Why do we worship God?
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We’ve developed a righteous discontent with the brokenness in and around us.
We’ve developed a righteous discontent with the brokenness in and around us.
We’ve decided to do something about it. We’re not going to sit on the sidelines cheering on the winning team. We’re in the game, living from the victory we already have in Jesus.
We’re committed to walking and working with otehrs. It’s not about “me”, it’s about “we”.
We’re preparing for battels and living with wisdom & courage.
I want to begin our time this morning by reading 2 verses from Nehemiah chapter 9.
Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”
Blessed be your glorious name,
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
You, Lord, are the only God.
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their stars,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,
and all the stars of heaven worship you.
There is a call to worship here. A call to stand up and acknowledge the goodness and greatness of God.
Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”
Blessed be your glorious name,
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
Did you know that everybody worships? In his famous commencement address, “This is Water,” writer David Foster Wallace says,
There was a call to worship here. Stand up and acknowledge the goodness and greatness of God.
“There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.”
You might agree with that statement. But it begs a question.
Why does it matter who or what we worship?
Why does it matter who or what we worship?
One Sunny May afternoon, 14-year-old Amber and her 15-year-old friend, Alicia decided they’d had enough. After tying their wrists together, the two teens walked to the edge of a cliff and jumped. Friends and family knew that Amber and Alicia had been using drugs. But they also said the girls were making progress and seemed happy. After their suicidal leap, many of the girls’ classmates gathered on the cliff to light candles, play music and mourn their loss. One classmate offered this philosophy about life:
“You know, life sucks so much as it is now. A lot of teenagers don’t know if it’s going to get better or not. I guess [suicide] is their only way out. They feel they can’t talk to people. We don’t feel like we can talk to our parents or anybody. They say they understand. They don’t!! Nobody does!”
Hopelessness is flooding today’s culture in unprecedented ways.
To some, life seems so worthless that they’re willing not only to kill themselves, but to senselessly murder others as well. Families and communities are left devastated. For others, depression isn’t strong enough to make them consider suicide, but it is enough to make them feel lonely, unloved and miserable.
Let’s look at our verses again.
Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”
Blessed be your glorious name,
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
You, Lord, are the only God.
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their stars,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,
and all the stars of heaven worship you.
His name is good!
He is creator!
He is the giver of life!
Is whatever your worshipping big enough to handle your greatest fears?
Is whatever your worshipping good enough love you unconitionally without judgment for eternity?
Is whatever your worshipping powerful enough to bring beauty from ashes?
Worshipping God rekindles hope and restores our strength.
Worshipping God rekindles hope and restores our strength.
We’ve seen this in Nehemiah’s example.
When your heart breaks for the brokenness around and you acknowledge the need and are bothered by it your heart is aligned with God’s heart…this is worship.
When you’re waiting for a breakthrough patiently, seeking him through prayer and his word…this is worship.
When you wonder why something didn’t happen…sing, trust, surrender…this is worship.
When opposition surrounds you…keep fighting, keep serving, stay focused—this is worship.
Worship matters because life is full of disapointments, setbacks, and difficult circumstances.
Worship doesn’t change your circumstances, it changes your perspective.
In Nehemiah chapter 8, we see Nehemiah leading the nation into worship.
It involved actively hearing from God.
“They opened up the book...”
It involved responding to what they learned about God.
“And all the people went their way to eat & drink, share with others, and rejoice...”
It involved humility and excitement!
““lifted up their hands, bowed their heads, and worshipped...”
It both highlighted & healed their brokenness.
“All the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.”
“Do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Look at some of the phrases recorded for us...
“All the people assembled with a unified purpose.”
“at the square just inside the Water Gate…”
“They asked Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law...”
“…Ezra faced the crowd and read...”
“…The people rose to their feet...”
“They shouted ‘Amen! Amen!”
“They lifted their hands, they bowed down their faces toward the ground.”
“The meaning of what was being read was explained to them...”
We have to be intentional about worshipping God.
We have to be intentional about worshipping God.
My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.
(NLT)
Worshipping intentionally requires us to remember two things.
Worship is about God.
Worship is about attention.
Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”
Blessed be your glorious name,
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
“Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever.” It’s about attention.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
The word transformed is “metamorphoo” and it means to change form. It’s the word that we get our English word “Metamorphosis” from. Metamorphosis is the process by which a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.
Think about that for a moment. How does this process of transformation take place in us?
By the renewing of your mind. In other words your thoughts shape what you become.
When we set our attention on Jesus through worship God literally transforms us into the image of Jesus.
When you set your attention on the God of peace, you’ll find peace.
When you set your attention on the God of wisdom, you’ll find wisdom!
When you set your attention on God’s unconditional love, you’ll begin to love unconditionally.
When you set your attention on God’s strength, you’ll become stronger.
When you set your attention on God’s joy, your joy will overflow.
Worship is about God and worship is about attention.
When we make worship about God and set our attention on Him it rekindles hope and restores our strength!
When we make worship about God and set our attention on Him it rekindles hope and restores our strength!
For that reason, our declaration as a church and as followers of Jesus should be,
God’s praise will always be on our lips!
God’s praise will always be on our lips!