Holy, Holy, Holy - Isaiah 6:1-8

Semper Fidelis · #1 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 09:09 AM

Delivered on Sunday:
http://www.solideogloria.com/node/152

It's a bit basic but intended for many who had never been exposed to the idea of God's Holiness.

You'll notice the fingerprints of R.C. Sproul all over it. It was almost 10 years ago that I first heard Dr. Sproul on the radio and went to a Ligonier conference in Woodbridge, VA. I bought the book The Holiness of God and the conference was one of 3 on the subject that I've heard him speak on. I can't help hearing him when I worked out these texts. I pray I honored God in my treatment.

The grammar and spelling might be rough as it is basically my sermon text and I don't precisely read from it but use it as a guide.

jaybird0827 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 10:21 AM

Rich,

I read the sermon. This is awesome!

Quote:

Originally posted by SemperFideles
Delivered on Sunday:
http://www.solideogloria.com/node/152

It's a bit basic but intended for many who had never been exposed to the idea of God's Holiness.

I was deeply impressed by a sermon I would have longed to hear about 25+ years ago.

Quote:

You'll notice the fingerprints of R.C. Sproul all over it. It was almost 10 years ago that I first heard Dr. Sproul on the radio and went to a Ligonier conference in Woodbridge, VA. I bought the book The Holiness of God and the conference was one of 3 on the subject that I've heard him speak on. I can't help hearing him when I worked out these texts. I pray I honored God in my treatment.

The grammar and spelling might be rough as it is basically my sermon text and I don't precisely read from it but use it as a guide.

OK - I see the connection now. About 25 years ago I was still attending "evangelical" churches and realizing something was wrong with the approach to God - my word for it was "nice guy". You can see why it clicked when my buddy, who had been reading Sproul at the time, used the term "cosmic Santa Claus". He also brought up the "knocking at the door" bit as well. That is what began the process of bringing me to the reformed understanding.

May the Lord continue to bless the ministry that you are having in Okinawa.

Cheers -- Jay

Semper Fidelis · #3 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 04:15 PM

Thanks Jay.

blhowes · #4 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 04:42 PM

I browsed through it, printed it out, and look forward to reading it tonight.

I was thinking about the little I read contrasted with the 'sermons' 'preached' by the Graham 'preacher'. Just curious how the sermon was received by the congregation.

Semper Fidelis · #5 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 07:52 PM

They received it very well. One lady was crying so you know that it was a good sermon when Baptists are crying. Just kidding. Seriously, I've said it elsewhere but I'm really impressed by this Southern Baptist Congregation to be willing to hear when the Scriptures are being expounded.

There were more than a few people that were relieved to see the Franklin Graham guy go because his preaching was always so poor.

One woman in the congregation has been a missionary in Okinawa for years (she's from Canada and speaks fluent Japanese). She always loves it when I give sermons. On one occassion she smiled as she held her belly in approval (as in "I'm well fed").

I was talking to her about this last one and she was saying how she used to teach little Japanese children songs about Jesus and God and they were the typical happy songs about Jesus that we teach our kids. She told them that the song doesn't say that Jesus is scary or frightening (I can't remember the Japanese word that she used). The kids laughed but she explained that the Bible says that this is what God was. I was impressed with that.

I've always believed that Christians really want to hear things like this but are starved for it. They pass over these passages so often that it sort of penetrates in a latent way until somebody explains it. I recall reading about the Holiness of God and Justification by Faith from R.C. years ago and it's literally like the heavens opened up. It's like years of hearing these things but not having them explained properly had finally focused all of this information that I always knew to be true.

I think the way I approach it makes a big difference too. If I announced I was a Calvinist that believed in election and put out a bunch of labels first then it would be harder to hear these things. I've worked this process for a while now, building up a respect for the Word of God. When people are at the point of respecting the Word of God then all doctrine it expresses penetrates much more easily.

turmeric · #6 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 11:12 PM

That's a beautiful sermon! R. C. would be proud of you, I think. I used to think that passage in Isaiah was about a second work, etc. It took a lot of hearing Sproul's messages for the real meaning to get through.

blhowes · #7 (**permalink**) 08-09-2006, 08:15 AM

Glad to hear your sermon was well received.

Enjoyed your sermon. May God allow us all to share in Isaiah's experience of seeing God's holiness, and bowing humbly before Him.