There are a number of "good" reasons why people have a difficult time worshiping God (family, jobs, friends, money, etc.). What is the answer? Freedom in worship can only happen when a person is justified by God through the sanctification of Jesus Christ.Here is a quick nugget on how we are sanctified:
Adam and Eve were created perfect. They were spotless and holy before God. However, when they chose to disobey Him, they (and the rest of us) were separated from God (Romans 5:19). We needed a Savior, or as Sally Lloyd-Jones puts it, a Rescuer (The Jesus Storybook Bible).
Jesus came to the earth and lived the perfect life. He knew that He was "our Rescuer" and our path to God. He endured the cross and paid the final price for all of us to come to Him (Isaiah 53:7). Because Jesus did not sin, He only needed to offer Himself once for all the sins of mankind (Hebrews 10:10).
When God looks at us, He sees His Son. That is sanctification. There is no need for guilt or condemnation. God does not see our humanity. Again, He sees Jesus. Because of what Jesus did, we can come to the throne of God and confidently worship Him (Hebrews 4:16).
When God looks at us, He sees us. When God looks at our sin, He sees His Son.
ReplyDeleteThe word "Rescuer" came to my attention while reading this post. It seems like as Christians we are always trying to solve sin ourselves. Paul David Tripp writes in his book, Whiter Than Snow, "That battle inside me cannot be solved by theology, strategies, principles, techniques, plans, preparation, helpful hints, outlines. And I have come to confess that what I really need is rescue."
ReplyDeleteBrian, I like what you say, but you start out saying "people have a difficult time worshiping...what's the answer?" My question is, what's the question? Because people can be justified through sanctification and still struggle to worship. So, if the question is, "how do I worship when I don't feel like it?" the answer is different than "how am I equipped to worship?" As worship leaders, we get to bring people to where they are able to worship IN SPITE of their circumstances, but it can often be helpful to acknowledge those circumstances. In other words, we can even say to people...I know you are burdened with xx, yy, zz...I am too! But in spite of that, and even because of that, I want to praise my God, and worship him.
ReplyDeleteAnyway...good stuff.
Greg