Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah 6:1-8

August 6, 2006

Part 3 of “The Great Ends Of The Church” Series

As Sally and I are packing and preparing for our move to South Carolina, I have been – as I have told you the last several weeks — praying and thinking a lot about what messages God would have me bring to you these last few weeks we have together.  As I continue to pray about this, I continue to be struck with the feeling that God would have us to look at what it means to be a Church – what the Church is to be about – what the Church is to be doing.

The past 2 weeks we have been doing this by looking at one of the first statements in our denomination’s Book Of Order – which has become known as “The Six Great Ends Of The Church”. 

Listen to what the Book Of Order says:

The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. (G-1.0200) 

 

These are great words!  They also give us a vision for what it means to be the Church — what the Church is to be about – what the Church is to be doing. 

You see – the Church is not about the building – it’s not about the Minister  – it’s about God – it’s about Christ – it’s about people who are trying to fulfill these “Great Ends” the Book Of Order lay out for us. If Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God wills for it to be, then it will have to be a Church that is committed to living out these “Great Ends”.

Listen to them again:

The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. (G-1.0200)

6 “Great Ends”. 

1.      the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind

2.      the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God

3.      the maintenance of divine worship

4.      the preservation of the truth

5.      the promotion of social righteousness

6.      the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

2 weeks ago we looked at the first of these Great Ends — the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind – and saw that – if Wentworth Presbyterian is going to be the Church God is calling it to be – then you are going to have to be people who are committed to the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind – or evangelism.  Whether or not Wentworth Presbyterian is the Church God intends for Wentworth Presbyterian to be depends – first on foremost – on your commitment to this first Great End of the Church — the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind. 

Last week we looked at the second Great End of the Church – the second thing necessary for Wentworth Presbyterian to be the Church God intends for Wentworth Presbyterian to be.  That is:

the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God – or LOVE.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God intends for the Wentworth Presbyterian Church to be, you are going to have to be committed to be loving people – people who experience God’s love for yourself – share it with each other – and share it with the world.

So – 2 things that are needed if the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God intends for Wentworth Presbyterian to be – 2 things for you to be committed to:

1. the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind – or evangelism

2. the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God – or love.

But – there is more!

Not only do you need evangelism and love – but the third Great End is also needed:

the maintenance of divine worship

the maintenance of divine worship

Listen to these words of Isaiah 6:1-8 that describe a worship experience Isaiah had – and give us some clues as to how we can develop a heart for worship:

READ ISAIAH 6:1-8

Worship is one of the things necessary for Wentworth Presbyterian to be the church God intends for Wentworth Presbyterian to be.

For Wentworth Presbyterian to be the church God intends for Wentworth Presbyterian to be, you are going to have to have an attitude of worship – a heart for worship. 

Now — when we refer to worship, most people think we’re talking about the meeting that takes place here between 10:00 and 11:00 on Sunday – or 11:00 and 12:00 on Sunday morning at most churches.  That’s true to a certain extent—the Sunday morning service should be a worshipful experience—but that’s not all there is to worship, because that’s not all there is to life. What we need to realize is that worship is a lifestyle; it’s a 24 hour a day, a seven day a week experience.

We can develop a bad habit if we’re not careful: the habit of “critiquing” the worship service instead of fully participating. We’ll attend a service and find ourselves evaluating the music, evaluating the hymns, evaluating the Choir, evaluating the Sermon —and not evaluating them on how well they impacted us spiritually, but on how well they were “performed”. And if they don’t measure up to our standards, we’ll say something like:

 “I don’t know…I just didn’t get anything out of  worship this morning… I didn’t like the hymns, the Choir didn’t sound as good as they sometimes do. There were too many mistakes… the Sermon just didn’t speak to me.   I just didn’t get anything out of worship.”

Now – I must say that Joyce, the Choir, and I strive to make every aspect of the service the best that it can be. We want the music to speak to you, we want the message to be uplifting and life-changing. We do that because it’s our gift to God.    But the fact is that we don’t hit a home-run every Sunday in every area—and if the only way you can get something out of worship is for us to be brilliant every week, you’re missing out on the heart – and the purpose — of worship.

The purpose of worship is not so much to entertain you – or to even speak directly to you.  There are times you may be entertained by great music or spoken to be a moving message – but that is not the real purpose of worship.

Soren Kierkigarrd was a Danish Christian Philosopher who developed theory about worship that he termed the “theatre of worship.”  He pointed out that too many people attend worship services as if they were attending a play.  They see the ministers, musicians, and choirs as the actors – and themselves as the audience. Looking at it in this way, they feel they can critique the service as to how it touched them or didn’t touch them. They feel they have a right to say: 

“I just didn’t get anything out of worship this morning… I didn’t like the hymns, the Choir didn’t sound as good as they sometimes do. There were too many mistakes… the Sermon just didn’t speak to me.   I just didn’t get anything out of worship.”

But – Kierkigarrd admonished people to change their view of worship.  To Kierkigarrd, worship was more of a time when the ministers, musicians, and choirs AND the congregation were the actors – and God is the audience.  This means that we can’t judge the service, but only God can.

