“Our Purpose”
Matthew 22: 37
SERMON OBJECTIVE: To inspire a more powerful worship experience by encouraging the people to open their hearts to God and allow Him to help their worship to come to life
INTRODUCTION:
Tonight we are going to discuss ‘worship’
The word comes from the root word “worth ship” which is essentially attributing all worth to something
ILLUSTRATION: “Why seek a living Christ amongst a group of dead Christians?”
Luke 24: 5 - Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
The women who found Jesus’ empty tomb that first Easter morning were faced with a powerful question: “Why are you seeking the living among the dead?” The angels asked this because Jesus wasn’t dead, He was alive! When reading this during this week, and praying over my sermon, I had this thought:
“Why would someone seek a living Savior amongst a group of dead Christians?”
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VIDEO CLIP – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off [Start Time 10:45 – End Time: 12]
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A high school girl wrote the following letter to a friend:
I attended your church yesterday. Although you had invited me, you were not there. I looked for you, hoping to sit with you. I sat alone. A stranger, I wanted to sit near the back of the church but those rows were all packed with regular attenders. An usher took me to the front. I felt as though I was on parade.
During the singing of the hymns I was surprised to note that some of the church people weren’t singing. Between their sighs and yawns, they just stared into space. Three of the kids that I had respected on campus were whispering to one another throughout the whole service. Another girl was giggling. I really didn’t expect that in your church. The pastor’s sermon was very interesting, although some members of the choir didn’t seem to think so. They looked bored and restless. One kept smiling at someone in the congregation. There were several people who left and then came back during the sermon. I thought, "How rude!" I could hear the constant shuffling of feet and doors opening and closing.
The pastor spoke about the reality of faith. The message got to me and I made up my mind to speak to someone about it after the service. But utter chaos reigned after the benediction. I said good morning to one couple, but their response was less than cordial. I looked for some teens with whom I could discuss the sermon, but they were all huddled in a corner talking about the newest music group.
My parents don’t go to church. I came alone yesterday hoping to find a place to truly worship and feel some love. I’m sorry, but I didn’t find it in your church. I won’t be back.
We need to remember that when a person comes into the church they expect to experience a living God –
But too often all they experience are dead Christians
I. Worship should be Honoring
READ: Leviticus 10:1-3 [have page marked in Bible]
A. God said, “By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy”
[EVERYONE SAY “MUST”]
i. We all have a responsibility to be careful about God’s holiness
ii. God’s holiness should never be regarded as anything less than magnificent
iii. If we come into God’s presence in an irreverent manner, we are obviously disregarding His holiness
iv. APPLICATION: It amazes me sometimes to see the things people do during church [and it is not just the youth] Sleeping, talking, passing notes and making noises are just a few of the ways we disregard the holiness of God
B. God said, “And before all people I must be glorified”
[EVERYONE AGAIN SAY “MUST”]
i. This is still a good measure for us to measure worship today
ii. Anything that does not glorify God is not worship and should not be allowed in our worship gatherings
iii. The NIV says, “be honored”
iv. Ask this question to yourself:
1. When I come into this place of worship, have I really come to ‘honor’ God?
2. If not, then why am I here?
a. Is it the nice people?
b. Is it the clean atmosphere?
c. Is it the fun activities?
3. Am I here to fulfill the purpose of worship in a way that gives God glory and honor?
C. ILLUSTRATION: “It is all in the attitude” A man once walked by a building site and saw three stone masons side by side, sweating over their work in the hot sun. He asked the first, "What are you doing?" "Laying bricks" came the reply. He asked the second stone mason, "And what are you doing?” Building a wall" came the reply. Then he asked the third mason, "And what is it you are doing?” I am raising a great cathedral."
