Worship

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8:40am Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

Good morning Chapel family. Before I begin today’s message, I have to say something about last Tuesday night. All this year we’ve been talking about revival. And one of the marks of revival is that there’s an unusually strong hunger and passion for God. Even people who aren’t normally very spiritual find themselves drawn to God—it’s a supernatural thing. And last Tuesday at the Night of Prayer, we saw something supernatural happen in this place. If you were here, you know what I’m talking about. On a rainy Tuesday, this place was filled with people who came to pray and worship and confess their sins to one another and cry out to God. Driving home with Norma Jean, I said, “This church is getting healthier and healthier, and that was awesome.” So…thank God for what he’s doing among us, and may the revival continue.  

So…back in 2002 Rick Warren wrote a book called The Purpose Driven Life. Which has sold a few copies since then. Actually, about 50 million. Not too shabby. I read the book when it first came out. I thought it was pretty good. But I have to say, 23 years later, I have forgotten most of what’s in that book, but I still remember the very first line. Does anyone remember the first line in The Purpose Driven Life? “It’s not about you.”  

For a lot of people, when they read that first sentence, they were hooked. Because something in us knows that’s right. We live in a world where advertising tells us we should have everything we want; social media tells us to build our platform and promote ourselves and obsess over likes. We’re living in a world that says, “It is about you.” And it was so refreshing to open up a book and read, “Actually, it’s not about you.” For a lot of people, that simple shift of perspective opened up a whole new way of thinking about life. 

We’re taking a few weeks to think about prayer together. And one thing I can say confidently about prayer is this: most people struggle with it. It’s just a challenge for most of us. And as I’ve grown in my understanding of prayer over the years, I think I’ve discovered a big part of the problem: we are so naturally wired to think “me-first,” and that carries over into our prayer life. And “me-first” praying gets really old, really fast. And I’ve seen something in people who have rich prayer lives: they have learned to make the shift from “me-first” to “God first” in the way they pray. They still pray for themselves all the time! But their prayers are so much bigger, and more interesting, and more enjoyable, and more filled with awe…because God is at the center.  

So how do we do that? How do we make that shift from “me-first” to “God-first”? Let’s talk about that today. Our passage today is Psalm 100. This is God’s Word for us today: 

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 
2     Worship the Lord with gladness; 
    come before him with joyful songs. 
3 Know that the Lord is God. 
    It is he who made us, and we are his; 
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
    and his courts with praise; 
    give thanks to him and praise his name. 
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 
    his faithfulness continues through all generations. This is the Word of the Lord. 

So how do we shift from “me-first” to “God-first”? Two things. First, we have to develop A “God-First” Vision of Life. Psalm 100 is an invitation to approach God in a certain way—with a certain mindset. And I would summarize that mindset with two words: gratitude and worship.  

First, let’s talk about gratitude. The Psalm talks about entering his “gates” and coming into his “courts,” which is obviously talking about the gates and courts of the tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem. Now: when Hebrew worshipers would come to the temple, there were certain offerings that were mandatory. On certain holy days, like Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, you had to make specific offerings. If you had committed certain sins you had to make specific offerings. But there was a kind of offering you could bring, not because you had to, but just because you wanted to. It was called a Thanksgiving Offering. In fact, a lot of scholars believe that Psalm 100 was specifically about bringing a Thanksgiving offering to God. So if God had blessed you in some way, and your heart was moved with gratitude, you could bring this offering as a way of saying “thank you” to God. It wasn’t limited to a particular day; you could bring that kind of offering any time you wanted.  

So…this is a Psalm that invites us to be grateful people, and to express that gratitude to God. There’s something about expressing thanks that reminds us that it’s not about us, and that is so healthy for our souls.  

