The Voice of Worship

INTRODUCTION

New Series: THE WAY OF THE WORSHIPPER

Worship, very simply, is not for us. Worship is a gift that we give to someone else. Worship is for God. The origin of our word worship is similar to the word worth. We think about what something is worth, its value. In Revelation, one of our great sources of teaching about worship, we hear the refrain:

Revelation 4:11 NKJV

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Difference Between Praise & Worship

Understanding the difference between praise and worship can bring a new depth to the way we honor the Lord.

PRAISE

Throughout the Bible, the commands to "praise the Lord" are too numerous to mention. Angels and the heavenly hosts are commanded to praise the Lord (; ; ). All inhabitants of the earth are instructed to praise the Lord (; ).

Romans 15:11 NKJV

And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”

Psalm 150:6 NKJV

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

We can praise Him with singing (; ), with shouting (; ), with the dance (), and with musical instruments (; ; ).

Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has done for us. Praise is linked to thanksgiving as we offer back to God appreciation for His mighty works on our behalf.

Praise is universal and can be applied to other relationships as well.

We can praise our family, friends, boss, or paperboy.

Praise does not require anything of us.

It is merely the truthful acknowledgment of the righteous acts of another. Since God has done many wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise ().

Psalm 18:3 NKJV

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

WORSHIP

On the other hand, worship is BI-DIRECTIONAL; IT IS relational. It is not only our communion with God. It is also is His communion with us.

Worship comes from a different place within our spirits.

Worship should be reserved for God alone ().

Luke 4:8 NKJV

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another.

Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another. Praise can be a part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise. Praise is easy; worship is not. Worship gets to the heart of who we are. To truly worship God, we must let go of our self-worship. We must be willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of our lives to His control, and adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done. Worship is a lifestyle, not just an occasional activity.

Praise can be a part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise.

Praise is easy; worship is not.

Worship gets to the heart of who we are.

To truly worship God, we must let go of our self-worship.

We must be willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of our lives to His control, and adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done.

Worship is a lifestyle, not just an occasional activity.

John 4:23 NKJV

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Just as praise is intertwined with thanksgiving, worship is intertwined with surrender. It is impossible to worship God and anything else at the same time .

Praise is unidirectional. We praise God. He does not praise us. Praise is our acknowledgement of His power, authority, wisdom and worthiness. Praise does not require a response from the one who is being praised.

On the other hand, worship is BI-DIRECTIONAL; IT IS relational. It is not only our communion with God. It is also is His communion with us.

Worship is the response of God’s people

Matthew 4:10 NKJV

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

See also ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

God’s people are to be a worshipping people

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

See also ; ; ;

Worship is the response of God’s people

To God’s love

Exodus 4:31 NKJV

So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

See also ; ; ; ; ; ;

To God’s holy presence

1 Chronicles 16:29 NKJV

Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

See also ; ; ; ; ; ;

To God’s greatness

Psalm 95:1–3 NKJV

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.

BRIDGE

Praise is unidirectional. We praise God. He does not praise us. Praise is our acknowledgement of His power, authority, wisdom and worthiness. Praise does not require a response from the one who is being praised.

On the other hand, worship is BI-DIRECTIONAL; IT IS relational. It is not only our communion with God. It is also is His communion with us.

We see a rich picture of what worship looks like in the sixth chapter of Isaiah. Isaiah is in the temple, overwhelmed with the beauty and glory of God, and he hears the voices singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is filled with his glory” (v. 3).

ISAIAH’S VISION (v.1-4)

Isaiah I (Chapters 1–35) (King James Version) D. The Call of God’s Prophet Isaiah: Three Elements Necessary to Serve God, 6:1–13

OUTLINE

SCRIPTURE

1. A vision of the LORD

a. His exaltation & majesty

1) Isaiah saw Him on His throne

2) Isaiah saw the LORD’s flowing robe fill the temple

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

b. His holiness & glory

1) Isaiah saw the seraphim above God’s throne

• They were like humans: Had faces, feet, & voices

• They had six wings

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

2) Isaiah witnessed the seraphim’s fervent, unbroken praise of God’s holiness & glory

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

c. His power & presence: Isaiah saw the power of the seraphim’s voices & saw smoke—God’s presence—fill the temple

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

To the deeds of God

ISAIAH’S VEXATION (V.5)

ISAIAH’S VISITATION (V.6-7)

GOD’S VOICE (V.8)

ISAIAH’S VISION (v.1-4)

Isaiah 6:1 NKJV

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

is 6

Isaiah joins into a heavenly worship service and sees:

God sitting on His throne

` a. His exaltation & majesty

A vision of the LORD

a. His exaltation & majesty

1) Isaiah saw Him on His throne

Isaiah saw the LORD’s flowing robe fill the temple

...train filled the temple...'

Hebrew word ml (mahlay) means to be filled, or to be full

[POINT] IF WE ARE TRULY SEEKING GOD THEN OUR TEMPLES ( ) SHOULD BE FILLED WITH HIS PRESENCE AND WE SHOULD WALK OUT OF CHURCH BEING FULL OF HIS GLORY

Isaiah 6:2 NKJV

Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

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⇒ With two wings they covered their faces, indicating their unworthiness and humility. They were not worthy to gaze upon the face of the Holy One.

⇒ With two other wings they covered their feet, perhaps indicating their reverence for the LORD. They are not worthy to stand before the LORD.

