What is Worship? (2)
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
If someone followed you around for a week and watched what you gave your time, energy, and affection to — what would they say you worship?
Many of us have heard the songs 10,000 Reasons and Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman. This is what he had to say on worship:
“In the end, worship can never be a performance, something you’re pretending or putting on. It’s got to be an overflow of your heart.” -Matt Redman
Worship Defined
Worship Defined
What is worship?
Ina theological context:
Worship is the awed response to the saving acts and praiseworthy character of God. -Lexham Theological Wordbook
But when we are not walking with God as we should, we are still worshiping something, in the end you ultimatly worship what you look towards for worth
Worship is our response to what God has done.
Worship is a lifestyle, not what we do for a few minutes on Sunday morning, it is what our actions say about where we find our worth.
To discuss this I want to look at Romans 12:1-2:
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. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Our worship at it’s heart is a spiritual matter (John 4:24). Paul describes the worship as spiritual. So the way you live your life and the way you worship reflects on the state of your spiritual being.
What you get out of corporate worship is dependent on what you are doing on individual level
We get it backwards often
We treat corporate worship as the thing that should spark our private worship
When in reality our private worship should spark our corporate worship
God sees our heart, you can go through the motions, but if your heart is not in the right place the motions mean nothing
Worship reflects the value we put on God and the state of your heart.
Let’s break down Romans 12:1-2.
Living Sacrifice.
Is a sacrifice alive by the end of the ceremony? No.
So what does it mean to be a living sacrifice? We are to die to self.
That is for us to lay our all before God and say Lord what of mine does not align with your will, removed it and bring me more in align with your will
As we die to self it is a reminder of the fact worship is not about me, but about the Lord
Holy.
Means to be set apart. Their is to be a radicalness about our life
The way we live by faith will seem strange to some, and sadly the words of Shane Pruitt ring true
People have gotten so use to nominal Christians that legit followers of Jesus appear radicalized
Acceptable to God
We should be concerned about what God thinks of us. Others opinions don’t matter.
If verse 1 calls us to present ourselves, verse 2 tells us how — by letting the Word renew and reshape our thinking. True worship starts with transformed minds.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
As we search for what is acceptable, Micah 6 offers guidance on that
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Worship is to be a holy living sacrifice everyday, and when that becomes a reality our corporate worship will be transformed
Corporate Worship
Corporate Worship
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
In several places in the psalms we see wording such as this for us to come together to worship
Why is it important that we come together?
Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Outro
Outro
I was not sure to work this Psalm in this morning so i figured their was no better place than to close with it
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
