12.11.2011 What is Worship?

SermonAudio

I moved to Kent about 3.5 years ago – We came over from Bowling Green with a team of about 22. God has been growing our church steadily – every Sunday, there are about 130+ students worshiping with us on Sunday nights. Some more exciting things: the number of leaders we are seeing developed. Leadership Community is once/month – and it gives students – 40 of them – the opportunity to demonstrate and be part of the leadership in our church. Our small groups have been growing – we want to be in every dorm on campus – we are not quite there yet, but we have 15 small groups – and it gives time for more intimate fellowship. These small groups are really the place where church happens and relationships are developed. It is such a blessing to have many of your kids involved with us – Grace Summit sends us leaders. H2O is going on all through Ohio. BG, Kent State, OSU, Cincinnati – soon to add Toledo. As we start H2Os across the state – there is a momentum of students going to college and looking for church when they weren’t really looking for it!
That is where we are – I’d be happy to talk more about that after the service. Today, I’ll be sharing about something very close to my heart. When Jesus was born, there were many who came to worship Him. The term Worship is very broad – today, I’m going to be talking about worship – not all that it is, but maybe to expand our definition a little bit.
One of my roles at H2O is to be a worship leader. What I have found in my experience – there are times when religious terms like worship come up and we don’t connect with them as easily. So if we can frame this spiritual concept of worship into a daily activity – it is what it is like to be in love. With falling in love comes all these feelings – it is a feeling that many desire. When I fell in love with Lindsey, these feelings began to come in. And my perception of the world began to change! I know it is sappy, but the world start to smell differently, taste differently and my experiences began to change.
Shortly after we started seeing each other – I had to go away for a few months – summer LT – and I had to walk to a Laundromat 2-3 times/week and I would call Lindsey – and that is how we would communicate. If there were no other way to cultivate our relationship – I doubt it could have e continued. What if our relationship had gotten stuck at that phase? We’d have missed a lot – there are nonverbal ways of communicating – and we would have never developed enough of a relationship to get married. So, yes, the phone calls were important – but it was more important that we not be stuck there.
Of course, I am not just talking about my relationship with my wife. We all have a relationship with God – all at different points. Some have just noticed Him and are trying to start a relationship. Some have cultivated a relationship for many years. But some of us get stuck somewhere – like the phone call stage – and can’t get past it.
At H2O, and I’m sure here as well – we really try to cultivate worship –
Jesus, we come before You – grateful for relationship – that is active, and alive, and not stagnant. At times, it is difficult to get past a phase – and we ask You to shed light on this.
If I were to ask you, What is worship? Many would respond about the music. Yes, we respond to God through music. Maybe it is more broad than that – prayer and reading the Bible – but would it expand to those who are serving – watching children – or putting money in the offering basket. How do we make a distinction? We need to expand our understanding of worship.
As we look at the Bible, it doesn’t assign the term worship to many activities – but it is rather an attitude.
Shachah /Proskuneo – an attitude of bowing down. This communicates a heart of reverence. If I am bowing down, I have placed myself under that object. As we define words – the point isn’t that we just bow down – but it is a state of our hearts. Have we placed God at the center? In reverence and humility, have we placed Him above us?
I’d like to look at 3 examples –
From the Book of Revelation – the disciple John was one of the closest disciples to Jesus. In Revelation, Jesus comes to John in a much different way than John would have been used to. Jesus reveals Himself to John in His glory – his response is much like Worship:
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
Do you catch what is happening? God reveals Himself in all His holiness – and the only authentic response is to fall as if dead before Him. Once that hand comes to pick us up, we are changed. So the main point –
Worship is a realization of the stark contrast between a holy and loving God and a sinful, self-righteous man.
Oswald Chambers calls this the delight of despair. Do you see the despair in that? But Jesus does not leave John bowed down, but gives him a mission.
King David – “a man after God’s own heart” – one we can learn a lot from.
Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
David cried out to God.
God responds.
Worship is an exchange between us and God and it requires patience in waiting for God to respond.
We don’t just make our offering and leave – but rather waiting for God to respond. God is not so egotistical to want us to bow down before Him as the end goal – but when we are in that state – we are most ready to receive. We get to know Him better and cultivating this love relationship with God.
When John falls at Jesus’ feet – a stark contrast of a holy God and sinful man –
David – God’s response.
Paul
Romans 12:1 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 act of worship.
Worship is meant to be a lifestyle – not just confined to Sunday morning – but can and should be done at all times – not just on Sunday morning. At times, this seems like the most difficult of the three examples – but if you think about it – if we are exhibiting a proper degree of humility and waiting for God to interact with us – that can be done at all times – here, in our jobs, with our families – this should happen all the time.
1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
How can we be pleased to just worship on Sundays and not be cultivating it throughout the week? In my love for Lindsey – we have many ways of communicating and doing life together. This application may seem vague – but how do I begin to worship God as a lifestyle? While that is the ultimate call – the application is to take the ways that we have now – in our own times and in our devotions – take what you are already doing – but tweak the perspective a little bit – instead of doing these things as a duty – but seeing these as the examples show – having a heart that is bowed before God – understanding who He is and who I am. And then waiting for God to respond to us – He has something for us in worship. As we get better at doing this – we will find that our lives are transformed from something that we do at certain times to a lifestyle of worship in community in relationship with God together.
God, we thank You once again for the opportunity to have a relationship with You. Often, we take for granted that a holy God would be willing to have such a relationship with sinful people. Thank You that You love us – and as we realize this – let us come before You with expectation – that You have something for us – may we hear from You – to be people who are transformed to hear from You not just in our times here, but in all times.