Authentic Worship
Principles of a Healthy Church • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsWhen it comes to worship, a growing church has dynamic worship that honors Christ and draws the worshiper in with awe and joy. Here at Ubly Christian Church, we desire to have authentic worship so we can become a healthier church.
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Transcript
1 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.
This statement was written by Apostle Paul and given to the church of Rome to exhorted them to live a life full of worship. His hope was for the church to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in truth and in Spirit. To remind them their purpose to honor and praise the God who conquered the grave and gives eternal life to all those who believe and follow his Son.
Yet, do you know what happens to churches that forget their primary purpose for assembling together to worship God? Eventually these cease to exist because, “A silent church becomes a dead church.” That is why in our series, we are discussing the principles of a healthy church. Last week, we spoke about being a church that stands firm on the truths of the scriptures and now I want to steer us towards what does it sounds like to be a church with authentic worship.
For this message, I want to condense the term for “worship.” To shrink it to the context of the gathering of believers. I don’t want worship to only be though of on only singing a few songs, performing a few rituals, and enduring a sermon. Rather worship in the context of Sunday morning gathering should be a time to experience the presence of God, to acknowledged his authority in our lives, and to worship him as our Creator.
To truly have authentic worship we must have those things in mind, because it’s to easy to walk in this building and go through the motions of church. Why do I say that? Because I know from experience as a child. I went to church with a heart not focused on worshipping God and once I left nothing changed. The same applies to us coming together if our hearts are not right with him. Even the Prophet Amos prophesied concerning Israel when they worship God, but failed to live for him throughout the week.
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
And I’m afraid many American churches are heading towards this direction in which God rejects their worship all because they forget the purpose of worship. For this reason I want to take a moment and speak to you on how we can become a healthy church that has authentic worship in which helps us, ‘place the fingerprint of Jesus on the thumb of Michigan.’ Growing into a vibrant church will take time, but if we follow these principles I believe we will get there.
First, we gather for worship to glorify God.
First, we gather for worship to glorify God.
The primary purpose of worship is not to entertain ourselves but to glorify God. We sometimes evaluate a worship service like it’s a performance to be rated. Did you like the song Sarah sang? I thought Austin’s sermon today was about a seven on a scale of one to ten. Who is working on the PowerPoint today they did a great (or terrible) job. We see those on or running the stage as performers in front of the audience. But’s not the purpose of worship.
The scriptures commanded us:
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Most people view worship as through God were the prompter, the leader is the performer, and the congregation is the audience. In reality, the leader is the prompter, the congregation are the performers, and God is the audience. We worship to bring glory God and express our gratitude for his goodness. Our goal is to please him. When we understand that purpose, we’re a lot more likely to walk away saying, “That was great! I hope God knows how much we appreciate him!”
In biblical worship, tow ingredients always seem to be present: a sense of awe and a sense of joy.
(Illustration of meeting the president)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 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. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Authentic worship of God is characterized by both a spirit of aw and a spirit of joy. Sometimes we should feel the power and presence of God so much that we could hear a pin drop in the silence as we remember God’s command, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Sometimes we should be so overwhelmed with God’s grace that we shout for joy. With that in mind, we redirect the focus to the ones doing the worshipping.
Genuine worship inspires the worshipers
Genuine worship inspires the worshipers
(illustration of worship at Novesta)
Do Christians have a right to expect something when they attend worship? I think so. I believe there are four things we should expect from an authentic worship experience.
1) A sense of God’s presence
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Through praising, we get a sense of closeness to him.
2) A conviction of our sinfulness.
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
We recognize our brokenness and humbles our spirits towards God, for he is the only perfect one.
3) A joyful reminder of God’s grace
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Worship brings to a place where we celebrate God’s salvation.
4) The inspiration to serve
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
We enter into worship - depart to serve. But also worship is a tool to help others know Christ exist. I believe that evangelism is a by-product of authentic worship.
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The bottom line is, people are hungry for spiritual things. Ultimately, even the world wants the church to be the church and to own up to who we really are… Everything else - they can get that anywhere. What people want today is God. They want to feel God, to know God… There is no substitute for the presence of God, for the anointing. There’s none! When God is making manifest His presence, people will come and respond to Christ. Maybe the best method of evangelism may be the magnetic attraction of genuine worship.
Lastly concerning worship, we need to
Choose a music style suited to your worshipers.
Choose a music style suited to your worshipers.
Music is a vehicle. Choose the style or styles of music that will help people worship the best. We need the musical styles that will reach the greatest number of people in our culture.
(Illustration of diamond willow ministries and their worship)
Why sing contemporary songs?
God is honored by variety and freshness. God commanded us to sing a new song. Six times in Psalms and twice in Revelation, the phrase “a new song” is mentioned. Many people - especially young people and new Christians - relate better to new songs.
Why sing old hymns?
Many of the ancient hymns are full of doctrine. The hymns keep us tied to other Christians - past and present (nursing home ministry). The hymns are familiar to many of our guest.
Trying to balance musical styles for the sakes of the congregation. Praying for the Spirit to pick out the songs for corporate worship.
When we factor all these in that worship is for glorying God, helps us to inspire the members of Christ’s body and connect to others. The most important thing I want us to walk away from today is..
Wherever there's authentic worship, there's a healthy church.
Wherever there's authentic worship, there's a healthy church.