Scripture
During our Sunday Evening Worship Services, I am preaching a series I am calling “Worship Matters.”
Last time, we set a foundation for worship in a message titled, “All to the Glory of God.” For the next two messages, I would like to examine “Private Worship.”
Our text for this series is 1 Corinthians 10:31:
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Introduction
A. W. Tozer, a well-known preacher in the middle of the last century, wrote, “Worship is the missing jewel in the evangelical church.” That was Tozer’s assessment of his generation. If Tozer were alive today, I believe he would find that worship is still the missing jewel in the evangelical church. Our generation knows very little about true, biblical worship. And it is for that reason that I started a series on the subject of worship. In this series of messages I want to examine the doctrine of worship and discover what kind of worship is acceptable and pleasing to God.
Review
Let’s briefly review what we covered in last time.
A. The Definition of Worship
Last we used John MacArthur’s simple, sound definition of worship: worship is honor and adoration directed toward God. Worship is ascribing worth to God and giving him the honor and adoration and glory that is due to him. Worshipping God is glorifying God. It is lifting up and exalting him before all other gods.
B. The Importance of Worship
We also talked about the importance of worship. We said that worship is important for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that Scripture is dominated with the theme of worship.
C. The Kinds of Unacceptable Worship
Then I listed four kinds of worship unacceptable to God. These are:
• The worship of false gods,
• The worship of the true God in the wrong way,
• The worship of the true God in a self-styled manner, and,
• The worship of the true God in the right way but with the wrong attitude.
D. The Kind of Acceptable Worship
Finally, last week we mentioned the kind of worship that is acceptable to God. Worship that is acceptable to God is that which does all for the glory of God. In fact, my theme text—1 Corinthians 10:31—for this series of sermons on worship describes the kind of worship acceptable to God: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
All of life, then, is worship. And this is the foundation upon which private worship, family worship, and public worship is built. Let us now look at today’s topic of private worship.
Lesson
In this lesson, we want to begin looking at our private worship of God.
I. Our Private Worship of God
Throughout the Scriptures, God calls his people to daily, private worship. For the sake of our study, I am dividing daily, private worship into two broad categories. First, there are unscheduled acts of worship. And, second, there are scheduled acts of worship.
A. Unscheduled Acts of Worship
Let’s examine, in the first place, unscheduled acts of worship.
First Corinthians 10:31 says: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Our own Westminster Standards, in answer to the question, “What is the chief end of man?” says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God….” Our chief end, our primary purpose in life, is to glorify and worship God. But how do we do that? How do we worship and glorify God throughout the day? Here are several ways God may be worshipped throughout the day.
1. By Trusting God
First, by trusting God.
God is glorified when we trust him completely. Trusting God is the most basic form of worship. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
As Christians we say that we believe God keeps his Word and never breaks his promises, but so few of us live lives of total trust in God and his Word. When we fail to trust God we fail to worship and glorify him. But more than that, when we fail to trust God, we are saying to all, “My God cannot be trusted. He is not worthy of trust.”
A good example of unwavering trust that glorified God is the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel 3 tells us that before Nebuchadnezzar cast them into the white-hot furnace he gave them a chance to recant their trust in God and worship a golden image of the king instead. Verse 17 is their answer to him: “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.” Then they added these words in verse 18, which reveal their complete trust in God, “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Picture the scene. They were in an extremely difficult position. No child of God on record had ever experienced the threat of a fiery furnace, and so there were no convenient ready-reference Bible verses they could look to for a promise that they would survive. They had absolutely no assurance whatsoever that they would survive. If they had yielded to the circumstances, God would not have been glorified. But instead, they took a confident stand trusting in God, no matter what the outcome. God not only vindicated their trust in him but also glorified himself in the eyes of the world.
2. By Verbal Praise
Second, God is worshipped by verbal praise.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 71:8, “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.” Many of the Psalms are expressions of praise to God.
What is praise? Praise is simply exalting God by reciting his attributes and his works and thanking him for who he is and what he has done.
A good example of worshipping God by verbal praise is the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17. Because leprosy was such a terrible disease and so contagious, lepers had to separate themselves from society. They were outcasts to be avoided, and everyone stayed as far away from them as they could—except Jesus. Listen to the story told by Luke in chapter 17:11-18:
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
It was a sad, unbelievable situation. Ten lepers were healed and saved from a life of sickness and shame, but only one thought to worship God by praising him for his wonderful work of grace and mercy and healing in his life.
We should worship God throughout our day praising him for who he is and what he has done.
