Personal Activity of Worship

Driving home: I'm convinced that perhaps there is no greater hindrance than a failure to understand that worship is a personal activity to which I must bring all of the powers of my redeemed being.

Martin compares worship to prayer, stating that if one has never felt prayer was work, they've never truly prayed, highlighting the effort required in spiritual disciplines.

the prerequisites to worship and we've looked at four of them now tonight this third aspect and what i am calling the personal activity of worship if by god's grace we have met the prerequisites and are qualified to worship what then is actually involved in worship and may i say by way of introduction that i'm convinced that perhaps there is no greater stumbling block to true worship outside of the moral demands of worship than this outside of the fact that we must be pure before we can adequately worship and so often our flesh just doesn't want to go through the agony of self-examination and ...

2:30 - 3:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using examples from Revelation, Martin demonstrates that biblical worship involves the entire being—physical actions, mental engagement, and vocal expression—not just passive…

He contrasts multitasking activities like knitting while talking or driving with worship, arguing that true worship demands total involvement, unlike casual activities.

delightful experience to which we are not very much conscious of bringing all of our faculties but more often than not if worship is to be true worship there must be a conscious bringing to that activity all of our redeemed powers now i say this because all of those descriptions of worship and we looked at a number of them last week in the old and new testament and i keep coming back to those in the book of the revelation because that's worship that it's purest and i want you to look at one or two so you'll realize i'm not just talking off the top of my head it's obvious that whatever creature...

3:54 - 5:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Worship involves the will, the 'chooser' that sets direction. Martin uses Psalms 5, 132, and 108 to show how the psalmist consciously determines to worship God, even stirring his…

The will is likened to the sails of a boat, which determine direction but do not provide power, illustrating that the will chooses the direction of worship, empowered by God.

That's the thing which sets the sails of the light in a given direction. Now, the will has a purpose. The will has no power to move the boat any more than the sails have a power or the rudder has any power to propel the boat. It determines direction.

7:55 - 8:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to corporate worship with the consciousness that your heart is fixed to worship God because He commands it, regardless of feelings or circumstances.

Martin uses the example of prayer as a duty, arguing that if one only prays when they feel like it, their prayer life would be shoddy, just as worship should not be dependent on feelings.

It is. Now, ideally speaking, should you always feel like praying? Wonderful. But if you only pray when you feel like it, I wouldn't want to exchange your prayer life for mine, as shoddy as mine is.

14:39 - 14:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to corporate worship with the consciousness that your heart is fixed to worship God because He commands it, regardless of feelings or circumstances.

He uses the command to love enemies to illustrate that duty, even when feelings are absent, drives one to God for the grace to obey, applying this to worship.

Now, you ought to love your enemies. Now, it's wonderful when you feel like loving. But what about the times when you don't? What do you do?

15:07 - 15:18 Read in full sermon

The point: When faced with the imperative command to worship and your own inability, let that drive you to God for the grace you need to worship.

The sinner's realization that they must repent but cannot on their own, driving them to Christ for grace, is used to illustrate how the sense of duty in worship should drive believers to God for enablement.

And then as you think of the imperative nature of the command and the inability of your own heart, that's the very thing that will drive you to God for the grace that you need. Just like a sinner. You say to the sinner, you must repent. Once he begins to say, God says, unless I repent, I'll perish, I must repent.

16:30 - 16:50 Read in full sermon

The point: When faced with the imperative command to worship and your own inability, let that drive you to God for the grace you need to worship.

Martin recounts Sheila Tate's testimony of realizing she had to repent but couldn't, which drove her to seek the Lord for grace, reinforcing the principle of duty leading to dependence on God.

I shall never forget the testimony of Sheila Tate when she was interviewed by the elders when she applied for baptism. And I'll never forget some of the things she said. And one of them was this. As she was sharing her testimony, how as a proud, self-righteous Anglican she came to the church there in Caldwell, determined that whatever she heard or learned, she was never, never going to question her proper Anglican upbringing.

