Worship - Sermon Series

But WHY? Why should we worship God? Why should we "come", "sing", "shout"?
- David answers this in verse 3: Because the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. ("for" typically means "because")
- We worship God simply b/c He is God... b/c He is who He is... the great God, the One who made us, who knit you together in your mother's womb... because He is our King.
- Vs 4 says that He has created the seas and formed the dry land... that God is the Creator and Sustainer
o If Jesus took His hand off the universe, it would all fall apart.

Whereas verses 1-5 are an Invitation to Celebration, verses 6-7 are an Invitation to Adoration.
- while thanksgiving is worshipping God for what He has done, adoration is worshipping Him for who He is.
- "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
- At the heart of what David is saying here expresses what we said last week... that we come to that place of worship when we see who we are against the backdrop of God's unending goodness, love, and grace.
- He is our God... we are under His care... we aren't an end unto ourselves... He created us... and He cares for us.

In Luke 7:36 we read of a woman, perhaps Mary Magdalene, entered the house of a Pharisee who had invited Jesus over for a meal.
- known as a prostitute, this woman came right up to Jesus and began weeping, wiping His feet dry with her hair while covering his feet with expensive perfume.
- The Pharisee said to Jesus, "What are you doing? How could you let this trash touch you?" "Do you know where she got the money to buy that perfume?"

Already, I am struck by several things.
- First... The Pharisees, as well as the disciples, didn't want her in Jesus' presence... Because of her sin, her reputation, what she looked like, the Pharisees didn't want her to get near Jesus.
- Second... though the world saw her as trash, Jesus still loved her and was moved by her heart... and knowing her sincerity and her brokenness, He allowed her to continue.
- I share this point b/c like Jesus, we need to be the kind of church that welcomes people like that prostitute... the people who live and who look different from us.
o What would you do if two men walked into this church holding hands... yet; you could see that they were sincerely seeking the Lord?

o Would Jesus welcome them?
o What if a kid with purple hair walked in with body piercing all over his body? Would we welcome him?
- Vineyard in England... Met in bar... homeless woman in subway playing guitar for coins... his worship leader?
- My point is that as God is an inviting God... calling us into His presence... so we need to be a welcoming/inviting church... not accepting the lifestyles of some that may come... but loving them nonetheless... allowing God to use us to lead them into relationship and intimacy with Him.

Back to my main point... that this woman expressed more worship and adoration for Jesus than all the Pharisees and disciples in that room put together.

- WHY? Because she understood exactly what and who she was... and she understood who Jesus was. And the net result was that she fell to her feet, began to weep, and covered Jesus feet with perfume that cost her about everything she earned that year.
- "Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture..."
- WHY? BECAUSE HE IS OUR GOD
- Her need for Jesus and her understanding of whom Jesus was caused her to throw herself into worship.
When Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord on His throne. In Isaiah 6:5, his only response was to cry out "I am a sinful man."

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