“Worship That God Praises”
John 12:1-11
Sermon Series: “Getting Acquainted With Jesus”
Introduction: The title of this message may seem a little strange to you. Actually, it may seem backwards. After all, we are supposed to praise God when we worship. Would God praise our worship? Well, the Bible is very clear that God is not ambivalent regarding our worship. He either strongly rejects it or He accepts it, but He is not on the fence with it.
There are many examples of this truth in Scripture, but let me share two of them with you. One is the familiar Old Testament story of Cain and Abel. Of course, we focus on the fact that Cain murdered Abel. However, the murder was precipitated by Cain’s anger when God accepted Abel’s offering (worship) and rejected Cain’s. God rejected Cain’s offering because it was not given with a right heart, was not given in faith, was not a blood sacrifice, and was not the firstfruits.
Let me also share a New Testament example. The Pharisees outwardly appeared very righteous. They tried to keep the law and follow the rituals. They paraded their spirituality. However, in Matthew 15:7-9, Jesus said of them, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’.”
Instead of the title of this message being backwards, I think it is our worship that is often backwards. We make it about us instead of God. Let’s use the theater as an analogy. In a theater production; there are the actors on stage, the director and prompters giving guidance, and the audience watching the performance. When it comes to worship; we often think of God as the prompter, preachers and worship leaders as the actors, and the congregation as the audience. However, the biblical reality is that God is the audience, the people on stage are the prompters, and the congregation is the actors. Worship is to be God-centered and God-focused. Therefore, when we are critiquing, we are probably not worshipping.
So, is God pleased with our worship or does He reject our worship? Does God praise our worship? We are going to look at the example of Mary, see how Jesus praised her extravagant act of worship, and apply the lessons to our lives. Here are four key characteristics of worship that God praises:
1. Worship that God praises is Christ-centered instead of self-centered. The other people in the house that day were interested in themselves. However, Mary was totally focused on the greatness of Jesus Christ. She was crowning him with glory by letting her hair down and washing his feet with it because a woman’s hair was considered her glory (see 1 Corinthians 11:15). Worship is giving God the glory that is due His Name (Psalm 29:1-2).
2. Worship that God praises is costly instead of cheap. Her act of worship was extravagant and sacrificial. The cost of the perfume was about a year’s wages. God will not accept our leftovers. He wants our first and best. The value of an object to us determines the amount we are willing to pay. The value we place on Christ ultimately determines the quality of our worship.
3. Worship that God praises is contrite instead of self-exalting. True worship requires humility. It is acknowledging the worthiness of God and our unworthiness. It recognizes that we can only come to God through Jesus Christ.
4. Worship that God praises cares about what God thinks and not what people think. True worship is Spirit-led, and it will bring criticism. However, a worshipper lives to please God.
Conclusion: True Christians are worshippers? Are you a worshipper? Do you genuinely know Christ? If you are a Christian, is God pleased with your worship? Is it Christ-centered, costly, contrite, and focused on what God thinks?
