"Worship Like it Matters" | Pastor Steve Gaines

take your Bible and turn to one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1 through 13 and we're in our series on living like it matters how many of you know that your life matters does anybody know that you say well my life doesn't matter brother Steve yes it does yes it does God has given you a life and he wants you to use it for his glory we've been talking about that we've been talking about praying like it matters worshiping like it matters sharing Jesus like it matters all these things and today we're talking about worshiping the Lord like it matters one of the greatest worship experiences in the Bible is recorded in Isaiah 6 Isiah really hadn't done much for the Lord when you get to chapter 6 but after chapter 6 after he has this encounter with God God changes this man's life and he becomes one of the greatest messianic prophets that is a prophet that spoke about the Messiah in the whole Bible he had a head-on collision worship time with the Lord and I hope that you will do the same I pray that when you worship the Lord you'll do it with all of your heart soul mind and strength I don't know how to describe or define worship but I can tell you this you'll know you've worshiped God when you leave that worship service and all you can talk about is Jesus and you have traded hearts with God he has your heart and you have his heart that's what I hope happens to you every day but listen we are not this is not a stage and we are not performers and to be frank with you you are not the audience the Lord is the audience the Lord is the recipient of our praise and as you learn to worship him worship means worth-ship that we believe he is worthy and I tell you the Lord is worthy look there in Isaiah chapter 6 verse one in the year of King Uzziah steth I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted King James high and lifted up with the Train of his robe filling the temple Seraphim stood above him each having six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet with two he flew and one called out to another and said holy holy holy say that out loud with me holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is filled with his glory and the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filling with smoke then I said woe is me I am ruined I'm a man of unclean lips I live among a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king the Lord of Hosts then one of the Seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs he touched my mouth with it and said Behold this has touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven then then I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us then I said here am I send me he said go and tell this people keep on listening but do not perceive keep on looking but do not understand render the hearts of this people insensitive their ears dull their eyes dim otherwise they might see with their eyes hear with their ears understand with their hearts and return and be healed then I said how long Lord how long and he answered until cities are devastated and without inhabitant houses are without people the land is utterly desolate the Lord has removed men far away and the Forsaken places are many in the midst of the land yet thank god there's a yet there there will be a tenth portion of it and it will again be subject to burning like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is failed the holy seed is its stomp let's talk a little bit about worshiping the Lord like it matters first of all when you worship the Lord like it matters you can't help but be amazed by God's splendor I'll tell you what my goal is for this worship service when you leave here I pray that you're not talking about football I pray that you're not talking about the economy I pray that you're not talking about politics I pray that you're not talking about anything else except Jesus I pray that when you leave here you'll be saying Jesus Christ is Lord Jesus Christ is king of kings when you worship the Lord you are amazed by God's splendor look at verse 1 in the year of King Uzziah death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne it's no accident that Isaiah mentions 2 Kings here first of all he mentions a political leader the king of Judah you saya Uzziah had reigned for 52 years as king of Judah he began when he was 16 years old the Bible says back in second chronicles 626 verse 4 he did write in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father amaziah had done Uzziah followed the Lord closely as long as an Old Testament prophet named Zechariah you better read his book what if what if the first person you meet in heaven is Zechariah and he comes up to you he's a little Jewish man well said how'd you like my book some of you hadn't read it let's get with the program alright as long as the Prophet Zechariah was there to advise him to mentor him Uzziah followed the Lord but as soon as he was out of Zechariah's mentorship even though he'd built a very powerful army he was a capable leader he resorted to sin when the Prophet was no longer around Bible says in second chronicles 26 verse 16 but when he became strong I want to say this to you it's not when you're down that you're most vulnerable to sin it's when you're on top that you're most vulnerable to sin but when he became strong his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly he was unfaithful to the Lord his God he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense that was what the priests were supposed to do not what the king was supposed to do and because of his disobedience guess what there are consequences when you sin did you know that there are consequences when you sinned God