Transformed Through Worship

Intro:

There’s something about transformation that catches our attention

When you think of that phrase, “transformation” … maybe you think about cicadas or butterflies … caterpillars spin their cocoons … and then come out of them as butterflies

Or maybe you think of dragon fruit … you see the big dragon fruit flower … but you know that that flower is going to give birth to a juicy dragon fruit soon

Maybe you think of an old house being re-built … or an old car being restored … when the work is finished, you wouldn’t even recognize that house or that car

Maybe you think of Jesus on the Mount of transfiguration … when he was transfigured before his disciples … and his true glory shone forth

It’s exciting to see transformation … because transformation often brings with it a certain kind of beauty

I’m sure that you would say the same about a life that has been transformed … maybe someone you know who came to Christ and their life completely changed … you can hardly recognize them

But, did you know that the work of transformation in your life is not finished?

Did you know that the Lord is still doing a transforming work inside of you?

And did you know that he looks at you as he transforms you … and he sees beauty? … He sees the beauty of his glory in you

We read 2 Corinthians 3:4-18 earlier … but we’re not going to study through the passage … rather, we are going to focus on that last verse, vs. 18

And we’re going to talk about transformation … the work of transformation God is doing in you … and how transformation relates to worship

But before we move forward, let’s take a few minutes to review what we talked about last week

Review:

Last week, we asked the question, “What is worship?”

And we concluded that worship is our response to God

We respond to God’s being - who he is

We respond to God’s word and promises

We respond to God’s good works - The works he has done in this world and in our lives

Our response of worship includes both our attitudes and our actions

and it involves our minds, our emotions, and our wills

And out of this response to God come various forms of worship

Singing … praying … bowing … praising … obeying … and more

These forms of worship come out of our response to the Lord … our response of worship

Again, today we’re going to talk about the transforming work that happens inside of us as we worship

Now, I need to say something before we move forward

We worship God because God is worthy to receive our worship … he deserves our worship

We do not worship God so that we can get something from him

God needs to be the focus of our worship, not ourselves

However, there are personal benefits that flow out of our worship of God and our fellowship with God

We do not worship the Lord in order to gain those benefits … but they are a blessing given to us as we draw near to the Lord

And the benefit that we are talking about today … is transformation

Now, before we get into 2 Corinthians 3:18 … we need to first spend a few minutes in another passage that talks about transformation … Romans 12:1-12 ...

we need the first take a look at the choice to be transformed before we move into the work of transformation

Romans 12:1-12 - Choosing Transformation

In this passage, after explaining God’s grace to us … the Apostle Paul urges us to give ourselves to the Lord as living sacrifices

And he says that offering ourselves to the Lord as living sacrifice is our “spiritual worship” … and that tells me that this passage is specifically talking about one of the ways that we can worship the Lord everyday … offering ourselves to him as living sacrifices

Please notice the picture in this passage … we’re not looking at a picture of someone offering food to a butsudan (family shrine) … We’re not looking at a picture of someone giving a gift to someone

The picture we see here is of a priest offering a burnt offering on the altar at the temple [show picture]

Remember that offering animals as sacrifices in the Old Testament was one of the ways that God called his people to worship Him

Please also remember that the sacrifices made in the Old Testament were fulfilled in Jesus who, on the cross, became the sacrifice for us

But the picture continues … because we are also called to give ourselves as sacrifices … and we’re to do this, not out of obligation, but out of worship … in response to the Lord’s forgiveness … in response to the Lord’s grace … in response to the Lord’s life

We are called to give ourselves as living sacrifices… not dead ones … “living” because the Lord has filled us with his life … and we are giving that life back to him and worship

Well, what is it that I’m supposed to sacrifice?

First, in vs. 1, we are to present our bodies to the Lord as a living sacrifice

Our bodies belong to the Lord … Jesus purchased our bodies, as well as our souls and our spirits, with his blood

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 新改訳2017

あなたがたは知らないのですか。あなたがたのからだは、あなたがたのうちにおられる、神から受けた聖霊の宮であり、あなたがたはもはや自分自身のものではありません。 あなたがたは、代価を払って買い取られたのです。ですから、自分のからだをもって神の栄光を現しなさい。

Romans 6:13 ESV

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Romans 6:13 新改訳2017

また、あなたがたの手足を不義の道具として罪に献げてはいけません。むしろ、死者の中から生かされた者としてあなたがた自身を神に献げ、また、あなたがたの手足を義の道具として神に献げなさい。

We have been saved from sin and unrighteousness … we have been brought from Death To Life … our bodies are a temple … the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us

And so, the Lord desires that we would offer our bodies to him in worship … giving our bodies to be used by him for his purposes

Second, we see in vs. 2 … we are to renew our minds … God desires for us to give him our minds as well as our bodies

In fact, Jesus said that the greatest commandment includes loving God with all of our minds

Luke 10:27 ESV

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:27 新改訳2017

すると彼は答えた。「『あなたは心を尽くし、いのちを尽くし、力を尽くし、知性を尽くして、あなたの神、主を愛しなさい』、また『あなたの隣人を自分自身のように愛しなさい』とあります。」

