I. Acceptable
worship is an act (as opposed to an emotion).
A. Anna –
Luke 2:36-37. Anna worshipped God with (by means of) fasting and prayer.
B.
Ethiopian eunuch – Acts 8:26-27. The Ethiopian had traveled hundred of
miles to Jerusalem in order to worship. No one could seriously argue the
Ethiopian traveled hundreds of miles in order to have, or experience, an
emotion.
C. Jesus
and the woman of Samaria – John 4:19-24. The Samaritans had built their
temple in Mt. Gerezim. The Jews had their temple in Jerusalem. The Jews and
Samaritans were not in dispute over where to have an emotion. Their dispute
was over where God had ordained that their worship, which included the
Levitical system, was to take place.
II.
Acceptable worship involves an audience.
A. God is
to be the object of our worship – Matthew 4:10. Whatever we reverence,
love, and obey becomes our god, our object of worship. When a person decides
not to worship God, something else takes priority in his life and becomes
his god.
B. We are
not the audience! There is a sense in which the things we say are directed
toward one another – Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16. However, even these
things are ultimately to be directed to God. Notice Ephesians 5:19 –
"singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
III.
Acceptable worship requires the proper attitude.
A. The
holiness of God stands in stark contrast to the sinfulness of man – I John
1:5.
B. The
first verse of the Bible describes God as the creator of the heavens and the
earth – Genesis 1:1. When we worship God, we offer our worship as
creatures to the creator.
C. We are
to enter into our worship with an attitude of reverence and awe – Psalm
89:7.
IV.
Acceptable worship requires authorization for those things we do.
A. It is
possible for our worship to be either accepted or rejected by God. The only
acceptable worship is that worship which is authorized by God.
B. Unless
we can find in the Bible that Christ commanded the apostles and/or the
apostles taught the disciples and/or the church observed a practice in
worship, it ought not become a part of our worship.
