There has literally never been a time in my life when I wasn’t regularly attending worship services with the Lord’s people.\u00a0 Even when I was a little kid, even when my parents were members of a little congregation in New Jersey that was lucky if it broke 20 attendees on Sunday evening, even then, if the doors were open, we were there.\u00a0 For me, the pattern of regular attendance continued after I left home for good, 20-plus years later, and I suspect many here can say the same.<\/p>\n
However, a pattern of regular attendance at worship services is not the same thing as regularly worshiping.\u00a0 Jesus says in John 4 that true worshipers worship God in spirit and in truth, and it’s entirely possible for us to be speaking truth with our lips while our spirits are a thousand miles away.\u00a0 True worship, by contrast, involves all of our being, and it’s a process that requires effort.\u00a0 Why do that?\u00a0 Why invest ourselves that way?\u00a0 Why worship?<\/p>\n
There are many possible answers to that question, and I want to begin this morning by looking at the answers that have to do with God.\u00a0 First, we ought to worship because\u00a0IT’S WHY WE WERE CHOSEN.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Peter makes this point in I Peter 2:9.\u00a0 This is a verse that we’re familiar with for some uses.\u00a0 It tells us, for instance, that all Christians, rather than just a tiny subgroup of Christians, are part of God’s royal priesthood.\u00a0 It identifies us as God’s holy nation under the new covenant just as Israel was God’s holy nation under the old covenant.\u00a0 However, it also tells us the reason why God made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for His own possession.\u00a0 It is so that we can proclaim the excellencies of Him who did these things for us.<\/p>\n If we aren’t proclaiming those excellencies from the heart, this is not some kind of minor infraction.\u00a0 It’s a rejection of the purpose for which God saved us.\u00a0 It would be like if a local business owner bought ad space during some TV show, and he watched the show, and the ad never came on.\u00a0 The business owner calls the TV station, and they say, “Yeah; we didn’t feel like running your ad tonight.”\u00a0 The business owner is going to be livid!\u00a0 He’s going to demand his money back at the very least!\u00a0 They had a job to do, and they didn’t do it.<\/p>\n So too, we have a job to do.\u00a0 We have to praise and worship God.\u00a0 If we don’t, like the business owner, God is going to demand back what He paid for us, and none of us want that!<\/p>\n Second, we ought to worship God because\u00a0HE DESERVES IT.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>There are so many passages that make this point, but let’s look at Psalm 105:1-6.\u00a0 Of all of my memories as a Mizzou fan, probably my favorite is when Lauren and I went to watch the Tigers play Texas A&M in Columbia in 2013. Mizzou won the game and clinched the SEC East on a breakaway touchdown run by Henry Josey.\u00a0 I’m a pretty reserved guy, but when that happened, I screamed my lungs out along with everybody else in the jam-packed stadium.\u00a0 What had happened needed to be honored.<\/p>\n If that’s true for Henry Josey, who was last seen playing for the Toronto Argonauts, how much more true is it for God?\u00a0 God’s handiwork is everywhere, from the sun overhead to the air we breathe.\u00a0 He’s the reason why we breathe that air.\u00a0 I can spend 20 minutes roaming around the house hunting for some tool I need, but God knows literally everything.<\/p>\n What’s more, He is a good God.\u00a0 Every good thing that the most wretched, wicked human being on earth has, God gave to him, even though he was wretched and wicked.\u00a0 When we were dead in our wickedness, God gave us His Son to redeem us.\u00a0 Every day, He fills our lives with blessings that we don’t even notice and couldn’t count if we did.\u00a0 In return for all that He is and does, our heartfelt worship and thanksgiving really are the very least we can offer.\u00a0 Daring to come here on spiritual autopilot, or not even to come here at all, is the depth of ingratitude.<\/p>\n Third, we worship God because\u00a0IT PLEASES HIM.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Look at Psalm 69:30-31.\u00a0 This is a fascinating text.\u00a0 Even today, as all of you wholesale beef-buyers know, a whole cow isn’t cheap.\u00a0 3000 years ago, an ox was incredibly valuable.\u00a0 If people had one at all, they used it to plow their fields.\u00a0 Only the very wealthiest people could afford to offer an ox as a sacrifice.\u00a0 The parents of Jesus, by contrast, could manage a couple of birds.\u00a0 Sacrificing an ox was a big deal!<\/p>\n And yet, the psalmist says that what really pleases God is not the whole bull with horns and hoofs.\u00a0 It is the sacrifice of praise that even the humblest, poorest Israelite could offer. \u00a0It’s possible to drag your animal to the altar for any number of reasons, some good, and some not, but no one can offer a song of true thanksgiving except from the heart.\u00a0 People say sometimes that the Old Testament was about the outward show, but that’s not true.\u00a0 God has always wanted the heart, and so when we pour out our hearts in worship before Him, we can be certain that He is pleased with that.<\/p>\n To be honest, I don’t completely understand why this is so.\u00a0 When I go out in my backyard, I don’t particularly care if the grasshoppers out there are singing sweetly just for me.\u00a0 They’re beneath me.