“Seeing the Unseen Christ” (Week 3)
by Eric Rajaniemi
Welcome back! Let’s look at question number one, shall we? In last week’s scripture text Jesus took three of His disciples up to a mountain top. There an extraordinary thing happened. Jesus is transformed before their eyes and they see Him in His glorified form. Then Moses and Elijah simply appear out of thin air next to Jesus. They speak together for a few minutes and then Jesus is suddenly all alone. God’s voice is heard, and the three disciples fall down to the ground.
If we had been there I am sure we would have reacted the exact same way. That was a powerful moment of being in the presence of Christ, in all of His glory.
All right, time for this week’s message here. Open your bible to Isaiah 6:1-7. The prophet receives a vision, perhaps even spiritually transported up to heaven. He sees God sitting upon His throne. Above Him are a certain type of angel, the seraphim. They have six wings and they are crying out “Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts!” Do all angels have six wings? I honestly do not know. But at least some of the angels have this many wings.
Poor Isaiah cries out. He recognizes how unworthy he is to be in the presence of these angels and God. How often do we ever perceive ourselves as having unclean lips? But in today’s world we really need to consider the fact that we each live among people with unclean lips. People lie, they curse, they deliberately do not tell the whole truth when questioned. There are lies of omission and of comission.
One of the seraphim stops what he is doing, goes to the altar, and with tongs removes a live coal. He touches the prophet’s mouth with it and informs him that now his iniquity is taken away and his sin is forgiven. This picture could represent the Holy Spirit and His work of helping to cleanse the repentant person.
Next we hear the voice of God asking an open question to all present in this vision. Who shall He send? Who is willing to go? Isn’t this exactly what God does today? He asks who He can send and who is willing to go? Isaiah quickly responds, “Here am I, send me!”
Isaiah is then told to go and tell this people. Christ still does the same with believers today. “Go tell these people all around you about my Gospel message of love, peace, and reconciliation.”
So, it is question time.
1) When was the last time you went to church feeling
unworthy to praise God? Why?
2) How does it make you feel when you realize God is
willing to reveal His presence to less than perfect
worshipers?
3) Isaiah experienced exposure of a self-destructive
pattern in his life, unclean lips. What self-destructive
pattern exists in your life that needs to be cleansed?
4) How much of an impact do you think this event had
upon Isaiah? What sort of impact would it have upon
you if this happened in a church worship service?
5) If you heard Christ calling to you, asking who shall
He send, would you respond just as the prophet did?
Why or why not?
That is all for this week my friends. You can bring the Light of Christ to your neighbors by praying for them just fie minutes each day, five days a week! Pray for them to find Jesus. Pray for them to finally find peace and love. If we can be God’s lighthouses shining His light out into this dark world, then we will see lives guided safely into the harbor of God’s love.
Eric Rajaniemi
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