Mark1

Mark 1:35-36; Luke 4:16, 11:1-4; Philippians 4:6

“…NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP”

We have been studying in Unit Two of Growing Together in Christ and in the past three weeks have looked at disciplines involved in the followship of Christ. We looked first at the discipline of learning and then at the discipline of serving. Last week was the discipline of ???—giving. And this week is the discipline of worship.

Let’s start out with a question for discussion. What is “worship?” What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word? (allow answers; write on board) It is a complex idea, is it not?

Let me quote to you from the Teaching Guide—Dr. Joe Blair; Professor of Christianity and Philosophy and director of the Master of Arts in Theological Studies program at Houston Baptist Univ.:

“Worship is the most important thing Christians do. The first of the Ten Commandments, for example, calls for Israel to worship the one true God. Furthermore, what is most important to us at the core of our existence is what we worship and follow. Out of worship grow our view and experience of God, our view of the world, and our view of others. We make decisions and conduct our lives on the basis of that to which we are loyal. We express our devotion and faithfulness to God as the One who is first in our lives through the discipline of worship.”

Dr. Jim Denison adds this:

“Of all the disciplines we will study in this series, none is more significant to our spiritual health than the opportunity before us today.”

Do you agree or disagree? To be honest, when I first saw that we were going to study the discipline of worship, I did not attach this much significance to it. But after reading the lesson and listening to Dr. Blair’s comments, I have come to agree that this discipline of worship is critical.

I have outlined four points for you. Let’s look at each of these with their scripture passages as see what we can take with us today.

1. Worship Privately

Someone read Mark 1:35-36 please:

³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶Simon and his companions went to look for him,

Private worship helps us focus on God’s will for our lives. Why did Jesus go off into the wilderness; to a solitary place? (allow responses) He had just finished an exhausting day. He had preached in the synagogue in Capernaum. He had exorcised a demon and healed Peter’s mother-in-law. He spent the evening healing all the sick in town. Now it was Monday morning (the day after the Sabbath) You know why preachers don’t take Mondays off?—they don’t want to feel that bad on their day off.

You would think that Jesus would sleep late this morning. But He didn’t. He got up well before dawn and went off alone. There Jesus prayed—and the verb tense means He continued to pray probably for three or four hours. When is the last time you or I have spent that much time in solitude with God? Have we ever?

It seems, though, that this is bad church growth strategy. Jesus plants this church and preaches to standing room only crowds and then disappears. It must have been tempting to stay and receive the praise and adoration of the crowds. Ah, but you are already thinking aren’t you?—We know better! Our long study of Luke 4 has taught us that Jesus was not this kind of Messiah.

Maybe Jesus needed to be alone with God to help Him refocus on His mission. God’s will for His Son was to be a Suffering Servant and Jesus know that. He came to preach about the kingdom of God and to suffer and die. This time of private worship must have served to focus Jesus on His mission and continue to ward off the temptation—which also started earlier in the wilderness—to be a physical and political savior.

Through our private worship, the Holy Spirit of God, reveals His mission to us. If we are on mission with God, as we claim, then we must understand what that mission is. Private prayer and worship remind us of God’s will and lead us away from temptation.

Clearly, Jesus needed the discipline of solitude, of private worship. Do we? Well, do you ever struggle with your life purpose? Of all the good things you could do, what should you do? According to Jesus, the best way to learn that is to get alone with the Father so He can tell you.

Share Quiet time testimony.

Please start this discipline in your life in you are not already. I want to mention that solitary private worship is also a great source of power from God. Albert Schweitzer, a great proponent of private worship said this, “A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.” He was awarded the Nobel Peace prize at age 77 and worked until he was 89. He filled up in private worship so he wasn’t used up too soon.

How can you do this? Start with prayer. Make a set time each day to pray. Read your Bible. Read all of it. There are many resources to help you do this—on line, Gideon calendar, daily Bibles. Be quiet and listen to the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther confessed, “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day.”

As you develop this discipline you can then make time for an extended time of solitude with God—indeed you will want to do this! And finally, you will come to discover that you are more and more focused on God throughout your day so that it becomes an internal discipline. It works! Make it happen.

2. Worship Publicly

Jesus also worshipped publicly. Someone read Luke 4:16:

¹⁶He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.

