Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a typical American family driving home from church one Sunday. Dad was fussing about the sermon being too long and sort of boring. Mom said she thought the organist played too loudly during the second hymn they sang. Sis, who was a music major in college, complained the soloist was about a half note off key during most of her song. Grandma said she couldn’t hear very well, since they were sitting toward the back. As they pulled into the driveway, little Willie, who had been listening to all of this, started to fuss about the woman who sat in front of him with the big hat. Then he paused, nudged his dad, and said, “But dad, you gotta admit, it was a pretty good show for a nickel” (Chuck Swindoll).
Sad to say, that’s the way it is for a lot of people in our country. Their worship is just a poor, cheap show on Sunday morning. They put a little money in the offering so they can endure an off-key soloist and listen to a boring preacher. Then they wonder why their religion is so lifeless and why they get nothing out of it.
Yet worship can be so exciting. It can be so refreshing and uplifting. Now, a lot of that depends on what we do up here on the platform. But I’m convinced more of it depends on what you do in the pew. How you come to worship will determine how you leave it.
The question is: How can you come to worship so you leave refreshed? How can you approach worship in such a way that you leave uplifted and encouraged? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 4, Genesis 4, where we see two brothers coming to worship. One left blessed. The other left depressed. One left rejoicing. The other left in a rage.
Genesis 4:1-5 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell (ESV).
What made the difference between these two? Why did God accept one offering and not the other? Why did Abel go away blessed and Cain depressed? Well, for one thing, Abel came to worship humbly. Able came with a lowly spirit and a sense of his own sin. You see it in the type of offering he brought. It was a blood sacrifice, an offering of part of his flock. When his parents sinned, God slew an animal and shed its blood to cover their shame (3:21). So Able, knowing that he is a sinner, sheds the blood of an animal to cover his own sin.
Abel came to worship humbly, while Cain came proudly. Cain came with a high and mighty spirit, without any sense of his sin before God. You see, he brought no blood sacrifice. He simply brought “some of the fruits of the soil.” Evidently Cain thought he was OK before God. Maybe he thought he didn’t need any forgiveness.
Cain came to worship high and mighty, but he left low. Abel came to worship low and humble, but he left high. How about you? How did you come to worship this morning? If you want to leave worship uplifted and blessed like Able, Then like Able you must come low. You must…
COME HUMBLY BEFORE YOUR GOD.
Come with a keen sense of your own sinfulness and your own unworthiness before God.
When President Theodore Roosevelt entertained diplomatic guests at the White House, he often took them out to the back lawn at the end of the day. There, the president stood gazing at the night sky until everyone else cast their eyes heavenward, as his were. In his day, the city lights were not bright enough to dim the vast array of stars, and the magnificent display of God's brilliant creation would overcome Roosevelt and his guests. After a long moment, Mr. Roosevelt would say, “Gentlemen, I believe we are small enough now. Let's go to bed” (E-mail from the Presidential Prayer Team, 6-21-02; www. PreachingToday.com).
When you recognize how small you are before a big God, only then are you ready to truly worship Him.
J. C. Ryle puts it this way: “Forgiven souls are humble. They cannot forget that they owe all they have and hope for to free grace, and this keeps them lowly. They [see themselves as] brands plucked from the fire, debtors who could not pay for themselves, captives who must remain in prison for ever, but for undeserved mercy, or wandering sheep who were ready to perish when the Shepherd found them. [Therefore, they give up their] right to be proud [unlike those] proud saints, [who are] the most likely to stumble and pierce themselves with many sorrows (J. C. Ryle in Foundations of Faith, Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 4; www.PreachingToday.com).
Tell me, how do you see yourself today? As a proud saint? Or as a forgiven soul?
Jesus died on a cross to save you from your sins. Then He rose again as victor over sin and death. All you have to do is acknowledge your sin before Him, ask Him to be merciful to you, a sinner, and depend on Him for a new and eternal life.
If you come to worship in that way, humbly and dependent on God, He will change you from the inside out. In other words, if you come to worship low, then you will leave high (spiritually high, that is). But if you come to worship high and mighty, then you will leave low.
Denzel Washington, in a message to college graduates, talked about the time when he was young and started really making it as an actor. He came and talked to his mother and said, “Mom, did you think this was going to happen? I'd be so big and I'll be able to take care of everybody and I can do this and I can do that.”
