Returning again to Isaiah chapter 6, our text is taken from the first verse of the portion, Isaiah 6 verse 1. It tells us in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. The section especially there in the middle of the verse, where he says, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne. Most of you will know the well-known chorus, God is still on the throne. And I'd like you to ponder just the opening line of that chorus. I'd like you to ponder carefully that great truth. And I pray that it will encourage and then grip your heart today, perhaps as never before. And I want to pray that it will encourage your heart, especially in these days of crisis that we're passing through. Because that great truth that God is still on the throne, that is the message of this chapter. Those words sum up the contents of this passage of scripture that is before us. It was a dark day in Judah. there was dearth in the land. Spiritual barrenness was all around. In fact, it was so bad in the nation that Jerusalem, the capital city of the land, is described as Sodom. If you look at chapter 1, verse 10, you'll see that that is the case. And how relevant those circumstances are to our own land, our own capital city, even in these days. But as well as dearth, there was also death. King Uzziah was dead. And he had died in ignominy and shame because he had died a leper as a result of his pride and his disobedience. And you can read that story for yourself in 2 Chronicles chapter 26. So the throne of Judah was vacant. The throne was empty. And the nation was in deep mourning. It was a time of great change, of disruption, of uncertainty. Iniquity was abounding. Spiritually, the tide was out. The people were anxious. The people of the nation were fearful for the future. But what the Lord wanted Isaiah to know and what he wanted Isaiah to understand and the people as well through the message of the prophet was the great truth that despite those facts and despite those circumstances, that he was still upon the throne. A great king may have left his throne on earth, But the King of kings is still on his throne in heaven. And brethren and sisters, the Lord wants you to grasp that great truth today as well. Our own land is filled with wickedness. There's confusion all around us. Nobody knows what is happening. Nobody knows where we're going. Perhaps circumstances in your own life may be difficult. At times, they may even be overwhelming. This Sabbath morning finds you fearful. You're fearful for yourself, for your family, for the future. Well, here, brethren and sisters, is a truth, a great truth from God's Word. to settle and encourage your heart. Ponder it carefully. The Lord reigns. He's still in control. The Lord is still on the throne. And I want to pray the Lord will impress that great truth upon your heart this morning. Notice in verse 1, the word also, Isaiah had seen the throne of Judah. He had stood in the royal court of the land. He had spoken there for the Lord. But Isaiah saw more than the throne of Judah. He saw further. He saw higher. He also saw God's throne. God gave him, at this time, a sight, a vision, a glimpse of glory. He was given a sight of heaven. The verse says, I saw also the Lord. And I encourage you, just take a moment to ponder that. Let it settle down into your own heart. And let me ask you, Have you ever had that sight? Ever had that vision? Have you ever seen the Lord? So at a very dark and difficult time in Judah's history, Isaiah looked to the Lord. And brethren and sisters, I want to encourage you this Sabbath morning to do the same. Get your eyes off yourself. get your eyes of others, get your eyes of your own personal situation, the circumstances that prevail in our land, and get your eyes today upon the Lord, and how that will encourage your heart, how that will settle your mind in these unprecedented days in which we live. Can I remind you, as you read the Bible, as you study the scriptures, you should often ask yourself the question, What does this passage of God's Word, what does this chapter, what does this book of the Bible teach me about the Lord? And I want you to see today there's much of the Lord here in Isaiah chapter six, and especially there's much of the greatness of his throne. So let me just for a few minutes list for you some of the great truths that are stated here about the Lord and his throne for the encouragement of your heart. You'll see, first of all, that we're told about the sovereignty of God's throne. The text says that he's high and he's lifted up. Just ponder that, just consider that. The idea of those words is not just that the Lord's throne is above all other thrones, and it is, but the idea is that his throne is over, all other thrones as it rules and commands them. Here, brethren and sisters, we see God's sovereignty. He rules over all. Do you remember that Daniel said, the heavens rule? The Lord had to teach Nebuchadnezzar that lesson. He was one of the greatest monarchs ever to sit upon a throne. And maybe you need to see that truth. Maybe you need to be reminded of that fact today. The heavens rule, brethren and sisters. And you see that truth here in this chapter. God is in control. His hand was guiding. His hand was controlling. His hand was controlling all nations and the affairs of this world. So I want you to be encouraged today. Events are not out of control. There was no panic in heaven whenever King Uzziah died. Nothing had taken God by surprise. If you study this passage carefully, what you'll see is that God is working all things. Let me underline that for you. God is working all things after the counsel of his own will. So