⇒ With the other two wings they flew or hovered above the throne of God, possibly signifying their continued ministry of proclaiming God’s holiness and glory. However, their flying could also signify a readiness to undertake any task assigned by the LORD

Isaiah 40:31 AV

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

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Isaiah 6:3 AV

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

is 40 31

"One cried..." to cry is to call out, to proclaim, to invite

their cry should be our cry: to call out the name of Jesus, to proclaim Him everywhere we go and to Invite People into His Presence

WHAT IS HOLY?

HOLY - the moral and ethical perfection of God. Complete and total Goodness. The complete perfection of His attributes such as power and goodness and justice. God alone is majestic in holiness and our holiness springs forth from His holiness.

PAUSE FROM OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM TO LET YOU KNOW THAT GOD IS A GOD OF MULTIPLICATION

Genesis 1:22 NKJV

And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Genesis 9:1 NKJV

So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

Genesis 1:28 NKJV

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Acts 12:4 NKJV

So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Hebrews 6:14 NKJV

saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

And if He is willing to multiply His creation, if He repeatedly tells us to multiply then that lets us know that multiplication is in His DNA!

Holy Holy Holy = its not just repetition it is emphasis!

ITS NOT 1 + 1 + 1 ITS 1 * 1 * 1

ITS NOT GOD THE FATHER + GOD THE SON + GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT BECAUSE THAT EQUALS 3 GODS

ITS GOD THE FATHER TIMES THE SON TIMES THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH EQUALS GOD!

ITS PERFECTION * PERFECTION * PERFECTION

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Isaiah 6:4 NKJV

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

When they cried out loud enough to shake the temple, THEN the house (temple) was filled with smoke (which symbolizes the Presence of God)

YOUR PRAISE INVOKES HIS PRESENCE

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ISAIAH’S VEXATION

Isaiah 6:5 AV

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

`As sincere as his worship has always been, Isaiah has not been “a man in love.”

His profession of faith has been orthodox but empty, with little heart-awareness of the grandeur of God.

Unlike the seraphim, Isaiah’s lips are unclean. In fact, he’s no better than anyone else: “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”

The most telling indicator that God’s grace is renewing us is not when we say all the right things about his grace but when we stop putting ourselves above others, and even above God: “I’m not that bad. In fact, I’m better than most. Heck, God’s just lucky to have me for one whole hour every week.”

God’s awakening grace turns us completely around with new thoughts like, My opinion of myself doesn’t matter. What matters is where I stand with God. Here I am, breathing his glorious air, eating his glorious food, oblivious to the continual display of his glory all around me—what right do I have to be here?

ISAIAH’S VISITATION (v.6-7)

Isaiah 6:6 NKJV

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.

Isaiah 6:6–7 AV

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

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` One of the seraphim performed the function of a priest. Flying over to the altar, he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. Then flying over to Isaiah, he touched the lips of the prophet with a hot coal and pronounced that he was cleansed from sin. The hot, burning coal symbolized the burning away of sin, the purifying and cleansing of sin. The fact that the hot coal was taken from the altar was a reminder that sin was forgiven through the blood of the sacrifice.

` One of the seraphim performed the function of a priest. Flying over to the altar, he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. Then flying over to Isaiah, he touched the lips of the prophet with a hot coal and pronounced that he was cleansed from sin. The hot, burning coal symbolized the burning away of sin, the purifying and cleansing of sin. The fact that the hot coal was taken from the altar was a reminder that sin was forgiven through the blood of the sacrifice.

`this burning coal symbolizes the finished work of Christ on the cross. He went to the place of sacrifice. His dying love is the only power that can awaken people as dead to God as we are. And awaken us he does. He comes to us today through the Holy Spirit and says again, “Your guilt is taken away. Your sin is atoned for. Welcome into the overwhelming delight of my presence!” When the magnitude of that grace touches Isaiah, he is awakened to live for God.

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GOD’S VOICE (v.8)

Isaiah 6:8 AV

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

ALL LEADING UP TO THIS!

The entire time that Isaiah was having this vision of a holy worship service, he never heard from God UNTIL the seraphim touches his lips and pronounces his sins removed; THEN he hears from God.

POINT - SIN STOPS UP OUR EARS AND KEEPS US FROM HEARING FROM GOD BUT WHEN OUR HEARTS ARE WASHED, THEN OUR EARS ARE OPEN TO HEAR WHAT THUS SAYETH THE LORD

CONCLUSION

WORSHIP BRINGS OUT A PASSION FOR US

REAL WORSHIP CAUSES US TO HEAR FROM GOD

REAL WORSHIP LEADS TO A CHANGED WALK

Psalm 29:2 NKJV

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 95:6 NKJV

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Psalm 96:9 NKJV

Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

Psalm 99:9 NKJV

Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.

b. His holiness & glory

1) Isaiah saw the seraphim above God’s throne

• They were like humans: Had faces, feet, & voices

• They had six wings

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

2) Isaiah witnessed the seraphim’s fervent, unbroken praise of God’s holiness & glory

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

c. His power & presence: Isaiah saw the power of the seraphim’s voices & saw smoke—God’s presence—fill the temple

Noah’s response to God’s deliverance from the flood.

See also God’s promise of an inheritance to Abraham

The signs and wonders in Egypt and Sinai:

; ; ;

; ; God’s deliverance of Daniel in Babylon; the healing of the paralytic; the healing of the crippled beggar

To the fear of God

;

See also ;