Beacon Hill Church

The very first question of the Shorter Westminster Catechism asks:

Question: What is the chief end of man?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

Worshipping God is the supreme purpose for which we were created.

· Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God “set eternity in the human heart”. Humans are born with a deep, inner longing to comprehend our eternal purpose and know our Creator. We yearn for something more, something greater than ourselves.

· But before we came to know God through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we fulfilled that hunger by worshiping unworthy objects and pursuits. Our idols took the form of money, people, careers, hobbies, passions, possessions, and anything that replaced God in our hearts.


The Bible teaches that God desires our worship and that he is the only one worthy of it:

Worship is part of our daily lives and fellowship with God.

Problem: It is not in our sinful nature to worship and glorify God

· God sent his son to bridge the barrier created by sin, to shed his blood on the cross that we might become vessels that bring honor and glory to God.

· The redemptive blood of Christ covers our sins and prepares our heart to give glory to God.

Today, God does not require sacrifice – but humility born out of a heart of repentance.

SECOND STEP IN PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR WORSHIP: EXAMINE OUR ATTITUDE

· How we walk through the doors on Sunday morning impacts our ability to enter into cooperate worship

· Our negative attitude spills over into our everyday life, preventing us from honoring God in our behavior and actions


In John, chapter 4, Jesus encountered a woman who hid behind a bad attitude to conceal a sin in her life:

Worship is not rooted in a specific ritual or form or even a place.

· The place of worship is irrelevant, because true worship must be in keeping with God’s nature which is spirit anchored in the truth of the revelation of his Son.

· The essence of worship is when your heart and soul, all that is within you adores and connects with the Spirit of God.


THIRD STEP IN PREPARING OUR HEARTS TO WORSHIP: AWARENESS OF GOD’S PRESENCE


The consciousness of God’s presence brings forth worship

An ordinary place was transformed into a holy place because of the awareness of God’s presence.


Review:

1. Did you come into the sanctuary of the Lord with “clean hands and a pure heart” born out of humility and repentance?

2. How was your attitude?

3. Were you conscious of God’s presence?