Sermon Central
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The Heart Of Worship
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Sep 4, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: The heart of worship is not an event, it is a relationship with God. At the heart of worship God can change our lives.
The heart of Worship
Revelation chapter 4:8-10
Introduction-
As we go to God’s Word this morning, I have been praying that God would get a hold of our hearts.
I am not wanting to pray a generic prayer like teaching a young child a prayer before a meal.
I am praying that we have an encounter with God, the kind of encounter that will change our lives.
Society today does not need another thing to do on a Sunday morning, they can and do find others things to do.
What people need is to come together and experience a powerful and merciful and gracious God.
For us to experience God and then worship.
Prayer-
If we could only see the battle that people have to get in church on a Sunday morning. (Any church) Right?
The single mom that wrestled with three kids to get them here and they fought her the whole time because they were tired.
The sibling fights… the adult arguments.
Obstacles that defeat us before we even get started.
Young couples praying for a child and it being really tough to come into a church full of kids.
Husband s and wives thinking about divorce.
Some people wanting a husband or a wife.
Teenagers fighting with parents on the values they are taught at home and the values they see and hear in the world.
The father that stays at home and leaves the raising of his children to the mother.
If we only knew the many struggles that are going on, we would not feel like we are the only ones.
We have come into this building we call church and we have come for many different reasons.
Each one of us has come through those doors with different expectations, different needs, spiritually at different levels, some can sing praise and some wonder where God is at.
Yet, here we are to worship, then break open God’s word and hear from God.
That is a supernatural moment of time and can only be done by a supernatural God. Amen.
When we understand that worship is not an event that takes place but worship is a relationship with God that extends past any circumstances we are going through and we come together to give Him praise for who He is and not only for what He can do for us, worship will change your life forever!
True worship is not only what takes place on a Sunday morning, but what happens in our lives 24/7 because worship is a lifestyle.
Worship will only change your life if it does not become mechanical and forced.
It has to be from the heart and praise that is expressed is not only in song but in deed and action.
We do not know what people have experienced outside of these doors but I know what they can experience when they open up their hearts to the God of the universe that created them, loves them, and will take care of them.
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and to not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
When we understand that God has a plan “for you.”
When we understand that He has “our best interest.”
That God will not “abandon us” in hard times.
We have the potential of seeing the supernatural operate in our lives…corporately and individually.
Richard Foster
“Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. It is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches human spirit. Our spirit must be ignited by the divine fire.” (End quote)
When God’s Spirit touches our spirit, it will lead us to worship.
When human touches supernatural, we realize and experience that worship is not about us, but all about Him!
What does God say about worship and what can worship do for us as we worship Him?
What is worship?
Psalms 100 gives us a look at what worship is- Psalms 100:1-5 Read
It is entering into his presence with thanksgiving and praise-
It is giving him thanks and praising his name!
It is recognizing who God is and not only what God can do for you but praising him for what he has already done for you.
It is not fitting God into your schedule but fitting your schedule around God.
When you do that you realize that worship is 24/7 where you are and no matter what you are going through. You realize that it is not all about us but it is all about Him!
Worship then becomes a response to what God has already done for us- We enter into worship- we can do that in a variety of ways and we can do that in a variety of places-