Private worship enhances our spiritual life. Public worship brings us a vital spiritual experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

Let’s brainstorm a few minutes and see what kind of list we can come up with. (allow responses – include the following:)

Corporate worship is the main we way we experience unity. Jesus called the church into being and made it the one, corporate body of His kingdom rule among His people. When we gather with our brothers and sisters to worship. We are doing what Christ calls us to do. God in Jesus is our common meeting ground. Despite the diversity of our opinions and experiences, we are brought together by our worship into a oneness with God and with one another.

(As a sidebar, this is also sadly a major point of disunity these days—our diverse opinions and experiences. We could spend a lot of time on this hot topic but I would rather not do so. Let me just say, with scriptural authority, that if our focus is on God as opposed to on our own desires, then our diversity becomes not just a non-factor but actually becomes a strength.)

Corporate worship is how weparticipate in our church’s mission which is to bring honor and glory to God. This has been a major point of emphasis in our sermons of the last several months. Dr. Shane is attempting to teach us that we are all a part of God’s mission and we are all in this together as the “resurrection community.”—his term.

In corporate worship we encounter the Holy Spirit in a unique way. One example is through music. We can only sing as a congregation when we are together as one. Most of us don’t have a choir or ensemble or pipe organ at our beck and call. These are only available to the group of us.

And as a body, we need the fellowship, encouragement, and accountability that comes from worshipping together. Each of us is necessary to the rest. Paul describes and explains that in detain in 1 Corinthians 12.

A burning coal by itself goes out. A burning coal placed with others stays aflame. So it is with your soul and mine. Will you worship this morning publicly with passion and commitment? Will you focus on God and not on the world or yourself? I encourage us all to try that today.

3. Worship Prayerfully

Jesus worshipped privately and publicly. He also worshipped prayerfully and in this passage, taught His disciples and us how to do the same. Someone read Luke 11:1-4:

¹One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

²He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,^£

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.^£

³Give us each day our daily bread.

⁴Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.^£

And lead us not into temptation.^£’”

You recognize this as the Lord’s Prayer better termed the Model Prayer also found in Matthew 6. Jesus wants us to know how to pray. This is a very important part of worship as we have already discussed. When we speak to the Father and listen to His voice, His Spirit is able to mold us. This is the point of contact between God and us. Let’s look at the elements presented here and how they help us worship.

First, we must affirm our personal relationship with God. Jesus’ use of the word “Father” to address God was revolutionary. But He assures us we can speak to God as a child to his or her daddy. You are His child and you are loved unconditionally.

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.

Begin you prayer celebrating this fact.

Second, continue your prayer with praise. Revere the name of God. Stand in awe of His character and attributes. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.

Third, affirm God’s lordship. God is the King of the universe. His kingdom is manifested where His will is done. Exalt God as your King and Lord, surrendering to His will and seeking God’s purpose with your prayers, worship, and your life!

Bible scholar A.W. Tozer said this:

People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:

1. they are facing only one direction,

2. they can never turn back, and

3. they no longer have plans of their own.

Fourth, ask for God’s help. Bread was only good for a day in ancient times. It was not easily preserved. Enough was prepared each morning for the day’s needs. We are to ask God for His present-tense help and assistance as we face our present-tense needs. As the song says, “yesterday’s gone, Sweet Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine…one day at a time.” God will meet our needs if we give them to Him. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19

Fifth, seek and share God’s forgiveness. Jesus assumes we will sin (I think that is a safe bet in His part) and will need our Father’s forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 promises that God will forgive every sin we confess to Him, but we must receive what he intends to give. And something else—what is that? We must give the same grace to others. We must share God’s love with those who need it most.

A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a slip in a "Fault" box. The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: "leaving the jelly top off the jar," "wet towels on the shower floor," "dirty socks not in hamper," on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was, "I love you!"

Will we forgive like that? (BTW, tomorrow I will have been married to my first wife for 29 years. Congratulations Ms. Hott)

And finally, we see that to worship prayerfully we must submit to God’s leadership. When we finish our time of worship, where do we go?—back into the fallen world filled with obstacles and spiritual enemies. Our worship will change our lives only when we give our live to the Father. What will you choose as you leave this place today?

