The Overflow of Study

I am in a series of messages on worship this month, titled a Glimpse of the Holy. Like last week, I find myself with more information than I can put in a sermon. So here are a few more thoughts on the preference of worship that I will not cover in Sunday's message;

These thoughts come from Jack Reese, dean of the College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Christian University.

• Worship is not about our preferences. It is about the God who has acted in history on our behalf—and who is active still. It is about his saving Israel from bondage, telling her his will, and giving her his heart. It is about his holiness and his grace. Worship begins with God’s loving kindness and culminates in Christ’s sacrifice.
• At its core, worship is an encounter between a holy God and an unholy people. Which means, the essence of worship is surrender. This is the true worship war — not our disagreements over how to worship, but whether we will surrender our will to his.
• Worship should force us to stop caring so much about ourselves. It should push us to our knees in a posture of submission. And it should lift our eyes toward others whose needs and desires, not our own, should be the compelling motivation for our thoughts and actions.

Other thoughts on worship…

• Worship is not just a weekly event, but rather a way of living in dependence upon and gratitude towards our gracious Lord. While corporate worship is an important expression of that walk of worship, it must be fueled by lives of personal and private devotion and faithfulness. (John 4:21-24;)
• Worship is the expression of the totality of our being—mind, emotions, will, actions: “all that we are responding to all that God is.” (Psalm 135:5; 100:3-4; Hebrews 13:15-16)
• Worship is a verb; it is something we do, not something we watch. An important expression of the priesthood of all believers is that every individual has a vital role to play in the corporate worship of the church. (Psalm 107:32; Romans 15:5-6)
• Jesus Christ is the Leader of our worship. We come in Him and by His worthiness into God’s presence, and He gathers up our modest worship into His own perfect offering. (Hebrews 8:1-2; 10:19-22)

These are just a few thoughts that are coming out of the overflow of my study. I hope you will join me Sunday as we continue this study on worship.