Worshipping Offers Fresh Insight

[0:00] The theme this morning is about fresh insight in worship. And I've had a bit of a fresh insight this week. Because while I was shopping, I found another brand of beans.

[0:15] Now, believe you me, I have been a 57 different variety. You will know the brand. Others are available. And while shopping, I thought, maybe I need some fresh insights.

[0:28] Maybe it was to do with money. Maybe it was I needed a change. But I have found some beans, which in my opinion, are just as good as my 57 varieties.

[0:40] And I just wondered, as we were thinking this morning, as Paul is writing to the people of Ephesus, how many times I have wandered through the shopping mall of worship, still putting the same thing in my basket time and time and time again.

[0:59] It was time for a fresh insight. I don't know what you're like at Fresh Insight. Because as Paul is saying, the reading this morning, and I love this reading.

[1:11] Thanks, Rob. This was great. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you, this is a prayer, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.

[1:29] You see, Paul knows that there is more for them. I mean, I don't know what's gone on before here, but he obviously realizes there's something he wants to encourage them, that there is more and that there is always more.

[1:44] Paul is praying for the spirit of wisdom and revelation to reveal something more for them. You'll find lots of people ready to give you fresh insights, I can assure you.

[1:58] If you put fresh insight into your Google search, you will find some very interesting. Here is one. This is a company who is going to sell you fresh insights.

[2:13] I understand that selecting a person to seek help from is an important choice. Yes, it is. Experience tells me that you will want someone who you feel comfortable and safe with.

[2:26] Yes. Who shows you understanding, patience and respect that you need and deserve. I think they're beginning to stroke my ego now. Okay. Someone who shares in wanting to see you at your best and supports you in getting there.

[2:42] My sessions start from £150 and I recommend that you book 10 sessions. That certainly was fresh insight.

[2:55] You see, Jesus already paid the cost. We know that. It happened on the cross and it happened three days later. So, he offers us a transformational experience again and again.

[3:11] There is always more with him. But I ask, do I need fresh insight? You know, I'm quite happy the way I am. Why do I need this? Because, as we've said, there is always more.

[3:24] When I worship whatever that is, wherever I come to worship him, I ask myself, why do I come? And I come with expectation that the Lord is going to reveal to me something exciting and something new from worship.

[3:44] Whatever shape that might be, whatever shape that might be, wherever that is. To come with a spirit of criticism, to come with a spirit that is anything less, isn't opening us to the fullness of what he wants to bring.

[4:00] When Paul talks about power, it opens us to this fresh view and expectation that we can come and we can receive. That there is still more.

[4:15] Now, I don't know. Have you ever been lost in worship? It's a term that Christians often use.

[4:25] I've been lost in worship lots of times. It's when I've lost myself in the page that everybody else is holding in the book. I don't know whether you've experienced that. You may remember that time when we used to hold books.

[4:39] But I found myself often struggling. I had this thing gripped in front of me, trying to catch up with the page that somebody next to... And then there's the worst thing, that somebody leans over and moves the page for you.

[4:55] Ooh, doesn't that hurt? It's good to be on the right page. So wrapped up in worship. And do you know, what I'm going to ask again, have you ever been truly lost in worship?

[5:10] That place where you are wrapped up in intimacy, wonder, and adoration of the one that we love.

[5:23] You know, we say we come to worship. Why do we come to worship? Surely we come to worship wherever that might be. Because in worship, it offers us fresh insight into a place where we are swept up into his presence.

[5:41] Paul is articulating this very well in his prayer. Do you want to know God better?

[6:03] Some people are nodding their head. We want to worship. We want to know him better. And what better place there is to be lifted together in a place.

[6:17] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. The riches of his glorious inheritance.

[6:27] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. Fresh insights. I was, like many that you have known, I was a hardened, cynical Christian.

[6:44] I was, I thought my brand of denomination, like my beans, was the only one. I hadn't looked beyond myself and God hadn't shown me.

[6:54] And yet sometimes we need to take our eyes off ourselves and look to him in order to receive that fullness of all he has for us.

[7:06] We learn to trust. We learn to know him more. We learn to experience more. To see as Christians, can I suggest that we are very comfortable with good teaching?

[7:18] We are very comfortable with pastoral care. Yet we are less comfortable with the essential element of the transforming, life-giving, life-enhancing, encouraging, empowering, and enabling of the Holy Spirit.

[7:36] Which we come in all its fullness for what he has for us. Paul gets it. He prays for it. Basically, and I prays for it. Be filled with power. Get it.

[7:47] Get fresh insights. Paul says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Is that your experience of worship? I was a chorister for years.

[8:01] I attended church. I was baptized. My heart had grown hardened and accustomed to things earthly. God knows us better than ourselves.

