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!” (Isa. 6:5)
When many people start to follow Christ, they see a few things in their lives that need to be straightened out—things they have tried to deal with or even things that they’ve resisted admitting were a problem. Once the Spirit of God breaks through, they can finally confess their sins, feel forgiven, and be filled with joy.
They then throw themselves into the life of the church, learning, growing, and sharing … but, over time, something unexpected happens. They start to discover areas of weakness or stubbornness that they didn’t know they had. Their Scripture-reading convicts them of something they had thought was okay. They hear their small-group leader or pastor talk about something that they never considered to be a problem. They rub shoulders with people who have walked with Christ for a long time, people who exude real kindness and gentleness and compassion and courage, and they’re embarrassed by their own lack of these qualities. It’s strange—being with God and his people starts to make them feel like they’re becoming worse, not better.
Ever felt like that? As weird as that is, it’s normal.
As you come closer to holiness, your wickedness becomes more obvious. That’s true not just for you and me, but for all God’s people.
When Isaiah—one of God’s greatest prophets—saw God, he immediately concluded that he was so unholy that he had no hope. Seeing God did not produce sin in Isaiah. It showed him the ugliness of what was already there. Despite being a prophet—one who took God’s words on his lips—he confessed that his lips were unclean. But he had previously had no idea of this.
Hear this the right way, and it will set you free: you also have no idea. You haven’t begun to see the least part of your problem. And I haven’t, either. I’m still on the front end of seeing my participation in evil for what it is. I now see whole new depths of things in me that are repulsive. Things that God has always been aware of but that I have not.
How is that helpful? It’s helpful because the God who has always seen clearly has already crafted a solution that meets all our needs at every level. It’s the altar that stands before him (see Isa. 6:6). More specifically, it’s the sacrifice on the altar. That sacrifice, which anticipates Christ offering himself on the cross, doesn’t merely purify the flawed prophet’s lips but transforms them so that they can proclaim the message of the King (see Isa. 6:6–8).
Spend time in that King’s presence, and you’ll see your unrighteousness more clearly. At times you will feel like you are lost. But look beyond yourself to him, and you’ll see his forward-looking grace both anticipating and meeting your need.
Yes, mourn your failings; but go beyond them, as well, and celebrate his proactive response to them—a response that lets you stand joyfully in his presence.
If God doesn’t expect you to pay for your sin or want you to be crushed by it, why does he show you more of it? Are you moved yet to celebrate his desire to free you from it?
The next time your failures threaten to demoralize you, remind yourself that God has already provided in Christ everything that you need to be cleansed from the sin that you now see and from all that you ever will see.
ALLOW THIS QUICK REFRESHER TO BE HELPFUL TO YOUR LIFE.
PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM