Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

HINDRANCES TO WORSHIP–PART 2

Introduction

We continue this morning studying this matter of worship.

Remember how we defined worship last week?

We said that both The Hebrew word and the Greek word translated as “worship” have the idea of “prostrating oneself, especially reflexively, in homage to royalty or God. To do reverence to, to show adoration”

We said that “to prostrate” means “to lay flat; to throw down; to throw one’s self down or to fall in humility or adoration; to bow in humble reverence.”

We also said that Webster defines “worship” as “to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration. To honor with extravagant love and extreme submission.”

We said that:

1.         The LORD is worthy of our worship.

Psalm 29:2–“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

2.         The LORD alone is worthy of our worship.

            Matthew 4:10–“ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

3.         The LORD tells us how we are to worship Him.

John 4:23-24– “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

We began to consider some things that hinder our worship of God. We are to worship God, but we said that there are some things that block our ability to worship God as we should.

What are these things that hinder our worship? We took a look at three of these last week.

I.         SELF-WILL CAN HINDER WORSHIP! (Leviticus 10:1–Nadab & Abihu)

What do we mean by self-will? Self-will is when we choose the who, what, when, where, or how we want to do things–in this instance, worship.

            Cain is a good example of self-will hindering worship.

We saw the importance that our worship be in spirit and in truth.

We must worship God in spirit–i.e. Worship that doesn’t come from our heart is improper worship. God is not primarily focused on our outward display.

We must worship God in truth–i.e. Worship that does not line up with God's Word (truth) is improper worship!

II.       WORLDLINESS CAN HINDER WORSHIP. (1 John 2:15-16)

In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul said,“Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.”

            A.        We are in the world, but we are not of the world.

            B.        Christians are like a boat that is in the water.

A boat in the water is no problem. But when a boat begins to take on water then you have a real problem. If that problem is not corrected it will eventually sink the boat.

Regarding this matter, I want to share with you a quote that I found this week from Charles Spurgeon, the great English Baptist preacher:

“The devil has seldom done a more clever thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. . .providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. . .The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men on fire.”

                        We need to keep in mind that what motivates us conforms us.

            C.        Understand that “worldly” does not always mean things that are outward, it also has to do with our inward attitudes.

            SELF-WILL CAN HINDER WORSHIP.

            WORLDLINESS CAN HINDER WORSHIP.

III.      DOUBLE MINDEDNESS CAN HINDER WORSHIP. (Joshua 24:14-20)

Deuteronomy 6:4-5–“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

The Children of Israel were not interested in was giving themselves wholly to God.

What they wanted was a comfortable Sabbath day only religion. They wanted to worship God the way they wanted to worship Him and then they wanted to live the way they wanted to the other days. They were double minded!

They weren’t true to the LORD! They weren’t true in either their worship or their living!

If we were honest with ourselves and with God, we would acknowledge that, just like the Israelites, we have a problem with giving ourselves wholly to the LORD!

How much of our lives this week was lived selfishly with us in mind instead of God in mind?

            Our lives are unstable and we wonder why when God has said:

            James 1:8–“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

            What do we need to do?

James 4:8–“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

            SELF-WILL CAN HINDER WORSHIP.

            WORLDLINESS CAN HINDER WORSHIP.

            DOUBLE MINDEDNESS CAN HINDER WORSHIP. 

IV.      A WRONG SPIRIT CAN HINDER WORSHIP. (Hebrews 12:14-15)

            (By a wrong spirit–I mean things like anger, resentment and bitterness)

            A.        The danger of having bitterness or a wrong spirit is that it will always affect others, and almost always that affect is negative.

            B.        Anger, bitterness, and resentment are much like a cancer that grows and grows, and is often undetected until major damage has been done.

                        (Exp. Mrs. Eddington)

            C.        Paul warns believers concerning attacking one another in the flesh.

Galatians 5:15–“But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”

1 Peter 2:1–“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

Ephesians 4:31-32–“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

IV.      IMPATIENCE CAN HINDER WORSHIP.

Psalm 46:10–“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

There are some people who get their nose out of joint if the Church services go into overtime. It doesn’t really matter to them that God might be working in someone’s life.

            A.        We get in such a hurry with so many things in our lives today.

            B.        If we aren't careful, we will get caught up in this even when it comes to worship.

            C.        The principle is this: Waiting on God (serving Him) often involves waiting for God (being patient).

            D.        Some rush in to Church at the last possible minute with the attitude of "Here I am Lord, let's get this over with because I've got things to do today!" and then they can’t wait for the last “Amen” so they can get on with life.

            E.        Impatience with the Lord will hinder our true worship of Him.

V.        FORMALISM OR RITUAL CAN HINDER WORSHIP. (Matthew 23:13-28)

            (i.e. Going through the motions of worship.)

2 Timothy 3:5–“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

            A.        Paul warned Timothy that one of the characteristics of the last days would be that there would be those who would have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.

            B.        Now God is certainly a God of order, and I believe that our worship services should be orderly.

            C.        But there is a danger of us becoming so formal that we hinder the working of the Holy Spirit in our worship services.

            D.        When our semblance of worship is just a production of man rather than a means whereby we come before God to honor Him and worship Him, then it ceases to please the LORD.

VI.      ANY KIND OF UNCONFESSED SIN. (1 John 1:6-10)

            Psalm 66:18–“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

Isaiah 59:1-2–“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

John 3:20–“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Conclusion

There are possibly other attitudes and practices that can hinder our true worship of the Lord, but what about these we’ve dealt with today? As the LORD looks at our worship what does He see?

SELF-WILL? WORLDLINESS? DOUBLE MINDEDNESS? A WRONG SPIRIT? IMPATIENCE? FORMALISM OR RITUAL? ANY KIND OF UNCONFESSED SIN?

We must break through these and other barriers that prevent us from approaching God with honesty and humility. Will you do business with God today?

Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!