17:03 - 17:27 Read in full sermon

The point: When choosing hymns for worship, prioritize those that primarily center upon the being and works of God, rather than personal experience or feelings.

He critiques modern hymns that are 'I-centered' and sentimental, contrasting them with hymns that focus on the being and works of God, to illustrate the mind's proper focus in worship.

All of these things, we must call them to remembrance, deliberately, consciously, actively. Now let's consider several practical implications of this principle as it relates to worship. The first one applies to the singing of hymns. You see, most of us were reared in a context, and I say us, not editorially, but I mean me, in which we were taught to think of the value of a hymn in terms of how it made us.

24:53 - 25:23 Read in full sermon

The point: As others pray in public worship, seek to make their mouth your mouth and their mind your mind, actively following and saying 'amen' in your heart, and even with your lips.

Martin describes his personal effort in selecting hymns, sometimes spending 10-15 minutes to find a suitable tune for a new hymn, to show the deliberate thought and care involved in facilitating worship.

And if we understand that, I think it will help us to apply ourselves. If you could see me sitting at my desk sometimes, actually spending, I've spent as long as 10 or 15 minutes sometimes, trying to find a tune we know to a new hymn in order that it might aid us in our worship, scouring down through the metrical index. Sometimes I've gone through 25, 30 different tunes. Now, why am I doing that?

28:57 - 29:26 Read in full sermon

The point: As others pray in public worship, seek to make their mouth your mouth and their mind your mind, actively following and saying 'amen' in your heart, and even with your lips.

He shares his observation of English prayer meetings where people immediately say 'amen' after a prayer, illustrating a congregation's active mental and spiritual engagement.

Now what's the significance of this? I believe the significance is here. And I mentioned this when I came back from England the last time and tried a little experiment and it went flat, but I'm game, I'll try again. I was tremendously impressed in the prayer meetings over there, and I'm sure my wife will have the same testimony when we return, the Lord willing.

31:13 - 31:32 Read in full sermon

The point: As the word of God is preached, let your mind be actively engaged, seeking to be led to God through the truth unfolded.

Martin recounts a story of a preacher being told, 'as you preach tonight, you brought God to me,' to highlight that the goal of preaching is to lead hearers to God, which requires active listening.

As we sing the hymns, think of the words. As one prays, follow with them. And then as the word of God is preached, let the mind be led to God. I shall never forget the words of a dear servant of God who at the conclusion of a service came to a preacher and he said this to him.

32:31 - 32:51 Read in full sermon

The point: If you feel a constriction of spirit preventing you from expressing 'amen' when your heart is bursting, do not quench the Spirit; let it spill out.

He contrasts a discerning 'amen' with a superficial, noisy 'amen' in Pentecostal services, to distinguish between genuine spiritual expression and mere noise.

And I might say at this juncture, that's where I feel some amens in the Holy Spirit might not be out of place either. If I felt that the reason we are so formally silent in our own assembly is that there was something spiritual in silence, I would encourage more silence. If I felt that there was something spiritual and just a lot of noise and everybody saying amen, then I'd do like the Pentecostals do, though I don't think you people would buy it, but I've been in their service. Everybody here love the Lord?

34:10 - 34:45 Read in full sermon

The point: If you feel a constriction of spirit preventing you from expressing 'amen' when your heart is bursting, do not quench the Spirit; let it spill out.

A timely, Spirit-led 'amen' is compared to a jet's afterburner, illustrating how it can intensify the spiritual atmosphere of worship.

And if an amen just gets up so close to here that it's just going to spill out, well you just let it spill out. You just let it spill out. I remember one or two instances where someone has uttered an amen at the right time in the Holy Spirit, and the only way I know to describe it is like when someone kicks in the afterburner on a jet airplane. When someone is ministering in the spirit and people seem to be listening in the spirit and there's an amen in the spirit, why you just feel maybe a little bit more and you'll get transfigured.

35:08 - 35:42 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Worship also involves the body, as seen in physical postures and the use of the voice. Martin argues that loud, full-voiced praise is a natural expression of wholehearted…

The enthusiastic, loud response of political followers to their hero is used to illustrate that volume is a natural way people show wholehearted involvement and enthusiasm, applying this to worship.

