Smile in the face of your enemies
- 1 Sam 2:1-11 Why are we even here today? Why did you set your alarm, rearrange your schedule and come here. We will find the answer in 1 Samuel 2 today.
- There are many reasons that people Go to Church
- See people, be with people, talk with people, get the latest gossip, to get noticed, to be appreciated, to feel better about myself, get a better perspective on life, hear good music, serve, be a part of something bigger than myself, build business connections, improve my marriage, have my kids be more obedient, stop my addictions/bad behaviors, check in on facebook to make people think I’m good, to be in charge of something, to influence other people, to find a spouse, to find friends, to be a part of a hip church, to feel validated in your lifestyle, to serve the poor, to help people, to learn, to expand your mind, to check the box, to feel better, to feel God’s presence, to fall out, to receive a word, to advance your own ministry, to expand your influence, etc etc etc
- There are also many reasons people go to a sports event
- To be around people, talk with people, to get noticed, to be part of something bigger than themselves, to build business connections, do something with my spouse, kids, do something ‘positive’ instead of addictions, check in on facebook, find a spouse, find friends, be a part of winning team, to expand your mind, to feel different, to get caught up in the excitement, to wear the gear, feel like a winner, have something to argue about, to do my civic duty, to be around famous people, to hear good music,
- Sports events have a lot in common with churches, arriving together, high fives (hugs), sing special songs (worship songs) cheering for the team (clapping, amening), rituals- coin toss, intros, anthems. Exit the stadium, leave the church. Shared identity,
- Do you know why you go to a sporting event? TO WATCH THE GAME
- Do you know why you go to church? TO WORSHIP GOD
- John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
- Sports are wrong worship to a wrong God- Many churches worship wrong God as well
- We want to worship the right God in the right way.
- What is worship? A decision to make everything about thanking God for everything
- We see that in 1 Sam 2:1-11 READ
- What do we see from that? HANNAH WORSHIPPED GOD. We should worship GOD
- What did we just see in the song of Hannah? A heart of worship!
- Now- don’t think that Hannah had an easy life. Remember she was barren. She was attacked for her barreness, and her husband was clueless. She was hurting. She was sad. She had a broken heart, anguish and resentment. She was at war with others, herself and God
- YOU- Why do people attack me? Why do I hate myself? Why wont God give me what I want?
- Common story even today- But NOW her worship shows she has been transformed!
- She was THANKFUL for what God had done. She SAW God for who he was. She wad DEPENDENT on him.
- Here’s what Hannah had based on her worship: A heart that worships, knows protection, sees a Holy God, wants life change ,sees strength in God, sees God’s provision, sees God’s sovereignty, sees God’s dominion, sees God’s justice, sees God’s plan to install an eternal King- Jesus
- Here’s the biggest thing- the response from Hannah for having God move in her life was to WORSHIP- To be THANKFUL. To have God be BIGGER than HER and HER Problems
- She didn’t just take what she was given and go on her merry way- she WORSHIPPED GOD
- This is what AW Tozer said– “Sometimes I go to God and say ‘ God, if you never answer another prayer while I live on this earth, I will still worship you as long as I live and in the ages to come for what you have done already’ God’s already put me so far in debt, that if I were to live one million millenniums I couldn’t pay him for what he’s done for me”
- This is a heart of worship! How can we repay God? We cant! And how can we ask for anything more?
- Worship is not a feeling. It is a choice. Worship may stir up feelings, but its not about that
- No worldly relationship works only “when you feel like it” Wife, kids, friends, work, fitness
- Worship is no different- We can’t just do it when we feel like it. We CHOOSE to worship
- It’s a moral imperative- In Luke 19 Jesus said that if the people didn’t worship the stones would cry out
- We MUST be people of WORSHIP in our LIVES and in our CHURCH
- Deuteronomy 29:18 so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;
- When we WORSHIP God- our Hearts will not go and worship other Gods! Not some false God in a book, but the god of self, money, sex, identity, politics, material possessions, activities etc
- What does true worship look like?
- Firstly- Its about HIM and not about YOU. Here at FVC we really try to make worship vertical and not horizontal- we don’t want to sings songs ABOUT Jesus- we want to sing songs TO God
- Secondly– we try to make worship about worship- not about anything else. Its not about what it looks like, what it sounds like, if we’re playing the hippest songs on the new list
- A newly saved person doesn’t think about if its new or not.
- Thirdly- we want to leave church asking if God was worshipped, not if the people were pleased.
- How can you tell if your heart is wrong in worship? Complaining about the sound, the mistakes, the stage dressing, the words, ‘heard this song so many times’, why cant these volunteers seem to get their stuff together and worship correctly?
- Where is YOUR heart at? Ask yourself EVERY time you come to church- Why am I here today? For whom am I here? Whom do I want to see most of all? Where is MY heart directed today?
- See- people will come into a church service with the wrong attitude. About others, the building, the people, the programs, a never ending list of demands of what they deserve based on some imaginary unbiblical list that only serves to have them be angry with themselves, others and God
- First step- You must be a Christian to truthfully worship God. How can you truly worship a God you don’t know for nothing he’s done for you?
- You MUST turn away from Sin and turn towards God (Repent) and he will forgive you of your SINS
- Most people don’t really understand their own level of depravity- They think they are better than they are, deserve more than they get, and demand more from God and others
- IF you will turn to God, he WILL forgive you of your sins and you WILL live eternally
- We must never forget where we came from! We must never forget what God saved us from
- Eph 2:11-13 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
- When you remember what you’ve been saved from! YOU WILL WORSHIP
- 2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. DESTRUCTION
- What are factors that you will find in TRUE worship?
- Boundless confidence– a true heart of worship has confidence in WHO God is. You TRUST HIM
- V 1 “I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in YOUR salvation”
- Only a person who understands the POWER and MAJESTY of God has that confidence
- you cant worship what you don’t trust- you cant make God big, you SEE him BIG
- Admiration– appreciation for what he’s done.
- That he’s SAVED you. That he’s BLESSED you. Who he IS and What he DOES
- You can’t truly worship God if you don’t truly have your heart towards HIM
- Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
- You must clear your mind and get off your phone and think about what you can praise him for
- Fascination– excited with who God is- His Majesty- His wonderous Works. His CREATION
- God how did you make me? How did you make this earth? How is everything so GOOD
- Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
- Adoration- Love God with fear and wonder- This is about Seeing him BIGGER than US
- Psalm 86:9-10 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
- Dependence- God I need you- I need you to provide for me, my family, my health, my mental status, I need you defend me, to sustain me, to guide me, to teach me, to love me, to accept me, to lead me,
- 2 Kings 17:38-39 And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
- Psalm 100- READ
- Be a person of WORSHIP.
- Smile in the face of your enemies
