Spiritual Disciplines 06
Spiritual Disciplines – 06
WORSHIP
Text: Matt. 4:10 & Psalm 95:6
Place Preached - (Mississauga International Baptist Church)
Date Preached - (11/06/03)
Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Introduction:
ILLUS: Have you ever been abandoned by friends? What does God feel like when His people don’t worship Him?
Godliness without the worship of God is unthinkable.
It is possible to worship God vainly. Matthew 15:8-9
I. Worship is Focusing on & responding to God.
A. Observe Worship
In Scripture we can learn by observing scenes of worship.
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Revelation 4:8-11 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,10The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 5:12-13 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
B. Describe Worship
We can also attempt to define and describe this spiritual discipline.
The word comes from an old Anglo-Saxon term “Worthship” – The idea is to magnify or ascribe the proper “Worth” to God.
He is worthy of all the honor, praise and glorifying we can bestow upon Him and infinitely more!!
The more we focus on Him, the more we come to understand and appreciate how worthy He is!
Then we cannot help but respond to Him.
ILLUS: - Just like “breath-taking” scenery causes us to ponder or reflect, so the greatness of God draws us to ponder Him.
This was the prophet’s experience in Isaiah 6:1-5.
It was similar to John’s response to a vision of the glorified Christ.
Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
C. How Do We See the Lord Now?
We are not in heaven yet – I John 3:2
1. He is revealed in Creation
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2. He is revealed in His Word
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
We need to make much of the Bible in both Publ;ic & Private Worship.
3. He is revealed through His Son Jesus Christ
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
The more that is revealed to us, the more our desire to worship Him should overwhelm us.
D. Public Worship
Bible reading and preaching are central to public worship.
They are the clearest and most direct presentation of God in a meeting.
E. Private Worship
Bible intake and meditation are also the heart of private worship for the same reasons as given above.
Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Prayer is our response to God as He is revealed in the Scriptures.
If you are not thinking about God and how His truth applies to your life, you are not worshipping!
REVIEW - Worship is the focus of the mind and heart.
You could be singing and engaged in acts of worship, but your mind is a million miles away & you are not worshipping.
Worship is being preoccupied with God.
II. Worship is done in Spirit and in Truth
John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Now we must have the Holy Spirit within us.
A prerequisite to worship in Spirit and truth is that we have the Spirit of truth!
Without Him worship will not happen.
1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Does not guarantee we always will, but does mean we can.
A. In Spirit
To worship from the inside-out.
Sincere & genuine – or else it is hypocrisy and not worship.
Now worship is not simply emoting, but the heart must be plugged in.
If our feelings for God are dead our worship is dead!!
ILLUS: Duty or Joy? – If a husband were to buy flowers, show affection for his wife, take her out for dinner, do something special for her, but act as if it were his duty or obligation – that would not please his wife!
She is pleased not by his sense of duty, not by the actions only but by his communication of the joy and thrill it is for him to be with her, spending time focused on her.
It is the same with God!
B. In Truth
That is, according to the truth of Scripture!
Worship God as He is revealed in the Bible.
EXAMPLES: He is a God of Mercy / Justice / Love / Holiness / Truth / Wrath etc.
C. The Balance
Spirit involves the heart and the emotions.
Truth implicates the head and the intellect.
We need a proper balance, not an imbalance toward one or the other.
If we lean toward the emotional too much – we will be soft on the truth, led by our feelings.
If we lean toward the intellectual we can become calculated, cold and indifferent to soul-stirring worship.
Spirit and truth are not only non-contradictory they are actually complimentary of each other.
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
QUESTION: Do we stop worshipping if we don’t have the feelings for it?
NO – that is not hypocrisy – Hypocrisy is saying one thing and doing another, not feeling one way and doing another.
Even our best worship is imperfect in ways.
III. Worship is Expected... both Publicly and Privately
Corporate Worship Expected
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Our First Exercise
The discipline of faithful attendance to the services – Make it a Habit!!
Some say “I don’t need the church in order to worship” - WRONG!!
The church is a body – I Cor. 12:12
The church is a building – Eph 2:21
The church is a household (family) – Eph. 2:19
TV evangelists are no substitute for regular church attendance!
No matter how disciplined you are in your private devotional life – you still need to assemble together w/ other believers for public worship.
No matter how fulfilling or regular our public worship experience is we must have a disciplined life of private worship.
Public worship does not excuse us from Private worship, or the other way around.
Our enjoyment of God and His presence is not limited to one day a week.
We need Him daily!
III. Worship is... a Discipline to be Cultivated
Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Worship is both the response of a heart deeply in love with God and a discipline that must be cultivated.
Worship – an end in itself.
There can be no higher goal than having our focus upon God and responding to Him.
Worship – a means to an end
Worship is also a means to an end.
If our focus is on God the more like God we will become.
ILLUS: We become like what we focus upon. Sports stars – Entertainers – Business moguls – The World.
What you are becoming is a good indication of where your focus is, or shall we say where your worship is.
QUOTE – “Man Worships his Work, Work at his Play, and Plays at his Worship.”
Godliness requires disciplined worship.
Not just dry routine, but disciplined growth, learning and cultivating a walk with God.
REMEMBER – Direction takes the Drudgery out of Discipline!!
Conclusion: (Review)
1. Will you commit yourself to the disciplines of daily worship?
Worship is not a one-time-a-week event.
Don’t become unbalanced the other way, by disregarding or minimizing the importance of public worship.
2. Will you put your all into your acts of worship?
Not lukewarm and indifferent – Worship is Soul Work!
Psalms 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Psalms 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
If worship wearies you, you are not actually worshipping! After all, He is worthy of our Best!!