What Matters Most

“We are big on Ministry and small on adoration” - JMAC.

The Preeminent task of a believer is worship - this precedes all courage, hope, and christian discipline.

Tozer: “the missing jewel of the church”

My process for getting here....

Gods pursuit of his worship

Isaiah 48:9-11 ““For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off. “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”

He will be worshipped - Jesus Reigns. …

>> Exodus 20:5 ““You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

Psalm 137:4 “How can we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?” >> Revelation 4 and 5

Isaiah 6:2 “Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”

We watch, wait, and work while he is gone and await his return… BUT HOW.

1. PURPOSED to worship

Deuteronomy 6:13 ““You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.”

John 4:23 ““But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

We want to live for the Lord, not for things.

Luke 10:41-42 “But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.””

How can you be busy and not troubled? Others are trying to stop being busy yet still are very troubled. It’s because you are not worshipping Christ.

2. PRINCIPLES of worship

Worship is the worthship of the one you worship. It is to attribute the worth that he deserved.

John 4:23 spirit and truth

“Worshipping God is the great essential of fitness. If you have not been worshipping…, when you get into work you will not only be useless yourself, but a tremendous hindrance to those who are associated with you.” - Oswald Chambers

>>David’s one thing Psalm 27, intimate fellowship with God. // Paul’s passion… to Know him.

3. PREREQUISITES of worship

Revelation 4:10-11 “the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.””

Submission

(Supremacy & Sufficiency) None other should be glorified; Full surrender Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

HEART overflowing in love - Matthew 15:7-8 ““You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.”

The heart is the center within us that is being oriented: intellect, emotion, and the will.

Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek”

God wants a heart completely devoted to Him.

4. PREPARATION for worship

Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” // 2 Chronicles 19:3 ““But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.”” (Jehoshaphat) // 2 Chronicles 27:6 “So Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.”

Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

sincerity = single-minded heart fixed and focused.

fidilety in faith = only access by faith in Jesus Christ.

humility - we come confidently because of the work of Christ, but also remembering that without h im we are not worthy. We must be bhumbleed by this and come humbly… it is then that God provides grace through worship.

Purity - daily confession and spiritual purging.

This is why daily devotions start the night before. Why not wake up fully confessed. Hearts ready. Rather than fighting for joy every morning… Take time to address your sins at night. John 13:10 “Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.””

Keep short accounts with God.

Physical - get rest.

5. PATTERN of Worship

these are the instruments that tune our hearts.

PLACE - Matthew 6:6 ““But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” … YOUR is used 8 x… emphasis on the personal and intimacy of devotion.

Behold him 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Meditation

>> Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

>> Studying, Prayer, and meditation is hearing what God has to say to us. we let the bible ask us questions about ourselves in relation to His word.

>>Meditation is the serious and solemn thinking about God’s word in order that our heart and affections would be inclined to him, receiving wisdom for daily living. // RUMINATING.

//Study//Memorization Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” //

Frequency: Day and Night…

“Of course, to worship Him in your quite time is not the end. It is only the beginning. You are merely tuning your instrument to face the day. We seem to have the strange idea that i f only we can have a quiet time, e verything i s going to be fine for the rest of the day; and if we do not have a quiet time, everything is goign to turn out miserably. This i s not so. The q uiet time shouldb e set a side early in the morning, but it isonly the tuning of the instrument. You cannot say, ‘I have had my quiet time. Now I’m fine.’ This is just the beginning, getting in first gear so to speak.”

Be conscious of him - It is said of Spurgeon that he was never out of vital contact with God for more than ten minutes.

>> Relate all things to him. Make it a habit.

>> Pray the scriptures, spend time with men who pray fervently, pray hymns.

Do you praise him?

6. PRESERVE your heart

Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”

Depend on the holy spirit Philippians 3:3 “for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,” // 2 Peter 1:3 “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

Be Diligent - the fervor to accomplish Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek...”; Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

Be Disciplined - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” // 1 Timothy 4:7 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;”

To grow in discipline, you have to practice it. You can start with ensuring you are discipline in small tasks. Clean up after you are done with a space. Put things where they belong. You see something on the floor, pick it up. Say no to a second serving or dessert. Practice self-restraint in small areas so when larger temptations come, you are in the dependent habit of denying yourself. Also, this will help you prepare to prevent chaos when trials and difficulties arise in your life.