Worship is all about God
Worship should be at the center of who we are and what we are about, as individuals and as a church. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have had the tendency to think that we are at the center of the universe. This has become especially apparent in the past few decades. We live now in what is called the “Me Generation.” It’s all about me! Christianity has become consumer driven: what can I get out of it, what is in it for me?
Two men were debating issues of worship. They had quite different ideas on the subject and were unable to persuade one another. At the end of the frustrating discussion one of the men said to the other, “Well, you worship God in your way, and I will worship him in his.”
The big ME invades our spiritual lives. We say that we have come to worship God but we are really interested in ourselves.
Our focus is way off in our worship if we’re thinking about external things like:
“Cool! I love this song.”
“I hope we sing next.”
“I like that girl’s voice.”
“I like the way that guy plays guitar.”
“I’m so tired of this song. We sang it last week and the week before that.”
“I wish we could sing more upbeat stuff.”
“I wish we would sing more hymns.”
That’s just to name a few. What’s the subject in each of these thoughts? I
When we clap at the end of a special music number, what is the purpose of that clap? Do we praise ourselves or praise God?
Problems with worship are not new. Human tendency is to think about ourselves and what pleases us.
The Corinthians had some problems when they gathered together:
1. How to dress and hair style (ch 11): do what is accepted in culture and do not create problems for the testimony of the church.
2. Lord’s supper (ch 11): eat and drink together as a community; don’t leave people out.
3. What to do with spiritual gifts (ch 12): all gifts should be used to build up the church; none should be used to glorify self.
4. These things all led to chaotic worship times (ch 14). Paul tells them to keep everything in order, and it begins with love.
We too can experience roadblocks to genuine worship.
1. Tradition can be a problem: We’ve always done it this way!
2. Cultural Barriers can be a problem: That is not the way I was raised.
3. Generational Perspectives: We need faster or slower songs. We need an organ, we need an electric guitar.
4. Ecclesiastical Heritage: We want communion every week, we want communion only once a quarter.
5. Not really understanding what worship is all about. Thinking worship is just coming to church for an hour on Sunday morning. Equating worship with coming to church. They are not necessarily the same.
6. Not knowing what the Bible says about worship. The Bible is where we need to turn to know what worship truly is about.
Why do you come to worship?
a. Worship as invitation
Ps. 29:1-2:
29:1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
What is worship all about?
b. Worship says something about God and something about us. It shows our attitude about God. It reveals how we view ourselves and our purpose in this world.
c. Worship involves experiencing the sacred. We come in contact with the Holy One. We connect with the Kingdom of God.
d. Worship involves participation in the story of God in this world. We recognize what God is doing in us, through us, and around us.
Why should we worship?
1. God as creator initiates worship by creating a world that is designed to submit to His Lordship.
2. God determines the relationship of creation to himself.
3. As Creator, only God is worthy to be worshiped. Worshiping anything else is a distortion of God’s plan for us.
4. We have been created to worship. That is why we exist. Realizing this will change how we live in this world.
5. God does not need our praise but wants our praise. Why? Because praise is the free-will response of love. God wants us to love him with our whole being.
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