Undone

Right now, my mind is swirling with thoughts of the unfolding events in Ukraine. You may be experiencing the same. I considered changing what I wrote about this week, but the idea of “undone” has stayed with me.

Last week we studied the holiness of God and the truth that He is unrivaled. We looked at Isaiah 6:3 where Isaiah sees God sitting on His throne, and hears the seraphim saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Now, let’s read what follows.

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 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!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah is undone in two ways. First, he is undone by God’s holiness that illuminates his own sinfulness. Because we often forget the holiness of God, we dismiss, excuse, and minimize our own sin. Isaiah doesn’t do any of that. He cries out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips… for my eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts!” In God’s holy presence, Isaiah knew beyond a doubt that he was a sinner. On his own he was lost. He is essentially pronouncing a prophetic curse upon himself.

Luke recounts a similar response in the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). Jesus told this parable “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (vs 9). A Pharisee and a tax collector went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee saw himself as righteous. He didn’t admit or even discern his own sinfulness, but instead elevated his righteousness above others. He even listed some of his “good deeds.” In contrast, the tax collector stood far off, wouldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (vs 13)

The tax collector was aware of his unworthiness before a holy God, so he stood far off, wouldn’t lift his eyes to heaven, and beat his breast. He acknowledged his sinfulness before God and pleaded with God to be merciful to him. Like Isaiah, the tax collector knew he was a sinner, lost apart from God’s mercy.

Second, Isaiah was undone by God’s mercy and grace. Let’s read Isaiah 6:6-7 again. “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.”

Wow! I can’t imagine how Isaiah must have felt hearing those words spoken to him. He has been undone by a clear understanding of his own sinfulness, but God’s immediate response is mercy and grace in taking away Isaiah’s guilt and atoning for his sin. Isaiah knew he was lost in his sin, but God didn’t leave him in his undone state of sinfulness. He sends one of the seraphim to Isaiah to touch his lips with a burning coal taken from the altar and made Isaiah clean.

An amazing, transforming experience for Isaiah, but you and I have something even more amazing. God didn’t just send an angel to atone for our sin. God sent His only Son Jesus to take on human flesh, suffer, die, and rise again to atone for our sin once and for all. Our guilt is taken away for all time. Our sin – past, present, and future – has been atoned for. Jesus’ righteousness is now ours. The veil separating the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelled, has been torn. Clothed in Christ’s righteousness, we can come into the presence of our holy God without fear of being lost.

In the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus continued, “I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went down to his house justified” (vs 14a). The tax collector was justified. His sin was atoned for because he was undone by his own sinfulness. He repented. He knew he needed God’s mercy towards him to be saved.

Returning to Isaiah, we witness Isaiah’s response at being undone by God’s mercy and grace in atoning for his sin. “Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’” (vs 8). Isaiah didn’t take God’s merciful atonement for granted. He responded with grateful obedience. God needed someone as His spokesman to His people. Isaiah didn’t hesitate. He said, “Send me.” Isaiah was ready. He was willing. He was undone by God’s mercy and grace.

In Ephesians 2:1-3 we read: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” – Undone by our sin.

“But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7) [emphasis added]. – Undone by God’s mercy, grace, and love.

Recognize that apart from Jesus’ atonement in your place you are undone by your sin before a holy God, completely lost, but THEN be undone by God’s mercy, grace, and love towards you. Respond with grateful obedience to and love for God.

Reflection

1. How do you view your own sin? Are you more like Isaiah and the tax collector or like the pharisee? Why?

2. Have you ever felt undone by God’s mercy, grace, and love? If yes, what about God’s mercy, grace, and love undid you? If no or you often take God’s mercy, grace, and love for granted, spend some time meditating on Ephesians 2:1-7, and praying that God would undo you, leave you in awe, wonder, and gratitude at what He has done for you.

3. How will you respond today to being undone by your sin apart from Jesus’ atonement and being undone by God’s mercy, grace, and love? Isaiah was sent out to proclaim God’s messages. We can share the Gospel. We can share how God’s mercy, grace, and love has transformed us. We can share how we still sin and need Jesus’ grace every day to choose grateful obedience that glorifies Him. We can express our gratitude daily to God for His grace, mercy, and love towards us who are in Christ Jesus. What specific ways can you think of?