\u00a0 I’m indifferent to them.\u00a0 And yet, even though God is much farther away from us than we are from the grasshopper, He is not indifferent.\u00a0 He cares and cares deeply whether we praise Him.\u00a0 He loves us, so our worship matters to Him.\u00a0 That, friends, is an awe-inspiring thought!\u00a0 It is also a thought that should inspire us to worship.<\/p>\n However, worship isn’t something that we do merely for God’s sake.\u00a0 It’s also something He asks us to do for our own sakes.\u00a0\u00a0JESUS’ DISCUSSION OF PRAYER<\/strong>\u00a0gives us some insight into how this works.\u00a0 Look at Matthew 6:7-8.\u00a0 As Jesus points out here, prayer is not like asking our parents for a snack when we were kids.\u00a0 There, the point is obvious.\u00a0 They don’t know we’re hungry, so we let them know so they can do something about it.\u00a0 We’re imparting information.<\/p>\n With God, though, that way of thinking simply doesn’t make sense.\u00a0 God knows everything, so He already knows what we need and want even before we pray about it.\u00a0 We are not conveying any new information.\u00a0 Prayer, then, starts sounding less like us telling our parents we’re hungry and more like our kids telling us they’re hungry 30 seconds after the last time they told us.\u00a0 That’s hardly a form of communication that benefits any parent!<\/p>\n Jesus is implying, then, that we pray as much for us as for God, and it follows that the same thing is true of worship generally.\u00a0 From everything we know of God’s character, this makes sense.\u00a0 After all, if we worshiped entirely for His benefit, His receiving our worship would be a selfish act, and God never acts from selfishness.\u00a0 The same plan of salvation that reveals His glory reveals His love too.\u00a0 He loves our praises, but He loves them in part because we benefit from praising Him.<\/p>\n The first of these benefits is that worship\u00a0EMPHASIZES OUR LOWLINESS.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Consider Isaiah 40:21-24.\u00a0 This is something that most human beings don’t like to acknowledge.\u00a0 We would prefer to believe that we’re the center of the universe, but in reality, next to God, we’re no more important than a bunch of grasshoppers.\u00a0 The most famous people in existence, the greatest works of humankind, are no more permanent than a dried-up tumbleweed.<\/p>\n Worshiping God forces us to own this truth about ourselves, and once we own it, it should change our lives.\u00a0 If we are in fact the center of the universe, a bunch of conclusions follows from that.\u00a0 People who are the center of the universe get to do what they want, treat others however they want, and generally live a smug, selfish existence.\u00a0 This is why our country is headed the way it’s headed.\u00a0 It’s increasingly filled with people who think that life is all about them.<\/p>\n However, if God is at the center of the universe, all of those conclusions stand on their heads.\u00a0 We don’t get to do what we want anymore because God is more important than we are.\u00a0 Other people become important because He tells us that they’re important, and what He says goes.\u00a0 If we believe that God is most important, our lives will be about Him, not us.\u00a0 This is something that we need to get if we want to go to heaven, and the more we worship, the more we get it.<\/p>\n Second, worship\u00a0EXPRESSES OUR DEPENDENCE.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Look at Acts 17:24-25.\u00a0 The God of this text is quite a contrast to the gods of human invention.\u00a0 They depend on their worshipers to nourish and sustain them.\u00a0 That’s what idolatrous sacrifices are – they’re food for false gods.\u00a0 The God of heaven and earth, however, has no needs at all, much less any needs that we could possibly fill with our puny human abilities.\u00a0 Rather than taking, God gives, not only to the righteous but to the wicked.\u00a0 Every good thing that everyone has comes from Him.\u00a0 Not one of us would continue to live for a single moment without the blessing of God.<\/p>\n This too is a world-changing realization.\u00a0 In addition to selfishness, one of the great thought diseases of our culture is self-reliance.\u00a0 The American ideal is the self-made man who pulls himself up by his bootstraps and makes himself into a success by sheer grit and hard work.\u00a0 Usually, people who feel that this ideal applies to them look upon those who have less with contempt because the only reason everybody isn’t rich is a moral failure and lack of willingness to apply themselves.<\/p>\n In reality, though, there is no such thing as a self-made man.\u00a0 Most of us have benefited from parents, friends, and fellow Christians who have selflessly helped us on our way.\u00a0 Even if that isn’t true, every single one of us has benefited immeasurably from the grace of God.<\/p>\n As a result, we have no reason to be prideful about our accomplishments, to trust in our abilities to control the future or to look down on others.\u00a0 Instead, we go through life humbly grateful for what we have been given, trusting in God to continue to provide.\u00a0 When we worship, we acknowledge this dependence, and the realization helps us to live godlier lives.<\/p>\n Finally, worship\u00a0RENEWS OUR HOPE.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Here, let’s examine the thought process Paul goes through in Philippians 1:3-6.\u00a0 He begins by thanking God for all He has done for the brethren in Philippi.