Sin Went to the Cross

Isaiah 6:1-6

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces.

With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3One called to another and said,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!

4The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the

temple was filled with smoke.

5Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I

dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the

Lord of Armies!”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had

taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this

has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

Can you imagine the conflicting emotions that would come from seeing God? How exciting to get a glimpse of the high and exalted throne, a robe that filled the temple and hear angels that sang so loud that everything shook! What amazing sights and sounds!

And then it hits us: He’s holy. We’re not. You and I can say the same thing Isaiah said: “I am doomed!” I’m a sinner, living with other sinners who encourage and condone my sin. I say what I shouldn’t say. I think what I shouldn’t think. I’m where I shouldn’t be. Sin cannot be where the holy God is.

Which is why this month is so amazing and so important. This month is the culmination of the events that started in the Garden of Eden. This month lets us see what Isaiah experienced:

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

Sin is not ignored. Sin is not explained away. Sin was placed on the sacrifice of Jesus our Substitute and Savior! Sin went to the cross, the perfect, once-for-all, sacrifice that takes away guilt and forgives sin. Our sin is not just ignored! Our sin is not just explained away! Our sin is forgiven! It is addressed and sent away!

That’s Good Friday and Easter! Your sin is perfectly and completely paid for. You know it because Jesus said, “It is finished.” You know it because Jesus rose in triumph over sin, death and Satan.

Which brings us back to conflicting emotions! In the weeks ahead we’ll feel sadness and joy.

We’ll shed tears of shame and relief at the cross. We’ll be reminded we should suffer and die and then be told we’ll live in joy and peace. As those emotions collide, keep your eyes on the empty tomb.

That’s your guarantee that you will stand before the high and exalted throne. You will see the Lamb who was slain for you, and you will join the song of the angels that shake the rafters of heaven.

“Your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” Thank you, Jesus!!!

Pastor Galen Riediger