Worship Unfiltered: Transformative Connection with God

 

Summary

In today's gathering, we focused on the theme of "Worship Unfiltered: A Spiritual Reset for a Real Connection." As we conclude our series on worship, we reflect on the profound impact that true worship can have on our lives. Worship is not merely an act of adoration but a transformative experience that aligns us with God's purpose. It is a time when we direct our worship upward to God, allowing His Spirit to work inwardly within us, so that our lives are lived differently outwardly. This spiritual awakening should lead us to a deeper understanding of God's plans for our lives and a willingness to embrace them.

We explored the story of Isaiah, who, in a moment of worship, experienced a profound spiritual awakening. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and this vision of God's majesty and glory transformed him. It awakened in him a willingness to be sent by God, to say, "Here am I, send me." This willingness is not just about being willing to go but about being willing to live a life that reflects God's holiness and grace.

Worship should lead us to a greater willingness to obey God's will and to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It is a reminder that our lives are in God's hands, and we should be willing to say yes to His plans, even when we don't have all the details. Worship is preparation for surrender, and our response to God's presence in worship reveals our willingness to align with His will.

Key Takeaways:

1. Worship as Transformation: Worship is not just an act of adoration but a transformative experience that aligns us with God's purpose. It should awaken a spiritual consciousness within us, leading us to live differently outwardly. Worship is about directing our praise upward to God while allowing His Spirit to work inwardly within us. [01:06:41]

2. The Willingness of Worship: True worship should lead to a willingness to be sent by God, as demonstrated by Isaiah's response, "Here am I, send me." This willingness is not just about going but about living a life that reflects God's holiness and grace. Worship energizes us for our godly assignment. [01:14:58]

3. Clinging to an Exalted View of God: Our response to worship reveals our view of God. We must maintain an exalted view of God, recognizing His majesty and glory. Worship should not be left in the sanctuary but should influence our lives outside of it, leading us to greater obedience. [01:21:01]

4. The Effective Value of Grace: Worship reminds us of God's grace, which touches and transforms our lives. It is a reminder of our imperfections and the need for God's mercy. Worship should lead us to a renewed sense of purpose and a willingness to give God a greater yes. [01:32:44]

5. Consent to Being an Eager Vessel for God: Worship should lead us to be eager vessels for God's work. Our willingness to say yes to God's plans is a reflection of our appreciation for His goodness in our lives. Worship prepares us to surrender and align with God's will. [01:42:35]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [26:17] - Congregational Greeting
- [33:07] - Announcements and Addendums
- [40:40] - Prayer for the Bereaved
- [44:22] - Offering and Giving
- [58:05] - Music Ministry
- [01:00:40] - Introduction to Worship Series
- [01:01:55] - The Work, Worth, and Witness of Worship
- [01:02:58] - Isaiah's Vision and Spiritual Awakening
- [01:03:46] - The Majesty and Glory of God
- [01:04:23] - Isaiah's Response to God's Presence
- [01:05:15] - The Willingness of Worship
- [01:06:41] - Worship as Transformation
- [01:14:58] - Worship Energizes for Godly Assignment
- [01:21:01] - Clinging to an Exalted View of God
- [01:32:44] - The Effective Value of Grace
- [01:42:35] - Consent to Being an Eager Vessel for God
- [01:56:13] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Worship Unfiltered: A Spiritual Reset for a Real Connection

Bible Reading:
- Isaiah 6:1-8 (NRSV)

Observation Questions:
1. What was Isaiah's vision in the year that King Uzziah died, and how did it impact him? ([01:03:46])
2. How did Isaiah respond to the presence of God in the temple, and what did he confess about himself? ([01:04:23])
3. What action did the seraph take to cleanse Isaiah, and what was the significance of this act? ([01:35:06])
4. What was Isaiah's response to God's question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" ([01:05:15])

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does Isaiah's vision of God "high and lifted up" challenge our understanding of God's majesty and authority? ([01:23:48])
2. In what ways does Isaiah's confession of being a man of "unclean lips" reflect our own need for God's grace and mercy? ([01:32:44])
3. How does the cleansing of Isaiah's lips with a live coal symbolize the transformative power of worship in our lives? ([01:35:06])
4. What does Isaiah's willingness to be sent by God teach us about the relationship between worship and obedience? ([01:42:35])

