Emptying Self and Worship

Introduction

The concept of worship is both understood and debated. We understand the concept but at times debate how the concept is to be carried out. As we continue to think about our vision, worship becomes important. For it is in our worship that we realign our thoughts with God’s thoughts. We want to more closely align our view of this world with God’s view. Our assembly will be divided into three parts. The first part will acknowledge that we are creatures created by God who is Creator and as Creator he deserves our worship. The second part will recognize that we are powerless. While we try to demonstrate control, the truth is that the most important part of our being — the spiritual — we are powerless to save ourselves. The third part will focus on God acting on our behalf to bring salvation. The Powerful One acts for the sake of the powerless.

Worship the Creator

I don’t think any of us would disagree that our world is confused about a lot of things. Even as believers we get confused. The text tells us that since the creation of the world God has revealed his power and divine nature, but as has happened over and over again, each generation turns from these truths. Every generation presumes themselves to be wise. In that wisdom, worship has turned to anything and everything except the Creator.

The astrologer and followers of horoscopes worship the stars which the Creator made. The greed of our financial markets reveals the worship of the bottom line rather the Creator who values people. The politician worships a philosophy rather than the Creator who brings thought into existence. The abortionist worships choice rather than the Creator who gives life. The sexually immoral worships pleasure rather than the Creator who creates sex to honor him. The shape and form of the false god has changed but each generation has exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped those things which were created for us rather than worshiping the Creator.

We are here today because through faith we have turned our attention back to the Creator. We sinned. Even now we struggle to hold on to faith rather than worship the created things. Our sight is limited. One of the great temptations we have is what Paul writes about in 1:18 — we suppress the truth by our own wickedness. We minimize God as Creator.

We discuss philosophies without point to the originator of thought. We look into the heavens and fail to praise. We exalt self and our wants rather than exalting the Creator. We minimize our wickedness rather than acknowledging the truth — we are sinners and our hearts are easily divided. God is Creator. Let’s align our minds and thoughts once more with recognizing that we are the created one and only God is worthy of worship.

Worship the Powerful One

Powerless. That is how Paul describes us. Powerless. We do not see ourselves in this way. But there are times that we are reminded just how powerless we are. Sitting beside the bed of a loved one as doctors have just announced there is nothing else to do. Getting the pink slip in your paycheck and wondering where the next paycheck will come from. Having your children miles away and knowing that you cannot get to them or help them. Such experiences make us aware of how powerless we are and in those moments there are two truths which come to us. First, we don’t like this feeling. Second, we cry out for someone to do something.

And God heard our cry for escape and release and he acted. As Paul writes our powerlessness was because of our ungodliness. Ignoring God as Creator we acted in ungodly ways. In this ungodliness we thought we had things figured out. We acted in ways that reflected our selfishness; doing only those things which validated our cares and concerns. We thought only about ourselves and what we wanted. We did not seek God’s will nor his direction. And in time we became painfully aware of powerlessness. So many acting selfishly left us alone, isolated, disconnected, broken, and in time no one heard our voice above their own.

Except God who heard our cries and acted. But he didn’t wait until we became more godly. It was while we were at the height of our ungodliness; even while we were not yet even aware of our powerlessness that God acted. While we were still sinning, Christ died for us. Powerless to do anything about our sin, God with great power acted on our behalf. And he did this while we were continuing to turn away from him. He did in his power what we needed before we knew we needed it. And he did this while we ignored and disobeyed him. He did this while we acted in pride believing that we knew what we needed. We are powerless. But God gives us his power through Jesus. Let us worship the Powerful One.

Worship the God of Salvation

Notice verse 10. Our reconciliation took place with the death of Jesus on the cross. It was there that God’s wrath and man’s sin gave way to God’s mercy and man’s acceptance. The great reconciler did his work and heaven and earth were no longer at odds. But the reconciliation was not complete until life would come again to the lifeless body of Jesus. Reconciliation took place at his death, salvation is possible because of the resurrection. Paul isn’t proposing that this salvation is extended when one does not want it. Rather that God expressed his power while we were still at war with him. The assurance is that those who accept this offer of reconciliation will be saved through the resurrection. This resurrection expresses the intent of God to bring salvation or life to those who are reconciled to him.

Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only sixty-five minutes. But on December 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft. With only a compass and a hand-held radio, Walter flew into skies blackened by storm clouds. When his compass began to gyrate, Walter concluded he was headed in the wrong direction. He flew his plane below the clouds, hoping to spot something, but soon he knew he was lost. He put out a mayday call, which brought a Coast Guard Falcon search plane to lead him to an emergency landing strip only six miles away. Suddenly Wyatt’s right engine coughed its last and died. The fuel tank had run dry. Around 8 p.m. Wyatt could do little more than glide the plane into the water.

Wyatt survived the crash, but his plane disappeared quickly, leaving him bobbing on the water in a leaky life vest. With blood on his forehead, Wyatt floated on his back. Suddenly he felt a hard bump against his body. A shark had found him. Wyatt kicked the intruder and wondered if he would survive the night. He managed to stay afloat for the next ten hours. In the morning, Wyatt saw no airplanes, but in the water a dorsal fin was headed for him. Twisting, he felt the hide of a shark brush against him. In a moment, two more bull sharks sliced through the water toward him. Again he kicked the sharks, and they veered away, but he was nearing exhaustion. Then he heard the sound of a distant aircraft. When it was within a half mile, he waved his orange vest. The pilot radioed the Cape York, which was twelve minutes away: “Get moving, cutter! There’s a shark targeting this guy!” As the Cape York pulled alongside Wyatt, a Jacob’s ladder was dropped over the side. Wyatt climbed wearily out of the water and onto the ship, where he fell to his knees and kissed the deck. He’d been saved. Nothing less than outside intervention could have rescued him from sure death. How much we are like Walter Wyatt.

It took outside intervention for us to be saved. The Creator, the Powerful One, the One who provides Salvation has acted on our behalf. We, the created one, the powerless one, the enemies of God, did not deserve the Creator’s actions. But his deep love provided. Our response is to accept his work and to worship him. Our vision statement reminds us that we want to be a place where those who are powerless, broken, friendless, can come and healing, mercy, acceptance, and friendship.

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