Joy in God through Worship Exceeding Joy in

Joy in God through Worship Exceeding Joy in God Series [10] Selected Scriptures July 14, 2013 Pastor Paul K. Kim

TRUE WORSHIP: PURSUING GOD WITH GRAVITY AND GLADNESS 1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Isaiah 6: 1 -5

TRUE WORSHIP: PURSUING GOD WITH GRAVITY AND GLADNESS 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. ” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? ” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me. ” Isaiah 6: 6 -8 • True worship involves the reverent fear of God. [GRAVITY] – Approach God, remembering that the LORD is holy, sovereign, infinitely just and righteous! • True worship involves being satisfied in God. [GLADNESS] - Approach God, remembering that the LORD is our Father, the Fountain of living water, and the redeemer of our soul!

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. John 4: 23

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. John 4: 23

HOW TO WORSHIP GOD IN VAIN 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. ’” Matthew 15: 8 -9 • We worship God in vain when worship becomes a mere duty. • We worship God in vain when we neglect the condition of our heart toward God during worship. • Why? “Worship is an inward feeling and outward action that reflects the worth of God. ” – John Piper • Three types of inward feeling in worshipping God Ø We may have a heart of DELIGHT (Psalm 63: 5 -6). Ø We may have a heart of LONGING (Psalm 42: 1 -2). Ø We may have a heart of BROKENNESS (Psalm 73: 21 -22)

HOW TO FIGHT FOR JOY IN GOD THROUGH WORSHIP 1) Pursue joy in God through worship AS YOUR HIGHEST DUTY OF DELIGHT. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Psalm 43: 4 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. Psalm 42: 1 Ø Devote yourself to authentic worship—abandoning all heartless approaches in worshiping God. Ø Prioritize your worship time (personal & corporate) as the most important time of your day and week. Ø Relentlessly pursue joy; crave satisfaction by God in worship.

HOW TO FIGHT FOR JOY IN GOD THROUGH WORSHIP 2) Be RADICALLY GOD-CENTERED in your worship. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Psalm 96: 6 -8 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27: 4 Ø Focus on God in all things of worship—approach God with an expectant heart to receive from God as you worship. Ø Don’t use worship as a means to an end—seek to worship God as an end itself. Ø Seek to worship God in spirit and truth not in form and place.

Bringing God-Centeredness Back to Worship is not the performance of a routine of hymns and prayers and preaching and anthems. When the angel said to John, who had fallen at his feet, "Don't do that to me. Worship God (Rev. 19: 10), ” he did not mean, recite a creed, or open your hymnal, or listen to a sermon. He meant connect with GOD! Focus on God, not the messenger. Concentrate on God, not the hymn tune. Pursue God, not just knowledge about God. And in all your focusing and concentrating and pursuing after God, seek to stir up your feelings to love him and honor him and admire him and fear him and enjoy him and savor him. Corporate worship is the blatant, public savoring of God in the midst of a very seductive Babylonian culture. Worship is the flagrant, open enjoyment of God as the fountain of life. And therefore it is a public declaration that God is more to be desired than all the pleasures of Babylon. - John Piper

HOW TO FIGHT FOR JOY IN GOD THROUGH WORSHIP 3) Aim to worship God by MAXIMIZING YOUR SATISFACTION IN GOD in all aspects of your life. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12: 1 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10: 31 Ø Remember this: our chief end in life is to glorify [worship] God by enjoying him forever. Ø So, doing all things for the glory of God involves our pursuit of joy and satisfaction in God through our everyday life. Ø In so doing, aim to increase your joy in heaven as well as here.

THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 1. In what ways am I convinced to worship God with gravity and gladness—i. e. , to worship with my inward feelings that reflect the worth of God? 2. In what ways can I make my worship more radically Godcentered? In what ways can I contribute to making our corporate worship more radically God-centered? 3. What would it mean to worship God by maximizing my satisfaction in God in all aspects of my life?