gave him leprosy second chronicles 26 verse 21 says the king uzziah was a leper to the day of his death he lived in a separate house being a leper he was cut off from the house of the Lord Jotham his son was over the king's house judging the people of the land he was a popular leader who fell into sin why does the devil go after leaders because if you strike down the Shepherd you scatter the Sheep the devil has been attacking godly leaders for a long time in the same year that King Uzziah died Isiah had a vision the earthly king was dead but guess what god almighty was still on his throne aren't you glad that God never changes Almighty God was still king of kings on his throne Judas throne was empty heavens throne was occupied Isaiah saw the Lord on his throne he was lofty and exalted the Train of his robe was filling the temple maybe you've seen one of the weddings of somebody in the royal family in England had these long trains that are behind them and and the bride is walking now she got this long train Jesus Christ has a trained God the Father has a trained robe that fills all of the heavenly courtyard it must be awesome and glorious just as on earth the heavenly King also had a tendency look at verse 3 Seraphim stood above him each having six wings Seraphim I am in Hebrew stands for the plural if there is a seraph that is one serif if there are Seraphim there are multiple serifs are there Seraphim it indicates plurality more than one and they each had six wings you said why do they have six wings well it tells us with two they covered their face with two he covered his feet with two he flew now notice that two-thirds of the usage of the wings are for worship only one-third is used for service with two they cover their face why God was too holy for them to look upon him directly with two they covered their feet why just like in Moses day in Exodus 3 they were on holy ground they had to stand on holy ground they had to put their their their wings over their feet and with two they did fly with two they flew and did the service of the king of kings why because they were obedient to the one who created them Oh would to the Lord that all of us serve the Lord like an angel worshiping him primarily and then working for him whatever he wants I want to say this to you if you saw God right now you'd be amazed at his splendor and notice they were singing verse three one called out to another that means it was antiphonal singing they were going back and forth one side would say one thing and the other side would say the same thing they would respond to one another back and forth that's the way it is and what would they say holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is filled with his glory the thrice holy God holy is the father I believe holy is the son holy is the holy spirit God in three persons Blessed Trinity and as this antiphonal praise ascended in rows and the whole heaven shook the Bible says in verse 4 the foundations of the threshold trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filled with smoke can you even begin to fathom what Isaiah was seeing the almighty God ruling all of the universe from his everlasting throne sitting why was he sitting because he was in complete control he wasn't pacing around heaven God doesn't pace around heaven worried and anxious saying what am I going to do look what they've done now I didn't see that coming God doesn't talk like that God is in charge he doesn't panic even when King Uzziah died he didn't panic he never panics he's got a sovereign plan he is large and in charge and with all due respect to everybody that's running for office God doesn't run for office God is in office and you can't impeach him and he's not gonna resign amen amen amen you said which one is he a Republican or a Democrat neither he is God Almighty he's been on his throne forever he's on his throne right now and I don't care who votes against him he's not leaving the world has never seen anything like what Isaiah saw in the year of king uzziah's death I saw the Lord Isaiah was amazed by God's splendor this last we my wife and I drove up to Dyersburg and she spoke to the ladies there at First Baptist Church and I didn't know really what to do you know I've always told us that one of these days I'm just going to be driving you around selling your books or whatever you know I said that's cool with me let's go of me I didn't just resign by the way our I didn't resign but we went up and I I love I love that city I went out to the high school walk around a little bit she was eating with the ladies and I you know I was the only man you know in there and I just thought I'd go do something else you know for a while and so I walked around then I I said you know I'm gonna go hear her speak so I went back and I walked in I sat down about the 3rd row and I looked over to a Pew or my daddy used to sit and my mother used to sit I'd sit between them my mother could not carry a tune and she sang so loud how many of you I won't to ask you who's sitting by something like that right now my mother loved the Lord my dad had a beautiful voice but he was shy he wouldn't sing very loud but I can remember when we were saying and we'd sing holy holy holy Lord God Almighty early in the morning our song will rise to the holy holy holy merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed Trinity and I said Lord you are holy you are holy you are holy I hope that today God could just give us a little glimpse of how awesome he is if God peeled back heaven just for a moment like he did for Isaiah I don't think we'd be worried about much there's a big God driving this thing he is large and in charge and he is so awesome he is so much more wonderful than anything we can