Speaking For the Lord (Part 3)

This is the third in a series of articles I am writing to apply Isaiah 6:1-8 to the preacher. If you have not yet done so, please go back first and read Part 1 and Part 2. If you are blessed by this article, please feel free to comment and definitely watch for more articles in this series.


BRIEF REVIEW: In trying to explain preaching to someone recently, my mind settled on Isaiah 6:1-8 as a very relevant passage for every preacher to hold in mind about the nature of what we do when we speak for God.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto 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 moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. - Isaiah 6:1-8.

I. First of all, WHO IS THIS GOD THAT SENT THE PREACHER?
A. HIS TITLES

B. HIS ATTRIBUTES: We move now from the titles of the God Who called the preacher in Isaiah 6 to the attributes of that God as revealed in the passage.

1.  HE IS MAJESTIC: Verse 1: "I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple."

a) WE MUST PRESENT GOD IN HIS MAJESTY: In our preaching, we must present God in all His majesty.

i) WE EXERCISE CARE IN WHAT WE SAY ABOUT GOD.  To present God in His majesty, we always hold Him, His name and His word in reverence.  He is not, "the Man upstairs" or "the Big Guy."

ii) WE EXERCISE CARE IN PRESENTING ANY MAN.  To present God in His majesty, no man, including our own self, can receive any glory.  Do not become an idol to the people.  Do not allow the people to believe anything because "Preacher said so."  Do not do anything that points the people to yourself rather than to Jesus Christ.  Look at this statue memorial of a church's deceased pastor and tell me if this is giving God the glory:

b) WE MUST REFLECT THE MAJESTY OF GOD:  Our worship services are to be majestic.  Few fundamental preachers would argue with that when it comes to our music.  It also applies to our preaching.  Preacher, the pulpit is not the place for a lot of what takes place in fundamental pulpits.  Theatrics belong at the circus.  Jumping up and down, turning red-faced, spitting and snorting, handstands, you name it.  What makes you think God needs any of that to get His message across?  The power is in His word, not in your presentation of it.

2.  HE IS AWE-INSPIRING:  Not only is God majestic, but the God Who called the preacher is awe-inspiring.  Verse 2: "Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face..."  I have a note in my Bible margin at this verse - "Even a holy angel must cover his face in the presence of a thrice holy God."

Remember that God meets with us when the church meets.  Many preachers act as if they have forgotten this by the way they behave, the things they say, the way they abuse the word of God.  We ought to "cover our face" in the presence of God.  We come into His special presence each time we preach.

If you have lost your absolute AWE for God, please get out of the pulpit.

3.  HE IS THRICE-HOLY:  Verse 3: "And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts...."  What connection do those off-color jokes some preachers tell in the pulpit have with the thrice-holy God they claim to represent?  What preaching illustrations do not properly illustrate the word of a thrice-holy God?  What was the preacher doing all week long and on Saturday night before he stood up to speak for the One Who is "Holy, holy, holy?"  You better watch yourself, Preacher.

4.  HE IS GLORIOUS:  Verse 3: "...the whole earth is full of his glory."  Watch for this point in Part 4.