Sunday, February 19, 2017, we continued our “Micah: Heart of God” series and pursued this Big Picture Question.

Big Picture Question:  How can we be transformed by worship?

And we looked at Micah 6:6-8 for our answers…

Micah 6.6“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

We answered our question in this way…

Big Picture Question:  How can we be transformed by worship?

• Ask the Question
• Listen to God
• Obey

Our first answer…

Ask the question.

The people of Micah’s day ask their question to God in light of their oncoming judgment.  They at first ask if God wants the requirement of the law.

6 Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Then they ask if God wants even more that what He required.

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

And finally, they fall into the realm of the ridiculous.

7b Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

Friends, if you want to be transformed by worship, we must ask God to do it for us.  We don’t have to offer our works or our efforts.  They always fail.  We must ask God to transform us.  “God, will you transform me in worship?”

Listen to God.

8 He has told you, O man, what is good;

If we want to be transformed in worship, we have to listen to God because He has told us what to do.  Where can we listen to God?  3 places.

God speaks to us in the scriptures.

God speaks to us in our prayers when our prayers are consistent with the scriptures.

And God speaks to us in worship services that faithfully preach the scriptures.

Anywhere else is suspect and more than likely wrong.  Our part in worship transformation is to place ourselves underneath the scriptures.

Obey.

8b and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

God requires 3 outcomes of us as we are transformed in worship.  If these 3 things happen, we will know if we are transformed.  They don’t cause us to be transformed.  They are the result of being transformed.  If we are transformed in worship, we will…

Do justice – stand up for those who are wronged and stand against that which is wrong.

Love kindness – we will do justice in kindness.

Walk humbly before God – we will do all of these things knowing that God has blessed us as we don’t deserve any of this.

Big Picture Question:  How can we be transformed by worship? 

Truth:  When you ask God how to worship Him, you will be transformed and more greatly be able to obey Him.

Application:  Live knowing that God will transform you in worship so that you will be able to seek justice for others through love kindness and humility.

Action:  Leave this worship knowing that God will use all that has happened here to enable you to be an agent of mercy, love, and humility to someone this week.