CHURCH FAMILY,
Spiritual Renewal Conference is upon us! Tomorrow we will wake, shower, drink our coffee, get dressed, prepare our kids, and head to church. It’s the Lord’s Day and that is what we as followers of Jesus do…But why? Why is Sunday important? Why should we care about the Spiritual Renewal Conference? While many answers could be given to that question — the primary reason we as followers should value tomorrow and the next few nights is the preaching of God’s Word. One author described God’s miraculous work through His words like this, “we [mankind] create with hands, shovels, and bulldozers. But not God. God creates by speaking. He says, “Be,” and it is.” The Scriptures declare that faith comes through hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). God uses his mighty Word to build faith and propel us forward in our journey with Jesus Christ. Therefore, we as His followers must seek out the spiritually sustaining "bread of heaven."
So how are we to approach tomorrow?
Reverential worship with faith-building expectation!
1) Authentic worship begins with a proper view of God. (Isaiah 6:1-8)
The prophet Isaiah gives us an indication of authentic worship and provides insight into what God expects of His people as they worship Him. In this simple passage, Isaiah experiences a theophany, a vision of the true and living Yahweh. If we are to properly worship God as He would have us to worship him, we must see God as He is. Proper worship begins with a proper understanding of who God is AND who we are in light of this true and living God. In this vision, we see winged creatures are not merely flying or hovering in silence. Rather they call out saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory!” One author rightfully states that “God is defined in the act of worship far more precisely than he is defined by any theology.” One could say that if you want to know what a people believe about their God, watch them worship. Listen to their songs, hear them pray, and see how engaged they are in the presentation of His message. We could also extend this to — see what they would give up. When it comes to the Spiritual Renewal Conference, will you put aside other “priorities” to worship? People will know what we believe about our God by what we worship.
2) Authentic worship leads to the confession of sin. (Isaiah 6:5)
Seeing God on His throne, Isaiah said, “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.” Upon a proper perspective of God, Isaiah automatically saw his sinfulness. When he saw the holiness of His God, he could not understand himself as anything more than a sinner who was undone. The prophet’s repentance was not merely an “I’m sorry,” that can accompany so many “get-off-the-hook” apologies that our children present. This was genuine repentance, not a hasty apology. This was brokenness over the innate sinfulness of our human condition.
3) Authentic worship proclaims the gospel. (Isaiah 6:6-7)
Isaiah recounts, “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.” This scene could be described as an anticipation of the finished work of Christ. This picture of atonement points to the reality that one day, Christ would die for the redemption of His people. True worship points to the gospel and the finished work on the cross encourages us to journey through this life together leading others to follow Him.
So as you prepare tonight for this week’s Spiritual Renewal Conference -- I pray that you will seek this week with reverential worship expecting your faith to be built as you humbly submit to God’s Word!
Sincerely,
Pastor Jordan