Worship
- spring training is an annual event that all professional
baseball players have
- these guys, who make millions of dollars for working
8 or 9 months a year, they go to the south, like Florida
- they go to the baseball park and get ready for the
baseball season
- what's really interesting is that spring training is
critical to the success of a team
- what they do in spring training is that they try to
get those guys back into physical shape
- they try to get them emotionally prepared and focused
- and they go back and try to teach them the basics,
like how to bunt, how to steal a base, how to think through a play,
what to do in a position
- because, for some reason, baseball players lose their
edge
- once they've been out of the circuit for the summer,
they forget the basics of baseball
-
- right now, we're in spring training at Richview
- now, we're not going to ride in a bus to Florida
- we're not going to throw balls all over the place
- we're going to sit here in your comfortable chairs
- and we're going to get ourselves refocused again on
the church
- I'm convinced that churches lose site of the reason
for their existence
- and it's important, every once in a while, to come
along and say, "Here's what it's all about"
- and so, we're in spring training in the Fall at Richview
- we began a few weeks ago asking the question, "Church:
what's the point?"
- and the point is, we exist to lead all people to become
fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ
- that's why we're here as a church
- everything we do has to be evaluated against that mission
-
- we've already begun the exciting and sometimes painful
journey to transition to a church that is crystal-clear about its purpose
- two weeks ago, we began talking about our five purposes
as a church
- they're the 5 things that God has commanded every church
to do
- and this morning we're going to talk about the second
of these: worship
- God has called us to be worshipers
- we're going to ask ourselves why worship is so important
to us at Richview
- but before we do, let's pray
-
- Father,
- Jesus told us in your Word that you are looking for
true worshipers who will worship you in spirit and in truth
- Acts 2 reports that in the early church, believers
worshiped together each day, praising God
- your desire is that we would be a worshiping church
- and I pray today that you would elevate this value
among us
- I pray in Jesus' name, Amen..
-
- God has called us to be worshipers
- in 1996, the Barna Research Group did a survey of adults
in churches in North America
- they wanted to find out how these adults reacted to
worship
- what they discovered is fascinating
- 71% of the adults who regularly attend church said,
"I have never experienced the presence of God in worship. Never"
-
- to some people, worship is this regular routine that
you go through each week
- you come to church, sing a few songs, go through the
motions, but you never really expect anything to happen
- for others, worship has become synonymous with style
- to them, worship means a certain kind of music
- but for many, worship has no real connection with God
- it's rote, it's routine, it's really irrelevant
- empty, boring ritual
-
- but that's not true worship
- around here, we think that worship is much more than
an event or a certain type of music
- it's a lifestyle
- worship is not something you do for an hour a week
- it's not a particular type of music
- it's a lifestyle - something that the believer does
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
-
- and what's more, we think that the public worship of
God, when believers gather together to praise him, should be something
exciting
- it should be an event at which 100% of believers come
and expect to experience the presence of God in worship
- there is simply nothing else like God-honoring worship,
and we are deeply committed and thrilled about it
-
- you say to me, "Why? Why is worship so important
in the life of the church?"
- I'm glad you asked!
- I want to give you three reasons why we are deeply
energized and excited about worship here at Richview
- three ways that worship impacts us at Richview
-
- ONE: WHEN YOU WORSHIP, LIFE IS ORDERED
- that's the first reason
- as you look in the Bible, you begin to discover that
true worship does something important
- it enables our whole lives to be lined up
-
- God created us to be worshipers
- would you agree that when God created us, we were programmed
by the divine Creator to be worshipers?
- when we put God in the right place, all of a sudden
our lives become ordered
-
- once in a while, you drive by and see these surveyors
looking through this gizmo on a tripod
- and they're looking through to this guy holding a marker
- if you look carefully on your street at home, there
are markers set up on your lawns
- you've found them with your lawnmower, or maybe by
coming across them as you walk along
- by lining up according to the correct marker, they're
able to line up the whole neighborhood
- that is the standard, and if they nail that one down,
they're able to line up everything else as well
-
- worship is like that
- worship is getting us back to the mark
- it's getting us to see life the way it was meant to
be ordered
- listen to what worship does
- it orders priorities, it gives right values, it gets
life in focus
- and I want to look at two Old Testament examples of
worship to flesh this out a little
-
- but first, let's define worship
- there are many definitions of worship out there - some
long and complicated, some very simple
- let me give you the shortest definition of worship
that I know of
- it's not elegant, but it's true
- worship is when you see God and you go, "Wow!"
- in other words, worship is responding all that God
is and has done with all that you are
- it's looking at him and saying, "Wow!"
-
- have you had something good happen in your life recently?
