Awaken the Wonder: Worship

May 5, 2018 / By

Worship is giving a type of honor and respect reserved only for God.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23, 24

Let’s consider a homespun opposite.

“false worshipers worship forms and formalities in externals and denials, for the Father avoids such people claiming to worship him.”

True worship is always about Father God.

  • Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection provide to me the opportunity of adoption into God’s family. John 1:12
  • The Holy Spirit’s ministry of adoption makes me a child of God and brother of Jesus. Romans 8:15

True worship is always spirit to Spirit.

True worship is always about what is true of the Father and what is true of me.

What is true of Father God? In part, He is much more interested in:

  • the heart than the habit
  • the motives more than the manifestations
  • purity more than the place and the performance
  • the relationship more than the ritual

What is true of me?  Psalm 51:6

  • I want my kingdom and rule more than His kingdom and rule
  • My will more than His will
  • Self-sufficiency more than total dependence upon God
  • The activity of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life reveal my belief that God is inadequate, and I must provide for myself.

Worship is the truthful response of the person poor in spirit to the Almighty God.

The Truth about God                                                  The Truth about Me

Creator Created
Self-Existent I exist only as sustained by God
Humble Proud
Aligns with His glory Fall short of His glory
Completely moral Total depravity
Full of grace, mercy, slow to anger I need grace and mercy and I anger quickly
He is love I struggle to love

I stand on holy ground when what is true about me intersects what is true about God.

  1. God draws near when I truthfully move toward Him. James 4:8, Psalm 65:4
  2. Truthful worship experiences the presence of God. Psalm 63:1-4
  3. The truthful worshiper experiences the interventions of God in the challenges of life. Acts 16:25, 26

MCA LIFE GROUP HOME WORK

Listen – My Story

  • What do you feel when someone approaches you without truthfulness?
  • Do you ever approach yourself without truthfulness (lie to yourself)?

Learn – Digging Deeper

  1. Read Isaiah 58:1-12
    1. Do you see a parallel between Jesus teaching true worship in John 4 and fasting in this passage?
    2. What verses stand out to you regarding “heart more than habit?”
  1. Why is it SUPER difficult for people to approach God honestly?
    1. Proverbs 16:18
    2. n what ways do you think the Psalmist “gazed upon the beauty of the Lord?”
    3. Do
  1. Read Genesis 3:8, 9.
    1. Are people still doing this today?
    2. Is God still asking this today?

Life – Taking it Home

  1. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this lesson?
  2. Can you name a particular area of your life in which God is urging you to be truthful?
  3. How can your Life Group help you apply this weeks’ teaching?

Lift – Prayer

  • Pray for God’s grace to approach Him with truthfulness
  • Pray for the continued discipleship of those who have recently trusted in Christ for salvation.
  • Pray for grace to invite your friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors to Mother’s Day services.