Unfortunately, there are some arch-enemies of gratitude. Let me mention two. The first enemy of gratitude is…pride. Just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God had this warning for them—Deuteronomy 8, starting in verse 10: 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Verse 17: 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 

Think for a minute about some of the things you have. Do you have a home? Do you have a car? Do you have a job? Do you have a family? Okay, so here’s the question: Why do you have those things? At some level, it’s because of you, right? You worked hard; you studied, etc. But take it back a step further: who gave you the mind to be able to learn? Who gave you a family that supported you and maybe helped you get an education? Who gave you a body and certain raw talents and intelligence so you could work certain jobs? Take it back a step further: Who arranged for you to be born in North Jersey, and not in a slum in Indonesia? Who arranged for you to have the right number of chromosomes so you didn’t have a birth defect? Did you accomplish all that stuff? See, the deeper you think about it, the more you realize, “If it weren’t for God, I would have nothing.” 

And therefore, God tells his people, “Look: you’re about to experience some prosperity. Don’t get cocky. Don’t get proud. Don’t look at other people who have less than you, and think, ‘If you would just work hard like me, you too could have the awesome life I have.’ Realize how much your next breath depends on God.” So the first enemy of gratitude is pride. 

The second one is…Entitlement. Oh, this is big. When I was a kid, Ion summer evenings, I used to watch Mets games in my parents’ bedroom. Why? Because their bedroom had the only air conditioner in the house—a little window unit. So I can remember relaxing on their bed, watching the Mets (on channel 9), on their 9-inch, black & white TV. Have you ever seen a TV that’s nine inches? Can you imagine even having a computer screen that’s only 9-inches? Norma Jean’s iPhone is bigger than that. But I never thought about it as small. It was a TV! So recently I was watching a basketball game, and our TV is a 49-inch, high-def TV. Five and a half times bigger than the one I watched as a kid, and a way better picture. And do you know what I said to my wife? “You think it’s time to get a bigger TV?” And I actually felt a little bit deprived. Like, “I shouldn’t have to put up with this.”  

Is that not crazy? That’s entitlement. Think about it: so many things that didn’t even exist 25 years ago—like hi-def TV, the Internet, movies on planes, Wi-Fi on planes, cell phones, GPSs, next-day shipping, we could probably make a list of 20 things that didn’t exist 25 years ago. And now, not only do they exist; we feel ripped off if we don’t get them. Right? What do you mean there’s no Wi-Fi in this restaurant? And you expect me to dine here? That’s entitlement. Entitlement is a mindset that says: you owe me. My job owes me. The government owes me. The universe owes me. And if I don’t get what I’m owed, an injustice has been done. I’ve been wronged. If I do get what I’m owed, well, it’s only right. Nothing sucks the gratitude out of our hearts like a sense of entitlement. 

So listen to this: the New Testament Greek word for “gratitude” is the word eucharistía, and embedded right within that word eucharistía, is the word charis, which means “grace.” In other words, there is a close connection between gratitude and grace.  

Entitlement says, “You owe me!” Grace says, “I’m not owed anything.”  

Entitlement says, “I deserve this!” Grace says, “I don’t deserve a thing.”  

Entitlement says, “This is my right!” Grace says, “This is a gift.”  

Do you see the difference? So how do you stop feeling entitled and start truly feeling grateful? You recognize that everything in life is actually grace. And the more you get that, the more you want to express gratitude—not because you have to; but because you can’t hold it back.  

So Psalm 100 invites us to look at life with a deep sense of gratitude. But it also invites us to a life of Worship. (And by the way, I’m using the words “worship” and “praise” interchangeably). So what does it mean to worship, or praise, God? There’s a beautiful example of worship in Isaiah chapter six, starting in verse 1. Listen to this scene: 

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; 
    the whole earth is full of his glory.” 

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 

So this is a vision that Isaiah experiences. And it’s such a rich passage, because it shows us three different aspects of worship. In order to worship well, we need to realize, first… 

The Holiness of God. The angels cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.” What does that mean? Well, “holy” literally means “set apart.” “Distinct from everyone and everything else.” So God’s holiness means there’s no one like him. He’s in a class all by himself. In his book The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer describes it like this:  

We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. 

Do you see what he’s saying? You cannot say, “Okay—here’s what God is like. He’s like Einstein, only smarter! He’s like Jeff Bezos, only richer! God is like Mother Theresa, but even more merciful.” Those comparisons fail us. Because God invented intelligence, and God owns all the riches in the universe, and God came up with the very idea of mercy. God is not just the highest in that category; he owns the whole category. And just thinking about all that should make our head spin. So to worship well, we need to see the holiness of God. 

