Choose To Worship Series

Intentional Worship – Sermon Title: Choose to Worship

September 20th, 2009

Main Idea: The only way you and I will ever be able to worship is if we make the decision to do so.

Issues: Difference between an attender and a worshipper.

Intro: Nothing in life just happens by default. Even doing nothing is a decision that a person must make. You and I can decide to be the best _______ (student, employee, Mother, Father, etc) and commit to the hard work involved in achieving our goal, or decide to just coast along and do nothing. Either choice still requires a decision on our part.

Granted, in most cases, choosing to do nothing seems easier at the front end. But there will be consequences for every decision.

Imagine if I chose to tell you I am a football player and you begin to question me and ask if I play and I say, “Yeah, I throw and play catch in the back yard with my son.” And not only that, but I watch football a lot on TV. And I’ve even been to several games in a big stadium with 70,000 fans.

Now if you were kind, you would not point out what a total fool I was and you would simply and kindly point out that I’m confused. I have, for some reason confused being a fan or a spectator with being a player!

Unfortunately, too often today, we confuse being a fan or a spectator with being a worshipper!

How do we move from being a spectator of worship and become a participant?

I believe there are 4 key choices we have to make in choosing to be a worshipper!

Today I want us to understand that worship will not happen unless we make the conscious choice to be worshippers!

I. We Must Choose To Prepare For Worship.

A. We prepare as we acknowledge our condition before God. (Isaiah 6:1-5; Hebrews 7:27)

1. Here’s the dilemma, we are people stained by sin, attempting to come into the closest of encounters with God.

a) God is Holy!

b) We are not!

2. Isaiah said it best when he encountered God in Isaiah 6:

Isaiah 6:1-5 (NIV)

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.

3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

3. Isaiah was able to resolve this most frightening realization of his sin before God when a Seraph took a live blazing hot coal and gave it to Isaiah to suck on like a throat lozenge.

4. But what about us? How do we prepare to meet with God in worship?

5. Fortunately, Jesus makes it so we can come into the presence of God and worship Him!

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. - Hebrews 7:27

B. Practical ways we can prepare for worship. (Luke 10:40-42)

Luke 10:40-42 (NIV)

40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

1. See, this story points out that when Jesus is in our midst, the time for details and preparation is over.

a) We should have everything all prepared beforehand so we can focus when we are with Jesus.

b) When we come into a place of worship, we need to be sure all the details and preparations are out of the way.

c) How do we do that practically?

2. Spend some time in prayer throughout the week in preparation for Sunday.

a) Pray for the preacher, the music, the hearts of the people coming.

b) Pray for your own heart to be open and receptive to God’s leading as you worship.