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "spiritual awakening" during worship. How did it change your perspective or actions afterward? ([01:06:41])
2. Isaiah was willing to say, "Here am I, send me." Are there areas in your life where you feel God is calling you to step out in faith? How can you respond to that call? ([01:14:58])
3. How can you maintain an "exalted view of God" in your daily life, especially outside of the church setting? What practical steps can you take to keep God's majesty at the forefront of your mind? ([01:21:01])
4. Worship is described as preparation for surrender. What are some areas in your life where you need to surrender more fully to God's will? ([01:19:17])
5. Consider the "effective value of grace" in your life. How has God's grace touched and transformed you, and how can you share that grace with others? ([01:32:44])
6. Isaiah's response to God's call was immediate and eager. How can you cultivate a heart that is ready and willing to serve God at any moment? ([01:42:35])
7. Worship should lead to a life lived differently outwardly. What specific changes can you make in your daily routine to reflect the transformation that worship brings? ([01:06:41])

Devotional

Day 1: Worship as a Catalyst for Transformation
Worship is not merely an act of adoration but a transformative experience that aligns us with God's purpose. It is a time when we direct our worship upward to God, allowing His Spirit to work inwardly within us, so that our lives are lived differently outwardly. This spiritual awakening should lead us to a deeper understanding of God's plans for our lives and a willingness to embrace them. Worship is about directing our praise upward to God while allowing His Spirit to work inwardly within us. [01:06:41]

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you allow your worship to transform your daily actions and decisions to align more closely with God's purpose for your life?


Day 2: Embracing the Willingness to Be Sent
True worship should lead to a willingness to be sent by God, as demonstrated by Isaiah's response, "Here am I, send me." This willingness is not just about going but about living a life that reflects God's holiness and grace. Worship energizes us for our godly assignment. [01:14:58]

"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.'" (Isaiah 6:8, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel God is calling you to step out in faith and say, "Here am I, send me"? How can you begin to take steps toward this calling today?


Day 3: Maintaining an Exalted View of God
Our response to worship reveals our view of God. We must maintain an exalted view of God, recognizing His majesty and glory. Worship should not be left in the sanctuary but should influence our lives outside of it, leading us to greater obedience. [01:21:01]

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts." (Psalm 145:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you carry the exalted view of God from your worship experience into your daily life, influencing your decisions and interactions with others?


Day 4: The Transformative Power of Grace
Worship reminds us of God's grace, which touches and transforms our lives. It is a reminder of our imperfections and the need for God's mercy. Worship should lead us to a renewed sense of purpose and a willingness to give God a greater yes. [01:32:44]

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to rely more on God's grace, and how can this reliance transform your perspective and actions?


Day 5: Becoming an Eager Vessel for God's Work
Worship should lead us to be eager vessels for God's work. Our willingness to say yes to God's plans is a reflection of our appreciation for His goodness in our lives. Worship prepares us to surrender and align with God's will. [01:42:35]

"Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work." (2 Timothy 2:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take today to become a more eager and prepared vessel for God's work in your life and community?

Quotes



Because worship is an ongoing redemptive experience where God's word and God's spirit keeps working on the crooked places in your life. So that you will become more responsive to his word and more submissive to his plan. We gather week after week. Because repeated encounters. With the holiness of God. [01:19:13] (26 seconds)


The reverence you have for God in worship should shape how your life responds to God after worship. That most of us, Dick and Allen, have low obedience in our lives after worship. Because we only have a high view of God. We only have a high view of God in worship. Y 'all ain't with me. Let me say it like this. [01:21:25] (29 seconds)


The majesty and sovereignty of God doesn't just rest, rule, and reign here. But it also has to be submitted to in your life. Here's what I'm saying. It's easy to sing and to shout about God's greatness when you in service. But the real acknowledgement of your appreciation of God's greatness is glory. [01:22:41] (24 seconds)


Isaiah responds to God after worship. Here am I. Send me. Send me. But this willingness. This readiness to go, to be, and to do. It was motivated by the majesty of God's character that he had witnessed in worship that he's now clinging to. Isaiah said it was in the year that King Uzziah died. [01:23:02] (27 seconds)


Isaiah sees God's majesty. He sees God's glory in worship. But what I appreciate most is that he does not leave this high view of God in the sanctuary. He takes what he witnesses with him. And that church is what I believe. I believe, stimulated him to say, when God needed somebody, here am I. Send me. [01:25:33] (33 seconds)


When you see God for who God is, you ought to be reminded, I ain't none of that. Isaiah sees the Lord and immediately cries out, woe is me. For I am lost. I'm a man of unclean lips. And I dwell, I live amongst a people of uncleanness. Clean lips. But, here it is, yet my eye have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. [01:28:28] (39 seconds)


Worship is not the place for you to bring your self-righteousness and make the imperfections of other people larger. Now, worship is the place where after you encounter God, you see the reflection of your own imperfections under the light of God's glory and you immediately recognize I need more of God's glory. Mercy. [01:29:59] (31 seconds)


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Transcript
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