What does Jesus expect in Worship?
January 6, 2002
This morning I would like to ask you what I feel is a very important question. As we begin the new year, I would like to ask you frankly, why are you here? Why did you get up this morning to come to this building? As we begin this New Year I like for us to take just a few moments and not only ask the question why we are hear but also answer that question. I believe the reason that we come to church is to worship.
Worship is the one thing that every church has in common. From the large mega-churches with thousands in attendance to the small family chapels with only three or four on Sunday morning, we all gathered for the same reason; to worship. Worship is what defines us as a church. We are involved in a lot of other activity including small groups, and kindness ministries and a host of other needed activities. But all those activities are meaningless without worship. Worship not only defines us as a church, but worship defines us as individuals.
Ralph Waldo Emerson hit the nail on the head when he said:
THE GODS we worship write their names on our faces, be sure of that. And a man will worship something —have no doubt about that, either. He may think that his tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of his heart—but it will out. That which dominates will determine his life and character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.
Did you catch it, what we are worshipping we are becoming.
Someone has defined Christianity is the transformation of irreligious people into worshipers of the true God. If this definition is true then it is vital for us to understand the biblical concept of worship. Let’s begin by looking at what worship is not.
This morning I would like for us to look at two places in Scripture where Jesus taught specifically about worship. The first is found in John’s gospel chapter four. Jesus and his disciples are traveling through Samaria and they come to a city called Sychar. Jesus finds a woman at the well in the middle of the day. I’m not gonna tell the whole story here this morning you can read it for yourself when you go home this afternoon. During the course of their conversation the subject of worship came up. Let’s listen in to their conversation.
The woman is talking and she says,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT A CERTAIN PLACE.
21Jesus said, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”
You see friends worship can happen anywhere. This church as a living example of this principle. We began worship in the high-school auditorium. With a hard wooden seat, bad lighting, and poor acoustics. Was it a place of worship? Yes it was. Those first few months God met with us in a very special way in a high school auditorium.
Then we moved into the rented facility in Barlow. It looked more like a church, with nice cushion seats, better lighting, and good acoustics. Was it a place of worship? Yes it was. During the time we were at Barlow God also met with us in amazing ways.
Now we’re meeting in this building. If I understand right it’s a building almost a hundred years old. For 100 years, an entire century, people have been meeting in this building to worship God. Is it a place of worship? Yes it is.
In a few years we will move to 339. Into a brand-new church building. It will be designed to seat 350 people in worship, with ample parking, and a large stage. Will it be a place of worship? Yes it will.
Worship is not about a place.
WORSHIP IS ALSO NOT ABOUT A CERTAIN STYLE.
The worship styles of the Jews and Samaritans were very different. Just like today there are many styles of worship: there is contemporary, traditional, and blended. I want you to hear me this morning, worship is not about style. I have experienced worship in contemporary services. But I also have been in contemporary services that are anything but worshipful. I’ve been in traditional services that helped me to worship. But I must confess I been in some traditional services that left me bored.
It reminds me of the story of the First Baptist Church. They always have a coffee hour after the Sunday worship service. One Sunday, after Pastor Ed preached much longer than usual, he was enjoying a homemade cookie and the fellowship of his congregation after the service. He was conversing with the Bowmount family and he happened to ask Alex Bowmount, a seven-year-old, if he knew why they served the coffee. “I think,” said the boy, “it’s to get the people awake before they drive home.”
We need to stop attacking churches because of their style of worship. Walt Kallastad writes about a news letter he received.
He received a newsletter from a nearby church. In the pastor’s column there was a blistering attack on contemporary worship and called it entertainment. The pastor hinted that he and his fellow leaders were far too sophisticated and theologically astute to sink to such pedestrian levels. Later in the same newsletter was a half-page announcement about an upcoming Sunday. A well-known bluegrass music group would be leading all three worship services. Bluegrass music! Isn’t that entertainment?
Not too many months ago there was an attack on contemporary worship in our local newspaper. Friends it’s time we quit attacking people inside the church and started together to build the kingdom of God.
So if worship is not about the place and the style, then what is worship about?
