Party in the Park (2)

INTRO

Welcome! Glad you came to party in the park! Hopefully everyone knows that after this time of worship you are all invited to our pot luck where we feast on delicious food and you can hopefully stick around and connect with others.

Well this service is an interesting one not just because we are in a park, but because we just wrapped up Galatians and next week we will start our study on the book of 1 John. Which means I get to talk about whatever I want today. oh scary. So, deer hunting, what you need to know first off is… I’m kidding.

Actually after kicking around some ideas and thoughts I was thinking about what to preach and this really small simple question popped into my mind that I thought would be good to discuss this morning.

The question is this: WHY ARE WE HERE? And it is multi layered because you can take this is 1)a person. Why do you exist. 2) Why are we here as believers today? You could be anywhere! But here you are, in a park. or 3) As a church. Why is living Rock church exist? Did we really need another church in Luverne and rock county?

And as I was thinking about this question and the multi layered ways we could take it, the reality is that there is a reason I am here as a person, as a believer, and as a church that answers all of them. But before I share that, why don’t you take 15 seconds to turn to the person next to you and tell them what you think the answer is.

Who wants to share someone else answer? I’m kidding, who wants to share their answer?

Okay so the answer I came up with is this: WORSHIP. Now, before you say classic pastor answer, how did you come up with that?! Let me just ask this question (that you can answer too). What is worship?

Okay, well I keep asking you a lot of questions so before we define worship more, lets talk about how I got to this point to think that the reason I am here, the reason I as a believer and in a community of believers is here, is to worship. Turn with me to 1 Peter 2.

BODY

As you turn there, a little background on the this book of 1 Peter is that it is the apostle Peter writing from Rome to Christians, both Jew and Gentile, who were scattered across Asia. So give the lack of gasping from that statement, either you knew that or you don’t understand how significant that is. Peter, who grew up in Galilee, lived in Jerusalem after Pentecost for a number of years is now writing from Rome to Christians who are not based in Jewish Jerusalem. This is why he starts his letter off as writing to exiles who are not in a familiar place. They are trying to figure out life. Why are they here. Why are they not where they grew up? But more importantly, what does God want them to do in this time that feels uncomfortable.

So Peter shares a lot, but what I wanted to read are some identity statements that he give them so that they can know who they are. Why are they alive. Despite they strange and difficult circumstances of their life, who are they to be as people, as believers, and as churches all throughout Asia.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So he give them 5 identity statements. This is who you are 1)chosen race 2)royal priesthood) 3)holy nation 4)people for his own possession 5) God’s people. Now those are some pretty powerful statements of identity are they not? But if you are familiar with the Word of God, what you know is that Peter is just drawing from language in the old testament for when God called Israel out of Egypt. But even more specifically, for priests who served in the temple daily. He is essentially saying, hey you guys are now the lead worshippers of the temple. This is who you are: Worshippers. But you don’t have to slaughter lambs and goats, because the spotless lamb was slain, his name is Jesus. WE also don’t have to wear any special clothing like the priests because we have been clothed with the righteousness of God. And we also don’t have to wait once a year to be in God’s holy of holies because he has put His Spirit in us to live. So all that being said, if we are a royal priesthood made to worship God. What does that look like?

I think it is easy in our day and age to think of worship of what we are doing now. Gathering, singing, praying. Which is not wrong, its just not they only way. So I want to share with you 6 ways the word worship is used in scripture to help us all understand worship a little bit better so we can all continue to live in a way that is honoring to Jesus.

Definitions of Worship

I wrote out the greek definition of these on your notes so you can have them and so I don’t have to embrace myself with pronouncing all of them.

So let’s look at the first one

Leitourgeō: The original meaning is “to render public service to the state” but in the Bible it was viewed as the public worship service. (Acts 13:2, Rom 15:27, Heb 10:11)

So this is interesting to me because most of us would call a church service “worship” which is correct. However, the reason why we can call it leitourgeo is because we are giving service to the kingdom of God here. and while we are here in this service of the state of God, we are worshipping other ways too. Look at the second one

Eucharisteō: This is giving thanksgiving, adoration, confession (Matt 15:36, Luke 18:11, Eph 1:16)

This is the simple action of thanking the Lord. Could be for food, for a beautiful day, for a good friend, or a mighty move of God. Did you know that when you are a thankful person you are a worshipping person. So the action of saying thank you to the Lord is another way for you to walk in worship. A word that is similar to Eucharisteō and can also happen in the church service or elsewhere is…

Euchomai: Prayer. (2 Cor 13:7, Jam 5:16 )

Whether we are praying in a church service, in a park, with family, friends or wherever you pray, that is worship.