- think back with me thousands of years ago to a story
we find in 2 Chronicles 20
- a king by the name of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, hears
that there are three countries that have gathered their armies and are
coming to annihilate him
- he knows that there is no possible way that he can
stand against them
- so he sent messengers out, gathered the people together
in Jerusalem, and prayed
- (2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT) "We are powerless against
this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to
do, but we are looking to you for help"
- God responded by speaking to a priest, who said this:
- (2 Chronicles 20:17 NLT) "You will not even need
to fight. Take your positions; then stand and watch the LORD's victory...Do
not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the LORD is
with you"
-
- how did they react?
- (2 Chronicles 27:18 NLT) Then King Jehoshaphat bowed
down with his face to the ground. And all the other people of Judah
and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD.
- before they even saw the results, they fell on their
faces, looked at God, and said, "Wow!"
-
- do you have anything to be grateful for these days?
- a new baby, a friendship that's brought you a lot of
joy, your job, a raise, a promotion, an answer to prayer?
- there's only one proper response to that: to worship
God
- sometimes before we've even experienced a blessing
of God, we catch a glimpse of his majesty and power
- has that ever happened to you?
- and you fall on your face before God and say, "Wow!
You are a mighty God. I'm so glad I know you and can worship you"
- have you ever experienced that?
- we have many reasons to worship God this morning
-
- but let's look at the flip side of that
- you know the story of Job
- one day, Job received word that his oxen and donkeys
were all stolen, and all of his farmhands killed except for one
- no sooner had he received this message than another
messenger arrived, announcing that all of his sheep and shepherds had
been killed, except for one
- and then another message came telling him that his
camels and servants had all been killed, except for one
- if this wasn't bad enough, a final messenger came with
the news that his children were all killed in a freak accident, and
were all dead
- how would you react?
- here's what Job did
- (Job 1:20 NLT) Job stood up and tore his robe in grief.
Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground before God.
- (Job 1:21 NLT) He said, "I came naked from my
mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The
LORD has given me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away.
Praise the name of the LORD!"
- question: did Job feel like worshiping God at that
moment?
- probably not
- I think that Job had so conditioned himself spiritually
that he knew the only way to order his life at its lowest point was
to worship God
- his was not a heart that felt worship, but it was a
heart that needed it
- and although he didn't feel "Wow!" he began
the long journey toward "Wow!"
-
- you know David in the Psalms
- how many times do you begin to read a Psalm and hear
David cry out to God
- his life is a mess; his enemies are all around him;
he can't sleep; his life is wasting away
- and a remarkable thing happens as he begins to worship
God
- all of a sudden his entire attitude change
- although outward circumstances have not changed, all
of a sudden something inside of him has changed
- when he worships, he begins to go on that journey toward
"Wow"
-
- I don't know where you are this morning
- this morning you might be here with a heart full of
gratitude that's just bursting with worship
- or you might have had the sort of week that has crushed
your soul
- wherever you are, worship has the power to order your
life
- to take it away from the priorities we usually set:
material things, fame, popularity, hedonism
- and it redirects our lives around the purpose for which
we were created
- worship orders our lives
- that's why we're so energized about worship at Richview
-
- TWO: WHEN WE WORSHIP, SEEKERS ARE ATTRACTED
- when we worship God, the second thing that happens
is that seekers are attracted to God
- (Acts 2:42 NLT) They worshiped together at the Temple
each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals
with great joy and generosity -
- (Acts 2:43 NLT) all the while praising God and enjoying
the goodwill of the people. And each day the Lord added to the group
those who were being saved.
- do you see what happened?
- as unbelievers saw the church being the church, worshiping
God, they enjoyed the goodwill of the people, and people were saved
and added to the church
-
- in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25, Paul makes the point that
worship within a church must keep the unbelieving seeker in mind
- he says, in essence, don't do things in your worship
that will needlessly drive unbelievers away from God
- there is a powerful evangelistic component to worship
- when God's people are worshiping God, it's a powerful
testimony to those who are there observing
- they sense something there that they can't explain
-
- that's why I believe that our worship services here
at Richview need to be targeted to the believer, and yet sensitive
to unbelievers
- do you understand that?
- we design our services with believers as our target
- only believers can worship God
- but we need to remain sensitive to unbelievers in our
worship
- because worship is a powerful witness to unbelievers,
if God's presence is felt and if the message is understandable
-
- can I stretch you a little bit here?
- this is such a personal issue
- the debate over musical styles is dividing churches
across the world
- Spurgeon once called his music ministry the "War
Department of the church"
-
- music is an integral part of our lives
- a song can touch people in a way that a sermon can't
- I'll tell you something that's absolutely true: the
type of music we use in worship will determine who our church reaches
in the community
- the type of music we choose will attract some people,
and it will turn others away
- and it's therefore necessary to match our music to
the type of people that God wants our church to reach
- are you okay so far?