These steps can frame and guide your daily times of prayer as well as your church’s

public worship. Consider them as ways to pray together more effectively with your

family as well. The more we follow this model, the more we will be molded by the Spirit

into our Father’s will and empowered for his purpose. Then as we are transformed, we

can be agents of transformation. Changed people change the world.

4. Worship Powerfully

And then finally today let’s look at powerful worship. Someone read Philippians 4:6 please:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Jesus has taught us previously in Matthew 6 not to worry about our health, food and drink, or clothing. Now Paul adds not to worry, or be anxious, about anything at all. Stop being troubled with care about anything at all, no exceptions!

Instead, what are we to do?—pray in everything. The phrase means about all things, the whole, each and every part of reality, again without exceptions. Our intercession is powerful. It includes prayer, which is the general word for speaking to God and petition which refers to supplications, needs, requests, or entreaties. These are offered with thanksgiving for all god has done and will do. We present our requests to God in this way with the assurance that God hears us and gives His surpassing peace.

Do we believe intercession is powerful? I have asked this question before and gotten into trouble but it is compelling enough to bring up again. Do the pleas of God’s people change God’s mind and plan?

Moses interceded for Israel and the nation was spared (Ex.32:32 and Deut. 9:26). Samuel did the same (1 Sam 7:5) as did David (1 Chron 21:17) and Hezekiah (2 Chrin 30:18). Job interceded for his friends and God spared them (Job 42:8-10). Paul asked the Roman Christians to pray for him (15:30) and he prayed continually for the Ephesians (1:16). He commanded that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone (1 Tim 2:1). John called us to pray for one another as well (1 John 5:16)

Not only does our intercession powerfully affect history, it also makes us more powerful because we learn to trust God. It is a Godly power given to us by the Holy Spirit as our faith and trust increase. We can and in fact will be able to not be anxious, worry, about anything because God will most assuredly take care of us.

All that we have discussed about worship today points to this astounding fact: the God who created the universe wants to spend time with us. Not just some time, all time. He is a Father who wants to be with His children and we reach Him through this complex subject of worship. But it really just come down to reaching for and seeking to know and be with God.

How many of you know the president of the US personally? The governor? How about the mayor? Well, you do have an audience with the King of kings right now and always. The throne room is as close as your knees.

Deeply immersed in meditation during a church service, Italian poet Dante Alighieri failed to kneel at the appropriate moment. His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege. Dante defended himself by saying, "If those who accuse me had had their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was doing."

Let’s worship like that today and from now on.

Pray

Mark 1:35-36; Luke 4:16, 11:1-4; Philippians 4:6

“…NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP”

“Worship is the most important thing Christians do.” – Dr. Joe Blair, HBU

Do you agree or disagree with this statement.

Why or why not?

Please fill in the blanks:

1. Worship Privately – Mark 1:35-36

Private worship helps us focus on God’s ______ for our lives.
Jesus prayed—and the verb tense means He __________to pray.
Maybe Jesus needed to be alone with God to help Him _______ on His mission.
Through our _____ worship, the Holy Spirit of God, reveals His _____ to us.
Private prayer and worship _____ us of God’s will and lead us away from _____.
Solitary private worship is also a great source of ____ from God.

If you are not doing this already, start a daily private worship time with God.

2. Worship Publicly – Luke 4:16

Corporate worship is the main we way we experience _____.
Corporate worship is how we _______ in our church’s mission which is to bring _____ and _____ to God.
In corporate worship we encounter the ____ ____ in a ______ way.
And as a body, we need the _________, __________, and _________ that comes from worshipping together.

3. Worship Prayerfully – Like 11:1-4

First, we must _____ our personal relationship with God.
Second, continue your prayer with ______.
Third, affirm God’s ________.
Fourth, ask for God’s _____.
Fifth, seek and share God’s ______________.
And finally, we see that to worship prayerfully we must submit to God’s ____________.

4. Worship Powerfully – Philippians 4:6

Paul says to pray in everything. The phrase means about all _____, the whole, each and every part of ______, again without __________.
Our intercession is _______. Do we believe that?
Intercession also makes us more powerful because we learn to ____God.
All that we have discussed about worship today points to this astounding fact: the God who created the universe wants to ____ ____ with us.

Homework: Read Isaiah 6:1-8 and identify the several elements of this worship experience.