Because He Is Worthy
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Sing MAJESTY (hymnbook, No. 10)
I wonder if you understand what a blessing it is for us to come before God in worship together this morning.
I wonder if you understand what it means to have direct access to the creator of the universe through Jesus Christ.
I wonder if you can recognize how awesome it is that He who spoke into existence light and life itself now uses His voice to call followers of Jesus, “friend.”
I wonder if you realize how special it is for we who’ve turned to Jesus in faith to come to God as adopted sons and daughters and call Him, “Father.”
I think we often tend to take these things for granted. We blaze through our daily Bible readings — if we even do them — in a hurry to get to the next task of the day.
We come together in worship thinking about what we’ll do when we leave. We lift up brief prayers when we’re in distress, forgetting that, like any friend, God wants us to talk to Him in the good times AND the bad.
Sometimes, we think about God the same way we’d think about the best friends we rarely see because they live so far away, forgetting that He lives WITHIN believers in the person of His Holy Spirit.
Following Jesus Christ in faith isn’t about following a bunch of rules. It’s not about being a better person, although that surely should be what happens as we walk with Jesus in the Spirit.
At its core, the Christian faith is about a relationship with God in Christ Jesus. It’s about trusting in His goodness and His love.
It’s about being declared righteous not because of anything WE’VE done, but because of what JESUS did at the cross.
And it’s about the hope we have for eternal life — life everlasting in the presence of and in fellowship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It’s about the confident assurance we have through Christ’s resurrection that one day, we will become what we were made to be.
These things are quite wonderful and very personal. This feels like the kind of relationship we might have with our closest friend, the kind of relationship we might have with a good Father.
But I wonder if you’ve ever thought how astonishing it really is that the God who calls you friend and wants us to call Him “Father” is ALSO the God of all glory and majesty.
When I think about these things in light of the fullness of His majestic glory, I’m stunned by HIs goodness and grace.
And when I read about what worship looks like before the throne of heaven, I’m humbled and amazed that God would desire a personal relationship with ME.
Listen to the Apostle John’s description of the vision he had of heaven, from Revelation, chapter 4:
5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Now, there’s some strange imagery going on here, and we’re not going to dig into the details today. What I want you to see this morning is the absolute and unrestrained worship of God at His heavenly throne.
The ones around God’s throne give Him glory and honor and thanks. They continually call out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” They fall down before His feet. They cast their crowns before His throne.
They worship His majesty. He is worthy of their worship. And he’s worthy of ours.
Let’s lift up our voices this morning in gratitude to the one who is high and lifted up; to Him who is Holy, Holy, Holy and yet is a friend to sinners.
Sing GRATITUDE
Gratitude
By Brandon Lake
All my words fall short;
I got nothing new.
How could I express
All my gratitude?
I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end,
And You never do.
So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
'Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it's not much,
But I've nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
I've got one response;
I've got just one move.
With my arms stretched wide,
I will worship You.
So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
'Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
And I know it's not much,
But I've nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
So come on, my soul,
Oh, don't you get shy on me
Lift up your song
'Cause you've got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Oh come on, my soul.
Oh, don't you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you've got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Come on, my soul.
Oh, don't you get shy on me
Lift up your song
'Cause you've got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
So I throw up my hands,
Praise You again and again
'Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
And I know it's not much,
But I've nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
What could we possibly have to offer the God of the universe? We don’t have anything He needs, because He doesn’t need anything. What could we possibly DO to impress Him who created us and everything else?
All we can do is to bring Him our humble hearts singing Hallelujah! All we can do is to praise Him and bless His name.
Sing BLESSED BE YOUR NAME
Blessed Be Your Name
By Beth and Matt Redman
Blessed be Your name,
In the land that is plentiful,
Where Your streams of abundance flow,
Blessed be Your name.
Blessed be Your name,
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness,
Blessed be Your name.
Every blessing You pour out I’ll
Turn back to praise,
When the darkness closes in, Lord,
Still I will say,
“Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name!
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious name!”
Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me,
When the world’s all as it should be,
Blessed be Your name.
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering,
Though there’s pain in the offering,
Blessed be Your name.
Every blessing You pour out I’ll
Turn back to praise,
When the darkness closes in Lord,
Still I will say,
“Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name!
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious name!”
You give and take away,
You give and take away,
My heart will choose to say,
“Lord, blessed be Your name!”
You give and take away,
You give and take away,
My heart will choose to say,
”Lord, blessed be Your name!”
Every blessing You pour out I’ll
Turn back to praise,
When the darkness closes in Lord,
Still I will say,
“Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name!
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious name!”
“Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name!
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious name!”
1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who is enthroned on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people.
9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!
Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high and yet HUMBLES Himself to have fellowship with us?
Each week we come together here to worship the God who came to us in human flesh as Jesus, His unique and eternal Son, heaven’s prince and earth’s true king.
When He came to us, though, He came not as royalty, but as a servant. He fed the hungry, He healed the sick, and He taught the spiritually ignorant.
He showed us in His words and His deeds the very character of God. His life, His death, and His resurrection all reveal God’s glory to us.