imagine and I don't think we'd be so worried about things sure we have problems but you know what a thousand years from today most all of our problems won't amount to a lot I just want to encourage you if you want to have a life changed go somewhere and just get by yourself in a closet shut the door like jesus said in matthew 6 6 and start crying out to God what do I say how about holy holy holy let's say it together holy holy holy that's heaven language and when you do that and you worship Him and you adore him and you thank him for how good he's been to you and you thank him for it pulling you out of the miry clay setting you on a rock and putting a new song in your heart when you start praising him for what could have been so horrible and yet he has redeemed you when you start thanking him for how good he's been to you and worshiping him you will be amazed by his splendor I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofty exalted train of his robe filled the temple secondly when you worship God like it matters you'll be absolved of your sin you'll be amazed by his splendor but if you get right with the Lord you'll be absolved of your sin verse five then I said uh-oh woe is me I'm ruined I'm a leper that's what the word ruin means Uzziah had died of leprosy and now the man of God cries out I'm a spiritual leper I'm worse than Uzziah who profaned the temple woe is me I am ruined I am undone that's what happens when you worship the Lord you don't leave saying man I'm all right hey I got it going on yeah unless if you like that when you leave you hadn't worship God you've worshiped yourself there's got to be conviction before they can be conversion that word ruin means to cease to exist to die I'm dead I'm overwhelmed by my sin I'm a man of unclean lips he had a speech problem do you know anybody that has one of those I just asked you a question he said I see him every morning when I look in the mirror got a problem with our mouth Oh be careful little mouth what you say what was me I'm a man of unclean lips I don't know what he did I don't know what his speech was all about but something about his speech maybe he was a gossip maybe he was just hard on people maybe he was a liar maybe he was profane I don't know but the Bible says as the mouth speaketh as the man speaketh so is he I know I hear these people all the time you don't know what's in my heart yes I do just let me hear you talk Jesus said that out of the mouth does the heart speak I'm a man of unclean lips and I live verse 5 among the people of unclean lips it's just not me it's all of us we're all in a mess my eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts that's what caused this he had a vision of God and the only way you can really see yourself is when you see God first you'll dress yourself up and make yourself you'll make excuses for yourself until you see the Lord but when you see the Lord he will slay all of your pride and then you'll say you know what I've got to have some grapes I gotta have some mercy I need some help woe is me I am undone I'm a spiritual leper my eyes have seen the king Lord of Hosts then thank the Lord for that word one of the Seraphim flew to me with the burning coal in his mouth what did what did Isaiah done he had couldn't fast if we confess our sin God does great things he had a burning coal in his hand ah this is going to hurt that's what's on the front of your bulletin they're a picture of that coal about to touch his mouth why did it touch his mouth he was a man of unclean lips listen God purifies where we confess and if you're not pure it's because you hadn't confessed at that spot he took a burning coal in this hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs he touched my mouth with it and said Behold this has touched your lips your iniquity has taken away your sin is forgiven Isaiah had been amazed with the splendor of God but that soon turned into brokenness and repentance and conviction and he repented and he turned and when he did God delivered him he absolved all of his sin I think about Zacchaeus he was a tax collector he wanted to see Jesus and nobody liked him very much he was a Jew that worked for the Romans and when he'd walked through the crowd they bumped him and they hit him and they bang on him and he finally said I got to get up in a tree so I see Jesus Jesus is passing by in Jericho and he got up in a tree a sycamore tree and he looked down and he had never seen Jesus but Jesus didn't call him by his number jesus knew him by his name that kids didn't even know he knew him and and all of a sudden Jesus is walking by and he looks up he's a hey Zacchaeus come on down I'm gonna go to your house and have lunch can you imagine what that was like he saw the Lord the Lord came to his house and this reprobate sinner got under conviction and he started repenting and he said I'm gonna give this to the poor I'm gonna give this back I just want to help people now you've changed my life and Jesus said salvation has come today to this house the son of man has come to seek that which is that to seek and save that which is lost have you ever come to that have you ever been broken by your sin does it mean anything to you when you sing behold the throne of God above and when you talk about the only hope you've got is Jesus Christ some of you think I'm doing pretty good God's pretty good glad to have me I'm sure I'm sure he's blessed to have me on his team I mean I've got this I've got that I can do this I can do that I've got this position I've got that position I Got News for you with all due respect you need God God doesn't need you I don't care who you are God doesn't need you but he wants you but he won't take you on any other way unless you get cleansed