\u00a0 He rejoices in what they are doing now.\u00a0 Last, he considers the future with confidence, not because the Philippians themselves are so wonderful, but because God is, and Paul is sure that the God who has begun so well with them will bring that great work to completion too.<\/p>\n Really, this concept follows logically from the preceding two.\u00a0 When it comes to anything important, every one of us is completely at God’s mercy.\u00a0 However, that’s not a terrible place to be.\u00a0 God has both the power to do what is best for us and the love to be determined to do it.\u00a0 When we acknowledge these things about Him in our worship, it leads us to the logical conclusion that a God who is so great is surely going to have our future under control too.<\/p>\n Christians, then, should be hopeful people simply because they worship.\u00a0 It’s a terrible thing to see someone who is outside of Christ lose hope.\u00a0 They anticipate nothing in the future but misery and death, and the realization crushes them.\u00a0 Worship, though, teaches us to anticipate the opposite.\u00a0 God doesn’t work on our timetable.\u00a0 He doesn’t always give us everything we ask for.\u00a0 However, we can rely on Him to bless us, both in this life and in the life to come.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Matthew W. Bassford via\u00a0His Excellent Word There has literally never been a time in my life when I wasn’t regularly attending worship services with the Lord’s people.\u00a0 Even when I was a little kid, even when my parents were members of a little congregation in New Jersey that was lucky if it broke 20…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-50735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":89868,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-problem-with-an-attendance-problem\/","url_meta":{"origin":50735,"position":0},"title":"The Problem with an \u201cAttendance Problem\u201d","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Joey Sparks Worship attendance can be a sensitive issue for Christians. Some are satisfied with coming only on Sunday mornings. Or Sunday evenings. Or for long enough to take the Lord's Supper. Some are content with worshiping only on holidays. Some are only at the local assembly when facing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34310,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-group-split-off-from-a-church-to-worship-in-the-same-location-at-a-different-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":50735,"position":1},"title":"Can a group split off from a church to worship in the same location at a different time?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently a portion of our congregation (approximately 30 out of 110-120) started meeting at a separate time from the normal time but in the same building. On Sunday we meet in the morning for Bible classes and worship and then in the evening again for another period of worship.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53134,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-aid-be-given-to-a-member-who-doesnt-attend-worship-often\/","url_meta":{"origin":50735,"position":2},"title":"Should aid be given to a member who doesn’t attend worship often?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, Would it be scriptural to refuse a widow benevolence because of very poor attendance at the worship services? Answer: Are you talking about benevolence by individuals? Then it would be up to the individual to decide. Individuals are to do good to all people (Galatians 6:9-10). Are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9684,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-there-are-no-sound-churches-in-my-area-should-i-worship-with-a-liberal-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":50735,"position":3},"title":"If there are no sound churches in my area, should I worship with a liberal one?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am disabled and would like to attend an anti-church but there are none nearby and I was wondering if it would be okay to take communion at a liberal church instead of missing communion with the Lord? Answer: All Christians are required to partake of the communion and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14864,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-go-where-i-cant-worship-for-several-months\/","url_meta":{"origin":50735,"position":4},"title":"Should I go where I can’t worship for several months?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello! I was curious about your thoughts regarding worship while traveling abroad. I was accepted to study abroad in Valencia, Spain, for one semester (four months). But I can't find a congregation near Valencia. The one I contacted in the city only has services in Tagalog and the nearest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8647,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-i-am-just-not-able-to-get-out-can-i-worship-at-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":50735,"position":5},"title":"If I am just not able to get out, can I worship at home?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a very serious question. In some of your answers to others, you have pointed out that to have a worship service alone on Sunday at home is not really what is acceptable, except for when we choose to worship God by ourselves at other times during the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50735\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}For Our Sakes<\/h2>\n