But, as everyone knows, it is easy to praise God for the good things that come our way. But what should we do when we encounter trials and adversity and even evil in our lives? How should we respond when the dinner burns, the car breaks down, we get sick, lose our jobs, face financial hardship, or lose a loved one? Even in these circumstances we should offer up praise to God.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Paul assures the believer that he has God’s guarantee that everything that happens to him in this life will ultimately work for the good.
I have had people throw that verse back at me—especially at the death of a loved one—and say, “Don’t give me that verse! How can you quote that verse to me? Look at what has happened to me? How can you say that everything will work out for the good?” And whenever someone says that, they show that they do not yet understand the sovereignty of God over all of life.
God calls us to praise and thank him in all circumstances. Paul says in I Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” When we respond to painful events, actions, people or things with resentment, bitterness, anger or a complaining spirit, we are not worshipping God.
An example of a person who worshipped God despite the evil that came to him is Job. Do you remember the story of Job? In one day, Job lost all of his incredible wealth. He lost 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large number of servants. But not only did Job lose all his wealth, he also lost his seven sons and three daughters when a desert windstorm knocked down the house and killed all ten of his children. Job responded to this tragedy by praising God. Job 1:20-22 says, “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” And when Job’s wife came to him and suggested that he should curse God and die, Job responded by saying, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).
We must learn to praise God in all circumstances. I came across a poem some time ago called The Weaver. It may be helpful to you during those dark hours when it feels hard to praise God:
My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me:
I cannot choose the colors,
He worketh steadily:
Often times He chooseth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride;
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand;
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttle cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
Robert Morey adds these words:
God would not send the darkness
If He felt we could not bear the light;
We would not cling to His guiding hand,
If the way were always bright.
So, He sends the blinding darkness
And the furnace’s sevenfold heat;
‘Tis the only way, believe me,
To keep you close to the Master’s feet.
3. By a Contented Heart
Third, God is worshipped by a contented heart.
True worship is a life of contentment, regardless of the circumstances. Contentment testifies to the wisdom and sovereignty of God and thereby glorifies him. Discontentment, on the other hand, is essentially rebelliousness. The discontented person is, in effect, blaming God for his circumstances.
The Apostle Paul is an example of contentment, regardless of the circumstances. His letter to the church at Philippi was prompted in part by the gift of money they had sent to him. He wrote to thank them for their gift, and in Philippians 4:11 he says, “For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”
“But, wait,” you say, “it’s easy to be content when things are going well. It’s not so easy to be content when things are not going well.” I need to remind you that Paul was still content even in adverse circumstances. When Paul said that he had learned to be content whatever the circumstances, he was not just blowing hot air—he had been already been through incredibly trying circumstances. Second Corinthians 11:23-28 is a list of the things that Paul had already suffered by the time he wrote to the church at Philippi:
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Few of us will ever know that kind of trial in our lives.
We would do well to follow the apostle’s example and say with him, “For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” It is this kind of contentment that is characteristic of true, spiritual worship.
4. By a Willingness to Suffer
Fourth, God is worshipped by a willingness to suffer.
We worship God by loving him enough to suffer for him. The apostle Peter was called by Jesus to die for him. Peter’s life is a study in the relationship between suffering and worship.
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:16: “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
One thinks of others who suffered for Christ. Micaiah was thrown into prison. Isaiah was sawn in two. Paul was eventually beheaded. Tradition says that Luke was hanged on an olive tree and Peter was crucified upside down. Through the centuries hundreds of thousands of Christians have been martyred because of their faith in Christ. And in their suffering they glorified and worshipped God.
God may call us to suffer martyrdom, but even if he doesn’t, we must worship him with a willingness to suffer even to death for him. To suffer for him is the supreme honor because it says that you count him as ultimate in your life.
5. By Bearing Spiritual Fruit
Fifth, God is worshipped by bearing spiritual fruit.
Fruitful believers glorify God. In John 15:8, Jesus said, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit” (NASB).
What is fruit? “Fruit,” says John MacArthur, “is anything in our lives that reflects the character of God.” The apostle Paul defines fruit in Galatians 5:22-23 this way: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Spiritual fruit is evidence to the world of the results of an obedient life. The fruit we bear reveals the character of God to those who don’t know him. Just as a grape is a genetic reproduction of the characteristics of a grapevine, so spiritual fruit is a reproduction of the characteristics of Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).
We worship and glorify God when this kind of spiritual fruit is evident in our lives. Whether at home or at work or at school, God calls us to bear spiritual fruit in every situation.
Conclusion
There are many ways to glorify and worship God. I trust that from the few ways we have listed above, you get the sense that daily, personal worship is an active, all-consuming, never-ending pursuit. Amen.
