Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Definition inspire: “ fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.”
If you don’t say, “I’m glad I went to church today” when you leave, it wasn’t inspiring.
What kinds of things have made you feel inspired in life?
Can you think of a time when you were inspired?
What was it?
1.
We must aspire to have inspiring worship Joshua 24:14-15
A. Inspiring worship isn’t natural but supernatural.
The word “inspired” tells us that this feeling is something that has to come “in” to us from the outside.
We are impressed with or exposed to something external that changes the way we think in a positive way.
Inspiration isn’t something that happens as a part of our regular day.
We all have our “to do” lists, right?
How many of you have “get inspired” on them?
You might have it if you have a special project but it isn’t something we look for, expect, plan on or even seek every day.
There are times when we choose to be inspired, say if you need to paint or decorate something and want idea.
This is exactly my point, inspiration isn’t natural in any part of our lives.
The same is true of inspiring worship.
Joshua said it best to the nation when he took over as leader.
We have to choose.
B. Inspiring worship involves participation without obligation.
Isaiah 1:11-17
Many people go to church and suffer through boring services and think that is part of their call.
Just going to church isn’t worship.
Just giving money to church isn’t worship.
Just taking the Lord’s supper isn’t worship.
Just helping out in some area of the church isn’t worship.
And when we do any of those things out of obligation, it certainly isn’t inspiring.
God condemned those who did things out of obligation and not from their hearts.
We don’t offer sacrifices today so let’s change a few words.
Your church attendance, what is that to me?
I have enough people going to church.
I have no pleasure in people coming to church just because they think I want that.
Look around, I’ve got millions of people in church all over the world today.
Don’t sing songs and pretend they mean something to you! Don’t lift your heads or bow your eyes.
Don’t stand or kneel.
None of that is what matters.
What is your view of heaven?
Is it a canning factory?
Do you think when you get to heaven God is going to give you a pair of white overalls and put you on an assembly line to can anchovies?
Some of us think when we get to heaven we are going to be incorporated into a work detail for all eternity.
Or is your view of heaven a party, a family reunion, a festival?
That is closer to what is going to be true.
When you go to a party, do you take a gift?
Why?
Is it out of obligation or do you want to bless the host?
Too often we do it out of obligation.
Do you come to church to worship God out of a sense of obligation, that is what you’re supposed to do?
This sense of obligation is sometimes focused on God but sometimes on the pastor or other people in church.
Worship is not about doing God or your pastor or anyone else a favor.
Some feel like enduring a boring worship service is the goal!
[Image of cart with square wheels] People with an obligation attitude toward worship don’t see any humor in this illustration.
This is their calling!
C. Inspiring worship has different forms but it isn’t a formula. 1 Samuel 15:22
There are many who think there is a formula for worship.
Saul viewed giving a sacrifice to God as part of a formula to get God’s blessing.
Saul was going to lead his troops into battle and Samuel hadn’t arrived yet to make a sacrifice to God.
He wasn’t supposed to do that, only a priest was to do that.
But Saul thought he needed to do it so he did.
Here’s what Samuel told him:
We do make sacrifices today, but there are things people feel like they need to do to please God.
When it comes to church people focus on and emphasize a style.
What are the different styles of worship in churches?
Seeker focused or not.
Formal or free flowing
Liturgical or not
Traditional or contemporary
Christian symbolism or secular, business-like atmosphere
There are people in all those contexts who experience inspiring worship and those who don’t.
There is no right or wrong style.
Since this is true, it’s good that there are churches in all these different styles.
Inspiring worship isn’t a style.
There is no formula that pleases God.
He wants our hearts obedience not external rituals.
D. Inspiring worship is personal but it isn’t about “me.” Luke 18:9-14
It is very common today for people to have a “me” focus when it comes to worship.
The difference between feeling inspired and “the church meeting my needs.”
Some people who used to go to church but don’t now say “I just couldn’t find a church to meet my needs.”
or “I had a need and the church didn’t meet it.”
This reminds me of the Pharisee and the tax-collector.
You may think this is harsh to compare a person who emphasizes his needs to the pharisee.
Okay, let’s not do that.
Instead, let’s compare him to the tax collector.
Does a person who says, “I don’t go to that church because it doesn’t meet my needs” sound like, “God have mercy on me as sinner.”?
Summary: We have to aspire to have inspiring worship.
All of this means that to have inspiring worship we have to work on it, to be intentional.
That’s true of me and the worship team, the support teams that serve behind the scenes and work sound, make coffee, prepare communion, greet, serve in children’s ministry, greet or watch out for our safety.
Another aspect of inspiring worship is that you have to admire something.
2. We must admire God to experience inspiring worship.
It isn’t unusual to be impressed by someone’s talent or skill.
We listen to people on TV sing and are at times blown away with how good they are.
We watch people do dangerous tasks, like rock climbing and are on the one hand terrified for them but on the other hand inspired.
We admire their skill an it inspires us.
It’s like the guy who watched a TV show about a man who overcame a great physical challenge.
After the show his wife asked him, “Are you inspired to do something now?”
He said “Yes, I’m really inspired to watch another show like that!”
Inspiring worship is about admiring God.
We admire Him for who He is and for what He does.
Sometimes He gives us a glimpse of Himself through reading the Bible.
Sometime it is through what we experience.
Let’s take a minute and see if we can all come up with some thing you admire about God.
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