UNTIL HE BRINGS ME HOME

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:24-26

what is Christian worship?

In light of the EFC ‘11 winter retreat.

Growing up in the church, I usually associated ”Christian worship” with songs we’d play on Sunday morning. For me, it was a time of deep emotion, being a crybaby, feeling guilty about my sin, resolving to be a better person, and feeling good about God.

But proper worship is not just singing songs at church or retreats (cf. Romans 12:1-2). Nor is singing songs necessarily proper worship (cf. Matthew 15:8-9). Romans 12, in fact, shows us what worship is: the offering of ourselves as living sacrifices.

What does that even mean?

After realizing that worship is far more than singing songs, we might be tempted to then define it as ”doing the right things.” Do your devos, read your bible, pray, go to church, don’t cuss, dress appropriately, and try to yell at your parents a bit less angrily. Think for a moment, though. If worship were primarily about outward conduct, then for what did Christ rebuke the Pharisees?

Sacrifice is an issue of the heart (cf. Psalm 53). An evidence of saving faith is a fundamental shift of affections. This is at the core of regeneration. Whereas we once desired the things of this world, we are—by the grace of God—allowed to recognize that everything is trash compared to the worth of knowing Christ. Our affections are changed. We fundamentally (but, because we still have sin, not continually) desire God, as we were created to.

What does desiring God look like?

-If we don’t know what makes God worthy of worship, we won’t desire him or obey him. We can manufacture emotions and exert white-knuckled discipline for therapeutic or moralistic reasons, but they won’t be legitimate. This is why reading the Bible, the self-revelation of God, is of paramount importance. It is all about his glory. To desire him is to desire knowing more of him.

-Sacrifice is an issue of our conduct. If we desire God and love him, then we will obey him (cf. 1 John 5) and fight sin. Therefore, our new and increasing affections are expressed in correspondingly new and increasing obedience to his Word (the Bible).

-Even the saints are still sinful and need much grace. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Perfect worship is not possible, even for those who have been regenerated. We must remember that it’s not sufficient to repent once (e.g. at conversion) and move on. An evidence of saving faith is that we are continually repenting and depending on the sufficiency of the Savior to kill sin.

What is the best fuel for our worship/what best demonstrates Christ’s glory?

Nothing will fuel our worship more than meditation upon the gospel. It’s what most demonstrates his worth. It’s why we fight our sin and strive to obey. It’s where we find promises of grace and demonstrations of unconditional love.

Does the attention belong to the person shining the spotlight, or the people on stage in the spotlight? Christian worship is God-centered, and therefore cross-centered. After it all, it has never been about who we are and what we do for him. It’s about who he is and what he’s already done for us.

  1. changwinston posted this