You might be thinking, well no duh. But once again I’m trying to help us in this short time to reframe this idea of worship. That it is an everyday, anywhere, all the time event that you can participate in. It’s your identity. It’s not an option, it is what we are called to do in Christ, to serve him as we serve others with prayer, thanksgiving and service to others.

So now lets look at some other words for worship that might seem over looked or maybe even forgotten.

Sebazoma/Seboma: Inner attitude of respect and sincere belief in the object of worship. (Matt 15:9, Acts 13:43 Acts 18:7, )

The Matthew 15:9 verse that is there is the one where Jesus says to Jewish leaders that Isaiah was right about them when he said that “In vain to these people worship me teaching as doctrines the commandments of man.” In vain these people don’t have a respect and a sincere belief in the object of worship. So you can be singing all you want, sacrificing your time and energy and yet have no actual reverence and belief in the God that you are singing to and serving. This one is the hardest to know if you are actually doing because you can see someone praying, you can hear someone thanking, and you can see someone in a service. But how do you know if there is an attitude of respect? Is it because you wear nice clothes on Sunday? Is it because you are stoic and reserved in your emotions? Or is that just because you are dutch? Just asking for a friend.

I think the way we can know this is if we are also seeing another form of worship in our lives and I’ll tell you that word and then explain what I mean.

Latreuō: Obedience and fulfillment of duties. (Matt 4:10, Luke 2:37, Rom 1:9)

So i know this sounds a little conflicting because isn’t this what Jesus was rebuking the pharisees for? They were being obedient with religious duty but not actually reverent inside? Yes, but they were passionate and obedient to laws that man made not God’s. They had added onto the 684 other laws because they were bored. No! Because they wanted control and didn’t understand that what God was calling them to was surrender. But John tells us in 1 John 2:3-5 that

English Standard Version Chapter 2

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

So if we know him, meaning walk in covenant with him, relationship with him not only will our heart be filled with love for him but also have a desire to obey him. To hear his voice, open the word and worship Him and not our own selfish mindsets or the foolishness of the world. Do you see the outward flow? It’s not a “I have to do all these commandments to show that I know God.” No, it’s I know God, I want to follow his ways! That is worship. And before we know it, as we continue to worship God with reverance and obedience another form of worship starts forming. And this one is the hardest for our mid western, non expressive fleshy mindset. So brace yourself for this next description.

6. Proskuneō: To bow down, prostrate or kiss in worship. (Mat 2:8, John 4:23-24, Hebrews 1:6, Rev 22:9)

Now I know that might be a foreign thing for many of us to bow down of even kiss. But think about the world and the culture that the Bible was written in with kings and rulers who demanded bowing, kissing of the ring as allegiances to them and their kingdom. And here in the Bible there is a call to worship, as believers to bow down in reverence, to bless the Lord with everything in me. To use my body expressions and energy towards this thing that I believe is worthy of worship. I say thing, because strangley enough, many of us are able to worship this way towards other things but when it comes to Jesus we are very resistant. Yet, you were created to worship. We are created to worship with everything in us. And we can say, well its just different for me. Ya, so is resisting sin. So is walking in the kingdom of God compared to the kingdom of the world. I think we should have some concern in our hearts as a community of believers if we are not worshipping in these ways.

CONCLUSION

Because this all goes back to verse 10 of 1 Peter. where it says,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Once we were lost, we were blind, we were dead in our sin if you believe the Gospel of Jesus. But then you and I became God’s people, once we had no mercy and now I have mercy. That should create a desire to worship. To gather together, to pray, to give thanks, to have an inner delight in God with a desire to obey His ways and dare I say it, be expressive about it.

So I lay this before you today as a believer wanting to stir other believers that we have been given a lot in God. We have an identity as believers and as a church to worship. And that will look different at times, but lets make sure our worship is toward God and God alone, amen?