Isaiah 12
Read Isaiah 12:1-6
Transition:
The mission of this church is to: Reach, Raise Up, & Release people to Live the Word of God
What does it mean to live the Word of God?
We have broken it down into four values: Worship, Outreach, Relationships, & Discipleship
The first and foremost of those values is Worship
Westminster Catechism starts with “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”
The Bible actually tells us that we are created to worship God
Is 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name,Whom I have created for My glory;I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
Now worship takes many forms
It is more than just standing here on Sunday singing a couple of songs
But I always say if you can’t stand here and sing on Sundays with like minded people you probably aren’t worshipping him the rest of the week.
Worship has the same root word as Work in the Greek
It is giving worth to something we do or someone we know
It is often said that we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship
We worship God when we praise Him with our mouths, Pray to Him, Obey His Word, and give our tithes and offerings
God wants us to cultivate a life of worship of Him
Why? because he knows if we don’t we will worship others things
The Bible is very clear we cannot worship two masters
That is what Israel has fallen into and it has caused a whole heap of mess
As Isaiah brings this word to the people of Israel he reminds them that one day they will Worship
Judgment and tough times are coming, but one day, worship will be restored
God reminds Israel that he set them apart and they had chased after other gods
But God doesn’t just tell Israel to worship him.
He shows them the benefits of worshipping him
So when we are struggling we can worship God to endure and thrive through it
As we look at Isaiah 12 we see 10 benefits of worship
In That Day vs. 1a
The first benefit of worship is that one day we will stand before Christ and worship
The phrase “In that Day” signifies a significant event: The Day of the Lord
The return of Christ to rule to world
1 Thess 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
We will worship him with thankful hearts
We will be saved from the evil and pain of this current world
We worship because one day we know he is coming back for us
Give Thanks vs. 1b
The second benefit of worship is to give thanks
This one seems obvious but is often overlooked
In the parable of the 10 lepers Jesus heals all of them but only one comes back
It proves the point that we often spend a lot of time praying for God to work in our lives
But we rarely go back and thank him once he does
When we worship it gives us the opportunity to tell God how thankful we are for him
As the Spirit works in our hearts and lives this should start to cultivate a attitude of gratitude
1 Thess 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Anger Removed vs. 1c
The third benefit of worship is to remember that God’s anger has been removed
God’s anger was removed by the cross
Jesus put himself between us and the anger of the Lord
All of humanities sin was placed on His Son and that sacrifice appeased God
God is no longer angry with us and his anger has been turned away by His son Jesus
We need to celebrate this when we worship
We thank God for it and we remind ourselves that God is not angry with us
Ps 27:9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t discipline us, he’s just not angry with us
He does that in a very loving way
Comfort vs. 1d
The fourth benefit of worship is that He comforts us
Worship can be very comforting
When we are going through a rough time worship is the one thing we can turn to that will turn our spirits
I often don’t recognize people when I am driving until they are past me
The reason for that is that I am usually having my own little worship session
It may appear that I am looking right at you but in reality it’s not registering until its too late
It’s in my personal times of worship that God often comforts my soul
I express to him all of my frustrations and he brings peace
When I can’t sleep I will lay in bed mouthing words to worship songs so I can battle the thoughts that attack
God brings comfort through our worship
2 Cor 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Salvation vs. 2a
The fifth benefit of worship is to remind us of His salvation
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that Jesus saved us
This is more necessary the longer we are a Christian because it is only by the Grace of Jesus Christ that we are saved
When we sing of our salvation, when we talk of our need for forgiveness it puts everything in the right perspective
We need to say God is my salvation to remind ourselves that I am not my salvation
We also need to be proud of our salvation and not ashamed of it
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Worship reminds us of where we came from and what God has brought us out of
Our salvation is something that we should proclaim because we were once sinners hopelessly lost and in need of a savior
Express Trust vs. 2b
The sixth benefit of worship is that it gives us an opportunity to Express Trust in Him
So this goes hand in hand with Salvation
To be saved you need to trust the savior
There is a difference between silent trust and expressed trust
Many people silently trust Christ but few verbally express their trust in Christ
As Isaiah speaks here he is expressing his trust not only in salvation but sovereignty
He is trusting God with his whole life and claiming not to be afraid
David was one who expressed his trust better than anyone
Ps 13:5-6 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
We need to be more expressive in our trust of God
This benefits us because we believe it more when we say it
Strength vs. 2c
The seventh benefit of worship is that it actually strengthens us
Is 40:29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Wells of Joy vs. 3
The eight benefit of worship is that we tap into wells of Joy
Rom 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Make Him Famous vs 4
The ninth benefit of worship is that we make Jesus Famous
Ps 145:4-6 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
Exalt Him vs. 5-6
Finally, the last benefit of worship is that we exalt him above everything else
Worship helps us put God above everything
Closing:
