Introduction:
1.
We
have met together tonight with God. He
is present here tonight.
a.
Matt.
18:20
b.
More
often than not we forget that point:
God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are here assembled with
us.
2.
What
do you think about being in God’s presence?
a.
perhaps
frightening—John was at Jesus’ feet (Rev. 1:17)
b.
perhaps
exciting
c.
perhaps
alarming to your conscience
d.
perhaps
comforting, a place of solace
e.
perhaps
a time for you to say “thank you”
3.
I
hope that when you came, you came to worship Him, praise and thank Him
a.
many
worship services seem to merely go through the motions
b.
it
is easy to get in a rut, habit rather than with an eye toward encountering God
I.
We
Must Turn Our Hearts Toward God
1.
Today,
this Lord’s day, we remember His body and blood, we sing, we pray, we give of
our means, and we listen to Him
2.
We
praise God by our songs, adoration and love
a.
Psalm
103:1-5
b.
Eph.
5:18,19
3.
We
say thank you and make our requests to God in prayer
a.
Col.
3:15-17 give thanks
b.
1
Pet. 5:7 cast our cares
c.
Heb.
4:16 a time to draw near to the throne
of grace
II. What Worship is Really All
About
1.
John
4:23,24 this is what God wants from us
a.
Psalm
29:2 “Give unto the Lord the glory due
His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
b.
Psalm
89:7 “God is greatly to be feared in
the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those who are
around Him.”
c.
Psalm
95:1-7 we have a need to worship Him
2.
Our
English word “worship” comes from the old word “worthship.” It is by our words and actions telling God
that He is worthy of our praise and adoration, our love and thanksgiving!
a.
Worship
is a spiritual act of the mind and heart
b.
It
has a sense of awe, respect, reverence, fear in the presence of the Divine
c.
Worship
(proskuneo) means “throwing oneself on the ground to show respect and awe.”
d.
Ex.
3:5 “Take your shoes off your feet, for
the place where you stand is holy ground.”
e.
Rev.
4:11 “Worthy Art Thou”
f.
Rev.
5:9-13 Our worship is really a picture
of heaven
3.
William
Temple: “To worship is to quicken the
conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to
purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of
God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
III. When We Come to Worship God
1.
We
come before Him with the goal of pleasing Him, to give Him our best
2.
Let
us prepare our hearts and spirits to praise and glorify our God
a.
before
we arrive, our hearts ought to begin to focus on our purpose
b.
while
we are here, we ought devote ourselves in our efforts to sing and pray
c.
we
need to have hearts that are aflame with love for God
d.
when
we leave, let’s say it was good we were here, that we drew close to our God.
3.
Let’s
live lives that reflect we are God’s people
a.
Isa.
1:12-20
b.
James
1:26,27
CONCLUSION
1.
What pleases God most is a heart right with Him!