eternity. 

The God-fearing believer puts forth their best effort to please God by living according to His instructions.  The God-fearing believer does this so that when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we can stand with peace dwelling in our hearts, as we receive our imperishable crown of glory.  

Isaiah purged of sin

Now, in Isaiah 6:6-7, Isaiah tells us that one of the seraphim flew towards him, having a live coal from the altar in his hand, and touched his mouth and lips.  The seraphim then said to him, “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”

I cannot describe to you the joy this scripture and sight bring me.  What stands out about this verse is that scripture repeatedly shows us that sin is only removed (purged) through the atonement offering of Christ.  For Isaiah’s sin to be purged would mean that the seraphim are moving by the authority of Christ.

In Hebrews 4:16, we’re encouraged to go boldly before the throne of grace so that we may obtain mercy and find help in time of need.  Isaiah, I want you to understand, had not found himself before the throne of judgment, but rather, he was standing before the throne of grace, and forgiveness was shown to him!

In 1 John 1:9, John wrote that if we confess our sins, God is both faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Isaiah may have not been aware of it, but he had made a confession before the throne of grace.  He confessed that he was a man of unclean lips, living amongst a people of unclean lips!  Isaiah confessed that he feared the Lord and did not want to be ruined.

The confession of the heart is what will save you from ruin (eternal condemnation).  We must understand that while having good works is good, works alone are nothing to the Lord without faith.  A point that both Paul and James made is that faith will put forth good works; however, scripture shows us that religion can also put forth works as well. 

The scribes and Pharisees had works, but Christ condemned them because their works were done to glorify themselves, not the Lord.  He told the people not to do as the scribes and Pharisees because they were hypocrites at heart.  One must confess and move in sincere faithfulness, and in doing so, Christ has promised that we will not perish (John 3:16).

Isaiah Hears God’s Voice

From Isaiah 6:8-13, we will see God’s commission for Isaiah.  

I find it very interesting that it is only after his sin was purged that Isaiah said he heard the voice of the Lord (Is. 6:8).  I often wonder if God had been sitting on His throne the whole time, saying nothing, while the seraphim were singing praises and Isaiah was looking around.  I actually feel that God may have been speaking the whole time, but Isaiah couldn’t perceive His voice.

The reason I say that is because the first thing Isaiah tells us he heard God say was Him saying:  “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  ‘Us’ signifies that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were present, as this was not God asking on behalf of Himself and the seraphim.  Keep in mind, the role of the seraphim was to sing God’s praises.

All of us have been commissioned and given gifts by the Lord to help us with our commission, yet many of us don’t believe we have a calling.  There are some Christians who speak of either never hearing God’s voice or struggling to hear God’s voice.  Why is it that some Christians can hear God’s voice and others cannot?

The answer boils down to one’s confession and one’s heart.  Without confession, one’s heart is still filled with sin.  When one’s heart is filled with sin, they will struggle mightily to hear God’s voice, as iniquity (sin) raises a barrier between the sinner and God (Is. 59:2).  Sin must be removed from the heart for one to be able to recognize God’s voice.

Moreover, there are many who have made their confession, yet they still struggle with hearing the voice of God.  Your heart must be in the right place to hear God’s voice.  When God called Elijah to Horeb (or Mount Sinai), he learned that God’s voice wasn’t in the mighty wind, an earthquake, nor in the fire (1 Kgs. 19:11-12).  God’s voice, he learned, was a still small voice.

I have found that God is always speaking; He is always leading and guiding us.  Oftentimes, we believers find ourselves too occupied (or busy) to listen to God’s voice.  We often miss His voice because we let all the going on around us distract us.  Lastly, we will let our sin hinder us from hearing God’s voice when we should be turning our sin over to the Lord.

Isaiah’s Commission

With his sins purged and now being able to hear God, Isaiah was made ready for the task that God had for him.  This reminds me of what Paul said to Timothy, about how the Lord sanctifies one to be used as a vessel of His (2 Tim. 2:20-21).  

Isaiah’s commission was going to be rough.  Why so?  God tells Isaiah to tell the people, “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive (Is. 59:9).”  This was a warning from God to Judah.  To understand the warning, God was essentially saying to Judah, ‘Keep living sinfully and see what will happen to you.’

God warned Isaiah of how dull-hearted Judah was, as their eyes and ears would shut to his prophecy (Is. 6:10).  God wanted for Judah to open their eyes and their ears because He desired for them to repent and return to Him.  God had not given up on His people, even though they had become so hard-headed.

This is a good mindset for preachers to develop in ministering God’s word.  Preaching the word of God will be difficult in that there are so many who are dull of heart when it comes to God’s word.  

Many of us pastors and preachers spend a full week preparing what we think will be a homerun of a message, only for it to not connect with those who listen.  We often wonder if it was us, and whether or not we are the problem.  Yet, as shown in Hebrews 5:12-14, many remain spiritually immature and can only be fed the basics of faith, rather than take in the more solid food. 

Unfortunately, many of us pastors and preachers who wish to dive deeper into the faith have to oversimplify God’s message.  Even then, the message still may not connect, yet we must continue to stand at the plate and preach God’s word for that one person who it does hit with, and they have a change of heart.

Isaiah asked the Lord, “How long [shall I minister to the people] (Is. 6:11)?”  God then responds to him, but there is a sense that Isaiah didn’t understand what he was truly getting himself into.  As I mentioned earlier, Isaiah would go on to prophecy for 60 years, and as someone who has been preaching for 14 years now, I can tell you that is a long time to prophecy!

After Hezekiah’s death, Judah fell into a deep well of sin that resulted in the Babylonian army laying waste to Jerusalem some 150 years after Isaiah’s prophecy.  One may wonder if Isaiah prophesied for nothing since Judah fell into sin.  Preachers may wonder if what they preach and minister is pointless since people are still going to sin.  

Yes, there is a point to ministering the good news of God’s salvation.  There will always be a point to the ministry of God’s word, even if you may feel down about it.  In such times, you should remember that God’s word will always benefit those who choose to receive it.  

Yes, it would be wonderful if churches ran over today, and if all preachers had millions upon millions of followers on social media.  Yet, the truth of the matter is that the world is filled with dull hearts, but if we can help to lead just one heart to the throne of grace, then we have done a wonderful thing.  James said, “He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”  There is a great reward in helping to save one soul.