Why Worship? pt. 2
We started the evening with a review of our working WORSHIP definition-
Honor God with extravagant love and extreme submission. And then sharing how our challenge went in making God #1 priority not only in our heart but actually everyday in our lives.
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There are
barriers to worship. Some are obvious
and others are not. So, how do we identify and confront those barriers? Are the barriers actually idols in our lives and if they are, how
are they a barrier to worship?
In my own study of the Bible, I have been caught rolling my eyes at the Israelites for bowing down at statues, especially so quickly after God had rescued them. How could they be so dumb and impatient? The Holy Spirit has checked me on this one. Are christians today any better?
IDOLS are not simply a statue of wood or stone. It is
ANYTHING we love and pursue in place of God.
In biblical terms an idol is something other than God that we set our hearts on, motivates us, that masters/rules us or that
we serve.
While we may not
be chanting to a sun god or bowing to a statue, we are doing the same thing
when we are searching for significance or acceptance in other things.
Today’s Barriers-
Sin- sexual,
jealousy, etc – not necessarily the act but what we feel we need or get from
it--Colossians 3:1-10
money/things-
money/things-
peoples
opinions/comparison—2 Cor 10:12-13
a spouse or kids
a spouse or kids
Distractions (techology, social media, hobbies, sports, etc) -- Phil 4:5-7
Checklists-striving-- Matt 6:33
What has happened
to me – nostalgia OR the bad things/hurts- Phil 3:12-14, Eph 2:10
Achievement/success/status- Phil
2:3-5
Not that all of these are bad and some are needed and should be in our lives. BUT because we can take a GOOD thing and make it an ULTIMATE THING. And then it becomes an IDOL!
Not that all of these are bad and some are needed and should be in our lives. BUT because we can take a GOOD thing and make it an ULTIMATE THING. And then it becomes an IDOL!
An Idol can be an object, a property, a hobby, a role, a church, a hope, an image, an idea, a pleasure, a hero…..
Why do we have
idols such as these or hold onto sin? Because we are human, we get hurt, we have needs and our culture promotes ways in which to sooth, relieve
and help us feel less hurt or afraid. Our hurts
and wounds will often dictate to us what our idols are- and they will be
different with each of us.
So we must take time to identify idols in our lives- or at least acknowledge our tendency to lean in an area that could become an idol. Once we do this and are honest with ourselves, we can see how
these idols make us slaves. We’re slaves to food, family members, illness,
technology and even ourselves, and we are no longer mastered by God.
And he slips from
1st place.
When he is no
longer 1st- our eyes wander and so does our worship.
YET if we will be aware, open and honest about our humanness and tendencies, God can work with that! We can then allow what God wants to do inside of us, and be free from Idols.
As I see it we can boil these idols we chase and the sin we think we keep “hidden” down to a single thing- Denying yourself- taking up our cross and following Jesus. READ Mark 8:8:34-36-
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
Unlike the outright physical worship of a graven image, the choice to love and serve myself occurs deep in the hidden places of my heart. So if I claim to honor God as the only source of truth and eternal life, yet I am still hesitant to trust his Word when it doesn’t make sense to me or seem to benefit me....I am still serving myself. For example, God may call me to honor him with by giving generously, or speak to someone about him, or maybe it's a repeated sin or forgiveness I am unwilling to offer. My reluctance to listen and obey when I know He is speaking to me in areas reveals that I do not trust God implicitly, but still rely on my own understanding.
Self Worship will always betray you, even when you feel like you have solid reasoning, and everything is going well. When you chose to follow your own reasoning and assessment of what is good or what you can handle, YOU have robbed yourself of greater intimacy with Christ, and how He wants to make you new!
In my bible I even have written in the sidelines of that scripture in Mark “what it truly means to be a disciple” Die to yourself. Follow Jesus.
And as you do this everyday- you begin to line up- and get His correction. His
presence is known to you. He is with, in and through all.
YET if we will be aware, open and honest about our humanness and tendencies, God can work with that! We can then allow what God wants to do inside of us, and be free from Idols.
As I see it we can boil these idols we chase and the sin we think we keep “hidden” down to a single thing- Denying yourself- taking up our cross and following Jesus. READ Mark 8:8:34-36-
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
Unlike the outright physical worship of a graven image, the choice to love and serve myself occurs deep in the hidden places of my heart. So if I claim to honor God as the only source of truth and eternal life, yet I am still hesitant to trust his Word when it doesn’t make sense to me or seem to benefit me....I am still serving myself. For example, God may call me to honor him with by giving generously, or speak to someone about him, or maybe it's a repeated sin or forgiveness I am unwilling to offer. My reluctance to listen and obey when I know He is speaking to me in areas reveals that I do not trust God implicitly, but still rely on my own understanding.
Self Worship will always betray you, even when you feel like you have solid reasoning, and everything is going well. When you chose to follow your own reasoning and assessment of what is good or what you can handle, YOU have robbed yourself of greater intimacy with Christ, and how He wants to make you new!
In my bible I even have written in the sidelines of that scripture in Mark “what it truly means to be a disciple” Die to yourself. Follow Jesus.
And as you do this everyday- you begin to line up- and get His correction. His
presence is known to you. He is with, in and through all.
So, He call us to Deny ourselves. To die to ourselves – but NOT ALONE and NOT without purpose because it is a call to trust in the Lord- to LIVE WITH CHRIST. We follow him into his death but we also follow his resurrection and life everlasting!
How do we live a life died to ourselves? Put aside our selfish ambition
I believe it is a daily submission to His
authority, declaring that He is your God.
That you are nothing without His grace.
And then asking for correction, show me God how I can line up with you-
NOT you join me but I join you. Give me
YOUR eyes to see others. And it is a TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE mindset - (2 Cor 10:5) and make it obedient to Him- and who HE says I am.
And He says I am His.
This whole thing is not easy....it is day to day. Sometimes moment by moment. But it makes all the difference in your life, your worship.
Take a look at the barriers in your life. And challenge yourself to make it a daily discipline to line up with Christ. Take up your cross and follow.
Next week we discuss How we Worship.
And He says I am His.
This whole thing is not easy....it is day to day. Sometimes moment by moment. But it makes all the difference in your life, your worship.
Take a look at the barriers in your life. And challenge yourself to make it a daily discipline to line up with Christ. Take up your cross and follow.
Next week we discuss How we Worship.
