Contending for True Worship
John 4:19-25
Southeastern Conference
4/14/15
Let’s
do a word association: worship (Put the word WORSHIP up on the screen)
What
comes to your mind?
- music
- praise?
- worship service?
- worship leader?
- this guy?
- place of worship?
- bowing/kneeling?
- Praying?
- obedience
- devotion?
- Your worship?? - (magistrates and mayors in UK)
Truth
is, there are many ideas, concepts and opinions concerning worship.
My
message today is “Contending for True Worship”
Read
verses: John 4:19-25
Illustration:
In
March ….
My
wife and I stood in Old San Juan.
San
Juan Bautista Cathedral is named after Puerto Rico's patron saint (Saint John
the Baptist) and is located in the heart of Old San Juan on Cristo Street
(Calle del Cristo)
The
original cathedral in what was the city of Puerto Rico (changed to San Juan
after the Spanish-American War) was constructed from wood in 1521 -- almost a
century before the settlement of Jamestown!!!
"Please
remove your sunglasses and hats, for you are entering a place of worship."
I
did -- out of respect.
"A
place of worship."
I've
been to many
Hari Krishna temple -- the Palace of
Gold -- Wheeling, WV
St. Patrick's Cathedral -- Madison
Ave, NY
Duke Chapel -- where I sang in a
wedding
Small white "Presbyterian" church
at the base of Snow Shoe Mt.
"Don't drink the
communion."
Barbecena Brazil - Church of the Good Death -- Pope
Francis chosen
There are many "places of worship"
By some counts between 300-350,000 in the US alone!
This is what this "woman at the well"
wanted to know --
Jesus
had centered in on her problem
She
wanted to "change the subject" -- where do I worship???
Jesus said "in spirit and in
truth"
This
is one of the best passages in the N.T. == possibly the entire Bible about worship
I. We Must Worship!
At least the "Assumption" or
"presumption" of worship here.
What is worship?
English: Old
English - Worth ship (English: “Worth Ship”)
When we worship we are somehow conveying to God --
to others -- to ourselves -- just how much God is worth to us!
God's worth!!! Imagine the thought!!!
How much is God worth to you???
How much do you value God??
Economics class:
How
much is something worth -- how do you set a price?
Value
added?
What
competitors charge?
Price
fixed??
An item
is worth what someone is willing to pay for it!!!
Story of a little boy with a $10,000 dog.
An item is worth what someone is willing to pay for
it!!!
Another Economics principle:
When
you pay for something – the money is just a value holder.
What
you are really paying is the blood, sweat and tears it took for you to earn
that money!
What
you are really paying is PART OF YOU!!!
BY THE WAY!!! TEACH TO THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN!!!
What is it really worth?
It’s worth what you will pay
for it!
How much you will
give of yourself for it!!!
HOW MUCH DO YOU GIVE OF YOURSELF TO
GOD???
HOW
MUCH DO YOU GIVE OF YOUR OWN SWEAT, BLOOD AND TEARS TO GOD??
HOW MUCH SKIN DO YOU HAVE IN THE
GAME???
We live in a day where people want
worship with no skin in the game.
This is what we do sometimes:
We
dress up on Sunday mornings. etc.
Throw
some money in the plate.
Think
we are doing God a favor.
This is contrary to Biblical worship!!
We cannot through God our leftovers
We cannot give out of our abundance
We cannot attend church if there's nothing else
going on more important!
David knew the importance of valuing his service to
God:
In 2 Samuel 24, after David has sinned regarding the
numbering of Israel, we was told to build an altar and give sacrifice in
"the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite."
Aruanah wanted to give the land to his king, but
David said, "Nay; but I will surely buy
[it] of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my
God of that which doth cost me nothing."
In the O.T. “Worship” is tied to singing at times.
However, often it is tied to sacrifice.
David, the sweet songster of Israel,
knew the meaning of worship!
J. Oswald Chambers, in My
Utmost for His Highest said,
"Worship is giving God the best that He has given
you."
Old Testament
Hebrew word - shachah - "Bow Down - prostrate oneself"
(Hebrew: “Bow Down”)
Worship - 100 times
Bow Down - 50 times
For Example:
In Gen 22:5 Abraham, when he took Isaac on the
mountain to sacrifice him said, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship,
and come again to you."
In Exodus 20 after we are given the second
commandment not to make any graven images, God goes on to say, "Thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them."
Same Hebrew word.
In the minds of the Hebrews, worship and lowering
oneself before a holy God were synonymous.
I am lowly - you are lofty
I am weak - you are almighty
I am small - you are great
Compared to you, I am of no value!!! -- You have
great value to me!!!!!!
You have worth! You are worthy! You should be
worshiped.
New Testament
Greek word - proskuneo - to kiss the hand –
(Greek:
“To Kiss the Hand”)
-among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall
upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of
profound reverence
- in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage
(to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make
supplication
There is still the idea of "bowing" --
showing respect -- obeisance
However, there is the added element -- kissing the
hand -- showing affection, adoration.