What does that mean? … It means that we need to sacrifice our thoughts to the Lord … we need to allow his word to renew our minds … we need to make sure that we’re not allowing the things of the world to take root in and control our thoughts and minds

By the way, this is why morning devotions are so important … because it’s an opportunity for us to hear from the Lord in the morning … and allow him to be shaping our thoughts for that day

Thirdly, we see in vs. 2 … as we surrender our bodies to the Lord and renew our minds … we will be able to discern his will

God desires for us to give our will to him and to follow his will

If you remember from last week, worship involves our wills … I need to choose to worship Jesus

John 13:34 ESV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

John 13:34 新改訳2017

わたしはあなたがたに新しい戒めを与えます。互いに愛し合いなさい。わたしがあなたがたを愛したように、あなたがたも互いに愛し合いなさい。

In John 13:34, Jesus gives a new command … it’s a command to love one another … I noticed that is a command … that means we have to choose to love one another …

We don’t love others because we feel like it … love comes out of a choice to obey Jesus … we choose to love … and when we do, we are choosing to follow God’s will

The Lord desires for us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to him … and we do this in worship … and we do this daily

And as we do, we will be transformed by him

What’s the difference between transformation and confirmation

Think about a butterfly … transformation is when that caterpillar goes into the cocoon and comes out as a butterfly … it’s a complete change from the inside-out

But what if that caterpillar didn’t make the cocoon … but instead found some super glue or tape and taped butterfly wings on himself?

That wouldn’t be transformation … that would be confirmation … trying to look like something that he’s not

You have already been transformed by Jesus when you placed your faith in him

For you to live like the world would be a work of conformation … taping butterfly wings onto a caterpillar

Instead, the Lord calls us to be transformed … to be changed from the inside out …

And he is the one that does this work … he does it as we yield ourselves to him in worship as living sacrifices …

Now, let’s continue forward and take a look at what this transformation looks like ...

2 Corinthians 3:18 - Radiating God’s Glory

To understand this verse, we first need to understand the context

Paul has been contrasting the ministry of grace with the ministry of the old covenant law

The Old Testament law was written on stone … but under the new covenant, God’s word is written on our hearts

The ministry of the law brought about external change, a change in actions … the ministry of grace brings about a change on the inside, in the heart

There was a type of glory to the old testament law … but that glory is nothing in comparison to the ministry of grace … the ministry of the Spirit

One of the important points Paul makes has to do with Moses ...

When Moses received the Old Testament law … his face was glorious … he was shining

And whenever he went into the tent of meeting to hear from the Lord, his face would glow when he came out … and after he shared God’s word, he would put a veil on his face … not to hide the glory but to hide the fact that the glory was fading … That glory was temporary … because he was reflecting the glory of the Lord

However, when we come to Christ, that veil is taken away … not only do we not hide God’s glory … what God’s glory in us does not fade … his glory is permanent … because his glory is radiating from inside of us

Now, what’s the difference between reflecting and radiating

Maybe the best way to think about it is thinking of the sun and the moon [show slide]

When you look at the Sun … what happens? … Your eyes hurt! … Why? Because the sun is radiating out so much light that your eyes can’t take it

But when you look at the Moon … do your eyes hurt? No … because the moon is not radiating light … it is reflecting the light of the sun

The moon has no light of its own to shine … just as Moses had no light radiating out of him … he would reflect the light, the glory of the Lord

But we are like the sun … we don’t reflect glory … we radiate glory … because the Holy Spirit is inside us radiating that glory through us … and as he does come up we are experiencing transformation on the inside

2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we are beholding the glory of the Lord with no veil over faces … we are being transformed … we are going from glory to even greater glory … as we are being transformed into Jesus’ image

Worship leads to transformation

As we respond to the Lord in worship … as we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to him … we are being transformed on the inside … his glory is shining out … and as we are transformed his glory shines out even brighter than before

But when does this transformation take place? And how does it relate to worship?

Well … Where does worship happen? … When you think of worship in the Bible, where does it take place?

Worship happens in God’s presence … in his glory

Think of Isaiah … who fell down and worship when he saw God on the throne

Think of Old Testament Israel … who worshipped at the temple … because that was a place God chose to put his glory

Think of Jesus … who would often pray in the early hours of the morning … spending time fellowshipping with his Father … spending time in his father’s presence

Worship takes place in God’s presence

“Well, where is God’s presence?” … wherever you decide to worship Him … because if the Holy Spirit is in you … God is always present with you

And when you choose to worship Him … when you choose to do his will … when you choose to sing to him … when you choose to seek him in his word …

You are entering into his presence … you are entering into his glory … and we are never the same after we enter into God’s glory … because that’s where we are transformed

Conclusion:

There is a transforming work that the Lord desires to do in you … in fact, he is doing that work in you even now

It is a beautiful work … because it is a work of the Holy Spirit … transformation on the inside-out … from glory to even more glory

As we choose to give ourselves to the Lord in worship as living sacrifices … giving him our bodies, our minds and our wills …

He renews our minds … and transforms us … that we would radiate his glory

And so our encouragement this morning is that we would daily seek the Lord … daily give ourselves to him … daily spend time in his presence

If we do, he will be faithful to do his work of transformation in us … making us more like Jesus … making us radiate his glory in our lives