Title: Worship God Wants (John 4:23-24)
Content 40 days driven by purpose - Day 8: Worship God wants (John 4:23-24) - Evangelist Lee Sang-cheol
[John 4:23-24]
[23] ♠ The hour is coming, and now is, when those who truly worship the Father will worship in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for those who worship him like this. do it
Today, on the 8th day of the purpose-driven life, we cover the first of the topics, 'We are designed for God's pleasure', which is God's first purpose, worship.
We are all God's masterpieces. God created each of us with all his heart. We can judge each other good or bad by looking at each other, but God says we are all equally masterpieces.
When God created us, he gave each person a purpose. As we well know, God wants us to be pleased. God looks at us and wants us to laugh. You want joy. Because God created us. You should know that you are satisfied with the creation you have made with all your heart and that you have joy. This is the first reason for our purpose of existence. God wants joy through us. No matter what we are, God wants to find joy through us. That is why God wants all of us to look only to Him. He wants to think only of God and he wants to serve only God.
Through each of us, our God says, "You are my savior. The Lord God is my strength and my shield. Only Jehovah God is the only God in my life." You want to hear that confession every day. What is this? Worship. Believing only in God and acknowledging only God is the most basic of worship. Yesterday was Sunday, "I saw the worship service. The worship service was very good. The worship service was good." These words are not God-centered worship, but rather self-centered worship. What God wants is not for me to profit, but to give my life and confess that I will serve God only with my heart. In other words, we should bring joy to God through worship.
When we think of worship, the things that come to mind are 'praise, prayer, word, offering, and benediction'. In fact, all of this includes worship. But there are things you need to know more deeply about worship. It is to do what kind of worship is pleasing to God. What we want to share today is what kind of worship God is truly pleased with among these daily morning worship services. What kind of worship does God want?
First, worship that pleases God is worship with a sincere heart.
Worship that we offer with all our hearts is the worship that God desires and pleases. If you look at the verse we read today, it says that God is looking for people who worship in spirit and in truth. Through the worship we offer, God wants to receive our hearts, not the formalities.
In the 6th chapter of the Old Testament Prophet Micah, God said, 'I will not receive oil like a thousand rams or ten thousand rivers of water. Because the heart of the people of Israel is not in them.” They say that they have no desire to worship God, no desire to praise God, and no desire to dedicate themselves to God in their material offerings. The Bible says, 'The only thing the Lord asks of you is to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God' (Micah 6:8).
Do you know what our God wants in worship?
Believe that it's not what you have, it's not what you want, it's our sincere heart.
Two years ago, I went on a mission with young people to a small town on the border of Paraguay and Brazil. Cars can't get in when it rains because of how rough and bad the environment is, so I had to walk for 2 hours. There were two or three houses, and I went because there was a branch church, but it was a church like a tent with only a roof. (The name of the church was Immanuel Presbyterian Church) There were about five adults and ten children. The house was so messed up that the sisters went in and came out terrified, and the water they used was not clean, so we didn't know what to do. In addition, the food was not given to the customers first, but they made and ate it first, and spread the food there without even cleaning it. In such an environment, the amazing thing we realized was that God's presence was present when we worshiped. Even to those who have no learning and no consideration for guests in a poor environment, they were able to experience the presence of God when they worshiped God with a sincere heart.
This is what God wants in our hearts.
My parents used to go to church by walking for an hour or two without a car. The money to be donated was made stiff by proxy. We need to know that all of these were our hearts before God, and we need to know that God is pleased with them. Some people come in a hurry and sit down to worship, while others think differently while worshiping. What God wants is to look only to Jehovah God. Put away all your interest in other things and focus only on the Lord. When you praise and listen to the Word, please believe that God is present in the worship service and gives you the grace you cannot handle.
Second, the worship that God is pleased with is the worship that leads to our lives.
Are the emotions of our worship being fulfilled in our homes as well?
At church, we worshiped in the form of an angel, but when we return to our homes, our appearance changes little by little. When their former disposition is revealed, they praise with all their heart and sincerity, they scold their children with all their heart and sincerity, and they speak more critically and negatively to their husbands and wives than good ones.
Dear saints, proper worship must begin at home. A proper worshiper's life must begin at work.
I have two daughters, 9 and 3 years old. I wondered what my home would look like. There are many shortcomings, but the thing I use the most in conversations with my daughters is that I love them. When calling, say I love you at the beginning and say I love you at the end and hang up. It is said that I love you all the time. At first, it was meaningless and subconscious, but as time passed, children became brainwashed and they say that they love each other often. The eldest child born in Brazil confesses his love in three languages. "I love you. Euciamu (Portuguese)" At first, it was just a word, but as time goes on, it becomes more powerful and I see that many of the stresses I have are released through the confession of love from children. Do we not confess? "I love you, Father. I love you only."
Why is this declaration of confession to God not made to our husbands, wives, and children? It is a bit embarrassing for a couple to confess their love in a Korean way of thinking, but please do confess. Today after worship, go home and confess your love to your wife to your husband and your children. Then I believe that the power of God and the wonderful grace of God will come upon us. This is how the life of the worshiper comes into the family as well.
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, as to the Lord, and not to men.”
This is the life of a true worshiper. God wants to be our joy. He wants us to be the joy of God wherever we are in our homes, workplaces, and churches.
May all of us become the right worshipers God is looking for and praise the name of the Lord God wherever we are.
I will pray.
Lord, please forgive me if I have had a wrong way of worship so far, and allow me to worship before you with only a spiritual heart.
Also, may the life you desire be manifested abundantly in fruit, not only in the church, but also in the home, in relationships with children, and in relationships with wives and husbands. Grant us the grace to transform our homes and workplaces through the proclamation of our lips.