Worship – The Greatest Joy

St Timothy Presbyterian Church

Scripture Passage

John 2:13-22

Worship Video

Worship Audio

Sermon Script

What We Worship

Jesus came to the temple and he was very sad. As a matter of fact, he was very angry.

You don't see this kind of Jesus a lot in the gospel. He even prayed for the forgiveness of those who wanted to kill him.

But this time he was very angry. That means it mattered a lot to him.

Worship wasn't there in the temple. They didn't worship God. They worshipped money.

He said,

He told those who were selling the doves, Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a market-place!' (John 2:16)

Selling the doves itself was not the problem.

At that time, a part of their worship was to give a sacrifice. And they used animals like lambs, goats, and doves.

Some people came from far away. So it was hard for them to carry the animals all the way to the temple to give a sacrifice. So they bought doves at the temple to give a sacrifice.

That itself was not the problem.

The problem was – they were more interested in selling the doves than worshipping God. They turned the temple into a market place.

God wasn't in their heart. Money was in their heart. That is the idolatry.

Jesus warned us about this idolatry.

No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24)

In the temple, this was happening. They cared about money more than God.

Worshipping Money

Money is important. Yes. We need money. It is essential for us to survive.

Money matters a lot to us. Money gives us stress. Money makes us worry. Money creates fear within us.

Because it is so important. Because without it, we cannot survive.

There are three important things in life:

1. Money.
2. Time.
3. Food.

These are important things but because they are so important that they can be also the greatest temptation for us.

So we have to know how to deal with them.

Jewish people had the wisdom to deal with these things. About money, they controlled it by giving a tithe. About time, they controlled it by keeping the sabbath holy. About food, they controlled it by having a dietary rule.

The greatest of these three temptations is money. That was why Jesus singled out the danger of worshipping money.

When money is more important than God, the worship loses its significance. Not only it becomes meaningless but also the worship becomes corrupted.

Worship becomes a tool to satisfy you. Worship becomes very self-centred. Worship becomes entertainment.

Your heart will not be ready to give a proper worship.

Complete Surrendering

What is worship?

Worship is not about what you do. Worship is about giving your heart to God.

We don't just give offering to God. We give ourselves as a living sacrifice. We become a sacrifice.

We don't just give a sacrifice. We become a sacrifice.

That was what St. Paul said,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)

Give your bodies as a living sacrifice

That is what spiritual worship is. But what does that mean?

It means complete surrendering. When we come to worship, we completely surrender ourselves to God.

Complete surrendering also means complete trust in God.

You let go of yourself. You let go of your worries. You let go of your fear. You let go of your greed.

You just let go of yourself. Complete surrendering.

Jesus taught us about letting go.

This is what Jesus said right after he talked about not being able to serve two masters: God and Mammon.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, What will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear? For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Matthew 6:25-32)

God will take care of us.

God will provide us with what we need. God will give us clothes. God will give us food. God will give us a place to live.

Let go of your worries. Let go and let God. Have a trust in God.

Jesus came to give us the abundance.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Abundance does not mean to have a lot of material. It doesn't mean to have abundant wealth.

It means the abundance of your heart. It means deep and total satisfaction.

That was what St. Paul experienced.

Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

When you completely surrender yourself in God, then you are ready to worship God.

In fact, that is what worship is. Complete Surrender. Worship is nothing other than completely surrender.

That worship will be acceptable to God. Pleasing to God.

Restoring Worship, Restoring Joy

Then you will be able to discern the will of God. Having a good worship and discerning the will of God are connected.

That's why St. Paul talked about discerning the will of God right after he talked about giving your body as a living sacrifice.

They are connected. True worship gives you a sense of abundance but it also sharpens you.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

My friends, God will take care of you. With thanksgiving, worship God with pure heart.

To John, this was so important.

That's why he put the story of cleansing the temple right in the beginning. All synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) put the story of cleansing the temple at the very end of their story.

According to the gospel John, cleansing the temple and turning water into wine – these two things were what Jesus did first in his public ministry.

It's all in chapter 2. Turning water into wine means restoring the joy. Cleansing the temple means restoring the worship.

They are connected: joy and worship. When the worship is restored in your life, joy will be restored.

So good worship gives you a sense of abundance, sharpens you to be able to discern the will of God, and fills you with joy.

You can live an abundant, joyful and happy life.

You will not live a life of enslavement in darkness. You will live a life of freedom.

The post Worship – The Greatest Joy appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.