Mama Washington reprimanded her son: “Oh, you did it all by yourself? I'll tell you what you can do by yourself: Go outside and get a mop and bucket and clean these windows—you can do that by yourself, superstar.”
Then she said, “Boy, stop it right there, stop it right there, stop it right there! [You don’t know] how many people been praying for you... to save your sorry behind” (Michael W. Chapman, Denzel Washington to College Grads: “Put God First,” CSNNEWS.com, 5-11-15; www.PreachingToday.com).
It’s only by God’s grace that any of us accomplish anything. So come humbly to worship. Then...
COME SINCERELY.
Come whole-heartedly, honoring God from the heart, worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
That’s the way Abel worshipped God. He went out of his way to give his very best to God. Verse 4 says, “Able brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.” Literally, he gave the fattest of the fat, the choicest of the choice. He gave his very best to God.
Whereas Cain is content merely to discharge a duty. Verse 3 simply reports, “Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground.” There is no record that he brought his best. There is no indication that he really cared. He was just going through the motions of worship.
The book of Jude speaks of men like these. There it says, Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted (Jude 11-12).
They go through the motions of religion and worship, but it has no meaning for them. They look good on the outside, but they are empty on the inside. They look alive, but they are “twice dead.” They bring their bodies to worship but not their souls.
Many years ago, a devout Christian man spent several minutes every morning in his bedroom praying and reading the Bible. As he grew older, his prayers became longer and more intense, but he really cherished this quiet time in his bedroom.
His cat liked it too. She would cozy up to him, purr loudly and rub her furry body against him. This interrupted the man’s prayer time, so he put a collar around the cat’s neck and tied her to the bedpost. This didn’t seem to upset the cat, and it meant the man could pray without interruption.
Over the years, his daughter was impressed by her father’s devotion. So, when she started her own family, she decided to do what her father had done every morning. Dutifully, she tied her cat to the bedpost and then proceeded with her own devotions. She didn’t spend as much time in prayer as her father, but she found the practice meaningful.
When her son grew up, he wanted to preserve some of the family traditions, which meant so much to his mother and grandfather. He didn’t have time to pray and read the Bible, but to carry on the religious tradition, every morning, while he was dressing, he tied the family cat to the bedpost (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p.437).
For many people, going to worship is like tying the family cat to the bedpost. It is merely a religious tradition. They just go through the motions of worship, but it has no meaning. They are simply performing an act.
How about you? How did you come to worship this morning? Are you just going through the motions, or did you come with your whole heart? Are you just tipping God today, or did you come determined to give Him your best?
If you want to leave this place of worship uplifted and blessed every Sunday, then come humbly, come sincerely, and 3rd...
COME BELIEVING IN GOD.
Come with faith. Come with an expectation that God will meet you here.
Hebrews 11:4 is the New Testament commentary on this passage in Genesis 4. There it says, “BY FAITH Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his FAITH, though he died, he still speaks.”
Abel came to worship BY FAITH. Abel believed God, and so he pleased God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “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” (ESV).
That’s what Abel did, and that’s what you must do if you want to please God with your worship. Believe that He exists, and believe that He wants to reward you.
One Christmas Eve, the telephone rang in the pastor’s office at the church that Franklin D. Roosevelt attended in Washington D.C. “Tell me, Reverend,” the voice asked. “Are you holding a Christmas Eve service tonight?”
The pastor said, “Certainly.”
Then the caller asked, “Do you expect President Roosevelt to attend your church tonight?”
The pastor explained, “That I can’t promise. I’m not sure about the president’s plans for the evening. But I can say that we fully expect God to be in our church tonight, and we feel secure in the knowledge that His attendance will attract a reasonably large congregation.”
Out of all the people that come visit us here in Lyons, we’d be thrilled to have a world-famous celebrity here today. But somebody greater than anyone with world-wide fame is here today. He is the Lord of Glory, God Himself! Did you come expecting to meet Him today? If you did, then you will not leave disappointed. If you want to get something out of the worship service, then come believing that “He is,” that He is right here.
Furthermore, come believing that He “rewards those who seek Him.” Come with expectation, because you get what you expect.
Linore Burkard in Bellmore, New York, says, “Our pastor's sermons amaze me. Each week he preaches with fervor and faith—never doubting God is ready now to open a heart or change a life. One Sunday I caught a glimpse of what inspires him. A plaque, fastened to the side of the pulpit, reads: ‘Expect a miracle’” (Linore Burkard, Bellmore, NY, “Heart to Heart, ”Today's Christian Woman; www.PreachingToday.com).
