When we ask someone to do us a favor, generally we end the conversation by saying something like...Hey man, I appreciate it, thank you. We say it because we want the person we are asking, to know that we would be grateful if they would grant our request. It’s also, because we have an expectation of them granting our request. Thanking someone before they do something sets our minds in a proper position of gratitude. Now I am going to ask you a question, that at first, may seem totally unrelated to our topic. But stay with me for a few minutes and we’ll see how they are tied together. Have you ever been anxious? If so, I’ve got some good news for you today. But before we get to the good news, let’s talk about why we feel anxious in the first place. We feel anxious when we don’t have control over a situation that might turn out bad and we can’t do anything about it. And that’s the first thing we have to realize. We don’t have control, God does. The truth is we’ve never had control of anything. We make decisions, yes. But the ultimate outcome is up to God’s plan. Do you believe you have the power to be able to “will” someone to do something? Does that sound like your job or God’s job? You see, in the natural, all we can do is just wait and watch what will happen. And that’s where the worry, fear and anxiety begins.
Our mind works through the worst possible scenario and then runs all the way down that road. Where do you think those thoughts come from? That’s right, our enemy. When we allow him to convince us that the worst case scenario will be the outcome, it causes us to feel anxious. But you have to realize that it’s just that...a feeling. It’s not a fact, it’s just a feeling. There’s a big difference in facts and feelings. The feeling says, what if I don’t get that job? But the fact says that God is Jehovah Jireh my provider...not that company. The feeling says, what if I get COVID? But the fact says that God is Jehovah Rapha, my healer. The feeling says, what if these arguments lead to my divorce? But the fact says that God is Jehovah Shalom, my peace. I can give you all the logical reasons that you shouldn’t feel anxious, but it won’t help unless you understand how to apply that knowledge. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying: “knowledge is power”...but the truth is that knowledge is only powerful, when it’s applied. OK, here’s the really good news. You can feel peace when others around you are feeling anxious. How can you do this? You can do it by following God’s Word and applying the same concept as when you asked a person for a favor. Be thankful first. God’s word tells you what to do if you are beginning to feel anxious. It’s simple. Just begin to thank Him first. Philippians 4:6-7 “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” As believers, the total amount of things we are allowed to be anxious about are listed in this verse. It’s at the very beginning, and the list consists of “nothing”. That’s it. The entire list is zero. But what do we do for “everything” else. Every bad doctor’s report, every layoff at work , every problem with your kids, every time your money runs out before your month does? So what this verse is saying is this: In every situation, regardless of how anxious the circumstance makes you feel, bring your requests to God humbly...thanking Him in advance......and God’s peace will protect your mind from the enemies lies. But what are we thanking Him in advance for? You thank Him that He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. You thank Him that He is Jehovah Rapha, our Healer. You thank Him that He is Jehovah Shalom, our Peace. His peace is what guards our hearts and minds. Where does anxiety attack? Is it not your heart and mind? Can you do that? Can you thank God in advance for His love and victory over a situation, while you’re still in the middle of your fear? I hope so, because that is the kingdom key for victory. We are to be thankful from a position of victory. If you had a football game recorded, but you had already heard that your team won...you’d watch that game with a different attitude. You wouldn’t let anyone who is pulling for the other team discourage you or make you feel anxious about the outcome. Would you?
Is there any thought they could plant in your mind that would make you worry about what will happen at the end of the game? No, of course not. As believers that’s how we are to live our lives. We are to walk every day and in every circumstance with the full knowledge and assurance that we are victorious, because our God has already won. The problem is that too often, even though we know how the story ends, we let the enemy plant worry and anxiety in our heart and minds. That’s why when you are entering a worship service we are instructed to begin by thanking God. Our worship begins with gratitude. Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” What are we supposed to thank Him for as we enter. Perhaps, it would be a good idea to do what they do in heaven. Revelation 4:10-11 “10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” We thank Him because He is worthy. He has always been worthy. He will always be worthy. Our circumstances don’t change that...ever. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through, His worth has not changed, and it will not change.
We begin our worship service with singing and we call it worship. Of course, that’s not the only form of worship, but it’s the best way for us to corporately declare God’s worth. That’s what it means to worship. The word worship comes From the old English word “worthship”. It means to ascribe worth to someone. When we worship God, we ascribe and declare His worthiness because of who He is and what He has done. God’s worthiness to be worshiped has not changed just because your circumstance has. Does this make you look at the songs we sing differently? We are not singing because it’s fun and we enjoy it, or just because it’s a good way to kick off the service. As we approach God, we sing in order to enter His gates with thanksgiving and declare His worthiness. Have you thought it wasn’t important to be in here when we start the service because it’s just the music time? I’d like for you to think about this. The music time is when we ascribe “worthishp” to God. It is for Him. Scripture says “He inhabits the praise of His people.” The second part where I teach is for you. Are you only interested in what’s in it for you? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” What’s God’s will for you? It’s for you to always be rejoicing, to never stop talking to Him and for you to give Him thanks in everything. In every difficult chemo treatment, in every unemployment line , in every argument with your kids, in every time your money runs out before your month does...He wants you to learn to rejoice, pray and be thankful in the middle every situation.
