Your Guilt Has Been Taken Away

Introduction

There’s a two-fold purpose for this study that we are going through.

First, for us as believers of Christ to grow deeper into the gospel. This is the key for spiritual growth or personal transformation in our discipleship. [Mas lalong maintindihan natin yung ebanghilyo]

Second is for us to be equipped to share the gospel to others. This is has something to do on personal conversion (how can a man be saved) and evangelism (how are we going to share the good news to others).

There’s a common denominator about those goals: it’s the gospel. Seeing God is about the Gospel. If you want to grow - know the Gospel. If you to others to come to Christ - share the gospel.

That’s why Paul says in regard to his calling that he’s “set apart for the gospel of God” (Rom 1:1) For him the theme of his life is the Gospel. And the Gospel is the good news from God and is about God. It’s about seeing God. And he uses this good news to equip believers to grow deeper into the Gospel.

In Romans 1:15 he says to the Christians in Rome “...I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” He is not talking about here about unbelievers but to fellow Christians. In fact the whole letter of Romans 1-12 is an exposition of that Good News. We Christians need to grow deeper into the gospel for us to be firm in the faith. We need to hear it over and over again in order for us to grow.

Look at what Paul says in Romans 1:16 he says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

The gospel is the power of God for salvation to those outside of Christ but it’s also the source of power for God to be transformed by it. Do you realize that the word “believe” here is in the present tense (ongoing). In other words the gospel is the power of God to those who continually and keep on believing.

So before we even evangelize the unbelievers around us, we must be eager to preach the gospel to our own hearts - because we still have unevangelized territories in our heart. So that’s why Paul is excited to preach the Gospel again to them.

The same gospel also fuels his ambition to reach unbelievers. In Romans 15:20 “...I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,” Paul here talks about evangelism and reaching the nation for Christ.

Then he quote something from Isaiah 52:15 (Romans 15:21 “but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

So people need someone to preach the Gospel to them for them to see God. People are spiritually blinded. But the gospel is the power of God that will help them see once again. Unbelievers cannot have the opportunity to see God unless someone will preach to them the Good News.

(Transition)

But before someone can appreciate the good news, one MUST understand the BAD NEWS first. That just like Isaiah the moment he encounter the holiness of God, he realize that he is not a WOW person but a WOE person. He is no better than the people He is preaching to. He realize that he is morally corrupt, spiritually rotten and wicked before a holy God.

Listen again to what Isaiah says...

English Standard Version Chapter 6

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!”

But look what What God did after that...

Isaiah 6:6–7“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.”

There are three things that I want us to see here… First is...

The Urgency of Cleansing

There is a sense of urgency here when the seraphim flew directly toward Isaiah after he encountered the Lord and realize his sinfulness. No sinner can stand before the presence of God and not die. So Isaiah need immediate rescue - that is urgent cleansing so he can remain in the presence of God. Or else he will die and burn into pieces.

All of us understand somehow that we are sinners and we need God’s forgiveness. We know that we need to get right with God. But some people doesn’t have the sense of urgency in doing something about it.

One of the deadliest sin a person can have is that of procrastination. Delaying to do something what needs to be done today. Because you can be deceived that everything in your life is okay and you don’t sense a spiritual need to make a decision. Even after you hear and understood the gospel.

In the NT, James provides warning to these kind of people. James 4:14 “...yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” In other words you cannot count on what will happen tomorrow, don’t be arrogant that you can delay your repentance and say I will do it tomorrow or next week or someday. You don’t have that luxury. You live one day at a time. If you are breathing today is because by God’s mercy He wills for you to live - to give you a chance to repent and come to Him.

The Psalmist reminds God’s people of the urgency in responding to God in Psalm 95:7–8“...Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, ...” While your heart is tender through the work of the Holy Spirit in you, do not resist him or else it will be difficult to trust Christ. Resisting conviction of sin from the Spirit of God will further harden your hearts. It will make it easier next time for you to resist conviction of sin. Soon you will never experience conviction of sin. The Gospel will become a common thing. And you will tune it out completely from your thoughts. If faith can grow so does unbelief.

Paul says about this as well in 2 Corinthians 6:2 he says “... Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Notice the double emphasis of the word now, when it comes to getting right with God, it’s the most important thing or else you will be eternally lost in God’s eternal judgement.

I like one what commentator wrote about this “For each church and nation, for each individual soul, there is a golden present which may never again recur” (John Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers, entry for 2 Corinthians 6:2).

So here’s Isaiah, for him to remain in the presence of God he must be urgently cleanse from his sins. But how did God cleanse Isaiah from his sins?

The Source of Cleansing

What did Isaiah do to contribute to His cleansing? Nothing. Notice, God sends seraphim over to Isaiah, the seraphim gets a burning coal from the altar, touch it in the mouth of Isaiah and says “Behold your sins is taken away and atoned for…” This is ALL an act of God.

John Calvin wrote in his commentary on this “It is God alone who can cleanse our pollution, in whatever part it exists.” Although God uses the seraph here to administer his command, God is the ultimate author and source of Isaiah’s cleansing.

The point here is simple: Salvation, forgiveness and cleansing from our sins is not based on human merit, but solely based on God’s mercy and grace alone.

Salvation is not by self-effort. (The term “walay lain makaluwas kun dili imong kaugalingon” is a lie). This has been the pattern of God in the OT. When the Israelites are about to cross the Red Sea, they were terrified because the Egyptians are pursuing them.

Exodus 14:13–14“And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.””

When God sent snakes to bite the Israelites due to their complaining and rebellious, it is God alone that provides solution. He instruct Moses to make a bronze serpent put in a post for people to see so that they will be healed. See Numbers 21:8–9“And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” All they need to is to look to the serpent which symbolize God’s provision of salvation and healing for them.

