The Wonderful World Of Worship

“THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WORSHIP”

MK. 12:28-31

INTRO.

Have you ever been on a sailboat, with the wind at our backs blowing through the sails, riding across the waves, sun glistening across the water?

 It’s pretty exhilarating, isn’t it?

But what happens to that sailboat when it’s tied down and not sailing?

 Wind sails through its riggings, but the boat remains unmoved/lifeless.

 The purpose of a sailboat is to catch the wind in its sails and ride the waves.

 It’s useless and just taking up space if it’s tied down and not used.

Unfortunately, that’s like a lot of believers today.

 We go through our weeks and our lives simply existing without opening our sails and letting the Spirit of God fill us and direct us and move us.

That’s what worship is all about.

 It’s about letting God fill us and move us and direct us in the paths we should go.

In fact, we were created to worship and glorify God. That’s our ultimate purpose!

 When we’re not doing that, we are for all intents and purposes, useless and lifeless.

We’ve been looking at the five purposes of the Church.

 Five commandments that God has given us that we MUST fulfill if we’re going to be a healthy church.

 We need to be growing warmer through fellowship and deeper through discipleship and broader through ministry and larger through evangelism.

 Today, we’re going to discover how to grow stronger through worship.

 In fact, all of the other purposes we’ve studied lead up to the purpose of worship.

Worship is crucial to our relationship with Christ.

 If we don’t understand what it is and how to do it, we’re just like a lifeless sailboat.

How can we grow stronger through worship?

 By understanding what worship is not.

 By understanding what worship is.

 By understanding what worship looks like (applying our understanding).

OUTLINE

I. What Worship Is Not

If you were to define worship, what would you say?

 "That’s what we do in church on Sunday mornings".

 It’s singing songs to prepare us for the sermon.”

 If that’s true, which is more important – worship or the Word?

Illus. Worship Pastor – really wanting a Music Director.

Worship is NOT just what we do on Sunday morning.

Worship is not limited to singing songs before a message.

Worship is not singing songs on Sunday.

II. What Worship Is

A. Common Definitions

 Recognizing Who God is in relation to who we are.

 Giving Him the proper place in everything we do or say.

 Most simple definition: recognizing God’s worth-ship in our lives.

B. Biblical Definitions

7 words in Scripture that are translated “worship”.

 They imply: to bow down or kneel before, to fear, to serve, to pay homage to, to revere, show devotion.

 Worship is MUCH more than what we do on Sunday mornings!

 Rom 12:1 (together) "THEREFORE, I URGE YOU, BROTHERS, IN VIEW OF GOD’S MERCY, TO OFFER YOUR BODIES AS LIVING SACRIFICES, HOLY AND PLEASING TO GOD--THIS IS YOUR SPIRITUAL (REASONABLE) ACT OF WORSHIP."

 Col 3:17 (together) "AND WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER THROUGH HIM."

C. Our Definition (Mk. 12:28-31, turn there)

At that time, there were over 600 Laws the people were required to obey.

 There were many disputes among leaders about the major and minor laws and if they were all equally binding.

Ex. mortal and venial sins (felony vs. misdemeanor).

 The Jewish leaders were trying to trap Jesus in order to accuse Him and this question was simply another attempt to discredit Him.

 READ TEXT

28ONE OF THE TEACHERS OF THE LAW (a lawyer, an expert in the law) CAME AND HEARD THEM DEBATING. NOTICING THAT JESUS HAD GIVEN THEM A GOOD ANSWER, HE ASKED HIM, “OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS, WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT?”

29“THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE,” ANSWERED JESUS, “IS THIS: ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE. 30LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’

31THE SECOND IS THIS: ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ THERE IS NO COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THESE.”

 v. 29-30 is the beginning of the Shema, the Jewish Confession of Faith.

29. cp. Dt. 6:4-5 (Shema – “hear”)

 The Shema was considered the umbrella statement to all the other commands.

 It’s the Jewish creed (pledge of allegiance).

 It’s recited 4x a day by the religious Jews (morning, mid-day, evening, night).

 It still begins every synagogue service today.

 Hear (a command!) – give heed to, obey, listen carefully, pay attention.