Unhindered Worship
Part 5 of the "GOAT” message series
The BIG Idea
We all worship something, but only Jesus is the One worthy of such worship. What or who we choose to worship affects how we live.
36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner!”
40 And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other, fifty.42 When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 17:36-50 (NASB)
It is in our brokenness that we are able to completely surrender our lives to Christ.
“The Gospel is always more compelling to people who know their own inadequacy. The highly competent, confident, and successful have a harder time with the concept of salvation by sheer, unadulterated, totally unmerited grace.” – Tim Keller
Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you.” - Matthew 21:31 (NASB)
If we can’t recognize our need, we can’t recognize our Savior.
“Here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough and you will never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. If you worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings.” – David Foster Wallace (Author)
We all worship something. The question is “What will you choose to worship?”
Worship is a heart attitude that is pointed toward Jesus in all things.
Jesus is “God in the Flesh.”
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6 (NASB)
The purpose of the Gospels is to reveal who Jesus Christ is.
Followers of Jesus choose to worship Jesus because He is . . .
Since Jesus Christ is the one true King, all of us should live in that reality.
◦ Jesus is recognized as King.
◦ His will is obeyed.
◦ Obedient subjects reap the benefit of His reign.
As those choosing to follow Jesus, our default should be no longer worshiping the false gods we are drawn to, but unabashedly putting our trust and hope in the only One who brings abundant life.
Every person should consider if Jesus is King of his or her life.
If we make a choice to honor Jesus as King, we become His subjects.
◦ Bow before Jesus as King.
◦ Make a commitment to live subservient to His rule.
◦ Experience the benefits of life under His reign.
Questions for Reflection
Do you ever struggle with doubt like John the Baptist did? What helps you overcome these doubts?
Would you have been embarrassed for the woman or uncomfortable at her display of love toward Jesus if you had been at Simon’s birthday party? Why or why not?
When you think of worship, what do you think of? How is that different than what the Bible shows us or what David Foster Wallace talked about?
What things do you find yourself worshiping, other than God? What draws you to them?
How do the things you worship affect the way you live – or do they? How can you shift your focus to be more mindful of worshiping God instead of the false gods of this world?
We all worship something, but only Jesus is the One worthy of such worship. What or who we choose to worship affects how we live.
36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner!”
40 And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other, fifty.42 When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 17:36-50 (NASB)
It is in our brokenness that we are able to completely surrender our lives to Christ.
“The Gospel is always more compelling to people who know their own inadequacy. The highly competent, confident, and successful have a harder time with the concept of salvation by sheer, unadulterated, totally unmerited grace.” – Tim Keller
Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you.” - Matthew 21:31 (NASB)
If we can’t recognize our need, we can’t recognize our Savior.
“Here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough and you will never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. If you worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings.” – David Foster Wallace (Author)
We all worship something. The question is “What will you choose to worship?”
Worship is a heart attitude that is pointed toward Jesus in all things.
Jesus is “God in the Flesh.”
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6 (NASB)
The purpose of the Gospels is to reveal who Jesus Christ is.
Followers of Jesus choose to worship Jesus because He is . . .
- The one true Messiah.
- The one true Living King.
- The One Who holds power over death.
Since Jesus Christ is the one true King, all of us should live in that reality.
◦ Jesus is recognized as King.
◦ His will is obeyed.
◦ Obedient subjects reap the benefit of His reign.
As those choosing to follow Jesus, our default should be no longer worshiping the false gods we are drawn to, but unabashedly putting our trust and hope in the only One who brings abundant life.
Every person should consider if Jesus is King of his or her life.
If we make a choice to honor Jesus as King, we become His subjects.
- We are subjects of the one true King when we . . .
◦ Bow before Jesus as King.
◦ Make a commitment to live subservient to His rule.
◦ Experience the benefits of life under His reign.
Questions for Reflection
Do you ever struggle with doubt like John the Baptist did? What helps you overcome these doubts?
Would you have been embarrassed for the woman or uncomfortable at her display of love toward Jesus if you had been at Simon’s birthday party? Why or why not?
When you think of worship, what do you think of? How is that different than what the Bible shows us or what David Foster Wallace talked about?
What things do you find yourself worshiping, other than God? What draws you to them?
How do the things you worship affect the way you live – or do they? How can you shift your focus to be more mindful of worshiping God instead of the false gods of this world?