13 Worship That Pleases God

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 1

 

 

You Were Planned For God's Pleasure

 

 

 For God has planed them like strong

and graceful oaks for his own glory.

Isaiah 61:3

 

 

13 Worship That Pleases God

 

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all

your mind and with all your strength.

Mark 12:30

 

God wants all of you.

God doesn't want a part of your life.

He asks for all your heart, all your soul,

 all your mind, and all your strength.

God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience,

and the liftovers of your time and money.

He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.

 

A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus

on the best time, place, and style for worship.

Jesus replied that these external issues are irrelevant. 

Where you worship is not as important as why you worship

and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship.

 

There is a right and wrong way to worship.

The Bible says,

"Let us be grateful and worship God

in a way that will please him."

Hebrews 12:28

The kind of worship what pleases God has four Characteristics:

 

God is pleased when our worship is accurate.

Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture,

not our opinions about God.

"True worshipers will worship the Father

in spirit and truth,

for they are the kind of worshipers

the Father seeks."

John 4:23

To "worship in truth" means to worship God

as he is truly revealed in the Bible.

 

God is pleased when our worship is authentic.

Made in God's image, you are a spirit that resides in a body,

and God designed your spirit to communicate with him.

Worship is your spirit responding to God's Spirit.

When Jesus said,

"Love God with all your heart and soul"

he meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt.

It is not just a matter of saying the right words;

you must mean what you say.

 

"Man looks at the outward appearance,

but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7b

Since worship involves delighting in God,

it engages your emotions.

He wants your honest, real love.

We can worship God imperfectly,

but we cannot worship him insincerely.

Worship must be both accurate and authentic.

God-pleasing worship is

deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal.

We use both our hearts and our heads.

 

Many forms of praise are mentioned in the Bible, among them

confessing, singing, shouting, standing in honor,

kneeling, dancing, making a joyful noise, testifying,

playing musical instruments, and raising hands.

Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 7:17;

Ezra 3:11; Psalms 149:3; 150:3;

Nehemiah 8:6

The best style of worship is the one that

most authentically represents your love for God,

based on the background and personality God gave you.

God wants you to be yourself.

"That's the kind of people

the Father in out looking for:

those who are

simply and honestly themselves

before him in their worship."

John 4:23

 

God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful.

Jesus's command to "love God with all your mind"

is repeated four times in the New Testament.

If worship is mindless, it is meaningless.

You must engage your mind.

Jesus called thoughtless worship

"vain repetitions."

Matthew 6:7

 

Try praising God without using the words

praise, hallelujah, thanks, or amen.

Instead of saying, "We just want to praise you,"

make a list of synonyms and use fresh words like

admire, respect, value, revere, honor, and appreciate.

Real worship is rooted in the Word.

Also, be specific.

 

In the Old Testament, God gradually revealed himself to Israel

by introducing new names for himself,

and he commands us to praise his name.

"Everything should be done

in a fitting and orderly way."

1 Corinthians 14:40

 

"Suppose some strangers are

in your worship service,

when you are praising God

with your spirit.

If they don't understand you,

how will they know to say,'Amen'?

You may be worshiping God

in a wonderful way,

but no one else will be helped."

1 Corinthians 14:16-17

 

God is pleased when our worship is practical.

"Offer your bodies as living sacrifices,

holy and pleasing to God—

this is your spiritual act of worship."

Romans 12:1

In worship we are to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices."

Now God is pleased with different sacrifices of worship:

thanksgiving, praise, humility, repentance, offerings of money,

prayer, serving others, and sharing with those in need.

Psalm 50:14; Hebrews 13:15;

Psalms 51:17; 54:6;

Philippians 4:18; Psalm 141:2;

Hebrews 13:16; Mark 12:33;

Romans 12:1

 

"I will not offer to the LORD

my God sacrifices

that have cost me nothing."

2 Samuel 24:24

One thing worship costs us in our self-centeredness.

When Jesus said, "Love God with all your strength,"

he pointed out that worship takes effort and energy.

 

Matt Redman, a worship leader in England, tells

how his pastor taught his church the real meaning of worship.

"Heart of Worship":

 

I'll bring You more than a song,

because the song itself is not what You've required.

You search much deeper within

than the way things appear.

You're looking into my heart.

 

The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.

 

 

 

 

 

DAY THIRTEEN

Thinking About My Purpose

 

Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.

 

Verse to Remember: "Love the Lord your God

with all your heart and with all your soul

and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Mark 12:30

 

Question to Consider; Which is more pleasing to God right now—

my public worship or my private worship?

What will I do about this?

 

 

p 100~106

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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