[8:13] I know that many women here were blessed yesterday through a woman's breakfast. Through worship and through prayer. At this very moment, there are 2,000 plus men in a field, very sunny field, near Lechlaid.

[8:30] Many of whom will come to know Jesus for the first time. In worship. God used a moment for me.

[8:42] And I had grown cynical, hard, and not trusting. Worship for me was coming along on a Sunday, doing what I need to, put my brand of beans in.

[8:55] Thanks very much, God. And moving on during the week. Until my son, who was aged eight, came home and said, Dad, can I go on a venture camp? I said no.

[9:08] Because I'd given up trusting anybody, let alone with my son. We had what we called was heavy negotiations between Mandy and I. You know what they are.

[9:20] And she came up with this great formula. And she said, why don't we go as helpers? Then he can go. My idea of babysitting a whole load of eight-year-olds on a week's annual leave was not on my agenda.

[9:37] We went. They were an amazing team. And the idea was this venture that we were going on. It was like a nautical thing, theme. And they had this thing called the engine room.

[9:49] Down in the bowels of this great big public school where we were for the week. And I stood at the back.

[10:00] And the children, I asked the question of God, why am I here? It's a very powerful question to ask God. Why am I here?

[10:13] As the kids sang their song. Those things as你就无 Murder The unexplained Jesus of Jesus on Fox And how do you log on?

[10:34] Who prays and things like us Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Lord For loving things I love I know I know you're loving me today Help me feel your love right now I know you're loving my heart That I'm your special friend To know deep in my heart that you're my special friend I was broke The Lord broke me at the back of that room I was lifted into worship like never before Sometimes the Lord takes us to a different place To show us stuff And I knew that I was loved I was accepted And most of all that there was more Much, much more I broke through the low ceiling of my narrowness

[11:37] Of my prejudice, of my hardened heart And at last I was free There are people here that know that is the truth Because they were there Weren't you Margaret?

[11:48] That was wonderful I got it large And I just thought today for us As we talk about worship And this new experience Maybe this fresh insight That there is more for us And I want to encourage you That there is more for each and every one of us I don't lift my hands in worship Now because for 38 years I held on to a book I lift my hands in worship For the one that I love The one I adore The one for whom I live And because I am free To enter into worship I have a foretaste Of what eternity is going to be like I have a picture We are part of God's new creation I've seen people's lives change dramatically Through worship It's been a blessing It's been a blessing for you to see as well And I just thought really about this ceiling this morning

[12:51] You see This ceiling for us is There Maybe For some of us And that was my ceiling for a long time That's where I was But I realised that the Lord had to take me to a place Where he had to free me In order to let go And I don't know about you For me it was a lot of things For each and every one of us It would be different But I sensed this morning The Lord wants to The words I had this morning Was you for To let go And let him do what he wants to do And so I'm going to offer you this morning To let go And see where it goes Because my ceiling was here Until that amazing day When I asked the question What am I doing here And suddenly it takes on a different perspective

[13:52] Because from there I can see far more As he sees He sees and has shown me And will show in each and every one of us More of what he wants for us And for our heart As we partner with him One of my favourite films Is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory I'm aware that we're going to play football later So I need to come into land Paul says The power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when he raised Christ from the dead And if I were to cut this line We don't know where it's going to go But Willy Wonka In his chocolate factory Had shown Charlie many different things Charlie had broken through Because he didn't have the prejudice He wasn't full of pride He wasn't gluttonous He didn't want everything

[14:53] Charlie was Charlie And Willy Wonka Had one more thing to show him And that was the glass elevator And there's a button on the glass elevator That says up and out I'll just remind you of the clip That I love so much Come on Up and out What kind of room is that?

[15:28] Hold on Oh my goodness We're going to need to go much faster Otherwise we'll just never break through Break through what?

[15:45] I've been longing to press that button for years Well here we go Up and out What do you really mean? Yeah I do But it's made of glass It'll smash into a million pieces You might have missed it But Willy Wonka said I've been wanting to press that button for years I've been wanting to press that button for years This morning is about freedom And fresh insight And I pray As Paul prayed for the Ephesians I pray for us this morning That we would let go That we would have fresh insights That God would break chains That have held us at a ceiling

[16:45] For whatever reason The women's breakfast yesterday They were read Ephesians 3 And from the message God can do anything You know far more Than you could ever imagine Or guess Or request In your wildest dreams He does it not by pushing us around But by working within us His spirit deeply And gently within us Glory to God in the church Today is about fresh insight And I pray for us all That whatever it is That held us at a ceiling That we may receive All that he has for us Immeasurably more Than we can ever imagine