More than a Song
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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.”
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I sense an urgency.
Our emotions, our feelings have become the determining factor on what is right and what is wrong.
We are more motivated by fear and anger than righteousness and love.
We have bought into a lie—a worldly idea that life is all about me, myself, and I.
It is so easy to drift away from the presence of a Holy God—and not even know it!
But Jesus revealed that God is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
That our worship is more than a song! It is beyond being entertained!
Our worship needs to be about God!
We need to be a people who love God! Who desire to do and be what God wants us to do and be.
Israel
In the Old Testament of Scripture, the people of Israel often embraced the beliefs and practices of their godless neighbors.
They often turned their hearts away from the Lord.
They exchanged sincere, repentant hearts for empty, meaningless rituals.
Transition
Today, we fight the same temptations.
And too many professing Christians go through the religious motions but have lived their lives for themselves.
They say the believe and worship God, but their actions and activities show a life that acts if God does not exist.
It is faithful living, not one-time religious dees, that the Lord requires.
What did Jesus say:
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
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So, what must we do in order to truly worship God and commit our lives for His Glory?
1. Examine Your Heart.
1. Examine Your Heart.
1 Hear what the Lord says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.
3 “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
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Exposition
The people of Israel are not living as they should. They are not worshipping as they should. They are not loving one another as they should.
Through the Prophet Micah, God invokes a lawsuit against His people.
He calls on His creation to serve as a witness to the evidence of unfaithfulness, unbelief, idolatry, and unholiness.
Micah 6:3 “3 “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!”
In these two rhetorical questions, God is saying: “You treat me as if I have sinned against you! I have done something inappropriate or unsuitable—that I have wronged you in some way!”
However, God’s use of the possessive “my” in verse 3 to identify Isreal as still his people underlines how deeply he cares for them despite their infidelity.
Application
The logical conclusion of all this is that God has done nothing to deserve such behavior.
In fact, he has given far more and treated them far better than they might have reasonably deserved.
Does God have a case against us? Are we more like Israel than we care to admit?
This is what the Scriptures say:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
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Examine your heart!
Take serious inventory of your thoughts, your behaviors, your activities, your attitudes, your emotions—and ANYTHING that does not line up with what God expects from you—REPENT!
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Transition
Once we have examined the condition of our heart, we then need to…
2. Survey God’s Work in Your Life.
2. Survey God’s Work in Your Life.
Listen to what God has to say:
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
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God called Israel to remember—to remember all that he had done for them.
He listed five divine demonstrations of his provision and grace to disprove the accusation that he had harmed or mistreated Israel.
He led them out of Egypt.
He redeemed them from a life of slavery.
He provided anointed leadership in Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
He changed Balak’s intention to curse Israel so that it become a blessing instead.
He protected them in their journey through the wilderness, leading them into the Promised Land.
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.
9 Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
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Application
God has not just called Israel to remember His works—He has called us to remember as well!
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
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Application
We need to remember what Jesus had done and is doing.
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?
13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
There are many benefits in remembering.
Remembering helps us value what God has done and is doing in our lives. It builds in us appreciation, gratitude, and worship.
Remembering helps us in aligning our behaviors and actions with that of Jesus Christ. Remembering helps us be more like Jesus.
Obedience to God.
Loving one another.
Serving one another.
Transition
Another reason to remember God’s work is that is encourages us to…
3. Identify Superficial Behavior in Your Life.
3. Identify Superficial Behavior in Your Life.
6 “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?
7 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?”
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Back in verse 5, Micah 6:5 “5 O my people, remember …that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.””
In verse 6 and 7 we have a series of questions about God’s expectations for his people in light of his righteous acts on their behalf.
The first pair of questions ask about the proper approach to God.
Micah 6:6 “6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?”
In other words, how should God be worshipped properly?
But the next three pairs of questions are rhetoracle—and they escalate in intensity.
Micah 6:6–7 “6 “Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? No!
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? No!
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”” No!
Why is the answer “NO” to these questions.
Even if the religious rites were approved by the law, they could never accomplish atonement if they were not accompanied by a heart seeking to be FAITHFUL to the Lord’s commands.
22 And Samuel said, “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
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Application
Any good thing can be turned into an empty ritual that is devoid of genuine love for God.
We can easily go through the religious expressions of going to church, singing, lifting our hands, giving in the offering, or even teaching his Word.
But without an authentic heart of love and worship to the Lord, our religious efforts are meaningless.
Transition
So, what do we do?
4. Live to Worship God.
4. Live to Worship God.
Micah now gives three positive answers, each in escalating intensity.
8 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?
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A person who has genuinely and faithfully embraced God’s free gift of His grace should exemplify the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
In our Scriptural text (Micah 6:8),
Something to do: Justice!
Proverbs 21:15 “15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”
Proverbs 21:7 “7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just.”
To do justice is often to help someone in need, i.e., to be an advocate for one whose rights are being violated
God is the ultimate just one, as he champions the cause of the widow and orphan and all who are oppressed.
In other words, justice is something that one primarily DOES.
Doing justice means that we are committed to helping those in need!
Something to love: Kindness!
To “love kindness” implies that helping someone in need should occupy a central place in our hearts and affections.
Practicing justice is something we do, but a lover of kindness is something that we are.
We usually do not help others primarily out of a sense of duty but because of a genuine desire to help.
Something to walk: Humility with God!
This is the third and greatest requirement.
Walking or living in humility with God indicates genuine fellowship with God.
To walk with God is to accept his vision and values for life—and to live out that vision and values to the glory of God.
Application
As we walk humbly with God, we begin to love kindness. And when we love kindness we will then practice justice.
In other words, the overflow from a life that is truly following God, loving God, worshipping God, is a life that is merciful and gracious to others—and a life that is a doer of justice.
Conclusion
So, why is this message entitled “More than a Song?”
Because our activities as a Christian can drift away from true worship and toward rituals that have lost their meaning.
We can easily abandon the way of God and exchange it for the way of this world.
We can call wrong right, right wrong, and drift so far away from the truth of God—and we simply do what feels good and satisfies our own interests.
In other words, we equate worship as a song that is in the genre we like, the volume we like, the speed we like.
The words we sing are not the words we do.
Or, worship is nothing more than being entertained!
So, what do we do?
More than a Song
Examine your heart.
Survey God’s work in your life.
Identify superficial behavior in your life.
Live to worship God.
Worship Team: “Heart of Worship”
Prayer Teams
Final Thought and Dismissal
True worship is demonstrated through active obedience to God's commands, prioritizing justice, mercy, and humility over mere ritualistic expressions.
