| Worship Power |
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| Written by David Charlton | ||
Worship for the ancient Israelites became nothing more than a routine. They did what was prescribed by the Law but their hearts were not in it. They continued in a life of sin. Jeremiah 7:1-11 and many other Old Testament passages make this very clear. If we are not careful, the same thing could happen to us. Sunday morning worship should have a tremendous and positive impact on our behavior throughout the rest of the week. As a result of worship, we should become better workers, spouses, parents and disciples of Jesus Christ. So, how do we keep worship from becoming a powerless routine so that we can become better disciples of Jesus Christ? The answer is the Holy Spirit. Unlike the ancient Israelites, we all have empowerment from the Holy Spirit. We must learn to open our hearts up to the Holy Spirit during worship. In this way, Sunday morning worship will have a profound impact on how we behave during the rest of the week. SERMON OUTLINE Scripture Jeremiah 7:1-11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 "Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. 3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: `This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' 5 "For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers for ever. 8 "Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, `We are delivered!' -- only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, says the LORD.
Summation and Purpose Summation: Worship for the ancient Israelites became nothing more than a routine. They did what was prescribed by the Law but their hearts were not in it. They continued in a life of sin. Jeremiah 7:1-11 and many other Old Testament passages make this very clear. If we are not careful, the same thing could happen to us.
Sunday morning worship should have a tremendous and positive impact on our behavior throughout the rest of the week. As a result of worship, we should become better workers, spouses, parents and disciples of Jesus Christ. So, how do we keep worship from becoming a powerless routine so that we can become better disciples of Jesus Christ? The answer is the Holy Spirit. Unlike the ancient Israelites, we all have empowerment from the Holy Spirit. We must learn to open our hearts up to the Holy Spirit during worship. In this way, Sunday morning worship will have a profound impact on how we behave during the rest of the week. Purpose: To help the congregation to open themselves up to the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit during worship.
The Sermon In this sermon, the pastor walks out dressed as Jeremiah. He will speak as though he is Jeremiah.
I. Introduction: Shalom!! A. My name is Jeremiah. B. I’m a prophet and was commissioned by God to call the southern kingdom of Judah to repentance. The ancient Israelites needed to repent of Idolatry and oppression or face the consequences. C. Back, when the Babylonian Empire threatened the southern kingdom of Judah, God told me to stand in front of the temple in Jerusalem and say these words: “Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. 3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: `This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' 5 "For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers for ever. 8 "Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, `We are delivered!' -- only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, says the LORD. II. The ancient Israelite’s problem A. Their worship became nothing more than vain ritual · They thought, just because they had the temple, nothing bad would happen to them. As long as they performed their sacrifices and other rituals in accordance with the Law, they could continue to sin in their everyday lives. · The problem: Worship should result in Godly living. God expected them to stop sinning and live Godly, loving lives as a result of their worship. God expected them to change. B. Well, I warned them and the consequences came. In 586 BC the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. In accordance with their custom, the Babylonians exiled most of the Israelite population to the farthest regions of the empire to be their servants. C. I’m here today, to let you know that the same thing could happen to you. II. The danger of Sunday morning worship becoming a vain ritual A. I know you no longer perform animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ, as God in the flesh, was able to live the perfect life and become the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. This paid the penalty for all our sins and made animal sacrifices unnecessary. B. You do however, worship every Sunday morning to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re not careful, Sunday morning worship could turn into a vain routine just like temple worship did in my day. C. You see, as a result of Sunday morning worship, for the next six days you should be…. · A better friend: You should be better at helping people and demonstrating loyalty. You should have the courage to stand up and tell the truth. You sacrifice for your friends. · A better husband or wife: You should be better at listening to your spouse and showing empathy. · A better mother and father: You should be better at helping your children learn right from wrong and providing them with a good example to follow. · A better disciple of Jesus Christ: You should be better at sharing and demonstrating your faith with others. D. If you are not becoming a better person, then your worship is turning into vain repetition. The message I proclaimed in front of the temple thousands of years ago, could pertain to you! The message could go like this: “Stand in the entrance to Glynlea Grace UMC, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Glynlea Grace who enter these doors to worship the LORD. 3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: `This is the church of Jesus , the church of Jesus, the church of Jesus.' 5 "For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not take advantage of the weak and poor but seek to help them, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers for ever. 8 "Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to wealth, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, `We are delivered!' -- only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, says the LORD.” E. So, how do you keep this from happening? How do you keep your Sunday morning worship, or any worship, from turning into a vain ritual? The answer is the Holy Spirit. III. The Holy Spirit keeps our Sunday morning worship from turning into a vain ritual. A. You all have something the ancient Israelites didn’t have. You all have the Holy Spirit residing in your hearts. · In my day, the Holy Spirit would descend on just one person or one small group of people to fulfill a specific purpose. The Holy Spirit didn’t descend on everyone who claimed to have faith. So, the ancient Israelites had to live up to God’s Law on their own power. They, of course, failed. Their sinful nature would always get in the way. · You, however, live under the New Covenant. Jesus died and paid the penalty for our sins. This makes it possible for every one of us to receive God’s forgiveness and have an intimate relationship with God. As part of this relationship, we receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts. The Holy Spirit changes us from within and enables us to fulfill the summation of the Law, which is to love God and neighbor. B. So, all you have to do to keep Sunday morning worship from becoming a vain ritual is to open your hearts up to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. · Prior to worship, pray: Pray by yourself and with your family. Pray either in your home or in your car right before you enter the church building. Use the prayer room. Ask God to prepare your heart to receive the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Arrive at worship with anticipation. Expect the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work on your heart. · During worship, stay focused: Block all thoughts that don’t pertain to worship from your mind. When a distracting thought comes along, consciously tell yourself to pay attention. Listen to the lyrics of the songs you sing. Leave all your concerns at the door. · After worship, contemplate: Study the Scripture passage that was used during service. Discuss the sermon with family and friends. If need be, go to www.glynleagrace.com and listen to the sermon again. IV. Conclusion: I understand you have a revival called ‘Venture in Discipleship’ coming up this week-end. I believe it’s starting this Friday at 6:30PM. It would be very good for everyone here to participate. During this revival, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a renewed empowerment. Use this weekend to open your hearts to the amazing and transforming power of the Holy Spirit!!
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