Defined: Worship

But it’s not just sports that people worship. We have jobs and possessions and 401(k) plans that millions of people worship. We have reputations and status symbols and zip codes that millions of people worship. Worship is a fundamental feature of humanity. It’s giving something worth in a way that it impacts our lives and the decisions that we make. Worship is giving ourselves to the pursuit of an ideal that we feel will provide satisfaction or fulfillment.

Dirt Bike

Sheep and kid at rodeo

Christmas Lights

Pizza

Kit Kat

Angels

There’s plenty of things in each of our lives that could be turned into one of these memes. Whether you like to eat your pizza backwards or open your Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, we all have things that we do in our own unique way. And most of the time there’s nothing wrong with that. If you take a bite out of a full Kit Kat bar, more power to you. If you want to drive your truck into a lake to get your boat in there, go for it. But then there are things that we want to make sure we’re getting right. There are things that we need to make sure we don’t do it wrong. And worship is most assuredly one of those things.

I once heard it said that we are not created to worship but we are created worshipping. In other words, to be human is to be a worshiper. But did you know that there is good worship and bad worship? And we’re not just talking about worshiping sports or worshiping your job instead of worshiping God. I’m talking about our worship of the Lord. Did you know that there is worship that is pleasing to God and worship that God detests? If we come to church in a cavalier fashion, if we are more just going through the motions than actually worshipping, we aren’t

You may be well aware that worship isn’t just something that we do at church, but something that should characterize every aspect of our lives. So if that’s the case, and if being a man of God is being a man who worships God, we have to ask ourselves what that worship should look like. How can we make sure that we’re not doing it wrong when it comes to our worship of the Lord?

Sometimes we can make worship all about us, or we can approach the Lord in a cavalier manner, or we can neglect to

Today we’re going to look at to answer that question, and we’ll find that worship that should characterize the man of God consists of a right view of God, a right view of God’s provision, and a right view of our response.

Body:

In Isaiah chapter 6 a change takes place. Uzziah has died, one of the last good kings of Judah, and the Lord had a new commission for Isaiah. This is where we pick up the text.

Chapter 6 begins with this vision of the Lord. He says, “I saw the Lord.” This is a title that communicates the sovereignty and authority of God. It’s a word that means master, sovereign, or Lord. This is a vision of God, the king, and he was “sitting upon a throne.” Remember, Isaiah is writing during the time of Israel’s divided monarchy, and here he is being ushered before the throne of the One, True King of Kings. This King is seated on a throne that is “high and lifted up.” His throne is exalted above all others. His power and authority and majesty are unmatched and unrivaled.

He’s not alone in Isaiah’s vision of him. There are two angelic creatures called Seraphim standing above the throne ready to respond immediately to the bidding of the King. With two wings they covered their face unable to bear the brilliance of his glory. With two they covered their feet demonstrating a posture of submission and humility, and with two they flew always at the ready. And while they flew they called out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” This is the anthem of this King’s uniqueness. It is a declaration that there is no one else in all the earth like him. He is holy, holy, holy.

And in response to this scene the ground shook and the room filled with smoke reminding us of the scene from when God descended on Mount Sinai to provide Moses with the 10 Commandments.

Worship begins with awe. We choose our gods based on what wows us captivates us. We worship those things that grab us, our affections, our desires, our passions.

Our world holds out many gods to us. Maybe for you it’s your career. You worship the ideal job, the corner office, the company car, the 401k. Maybe it’s your house. You worship the zip code, the address, the immaculate lawn, the kitchen renovation, the swimming pool. Maybe it’s your family. You worship the beautiful wife, the successful, athletic, intelligent children. Or maybe it’s your wealth. You worship the nice cars, the newest technology, the nicest clothes.

These aren’t bad things but they are lousy gods. They will all fail you without question.

Worship with a right view of God. ()

Look everywhere you want, and you will find that every other god of your choosing will leave you disappointed. Your career will disappoint. That promotion will be less than you wanted it to be, that corner office won’t be big enough, that company car will lose its luster, and that 401 K won’t grow fast enough. Your house will fail you. Neighborhoods change, someone else will always have a nicer lawn and bigger pool, and eventually that renovation will need another renovation. Even your family will fail you. Your wife will grow old, and so will you and your kids won’t live up to your expectations.

God has given us his word to reveal himself to us, and in we see an incomparable, majestic, and glorious God who is unmatched and unrivaled. He is the creator, . He is the, he is the, he is the and he is the.

Worship in wonder.

Have you met this God? Have you devoted yourself entirely to worship him to the exclusion of all other gods? Or have you simply added him to the pantheon of idols that we are so prone to amass in this culture? This isn’t a God that you can accommodate. This is a God that demands the exclusive place of worship in your life. There is no other god like him in all of creation. He is seated on the throne, high and exalted, he is holy, holy, holy, and in his presence all of creation quakes and smolders under the blaze of his glory

Look at how the men of the Bible reacted when they saw the glory of this God:

And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

Saul’s Conversion

In fact, look at how Isaiah himself responded in verse 5.

