"Pure Worship + Typology (Pt.2)"
TRUTHS:
1. How should believers define what it means to worship God? Examining how we participate in the worship of God often leads us to ask questions similar to the following: what does it mean to worship Jesus, what should be our internal motivations, and what external actions are included/excluded in the proper worship of Almighty God? Having a biblically sound understanding of worship becomes increasingly important as we discern what the Bible is saying about what is of utmost importance during our earthly lives. The following definition was given to our church this past Lord’s Day: worship is being in and responding to the presence of God. A key aspect of worship is offering yourself to your Creator so that the power and presence of God can work in and through you.
2. The enemy of God (and God’s people) wants nothing more than for your mouth to stay closed as you navigate existence in this fallen world. The powers of spiritual wickedness actively work and direct what they can so that humanity—especially the children of God—are dissuaded from praying, encouraging others, and sharing the gospel. In order for the Kingdom of God to advance, the people of God must open their mouths and talk to their Lord, lift other believers up, and evangelize the lost. Our enemy understands this reality and wants us to stay silent, therefore he employs a variety of methods to ensure that the people of God feel ‘separated’ from the presence of God and their church family.
3. God will not accept impure worship from His children. To worship God rightly, one must be properly motivated. God expects us to examine and pray about our internal motivations. In other words, He calls us to live righteously, not just in action only, but also in our motivations. We should aim to do the right thing for the right reason. If our actions and motivations are in conflict with one another, or we sense that our internal dialogue is moving away from what the Bible considers to be an acceptable inward motivation, our worship becomes impure and produces no fruit (it actually harms ourselves and those around us).
4. What are some actions and attitudes that, if not repented of, will ‘pollute’ our worship? To begin with, there are specific truth claims and worldviews that we cannot mix with, it will create impure worship. We see this throughout the Old Testament as God warns His people concerning the end result of marrying the daughters of pagan kings. Additionally, God is paying close attention to how we view and feel about others. He is aware of what we inwardly think and feel about the people around us, and a failure to faithfully examine and repent of unrighteous attitudes towards other people will undoubtedly corrupt our worship (despite the amount of knowledge we possess concerning the person and work of God).
5. What is the internal motivation that God wants present in our souls as we seek His face and Kingdom? It can be understood as something along these lines, “I want Jesus and Jesus is enough.” Our worship is motivated by a desire to commune with the presence of God. Our redemption has reconciled us back to our Creator, and we should not 'yawn' at this reality. In light of what the gospel has accomplished for us, we fervently pursue righteousness and the presence of God, not because of what we can get God to give us, but because we get God Himself!
6. The following are a few practices that can help internal motivations stay pure during our faith journeys: (1) be aware of the broken people around you and pray for them by name, and (2) faithfully examine your heart and life when participating in the sacrament of communion. Both of these practices are crucial in determining the condition of your heart before God and other people. Establishing and committing to these practices is a necessary (and critically important) aspect of having a pure heart before the Lord.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. How can a believer discern that they are 'in' the presence of God? What determines this or makes you aware that you are in God's presence? A feeling, a thought, a specific truth, or something else?
2. How have you personally experienced the enemy trying to keep your mouth closed? Looking back on your spiritual development, how does it seem like the enemy tries to accomplish this work (Truth 2)?
3. What are the negative consequences of offering our Creator impure worship? In other words, why is this such a BIG deal?
4. Can you come up with some practical reasons as to why the Lord would put so much emphasis on the way we view and treat other people? In light of how God views this issue, what does it communicate to humanity about our existence?
5. Define the following statement: "I want Jesus and Jesus is enough." How would you explain this statement to a new believer who is excited to begin pursuing the Kingdom of God?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray into the following areas:
Pure hearts and pure worship
Victory over the work of the enemy
Treating and viewing severely broken people in the way the Lord commands us to
That our desire for God's presence would grow stronger than it ever has