We value true worship

Our Preaching theme for 2022 is “Begin Again”

Begin again means to go back to doing the things that we know we ought to do.

It’s not starting over as much as starting again.

So this year we are going to be revisiting and refocusing on some foundational things.

Lets begin with our values.

I spent my first year as your pastor listening and discussing who we are as a church and what God has done in the past with an advisory group made up of those serving in various capacities as leaders.

The purpose was to discover our unique calling, vision and mission as a church.

All of that was put together in a vision statement that was released early last year.

Most of this information is included in our welcome packets and on our website.

Our membership packet includes the entire document and I have printed out some extras this morning for those who would like to have it.

When we began to formulate a vision for the church, we began with values.

Vision comes from values.

What is really important to us? What are our priorities?

Our vision must reflect our values, so we begin with values.

There was a lot that we discussed over the course of a year.

But looking back over our meeting minutes, I distilled it down to seven statements.

Later, I went back and put scriptures with those statements so that future readers would be able to search and find biblical support for the items that we found most important.

I also planned to highlight these values in a sermon series and these teachings are being recorded.

You may be listening to this teaching sometime in the future and thinking -2022, that was a long time ago! (That was a really good year!)

Our theme will change every year and even our vision statement may have to be revisited and revised after several years (maybe 5-10),

But I hope that our values are still pretty much the same years or decades later.

That’s why we begin with values, because values are foundational.

Our first value begins with worship.

1. We value true worship, not just going through the motions or giving lip service. We want to be passionate worshipers that are fully engaged and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. Whether through planning or spontaneity, we want to be a Spirit-led church. (John 4:21-24, Rom.12:1, Psalm 100:1-5, Psalm 150:1-6)

Why begin with worship? Well - because that’s what we believe we are here to do, before anything else.

Worship is glorifying God - that is our ultimate purpose.

Keep in mind that worship is not just singing - although we love to do that.

Worship is the heart attitude and motivation behind our singing, praying preaching and our fellowship.

It’s like I said last Sunday that the goal is to love God and love others but you can’t do the second well until you do the first.

Loving God is at the heart of what it means to worship.

But our value is not just to worship, but to cultivate “true worship”.

I’ve have told the story before, but I think it needs to be told again to illustrate this point. My first experience with Hopewell was as a young person, probably around the age of 12. I attended a Bible study across the street at the home of Jim and Bobbi Evans with my sister Jeanette. It was that Bible study that became this church and some of you were there.

Was was special to me about that Bible study was not just the singing, although there was some great singing! There was also some great discussion and teaching, but that wasn’t what impressed me. I think we had food too, but that wasn’t what I came for.

If you remember the story… I was impressed that these people were having a Bible study and nobody was making them do it!

What does that have to do with worship? It has everything to do with worship and true worship!

There was a spiritual hunger to know God and to be part of what God is doing. These people could be doing anything else, but they chose to be there because they sensed God’s presence and wanted to be part of it. That’s worship!

True worship is real, it requires sacrifice and it brings us to a place of surrendering ourselves to God even more.

True worship is real.

What do I mean by real? Is there a kind of worship that is not real?

The statement clarifies by saying “not just going through the motions or giving lip service.”

The main reason I was impressed with the Spring City Bible Study was because I had to go to church.

Bible study and worship were things I did because it was expected of me.

Most Sundays I was just going “through the motions”

I was there to do my religious duty so that I would be acceptable to God and to others of my religious community.

Church didn’t have to mean anything to me, I just had to show up and do what is expected of me.

That’s what it means to give “lip service” - you say what you are supposed to say and meaning it is optional.

If there were just one place in the Bible that defines true worship, it would be Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4.

John 4:21–24 ESV

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 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.”

Real worship is not about what you can see but what you can’t see.

In case you didn’t know, the Samaritans are what’s left of the lost tribes of Northern Israel.

When Assyria took the northern kingdom of Israel captive in 722 BC they resettled people from other countries in the region just north of Jerusalem.

They maintained the Torah and worshipped on Mt Gerizim - the mountain from which the blessing was pronounced upon entering the land.

When the temple was being rebuilt, they offered to help, but their offer was refused, presumably because they would have mixed pagan worship with that of Yahweh.

That is supported by accounts that when Antiochus Epiphanies was persecuting the Jews and desecrating the Temple, they offered no help or resistance.

When the Jews came to power briefly (Hasmoneans), they responded by knocking down the Samaritans temple on Mt Gerizim.

At the time of Jesus, a Samaritan sect had recently made another attempt at desecrating the Temple by spreading bones in the outer court (6 AD).

At that time, Samaritans were regarded lower than the heathen because they were engaged in an active rivalry.

The Samaritan woman that Jesus is talking to tries to put him right in the middle of the argument by asking who is right?

Is Jerusalem the holy mountain or is it Mount Gerazim?

Both groups claim the moral high ground having been attacked by the other.

Are the Jews God’s people or is it the Samaritans?

Who are the real keepers of the Torah? - That is what Samaritan means!

You wouldn’t think that Jesus would have any difficulty taking sides?

I’m already inclined to an opinion, aren’t you?

