The Grace of Worship

The following is condensed text version of a talk I gave at SSAG on Palm Sunday. You can check out the complete video version at www.ssag.org.

For the past month, Pastor Jack has been looking at Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem focusing on the thing HE did during holy week from Jesus’ perspective. We have looked at such events as the dinner a Simon’s house, the cleansing of the temple, and the last supper. Today we will try to look at Palm Sunday from the perspective of Jesus. This story is found in Luke 19:28-40 and it clearly hinges on the praise and worship the people express toward Jesus. When we consider this from Jesus’ point of view, we see 3 things about worship. 1. The Priority of Worship; 2. the Defense of Worship, and 3, the Grace of Worship.

I. PRIORITY OF WORSHIP

It seems obvious from verse 40 that Jesus places a lot of value on people worshipping HIM. HE states that if the people don’t do it, the rocks will. Someone or something is going to worship HIM. As a matter of fact, that is what we were created to do. The very reason that we exist and breath and get up in the morning is to praise and worship Jesus.

Our very nature as humans points to the fact that we were created to worship God. There has never been a civilization in history that developed as atheists. Every civilization on the planet has developed with a belief in a god and an attempt to understand this god and worship him, her, or it. Atheism is a philosophy we have needed universities to develop for us and has only been around for the past couple hundred years.  The heart of man cries out to worship God.

Another place where we can see that the purpose of our lives is to worship God is found in the book of Psalms. Twice David is found praying for his very life (Psalm 30:8-9 & 88:10-12), both times he makes the argument that he can’t praise God if he is dead. The best argument David can come up with for why God should save him is that he needs to be alive to praise HIM. What that reveals is that the purpose for life is to praise God and declare HIS wonders.

We have all heard “if you love someone, set them free. If they love you , they will return.” That is what God has done with us. He has set us free to choose HIM or reject HIM. True love can only come from free choice. Our choice to love and worship God is so important to HIM that HE set us free. Inherent in that freedom to choose HIM is the freedom to reject HIM. Many have rejected HIM and chosen evil. Therefore, our love and worship is so important to God that HE has allowed evil to exist in the world so that we would have the option to choose to love and worship HIM.

II. DEFENSE OF WORSHIP

The second thing we see in this story is that worship is so important to Jesus that HE will defend worshippers. The religious leaders tell HIM to quiet the people. Instead, Jesus defends them. This tells me I should be very careful when I am tempted to criticize people for how they worship God. If we feel like people are distracting us, we should quit looking at them and worship God ourselves. If Jesus is defending worshippers, I do not want to find myself opposing HIM! After all, HE is the only one who can judge someone’s motives. I have no right to put myself in HIS place and judge people.

III. GRACE OF WORSHIP

The third thing we can learn about Jesus’ view of worship is that HE is full of grace when it comes to worship. He defended these people and accepted their worship knowing that many of them would be the ones demanding HIS crucifixion less than a week later. As a matter of fact, Jesus gives us “the benefit of the doubt.” Actually, HE gives us more than the benefit of the doubt. HE has no doubt that we will not live up to our words but HE accepts of praise anyway.

The funny thing is that we often avoid worship because we feel unworthy. We don’t want to pray because we are afraid we will not live up to our grand promises. But Jesus KNOWS we will fail and embraces us anyway. HE accepts us at face value. HE gives us credit for being willing to try again.

The enemy wants us to quit trying and to walk away from God. After all he tells us, we can’t walk it out. But Palm Sunday tells us that Jesus loves us and embraces us even when HE knows we will fail. That is grace!

Angry at the Wrong People

A couple nights ago I was working at the hotel and I met a lady from Florida. She was out in the courtyard smoking a cigarette and had had a little too much to drink. She began asking me about Savannah and we were having a nice conversation until I mentioned that I was a pastor when I wasn’t securing hotels in the middle of the night. She began apologizing and put out her cigarette. Our conversation came to a screeching halt. The more I thought about it, the more it grieved my spirit that mentioning being a Jesus follower made her so uncomfortable. Why is it like this? Why are so many people who do not follow Jesus so uncomfortable with those of us who do (and we around them)?

I think the answer is found in Matthew 23. In this chapter we see the only time that Jesus got angry and “judgmental” with people. And who are the people He yelled at? The religious leaders of His day! The only people Jesus got upset with were people who claimed to follow God but didn’t show love for other people. Specifically, they did not show love for “sinners.” Jesus loved “sinners” and yelled at religious hypocrites. The church (myself included) seems to coddle hypocrites and yell at “sinners.” Why do we act the opposite of our Lord? Do we think we know better than He does? We need to turn this thing around. Love the “sinners” and those outside our fellowship and confront the judgmental amongst ourselves.

Prostitutes and sinners were comfortable hanging out with Jesus. They loved being around Him. Why do they hate being around us? Why am I so uncomfortable around people who smoke, drink, and curse? Could it simply be that I don’t want to be like Jesus badly enough to be uncomfortable? Are we so insecure in our beliefs that we fear being around “sinners” will ruin us?