Eventually, Jesus use this story to invite total dependence on him for salvation. John 3:14–15 Jesus says to Nicodemus ...“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes [LOOK] in him may have eternal life.”

We should NOT look elsewhere for cleansing, forgiveness and spiritual healing. We look to God and God alone.

ILLUS: I heard a story of two young man who is trying to catch up to attend an evangelistic meeting at a certain city in the US. But unfortunately when the came, the evangelistic meeting was done, in their urgency they come to the evangelist and ask him, Sir what can we do to be saved? What can we do to be saved? To which the evangelist reply, young men “You’re too late” It is already done. Look to God. Look to Christ.

But coming to God is not easy. That leads us to point #3.

The Challenge of Cleansing

So one seraph (heavenly creature) flew toward Isaiah “having in his hand a burning coal”. Some translates it a “glowing stone”. Many bible scholars believe that the altar from where the stones came from is the altar of incense. In the altar of incense, the stone are heated to a glow and then they would throw the incense there and it turns it into a smoke. So this stones are red hot. So the seraph uses a tong to take one of the burning stone and touch his mouth with it. You can just imagine how this burning stone (like a harden lava) burnt Isaiah’s mouth. You could feel the excruciating pain that he felt.

Why his mouth? Remember he says I am a man of unclean lips and he dwells among the people of unclean lips. Unclean lips is just a representation of their total uncleanness before God.

And so the burning coal that the seraph uses represent God’s purifying power to cleanse sin. In the Scripture the fire can be a symbol of judgment to sinners but but also purification for His people.

Moses instructs the people in consecrating themselves. Numbers 31:22–23 ...“only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water.” (Two elements for purification: water and fire)

The burning coal that burns Isaiah’s lips act as a symbol of purification and cleansing on Isaiah’s part. Which reminds us that repentance from our sins is painful. It is painful but it is necessary.

ILLUS: When David was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband - David was genuinely anguish and remorseful about his sin. In fact, he wrote Psalm 51 as his Psalm of penitence that reflects his repentance and cleansing. So when he was confronted, shown his sin - it’s not easy - it breaks David to realize that ultimately his sins is an offense to God.

See Psalm 51:4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

True repentance that leads to cleansing is like that. Painful. Symbolically speaking, the fiery coal that the seraph uses to touch his lips burns up his uncleanness. Which leads us to the last point.

The Assurance of Cleansing

After the act of cleansing, the seraph says assuring words of instruction.

Isaiah 6:7 “And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.””

Even after the act, the ritual - the seraph need to explain and assures Isaiah that his guilt and sin has been graciously taken care of. The guilt of his sin has been taken away - the thing that causes him to cry out woe is me because I am a person of unclean lips. And his sin is atoned for.

The word atone in Hebrew means Kippur - the Jews had this once a year celebration called Yom Kippur meaning the Day of the atonement. In OT and in the time of Jesus the High Priest would one time goes to the Holy of Holies in the Temple to offer sacrifice - animal sacrifice and ask forgiveness for himself and in behalf of his people. That’s the word atone means. To “purge” our sins away.

In the NT, the equivalent word for this is “propitiation”. It means to turn away God’s wrath and anger over sin. Theologians define it in the sense of satisfying the JUST punishment has been satisfied. The debt has been paid. It’s been satisfied. It’s been covered.

But no ritual and no human sacrifice could really cleanse and cover our sins. That’s why in Hebrews 10, the author of Hebrews reminds them of the Good News of the new covenant - Hebrews 10:11–12 “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,”

Hebrews 10:14 “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

I love this verse, because this illustrates the ALREADY BUT NOT YET aspect of the New Covenant that we have in Christ. In Christ as believers are already perfected, cleanse, holy because of what Christ has done. Yet we are “being Sanctified” - continuously being purified.

In similar manner, God by his grace and mercy alone has taken Isaiah’s guilt and his sins. But he’s still need to be assured and instructed. So the seraph says “Behold, (Look) the burnt lips is a visible representation of the work of grace that your guilt has been taken away and your sin atoned for. You are okay Isaiah, you have been cleansed. You have been made holy.

This is not automatic. Isaiah needs to hear this assuring words.

I think just like us, we need to hear over and over again the Good News that You have been forgiven. You have been cleansed in Christ. Your guilt has been taken away. As far as the east is from the west so far God removes your sins from you. We need to hear the good news daily in heart. Let it be louder than the voices of condemnation.

In his book “The Discipline of Grace” Jerry Bridges wrote our need to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday “ “When you set yourself to seriously pursue holiness, you will begin to realize what an awful sinner you are. And if you are not firmly rooted in the Gospel and have not learned to preach it to yourself every day, you will soon become discouraged and will slack off in your pursuit of holiness.”

He then gives the how: “To preach the Gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.”

Today, we have a visible picture of that reality as we celebrate the Lord’s table. It’s not a mere ritual that we need to go through. It’s a celebration of forgiveness, cleansing and coming back to God. The Lord’s Table reminds us of His covenant - that your guilt has been taken away and your sins atone for.

Conclusion

Are you conscious of a cold, backslidden heart? Are you entangled by besetting sins? Are things not right in your home? In your marriage? Are you discouraged in your ministry? Have you lost your joy in the Lord? Are you battered by suffering and affliction? Are you painfully aware of weakness and sin and failure and inconsistency? Do you lament the poverty of your experience of Christ and your lack of love for the people you serve? What can change you? The gospel is the power of God for the complete salvation of all who keep on believing.