let that rejoice and encourage your heart today. Isaiah saw the sovereignty. of God's throne. He also saw the eternality of God's throne. Remember that Uzziah had one of the longest reigns in Judah's history. He had reigned for 52 years, a little over half a century. But that is only a drop in the bucket. compared to Jehovah's reign. Because remember, his throne, his reign is eternal. As the New Testament clearly teaches us, he's the king eternal. Not the king temporal. He's the eternal king. That is a truth that's stated in many places in the scriptures. The psalmist says that he sitteth king forever. The psalmist again said, thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Monarchs come and go, kingdoms rise and fall, but God rules and reigns forever. God is never deposed. He never abdicates. He has never toppled from his throne. Just think of this. The God that Isaiah saw on the throne a little over 2,500 years ago, That same God still rules today, and he always will. So he saw the eternality of God's throne. As well as that, he saw the purity of God's throne. You think of Uzziah dying of leprosy. The king was defiled. He was unclean. And what that meant was that everything that he touched was unclean. It was defiled as well. And that included his throne. In 2 Chronicles 26, We're told there that he finished his days in what is described as a several house. The idea of that is it was a house that was free, separated. You see, lepers were driven out because of their defilement. They were free from company. They were separated from their family, from their home. And in Uzziah's case, that meant he was separated from the palace and from his throne. So Uzziah was defiled. But what a contrast, men and women, with the holiness of God. and with the holiness of his throne. And remember, we're taught here in this passage that he's thrice holy. The angels in heaven sing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. That's a reference to the Trinity, the three persons of the Godhead, the holiness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a thrice holy God. And God is so holy, that the angels in his presence had to cover themselves, cover their face, and cover their feet with their wings. We're told of the seraphims, they're distinguished by having six wings, with twain, or with two they covered their face, with two they covered their feet, and with two wings they flew. God is so holy. that even the very angels of heaven have to cover themselves in his presence. You think of the subject of the head covering. One of the reasons that Paul gave when he was dealing with that subject in 1 Corinthians 11, one of the arguments that he made was because of the angels. That's a reference to this passage. The angels cover themselves in the presence of God, and so too should the ladies. And in the light of God's holiness, what we learn here is that Isaiah saw his own sinfulness. He cried out, woe is me. He wasn't proud, he wasn't boastful, he wasn't puffed up. He was humbled before the Lord. Can I ask, brethren and sisters, as we consider this subject this morning, the throne of God, especially the holiness of that throne, do you say, do you feel your own sin today as you look at the holiness of God as he sits upon his throne? So he saw the purity of God's throne. I want you to see in the fourth place, he saw the deity. of God's throne. Verse 1 says, I saw also the Lord. Can I point out to you, brethren and sisters, that that is especially a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. The person that Isaiah saw in this great heavenly vision was the second person of the blessed Trinity. How do we know that? Well, remember that one part of the Bible throws light upon another. It's always important and I want to encourage you to do this. It's always important as you read the Bible to compare scripture with scripture, one part of the Bible with another. And I want to point out that this passage Isaiah chapter six is often quoted, it's often referred to in the New Testament scriptures. For example, in John chapter 12, verse 41, after quoting from this chapter, especially verse 10 of the chapter, we're told, these things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and speak of him. So here's Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures. This is especially a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah saw the Savior, the one who is Jehovah Jesus. And you know, brethren and sisters, there is nothing that will change your life. There is nothing that will settle your heart, encourage and lift your heart like a sight of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember what the New Testament says? Then were the disciples glad. What made them glad? What was it that caused them to rejoice? Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. So as you read the scriptures, There's a prayer that you need to pray regularly and often. It's just a simple little prayer. You need to pray the words, show me thyself. Pray for a sight of the Lord as you read through the book of God. Isaiah looked to the Lord. And I want to urge you on this Sabbath morning, in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, I want to encourage you to look to the Lord today as well. Can I remind you there's an old saying, whenever the outlook is bleak, try the uplook. That's the uplook to heaven. You need to look up, brethren and sisters, to the Lord as he sits upon his throne. You remember Noah in the ark? We could say that Noah was in lockdown. He was in lockdown with his family for over a year. And there was just one window in that great vessel. And the window was in the