Touching Heaven, Changing Earth: Pastor Dave Guteras on Worship, Prayer, and Real Transformation
Good morning, PLC. As Pastor Andrew mentioned, my name is Dave Guteras, and I serve as your Care and Missions Pastor here at Passionate Life Church. It’s a privilege to minister to you, and I want you to understand something personal right up front: this is what I’ve given my life to. I walked away from my corporate career to pursue what God has called me to do, and I’m grateful to stand in this moment with you.
This message—“Touching Heaven, Changing Earth”—was born in an unexpected place. I was in an airport in Detroit on my way to Africa when I sensed God speak to me: write this sermon, but not for Africa—write it for Passionate Life Church. I did preach it overseas, but I knew it was meant for our house. My heart is simple: I want to preach what God wants, not what I want.
What I’m after today is not church as usual. It’s not another religious routine, another emotional moment, or another Sunday you “attend.” What we need is a genuine touch from God—because without that, we’re not strong enough, smart enough, or wise enough to create the kind of change our lives and our world actually need. We can move the needle a little in our own strength, but the kind of change that transforms hearts, breaks bondage, and turns people toward Jesus comes from connecting to a holy and living God. I said it plainly in the message: we don’t have enough earthly wisdom to effect massive change in the earth—real change happens when we connect to Him.
This is why I titled this message “Touching Heaven, Changing Earth.” If we want to see real impact in our lives, in our city, our county, our state, and our nation, then we need a transformation that starts in God’s presence. We don’t just need religion. We don’t need a fad or a temporary feeling. We need the Spirit of God to touch us so that we can touch earth.
Isaiah 6: The Kind of Encounter That Changes Everything
We’re looking at Isaiah chapter 6, and I want to slow down enough that we don’t miss what’s happening. It’s easy to read Isaiah’s vision and think, “That’s a cool story,” but in that story, God is doing something powerful and personal in Isaiah’s life. When you read the rest of Isaiah, you see the impact God had through this man. And what I want you to see is where it began: it began in worship, and it began in prayer.
Isaiah was standing at a critical point in his nation’s history. King Uzziah had just died. There had been 52 years of prosperity and peace, and then suddenly everything felt uncertain. Historians tell us there was concern about what would come next—would peace continue? would prosperity remain? And Isaiah is ministering in that kind of environment. He has some level of effectiveness, but then he has a moment with the living God that changes him, deepens his calling, and shifts what God does through his life.
Isaiah 6:1–4 describes what he saw: the Lord high and exalted, seated on a throne, the train of His robe filling the temple, seraphim calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty,” and the whole place shaking as the temple filled with smoke. That shaking matters. That is not “religion as usual.” That is heaven touching earth.
And I said this in the sermon because we need it now: we don’t need church as usual. We need the ground to shake in the sense that God’s presence comes in power and changes people.
The Power Source: Why We Need God to Speak Through Us
As a pastor—and even just as a Christian—there are times I sit with people in real pain: grief, sickness, fear, confusion, relational breakdown. And I’ve learned this the hard way: my words alone aren’t enough. My advice alone can do more harm than good if it isn’t led by the Spirit of God. That’s why, if I know you’re coming to my office, the first thing I do is get on my knees and pray. I say, “God, my advice will ruin their life. My words will ruin their life. Please speak to me. Give me what I don’t have.”
Because what changes lives isn’t my personality or my intelligence. What changes lives is the Spirit of God speaking to you and working in you.
I told a story in the message about trying to change a light bulb and getting shocked because I didn’t turn the power off. And yes, it’s funny now—but it made the point. If you want power, you have to be connected to the power source. If the power is off, nothing is happening. That’s spiritual too. You can’t speak life into people, you can’t minister, you can’t truly affect change, unless you are connected to God through worship and prayer.
That’s one reason we worship the way we do. Worship isn’t karaoke. If you want to sing just to sing, there are plenty of places to do karaoke. We worship because it connects us to God’s presence—and that is where real change happens.
Worship in the Storm: What God Did in Me
This isn’t theory for me. A couple months ago, I lost my corporate job. Many of you know that. And when you’re in a season like that—where something you’ve relied on feels like it’s being pulled away—your mind can start racing. Fear can rise. Uncertainty can take over.
