“True worship is a valuing or a treasuring
of God above all things.”
~John Piper
This type of true worship will, no doubt, affect every area of our life. In today’s sermon we looked at John the Baptist (or John the Worshiper) as a worshiper of the True and Living God. Many times we equate worship with singing. And singing worship privately or corporately at church is an outward expression of worship. We’ve heard the saying or the old Etta James song “I worship the ground he walks on.” We’ve all heard the commandment in Exodus 20:3 (ERV): You must not worship any other gods except me. True worship is about the way we see God and how we respond to Him and John the Baptist was a great example of this. We should be asking ourselves, “Am I (fill in your name) the Worshiper?” Is my life reflecting the way I see God and how I am responding to Him?
Over the course of this week, we will look at John the Baptist through the Gospels of Matthew (Matthew 3:13-17) and John (John 1:19-36). We will look at his authentic faith and also consider where we are and how we can learn and grow, remembering John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth”.
Monday:
In looking at John the Baptist, we first see authentic worship in John’s humility.
Let’s look at Matthew 3:13-14 “Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14) But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” And then also, John 1:26-27 “John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27) Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.” In the culture of that time, the lowest servant was assigned foot-washing duty. John was saying I am not fit to even untie His sandals, much less wash His feet. John knew that he could only truly worship God if God was on the throne of his heart, not himself. According to the world's view, self is very important. We should “Look out for #1” But we do not belong to this world.
Reflection/Action:
Consider authentic worship and having a heart of humility as John the Baptist did. Where are you? Is Christ on the throne or do you find that maybe you’ve allowed yourself or even other people or things to sit there? Don’t feel shame, simply confess it to the Lord and ask Him to take His rightful place, and worship Him.
Tuesday:
Pastor Adam’s second point was that we see authentic worship in John’s understanding of who he is. The Sadducees and Pharisees were sent to ask John just who he thought he was. John was onto them and in John 1:20 we see “ He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.” He answered them very directly, yet they still asked even more specifically and he finally answered in the words of Isaiah (Is 40:3) in John 1:23 “John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’” John the Baptist sees his own identity as a piece of God’s story. If we grasp this message, if we see ourselves the way God does, it changes everything. You are part of God’s story. Hear that again: YOU are part of God’s story.
Reflection/Action:
Take a few minutes to think about what you think of yourself. How do you see yourself? Are you viewing yourself through the words of other people from your childhood, teenage years, relationships, co-workers, boss, friends, spouse, children? Are you viewing yourself through the lies of the enemy-the devil? YOU are part of God’s story. YOU have a purpose. YOU are not the Messiah, but YOU belong to Him and He loves YOU. Allow authentic worship to pour out of you as you understand who you are.
Wednesday:
Obedience. We see authentic worship in John’s obedience, his obedience to baptize Jesus. Let’s read Matthew 3:13-15 (NIV): ”Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14) But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” 15) But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.” Have you heard or said before “Partial obedience is disobedience.” As parents, when we ask our child to do something and then follow up and they only did part of what they said they would, that is disobedience. This concept certainly takes a lifetime to work on. Ultimately we know that John’s wholehearted obedience led to his death, but God is very clear in His Word, John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John showed authentic worship by his obedience.
Reflection/Action:
Do you find yourself partially obeying (disobeying) something you feel the Lord is asking of you? Let’s follow John’s example and trust God and then obey Him. He has our very best interest at heart. Let’s follow John’s example and obey. Ask God to forgive your disobedience and take the next right step. Let’s authentically worship God by our obedience.
Thursday:
Today let’s look at authentic worship as John did, in understanding who Jesus is and in seeing God for who He is. We read in John 1:29-30(NIV) “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30) He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ “ We cannot value something we don’t understand or know about. And how can we know and understand? By spending time in God’s Word and in prayer.
Reflection/Action:
Would you say you feel you know or understand the Lord? Why or why not? What steps can you take to know Him better? Taking time to pray and to read His Word or great steps to take. You don’t need fancy words to pray and you can simply read a verse or a chapter. The most important part is starting and then staying consistent. Once we have a better understanding, authentic worship will flow.
Friday:
The last point we will look at is that we can see authentic worship from John’s private and public acknowledgment of Christ. His private acknowledgment is seen through his worship and faith in Jesus. His public acknowledgment is seen through his testimony and even his foretelling of the Messiah coming. Let’s look at three verses where we see public acknowledgment. First, let’s look at John 1:29-30 (NIV) “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30) He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ “Then we read in John 1:32 “Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.” And then again in John 1:35-36 (NIV) “The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” As we have a personal relationship with Christ regularly, our lives will become an expression of authentic worship publicly in our testimony.
Reflection/Action:
Take time to consider both your private and public acknowledgment of God. Public is not about putting on a show, rather an overflow from our private walk with Christ. If you feel that you are not where you want to be, simply start today. Ask God to help you develop authentic worship. Worship that develops in your heart, between you and God, and then overflows and helps others to find and follow Jesus.
Saturday:
Reflection/Action
John the Baptist. John the Worshiper. There is so much to learn from his example. Take some time today to re-read the passages of Scripture from both Matthew and John. Pray. Take a walk outside, listen to the birds, notice the trees or the sky or the clouds. Listen to a worship song. Be humble. See yourself as God does. Be obedient. Grow in your understanding of Who Jesus is. And privately and publicly acknowledge Jesus. Authentic worship.