Let’s look at
Matthew 21:12-13
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, ”‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”
When Jesus said his house would be called the house of prayer he was quoting from Isaiah 56:7. And like for us to read the rest of what’s found in Isaiah and see if we can understand what kind of worship Jesus would expect.
Isaiah 56:6-7
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS WITH CONNECTION TO GOD
Isaiah 56:6 said, “foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord.” What Isaiah had in mind with the word bind was image of single thread being twisted together to form a rope.
As I was reading that text I remembered a movie about two prisoners who were shackled together and made a break from the prison. It did not take him long to realize that they had learned to work together. They both had to be going in the same direction. Because of the shackles they had to stay in step with each other.
If you and I are truly to understand worship we are going to have to be bound to God. Like the two prisoners shackled together, we are going to have to stay in step with God. We are going to have to go where he goes, do what he does, be what he is.
As the old song put it, I’ll go where you want me to go dear Lord over mountain or plane or sea, of say what you want me to say, I’ll be what you want me to be.
The beginning of worship is surrendering our will to God’s will.
First, TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS WITH CONNECTION TO GOD
Second, TRUE WORSHIP CONTINUES WITH A FOCUS ON GOD.
Isaiah 56:6
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—
Notice the three verbs here; serve him, love the name of the lord, and to worship him.
We a have a classic example of this in the story of the woman who came and broke the bottle of nard and anointed Jesus with the perfume.
She Broke it?! How shocking. How controversial. Was everybody doing it? Was it a vase-breaking party? No, she did it all by herself. What happened then? The obvious: all the contents were forever released. She could never hug her precious nard to herself again.…
The need for Christians everywhere (nobody is exempt) is to be broken. The vase has to be smashed! Christians have to let the life out! It will fill the room with sweetness. And the congregation will all be broken shards, mingling together for the first time.…
If you know one another as broken people, you’re ready to get on with a church service.
She said, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am going to focus on Jesus. Jesus is my all.
First, TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS WITH CONNECTION TO GOD
Second, TRUE WORSHIP CONTINUES WITH A FOCUS ON GOD
Third, TRUE WORSHIP CONCLUDES WITH JOY.
Isaiah 56:7
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
John Westfall tells about a visit to Ben and Jerry’s. How many of you have eaten Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream?
You will enjoy this story.
John writes, On our last day in New England, we stopped for the tour of the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory. We heard the fascinating story of Ben and Jerry, two college dropouts who sent away for a five-dollar mail order course on how to make ice cream. After only a few short years they were the third largest producers of gourmet ice cream in the world.
As their company grew, it became apparent to the two partners that their jobs had ceased to be fun. Work and its ensuing responsibilities were robbing them of their zest and creativity. According to the tour guide, they began to assess their company and determined that they were not in business to sell ice cream but to create joy.
Realizing their purpose, they hired a person to serve as Director of Joy for the company. The job consisted of fun activities and celebrations for the company and the community. Large stereo speakers were mounted in the factory so that loud party rock and roll would blare over the assembly lines. Believing that they were in the joy business, they set aside 7 1/2 percent of pretax profits for charities, festivals, community service, and special causes.
If Joy is our product, we are free to find new, creative ways to serve and encourage one another. When the stock market plummeted on Black Monday, panic and desperation were everywhere. Ben and Jerry were on the sidewalks of Wall Street scooping out free bowls of “economic crunch” ice cream. (Westfall, 100-101)
Maybe Christians can learn something from these two ice cream producers. We so often miss the joy.
Billy Graham said in his message “Saved or Lost” in Texas in 1965. “..one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. You might not be able to work up joy yourself, but God the Holy Spirit living inside of you can produce this joy supernaturally, and a Christian is to have joy.
He went on to say, “But a Christian is to have joy. That’s one of the great characteristics of the Christian is the joy that we have, and if you don’t have this joy and if you don’t have this peace that Christ gives, you had better search your heart and find out if you really know Christ.
So my friends, True Worship, What Jesus Expects in Worship has nothing to do with buildings or places, it has nothing to do with style, contemporary or traditional. True worship happens when first we are connected to God, second, we are focused on God, and finally with we are filled with the Joy of God.
Are you worshipping this morning?