But I began to pray. I began to worship. I began to say, “God, I see my situation, but I’m going to praise You regardless.” I started waking up thanking God for what I did have: a job that day, food on the table that day, breath in my lungs that day. And something changed in me. My outlook shifted. My spirit strengthened. The situation didn’t instantly resolve, but my heart was being transformed as I stayed connected to God.
If you’re walking through a difficult season, anchoring yourself in truth matters. Meditating on passages like these healing scriptures can help realign your heart with God’s promises.
That’s one of the core truths of this message: you may not be able to control every circumstance, but you can control whether you stay connected to the power source.
Isaiah’s Turning Point: Repentance, Cleansing, and Calling
Now look at what happens next in Isaiah 6:5–8. Isaiah responds to the holiness of God with honesty: “Woe to me… I am a man of unclean lips.” He recognizes he is not standing in front of a casual God—he is standing in front of the King, the Lord Almighty.
Then the seraphim takes a live coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s mouth, and declares, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.” That is powerful. Isaiah is cleansed in the presence of God. And then comes the question that matters for every one of us: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah’s response is immediate: “Here am I. Send me.”
Here’s what I want you to see: worship brought Isaiah into the presence of God, the presence of God exposed what needed to change, repentance and cleansing made the way, and then Isaiah was positioned to respond to God’s call.
If you want God to use your life, if you want real transformation, it starts right there—in worship and prayer, in surrender and cleansing, in a heart that can say, “Here am I.”
What It Looks Like When God Uses You
I also shared something that happened in Africa to illustrate this reality. I was praying in my hotel room, asking God for words of knowledge—not so I could look impressive, but because I wanted God to move. During worship, God spoke to me about a young man I didn’t know. I called him out and spoke what I felt God gave me, and that young man fell down weeping before the altar. The whole atmosphere shifted.
I’m not telling you that to glorify me. My point is this: when you touch heaven, earth changes. When you’re connected to God, He can speak through you in ways you could never manufacture.
And the truth is, this isn’t reserved for pastors. Christians desperately need the Spirit of God in daily life. Whether you’re praying for someone at an altar, speaking to your kids, navigating conflict at work, or sitting across from family members who resist the gospel, you need God to give you the words. You need God to guide you. You need heaven’s wisdom.
Four Practical Ways to Touch Heaven and Change Earth
Near the end, I gave practical steps—things you can actually live out.
Worship With Expectation
Don’t come to worship as a routine. Worship believing that God will meet you. Worship not only because He is worthy, but because you believe this encounter can shift something in your heart and life.
Pray With Authority
Pray about the small things and the big things. I shared personal stories because they reinforced something important: prayer matters. If God cares about what concerns you, then bring it to Him. Your prayers are not pointless. If you need others to stand in agreement with you, submit a prayer request and let us believe with you.
Live With Obedience
When God prompts you, obey—carefully and humbly. Make sure it’s God, not your own will. But if it’s God, do it. Sometimes obedience is as simple as handing someone a card or speaking an encouraging word at the right time. Small acts of obedience can open doors for real ministry. If you’re wondering what your next step is, explore our next steps.
Stay Anchored in God’s Promise
Some of you are holding promises for your family, your children, your future. Don’t let discouragement silence your faith. God is faithful, even when timing is longer than you hoped.
An Invitation to Respond
This is what I want for our church: not church for the sake of church, but a people who touch heaven and change earth. If you’re not right with God, that’s where this begins—surrender. If you are saved but you’re carrying burdens, wounds, or unforgiveness, there are places to respond.
At Passionate Life Church, we’ve created three spaces to help you connect:
You don’t have to do life alone. If you’re in the Littleton area, join us Sundays at 9:00 AM or 10:30 AM at 10393 W Alamo Pl, Littleton, CO 80127. If you need prayer, email passionatelifechurch@gmail.com. Let’s be a people who touch heaven—so earth can be changed.
FAQs
1) What does “touching heaven” mean in this sermon?
It means connecting to God through worship, prayer, repentance, and surrender so His presence transforms you and empowers you.
2) Why is Isaiah 6 such a key example?
Because Isaiah’s worship encounter led to cleansing, then calling—showing the process of transformation and commissioning.
3) Why does worship matter beyond singing songs?
Worship positions us to connect to God’s presence, and that’s where real change happens—not by human effort alone.
4) How does prayer help when I don’t have the words?
The message emphasizes that our wisdom is not enough; we need the Spirit of God to speak through us and guide us.