i. When you come – are you:
1. Filling a seat?
2. Listening to a sermon?
3. Or are you honoring God?
ii. We need to be in an attitude of worship
II. Worship should be Wholehearted
READ: Revelation 3:14-16 [have page marked in Bible]
A. The Lord uses a water analogy
i. Cold water is refreshing
ii. Hot water can be used for medical purposes
iii. Lukewarm water is neither – it is good for nothing
iv. The Lord uses a graphic term, ‘vomit you out of My mouth’, to describe his feelings toward those who are lukewarm
B. The Lord rejects the halfhearted efforts of self-satisfied Christians
i. When we don’t give God our whole hearts, it is usually because we are satisfied with our current relationship with God
ii. We should never be satisfied, but always be desperate for more of God
iii. “BREATHE” The song “Breathe” expresses this feeling
1. Lyric – “This is the air I breathe, Your Holy presence living in me, and I’m desperate for you, I’m lost without you”
C. REMEMBER: When you come to God’s house halfheartedly, the other half of your heart is elsewhere
i. How often do we sit in this church, with our bodies here, and our minds somewhere else?
ii. We become focused on:
1. What’s for dinner?
2. What’s happening in the big game?
3. When is this sermon going to end?
D. “Souled Out” We need to allow our hearts to become sold out to God
i. A more correct term may be SOULED OUT [s-o-u-l]
ii. To give our whole soul over to God and allow Him to fill it
iii. It is amazing to see a group of people become ‘Souled Out” – especially young people
1. Worship then becomes something that is experienced rather than something that is simply accomplished
2. You should never leave church with the thought: “I’m glad I got that over with”
3. You should leave with a thought: “I can’t wait to do that again!”
III. Worship should be Expressive
A. Expression in worship is found throughout the Bible
i. READ: 2nd Samuel 6:14-15 “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”
ii. The ark represented God’s presence among the people
1. Worship should lead us into God’s presence
2. This is our time to experience God
iii. In this text we see people worshipping in God’s presence through:
1. Dancing
2. Shouting
3. Playing musical instruments
iv. Something can be said for David in this passage
1. The passage states that David was worshipping with ‘all his might’
2. He was giving worship his ‘all’
3. When was the last time you gave your ‘all’ to the worship of God?
B. Expression in worship should not be condemned
i. READ: Romans 14:4 “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”
ii. We are all God’s servants and will all serve Him in different ways
1. It is not up to me whether or not you:
a. Lift your hands when you sing
b. Kneel when you pray
c. Shout ‘AMEN’ when you agree with a statement
2. But also remember it is not up to you to judge someone else who is led to do any of those things
3. The problem is that many of us become hindered by our inhibitions when it comes to worshipping God
a. We are afraid someone might hear us sing off key
b. ILLUSTRATION: “CAR SINGERS” That same group who will not sing in God’s house because they cry about being off key, will tear up the insides of their car when they are alone singing the worst renditions of whatever happens to be playing on the radio. REMEMBER if you are a born again believer, you take the Holy Spirit of God with you wherever you go! God has heard your terrible singing [he he] So don’t be afraid to come in His house and lift up that joyful noise!
c. That’s why it says ‘joyful noise’ and not ‘music’ - Some of us can only make noise – And that’s OK!
C. Expression in worship should be intimate
i. These things are all simple, but I think should be reminded to each of us from time to time:
1. When you sing – Lift your voice to God
2. When you pray – Speak to God
3. When you take communion – Draw close to God
4. When you hear the scripture and message – Listen for what God is telling you
5. When you leave – Remember the Holy Spirit is with you always
ii. By making worship intimate between you and God, it becomes an experience that you will not want to go without
CONCLUSION:
“WHY DO THEY WORSHIP BETTER?” I was speaking to a man this week during my trip to Arizona about the church, and we were discussing the various religions. He said that his biggest problem with Christianity was that every time he sees a Muslim worshipping, they are knelt in prayer, but every time he attends a Christian church all he sees is fighting and irreverence.
Now we can all be offended and pick up stones ready to hurl at this man – or we can look at ourselves and say, “What can we do to worship better?”
Maybe we need to get our minds off of other things
Maybe we need to put our hearts in the right places
Maybe we need to remember that we are not just filling a seat, or listening to a sermon – we are worshipping a living God
*God says to those who come near Him that He ‘must’ be regarded as holy and that He ‘must’ be glorified
