True Worship - A Heart Condition

Main Point: True Worship is a heart condition where a heart genuinely loves God.  And loving God results in actions to please God.  Actions like Prayer, True Worship, and Cheerful Giving.

True Worship is not something you can see with the human eye

• True Worship is a heart condition
• True Worship is not a task or duty to be right with God, it is a response that comes from a genuine love for God.

King David an example of a heart that loves God.

• 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22, King David is described as "a man after God’s own heart," meaning:
  • David deeply loved, pursued, and desired to do God's will.
  • While not sinless, David's heart was aligned with God's because he practiced sincere repentance, genuine humility, and constant praise, often contrasting with King Saul's disobedience.

Pastor’s Thoughts:

• Do you make decisions in life to make self-happy?
• Or do you make decisions in life to pursue God’s will even when uncomfortable?
  • Serving as Sunday School Teach as an example
  • Serving by helping raise funds for summer camp as an example

Old Testament True Worship

• Exodus 10-12-13.  God requires people to love God, and serve God with all their heart and to keep the commandments (mosaic law). 
• God gave the Jews the Mosaic law as way to worship him in the old testament
• True worship in the old testament was obedience to the Mosaic law
  • As long as their heart was obedient to the mosaic law because they loved God, this was true worship
  • If obedience to the Mosaic law was for man made reasons or just tradition it is not true worship.
    • For example, obeying the mosaic law because it is your culture/tradition to do it.

Pastor’s Thoughts:

• In the Old Testament, obeying the Mosaic Law was a, if not the, primary form of true worship for Israel,
  • serving as a sign of their covenant relationship with God, a means of sanctification, and a reflection of His holiness.
• It was not a method of salvation but a way to live as a distinct, holy people.

A transition of True Worship begins with Jesus

• A transition from Old Testament true worship to New Testament true worship was prophesied.
• Jeremiah 31:31-34.  God promises to initiate a new, internal covenant with Israel and Judah, distinct from the Mosaic Law.

Jesus clarifies New Testament true worship

• John 4:19-26.  Jesus explains that true worship is now a heart condition not a law to follow.
• Hebrews 10:8-10.  Jesus fulfilled the law by replacing it with true redemption and sanctification through the blood of Jesus.  Jesus is the final sacrifice needed for redemption.

 
Summary:

• Analyze your heart.  Is it a heart of true worship. 
  • Meaning:  Are the decisions you are making being made because you love God.
• Do you love God?  Then make sure you are worshipping in spirit and in truth
  • Worship looks like Surrender, Sacrifice, and service.
    • Surrender, sacrifice and serve, because you love God.
• True Worship is a heart condition, where the heart genuinely loves God
• True Worshippers will live in true joy and peace