5) What practical steps can I take immediately?
Worship with expectation, pray with authority, live with obedience, and keep believing God’s promises over your life.
This message—“Touching Heaven, Changing Earth”—was born in an unexpected place. I was in an airport in Detroit on my way to Africa when I sensed God speak to me: write this sermon, but not for Africa—write it for Passionate Life Church. I did preach it overseas, but I knew it was meant for our house. My heart is simple: I want to preach what God wants, not what I want.
What I’m after today is not church as usual. It’s not another religious routine, another emotional moment, or another Sunday you “attend.” What we need is a genuine touch from God—because without that, we’re not strong enough, smart enough, or wise enough to create the kind of change our lives and our world actually need. We can move the needle a little in our own strength, but the kind of change that transforms hearts, breaks bondage, and turns people toward Jesus comes from connecting to a holy and living God. I said it plainly in the message: we don’t have enough earthly wisdom to effect massive change in the earth—real change happens when we connect to Him.
This is why I titled this message “Touching Heaven, Changing Earth.” If we want to see real impact in our lives, in our city, our county, our state, and our nation, then we need a transformation that starts in God’s presence. We don’t just need religion. We don’t need a fad or a temporary feeling. We need the Spirit of God to touch us so that we can touch earth.
Isaiah 6: The Kind of Encounter That Changes Everything
We’re looking at Isaiah chapter 6, and I want to slow down enough that we don’t miss what’s happening. It’s easy to read Isaiah’s vision and think, “That’s a cool story,” but in that story, God is doing something powerful and personal in Isaiah’s life. When you read the rest of Isaiah, you see the impact God had through this man. And what I want you to see is where it began: it began in worship, and it began in prayer.
Isaiah was standing at a critical point in his nation’s history. King Uzziah had just died. There had been 52 years of prosperity and peace, and then suddenly everything felt uncertain. Historians tell us there was concern about what would come next—would peace continue? would prosperity remain? And Isaiah is ministering in that kind of environment. He has some level of effectiveness, but then he has a moment with the living God that changes him, deepens his calling, and shifts what God does through his life.
Isaiah 6:1–4 describes what he saw: the Lord high and exalted, seated on a throne, the train of His robe filling the temple, seraphim calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty,” and the whole place shaking as the temple filled with smoke. That shaking matters. That is not “religion as usual.” That is heaven touching earth.
And I said this in the sermon because we need it now: we don’t need church as usual. We need the ground to shake in the sense that God’s presence comes in power and changes people.
The Power Source: Why We Need God to Speak Through Us
As a pastor—and even just as a Christian—there are times I sit with people in real pain: grief, sickness, fear, confusion, relational breakdown. And I’ve learned this the hard way: my words alone aren’t enough. My advice alone can do more harm than good if it isn’t led by the Spirit of God. That’s why, if I know you’re coming to my office, the first thing I do is get on my knees and pray. I say, “God, my advice will ruin their life. My words will ruin their life. Please speak to me. Give me what I don’t have.”
Because what changes lives isn’t my personality or my intelligence. What changes lives is the Spirit of God speaking to you and working in you.
I told a story in the message about trying to change a light bulb and getting shocked because I didn’t turn the power off. And yes, it’s funny now—but it made the point. If you want power, you have to be connected to the power source. If the power is off, nothing is happening. That’s spiritual too. You can’t speak life into people, you can’t minister, you can’t truly affect change, unless you are connected to God through worship and prayer.
That’s one reason we worship the way we do. Worship isn’t karaoke. If you want to sing just to sing, there are plenty of places to do karaoke. We worship because it connects us to God’s presence—and that is where real change happens.
Worship in the Storm: What God Did in Me
This isn’t theory for me. A couple months ago, I lost my corporate job. Many of you know that. And when you’re in a season like that—where something you’ve relied on feels like it’s being pulled away—your mind can start racing. Fear can rise. Uncertainty can take over.
But I began to pray. I began to worship. I began to say, “God, I see my situation, but I’m going to praise You regardless.” I started waking up thanking God for what I did have: a job that day, food on the table that day, breath in my lungs that day. And something changed in me. My outlook shifted. My spirit strengthened. The situation didn’t instantly resolve, but my heart was being transformed as I stayed connected to God.
If you’re walking through a difficult season, anchoring yourself in truth matters. Meditating on passages like these healing scriptures can help realign your heart with God’s promises.
