WONDER AND WORSHIP

How Great Thou Art

By: Ian Opiniano

Wonder precedes worship. Our worship of God deepens as our wonder for Him grows.  In this sermon, we looked at the prophet Isaiah’s encounter with God that set the tone for his life of worship and obedience. We learn from his story that we can reclaim our wonder when we marvel at God’s greatness; it is when we lose our reverence for God that our wonder diminishes.  We also learned that as we behold His holiness, we must mourn over our sin, for it demonstrates a care for the things that offend the heart of God. Finally, our wonder returns when we muse upon the immeasurable grace that God bestows on us, ultimately demonstrated in the atonement of Christ on the Cross. When our wonder is revived we cannot help but rejoice in worship and exclaim “How Great Thou Art!”

Sanctuary

By: Ian Opiniano

Worship can often become a routine when we forget why we worship. In this sermon, we continued our series “Wonder and Worship” and looked to remind ourselves of the reason for our worship. First, we were reminded that worship is our purpose; God redeemed believers and made us the temple of His Holy Spirit from whom worship pours out. We also learned that worship is a privilege of the elect, for it is the honor of the saved to offer praise and thanksgiving to the One who saves. Finally, we learned that worship is our proclamation, declaring to a world in darkness the light of our good God. It is for these reasons that God has called us to worship Him and to be a sanctuary in which the lost can find His hope.

Heart of Worship

By: Ian Opiniano

God is looking for true worshipers, those who lift up sincere praise. Yet often times we can easily get caught up in physical aspects of worship: our preferences, the particulars and even the practice of worship. In this mini-sermon we looked at how to get back to the heart of worship; a heart that worships God in Spirit and in Truth. We saw how worshipping God in spirit requires that we align our very lives with the Spirit of God, and how worshiping in truth requires that we are found in the truth- the Gospel. Finally, we learned that unless we are in Christ, we cannot bring our offerings of praise to the Father. When the focus of worship is on us rather than God, it ceases to be veneration and becomes all about vanity. We are called to be producers of worship and not simply consumers of it!

The Little Drummer Boy

By: Ian Opiniano

Excellence is the measure by which we express our worship to God. We can often fall short of this measure when we impose unnecessary standards on ourselves and others. In this sermon, we continued our study into Biblical worship by examining David’s way of excellence in worship. We learned that excellence differs from extravagance; the first points others to God, while the latter points others to us. Secondly, excellence depends on the expectation that our worship is made acceptable only by the merit of Jesus Christ and not our own. Finally, we looked at how excellence displays the exclamation of our praise and gratitude to God; it is our demonstration of how much God means to us. Excellence in worship is achieved when we give our best to a God who has given us His best.

Welcome to the Family

By: Ian Opiniano

Secular influences and consumer Christianity has caused the desire for corporate worship to decline over the years. Gone are the days where all Christians felt the deep desire to join together with brothers and sisters in worship. Nonetheless, we are told by God’s Word not to neglect to assemble and to worship together. In this sermon, we looked at David’s perspective on congregational worship and learned why we need to worship with others. The first advantage to congregational worship is that we get to receive the Word of God together; the opportunity for teaching, correcting and affirming is made available in a community. Along with this, we get to remember the faithfulness of God together, for we have a tendency to forget His wondrous deeds. As we worship together, we have the opportunity to remind each other of the goodness of God. Finally, as we come together in worship, we are able to make requests together — praying for one another and bearing each other’s burdens in the process. Congregational worship is an important reminder that Christ did not save us into isolation, but to integrate us into His family. The invitation is open to all! Come, let us worship together!

Thank You

By: Ian Opiniano

The act of giving our tithes and offerings is essential to our worship to God. Yet false teachers often use this act of worship for personal profit. In this sermon, we looked at Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, and the reason for our giving in worship. First, we saw how giving conditions the heart of the giver. It allows an opportunity for the giver to think less of themselves and more on the needs of others. We also saw how giving comes from God for it is He that supplies our every need. We also recognized how giving confesses our gratitude to God, for it allows our blessings to overflow onto others. Finally, we learned how giving communicates the Gospel as the resources we surrender are utilized in reaching others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our great privilege to worship God in our giving. Let us, therefore, give to God willingly and with a cheerful heart the gift that He so rightly deserves!

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

By: Ian Opiniano

There are times when we can find ourselves struggling to worship. The root of this struggle can vary from unconfessed sin to unreconciled relationships; from distractions to disillusionment, and the list goes on. Regardless of the reasoning, we can sometimes find ourselves asking “how do we worship, when it’s hard to worship?” In this sermon we looked at Psalm 13 and what it takes to shift our heart’s focus so that we can be free to worship. First, we looked at the necessity of staying still; only when we stop from the busyness of life can we truly recall to mind the excellences of God.  Second, we are to hide in Him for often times our restlessness in worship is due to us seeking refuge in things other than God. Next, we learned that we are privileged to be able to inquire intimately of our concerns to a loving Father. Along with this, it is important to have faith as we worship; demonstrated by our gratitude to God for the things He has yet to do. Finally, although our circumstances may be presently difficult, we are called to trust God today. In times where it is difficult to worship, we are to shift our heart’s focus to Jesus for by doing so, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Doxology

By: Ian Opiniano

As we ended our series, we looked at the worship in the age to come by examining the book of Revelation and its relevancy to our worship today. Flashing forward in time, we saw how God conquered the kingdom of darkness. This is rejoicing for us today for it declares an end to the evils of the present age. We also saw how God has called both great and small to worship Him. This truth echoes throughout time and demonstrates God’s immeasurable grace towards us—sinners who have no merit of our own, yet still called to worship in His presence. Finally, we examined our greatest hope as believers—the coming of our Savior. This event is the culmination of our joy in Christ; the moment in which we will meet our Lord face to face and dwell with Him for all eternity.  With these truths in mind, let us join with all of creation in a joyful Hallelujah, declaring the excellences of our God in this age and the age to come.

Hallelujah– He has conquered! Hallelujah—He has called! Hallelujah—He is coming again!