Now let’s look at what we should do after God has done something for us that we have requested. We must always remember to thank Him for what He has done. When Laura and I were first married, I wasn’t very good at this concept. I’m not great at it now, but I’m certainly better than I used to be. Here is how I learned. I would ask Laura for something and of course she, being the wonderful wife that she is, would get it for me. Then she would just stand there and wait. If I didn’t say anything, she would say...you’re welcome. That happened a lot till I learned to say thank you. Luke 17:11-19 “11 While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.” Even after saving the lives of these ten lepers, only one of them was grateful enough to come back to Jesus and say thank you. One out of ten is a very low percentage. Did it make you a little angry when I read that only one of the ten was grateful? Were you bothered by their lack of gratitude for what Jesus had given them? Surely a higher percentage of them should have come back, right?
Are you bothered by God only asking for one out of every ten dollars? Tithe just means tenth. Surely, if we are grateful for what God has given us, we should bring at the very least a tenth...one out of every ten. Now, did you notice which one of the lepers came back to Jesus? It was a Samaritan. It seems that Jesus has a special connection with those Samaritans who are outside on the fringe of the Jewish society He grew up in. We don’t know why only one of them returned to say thank you, but we know that he did it with a loud voice. Maybe he was one of those people who feel the need to truly express how they feel about what God has done for them. Maybe he didn’t care if anyone else would go with him. Maybe he wasn’t worried about what the others would think of him if he showed his gratitude. Maybe we should follow his example. How often do we whisper a thank you to God with a golf clap and a slight smile? Is that all He means to us? Do we not have as much reason as those ten lepers did to shout our thank you to God for His great mercy and forgiveness. For saving our lives? Have you lived your life as a believer like the nine who didn’t return? Or will you be the one who is willing to go back and say thank you? Are you willing to thank Him before your situation? Are you willing to thank Him in the middle of your situation? Are you willing to thank Him after your situation? As citizens of the kingdom, we are called to worship out of our gratitude.
Hebrews 12 :28 “28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” So, now we have to ask the question: What is acceptable worship? Worship is a lifestyle of gratitude to God for allowing us into His kingdom. And gratitude flows from a right understanding of who we are, who He is and why He is worthy to be worshiped. Every time you tell someone about how God has been so good to you...you are worshipping out of gratitude. Especially when your situation would suggest that you could be upset at God for what you are going through. When you can show gratitude to God for allowing you to be a part of His kingdom, regardless of your situation, that is a heart of worship. The easiest way to witness to people about Jesus is just to tell them what He has done in your life. You don’t have to be a bible scholar to do that. Even someone who has literally just accepted Jesus as the Messiah can do that. Isn’t that what the Samaritan woman in John chapter four did. Jesus was talking to her at a well and revealed that He knew all about the sins of her past and that He was the Messiah who could give her living water. Once she recognized who Jesus was, she went back into town and told everyone to “Come see a man who told me everything I ever did.” All she did was tell everybody what happened to her when she met Jesus. The bible says that all the men of the town followed her back to the well to meet Jesus. And look what happened. John 4:39-42 “39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked
him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” Never under estimate the power of your story. God can use what you’ve gone through to reach others, so always be ready to share what God has done in your life. It’s a form of worship. When Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah to that woman at the well, He talked about how to worship The Father. John 4:23-24 “23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Worship is not just a physical act like it was in the old testament when the Israelites brought sacrifices, or when we serve our family at church. Worship requires our spirit to be engaged with the Holy Spirit. The motive of our heart is always the key thing to have right when you engage in an act of worship. True worship is offered to God when we serve, when we sing, when we give and when we tell others of God’s goodness with a right motive, which is simply doing everything we can to align our heart and spirit with God’s. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart are we able to tell others of God’s goodness, when we ourselves are going through a tough time. Can you imagine what a “worship” service would look like if we all showed up to church and our only motivation was to align ourself to God’s heart? If we truly showed up to worship as God calls us to, what would happen?
Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” What does it mean to “Present your body as a living sacrifice?” Being a sacrifice isn’t something that is easy. Does it should like something that would be done out of convenience or just when you have extra time? What does it cost to become a sacrifice? It costs everything. What you do with your physical body can be viewed by God as spiritual worship. But wether or not it is acceptable to God, depends on what your motivation is while you’re doing it. Your motivation should be gratitude.
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