I'm not clean I'm cleansed amen I'm I'm one that has been washed in the blood Jesus has changed my life you ever been broken over your sin and when you repent of your sin guess what God takes it all away aren't you glad for that aren't you glad for that amen thank the Lord for that and you got to repent Jesus said in Luke 13:3 unless you repent you're going to perish Peter said in acts 3:19 repent and return that your sins may be wiped away Paul said in acts 17:30 god is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent and when God when we Furr repent God forgives and forgets our sin the Bible says in Psalm 103 God has not dealt with us according to our sins nor rewarded US according to our iniquities for as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him as far as the East is from the West God has removed our transgressions from us just as our father a father had compassion on his children so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him aren't you glad today that you can confess your sins and be clean and God will absolve all of your sin we got some lawyers in the room sometimes you you'll have a client and they've got all these accusations against them but when that judge hits the gavel and says you're absolved it's all gone well I Got News for You Jesus pled your case before the father who is the judge and if you know Jesus the repentance and faith Jesus says God says well it's all gone it's all gone all that stuff that used to bother you all that guilt my sin oh the Bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole has been nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord O my soul all my sins are forgiven absolved of my sin and then finally when you worship the Lord you'll be amazed at God's splendor you'll be absolved of your sin and then you'll be available for his service oh I love verse 8 then everybody say then ah that's a transitional phrase there then I heard the voice do you remember back in our up in the book of Acts we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and what's @ll heard Isaiah saw the Lord he repented and then he heard the Lord now he's going to be one of those that I can't stop speaking for the rest of his life he's couldn't stop speaking about what he had seen and what he had heard then I heard the voice of the Lord now that I'm plead I can hear the Lord I got news for you some of y'all can hear the Lord because you haven't confessed you haven't been broken you haven't been cleansed of your sin God is speaking that's not the issue the issue is you can't hear because you've got so much wax in your ears so much sin in your life that God can't even speak through that but if you'll get that out if you'll repent all of that will melt away and you will hear God's boys just fine then I heard him the voice of the Lord whom shall I send who will go for us God has his mind on hurting people God doesn't want to bless you only God wants to make you a channel of blessing God wants to make you an outpouring a blessing God gives to you so that you will give to others God puts you in the right position so that you can help other people God doesn't just do that for you and for your family God put you where you are blesses you with the blessings he gives you so that you'll be a blessing to other people that don't have what you have but you know what you didn't have it and you wouldn't have it if it wasn't for God so don't go around bragging about what you got you don't have anything that God didn't give you oh but I work yeah but who gave you the blood and the breath who kept your heart beating I don't see you keeping your heartbeat away some of y'all eat I don't know how in the world your heart beats amen eat the wrong thing what is that cholesterol yeah give it to me man let's do it I better get off of that real quick right I didn't hear a lot of amens on there here am I send me was it going to be easy does God always give you an easy task oh if I just follow the Lord I'll just be seeing zippity-doo-dah Zippity day that's it's gonna be awesome now it's sometimes it's not Isaiah had a rough way to go Isaiah was having to preach to people that were stubborn and hard-headed and they were against God some of them were worshiping bail on the side he volunteers here am I send me God said go to this people and tell this people you keep on listening but don't perceive you keep on looking but don't understand you render I said render the hearts of this people incentive their ears dull make their eyes dim otherwise they might see with their eyes hear with their ears understand with their hearts in return and be healed Judah had sinned so much God said they crossed the line you go tell them that I'm going to punish them you go tell them that they're going to reap what they've sown I have given them prophet after prophet priest after priest I've given them good Kings along the way they should know better but my people want to worship Bale my people burn their children in sacrifices down at toe fifth to Molech and they beat those drums so the babies will not their cries will not be heard from the valley of bin Hinnom bin Hinnom you remember that word Jesus used it when he said hell is Gehenna hell is the place like the place down there in Hinnom where they burn the babies and they sacrifice to Molech and the bale hell is the garbage dump of the whole universe that's what Jesus said he said you go on and you tell my people Isaiah you tell them that they crossed the line and they're gonna reap what they sow then I said how long Lord he said until the cities are devastated without inhabitant houses or without people the land is utterly desolate the Lord has removed men far away and forsaken places are many in the midst