I am again struck by how far we, who call ourselves followers of Jesus, have strayed from following Jesus. I know that is a very generalized, blanket statement but before you close this window, realize I am including myself in this group and admitting that many times I do the same thing. I am not pointing a finger at all of you from my perch of self righteousness. I am asking what is wrong with me and many of “us”?

I am challenging myself to spend more time with those who are not already following Jesus. I am not there yet. I admit I am uncomfortable. I think it is a good sign though that I am now more uncomfortable when someone feels uncomfortable around me. At least I am recognizing the problem. That’s the first step to recovery, right?

Too Weak For What?

As I read about YOU in the Garden of Gethsemane, I am struck by YOUR instructions to the Peter, James, and John. YOU told them to watch and pray that they wouldn’t fall into temptation. First YOU asked them to pray with YOU but then YOU told them to pray for themselves. YOU wanted company during YOUR time of struggle but even more YOU wanted them to be strengthened in their spirit so that they would have strength for the trial they were about to go through with YOU. In the midst of YOUR suffering, YOU wanted them to be strengthened.

In Mark 14:31, Peter said, “Even if I have to die with YOU, I will never deny YOU.” And the others agreed with them. That is what YOU meant when YOU said their spirits were willing. Their spirits were ready to die with YOU but their flesh was too weak to live for YOU. How different it would have been if they had prayed…

The interesting thing is that YOU didn’t want them to die with YOU. What YOU really wanted was to make sure they did not quit and give up completely. YOU told Peter he would deny YOU. YOU weren’t telling him to pray he wouldn’t do that. YOU were telling him to pray so that the failures of his flesh would not cause him to quit following YOU.

Satan does not just want to hurt Peter and YOU by making him fail. The enemy’s goal is to encourage Peter to go from failure to self-condemnation and guilt. He wants Peter to feel so bad about his weak flesh that he will avoid YOU. Then, if he avoids YOU long enough, he will wither up spiritually and YOUR life energy will dry up in him and he will quit following YOU.

That is the ultimate goal of the enemy in my life. He wants to see me fail; which will lead to feeling guilty and ashamed; which will lead to avoiding spending time with YOU; which will cause me to lose my joy, strength, and energy for life; which will make me quit following YOU. He does not just take joy out of hurting me, he wants me to give up. Lord, help me recognize and stop this cycle in my life.

Today, YOU are not so much concerned that I might fail to live up to my big promises to bravely follow YOU. You are more concerned that when I fail to live up to those words, I do not become so discouraged that I quit accepting YOUR grace. Help me remember that YOU have already dealt with my failures and the weakness of my flesh. YOU understand my weakness better than I do. Help me to not condemn myself and feel so guilty that I quit trying. Don’t let me be so ashamed that I avoid YOU. When I fail, remind me of how that is the time to run to YOU, accept YOUR grace and forgiveness, and let YOU restore my joy and strength!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Phillipians 3:8-11)

In this passage, Paul keeps intensifying his refusal to live in the past. Three times he says he counts everything in his past as loss. He culminates with saying, “I count it all as rubbish that I may know Christ….” Lots of people advise us to let go of the past and focus on the future. Paul is saying let go of the past and focus on YOU. The danger is not that my past will make me proud or depressed but that it will keep me from completely knowing YOU. The passion of this passage is not to escape the past but to push through the past and pursue YOU without the baggage. There are three types of baggage that can keep me from YOU; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

THE GOOD: Paul was specifically talking about all the good “religious” stuff he had done in this passage. He is saying that religion and good works can keep me from fully knowing YOU. Lord, help me to never rest on my accomplishments. Help me never think that I have done enough. All the things I have accomplished have not made me better than anyone else or earned any special privileges from YOU. I have not impressed YOU with my piety. Everything I have done has been for YOUR glory. I don’t want to stop or slow down in doing good but I don’t want pride to keep me from YOU. I want to go on expressing my love and passion for YOU with my whole life. Let the things I do come from a grateful heart and not from trying to manipulate YOU into giving me something or trying to impress other people. I want to know YOU, not get stuff or impress people!

THE BAD: Another way the past can keep me from YOU is when I focus on the bad stuff in my past. I can so easily sink back into guilt and self-condemnation. Somehow I think that YOU came and died for my sin but if I do it again, YOU will reject me. As if YOU haven’t proven that YOU will push through every barrier I put up in order to have a relationship with me. YOU are determined to pursue me and nothing I have done can disqualify me. Help me to not dwell on my failures. Help me press through them to know YOU!

THE UGLY: I can also miss out on knowing YOU fully by dwelling on the ugly things that have been done to me in my past. YOU told us to forgive, not because those who hurt us deserve it, but because unforgiveness keeps me from YOU. I want to forgive so I can be free to know YOU completely. Help me let go of everything so I can push on toward YOU.