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Apr 29, 2018

Transformational Worship

Transformational Worship

Speaker: Dennis Gallaher

Series: Transformation

Category: Sunday Morning

The key difference between a transformed life and someone who knows about God is worship, and worship is more than just singing songs. So how exactly does worship bring about transformation in a person?

What changes a person’s life? What makes some people faith-filled and others lackluster?

The greatest difference is worship.

Worship is a bending of the knees and the heart. A love act reverently kissing the feet of the One who saves us.

Worship is the pursuit of God on His terms, in His place. Worship is the celebration of who God is. Worship denies the flesh and commands the soul to focus on who God is and what God has done.

We were created to worship; it is the universal need of every human being to worship the God of all creation.

Worship is not the singing of songs, although if you worship, you will sing.

Worship is not raising your heads or falling on your knees, although if you truly worship you will do that and more.

Worship does not require the gifts to be used, the songs of the Spirit, or dancing before the Lord, though all of that and more are outcomes of Spirit-filled worship. 

Worship is the celebration of who God is. 

Opening Scripture:
1 Chronicles 16: 23-34   Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him; worship the Lord in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” Let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord; for He is coming to judge the earth. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

The word “lovingkindness” is one of the most important things you need to know if you are to enter into transformation worship. This word is used over 30 times to describe the character or core essence of our God.

Psalms 103:17   But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children.

Psalms 100:5   For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

Read Psalms 136:1-26. Notice the refrain, “For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

It is not what He chooses, it is what He is. It means to bend or bow down. When we bow and kiss forward, we worship.

God is bending toward us. Worship is not our way. The problem is that you are not bending toward God.

His everlasting lovingkindness is not just a character quality but is God’s position toward those who worship Him.

1 Corinthians 6:19   Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Here Paul is not speaking to an individual, he is speaking to the church. He wants to fill His temple (His church) with His glory. The whole church needs to be present, to be holy, and to lean forward and kiss the One who saves us. The whole church needs to bow our hearts and fulfill our destiny as worshippers of the One true God.

When we do, the glory of God will come down and the everlasting love of God will fill us.