of the land then God gives a little bit of Hope talks about the remnant in verse 13 yet there will be a tenth portion on in it it will again be subject to burning yet like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled the holy seed is its stump the people of Judah were like their former king uzziah they disobeyed the Lord and the Lord had judged their King Uzziah because he wouldn't repent and now God says like Shepherd like sheep the Sheep or rebellious and I'm gonna take them down I'm gonna spare a little stump about a tenth I'm gonna keep a remnant just like in earlier days when the Elijah said Lord I'm the only one you got left he said no I got seven thousand and haven't bowed the knee to bale God's always got a remnant Isaiah's mission was tough but he was available for service I wonder can you say to God today can you hear the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send who will go for us notice the plurality there Father Son and Holy Spirit right there in the Old Testament plural will you say to God Here I am send me you see with God you got to sign a blank check and hand it to him and said anywhere you want me to go whatever you want me to do even if it doesn't make sense private gains reporting for duty and all you do is say yes sir and you do what he tells you to do even if it's hard even when other people puts you down even when you get talked about even if it's tough you're available for service now you say how does they have turn out oh really good really good no other prophet in the Old Testament saw Jesus as clearly as Isiah did after verse chapter 6 he didn't have any visions before chapter 6 compared to what he had after chapter 6 go to chapter 7 and he saw the virgin birth Isaiah 7:14 therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son and will call his name Emmanuel he saw Emmanuel he saw God with us he saw the virgin born son of God before anybody ever even knew what that was about he saw Jesus as the King of Kings go to chapter 9 verses 6 or 7 a child will be born to us a son will be given to us the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God Eternal Father Prince of Peace there will be no end to the increase of his government or peace on the throne of David over his kingdom to establish it to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on it forevermore the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this he saw the virgin birth of Jesus he saw the kingly Jesus he saw the atoning death of Jesus Isaiah 53 is the Holy of Holies of the entire Old Testament the Bible says in Isaiah 53 verse 1 who has believed our message to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed where he grew up is talking about Jesus before him as a tender shoot and like a root out of a parched ground he has no stately form or Majesty that we should look upon him nor appearance that we should be attracted to him he was despised he was forsaken of men he was a man of sorrows he was acquainted with grief talking about Jesus and like one from whom men hide their face he was despised he did we did not esteem him surely our griefs he himself bore our sorrows he carried yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken smitten of God and afflicted but he was pierced through for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the chastening for our well-being fell upon him and by His stripes by his scourging we are healed all of us like sheep are gone astray each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him he was oppressed he was afflicted yet he didn't open his mouth he was like a lamb that has led to slaughter he's like a sheep that is silent before it's Shearer's so he did not open his mouth by oppression and judgment he was taken away and as for his generation who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due right there is the prophecy of Jesus dying on the cross for you who saw that the man who saw God high and lifted up and then and then he saw Jesus was going to be buried Isaiah 53 verse 9 his grave was assigned with wicked men and he was with a rich man in his death because he had done no violence nor was there any deceit in his mouth but that's not all Isaiah he saw his virgin birth he saw him as sitting on a throne king of kings lord of lords he saw him born of a virgin he saw him die on the cross he's saw him buried but are you ready for this Isaiah saw Jesus rise from the dead stand up and read this with me [Music] notice all the Wills he starts pointing to this Messiah who's going to die he will do this he will do that what's that he's going to live he's going to rise from the dead but the Lord read it with me but the Lord was pleased to crush him putting him to grief if he would render himself as a guilt offering he will see his offspring that's us by the way he will prolong his days and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand as a result of the anguish of his soul he will see it and be satisfied by his knowledge the righteous one my servant will justify the many how many of you justified today hallelujah glory to God you've been justified just as if I had never sinned I like that here we go go back to it as we he will bear their iniquities therefore I will allot him a portion with the Great and he will divide the booty with the strong because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors yet he himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressors aren't you grateful to God aren't you grateful to God aren't you grateful to God [Applause]

Channel: Bellevue Baptist Church

Views: 856

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: lSDGXXe_x2E

Length: 39min 27sec (2367 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 17 2018