Everlasting Worship

Introduction

Why is it that there are moments when we gather that seem to be more spirit filled?

We all have moments when we felt the presence of God more strongly than other times when we sing songs or praise or when the message just seems to hit different.

But why is it that we can’t experience those things on demand? Bottle it up and drink it when we desire?

I think in large, we have a misunderstanding of worship.

Many of you know I grew up in a small church. Our student ministry here at FBC is much larger than the church I grew up in.

I remember the services we would have in tis small little pentecostal church.

The women would play with rain sticks, kids would run around with flags, people would fall onto the ground, speak in tongues, and share prophetic words with each other.

It was wild… and not something I would deem as a rightly appropriate mode of worship.

Fast forward to high school, I experienced revival like seasons in our church and school where many would come to faith and the services were so powerful, it would bring you to tears...

I have seen many of you experience similar things.

Here is the problem- We usually resort to two things..

Our lack of worship filled experience brings about frustration due to our desire to experience it again...

Or we nominally long for what we experienced but fail to recognize that we not only have an improper view or “worship” but we are also neglecting the sin in our lives that hinder us from acceptable worship as well.

My goal for tonight is to give you a clearer understanding of what worship truly is.

My prayer is that it would play a part in transforming who you are as a follower of Christ.

Worship places the work of God in the center.

In other words, it is not about you, it is not about me, and it is not about us.

It is not measured by crowd size, volume of music, or the amount of hands that are raised.

When we worship, we are being invited to join in with God to be apart of what He was already doing.

Ephesians 2:18 ESV

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

What is God doing that we get to be a part of?

He is redeeming a broken world full of broken people- a people who cannot save themselves from their sin that is sending them into a place called hell, an eternal separation from a great and perfect God.

This is where worship begins.

John 4:23–24 ESV

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Worship is not merely an experience of song and praise- it is the devotion of our life to serving and glorifying God.

We will talk more about this in a second, but this brings us to our second point.

Worship is more than a song.

Did you know that the Bible rarely puts singing songs and praise with worship?

When job worships or the samaritan woman at the well worships, they aren’t tied to music… in fact, the greek word translates as reverence, service, submission, and honor.

In other words, singing to God can be a part of worship, but it was never meant to be the heart of worship!

So why do we sing?

God is a creative God. He is in the business of making something that is new- a new work.

His mercies are new every day. When you wake up and breathe your first breath, that is His mercy upon your life. This is our reason for singing!

Psalm 96:1–4 ESV

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

We must learn that when we obey and rejoice in the Lord through song and praise, we must reorient our minds to remember His mercy and grace.

*Stop and pray.

Worship is constant.

We are never not worshipping.

If it isn’t the one true God, it is the idol in His place.

This means, when you walk into this room or the Sunday morning gathering, you are already worshipping something.

We don’t have to wait for a specific atmosphere or moment....

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

God honoring worship is the natural state of our hearts when we seek to “do all to the glory of God.”

Hebrews 13:15–16 ESV

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Spiritual worship is the intention of glorifying God by living out His truth in service to others and Himself.

When you hang out with friends

when you pray for someone

In your Bible Study

When you greet people

When you do school work

In Song and Praise

Scripture purposely doesn’t speak of specific acts because it is an all consuming action.

Romans 12:1 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Worship points to God’s presence.

God’s Spirit tends to move more evidently when we gather together. However, these aren’t the only times we are worshipping God.

Whether we experience it or not, we are always in the presence of God!

Ephesians 2:6 ESV

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

He is here. He is near. He resides inside of us!

Worship is eternal.

Colossians 3:17 ESV

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Worship is a continual Spirit-enabled response to God’s self-revelation.

It doesn’t require worship.

It isn’t limited to the realm of feelings.

(It can definitely involve both!)

The day we step into eternity, we will always be worshipping… it is eternal.

Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"),[1] is the Japanese artof repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum; the method is similar to the maki-e technique.[2][3][4] As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.[5]

We fail to offer acceptable worship for a number of reasons...

We forgot our brokenness.

We forget our new found purpose.

We forget our value.

We forget who our creator is.