What does it mean to be a worshiper? Does it mean just going to church on Sunday morning? Does it mean singing? This morning we are going to look into this topic and see what God’s word says about it. For as long as I can remember, the church has called what we do on Sunday mornings a worship service. But if we take a hard look at what we do when we get to church, the question becomes, who is really being worshiped? Did we really come to worship God, or did we show up to be worshiped ourselves? You may be tempted to think that is a ridiculous idea. But just stop and think about it for a minute. Have you ever left a church service and said, “Wow, the worship was really great today!” Me too. And the challenge with that statement is that the only one who is actually qualified to discuss the quality of the worship is the one who is being worshiped. What we are probably trying to convey is that the music or maybe the message really pleased us. I’d venture to say that the vast majority of the time we are not saying that God was worshiped in a way that pleased Him. How many times have we enjoyed a great church service, but completely missed the point of being there to “worship?” I’m as guilty as anyone else. I’ve evaluated churches based on what I wanted or enjoyed. If it made me happy, I would attend there, but as soon as it stopped serving my desires, it was time to go find another church that did. The goal as a disciple of Jesus is to find the place that God has called you to because of the gifts He’s placed in you to serve that body. That’s how you decide where God wants you to worship.
The ones who are serving are the ones worshiping and the ones who have shown up to be served have placed themselves in position as the object of worship. In other words, if it’s all about you and what you want...the reality is that you want to be worshiped. You want to have your wants and needs served. But that’s not how the kingdom of God operates. It’s time for a major shift in the church when it comes to how we understand worship. Worship is ascribing “worth-ship” to God. God’s worthiness to be worshiped has not changed just because your circumstance has. Your current situation hasn’t changed God’s position as your owner and the one you serve. As citizens of the kingdom, we are called to worship out of our gratitude. Hebrews 12 :28 “28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” So, now we have to ask the question: What is acceptable worship? You can clearly see from this verse, worship isn’t just about music, singing or preaching. Worship is a lifestyle of gratitude to God for allowing us into His kingdom. And gratitude flows from a right understanding of who we are, who He is and why He is worthy to be worshiped. Here’s an example of what gratitude looks like. Literally as I am writing this, a woman who had come in a couple months ago asking for prayer, just came in to tell me how grateful she was for how God has taken care of her. When she came in a while back she was distraught because she had just had a car accident. It was even more difficult because she had been living
in her car. She had nowhere to turn because her husband was in jail. But now she was so happy to come back to tell me she is singing in the choir at her church and she just got a job at the restaurant next door. She couldn’t stop smiling. She said “I wanted to come back and tell you because I thought it would make your day.” She was right. Every time you tell someone about how God has been so good to you...you are worshipping out of gratitude. Especially when your situation would suggest that you could be mad at God for what you are going through. When you can show gratitude to God for allowing you to be a part of His kingdom, regardless of your situation, that is a heart of worship. The easiest way to witness to people about Jesus is just to tell them what He has done in your life. You don’t have to be a bible scholar to do that. Even someone who has literally just accepted Jesus as the Messiah can do that. Isn’t that what the Samaritan woman in John chapter four did. Jesus was talking to her at a well and revealed that He knew all about the sins of her past and that He was the Messiah who could give her living water. Once she recognized who Jesus was, she went back into town and told everyone to “Come see a man who told me everything I ever did.” All she did was tell everybody what happened to her when she met Jesus. The bible says that all the men of the town followed her back to the well to meet Jesus. And look what happened. John 4:39-42 “39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we
believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” Never underestimate the power of your story. God can use what you’ve gone through to reach others, so always be ready to share what God has done in your life. The more you share how God has been good to you, the more it reinforces that idea to yourself and it also encourages your brothers and sisters in the faith. Giving a testimony is an act of worship. When Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah to that woman at the well, He talked about how to worship The Father. John 4:23-24 “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 his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” We cannot truly worship God unless we have the Holy Spirit living in us. Worship is not just a physical act like it was in the old testament when the Israelites brought sacrifices, or when we serve our family at church. Worship requires our spirit to be engaged with the Holy Spirit. The motive of our heart is always the key thing to have right when you engage in an act of worship. True worship is offered to God when we serve, when we sing, when we give and when we tell others of God’s goodness with a right motive, which is simply doing everything we can to align our heart and spirit with God’s. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart are we able to tell others of God’s goodness, when we ourselves are going through a tough time.
