Worthy of Worship
Feb. 5, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A A bulletin carried the announcement: "Due to lack of power, there will be no service tonight."
1 The electric company was going to be working on the grid, & it cut off the power.
a Lights would be cut & the organ silenced, so the evening service had to be canceled.
b The announcement for any church might read: "Due to lack of worship, there will be no power in the church services."
c The failure to worship represents a disastrous break in the church’s spiritual power lines.
2 A church that does not worship is not a church.
B Worship has been defined by scores of scholars
1 "Worship is any activity in which believers experience God in a meaningful, spiritually transforming way." ~Gene Mims, recent President of Lifeway Christian Resources
2 "Worship is a face-to-face encounter with the living God based on a regeneration experience, prompted by the Holy Spirit, & resulting in the exaltation of God’s glory. Simply speaking, worship is giving the worship to God that He deserves because He is God." ~Elmer Towns (Mr. Sunday School) Dean of the School of Religion, Liberty University; & co-founder of Liberty University.
3 "Worship is expressing our love to God for who He is, what He’s said, and what He’s doing." ~Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Church; Senior Pastor, Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, CA
C Thousands (if not millions) of definitions for worship
1 Every one of us would define worship in our own unique way
a Many of us would define it in terms of style/form
b Contemporary, traditional, liturgical
2 Personal preferences are part of who we are!
a Clapping, raising hands, hymns, solemness, choruses, etc.
b Personal preferences on worship, when taken to an extreme, can destroy a church ministry.
c I’m sure most churches believe that their worship style is the most biblical.
aa Scripture describes many types of worship
bb God is probably pleased with many styles!
3 I want to suggest that the greatest importance not be placed on how you worship, but Who you worship.
a If we are at the center of worship, then our preferences take center stage.
b If God is at the heart of our worship, then our desire to please God with our worship takes precedence.
c (IL) A little girl praying her bedtime prayers. She’s telling God how good the services were that day. Choir, Lord’s Supper, special music, preaching... "God, I really wish You could have been there."
D Jesus said, "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve." (Matt. 4:10)
1 Jesus told the devil that the only One worthy of worship was God. (ETS)
2 Believers embrace God as the object of their life’s worship (ESS)
3 I hope you’ll leave this service knowing why God is worthy of your worship (OBJ)
4 How does your approach to God affect your approach to worship?
5 Let’s quickly look at two reasons why God is worthy of your worship (TS)
E Pray
I Worship is the proper response from creation to the Creator. "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." Rev 4:11 (NASB)
A God is the creator of the universe
1 Nothing that exists does so out of any other means than by God’s creative hand
2 If it exists it is only because God made it
B God is the creator of the universe...including us For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. Psalms 139:13 (NASB)
1 Intelligent design, nothing! God is the Maker. Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalms 95:6 (NASB)
2 God has the right to expect us to worship Him because He created us.
C Scientists decided we no longer need God...go tell Him.
TS: God not only created us, He saved us
II Worship is the necessary response from the redeemed to the Redeemer. And they sang* a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Rev 5:9 (NASB)
A Recently, many credit card issuer raised the minimum payment for card holders.
1 Interest was eating people up...never pay it off!
2 It would take decades to pay off the principal
a Keep changing more, payoff further out of reach
b Sin: keep getting further & further from God
B At the cross, Jesus paid off our sins
1 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Heb 9:22 (NASB)
2 Jesus purchased us, gave us the gift of freedom
C "Bought back" is the meaning of redemption
1 (IL) Redeem a gift card, someone has already paid the bill
2 We worship because He’s already picked up the bill!
3 Our worship to God is a tangible demonstration that we’ve given our lives to God.
Conclusion:
A Jesus told the devil that the only One worthy of worship was God. (ETS) Believers embrace God as the object of their life’s worship (ESS)
1 We’ve looked at two reasons why God is worthy of our worship:
a Creation to the Creator
b Redeemed to the Redeemer
B I hope you’ll leave this service knowing why God is worthy of your worship (OBJ)
C How does your approach to God affect your approach to worship?
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