It’s the same glory we saw in that passage from Revelation, chapter 4. In the incarnation, though, His glory isn’t revealed in majesty, but in humility.
It’s revealed in the humility of a divine Son operating in perfect obedience to His heavenly Father. It’s revealed in the humility of Master and Lord, kneeling before His disciples to wash their feet.
It’s revealed in the humility of the spotless Lamb of God taking upon Himself the shame and guilt for our sins so that we who turn to Him in faith can be saved and forgiven.
It’s revealed in the humility of the Righteous One asking God to forgive those who were murdering Him.
It’s revealed in the humility of a king who came riding into His capital city not on a great warhorse, but on the back of a donkey.
In a few days, the people of Jerusalem would be shouting, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” But on this day, they were shouting:
38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
We couldn’t be there with them on that first Palm Sunday, but we can still shout praise to the King who came to give His very life for His people.
Sing SHOUT TO THE LORD
Shout to the Lord
By Darlene Zschesch
My Jesus, my Savior,
Lord there is none like You,
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength,
Let every breath, all that I am,
Never cease to worship You!
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing-
Power and majesty, praise to the King!
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of your Name!
I sing for joy at the work of Your hand,
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In You.
My Jesus, my Savior,
Lord there is none like You,
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength,
Let every breath, all that I am,
Never cease to worship You!
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing-
Power and majesty, praise to the King!
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of your Name!
I sing for joy at the work of Your hand,
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In You.
Nothing compares to the promise I have —
Nothing compares to the promise I have —
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
NOTHING compares to the promise we have in Christ Jesus. But what IS that promise?
We tend to focus on the promise of eternal life, with a particular emphasis on the word “eternal.” But that’s not how the Bible presents it.
When this term appears in the New Testament, the emphasis in the Greek is normally on the word “life.”
Eternity isn’t the question. We were all made for eternity, whether saved or lost. Every one of us has a soul that will never die, and every one of our bodies will one day be raised from the dead and rejoined with those souls.
The question is what you’ll be raised TO: to the eternal judgment of those who’ve rejected Jesus or to the eternal love of Him who gave Himself as a sacrifice to pay the price we owe for our sins.
To eternal separation from God or to eternal fellowship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To an eternity of brokenness and pain or to an eternity of peace and joy.
Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah describes eternity with God in chapter 31 of the Book of Jeremiah:
33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
THIS, folks. This is the promise we have in Christ Jesus. And no matter what you accomplish in this life — No matter what you become in this life — Nothing compares to what God has in store for followers of Jesus. THIS is what you were made for.
Sing MADE FOR MORE
Made for More
By Josh Baldwin
I know who I am ‘cause I know who You are
The cross of salvation was only the start
Now I am chosen, free and forgiven
I have a future and it’s worth the living
I wasn’t made to be tending a grave,
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again,
I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way?
I know I am Yours,
And I was made for more
I know who I am ‘cause I know who You are
The cross of salvation was only the start
Now I am chosen, free and forgiven
I have a future and it’s worth the living
‘Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave,
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again,
I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way?
I know I am Yours,
And I was made for more
Hallelujah, You called out my name,
So I’ll sing out Your praise
Hallelujah, You buried my past,
And I’m not going back
‘Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave,
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again,
I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way?
I know I am yours,
And I was made for more
I wasn’t made to be tending a grave,
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again,
I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way?
I know I am Yours,
And I was made for more.
We chase so hard after all the things this world offers us. We have ambitions for careers and families and all the other things that fill our mortal lives.
And there’s nothing wrong with having ambitions for our lives on this earth. God called us to be fruitful here, and he wasn’t just talking about having lots of babies.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with ambition. But what if your greatest ambitions were to learn to love Jesus more fully, to learn to trust Him more completely, to learn to follow Him more closely?
If those were your greatest ambitions, you might be surprised at how quickly the other things in your life began to fall into place.
What if we lived the way Jesus called us to live in these opening lines from His Sermon on the Mount?
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
What Jesus is describing here is the blessedness of those who recognize they’re spiritually bankrupt, that there’s nothing we can do to earn God’s favor.
He’s describing those who are desperate for righteousness, lacking, as we do, any righteousness of our own. He’s describing the lives of those who reflect His character, which is the same as the character of God.
He’s describing the blessedness of those who’ve given up the throne of their lives and invited Him to reign there, instead.
He’s describing the blessedness of we who understand that He alone brings true meaning to our lives and that in Him alone can we find true fulfillment.
So, BE ambitious. But be MOST ambitious for Jesus and for a closer walk with Him. Nothing else comes close to that in significance. He IS our all in all.
And that brings us right back to where we started — praising Him because He is WORTHY of all praise, WORTHY of all honor, WORTHY of all glory.
Sing YOU ARE MY ALL IN ALL
You Are My All In All
Dennis Jernigan
You are my strength
When I am weak
You are the treasure
That I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jew'l
Lord to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Taking my sin
My cross my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Prayer
Just a Closer Walk (564)