As with any spiritual truth,
The
Old Testament emphasized the outward, the NT the inward
The
OT the position of the body, the NT the condition of the heart
The
OT - worship embodied in ritual
Jesus wanted to counter that!
Therefore, he said, ...
II. We Must Worship in
Spirit!
The
"Woman" in the story wanted to pin Jesus in a corner.
She
had just been confronted with her sin.
She
wanted to know about the "place of worship."
Her mind went what was probably an
"automatic" response
Not "how" do I get
right with God.
Not "how" do I
approach God?
But "where"
Jesus told her that it is not a
"place"!!!
A "place" is physical -
worship must be "in spirit"
Not tied to a place
(True worship is not tied to
a PLACE)
By the way... we have all
heard -- "I can worship God on the lake"
Even though
"worship" is not tied to a place -- I believe in the local church
Acts 2:42
Gospel - epistles
... Revelation
You cannot define
NT Christianity without the local church
I believe in the
local church
I understand the
value of communal worship -- missing in our generation
HOWEVER!!!! We do not want our people to get the
idea that the only place to "worship" is in a building!!!
Not tied to a physical movement
(True worship is not tied to the
PHYSICAL)
We are guilty of trying to
get people to shout or cry or clap or wave the hands.
Worship is not a position of
the body!!!
Worship is a condition of the
heart!!!!!!
We are emotional creatures
(True worship is not tied to
our EMOTIONS)
emotions will "result" from an heartfelt
expression of adoration and love and gratefulness -- from the awesome
realization in the depths of our soul of who God is and what he has done for
us!!!
Worship is not dependent upon
location, but devotion
Worship is not restricted by a
physical action, but by a spiritual condition.
Worship does not result from an emotional state, but
will result in a genuine emotional response
But Jesus did not end his discussion there.
III. We Must Worship in
Truth!
If worship was only tied to devotion
The Hari Krishna's on
the mountain in WV would be worshiping
But they are
not.. Their worship is based on a lie
The Whirling Dirvishes
in Turkey would be worshiping
But they are
not. Their worship is based on a lie.
Muslims around the world who follow the five pillars
would be worshiping
But they are
not. Their worship is based on a lie.
Catholics who take the mass == the body of Christ --
would be worshiping
But they are
not. Their worship is based on a lie.
Is
our worship based on the truth of God's word?
Even
so called "Christian" churches are not immune.
It is alarming that even though many
associate music with worship
Often our music is often
biblically anemic
or worse --
scripturally wrong!!!
Our
accolades often are for the praise of men not the praise of God!
Let
me show you a video clip.
Victoria
Osteen - August 2014
"When
we obey God, we're not doing it for God. I mean that's one way to look at it.
We're
doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy.
That's
the thing that gives him the greatest joy this morning.
So I
want you to know this morning, just do good for your own self.
Do
good because God wants you to be happy.
When
you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God, really.
You're doing it for yourself.
Because
that's what makes God happy, amen? Let's open our hearts to Him today."
Notice
what she said!
When you come to church, when you worship Him,
you're not doing it for God, really. You're doing it for yourself.
A month later she said that she "did not mean
to imply that we don’t worship God."
However, her words were plain and her message clear.
If you
bow before God or pray to Him or sing of Him, and your thought is “What can I
get out of this?” YOU ARE NOT WORSHIPING GOD!!!
I’m
happy that the fruit of the spirit includes “Joy.” That is the result of
surrendering to God… that is not the goal!
JOY
AND HAPPINESS IS THE RESULT OF SURRENDING TO GOD
NOT THE GOAL OF SURRENDING TO GOD!
OUR
MOTIVATION FOR WORSHIP MUST BE OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND OUR DESIRE TO SOMEHOW
EXPRESS TO HIM HOW MUCH HE IS WORTH TO US!!!!
We
need to worship Him in spirit and in truth!
Conclusion
So,
how are we doing?
Are you involved in spiritual
worship?
Do you measure your
worship by your physical surroundings or position?
Is your worship based on the truth
of the Word of God.
How much is God worth to you?
The next time you hear someone say,
“Does a Christian have to tithe?”
The answer, “How much is God worth
to you?”
Express in your giving how much God
is worth to you!
Some of you spent more money at a
restaurant than you put in the offering plate.
Spend more on the golf course than
their weekly giving.
Spend more on a boat than on a
building program.
HOW MUCH IS GOD REALLY WORTH TO
THEM???
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY ---
BUT THAT IS A PRETTY GOOD
MEASURE OF WHAT WE VALUE!
The next time you are debating on whether to “spend
your time” at church on Sunday or Wednesday night or in revival,
Ask, “How much is God really worth to me?”
When you are asked to work in the nursery or on a
bus route,
How
much is God worth to you?
Next time, you get discouraged and defeated and want
to quit.
Ask,
“How much is God worth to me?”
HE IS WORTH IT ALL!
HE IS WORTHY OF ALL OUR PRAISE.
HE IS WORTHY OF ME BECOMING A LIVING SACRIFICE!!!
“GOD, YOU ARE WORTH!!!!”
“GOD, YOU ARE WORTH ALL TO ME!!!!”
No comments:
Post a Comment