Worship Comes from a Humbled Heart

James 4:10

*Begin class by showing them a pair of my worn out shoes*

How much money do you think these shoes are worth?

How much money would you be willing to pay for these shoes?

*Show the class a picture of Michael Jordan’s 1984 Nike Air Ships*

These shoes were worn by the one and only Michael Jordan. He wore them during his rookie season in 1984 for the Chicago Bulls. These shoes are well worn, just like mine, they have scuffs and discolorations just like mine. If we could smell them, they probably would smell just as bad as mine. Yet, how much do you think these shoes are worth? They sold for $1.47 million!

My shoes are not worth the same amount that I paid for them, if anything at all. Yet Michael Jordan’s shoes are worth much more than what he originally paid for them. Why is that?

Depends on who you ask: Some would say “theyre both just old used shoes and they are both equally worthless”, while the person who paid that money for the shoes would tell you differently. The difference lies in that fact that someone WANTED those shoes so badly they were willing to dish out that money for them. The value came not from the shoe’s themselves, but in what the person was willing to pay for them.

Lets keep this illustration in mind. Together, were going to look at a couple of accounts in the Bible that will show us how something very similar is true about our worth, in light of our relationship with God.

Lets refresh our memories as to what worship is “any action or attitude that expresses praise, love, and appreciation for God”

Here is what is undeniably true; your perspective of something determines your action or attitude toward it. For the man who purchased the shoes, his perspective was that he could have a one-of-a-kind item that was previously owned by arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and so, his action (spending $1.47 million) followed his perspective. To him, it was worth it; it was an appropriate response. As we discuss worship today, we’re going to see how perspective and posture go hand-in-hand. If our perspective of God is accurate, our posture toward God will be appropriate.

Now, when we use the word “posture” in this context, we’re not talking about a body posture, like the way someone slouches when they sit or holds their shoulders back when they walk. The kind of posture we’re talking about is the posture of our hearts. So, we are really talking about the attitude of your heart. Remember, “worship” is “any action or attitude that expresses praise, love, and appreciation for God.”

In today’s lesson we’re going to learn that in order to have an accurate view of who we really are, we have to see ourselves in light of Who God is and who He says we are. We will find that the way we see ourselves actually shapes the way we worship God because our perspective and posture go hand-in-hand. But we will begin this lesson the same way we began the first lesson of this series. Let’s see if we can see God for Who He truly is.

I. Seeing God for Who He Is

We come to the story of Job. And His story can teach us about having the proper perspective of God. Job was a righteous man, and he lived righteously, but for reasons that Job couldnt understand, God allowed some really bad things to happen to him.

Job lost everything: his kids, his wealth, his house, his health, etc. But even then, he continued to worship the Lord. But there came a point when Job began to do what any one of us likely wouldve done… he began to question the Lord. Job began to feel like God owed him some sort of an explanation for what was happening in his life

After Job presented his questions to God, God did something unexpected. Instead of answering Job’s questions, He began questioning Job. The reason why God was doing this was to get Job to see God for Who He really is, because when we see Him for Who He is, it produces specific results.

A. It Exalts Our View of God (Job 38:1-11)

God continues His line of questioning for 4 whole chapters

What God was really asking Job was this “can you do the things I do?” “ Do you understand the same way that I understand?”

by the end of the questions Job realized he had nothing left to complain about; God was so much bigger than him and could do what He wanted. Job’s view of God was exalted and his posture changed

B. It Humbles Our View of Self (Job 42:5-6)

When God was finished with His questioning of Job, Job had the chance to respond.

When Job saw God for Who He really is, it led Job to repentance.

Repent means “to change your mind and purpose”

Job realized God was bigger and greater than he couldve ever imagined

Job’s change in mindset led to a change in posture. His response proves that perspective and posture go hand in hand. He took on a posture of humble adoration in light of his elevated perspective of God

II. Seeing Ourselves for Who We Are

Isaiah 6:1-5.

Isaiah, like Job, had the opportunity to see God. This event in Isaiah’s life gave him a perspective that radically changed his posture.

When Isaiah saw the Lord in all His glory, it caused Isaiah then to see himself for who he really was and it caused Isaiah to cry out “woe is me!”

Why? because in light of seeing God for Who He is, it caused him to see himself for who he is.

Like Isaiah, when we begin to see the Lord for Who He is, it changes our heart posture as it causes us to see ourselves for who we are

A. It Makes Us See Our Sin (Isaiah 6:6-7)(Romans 3:23)(1 John 1:9)

In light of God’s holiness, Isaiah saw his own sinfulness, and his need for forgiveness and cleansing of that sin.

When Isaiah acknowledged his own sin, he was able to humbly acknowledge his hopeless estate

But it doesnt end there, praise the Lord. Because even though he saw his own sinfulness, he also saw God’s mercy that was willing and able to cleanse him and purge him of sin

He confessed his sin, and he was forgiven and cleansed, and then purged of his sin. But then it also changed the direction of his life

B. It Calls Us to Service (Isaiah 6:8)

After seeing God in all His glory, and confessing his sin, it caused Isaiah to renew his commitment and obedience to the Lord

Isaiah lived out the rest of his life in humble obedience and adoration for the Lord

When you see God for Who He truly is, you will WANT to serve Him

III. A Humble Heart is Ready for Worship

to worship God, it must begin with a proper perspective

A. Worship Requires Proper Perspective (Psalm 8:3-4)(2 Corinthians 5:21)(Romans 5:7-8)

as we saw with Job and Isaiah, when we see ourselves in comparison with the God of the Universe, we see that we are pretty insignificant at face value

Psalm 8:3–4 KJV 1900

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

at face value the shoes are the same, theyre both used and nasty. But the Jordan worn shoes were worth so much more because the person who bought them was willing to pay that price for them. The purchaser SAW the value in them and paid what HE was willing to pay

In the same way, The God of the Universe, even before we were born, saw value in us in the way He was willing to pay the ultimate price in order to have a relationship with us

At the end of the day, our value is not wrapped up in what we’ve done or who we are, it is found in what the Lord was willing to PAY for us. His own very life!

When we understand Who God is (holy), and Who we are (sinners), and what He was willing to do to have a relationship with us, it will naturally cause our hearts to have a posture of worship!

B. Worship Requires Humility (James 4:10)

a Humbles heart is one that is ready and able to worship God as He requires

Job and Isaiah’s worship of God was always preceded by humility of self

C. A Humble Heart Surrenders to God (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:1)

we bring God the most glory by making ourselves available to Him to be used by Him

This is one of the main reasons God saved us, so that we would serve Him and do good works

When we offer our lives to God to be used for whatever He wants, this is an act of worship that brings God the most glory! Our good works ARE acts of worship!

Reflecting on what God has done for us is the greatest motivator to serving Him

Conclusion

Let us see God for Who He is. He is a big God, a Holy God, and a Loving God

This will cause us to see ourselves for who we are - wicked sinners deserving of judgment, but yet God had mercy on us

Humbly surrender to whatever God wants to use your life for!

If we do all of these things, it will bring out hearts into a proper posture of worship unto Him!