Worship, then, is not about us and what “speaks to” or “does not speak to” us – but it’s about focusing on God – what God would have be doing as a Church and as individual Christians – listening to God’s call – and responding.

Worship is not so much about us as it is about God.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God. 

Certainly the music, the choir, and the message can assist you in worshipping God and are important elements of the worship experience – but the main focus for worship must be on God.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

Mike Pilavachi is the pastor of a contemporary church in England that has seen some incredible worship leaders (or musicians) in the past several years. Many of their worship leaders have written some of the greatest contemporary Christian music out there today. 

Well, Mike noticed that a tendency had developed among the congregation  to focus too much on the performance of the music. He noticed that the focus of the services became about the music, and not about Jesus. He said the church needed to be brought back to the place where each one is bringing their own contribution to the worship, not just watching the band and grading their performance. So he made a drastic move. He “banned the band” and said, “We’re not doing any music for a while—we’re going to take some time to get re-focused on who it is we’re here to worship.” They had several services with no performed music, and this became a time of renewal for their church. Eventually they began doing music again with a band leading the worship songs—but it was with a new focus.

Out of this experience, one of the musicians –  Matt Redman –  wrote one his best known songs. It goes…

When the music fades, and all is stripped away

And I simply come, Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart

I’ll give you more than a song

For a song in itself is not what you have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear You’re looking into my heart

I’m coming back to heart of worship

And it’s all about you, All about you Jesus.

I’m sorry Lord for the thing I made it

When it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus.(The Heart of Worship © Kingsway 1999 Thank You Music)

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

That’s the heart of worship. It’s all about God.

It’s all about Jesus.

It’s not a matter of how well Joyce plays or how well the choir sings or how well you know the hymns – even though Joyce and the choir are usually a true blessing –

It’s not a matter of how well I preach –

it’s a matter of where your heart is.

 I’ve been all kinds of churches throughout my life—and attended worship at many conferences.   I’ve found that it’s possible to attend services where the piano is  hopelessly out of tune,  the pianist plays like they are playing a dirge, the sermon is  long and dull — and yet a connection with God can be made in a very real, very personal, very intimate way.

I also found that it’s possible to attend services where the music was awesome, the sermon dynamic—and leave just as stubborn and self-willed and cold-hearted as when you walked in the door.

Worship is not about the production quality of the service, it’s about the state of your heart.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

We all need to learn how to have a heart for God. This is a crucial lesson to learn in order for us to be the Christians God is calling us to be.  This is a crucial lesson for you to learn in order for Wentworth Presbyterian to be the Church God wills for it to be. 

The third Great End of the Church is: The maintenance of divine worship.

 Friends — if the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

To be the Christian God is calling you to be, you have to be involved with a church, but you can’t focus your eyes on the church. You have to participate in the the service, but you can’t focus on whether the service “speaks to you” or not. You have to learn from the messages and Bible studies, but you can’t focus your eyes on the minister.   You have to have a heart for worshipping God.

For Wentworth Presbyterian to be the Church God is calling it to be, you are going to have to develop a heart for worshipping God.   

The story in Isaiah 6 that teaches three things you can do to develop a heart for worship.

First of all, this passage teaches us to…

1.      Get focused on God.

You need to know who it is you are worshipping. 

I was once talking to someone who – by the way – attended another Church – who told me:

 “I went to church today, but my heart wasn’t in it. Knowing what I know about the pastor, I just couldn’t worship.”

Now, her pastor was not involved in anything illicit, he’s was just a little hard-headed, and he and she don’t see eye-to-eye on a couple of administrative issues. Apparently he was a little stern with her husband in a board meeting, and it made her mad.

Iterestingly, her husband shrugged the whole thing off. He just said, “I don’t go to church to worship him. I go to worship Jesus.”

Isaiah 6:1 tells us:

(v. 1) In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Isaiah mentioned King Uzziah. In some ways he had been a good king, but he was just a man and he made many mistakes. His reign was a time of prosperity for Judah, but the book of 2 Chronicles says,

But after King Uzziah became so powerful, his pride led to his downfall. (2 Chronicles 16:16)

Basically, King Uzziah decided to rewrite the rules of Judaism, and he was eventually struck with leprosy. So Isaiah begins this chapter by saying – in effect – 

“Regardless of what happened with King Uzziah, I saw the Lord. My eyes weren’t on the king; my eyes were on God.”

If you want a heart for worship – which you must have to be the person God calls you to be – and this Church must have to be the Church God is calling it to be,   you need to do the same thing Isaiah did:

 get your eyes off people and get focused on God.

Instead of looking at people, focus on God’s MAJESTY.

Notice what Isaiah said…

(v. 1) … I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Instead of looking at people, focus on God’s HOLINESS.

Isaiah said…

(v. 3) And they [the angels] were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty…

Instead of looking at people, focus on God’s GLORY.

Isaiah said…

(v. 3) …the whole earth is full of his glory.

When you come to church, don’t look at people as much as you look at God.

Look at His majesty.

Look at His holiness.