Can you imagine what a “worship” service would look like if we all showed up to church and your only motivation was to align yourself with God’s heart? If we truly showed up to worship as God calls us to, what would happen? In an environment of true worship, anything is possible. True worship will affect every area of your life. Romans 12:1-2 “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. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” What does it mean to “Present your body as a living sacrifice?” Being a sacrifice isn’t something that is easy. Does it should like something that would be done out of convenience or just when you have extra time? What does it cost to become a sacrifice? It costs everything. What you do with your physical body can be viewed by God as spiritual worship. But whether or not it is acceptable to God, depends on what your motivation is while you’re doing it. Look at how it ties to having your mind renewed. You can’t present you body to God for worship unless you mind is renewed. The problem is that your flesh will reject the idea of serving, singing or speaking to someone about God. So your mind has to be in charge and your mind has to be renewed to follow the Holy Spirit. Remember, you worship in spirit first. Too often, when people serve at church, they do it out of guilt, pride or even a selfish motivation, instead of out of a heart of gratitude. In the south, church is a place where people look up to you if you are in a leadership position.
All too often, people desire to be in leadership because it will enhance their reputation, give them authority over others or even help them in the business world. Let’s look for a minute at two of Jesus’ closest disciples who wanted to be great leaders in the kingdom. James and John came to Jesus and asked Him to do something for them. They wanted to have the exalted leadership positions of sitting on the left and right of Jesus in the kingdom. That’s pretty bold to ask to be seated on either side of the King. So Jesus gave them the requirements for greatness in His kingdom. He asked if they could drink the cup that He had to drink, so of course they answered yes, but didn’t even know what that meant. Jesus was talking about the suffering and death He would have to endure. As it turns out they would drink from the same cup of suffering. James was martyred by sword and it is believed that John was boiled in oil before being exiled onto the island of Patmos where he had the vision we read about in the book of Revelation. Now as you can imagine, the other disciples weren’t too happy with James and John when they heard about their request, so Jesus called them together and taught them about what real leadership looks like in the kingdom. Mark 10:42-45 “42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Being a great leader in the kingdom is all about serving others with a true servant’s heart. Again, your motivation is the key.
Pride can be a heart motivation when it comes to serving. Do you already know you are gifted and qualified to serve in a specific area of ministry and you’re just waiting to be asked? You see, it feels good to the flesh to reserve your gift until you are asked by the pastor or leader. It makes you feel needed and fulfills pride. But having a heart of gratitude will cause you to sign up to serve without being asked and to sing without being prompted by the worship leader. Have you presented your body to God as a living sacrifice or did you need to be talked into it by someone else? Your spirit should be motivated by wanting to be in alignment with the Holy Spirit. So, the needs of others come first. It’s all about being Selfless vs selfish. Honoring others above yourself is an act of worship. How about during a time of prayer. Can you offer your body as a living sacrifice by praying for your brothers and sisters? Are you willing to selflessly stand in the gap for your church family and approach God on their behalf? It takes discipline to focus on the needs of others instead of yourself. Will you commit to spending the time that is necessary, to be in prayer for them next week also? James 5:13-16 “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
When it comes to worshiping God corporately when we are together, how do we do it? As a body we should come together prepared correctly as individuals. Psalm 29:2 “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” Hebrews 4:14-16 “16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” These verses teach us how we are to approach God as we worship and pray. We are to come to God in holiness and confidence. This is shown in Psalm 24. Psalm 24:1-6 “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (God is established as the owner. His position is not disputed. This is a reminder that we are just rulers.) 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?And who shall stand in his holy place? (Who can approach His throne in confidence?) 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. (This is what it looks like to be holy.) 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (This is the result when we approach in the right way)
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.) Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Our Father’s will being done on earth as in heaven, is only accomplished by us offering ourselves to do it...in the way He wants it to be done. Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Comments