“What Do You Worship?”

What do we worship?

Money, fame, career, sports figures, musicians, politicians, politics, actors/actresses, technology, food, drugs, alcohol, pleasure, a relationship, a life-long dream, social status, our spouse...

In an online blog called “What do you worship?” by Jared Ulrich, he says this: “Worship is simply about value. I love the way Louie Giglio defines worship. He says worship is, “our response to whatever we value most in our lives.” This is why we all worship. We all place value on something. The most important decision of your life is the decision of what you will ultimately value most. Worship isn’t about how well you can sing or whether you can play a guitar or any other instrument. Singing and praising God is just one of many ways we worship God. It is definitely an important expression of worship, but worship isn’t limited to the songs we sing. Instead, your worship is reserved for the object or objects that hold the most value in your life. It’s the thing or things that occupy your thoughts and receive your most time and attention.”

My question for you this morning is: what is the thing or person that occupies your thoughts and receives the most time and attention?

This morning I want to take a few moments to talk about what we worship and, ultimately, where our worship should go.

Please turn with me to Matthew 2:1-2. This is what it says:

Matthew 2:1–2 ESV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When reading this, I often asked myself, “Self, who were the wise men? Where did they come from? And why did they travel so far to see Jesus of all people?”

They could have come from Arabia because of the gifts they brought or from Persia because of the caste of priests already setup in that place. We don’t know for sure.

From the Tyndale Bible Dictionary:

The historian Herodotus (hero dotus) mentioned magi as a priestly caste of Media, or Persia, and, as the religion in Persia at the time was Zoroastrianism (zoro astrian ism), Herodotus’s magi were probably Zoroastrian (zoro astrian) priests. Herodotus (hero dotus), together with Plutarch and Strabo, suggested that magi were partly responsible for ritual and cultic life (supervising sacrifices and prayers) and partly responsible as royal advisers to the courts of the East. Believing the affairs of history were reflected in the movements of the stars and other phenomena, Herodotus (hero dotus) said, the rulers of the East commonly utilized the magi’s knowledge of astrology and dream interpretation to determine affairs of state. The magi were, therefore, concerned with what the movement of the stars (as signs and portents) might signify for the future affairs of history. Such an interest could account not only for the magi’s interest in the star in Matthew, but also their conclusion, shared with Herod, that the star’s appearance signified the birth of a new ruler of great importance (2:2). Several centuries before Christ, a similar correlation was noted between a stellar phenomenon and the birth of Alexander the Great.

The wise men/Magi were so quick to follow what they perceived to be worthy of worship because they were always looking and seeing what the stars and dreams were predicting and saying about the next new thing or what was important. It was a temporal worship. We do the same thing today. We are so busy about looking for the next new _(fill in the blank)_, that we miss out on taking time to give worship to Whom worship is due.

What does worship look like? What are the different ways we worship?

Sing, bow, kneel, follow around (groupies), make time for or make a priority above everything else, what holds the most value in your life

Greek word for worship in Matthew 2:2 is “proskuneo” (pros-koo-neh'-o); to bow down or kneel, to fall flat, to do reverence, to adore, to worship.

Transition: This morning I would like to remind us during this holiday season, Who deserves our worship and why. So here are three reasons to worship Jesus not only this Christmas season but all year round.

I. Worship Jesus for Who He is

Matthew 1:21–23 ESV

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Who is Jesus? He is God with us! Christianity is the only “religion” where the deity comes down to His creation!

John 1:1–3 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God came down to us because of His love for us! He came to give us an example of how we should live. He walked among us. He faced what we face. He experienced loss as we do. Disappointment as we do. Success as we do. And happiness and joy as we do! He can honestly say, “I know what you are going through!”

Transition: The second part of the verse 21 tells us that He will save His people from their sins. That leads us to the next reason we should worship Jesus this Christmas season.

II. Worship Jesus For What He has Done

Matthew 1:21 ESV

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus came down to save us from our sins! Even when we didn’t know we needed saving or want to be saved.

Facebook post: The nails didn’t hold Jesus to the cross, but Jesus’ love for you and me!

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He didn’t wait for us to ask Him for forgiveness. He forgave us first and made a way for us to come back to Him by accepting His sacrifice on the cross for us.

He didn’t just save us so we can say we are saved and become spiritual chubby bunnies.

2 Timothy 1:9–10 ESV

9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

He came down to not only save us or redeem us and abolish death, but also to call us to Himself!

He has called us to spread the Good News of the Gospel to everyone as a result of His grace and mercy He has offered us. We just need to accept it!

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Transition: We need to worship Jesus for Who He is, for what He has done, and finally:

III. Worship Jesus For What He Will Do

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

We are still a work in progress!

Isaiah 64:8 ESV

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

He is still molding and shaping us into what He wants us to be.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

He isn’t finished with us!

Thank you Lord for bringing me this far but I have so much farther to go!

Conclusion:

In view of Who Christ is, What He has done, and What He will do…what can I do to respond?

I can bring Him a Gift and the gift I bring is ME!!

Romans 12:1 ESV

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.

We weren’t created to worship anything other than the God who created us.

What you value most will reveal what you worship.

So what do you value most? What do you hunger and thirst for?

Clothes? A job/position? Social status? the latest greatest product available for purchase?

What about Jesus?

I love the Psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 63:1

Psalm 63:1 ESV

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

When God is placed as the No. 1 object of our worship, when he is the ultimate thing that we value most in our lives, then our response will always be praise. Our worship will be directed toward Him because He is what we will value most. Our response to an amazing God who loves us with an unfailing love, will forever be a heart of celebration and rejoicing.

That is why the Psalmist continues in verses 3-5 saying,

Psalm 63:3–5 ESV

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

If we truly value God over everything else, our lives will begin to reflect His glory and thereby fulfilling our God-given, created purpose – to be an image-bearer of our Creator.

What we value most will reveal what we worship.

What Do You Worship?

Will you worship Jesus today?

For Who He is: God with us who came to walk among us and experience everything that we do

For What He has done: he has saved us from our sin and redeemed us in order for us to live for Him and spread the Gospel to others

For What He will do: he is constantly molding us and shaping us into what He wants us to be