Worship and Identity (part 2)
JCC pm 07.02.10
Last we looked at the beginning where Adam and Eve had the perfect situation which was living in the presence of God
They worshipped Him fully and knew intimacy with Him until the time Satan, disguised as a serpent, robbed them of that relationship
We saw how we need purpose in life and that purpose is to worship the Lord
Part 2 looks at the search for that which was lost
When a baby is born into the world, what is the first thing people look for?
PP 1
To see who it looks like
The Father looks at the child to see if there is any resemblance to his own face
We search intently for that identity
God looks at us and searches for the resemblance of Himself
We are to be the reflection of His glory
The intent of our existence is to worship Him in spirit and in truth
PP 2
Jn 4:23-24 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
It is through us that God wants to reflect His glorious presence to this world
Then the world shall see and bow the knee in worship
They will see us who were once marred and dark in the depths of our hearts, now radiant and changed
A people worshipping and having purpose for living
A people who reflect the very image of the Creator Himself
Some say we are here to work, to be educated, to find pleasures and treasures, to have the thrills of life
But what use is all of this if we don’t have Him?
If someone doesn’t have God, then they have to have something else to fill the God-shaped hole
They are lost and without hope
They are constantly searching but never finding
Without Him, instead of us reflecting His glory, we reflect only our sinfulness
Instead of a new song of praise and adoration to Him, we sing the songs of the world which can be destructive and corruptive
We may worship, but not the God of all creation
Jesus himself said there would be many christs’
Mark 13:22 & Matt 24:24 For false christs’ and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Many worship other things
Anything that takes His rightful place in your life is an idol
We all worship in one way or another
The bible reminds us constantly how the people worshipped idols and images
And this is still true today
Humans, who were made like Him, are less and less like Him
Yet He can still be found in every flower, every plant, tree and created thing
The mirrored refection now is distorted and broken
PP 3 click x2
Cracked by sinfulness
We tread Him into the earth as though He owes us something, when all the time we owe Him
People call on Him in need then drop him the instant He answers
We turn away, when in fact it should be Him who veils His face
Yet He still reaches out to us
It’s the parable of the lost son Luke 15
Although we turn from Him, our Father, we need to realise there is always a home for us if we turn back to Him
He still waits with open arms to run to us even when we don’t deserve it
He waits to cover our shamefulness and to put His robe of righteousness on us
There isn’t one of us in the room who deserves to know Him and be in His presence
It’s all because of what Jesus did
Nothing of us
It was God’s plan to save us
It was His purpose and plan to redeem us
You and I had nothing to do with it
What credit can you or I take?
But He never gave up on us and He still doesn’t give up on us now
He doesn’t say, ‘forget it, I’ve no use for you’, but He says, ‘come on, I want my glory to be mirrored in you’ I want my image to be there so people will worship me and see the beauty of my presence in your life’
PP 4a
The church is here on earth to worship the Lord and show Christ so that the relationship is restored
The very existence of the church is to worship and show the world what the real purpose of life is
If we don’t worship, the world will not know what they’re missing
It should be the first priority in our services, not tagged on at the end
This is why it is important to pray for our worship team
If they don’t set our hearts to worship the Lord, then the service will be just a social club where we meet each week for a sing-a-long
Illustration: Brother Lawrence was asked when he was dying, ‘what are you doing?’ His reply was that of,’ something I’ve done for 40 years and what I will continue to do on into eternity, to worship Him’
Dying was secondary to him, worship was a priority
We will be worshipping God long after this world and everything we know has gone
Don’t leave it too late
Ask Him to help you become a worshipper now
So what can change us into a worshipper?
First you need to know that God does not need your worship to exist
He is self-sufficient
He needs neither you nor I
Yet He chooses to want to be in our presence
He walks into the garden of our hearts to see if we want a relationship with Him that is personal and intimate
He looks to see if we trust in Him or the fig leaves of the flesh and religion
He desires to shine the image of His presence onto our face so that it radiates His glory
Just like Moses who had to veil his face because he had been in the presence of the Lord
The people couldn’t look at him because the glory of the Lord shone on him.
I want that
God wants that too
It’s deep calling to deep
If you don’t bow the knee now, one day you will
But may it be through a willing heart and not a shameful bowing of the head in despair that you didn’t find Him in your garden when you had the opportunity
Satan would have us believe that worship doesn’t really matter and that God will not be too interested whether you worship or not
That is a lie
Worship is the thing that connects our hearts back to Him when we’ve found Him
Illustration: It’s like an electric circuit that’s been broken, no power without the connection
When we fall to our knees and lift our hands to heaven we are doing the most natural thing we could ever do
We were created to move in the divine nature
To live in the Spirit
To know the mind of Christ each and every day
Because of the fallen nature, sin is natural to us and worship seems un-natural
This is why we find it difficult
We also find it difficult to believe that God loves us and that we are very precious to Him
If the enemy of your soul can keep you believing this lie, then he has the advantage over you
A. W. Tozer said that if everybody could suddenly have a baptism of pure cheerful belief that God wants and desires us to worship, admire and praise Him, it could transform us overnight into the most radiantly happy people in the world. We would discover our purpose: to respond to the fact that God delights in us and longs for our fellowship.
God never intended sin to destroy us
Sin is like a foreign body in the eye causing pain and discomfort
Because worship was God’s idea, we need to know that we cannot make up our own ideal of what worship should or shouldn’t be
He only accepts true worship from a pure heart
A religious experience is possible apart from Jesus and salvation, apart from God
Non- Christians also have religious experiences
It’s frightening to think we can have experiences of worship, and yet not worship correctly
Matt 13:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Paul in the letter to Corinthians said, you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; communion was to the Lord not demons 1 Cor 10:20-21
Matt 7:22-23 Lord, Lord, ....I never knew you..
We must submit to God’s truth to worship correctly
Worshipers must acknowledge that they are as sinful as He says they are
This is the last barrier to receiving the Grace of God
They say, ‘God made me this way’, boasting that they’re not responsible and so has no personal guilt
Then thinking God must accept them has they are
When they are confronted with their sin and own up to it, they then try to make up for it themselves
We cannot put ourselves right
The reformation came about because people were enlightened to the fact of Grace
Only through Jesus can we but justified
Then and only then will true worship spring from your heart
We must have the Holy Spirit helping and enabling us
In the OT the priest could not worship without being anointed with oil
This was symbolic of the Holy Spirit
Only through Him can we worship and reflect back to God His own glory
He only lives in temples washed in the blood of Christ
Worshipers are not those who think by giving up bad habits they will have the Spirit within them
But it is those who transformed from within not without
The church that ceases to worship and has only outward empty works and meaningless rituals are showing the people an empty meaningless existence with no purpose or vision
The church that works itself into a frenzy for half an hour and try to get joy and sensuous pleasure is also as bad
Did you know the word religious means ‘to bind back’?
They exchange one set of chains for another
The Lord never intended us to drag around heavy burdens and yokes of slavery
He never wanted us to tread in the mud and despair of the sin of this world
He calls us to be free
PP 4b
To open the fountain of healing and deliverance
What will you choose today? Freedom or religion?