Secondly, The Glory of God. The angels say, “The whole earth is full of his glory.” This is one of my favorite Hebrew words. It’s the word kabod, which means “heaviness” or “weightiness.” In English we have the word “gravitas,” which is the same concept. When someone with gravitas is in the room, and they’re talking, how do you respond? You listen, right? Because you respect that person, and you value what they say. When you don’t respect or value someone, how do you respond when they speak? You ignore them. In English we say you blow them off. Right? Because their words don’t carry any weight, and you can just blow them off like a feather. So if we’re viewing God rightly, we’ll see him as more weighty and substantial and important than anything else in our lives, right? To worship well, we need to see the glory of God. 

And then third, The Fear of God. This is really the logical response to the previous two things, right? When we’re ’re confronted with God’s holiness and God’s glory, the only sane response is the fear of God. And you can see it clearly in Isaiah’s response: he’s overwhelmed by his smallness and sinfulness in the presence of God’s glorious holiness, and it fills him with fear. This is actually a common theme in the Bible. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  

A lot of people are bothered by this concept, but it’s usually because they misunderstand it. The fear of God is not primarily about terror or fear of punishment—especially because Christ took the punishment we deserve when he hung on the cross. So fear of God is all about awe and reverence. I like the illustration that Tim Keller uses. He says imagine there’s someone you’ve deeply admired all your life—for me, it might be John Piper, one of my favorite authors and pastors. So imagine if I suddenly got to meet John Piper in person. And I reached out to shake his hand, and I would be in shock that I’m actually meeting this person. And I would be embarrassed to realize that I’m trembling and sweating, and that I’m having a hard time speaking. What’s happening to me? I’m not afraid of being hurt or punished, right? I’d be afraid of saying something stupid and ruining the moment. I would just be kind of awestruck. So here’s the point: if we feel that way around important people, how much more is that the proper response to the God of the Universe? To worship well, we need to have a healthy fear of God. 

I don’t know how you have viewed God. But I know this: we are living in a culture that has cheapened the idea of God. So you pick up popular books or listen to some preaching, and God is there to help you succeed. God is basically saying, “It’s all about you.” And I don’t know about you, but that concept of God bores me. I can’t even take it seriously. But when I open the Scriptures, and I read about the God who is, something in my soul says, “Yes.” John Piper said it like this: 

People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the market, but the benefit of any other remedy is brief and shallow. 

See, it could be that our prayer life has been flat and boring, because you’ve been praying to a shrunken-down God. So ask God to fill you with a vision of Him that is so massive that everything else pales in comparison? Ask him to replace your “me-first” vision of life to a “God-first” vision. And then…let that vision changed the way you pray. 

Second and final point: A “God-First” Approach to Prayer. Let’s think about tomorrow morning. You get up early, you find that place the house, or outside, where you can disconnect from distractions. And you remember that any true relationship involves two things, right? It involves both speaking and…what? Listening. So you begin by opening the Bible, and listening to God’s voice through Scripture. If you’re wondering what Scripture to read, go to the Chapel web site, and under this sermon, click on “Weekly Journal Guide,” and we have great suggestions there. So you open up to the Scripture, and you don’t rush that—you read it several times and chew on it, right? I write a quick summary of the passage in my journal, to help me focus on it. And that’s called meditation—you listen for what God is saying to you through his Word.  

So now it’s time to pray. And you’re tempted to just pull out your list of requests, right? God, please give me this, this, and that. But then you remember, “It’s not about me.” And you remember Psalm 100, which is all about having this big, God-first view of life. So how does that affect the way you pray? Well, let’s borrow the words from Psalm 100. If we have a “God-first” approach to prayer, we will, first… 

Enter his courts with praise. So as we start praying, we begin by worshiping God for who he is. And in order to do that, you have to remind yourself who this is that you’re about to speak to: the God of holiness and glory, like Isaiah encountered in his vision.  