If you don't believe it, turn on WABC and listen to the kind of music that comes over that and you'll know that there's no virtue in volume. Some of that crazy music is just plain loud and raucous. But the volume of a man's voice, of a woman's voice, of a child's voice is one of the natural ways that he shows wholehearted involvement in something. If you're at a political rally and the political hero who's been long awaited finally comes out into the stage and the spotlights are there, what does he think?

38:13 - 38:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Offer God full-voiced, wholehearted praise that costs you something physically, rather than weak-mouthed, low-volume praise.

He quotes the hymn 'Oh, for a thousand tongues' to challenge those who don't use the one voice God gave them, emphasizing the importance of using one's physical faculties fully in praise.

That's what the hymn writer said. Oh, for what? A thousand tongues. Well, if you don't have a thousand, the proof you'd use them rightly is you use the one God's given you.

39:30 - 39:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Offer God full-voiced, wholehearted praise that costs you something physically, rather than weak-mouthed, low-volume praise.

He uses the analogy of decibels to measure sound, explaining that whether one can produce five-tenths or 500 decibels, wholehearted worship will involve using all the volume one can.

Now there may be some dear little old woman that at best she can only get out five-tenths of a decibel of sound, but she's going to squeeze out all five-tenths she can if she's really for it. And there may be some fellow over here with a 50-inch chest that can get out 500 decibels. He's going to be content with nothing less than 500. Decibels is how you measure sound, just like pounds is how you measure weight.

41:39 - 42:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful about how you spend your time and energy on Saturday, ensuring you are not physically worn out for Sunday morning worship.

Martin compares a cold heart to ice cubes, explaining that even when cold, actively praising God with full voice can melt the heart and bring refreshment.

I have found at times when my heart's been as cold as the ice cubes that you put in your iced tea before you came tonight, that as I've just in cold blood opened my mouth and begun to praise God until it cost me something, a little soreness in the throat or more often a little soreness in the diaphragm and the tummy muscles, God is pleased with the act of obedience and my own heart is melted and thawed as I draw nigh with full-voiced, full-hearted praise. Now I hope you see the implications of this. This means if you're not careful about what you do all day, Saturday and how you get to bed Sat...

42:56 - 43:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful about how you spend your time and energy on Saturday, ensuring you are not physically worn out for Sunday morning worship.

He humorously suggests a 'candid camera' to observe the congregation's weariness during Sunday morning worship, highlighting the problem of physical dissipation hindering worship.

If you could stand where I stand some Sunday mornings and look out, you're just plain so, seem to be so worn out emotionally, you just can't raise yourself to praise. Now I don't mean to be unkind, but I've got to be truthful. And maybe it would help to just ask you to switch places with me, one by one, maybe go down the list alphabetically and have you maybe stand behind those curtains when we get back in the school and just take a little peek out there, one each Sunday morning. Or maybe have the candid camera come and do a little bit of work for us.

43:56 - 44:35 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses the problem of physical and emotional weariness hindering worship, urging believers to prepare themselves and to actively engage their bodies in praise, even when…

He notes the mystery that prayer costs something but leaves one refreshed, applying this to worship, where initial effort leads to refreshment.

And I am convinced that there are scriptural principles involved in this matter of the physical activity of worship. It costs you something physically to worship. Now, thank God, there's refreshing that comes. It's that mystery.

45:23 - 45:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Actively resist the indisposition of the flesh to worship by expending spiritual energy, stirring your soul to duty.

He quotes 'Awake my soul and with the sun' to encourage believers to actively stir their souls and expend spiritual energy to overcome sloth and indisposition to worship.

And I've got to recognize the principle we dealt with in terms of meditation, that the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. And if we're to worship aright, we need to sing and say to ourselves very often the words of hymn number 331, Awake my soul and with the sun thy daily stage of duty run. Shake off dull sloth. And joyful rise to pay the morning sacrifice.

46:18 - 46:51 Read in full sermon