roof. The Bible says that he was told to finish it above. And one thing that that did, the window and the roof, was it kept him looking up. It kept him looking up to heaven and to the Lord. And it reminded him of this great fact, this great truth, that even in the storm, that God was on the throne, that God was in control, and how important, brethren and sisters, that look is, the uplook. And I want to encourage you today. Every day you live, however difficult and dark that day may be, live that day looking onto Jesus, the one that is the author and the finisher of our faith. Some of you We'll remember Pastor Ivan Thompson, a greatly used Baptist pastor, especially in evangelism. Died quite young from cancer. Whenever Ivan came to the Lord, just a young Christian, in the fellowship to which he belonged at that time, he spoke to an older, a more mature, experienced believer. And he asked him for a little bit of advice for him as a new convert, a young believer, setting out on the pilgrim pathway. And all the old believers said to him was this, O pilgrim bound for the heavenly land, Never lose sight of Jesus. I even said, whenever he first heard that bit of advice, he was a little bit surprised. He thought that the older, more mature believer might have had more to say to him. But he realized, he said he came to understand, as the years went by, how vital, how important the piece of spiritual advice that that dear old Saint of God had given to him. So let me repeat it to all of you today, brethren and sisters. O pilgrim bound for the heavenly land, never lose sight of Jesus. Isaiah says, I saw also the Lord. And that's the sight that we need. What a difference it will make in our lives. Notice as well that he saw the authority of God's throne. Verse three, there is the name, the Lord of hosts. This is one of Isaiah's favorite names for God. Watch out for it as you read through the book of Isaiah. He uses it at least 65 times. So that's once for nearly every chapter in the book. Here's one of the great Jehovah titles of scripture, Lord Zabath or Jehovah of hosts. You think today of the hosts of heaven. all the myriads of angels. Daniel gives us a little picture, a little sight of them. He says, a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. Think of the numbers that are given there in that verse. And we learn there's a vast, incomprehensible host of angels. And remember this, brethren and sisters, that He is their Lord. He is Lord of all. They are all at His control. Do you remember in Gethsemane, just a short time before the cross, the Lord Jesus said to Peter, "'Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father?' And he shall presently give me more than 12 legions of angels." A legion generally in those times was 6,000. So the Lord Jesus was saying to Peter that he could just ask. All he had to do was make a request to the Father for 72,000 angels to come to his aid at that time. It's an illustration. It's a biblical example that he is the Lord of the hosts. They're all under his command. They're all at his control. Literally, that title, the Lord of hosts, means he's the Lord of the armies, the heavenly armies. The heavenly throne has a heavenly army. He is a God of warfare. He opposes sin. He defeats the enemy, the enemy of righteousness, the enemy of the gospel. And, brethren and sisters, it's vital to remember that in this day in which we live, when there is a great battle in which we're engaged, a great battle that is taking place for the faith of the gospel, and when the cause of God seems to be defeated, I want to encourage you to say, never forget, the spiritual warfare that is going on. God is defending his cause. God is defending his name. And always remember what Elisha said to his servant, fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. You remember Elisha prayed the Lord would open his servant's eyes to see the hosts of the angels? And I pray as we study this portion today that God will give you that same sight. He is the Lord of the hosts, his authority, the authority of this throne. And the Lord gives us here a special glimpse of the host of heaven, because we're told about the seraphim. Can I point out It's the only mention by name of the seraphims in all of the Bible, what you have here in Isaiah 6. The name seraphim means noble or burning ones. They burn with zeal. They sing his praise. They are ever ready to do his bidding. And the reality, brethren and sisters, is so should we. In fact, we should be more zealous because of salvation. We have greater reason to be zealous and earnest in the service of the Master. So here, men and women, is something of what Isaiah saw, something of the vision that he had of God's throne. Whenever the Lord taught him this great truth afresh, that he was still, he was still upon the throne. Just in closing, I want to emphasize to you the result of that vision, the result on Isaiah's life of knowing and realizing that God was still upon the throne. The result was this, his life was changed. His ministry, was never the same again. And brethren, sisters, the reality is this. We need that same vision. as never before in the days in which we're found, in the circumstances in which we live. We need this same sight that Isaiah had those many years ago. Let me just list for you quickly, in closing, how Isaiah's life was changed. You'll notice that his lips were changed. He said in verse five that he was a man of unclean lips. Maybe that's true of a believer listening to this message this morning. You don't speak as a Christian should. Maybe you use bad words. Maybe you're one that is often engaged in gossip. You use your