WORSHIP THAT PLEASES GOD

Mark 12:30

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 commitments, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time and money. Hindi pulubi ang Diyos at hindi Siya namamalimos ng pag-ibig. He desires your full devotion, not just your admiration.
A person who is deeply in-love asks, “How can I please the one I love?”
If we truly love God, the right question to ask is, “How can I please God?”

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”


I. GOD IS PLEASED WHEN OUR WORSHIP IS ACCURATE
People often say, “I like to think of God as….. and then they share their idea of the kind of God they would like to worship. But we cannot just create our own idea or image of God and worship it. That is idolatry. Worship must be based on the truth of the Scripture, not our opinions about what God is like.
“How foolish are those who manufacture idols to be their gods. Then the wood-carvers measures and marks out a block of wood, takes the tool, and carves the figure of a man. Now he has a wonderful idol that cannot even move from where it is placed! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. Such stupidity and ignorance. Their eyes are closed and they cannot see. Their minds are shut and they cannot think.” Isaiah 44:9, 13, 16-18.
Lagi din nating naririnig, “Ok lang naman kahit anong relihiyon mo kasi iisa lang naman ang Diyos natin. Doon din tayo lahat patungo.”
That line of reasoning is very wrong. Communism is also a religion. And so are atheism and humanism and animism. Others also think na kung mas marami silang church na mapasukan mas accepted sila kay Lord.
God requires that we worship Him in spirit and in truth:
“True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” John 4:23.

a. WORSHIP IN SPIRIT
Worshipping in spirit is the opposite of empty formalism and traditionalism. That kind of worship can be pointless, and useless and empty.
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men” Matthew 15:8-9.
We worship in spirit when it comes from the heart. Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead.
In the end the heart longs not for any God’s good gifts, but for God Himself. To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul’s final feast.
“In thy presence there is fullness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures forever more” Psalm 16:11.
In worship we become preoccupied with the Lord. We don’t watch….we participate. An amazing thing about worship is that you don’t care what anybody else thinks.
When we come before God in worship, and we do not feel in our heart any grief or longing or hope or fear or awe or joy or gratitude or confidence, then we may dutifully sing and pray and gesture as much as we like, but it will not be real worship. We cannot honor God if our “heart is far from Him.”

b. WORSHIP IN TRUTH
We worship with emotions but those emotions must be based on the Word of God. People are very emotional during MJ’s concerts. And we call that emotionalism.
“They have a zeal for God, but it is not according to knowledge” Romans 10:2.
Freedom in worship is the fruit of truth.
Illus: “Lami kaayo magwali si Pastor ba…..
True worship affects not only the heart but the mind as well. The Word of God must be central in worship.


II. GOD IS PLEASED WHEN OUR WORSHIP IS AUTHENTIC
When Jesus said you must “worship in spirit,” He wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit, but to your spirit. 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. Heartless praise is not a praise at all! It is worthless, an insult to God.
Worship engages your emotion. God gave you emotions so you could worship Him with deep feeling – but those emotions must be genuine, not faked. God hates hypocrisy. He doesn’t want showmanship or pretense in worship. He wants your honest, real love.
Worship must be both accurate and authentic. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal – we use both our hearts and our heads.
Your biggest distraction in worship is yourself and your cellphone – your interests and your worries over what others think about you.
Set your emotions free in worship.


III. GOD IS PLEASED WHEN OUR WORSHIP IS THOUGHTFUL
Jesus’ command to “love God with all your mind” is repeated four times in the New Testament. God is not pleased with thoughless singing, or careless exclamations of “Praise the Lord, Hallelujah.” If worship is mindless, it is meaningless. You must engage your mind.


IV. GOD IS PLEASED WHEN OUR WORSHIP IS PRACTICAL
The Bible says in Romans 12:1, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Why does God want your body? Why doesn’t He say, “Offer your spirit?” Because without your body you can’t do anything on this planet.
You have heard people say, “Di n’yo man ako kasama sa katawan, kasama n’yo ako sa espiritu.”
Do you know what that means? Nothing. It’s worthless! As long as you’re on earth, your spirit can only be where your body is. If your body isn’t there, you aren’t there.
Real worship costs. David knew this and said: “I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing” 2 Samuel 24:24.
When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” He pointed out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always convenient or comfortable. Worship is a willing sacrifice.
True worship not only requires our body, it also requires our money. Giving has always been part of worship – in the Old Testament and New Testament. The church in Macedonia is an example of generosity in giving and Paul was very proud of them:
“Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them” 2 Corinthians 8:1-5.
“God loves the person who gives cheerfully” 2 Corinthians 9:7.


The deepest level of worship is praising God inspite of pain, thanking God during trial, trusting Him in difficult times, and loving Him when He seems distant.
Worship is a sacrifice.