That’s one of the core truths of this message: you may not be able to control every circumstance, but you can control whether you stay connected to the power source.
Isaiah’s Turning Point: Repentance, Cleansing, and Calling
Now look at what happens next in Isaiah 6:5–8. Isaiah responds to the holiness of God with honesty: “Woe to me… I am a man of unclean lips.” He recognizes he is not standing in front of a casual God—he is standing in front of the King, the Lord Almighty.
Then the seraphim takes a live coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s mouth, and declares, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.” That is powerful. Isaiah is cleansed in the presence of God. And then comes the question that matters for every one of us: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah’s response is immediate: “Here am I. Send me.”
Here’s what I want you to see: worship brought Isaiah into the presence of God, the presence of God exposed what needed to change, repentance and cleansing made the way, and then Isaiah was positioned to respond to God’s call.
If you want God to use your life, if you want real transformation, it starts right there—in worship and prayer, in surrender and cleansing, in a heart that can say, “Here am I.”
What It Looks Like When God Uses You
I also shared something that happened in Africa to illustrate this reality. I was praying in my hotel room, asking God for words of knowledge—not so I could look impressive, but because I wanted God to move. During worship, God spoke to me about a young man I didn’t know. I called him out and spoke what I felt God gave me, and that young man fell down weeping before the altar. The whole atmosphere shifted.
I’m not telling you that to glorify me. My point is this: when you touch heaven, earth changes. When you’re connected to God, He can speak through you in ways you could never manufacture.
And the truth is, this isn’t reserved for pastors. Christians desperately need the Spirit of God in daily life. Whether you’re praying for someone at an altar, speaking to your kids, navigating conflict at work, or sitting across from family members who resist the gospel, you need God to give you the words. You need God to guide you. You need heaven’s wisdom.
Four Practical Ways to Touch Heaven and Change Earth
Near the end, I gave practical steps—things you can actually live out.
Worship With Expectation
Don’t come to worship as a routine. Worship believing that God will meet you. Worship not only because He is worthy, but because you believe this encounter can shift something in your heart and life.
Pray With Authority
Pray about the small things and the big things. I shared personal stories because they reinforced something important: prayer matters. If God cares about what concerns you, then bring it to Him. Your prayers are not pointless. If you need others to stand in agreement with you, submit a prayer request and let us believe with you.
Live With Obedience
When God prompts you, obey—carefully and humbly. Make sure it’s God, not your own will. But if it’s God, do it. Sometimes obedience is as simple as handing someone a card or speaking an encouraging word at the right time. Small acts of obedience can open doors for real ministry. If you’re wondering what your next step is, explore our next steps.
Stay Anchored in God’s Promise
Some of you are holding promises for your family, your children, your future. Don’t let discouragement silence your faith. God is faithful, even when timing is longer than you hoped.
An Invitation to Respond
This is what I want for our church: not church for the sake of church, but a people who touch heaven and change earth. If you’re not right with God, that’s where this begins—surrender. If you are saved but you’re carrying burdens, wounds, or unforgiveness, there are places to respond.
At Passionate Life Church, we’ve created three spaces to help you connect:
- The cross: write a name, a burden, a situation, and leave it there.
- The altar: meet with God personally.
- The prayer cove: pray with people who are prayed up and ready to believe with you.
You don’t have to do life alone. If you’re in the Littleton area, join us Sundays at 9:00 AM or 10:30 AM at 10393 W Alamo Pl, Littleton, CO 80127. If you need prayer, email passionatelifechurch@gmail.com. Let’s be a people who touch heaven—so earth can be changed.
FAQs
1) What does “touching heaven” mean in this sermon?
It means connecting to God through worship, prayer, repentance, and surrender so His presence transforms you and empowers you.
2) Why is Isaiah 6 such a key example?
Because Isaiah’s worship encounter led to cleansing, then calling—showing the process of transformation and commissioning.
3) Why does worship matter beyond singing songs?
Worship positions us to connect to God’s presence, and that’s where real change happens—not by human effort alone.
4) How does prayer help when I don’t have the words?
The message emphasizes that our wisdom is not enough; we need the Spirit of God to speak through us and guide us.
5) What practical steps can I take immediately?
Worship with expectation, pray with authority, live with obedience, and keep believing God’s promises over your life.
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