Sermon Central
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Worship Matters Series
Contributed by Tim Smith on Jul 1, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: There are five reasons why we worship and why it matters.
Worship Matters
Mary Louise Rowland asks, “Why do we come here to worship, Sunday after Sunday, 52 Sundays a year for 5, 10, 30 years or even a whole lifetime? Getting up early Sunday morning, getting ready, getting the children dressed, driving to chuch in all sorts of weather, sometimes not feeling too well ourselves, angry at the government, worried about our health and financial problems, dressed in our best and on our best behavior, walking into the building, greeting friends, singing hymns, praying prayers, reading Scripture, listening to sermons, bringing our offering, taking the bread and the cup…We call it the worship, but why do we do this?”
There are five reasons why we worship and why it matters. First, God is worthy of praise and worship. God is worthy because He is the creator of the Universe, He created the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. He hung the stars of the sky and designed every strand of DNA in your body. He is the Savior of the World and provider of all your needs. He has committed to love you unconditionally and He gave His only Son to die on the cross for the sake of your sins. He is worthy of all praise and thanksgiving from every tribe, people and tongue. He is a worthy God who deserves all praise and glory for who He is, what He has done and continues to do in our lives and what He has promised to do.
Every time we get a glimpse of heaven in the Scriptures, we see the angels and heavenly host worshiping God and offering up praise. In Revelation 5:12: “In a loud verse they sang, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the sea and on the sea and all that’s them singing to Him who sits on the throne: ‘Be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!’” All because He is a worthy God.
When you come into the presence of God, you cannot help but be moved to worship because we see not only the power, majesty and authority of God but as Isaiah also sees in reflection who he is and more importantly who he is not. If our lives are consumed with just the way the world sees then we’re going to miss out on the ultimate reality of the presence of God around us and where worship of God is meant to be the center of our lives. When you die and go to heaven, worship becomes the center of your life. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. If you want to make that part of your life and heaven’s values a part of your life today then it starts with recognizing who God is and how awesome and Holy He really is. That alone makes Him worthy of your praise. Psalm 145 reminds us that worship is not about us. It’s about God and His greatness for He alone is worthy, the Creator and Redeemer of the heavens and all the earth.
Second, worship helps us fulfill our life purpose. You were made to worship. And that’s why worship should become so important in your life. Sometimes we think we become a Christian and then we become a worshiper. But the truth is, every one of us is made to worship and we were worshiping long before we placed our faith in Jesus Christ. There is something inside of us that longs for and searches for something of meaning and significance to give ourselves to. You were wired to say with your words and life: “You are worthy to me. You matter to me. You are of ultimate significance to me.” You and I will determine with our lives how we spend and invest our time, our resources and our attention. Where we invest ourselves the most is the thing or person which matters most to me. And then our lives become centered around that one thing.
Everybody is worshiping and everybody is building their life around someone or something. You are going to worship someone or something with your life because that’s the way you were made. Bob Dylan put it this way, “You may serve the devil or you may serve the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.” Who you serve is who you worship. You may worship the God of Creation and the Redeemer of all humanity or you’re going to worship money, material possessions, yourself, your family or something else. But you’re going to worship something because that’s who you are. And that’s why worship matters to you. You were created for worship rather than just drudging your way through life. Our lives were given to fulfill a destiny to worship Him and when we abandon God, we abandon our destiny and instantly, our lives become about something less than God himself. Worship matters not only because you are a worshiper but because you were created to be in relationship to your Creator and Redeemer and worship Him and Him alone.
