Christian Worship Why Us
Matthew 22:37-38 (NASB95)
37And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the great and foremost commandment.“[1]
The fall of man in the garden to sin changed all of that. Genesis 3 shows us, immediately after the fall, that Adam and Eve, “Heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day … then the Lord God called to man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
In our passage this morning Jesus quotes the “great commandment of the Law” from Deut. 6. It is in this OT passage where we words of obedience delivered to the nation of Israel. These words that Moses share state, “4Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.[2]
This still begs the question, “Why us?” Of course, each of us knows why, don’t we? We say it is because we love God, [or] because He is God. However, there must be more. Do you do it…
· Because we love Him
o We say we worship Him because we love Him
o Although this is true, if it is the only reason, then we worship Him with our emotions
· Because we know Him
o We say we worship Him because we believe in Him
o Although this is true, if it is the only reason, then we worship Him with our intellect
· Because we fear Him
o We worship Him because He commands it
o This might be hard to accept, but Deut 5:8-9 spell it our pretty clear
§ Deuteronomy 5:8-9 (NASB95)
8‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,[3]
§ Only He has the power to show mercy and “lovingkindness to thousands who love [Him] and keep [His] commandments” (vs. 10).
Genesis 1:26-27 (NASB95)
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.[4]
We are created in the image of God. Unlike the rest of creation, we were formed into existence, and not spoken. Likewise, we have received from the Creator “the breath of life” (Gen 2:7). Thus, we were created by God to have fellowship with God.
Why us? Because we are unique from all of creation.
“Ephesians 2:10 (NASB95)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.[5]
In cultic practices, the creator worships the idols he/she creates. Instead of the creator worshipping the created, let’s have the created worship the Creator.
It is what we were created to do. How do you worship Him this morning?
§ Out of love?
§ Out of knowledge?
§ Out of respect?
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[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]Ibid.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]Ibid.