Look at His glory.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.  You are going to have to be able to focus on the majesty – holiness –  and glory of God.

This doesn’t just apply to Sunday morning. It applies to everyday of the week. If we’re not careful, we can let the imperfections of others prevent us from focusing on God. Maybe someone you work with is not as good of a Christian as you think they should be. Don’t let their imperfections prevent you from seeking God. Maybe your boss claims to be a Christian but you don’t like the way he or she does business. Don’t let your boss’s imperfections prevent you from seeking God’s presence in your life.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God – and if you want to have a heart for worship—if you want to develop a worshipful lifestyle — stop looking at people and get focused on God.

If, as a congregation, the Wentworth Presbyterian Church will do this, the same thing will happen here that happened in Isaiah.

Listen to what Isaiah wrote…

(v. 4) The glorious singing shook the temple to its foundations.

Get focused on God and see if the worship doesn’t shake you to your foundations.

The third Great End of the Church is: The maintenance of divine worship.

 Friends — if the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

The first step in this is focusing on God.

The second thing we need to do to have a heart of worship is that we need to… Get cleansed by grace.

Get cleansed by grace.

There is something about seeing God for who God is that causes us to see ourselves for who we are. Isaiah eye-witnessed the glory of God, and then he said,

(v. 5) My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race.

There’s a story in Luke 5 where Jesus told Peter to put his net into the deep water. Peter answered by saying that they had worked all night and had caught nothing, and continued by saying, “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” Peter didn’t exactly sound enthusiastic about it. But you know what happened next:

“They caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.” (Luke 5:6)

In fact, when they began to load the fish into the boat, there were so many that the boat began to sink. Peter realized that he was in the presence of not just a man, but the living Christ. His response was that…

..he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8)

That’s what happens when you get in the presence of God.

Pride suddenly melts away and you become aware of your own sinfulness, your own inadequacy. You can’t help but respond the way Isaiah did.

“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.”

It’s not that God wants us to acknowledge our sinfulness merely for the sake of doing it so that we can talk about how wretched we are. He wants us to acknowledge our sinfulness so that we can experience the transformational power of his grace.

Listen to what happened next to Isaiah…

(v. 6-7) Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

That’s the purpose of being in the presence of God.

We acknowledge our sin so that we can experience his forgiveness.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

Having a heart for worshipping God means focusing on God – and it means that we recognize this crucial truth: we aren’t able to approach God on the basis of our own worthiness; we are only able to approach God because He has made us worthy. We are made worthy through what Jesus has done for us. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can be in the presence of our holy God. The book of Hebrews says,

We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

The act of worship involves recognizing our total dependence upon God’s mercy in our lives. We don’t approach Him proudly. We don’t approach Him on the strength of our good deeds or our acts of righteousness. We approach Him with a sense of humility, with a sense of gratitude for His forgiveness. When you have this attitude, it’s impossible to get distracted by some of the aspects of the service. It’s impossible to get distracted by any superficial thing, because your heart is directed toward God.

What this means in our day-to-day life is that you don’t need a Church service atmosphere to enter into worship. You don’t need a Choir or anything else. You can worship him alone, in the privacy of your room, just you and him. Now obviously it is important that we come together as a body and worship together each — but this isn’t the only time worship takes place.

It’s a seven-day-a-week experience.

So – the third Great End of the Church is: The maintenance of divine worship.

 If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God.

Having a heart to worship God requires that you:

get focused on God,

get cleansed by grace,

and thirdly…

3. You have to get ready to go.

Listen to what Isaiah says …

(v. 8) Then I head the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.”

Worshipping God and working for God go hand-in-hand. Our best response to worship is to say, as Isaiah said,

(v. 8) Lord, I’ll go! Send me.

Here are a couple of things I’ve learned about worship.

 First, right worship leads to right living.

When you have a one-on-one encounter in the presence of God, it affects the way you spend the rest of your day. It affects what you say and how you treat the people in your life.

Do you want to become a better person?

Do you want to be holy?

 Spend time in the presence of our holy God each day.

Right worship leads to right living.

Right worship also leads to evangelism. The more time you spend with God, the more you want to share God with others.

Also, right worship leads to acts of compassion. It is impossible to be unmerciful to others when you have just been drenched in the mercy of God. It’s impossible to be unforgiving toward others when you have just basked in God’s forgiveness. And it is impossible to turn away from the needs of others when you have had a personal encounter with God’s goodness.

The Six Great Ends of the Church are:

1. the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind

2. the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God

3. the maintenance of divine worship

4. the preservation of the truth

5. the promotion of social righteousness

7.      the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

Evangelism and love are the first two.

The third Great End of the Church is: The maintenance of divine worship.

If the Wentworth Presbyterian Church is going to be the Church God is calling it to be, then you are going to be committed to evangelism – committed to experiencing God’s love and sharing it with the world – and you have to have a heart for worshipping God.

As a church and as individuals, you need to develop a heart of worship: you need to get focused on God, get cleansed by God’s grace, and get ready to go into the world and do his work. That’s the lifestyle of worship.

And that’s the third Great End of the Church.

 

Amen.