Week 3 (1/15/2003) - Worship's Center - God

How many times have we found ourselves talking about what we got out of worship? Or complained about how a particular song leader always leads songs we don't like. This betrays our mistaken attitude that worship is about us, when it's not. It's about God

Illustration of friend at a football game distracting the true fan with talk about how neat it is to be sitting in such a big crowd, buying hotdogs, etc.

Worship as Entertainment

• Our culture continuously places us in the role of a consumer..


Movies, Television, Radio, Sporting events. We are constantly being entertained. We are spectators and critics

In this paradigm of worship we are the audience and the preachers, worship leaders, prayers, song leaders, even God are the performers!

We take on role of olympic judges rating the performance, or students at a pep-rally expecting to be swept away with excitement.

• The entertainment analogy works but you have to get the roles correctly assigned.


We are the performers, worship leaders are the prompters and God is the audience.

A musician must judge his own performance on the context of the audiences expectations and preferences, not his own. i.e. Stopping in the middle of a song because the pitch was too high or low, acknowledging another musicians mistake. These are things that will distract from a listeners enjoyment of the performance.
God's evaluation is the only one that counts, only he sees the performance from a complete spiritual perspective.

We must not come to worship with a "me-centered" agenda.

God is the center of worship because:

• He is holy

Even though we were created in his image, he's not like us. Humans trying to grasp the concept of God is like an ant trying to understand a human.
Job 42:5-6
Habakkuk 3:16
Luke 5:8
Revelation 1:17
As we worship we need to compare ourselves with God so that we can be convicted of our sin.

• He is powerful

Ephesians 3:20
Colosians 2:15
Moebob always says that you'll play as good as the rest of your team. Playing with better people makes you better.
In worship we remember that we are who we are through God's power, not our own.

• He is wise

Isaiah 40:13-28

• He is with us

Psalm 113
Psalm 8:4
God stoops down to look at us because he loves us.
1 John 4:10

These attributes of God compel us to worship him.
Psalm 42:1-2

Implications for Worship

• We must direct our worship to God

Our worship is to God. We come, not to "get" but to "give"

Edification and uplifting one another is an outcome of worship, not the purpose. We need to be sure that we are not other centered or self centered in our worship.

Self Consciousness: Always caused by focusing on something other than God. We are worried about what someone else thinks. Other-conscious.

Remember this is a performance in the throne room of God.

Psalms 51:16-17
God wants our hearts.

• Emphasize Participation by All

Worship needs to happen in your native tongue. Prayers, sermons, songs should speak to all generations. A little of this, a little of that.

There needs to be active participation. Singing, responsive readings, eliciting responses in sermons.

The more senses you use the more you recall. In the same way, some people learn by doing.

The idea of being actively engaged, not passively observing.

• Remeber How Dependant We Are

Any time we seek fulfillment apart from God we are doomed to frustration and failure.

"His Needs, Her Needs" idea. Yes we should serve one another, but the only one who can fill your deepest needs is God. Any thing else will be a disappointment.

• Learn to Enjoy God

We need to learn to explode with joy.
Isaiah 61:10