Our problem often lies in what we worship.
If our problem could be summarized in just one word, that wordwould be worship. Worship is our problem. Worship is the malady, the cancer, the great destroyer of men’s souls, and the root cause of all godlessness and wickedness.
It’s not "that" we worship— because we really don’t have a choice in the matter. We are always at worship. We can never "not" be at worship. Our capacity and propensity to worship is what distinguishes us from all other created things.
It’s not that we worship, but it’s what we worship that destroys our souls. We could worship and serve and give thanks and glorify God. But instead we worship created things. We serve our passions and desires. Our minds are on earthly things. We are continually ungrateful and discontent, never having enough, always seeking to consume more, and never resting in our abundance. And we perpetually glorify the things of this world, including ourpossessions, our collectibles, our celebrities, our sports teams, our movie stars, our American idols, and ourselves.
Our worship is oriented horizontally toward the world and all that is in it, instead of being oriented vertically toward the King of the universe. Our worship is the problem. Our worship is the malady, the cancer, the great destroyer of men’s souls, and the root cause of all godlessness and wickedness.
God allows us to be consumed by what we worship.
Romans 1:18-25 (NIV) describes the crisis of worship. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities— his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became foolsand exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator— who is forever praised. Amen."
God doesn’t coerce our worship. Instead, he allows us to be consumed by what we worship. If we worship desire, then we’ll be consumed by desire. If we worship material things, then we’ll be consumed by material things. If we worship money, then we’ll be consumed by greed. If we worship the living God, however, we’ll be consumed by his Holy Spirit.
Ultimately, God allows our eternal destinies to be determined by what we’ve chosen to worship. We can worship and serve the Creator who is forever praised and who grants eternal life, or we can worship the things of this world that are passing away and coming to nothing. Worship is our problem. True worship is the answer to our problem.
God's Holy Spirit will begin restoring all that has become corrupt in our worship.
Here is the really good news. Should we resolve to worship and serve the creator, God’s Holy Spirit will save us from our own demise. If we call upon the Lord for help, the Holy Spirit will begin restoring all that has become corrupt in our worship. He’ll immediately begin to reorient our worship heaven-ward instead of earth-ward, God-ward instead of man-ward, to life in the Spirit instead of life in the flesh, and toward pleasing God instead of pleasing self. What a great thing to be consumed by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
I'd like toshare a few verses. In Philippians 3:3 (NIV) I'll call your attention to a phrase."For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh."Did you notice? Paul says, "...we worship by the Spirit of God."
In John 4:21-24 (NIV) Jesus promised the very same thing to the woman at the well. This was a woman whose life had been decimated by sexual sin and who was being ostracized by her own community. He says, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
It’s the Holy Spirit at work within us who evokes true worship. Apart from the Holy Spirit, there is only the flesh, which is the onlyworship we’ve known our entire lives.
Paul instructs us how to worship.
Notice how Paul instructs us to worship in Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)."Be very careful, then, how you live— not as unwise but as wise,making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
This passage says that our worship is rejuvenated as we are filled with the Spirit of the living God. Only then can we overcome evil. Only then can we be set free from debauchery and drunkenness. Only then can our speech begin to change, and the attitude of our heart can change, and we can start to give thanks again to our creator who is forever praised.
But seek anything other than the indwelling of God’s Spirit, and you become consumed with the evil around you, the temptations, the opportunities to indulge yourself in wine, the filthy and course speech of our time, and the self-centeredness and ingratitude.
People truly worship when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon them.
Still don’t believe me? Consider the dramatic change that occurred in Isaiah the prophet, when the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord came upon him. Everything in all of scripture that is considered true worship, from preaching to praising to loving the poor, is in Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV). Isaiah writes, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."
What happens when you remove the Holy Spirit from a person's life?
But do you know what you get when you remove the Spirit of God from a person’s life? Do you know what you get when a person resists the Spirit, grieves the Holy Spirit, quenches the fire of the Spirit, or falls out of step with the Spirit? Do you know what fruit you get when a person’s worship is oriented horizontally towardhis desires, instead of vertically toward pleasing God?
• Hebecomes silent and stops preaching the good news
•He stops caring about poor and binding up the broken-hearted, and becomes increasingly self-centered.
• Instead of setting others free,he getstaken captive byhis sin and overcome by darkness.
• Instead of enjoying the Lord’s favor,he fears his vengeance
• Instead of bringing comfort, he mourns and grieves the losses of this life, desperately clinging to all that remains.
• Instead of being glad,he issad, distressed, miserable, and bored.
• Instead of praising God,his spirit is full of despair and hopelessness."I have no hope, no purpose, and no joy."
• Instead of being an oak of righteousness, displaying the full splendor of the Lord,he becomes a weed that chokes out life for others, and itself withers up and dies.
There is no one more pathetic than a soul resisting the Spirit of God. The person resisting God’s Spirit complains abouther life.She isunhappy.She isdissatisfied.She doesn'thave this relationship or that relationship. She has no transcendent purpose, and no hope beyond the grave.She doesn'tserve, she doesn't give to others, and she doesn't give thanks.She consumesfood, drink, attention, and affection in the hope of fulfillingher desires, butshe doesnot understand that she was created not for herself, butfor worship and service to the creator.
For all the happiness a pagan boasts to possess, he sure doesn't seem that happy. But those who are filled with the Holy Spirit know true joy and gladness.
Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit know true joy.
Galatians 5:16 (NIV) says,"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV) says, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factionsand envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Why? Because ultimately, God gives us over to that which we worship.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) tells us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control."
Worship is our problem. Worship is our answer. Worship can be the malady, the cancer, the great destroyer of our soul, and the root cause of increasing godlessness and wickedness.
Or, worship can be a source of healing, the great restorer of our souls, the root cause of ever-increasing holiness and righteousness. Such worship can only come as we're consumed by the Spirit of the Living God. Oh that we would be filled, and be consumed by God’s Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. We would know the power of this new life. This morning, and then again this evening,we have opportunity to seek the Spirit of God in worship.