Our culture is big on self-consciousness, becoming self-aware, owning who you are. You want self-conscious awareness? Here it is in . When we take in the God of all creation, when we actually consider the God we worship, we will find ourselves echoing Isaiah’s cries of despair: “Woe is me!” The prophet who had been calling Israel to recognize her sin was now more than ever before keenly aware of his own sin in the presence of the holy, holy, holy, God.

This is the finite in the presence of the Infinite, the mortal before the Immortal, the created before the Creator, the fallible before the only Infallible, God. Isaiah had pronounced woes against the nation of Israel in chapter 5, but now, in the presence of the glory of God he pronounced woe upon himself.

Worship with a right view of God’s provision. ()

Isaiah is overcome, overwhelmed. The Prophet who had pronounced woes upon the nation of Israel was now left to pronounce woe upon himself. This vision of God’s holiness left him wrecked over his own sinfulness. He says, “I am lost.” I’m not crazy about this translation. A better translation of this word is found in the CSB, or even in the NASB, which says, “I am ruined.” It’s a word that means “destroyed.” Isaiah had beheld God in his holiness, and just the sight of this was enough to leave him in shambles.

“I am a man of unclean lips.” Why would Isaiah focus on his lips? These passages help us to understand...

(Abundance)

(Not what goes in, but what comes out)

(good treasure of his heart vs evil treasure of his heart)

The mouth in Proverbs

Gospel Bad News

Before we can understand the full implications of this for our worship of God we have to keep reading in .

Thankfully God didn’t leave Isaiah in this state of despair. Keep reading in .

One of the two creatures standing above the throne is dispatched by God to take a burning coal from the altar and to touch Isaiah’s mouth with it.

This is an act entirely initiated by God.

The burning coal is used as a cleansing agent. (Our God is a consuming fire and the coal is taken from the flames of his righteousness)

The result: Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.

This is now where we bring it back to our main point today, worship that pleases the Lord involves a right view of God which will inevitably lead to a right view of ourselves. It happened to Isaiah, and I hope that it’s happened to all of you at some point. I pray that all of you in this room have reached that point of joining Isaiah and crying out “Woe is me!” This is the moment of conversion. This is the moment of the realization of God’s holiness and our sin. And it will wreck us until we experience the cleansing power of God’s initiating work on our behalf.

So if you’re here today and you’ve never beheld God as he is to be seen, you’ve never encountered the holy, holy, holy God, the God who is an all consuming fire, maybe you’re here and you’re feeling like Isaiah. You’re wrecked over your sins. There’s good news. He atoned for Isaiah with the coal, and he’s atoned for you through the cross!

See if we’re to worship God we have to start by seeing him as he is and ourselves as we are and something has to be done about that. The cross. So now we still come before our holy, holy, holy, God and we are still at times overwhelmed by our own sinfulness, but we are then driven to worship even more because we have the cross. We have Jesus. Because of His work I can stand before the Lord. Because of what he did for me on the cross I am forgiven.

So worship begins with a right view of God and that will always produce in us a right view of ourselves. The question for you tonight is, does that view of yourself terrify you because you’re still in your sins? Or does it produce even more worship from you because your sins have been atoned for by Christ.

Isaiah is startled from this experience by a voice. And it’s the voice of the Lord. Pick up again in .

The question is posed, “Who will go for us?”

This isn’t a question of ignorance but of opportunity.

Isaiah’s response is immediate. There is no bargaining or attempt at avoidance like Moses or Jeremiah. It is an immediate willingness despite not knowing who, what, when, where, or why he would be sent. In fact, it would turn out that Isaiah’s mission would be one that not too many would volunteer for. But Isaiah was all-in from the beginning.

Why? He had a clear understanding of the Lord, a clear understanding of himself, and a clear understanding of the atoning work of God on his behalf. He appreciated God in all of his glory and the atonement he had provided, so he was willing to serve him regardless of the task at hand.

Worship with a right view of your response. ()

Worship in fear.

Again, Isaiah doesn’t argue or protest or attempt to negotiate. He responds to God and to his gracious atonement by jumping in with both feet.

It’s comparable to the change we see in Paul after his conversion in .

Or even what we see from the infancy of the church in .

Do we find it here at Compass? Men, have you responded to the gospel the way Isaiah responded to the Lord? Having beheld the glory of God and experienced the wonderful grace of his atoning work in your life, are you answering his call?

What call?

Where are you serving?

Where are you connecting?

Who are you pursuing with the gospel?

Conclusion:

So are you doing it wrong? Is your worship fueled by a right view of God, a right view of his provision, and a right view of your response? Is your life characterized by this worship?

If you desire to be a man of God that has to look like more than just showing up Saturday night or Sunday morning. You’ve got to respond as Isaiah did, “Here I am, send me, use me.” It’s time to take leadership in your homes and live a life of worship like what we’ve just studied from Isaiah. If you’ve encountered the true God of gods, and if you’ve experienced the grace of his provision for you, it’s time to respond. It’s time to jump in and worship.

Worship that pleases God involves a right view of God, a right view of ourselves, and a right view of our response.

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