What is Genuine Worship?

At my church we are working through Nehemiah 8-10. We started with "What is True Revival?" and that leads to true worship. Chapter 9 of Nehemiah gives a great picture of the kind of worship God desires and actually looks like. Remember that Jesus said to the woman in John 4 that God is seeking for people who will worship Him as He really is and desires to be worshiped. 

Shock and awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze an adversary's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight. When it was first brought to our attention in the bombing of Baghdad, we kind of expected something more. We weren’t quite so shocked and awed even though it wasn’t meant for us. We have seen more spectacular sights in movies.

Living in a time of amazing and spectacular achievements can lead to a ho-hum mentality. “I’ve seen it before or seen better.” We can easily lose our awe of God. E.g. when you read Psalm 145 what happens? OK. Ho-hum. Didn’t do anything for me.

James 1:22-25 – Unless we look intently into the mirror of God’s Word, we will not see God as He really is and we will not grow spiritually as He intends us to. If we are not looking intently we will not be amazed and awed. If I can simply read a passage and say: Didn’t do much for me, I am being a consumer rather than a worshipper. If my first thought is: OK how can I apply this, then I have missed the glory and beauty of the Lord.

What makes me suspicious and doubtful of all the heavenly travel books is that none of the people in them are awed before Jesus like those in the Bible. A key word in the gospel of Mark is “amazed.” Isaiah cried out: Woe is me! Others thought they were about to die. Peter asked Jesus to leave Him alone.

In Nehemiah they actually bow with their faces to the ground. What they do is consistent through the Bible. People see God and are humbled, reminded of their sin, and fear Him.

True worship – It starts when we truly listen to God’s Word. We see ourselves more clearly when we have an accurate understanding of who God is. When we see our sin, how we’ve disobeyed Him, then we must respond by confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness. True worship will then fill our hearts, as we desire to praise and worship the Lord for Who He is and His mercy toward us.

More to follow. 

Heaven Help the Heart! (This is the first of a series on the heart)

 When I was much younger and living at home with my mom and siblings it was easy to blame things on someone else. I got pretty good at blaming my brother and/or sister. Being the oldest I also thought I was the smartest, strongest, and fastest. Somewhere along the way all that changed. When I start to blame someone or something else now I get these weird looks as if the other person is thinking: You have got to be kidding! How old are you? Some people are really slow learners and my hand is up first.

One of the most astonishing passages in the Bible is Mark 7:21-23: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” So much for blaming someone or something else for my discontent, bad-mouthing others, thoughts that are just plain wrong, and living my life as if I am the center of the universe. But this passage, which is also repeated in Matthew 15, is not meant to condemn or criticize me. It is not the Pharisees pointing their self-righteous, legalistic, and moralistic fingers at me; it is Jesus who makes this diagnosis of the human heart; Jesus the pursuer and purifier of the heart.

So what makes this passage so astonishing, not to mention making me feel uncomfortable? Think about why Jesus said He came: “But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.’ 13"But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt 9:12-13). Good news and bad news! If there is nothing wrong with me Jesus did not come for me. If I never fail, Jesus did not come for me. If I always get it right, Jesus did not come for me.

But He did and He comes at the level of the heart. That is where it all begins. The reason I don’t do well at “loving Jesus with all my heart” is because there are other things in the way. That’s the bad news. The good news is that God made a promise long ago that He would work at the level of the heart: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezek 36:25-27).

One by one He is rescuing me from those things I love and want and fear more than Him. He is not about to let me get away with blame shifting for He took my blame upon Himself. It is a good thing He is after my heart because only He can do something about it.