You could say that Jesus takes a swipe when he says that the Samaritans don’t know who they are worshipping.

2 Kings 17 tells us that the King of Assyria appointed priests to continue the practice of Judaism as part of a universal religion which had all of the gods of the nations represented.

So when you put the Creator of the universe along side created deities who are you really honoring?

Do you even know who you are worshipping if you worship everything?

But his main point is that God is beyond representation by any human temple or physical location.

People want something that they can see to worship.

Give me a building with a steeple and stained glass windows.

Give me a cross or a picture of Jesus or a statue.

Give me something that I can look at and focus on while I meditate.

I realize that this is important for a lot of people - for me growing up Mennonite, we tended to not have a lot of visual aids, but I have learned to appreciate having them.

Or at least give me a place, sacred space which is set apart for worship.

Give me a grand cathedral with a magnificent altar of gold.

Give me a mountain top with a view.

Or a beach house.

Or a prayer closet.

For me, I met with God while walking through the woods, and I still like to go for prayer walks.

It’s not that there is anything wrong with these things, it just that if we are limited to a place or a picture or any kind of physical representation, we may be limited in our worship.

But those things help us feel like we are worshipping.

And therein lies the problem - it’s not about the feeling.

It not about what you can see, or feel or experience.

Not that there is anything wrong with seeing, feeling or experiencing something.

True worship is knowing and encountering God.

So what’s the problem?

Well just that if you limit God to what you can see, feel or experience you miss that there is so much more to God that you haven’t seen, felt or experienced.

God doesn’t like to be put in a box - even though he was once represented by a box.

You want real worship?

You want to be captivated by awe and wonder?

Ask God to show you what you can’t see!

Real worship is not so much about what you do, but what God is doing.

There are many things that you can do to worship.

You can stand, sit or kneel.

You can sing, pray (in English or in tongues) or be silent.

You can dance for joy or you can pour out your heart to God in tears.

There is no right or wrong way to worship, at least not as far as form is concerned.

Anything is possible, but not just anything is appropriate at any given time.

So how is one supposed to know?

You can just follow whoever is leading I suppose.

But if you really want to know, then ask, “What is God doing?”

I try to make it know by inviting God’s presence at the opening of the service - God is an active part of our worship!

Most people don’t see visions of Jesus during a service, but He’s here.

Why? because we have invited him and he promises to be present when we are gathered.

Matthew 18:20 NLT

20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

If you can’t see him, just know that He is here by the Holy Spirit and try to be aware of what He is doing.

Is He drawing people to Himself?

Is He bringing conviction of sin?

Is he releasing the gifts of the Spirit (wisdom, faith, healing)?

Is He giving direction to or through His church?

Is the Head leading the body to move as one?

Our worship then is our response to who God is, to his manifest presence or to the moving of the Spirit.

See how values lead to vision? Respond is our first process step.

Keep this vision of responding through worship in mind because it will help you to recognize when worship is happening or when it is called for.

You don’t have to try to get into worship.

Just recognize what God is doing and respond to it.

Real worship is more concerned with the question: why am I doing this?

So if worship can be so many different things, then what makes it worship?

In a few words? The posture of your heart! Your motivation.

It’s not the posture of your body, it’s the posture of your heart.

You can be standing in church facing forward, but in your heart you just want to run away.

Or you can be sitting on you couch watching the live-stream in your PJ’s but in your heart, your in the presence of God, beholding his face.

What makes the difference? The inclination of your heart and your attitude.

You have to want it!

Now I can think of a few examples of people who were moved to respond to God even though say they didn't want to.

Sometimes people don’t want to have anything to do with God, but they really don’t know God or they would change their mind.

When I hear people’s ideas about God, I often say, “ I wouldn’t want to serve a god like that either!”

But sometimes, like this Samaritan woman, they are seeking what they do not know and Jesus shows up!

The question we all need to ask ourselves is what do we want to accomplish through worship?

Am I doing this for me?

Is it for a feeling? Am I worshipping to feel good?

Sometimes we say “worship was good this Sunday, or worship was not so great,” as if worship depended on the performance of someone else to make it good or bad.

I love our worship team and they do a great job, but I want to take the focus off of them and I think they would approve.

What if worship has nothing to do with anyone else but you and God? Can you worship without anyone else to help? Can you create your own atmosphere of worship?

Paul and Silas worshipped in prison. Jacob worshipped while he was dying and leaning on his staff, he blessed his sons. Jonah worshipped in a whale - not a great atmosphere!

Worship comes from your heart and your attitude toward God. It’s your motivation that causes you to respond.

Or am I worshipping because I’m focused on God?

Am I worshipping because God deserves it?

Is God meeting me in my worship so that my worship becomes a response to God?

True worship is sacrifice.

What about a biblical definition for worship?

Commentators will say that it is hard to find an exact definition, but that it has to do with homage, service and reverence.

I think all of these things are summed up well in a verse from Romans:

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.

Worship is paying homage.

Today, we don’t pay homage, we pay taxes.

Everything goes into a common pot which is supposed to be managed according to the consent of the governed.

But if government had absolute authority and you were in their debt, then it would be homage.

