What Happens When You Encounter God (Isaiah 6:1-8)

A vivid pastoral reflection distinguishes empty religiosity from an authentic encounter with the living God, using Isaiah 6 as the lens. The speaker begins with a humorous missionary vignette that exposes human fear and misplaced confidence, then moves to a sharp critique: attendance, ritual, and pious activity can mask hearts that never truly meet God. Turning to Isaiah’s vision, the narrative paints the throne-room scene—God exalted, the temple filled with smoke, seraphim crying “holy, holy, holy”—and insists that an honest encounter with divine majesty produces two visceral responses: awe at God’s transcendence and lament over personal sin. That lament is not sentiment but confession focused on concrete failures—especially the corrupting power of one’s own lips—which leads to the startling hope of atonement.

Using the seraph’s coal as theologically decisive, the speaker traces how confession is met by divine cleansing: guilt removed, sin atoned for. That divine action clears the way for hearing God’s voice and receiving a commissioning to mission. The sequence is orderly and pastoral: vision, conviction, cleansing, hearing, and sending. Practical implications follow—faithfulness is not religious momentum but progressive sanctification that produces repentance, humility, and obedience. The call to disciple-making is urgent and local: the gospel both transforms inwardly and must flow outward through relationships and intentional rhythms of Scripture and prayer. A seven-day devotional challenge and a short disciple-maker’s prayer close the presentation, inviting daily confession, Scripture engagement, and a life oriented toward making disciples. The tone remains pastoral and winsome: honesty about ongoing sin is normal, forgiveness is immediate and complete in Christ, and the Christian life is a Spirit-driven movement from encounter to mission.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Encounter produces awed worship When God is truly seen, worship becomes the natural, astonished response rather than a checkbox. This awe recalibrates priorities: what once seemed urgent loses weight, and God’s holiness frames every decision. Awe is not emotional showmanship but the soul’s reorientation to sovereign glory. [09:11]
• 2. Conviction precedes cleansing and change Awareness of God exposes faults that religious routine conceals; conviction is the Spirit’s surgical work, not simple guilt. True conviction points to specific behaviors and words—especially the corrupting use of speech—and moves the soul toward repentance. Embracing this painful clarity is the pathway to genuine growth and humility. [15:15]
• 3. Atonement removes guilt completely The prophetic picture of coal touching lips models how atonement addresses both guilt and the capacity to speak anew. Forgiveness is forensic (guilt removed) and formative (sin’s power weakened), enabling resumed fellowship and service. This is grace that recalibrates identity—no longer condemned, now commissioned. [23:03]
• 4. Confession opens hearing and mission Only after confession does God’s voice become audible to Isaiah; repentance clears the ear for calling. Cleansed people are sent people—hearing yields a willing “send me” that fuels disciple-making. The sequence is pastoral: repent, listen, go. [29:48]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:47] - Opening stories and connection
• [01:18] - Missionary lion illustration
• [03:51] - Religion versus true faith
• [05:31] - Reading Isaiah 6: the throne vision
• [09:11] - Awe before God’s holiness
• [15:15] - Woe: conviction of sin
• [22:06] - The coal: cleansing and atonement
• [29:48] - Hearing God and the call
• [36:57] - Disciple-maker’s challenge and prayer

Bible Reading

Isaiah 6:1-8 (ESV)
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 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!”

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.”

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Observation Questions

1. In Isaiah’s vision, what specific details about God, the seraphim, and the temple create a sense of awe and majesty? [09:11]
2. What is Isaiah’s immediate reaction to seeing the Lord? What specific sin does he confess about himself and the people he lives among? [15:15]
3. After Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me,” what action does the seraph take? What two things are accomplished when the coal touches Isaiah’s lips? [23:03]

Interpretation Questions

1. The experience of seeing God’s holiness is contrasted with simply going through “religious motion.” [04:34] Based on Isaiah’s vision, what are the key differences between just “going to church” and truly encountering the living God?
2. Isaiah’s conviction of sin was very specific: “I am a man of unclean lips.” [18:15] Why do you think our words and speech are so often the first thing we become aware of when we are confronted with God’s holiness? How does this kind of specific confession differ from a vague feeling of guilt?
3. The sequence in Isaiah 6 is clear: seeing God, confessing sin, receiving cleansing, and *then* hearing God’s call. [29:32] Why is it so important that this order is followed? What might happen if we try to go on mission for God without first being convicted of our sin and cleansed by His grace?

Application Questions

1. A genuine encounter with God produces a sense of “Wow.” [08:27] When was the last time you were truly in awe of God’s majesty, not just going through the motions of worship? What is one thing you could do this week—maybe spending time in creation, reading a specific Psalm, or listening to worship music without distraction—to help you recapture that sense of wonder?
2. Seeing God’s holiness leads to an awareness of our own sinfulness, a “Woe is me” moment. [15:15] It’s a sign of spiritual maturity when God reveals areas of sin in our lives. Is there a specific area of your life (like Isaiah's “unclean lips”) where the Holy Spirit is bringing conviction? How can you move from feeling discouraged by this to seeing it as a sign of God’s loving work in you? [21:26]
3. The angel declared Isaiah's “guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.” [23:03] Many of us struggle with lingering guilt even after confessing our sin. Do you truly live as if your guilt is gone, or do you find yourself carrying it around? What would it look like this week to live in the freedom of “no condemnation” that comes from the cross? [26:03]
4. It was only after Isaiah was cleansed that he could hear God’s call and respond, “Here I am! Send me.” [33:18] Sometimes unconfessed sin can block our ability to hear from God. [29:48] Is there anything you need to confess and repent of today to clear the way to hear His voice more clearly in your life?
5. The natural result of being cleansed and commissioned is a desire to help others find and follow Jesus. The call is to “go,” starting right where we live, work, and play. [32:26] Who is one specific person in your life that God might be asking you to “pull close for Jesus”? What’s one small, practical step you can take this week to be a disciple-maker in that relationship?