Worthy Of Worship Series

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)