In ancient times, people survived by pledging their loyalty to someone powerful enough to protect them and wealthy enough to care for them.

Powerful and wealthy people would also cluster together by pledging their resources to a king or a lord - a person with the wisdom an influence to manage such relationships.

Homage is basically a way of recognizing that someone is greater than yourself.

If you and I were to face off in battle, I would probably lose.

Or we already did, and I already have...

So here’s how homage works, I now contribute my available resources to you in exchange for your care and protection.

That’s how trust is built and solidified, with an offering of tribute.

In the Old Testament, people brought their offering to God at the temple, seeking blessing and direction from God through the priests who lived from the offerings of the people.

God was being honored and worshipped as their protector and provider.

The offering is the substance of worship.

Our worship is our offering to God,

acknowledging our dependence on Him.

fulfilling our covenant with Him.

recognizing His majesty and sovereignty.

We are not God’s equals - except by His grace.

Worship is synonymous with service.

Have you ever noticed that “worship” is translated as “service” in some translations?

Romans 12:1 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Did you know that the Greek word used for “worship” in this verse is used to mean “service” or “duty” more than one third of the times it is used?

It makes sense when you think of it as homage.

A person pays homage as an act of offering their service.

You don’t offer in exchange for serving - you offer and you serve in exchange for living and not dying!

We tend of think of worship and serving as two different things, but they are part of the same.

Like the people in the pews singing are worshipping, but the usher standing in the back is serving.

But if their heart is one of worship, those who serve are worshipping and those who worship are also serving.

In fact … this will blow your mind… what do we call what we are doing right now? A worship service!

It’s like saying the same thing twice!

What would it look like to see our worship and serving as the same thing?

Would you worship more through serving or serve more through worshipping?

The point of both according to Romans is to present yourself, physically as a living sacrifice to God.

You bring yourself as homage.

You need to be “all in.”

As our value statement says:

We want to be passionate worshipers that are fully engaged

That is the meaning of sacrifice.

I know it sounds painful, but it doesn’t have to be.

What it has to be is complete.

You can’t have a partial sacrifice.

Want to know what else sacrifice/ worship is not?

Worship is never cheap.

1 Chronicles 21:24 NLT

24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!”

This is from when David purchased the land that the Temple was eventually build on.

It expresses a powerful principle: sacrifice doesn’t have to be painful, but it can’t be cheap either.

Sacrifice and worship are expressions of of value:

You can’t value something and not care about how much it cost.

If someone gives you a gift and says that the purpose of the gift is to show how much you means to them, does it matter how much it costs?

I know, a gift doesn’t have to be expensive to be nice, but if part of the purpose of the gift is to convey honor and value, it better not be cheap!

Just think about that when you are offering your worship or your service to God.

You don’t want it to be half-hearted any more that you would give a cheap gift to someone you want to honor.

What does God want more than anything else? Your heart!

Be passionate, “all-in” and fully engaged in your worship.

Let me throw one other word out there for your consideration - surrender.

True worship is surrender.

Yes, surrender, as in put your hands up.

A phrase used by preachers, robbers and DJ’s

In each scenario, they want you to be “all in” and committed to the cause.

You bend your will to that of another, that’s surrender.

So how is worship surrender?

Psalm 100:1–5 ESV

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.

So this is a song, it’ worship, but it also describes surrender.

We read this psalm and thing praise! But there is a lot going on, so let’s break it down (like a DJ).

Surrender involves obedience.

Notice that this song begins with imperatives- commands.

Make a joyful noise!

Serve the Lord gladly!

Come into His presence.

Know that He is God.

If you are going to worship with this song, you have to do what it says.

I once had a professor in Bible School who said, “Christians won’t tell a lie, but they will sing them!

Ouch! Are we singing lies when we worship?

Our worship songs are designed to bring us into a place of surrender.

If we are singing and not surrendering, then we are not obeying which is essentially lying.

I’ll just leave that right there while we move on...

Surrender is recognizing your position.

At the heart of this psalm is the heart of worship.

It’s the acknowledgment that God is sovereign.

And consequently, I am not God.

That’s homage.... and worship.

But it also tells me who I am...

I am his.

We are His people.

We are his sheep.

That means we look to Him as both protector and provider.

Knowing your position is both knowing what you are not and knowing who you are.

You are under God.

But you are close to God.

You are welcome in His presence!

Surrender becomes your posture.

So we are entering His gates, coming into His presence when we worship.

But we have a sense of how we are to come; our posture.

We come both with this sense of knowing how great God is in comparison to us,

but also knowing how God has elevated and welcomed us so that we should be near Him and have relationship with him.

That should produce in us the response of joy and gratitude.

God has blessed us and the result is that we bless Him.

We reflect back to God His goodness and blessing.

The last thing we sing about is God’s faithfulness and steadfast love.

We can be confident in knowing that whatever happens, God is still good and He loves us.

That is who God is and that is what He does.

We are being formed into His image.

Our development as worshippers is modeled after what we see in God.

We are following the Spirit who is both leading us in our worship and transforming us through it.

Worship is encountering God and responding by becoming what we see.

Psalm 150:1–6 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!