Text: Isaiah 6:1-8
                                                                  Title: An Encounter of the Holy Kind

Introduction: An encounter is a meeting face to face; a sudden or incidental meeting. I have met a few people; even if a casual meeting. (give examples of meeting certain ones like some of the Mavericks while at Colony Parke Hotel, Tim Brown of the Oakland Raiders, the late Rev. James Cleveland, a real Mavericks game, great preachers at Bishop at the L.K. Williams Ministers’ Institute like CAW Clark, CBT Smith, Gardner C. Taylor, the late Manuel Scott, Sr., and others.) But the chief character in today’s sermon had an encounter like none other. In fact, this encounter that Isaiah experiences changed his life. And, the purpose of this sermon is to remind us about our encounter with God, and encourage someone who may not have ever experienced God, would want to have an encounter with him before you leave because an encounter with God will lead to greater things.

(vv.1-4): These verses describe what was going on when Isaiah had this encounter with God.
• Here we see the manifestation or depiction of God in human terms or as having the characteristics of man which is called
anthropomorphism.
• In fact, God does not show himself to man in his majesty but according to man’s capacity to comprehend him…
• Isaiah had a theophany (physical appearance or physical manifestation of God to a person).
• Seraphims/angelic beings were there; faces covered with wings because they were even unable to bear the brightness of
God’s glory.
• Feet covered with wings to declare the prompt obedience of the angels to execute God’s commandment.
• Holy, holy, holy: this repetition signifies that the angels cannot satisfy themselves in praising God, to teach us that in all our lives we should give ourselves to the continual praise of God.

This encounter with God by Isaiah led to a few things that changed him forever.

I. His Confession (v.5) “Woe is me! For I am undone…”
• Woe is a passionate cry of grief or despair.
• A curse is on me and my fate is destruction upon me.
• Not, “Woe is ya’ll…”
• (v.5b) unclean lips…unworthiness to take the name God into his polluted lips…(cp. Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”)

II. His Cleansing (vv.6-7)
• Seraphims were heralds/carriers of the God’s word
• “live coal” which is meant the Word of God, which is compared to fire and to a burning coal of fire, which gives heat and light to saints and sinners alike. (cp. Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.”)
• (v.7) the coal touched what he complained about; his sins were atoned and covered.

III. His Commission (v.8)
• The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of intrusting
• Isaiah accepted the commission.

Conclusion: Malachi ends with the word “curse”. It refers to the latter time of the “Day of the Lord.” Who can keep us from having to face such a curse??? (not these: Adam-disobedient; Noah-may get drunk; Abraham-may lie; Moses-might get mad; Samson-fall prey to his weakness; David-murderer, adulterous) Who could redeem man? (Romans 7:24-25a, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”)