So how do you enter it that reverential, worshipful attitude? Maybe there’s something you just read in Scripture about God’s power or holiness, that you focus on. You say, “Lord—you are absolutely powerful and in-control. There is no one like you. I praise you for your awesome power.” Maybe you begin your prayer with just a moment of silence, to humble yourself before God. Habakkuk 2:20 says, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”  

Now: you might be struggling to reconcile this with last week’s message. Because last week we talked about what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. It means that we have access to God because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. So we can run to God like a little child runs to their father, right? And you’re thinking, “Last week you made God seem so welcoming; now you’re making him seem scary.” But that’s not what I’m saying. Here’s what I’m saying: yes—God loves us with the affection of a father! And he welcomes us into his presence! But this Father who loves us is not to be taken lightly or flippantly. Does that make sense? So there’s this balance of confidence as a child of God, and reverence as a worshiper of God. You have to have both, otherwise it’s not really God that we’re praying to. 

So enter his courts with praise! Start your prayer time by worshiping and praising God for who he is. Can I make a practical suggestion? This might sound weird, but it’s not. When you’re praising God, let your body posture match your words. Here’s what I mean. If I say, (hunch shoulders), “Lord, I’m amazed by your awesome holiness and your power and your love for me,” my words are saying one thing, but my body’s saying, “Whatever.” Right? I don’t even believe myself when I say it that way!  

Don’t underestimate the importance of your body in prayer. You are not just a voice; you’re a whole person. So what if I said it like this, (arms turned upwards), “Lord, I’m amazed by your awesome holiness and your power and your love for me,” or (arms raised up), “Lord, I’m amazed by your awesome holiness and your power and your love for me,” or, (on knees), “Lord, I’m amazed by your awesome holiness and your power and your love for me.” Now I believe what I’m saying. Now, I begin to feel the greatness of God. This God that is so holy and glorious, but at the same time, so tender and compassionate, that I gladly kneel before him in worship.  

I still haven’t pulled out my prayer list yet! Because this is, frankly, more important. Enter his courts—start your prayer—with praise. It’s no accident that the first line in the Lord’s Prayer is…what? Hallowed be your name. Start your prayer with worship. 

And, second way to put God first in prayer, Enter his gates with thanksgiving. So after you’ve taken a few moments to worship God for who he is, take some time to thank God for what he’s done. And this is just a habit that you can get into. “Lord, thank you for this house I get to live in. I’m not entitled to it; I didn’t achieve it by my own hard work—it’s by your grace. Thank you for my wife, and my kids. Thanks for the time we got to spend with our friends yesterday. Thank you for the sleep I got last night. Thank you for a job that continues to challenge and stretch me. Thank you for the joy I had praying for that person in the hospital yesterday—thank you that I get to do that as part of my job.” Just think through your life, and think through the previous day, and look around you, and thank God for his gifts. Don’t rush it.  

Did you know that there’s a growing body of research that says expressing gratitude makes us psychologically healthy? Not just feeling thankful for things, but actually taking the time to think through it and express it, makes us less depressed and more well-adjusted as human beings. It almost seems like God has designed us for gratitude. So enter his gates with thanksgiving. 

So: you listen to God first by reading and meditating on His Word. You honor God by taking time to praise him for who he is, and thank him for what he’s done. So now you’re maybe 10 or 15 minutes into your prayer time, and you haven’t really asked God for anything, right? And that’s coming—we’re going to talk about that next time. But here’s the thing, when you put God first, by listening to Him, and praising him, and thanking him, when you finally do get to your requests, you think about them differently. You still ask for things, and you pray for them passionately. But you’re so aware of who this is that you’re praying to. And it changes your mindset in the best possible way. Because you recognize that, ultimately, this life is not about you…and you realize that’s a really good thing.  

Jesus said it so memorably. And you’ve heard this verse before, but this time, apply it specifically to the way you pray. Matthew 6:33…But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (God first, right?), and all these things will be given to you as well. When you take a “God-first” approach to life, your prayer life will be so much more rich, and everything else in life will fall into place.