September 2-3, 2006, Mark 12:30; Selected

GET IN THE GAME!
THE WAY OF THE WORSHIPER!

ANYTHING DONE TO GLORIFY GOD IS WORSHIP!

*** Psalm 29:2 "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." [New International Version]
*** Psalm 99:5 "Our Lord and our God, we praise you and kneel down to worship you, the God of holiness!" [Contemporary English Version]
*** Mark 12:28 "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" [NIV]
*** Mark 12:29-30 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." [NIV]

WORSHIP IS EXPRESSING LOVE FOR GOD!

WE WORSHIP GOD:

1. BY LOVING HIM THOUGHTFULLY!
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

"WITH ALL YOUR" literally "OUT OF THE WHOLE OF YOU"

A. BY WISELY CHOOSING OUR THOUGHTS!
*** 2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." [NIV]
*** Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." [NIV]

B. BY USING OUR INTELLIGENCE FOR HIM!
*** Proverbs 2:2-4 "Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure." [NLT]
*** Romans 11:33, 36 "What a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! [36] For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen."[NLT]

2. BY LOVING HIM PASSIONATELY!
*** Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." [NIV]
*** Psalm 86:12 "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." [NIV]
*** Hebrews 11:32-38 "I could go on and on, but I've run out of time. There are so many more - Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets.... Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies.... There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless - the world didn't deserve them! - making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world." [Message Bible]

3. BY LOVING HIM WILLINGLY!
*** Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul..."
*** Genesis 2:7 "...the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

WE CAN CHOOSE!

*** Deut. 11:1 "Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always." [NIV]
*** Deut. 11:22 "... love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him...." [NIV]
*** Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." [NIV]

4. BY LOVING HIM ACTIVELY!
*** Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." [NIV]

WORSHIP BY ACTION!

*** 1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions." [NLT]

HOW CAN YOU SHOW GOD YOU LOVE HIM?

- LIBERALITY! - 2 Cor. 8:2-5 "In a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God." [New American Standard Version]
- OBEYING! - John 14:15 "If you love me, obey my commandments." [NLT]
- VOLUNTEERING! - John 21:16 "Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." [NIV]
- EXPRESSING! - Psalm 111:1 "Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly." [NIV]

"But be very careful...: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." - Joshua 22:5 [NIV]