-
- let me go a bit further
- music is amoral
- there is no such thing as good music, and there is
no such thing as evil music, with the possible exception of Country
and Western
- there are many different styles of music out there
- classical music, contemporary music, music from different cultures
- not all of the music is to my taste, but the style
of music we use is not a moral issue
- there is no such thing as "Christian music"
- what makes a song Christian isn't the music, but the
lyrics
- there is no such thing as Christian music; only Christian
lyrics
- last week we sang A Mighty Fortress; the music
for that hymn came from a pop tune of that day
- John Calvin hired two secular songwriters to put music
to his theology
- are you still okay?
- when Silent Night first came out, it was described
as "vulgar mischief, and devoid of all religious and Christian
feeling"
- when Handel's Messiah came out, it was labeled
"vulgar theatre" with too much repetition and not enough message
-
- I'll be completely honest with you this morning
- my main question in worship used to be, "What
style of music do I like?"
- but it's being replaced by two other questions
- my main question is this: "What is my spiritual
attitude as I worship?"
- because then it doesn't matter what the style is
- when my heart is right with God, I could be in a cathedral
with a pipe organ, or in a gym with a band, and it wouldn't matter
- I would be worshiping God using one of the greatest
gifts he has given us in this world: variety
- that's my first question: what is my spiritual attitude?
-
- my second question is this, "What type of person
will this music reach?"
- if you sent a missionary to a foreign culture, what
would you expect them to do?
- you would want them to never change the message of
Christianity
- but you would want them to translate that message to
the culture and the nuances of the group they're working with
-
- now, we're missionaries to the culture around us
- are we going to change the message? never!
- but are we going to translate the message of Christianity
to reflect the culture and the nuances of the day? absolutely
- that's why we need to know our community
- so if jazz is the way to reach our community, you know
what I'd do? I'd start singing those blues
- if classical music was the key that would unlock our
community, let's bring out the orchestra and play those famous composers
- if polka was the secret to reaching the community,
you know what I'd do? I'd move to a new community
- but seriously, are you more concerned with your musical
preferences than about reaching the lost?
-
- Paul wrote:
- (2 Timothy 1:10 NLT) I am willing to endure anything
if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those
God has chosen.
- never transform the message, but effectively
translate the message so it can be heard in every generation
- Charles Colson writes, "Many churches have found
the right balance behind all the music and skits and fanfare. They have
a solidly orthodox message that deepens the spiritual life of the members.
That is the key. What matters is not whether churches use skits or contemporary
music or squash courts. What matters is biblical fidelity"
-
- have I stretched you a little?
- I think I've said enough
- when we worship God in a sincere, passionate, orderly,
authentic way, it attracts seekers to God
- it is a powerful tool for pointing to the God we love
-
- when we truly worship, our lives are ordered, seekers
are attracted, and
- THREE: GOD COMES NEAR
- God comes near, because that is his desire
- God is looking for worshipers
- (John 4:23 NLT) The time is coming and is already here
when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.
- isn't that amazing?
- God is looking for worshipers, because worship is the
only thing that he cannot give himself
- and when God finds somebody or a group of people who
are worshiping in spirit and in truth, God comes near
- and by that I don't mean geography - God is already
near
- do you remember when David said:
- (Psalm 139:7 NLT) I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence.
- (Psalm 139:8 NLT) If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
- God coming near isn't a matter of geography, it's a
matter of intimacy
-
- in Revelation 3:20, Jesus said to a church - to believers:
- (Revelation 3:20 NLT) Look! Here I stand at the door
and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in,
and we will share a meal as friends.
- that's what Jesus longs for
- Jesus longs to come near to us - not just once in a
while, but every single day
- every single time we gather together to worship
-
- that's why I'm so excited about worship
- that's why God has given us worship as one of the five
purposes of our church
- because when we worship, God comes near, seekers are
attracted, and God comes near
-
- as we close, I want to read a story to you
- "A man went to church with an angel as his guide.
Every seat in the church was filled. But there was something strange
about the service. The organist moved her fingers over the keys, but
no music came from its pipes. The choir rose to sing. Their lips moved,
but no sound was to be heard. The pastor stepped to the pulpit to read
the Scriptures, but the man observing with the angel could not even
hear the rustle of pages. Then the Lord's Prayer was recited by the
entire congregation, but not a single syllable was audible. The pastor
went again to the pulpit, and the man could tell he had started his
sermon as he gestured here and there to make his various points, but
the man heard nothing."
- "Turning to the angel, the man said, 'I don't
understand. What does this mean? I see that a service is being held,
but I hear nothing.'"
- "The angel replied, 'You heard nothing because
there is nothing to be heard, at least not by heaven's ears. They're
just going through the motions. Nothing they are doing has any meaning
for them. Worship without heart is not worship at all"
-
- let's pray
- Father:
- you call us to be a church that exalts you
- Lord, you are worthy of our worship
- and we want to worship you
- be pleased with our worship, and be pleased to come
near
- in Jesus' name, Amen.
