Worship Fully

Today at Hesston MB, I preached on the topic of "Worship Fully" based on one of the themes from Advent Conspiracy. For more information about Advent Conspiracy, visit their website www.adventconspiracy.org. My message was based on Isaiah 6:1-8. My intro. started with the statement to worship fully we must understand the who, what, and why of worship. I will share a few details under each of those points.

Who
  • The baby in the manger is the who of worship.
  • Notice what Isaiah notices in vs. 1-The Lord is seated on a throne, high & exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
  • Too often, we let things get in the way of us worshipping fully. Things such as: sports' teams, sports, careers, family/friends, TV or movie celebrities, money, technology, video games, computer/internet, books, or religion. We need to be careful to not place anyone or anything in the place of God.
  • God is the Audience of One in worship.
What
  • This is the area that causes much controversy in the church.
  • We need to see what the Bible includes as the what of worship.
  • Is worship quiet/reverent or active/loud? Should it include praise songs or hymns? Is it best if it is quiet or loud? Should it be reverent or relevant? These and many other questions constitute the what of worship.
  • Based on Isaiah's experience in vs. 4-7, I see worship as quiet and loud. Similarly, in Luke 2:8-20, I see the angels and shepherds worship is loud, but Mary's worship is quiet and reflective.
  • Here are the different verses I shared: worship includes shouting, joy (Psalm 100), is quiet, reflective (Job 40:4-5), undignified & dancing (2 Samuel 6:21-22), broken (Psalm 51:17), standing (Nehemiah 8:5-6), bow down (Psalm 95:6), hands raised (1 Timothy 2:8), reverent & holy (Hebrews 12:28).
Why
  • God's Word is truth.
  • We worship because God says we should, we need to go and tell, and it should include a response from us.
  • We cannot keep the who and what of worship to ourselves.
  • Isaiah's response in worship was he had been in the presence of God and now he must live it out. Worship is not me focused, but God focused.
Advent Conspiracy challenges us to worship fully by understanding Advent as a time of worship, not a time of stuff. Christ is the reason for the season!

I closed the message by having the congregation listen to "Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman. As they listened, I asked them to reflect on their attitude in worship and to consider expanding their view of worship from just what makes them feel comfortable.

I hope this summary gives you a good perspective about what I shared or if you are from Hesston MB, it highlights something that you were wanting to hear again or addresses any questions.

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