What did you expect this morning as you came to worship? Did you come expecting to be bored? Or did you come expecting God to bless you this morning? If you came expecting to be bored, no doubt, you need to change your expectations, or to use a biblical term, you need to “repent.” When Jesus began His public ministry, He urged, “REPENT for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Long-time missionary to India, Lesslie Newbigin, illustrates the meaning of repentance in her book Mission in Christ's Way.
She was visiting a village with no road into the village. One reached it by crossing a river on the south side of the village or on the north. The congregation had decided that she would come by the southern route, and they had prepared a welcome such as only an Indian village can prepare. There was music and fireworks and garlands and fruit and [dancing]. Unfortunately, Lesslie entered the village at the north end and found only a few goats and chickens. When the village discovered her mistake, they did a U-turn and faced the other way (Leslie Newbigin, Mission in Christ's Way, pp. 2-3; www.PreachingToday.com).
This is what repentance means. It is not so much a call for moral reformation as it is a call to look in a different direction. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” In other words, “The reign of God has drawn near, but you can’t see it, because you are looking the wrong way. So turn around and look the right way. Change your expectations. Go through a mental revolution; otherwise, you’ll miss seeing God’s reign in your life.”
If you want to see God at work in your life, make a U-turn and face the other way in your mind. To put it simply, come to God with faith. Come believing that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him.
In his book Powerful Prayers, Larry King describes three farmers who gather daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies will open and pour forth a much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the heavens are silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continue to meet every morning to lift up their request to God.
One morning a stranger approaches and asks the men what they are doing. They respond, “We're praying for rain.”
The newcomer looks at each of them and shakes his head, “No, I don't think so.”
The first farmer says, “Of course we're praying. We are down on our knees pleading for rain. Look around, see the drought. We haven't had rain in more than a year!”
The outsider continues to nod his head and advises them their efforts will never work. The second farmer jumps in and says, “We need the rain; we aren't asking only for ourselves, but for our families and livestock.”
The man listens, nods, and says he still isn't impressed. “You're wasting your time,” he says.
The third farmer can't take any more and angrily says, “Okay, what would you do if you were in our shoes?”
The visitor asks, “You really want to know?”
The three landowners answer, “We really want to know! The future of our farmlands is at stake.”
The guest announces, “I would have brought an umbrella!” (Larry King, Powerful Prayers, Renaissance Books, 1998, p. 243; www.PreachingToday.com).
I wonder. Did any of you come with your umbrella this morning?
If you want God to lift you up in worship, then come humbly, come sincerely, and come believing God. How did you come this morning?
(illus.) In his book Letters to My Children, Daniel Taylor responds to a series of questions from his young children. One of the questions comes from his son Matthew, who asks, “Church is getting boring. Why do we have to go to church?”
Here's part of Taylor's reply:
Think about it. If a friend of yours called and said that a famous athlete or singer was going to be at his house, and asked if you wanted to come over, wouldn't you go? And wouldn't you be excited? Of course! And so would I.
Well, church is the place where God will be, every time you go. Of course, he is with you whether you're in church or not, but he can be there in a special way when many believers gather to celebrate him together.
“Sounds great,” I hear you saying, “but then how come you fell asleep so much? If God is really there, I mean really there, then how come we aren't bug-eyed and breathless most all the time?”
That's a very good question. I wish I had a very good answer. Part of it is that God knows we can't take very much of him. It's like when you hold Fluffs, our hamster. If you squeezed very hard, Fluffs would be on his way to hamster heaven. You have to hold him gently, talk to him quietly. Well, God has to be sort of like that with us.
Truthfully, though, the biggest reason might be that we don't want very much of God. We want God to stay in his cage like Fluffs does. We are afraid of losing control of our own lives. We just want him to help us a little here, and forgive us a little there, and let us handle the rest. And so we try to make church a safe place where we can get a little bit of God but not too much (Daniel Taylor, Letters to My Children, InterVarsity Press, 1999, pp. 64-65; www.PreachingToday.com).
How much of God do you want this morning? Just enough to be comfortable and safe? Or do you want enough of Him to change your life?
Your experience in worship is all about your attitude. If you come to worship humbly, whole heartedly, trusting God to change you, your experience will be anything but boring.