tongue for things that a Christian ought not to, instead of for prayer and for praise and for preaching, for telling others of the Savior. But you'll see in verse seven that Isaiah's lips were cleansed. Can I ask, do you need to cleanse your lips, your speech today, as a result of seeing the Lord, seeing his holiness, the holiness of his throne. But not only was his lips changed, but his listening was changed as well, because in verse eight we're told that, also I heard the voice of the Lord say. So he didn't just see the Lord, He also heard the Lord. And remember, brethren and sisters, it is a great mercy to hear the voice of God. Did you hear the Lord speak to you today from his word? Bishop John Taylor Smith was a very famous evangelical bishop in the Church of England, especially at the beginning of the 20th century, one of the noted Keswick speakers. Bishop Taylor Smith would walk up to believers, and when he was engaged in conversation with them, he would just pointedly, candidly ask them the question, what did the Lord say to you today? And that's a vital question, brethren and sisters. Just consider it very carefully. What did the Lord say to you from his word today? What you need to do is pray for the Lord to speak. Do you remember the prayer that Eli, instructed young Samuel to pray, "'Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.'" And remember that you'll never hear the Lord speak if you don't read his word. You'll never hear the Lord speak if you don't attend to the means of grace, if you don't listen to the preaching, the teaching of the Word of God. So let us all pray. The Lord will give us ears to hear the things the Spirit saith unto the churches. The other way that Isaiah's life was changed was his labors. were changed. In verse 8, what you have is the great surrender of Isaiah's life to the service of God. He said, here am I, send me. Can I ask you this morning, will you do the same? Can I remind you, brethren and sisters, even in the light of the announcements that were made by our brother a little earlier, this church The cause of God, even as we look out upon the mission fields of the earth, there's a great need for laborers more than ever before. Will you be a laborer? Will you give your life in the service of Christ? Will you be one of those who will go for the Lord? You just think of this, a closing thought. God is on the throne of the universe. He always has been. He always will be. But here's the great question for you, brethren and sisters. Is He on the throne of your heart? Is He on the throne of your life today? Remember, He says, give me thine heart. The reason the Lord wants your heart is this. The person that has your heart has all of you. You're surrendered to that person. They have complete control of you. So the Lord says, give me thine heart. Will you do that? The great question for you Christian is this, is God still upon the throne of your life? Still upon the throne of your heart today? So think of this great truth summed up in this chapter. God is still on the throne. What a message that is, brethren and sisters. And I pray it will bless, and I pray it will greatly encourage all of your hearts today. We're going to just have a prayer as we close. Again, we thank you for listening to the broadcast. We encourage you to make the message known, share it on with others. Remember the service again tonight. We're going to consider in the gospel a very relevant question for these days of crisis in which we live. Take time this afternoon to think of someone you could speak to. We want you to be engaged in a wee bit of evangelism. So make the service tonight known. Encourage others to listen. those that you're concerned about, those that you feel would benefit from the ministry of the gospel this evening. So let's just close the meeting together in prayer. Father, we bow to give thee thanks. Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your presence with us today, the help that has been given. We do praise thee for the book of God. You've said that you've given to us a more sure word of prophecy, as a light that shineth in a dark place. And we thank you, Father, that even in this dark world in which we live, that you've given to us the great light of Scripture. Thank you for this book that's a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. And we thank you, Father, for opening up your word to us today. We pray that you'll take away the blindness, take away the scales. We pray for the touch of God upon our eyes and upon our ears today. And Lord, we pray, even as we meditate further through this thy day, upon these truths from thy word, we pray that you'll show us thyself. Help us to get our eyes today upon the Savior. And Lord, we do pray that every day of this week, with all the challenges that it will bring, that you'll enable us to look onto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. We pray you'll abide with us through this day. Lord, keep us in the spirit. May we be like John of old in the spirit on the Lord's day. We want to pray, Father, there will be those, even after hearing this message, that will consecrate, dedicate entirely their lives to Christ and to his service. Remember the gospel service tonight. Come again, give help. We pray, Father, even for a double portion of the spirit of God resting upon the preaching of the gospel tonight. And Lord, we ask that you'll use the broadcast to the winning of souls to the Savior. So here, these are cries. Part us now in thy fear and with thy favor. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, be our abiding portion, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.