Close to God in Worship

I. Introduction:

II. Text:

III. Worship is respect and service offered to God.

A. For who He is, Psalm 29:2 – Give honor to God because he deserves it

B. Because He is our Creator, Psalm 95:1-7

C. For His love and mercy, Psalm 138:1-8

D. For salvation, Jude 24-25

IV. Worship is not

A. Simply fulfilling an act commanded by God

B. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 Matthew 15:8

C. A passive or non-participation event

D. Ephesians 5:19-21 Hebrews 10:25 We do not go to worship—a thing—we assemble in order to worship. As the lesson develops, I hope we will see that simply attending a worship service and saying that he has worshipped is as foolish as saying that since he attended a sporting event he has exercised.

E. Not a service to take care of God’s needs

F. God does not need food etc., Acts 17:24-25 Critics of Christianity consider God an egotistical being that created beings to serve His own needs and to tell Him what a good God He is.

G. They, and sometimes we, fail to realize that worship is something that we need.

H. Acts 17:26-28 Psalm 8:3-5 – It is God who has glorified us, how can we not praise Him?

I. Not acts to entertain, coddle, or serve me

J. Everything must be directed towards God and praising Him must be our focus.“In the tone and tenor our entertainment crazed culture, some in the church feel worship ought to be entertaining—though they may not come out and describe their sentiments in this way. They go to great lengths to stimulate the tastes and desires of the audience—which is a tacit admission that the focus is on the people. Can you imagine the first century church going to such great lengths to stimulate the crowd?” -Dave Miller, Piloting the Strait, p.186.“Folks, can’t we see that entertaining ourselves, satisfying our own needs, reviving our interest to escape our own boredom, and attempting to attract others with these manmade lures—are all simply unbiblical, cheap, inferior substitutes for simple, unpretentious, meaningful, spiritual worship?…Manipulating external gadgets and gimmicry will not revive a genuine, heartfelt attitude of worship. We must change our own heart.” -Dave Miller, Piloting the Strait, p.186-187, 189. Churches will look at their empty pews and say, “We have to get people in here.” Instead of looking inward to see if they are truly practicing what is right and are actively working in the community—both by teaching and example—to lead others to Jesus, they will try to change the church to be like the world.“Look at the hold Hollywood has over our community,” they will say then try to change the worship service to be more like the entertainment shows on television. Church services resemble variety shows, with various acts—dramatic plays, solo music performances, rock bands, Spirit dances, Andy Griffith Bible classes, weight lifting shows, karate for Christ displays—designed to entertain and, hopefully, squeeze in a lesson about Christ. They want their audience to come for the show.

K. Some people ask, isn’t worship supposed to be uplifting, like a pep rally?

L. Certainly much of our worship should be to edify (build up) but that does not mean that we are here to excite the emotions. Some edification comes through the teaching of doctrine so that we know what we are supposed to do and why we are to do it. However, there are sometimes that I do not want you to leave excited or pumped up but sorrowful so that it will lead to a changed life.

M. If you came here to always hear “I’m OK, you’re OK” messages, you came to the wrong place.

N. I want people who are hypocrites to be heartbroken that they are not genuinely serving Christ so that they will repent and serve God with their whole heart. I want fathers, mothers, and children who have been neglecting their duty to their family to be heartbroken so they will change and do what is right. I want the non-Christian to be disturbed that they do not have a relationship with Christ and that they will suffer eternally if they do not repent so that they will be persuaded to serve God. Sometimes I want to break your heart so God can rebuild it and reshape it into the image of His Son! In the entertainment churches of America we ask, where is the teaching that breaks the heart and reshapes it into the image of Christ?

V. Worship should build intimacy with God

A. Are we focused on self?

B. If worship to God does not draw me closer to God, the problem is mine

C. Just as in our relationships with family and friends, if we are too focused on ourselves and our needs, we will never build intimacy with others.

D. We cannot see past our problems, blessings, etc. in order to truly empathize and share the experiences of others. Many family problems arise when the members are too focused on the attention they are not receiving, the lack of service from others, etc. We can never build an intimate relationship with God when we approach worship from a desire to appease and satisfy ourselves.

E. It is a time of selfless service and adoration

F. Casting our crowns before God

G. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Revelation 2:10

H. Think about the crown of righteousness and victory that you will receive from God.

I. Think of all that you will have endured to receive that crown. Think of how the devil fought all of your life to take it from you.

J. Casting their crowns: Revelation 4:2-10

K. God gave the elders crowns and they cast them before God because He is so great. Brethren, worship is about God, not about us.

L. It is a time of drawing close to our Father

M. James 4:6-11 – come in humility and draw near to Him

N. Children want to be near their parents and share in their company.

O. Many children suffer problems because they were neglected by their parents. God wants to be close to us but we often push Him away.

P. Worship is a time to come praise Him as a wonderful, loving Father.

Q. Father’s Day is special for so many fathers because it is a day of adoration and thankfulness for all the father does for the family. How much more should our heavenly Father receive praise and adoration from children who love Him so much and want to be with Him. If it becomes a simple duty or lip service, it is of no more value than children who tell their parents they love them out of obligation, not from the heart.

R. Each expression of worship: prayer, singing, the Lord’s Supper, giving financially to God, and the message from God’s word should be a way that we can forge a closer relationship with the God who loves us

S. Simply attending and watching will not accomplish this Entertainment will not accomplish this It starts in our hearts