THE CALL TO WORSHIP

SERMON STARTER

In the traditional churches of my childhood the call to worship was a boring liturgical routine of blandness and familiarity. The choir generally intoned the expected “Gloria Patri.”

“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, World without end.

Amen, Amen.”

There would generally be a soprano with a wide vibrato on the front row of the choir screeching out the high notes, slightly off key. As a child the call to worship was a call to sixty minutes that seemed to last on and on.

The preacher’s sermon was usually on a point of doctrine with few if any illustrations. Altar calls were tedious and drawn out. The preachers of my childhood were persuaders that were begging, cajoling and “guilting” their audience to move to the front of the church for a heart-felt conversion experience. My only relief was the final A-men at the closing prayer of the service.

Contemporary calls to worship usually involve upbeat songs and the whole audience standing to welcome the corporate presence of God in the Assembly of the Saints. The music is directed to God and not to the audience. Instead of a choir, the worship team leads the audience in declarations of praise and thanksgiving upward to God. The Call to Worship is a call to meet God and call upon His name. This sermon explores a common liturgical activity in the light of the Word of God and practical realities of the Kingdom of God.

THE CALL TO WORSHIP

Psalm 84

“God is calling His people to worship, but most of His people substitute service in His Kingdom or religious activities to worshipping him with their whole heart.”                Pastor PHIL
SUBSTITUTES FOR GENUINE, HEART-FELT WORSHIP:
a. Personal Evangelism                               e. Lay Witness Renewal
b. Missions                                                    f. Prophesy
c. Stewardship                                              g. Tongues
d. Proclamational Evangelism
SERVICE TO GOD OR HIS PEOPLE IS NOT WORSHIP ITSELF!
THREE FACTORS IN GOD’S CALL TO WORSHIP:
I.   THE CALL TO WONDER
            A. Wonder vs. Comfort
            B. Consider – Ponder – Meditate
            C. Patriarchs and Prophets who became lost in God’s Wonder
                        1. JACOB at BETHEL - Genesis 28:16,17
                        “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this
place, and I did not know it." And he was afraid and said, "How awesome
is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the
gate of heaven!"
                        2. ISAIAH’S VISION – Isaiah 6:5
"Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the
King, The LORD of hosts."
                        3. JOB SEES GOD AND REPENTS - Job 42:5,6
"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.
Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."
                        4. EZEKIEL’S THRONE ROOM VISION – Ezekiel 1:28
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the
appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of
the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face”
                        5. DANIEL’S VISION – Daniel 10:9
“Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength
remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no
strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound
          of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.”
                        6. JOHN’S VISION – Rev. 1:17
                        ”Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I
saw seven golden lampstands ,and in the midst of the seven lampstands
One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and
girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white
like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet
were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound
of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth
went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun
shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”
II.   THE CALL TO WITNESS
A. Celebration – A Witness to God
                        1. God’s Approving Eyes are on our Worship – 2 Chronicles 16:9
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to
show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
2. Jesus Taught that God was seeking Worshippers – John 4:23,24
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to
worship Him. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
                        3. Who is our Audience: One Another or God the Father?
                        4. We are a Royal Priesthood, who offers God through Worship:
                                    a. Spiritual Sacrifices - 1 Peter 2:5
”As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
b. The Sacrifice of Praise – Hebrews 13:15
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
c. Our Bodies for Service – Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.”
d. Ourselves in Prayer – Psalm 141:1,2
“O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”
e. Our Good Works – Hebrews 13:16
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
f. Our Material Gifts – Philippians 4:18
“I (Paul) have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”
g. When Sinners are Brought to Christ – Romans 15:15,16
I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
            B. Edification of One Another
            C. Proclamation to a Lost World – 1 Cor. 14:24, 25
            “But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while
everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner
and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So
he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"
III. THE CALL TO W A R F A R E
          A. Cosmic Clash: Both Jehovah and Satan Desire Worship
                        1. Satan’s Boast – Isaiah 14:13, 14
                        "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I
will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the
sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High."
2. Satan’s Second Temptation of Jesus – Luke 4:5-7
“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the
kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their
authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
B. Worship: A Weapon of Warfare
                        1. Tambourine and Harp - Psalm 149:6
                        “Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with
tambourine and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he
crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and
sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a
double-edged sword in their hands”
2. The Ark’s Presence Scatters Enemies - Numbers 10:24, 35
“The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the
camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, O LORD! May
your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you." Whenever it
came to rest, he said, "Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of
Israel."
3. Israel’s Worship Defeats their Enemies - 2 Chronicles 20
4. The Book of Revelation is a record of the Cosmic Clash

THE CALL TO WORSHIP, Text:

Psalm 84
How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young; Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 O God, behold our shield, And look upon the face of Your anointed.
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!