Title: Dynamic Worship

Date: 24.4.10

Speaker: Pastor Denis Lu

Passage: Isaiah 6:1-8

- Every person in the world is a natural-born worshiper. Everyone worships someone, something, or both.

- Before we came to know Jesus, we were worshiping something else.

- There are still times when we get distracted away from Jesus. There are still idols and concerns in our lives that draw us away from him.

- For Isaiah, who was on his way to the temple, he saw the Lord. He saw beyond the physical.

1. It’s Attention Grabbing!

- When we’re worshiping God, we’re shifting our focus from something else to God.

- King Uzziah was one of the great kings of Judah. When he died, the people were troubled and distressed – like anyone would when someone important to them has passed on.

- Isaiah was probably disappointed and lost as well.

- Many times when you worship God, you’re not really in the zone because we’re occupied with other things e.g. people, projects.

- For worship to be dynamic, it has to be attention-grabbing and bring our focus from man to God.

1.1 It shifts our focus!

- Real worship begins when we consciously realize that God wants to shift our focus.

- God was actually saying to Isaiah in v1, “Stop looking at the human king. Look at the divine King!”

- How to breakthrough and get deeper with God in worship? We gotta understand that God is King and sovereign over our lives and everything else.

- God is still in control and knows how to take care of his people.

- Look to God who is on the throne.

1.2 It draws us into God’s presence!

- This doesn’t happen automatically. Sometimes we just have to bring a sacrifice of praise – “I don’t feel like it, but I choose to worship God.”

- Going towards the temple brought Isaiah into a state of preparation.

- This spiritual preparedness allows us to enter into God’s presence faster.

- Position-wise, Isaiah was prepared to meet God. And God showed up.

1.3 It does depend on our spiritual readiness!

- How ready and hungry are we to enter into God’s presence?

- Worship is not what happens on stage. It is a lifestyle that occurs wherever we go.

- The more ready we are, it is like lighting a lighter in a room full of gunpowder.

- [1 Corinthians 14:15] => everyone has 3 parts – spirit, soul, body.

- Real worship is a total immersion experience! Spirit, soul and body have to be involved.

- Spirit: human spirit, which is engaged by the Holy Spirit.

- Soul: intellect. Our thinking component.

- Body: our body.

- When we worship God with a song, try to get into the meaning of the lyrics. Get into the spirit of the song. The depth of meaning will be different.

- Worship is about the heart. Worship is a progressive deepening experience over time.

2. It’s Supernatural!

- Isaiah was in the presence of God and he saw into the spiritual realm.

2.1 We catch on to who God really is!

- We get a better glimpse of God in some aspect of his character. God is exalted. High and lifted up. Worthy of praise and worship.

- Seraph: angelic beings. In Hebrew, it means fiery zeal.

- True worship occurs when, even though the worship leader and team is leading, they are so fired up in worshiping God that this causes you to take your focus off them and onto God.

- We see the holiness of God.

- The whole earth is full of God’s glory – sometimes it’s hard to believe so, because the world is so ugly.

- But when we are able to appreciate God for the wonders of the world, we’ll be able to worship God in his glory.

- The whole earth is full of God’s glory – but we have forgotten that. This is why we find it hard to worship God.

- We’ve got to rediscover a fascination with God’s creation of the world.

- When we see the holiness of God, there’s a change in position. We realize that we’re nobody, and that God is awesome.

2.2 We are gripped by who we really are!

- The more we see God for who he is, the more we’ll see ourselves for who we are.

- We begin to recalibrate ourselves to God.

- [Joel 2:28] => we are Holy Spirit-empowered people! Pray in the Spirit more.

- We will see the things of God and who God is.

- During worship time, God will deal with our heart and remind you of certain situations. Sometimes he gives us words of encouragement too!

- So… Write down all these tweets from God!

- Be enriched in the worship atmosphere.

3. It’s Being Real with God!

- No pretense. Isaiah was real with God. He saw himself in comparison with God’s holiness – that he was a man with unclean lips.

3.1 We are broken before God

- Pride is broken. Stubbornness, lack of trust and faith, hopelessness etc. are broken.

- Unless you are broken before God, you won’t go to a higher level with God.

- In worship, there’s no shame in admitting our failures.

- Worship is not a feel-good time. It is a total immersion transformation.

- You come in defeated, but you go out having hope in God.

- [Psalm 51:17]

3.2 We respond freely, immediately and passionately to God!

- Sing to the extreme without screaming.

- Draw out that passion! Go all out. Spirit, soul and body.

- Come clean with God. Worshiping God actually brings us to the point of brokenness. It doesn’t show us how good we are.

- We are always left in a place where we realize that God is so great.

- [Hebrews 3:12]

- Trust the Lord when he speaks to you.

- Learn to receive and write down what God has spoken to you.

- [Hebrews 3:15]

3.3 We get on board with God’s agenda

- This means we’re gonna say, “Yes, Lord. Amen.”

- Respond to God.

- [Psalm 40:6-8]

 

WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 7:31 AM