It's About the Heart

Introduction

We have a phrase in our culture that expresses succinctly the attitude and desire of a person, stated positively or negatively and used in a variety of situations—sports, business, marriage, and other relationships. He has a lot of heart. In sports, she played with a lot of heart. In marriage, his heart wasn’t in it. When used positively, the phrase expresses the desire and attitude of a person to go beyond the expected. When used negatively, it speaks of someone going through the motions without giving much thought to motivation, attitude, and desire.

That’s heart. But it isn’t just the athlete that has heart. The marriage partner who remains in a seemingly hopeless marriage trying to make things better and praying for adjustments stays with a lot of heart. The student who doggedly determines to learn something every day although the teacher is not the best at explaining things learns with a lot of heart. To say the words “his heart just wasn’t in it” is to say much about lack of desire and determination to accomplish a task. We are going to talk about the heart and our worship today. What can be said about our hearts when it comes to worship?

It’s the Heart

From the beginning, the importance of having the right motivation and attitude about worship has been fundamental. In Genesis 4, we have two offerings brought by the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain brings some of the fruits of the land as an offering. Abel brings fat portions from the firstborn of the flocks. The text says that God looked with favor on Abel and his sacrifice but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. Some have suggested that the problem was in what was brought for the sacrifice—that God wanted animal not grain sacrifice. But the wording of the text doesn’t lead to that conclusion. The problem was with the individual. Cain’s heart wasn’t in it. From the beginning, one’s motivation and attitude matters.

The prophets noted the importance of the heart in worship. In Micah 6, the prophet is examining the people’s relationship with God. God has a charge or accusation against the people. God has been faithful but the people have been unfaithful. In verse 6, this hypothetical conversation supposes that worship will make things better. The people will bring year old calves, thousands of rams, and rivers of oil. The people will show their faithfulness by their worship. But God rejects their worship. Why? Because their motives and attitudes are not consistent with the externals. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Going through the motions of worship without the proper heart is not worship. The heart and the externals must be in agreement.

In Jeremiah 9:23–26, in one of the many judgment declarations against Israel, God warns the people not to boast about their wisdom, strength, or wealth. All such boasting will not bring safety and protection. Instead, if one is to boast then let him boast about who God is and one’s relationship with God. And then in a note of finality, God says he will punish those who are circumcised only in the flesh. God declares that Israel is uncircumcised in heart. It isn’t only the externals that matter. Unless one’s heart is consistent with the actions, then the externals are meaningless.

In Romans 2:28–29, Paul demonstrates that being Jewish does not secure a relationship with God. Only if one is circumcised in the heart is there a relationship. One’s ability to keep the written code does not secure relationship with God but when one’s motives and attitudes are consistent with the Spirit.

So What?

From the beginning, worship was seen as a time in which people didn’t just do commanded things but one in which the heart was set on honoring God. Cain brought a sacrifice but his heart wasn’t in it. Micah spoke of the people bringing thousands of rams as an offering but their heart wasn’t in it. Jeremiah spoke of punishing those who went through the motions of worship but those whose heart wasn’t in it. Paul wrote of real relationship being secured by the circumcision of the heart. Our hearts have to be involved if we are going to worship God.

So how do we make sure that our heart is in worship? My basketball coach used to say, “you play the way you practice.” In other words, if you do not have enthusiasm for practice, you will not have enthusiasm for the game. If you don’t put your heart into practice, then you will not have much heart for the game. Let me ask you some hard questions. What time did you go to bed last night? What did you do to prepare for our assembly time? Did you worship during the week or just wait till today? What have you let your eyes see and your mind absorb this week that pulled you away from God? Conversely, what have you let your eyes see and your mind absorb this week that brought you closer to God?

If our heart is going to be in worship, then we must prepare ourselves for our time together. Unfortunately, too many times we walk in here thinking we will sing some songs, listen to a sermon, say a few prayers, have the Lord’s Supper and then we leave and our heart was never here—because we didn’t get ready. Second, we recognize that God is doing something in our hearts so that we anticipate worship. This is Paul’s point in Romans 2. The circumcision of the heart is done by the Holy Spirit. Trying to do all the right things leads us to evaluate worship on the basis of our emotional reaction to the events that take place. But when the Spirit has circumcised our hearts, then worship is a result of our relationship with God. The focus then is on God who has brought us into relationship with him rather than on our response to the externals. It was the belief from the beginning that only God could circumcise the heart (Deuteronomy 30:6). We talk about how we must love God with all of our heart, and all of our soul, and all of our strength and that is right. Jesus talked about that. But we must recognize that it is God who is cutting away that part of our heart which separates us from him. But when we focus on the externals then we make our preferences God and that is idolatry.

So let me ask you some hard questions. Do you find yourself leaving here evaluating the songs, sermon, and prayers? Do you leave celebrating your relationship with God or believing you have done all that is necessary to worship? Do you find yourself losing focus on the words of songs because you are trying to make sure you get the notes right? Do you check the worship outline to see what is next so that you can keep up or to see how much more is to come?

How’s your heart? Did you prepare to come in here today? Did you come today with a full heart? Is your heart in our assembly time today? When I was growing up, I used to hear about roasting the preacher. I heard one preacher talk about having the preacher for lunch and he wasn’t talking about having the preacher over for lunch. Maybe some of you come week after week and you think well the song leader did pretty good today. Or the preacher really did a good job today. From the beginning worship isn’t just about the externals—it’s about the heart. Nothing is sadder than to leave today thinking “my heart wasn’t in it today.” We all have days when we are having a hard time staying focused. I mean I listen to myself and think “that’s pretty boring.” I know it’s hard to have your heart in it every Sunday. But it is a shame to have Sunday after Sunday followed by the remark “well my heart just wasn’t in it today.” Did you get up this morning, put on your clothes prepared for our assembly or did you come here with the attitude let’s see what the preacher can do today. I sure hope the song leader sings a song I like today. If it’s the latter than it isn’t worship. You can go through the motions and it isn’t worship.

Aren’t you glad that when Jesus went to the cross that his heart was in it? Aren’t you glad that when it came time to make a decision for us, his heart was in it. In my mind at Gethsemane, I see Jesus after that last round of prayer turning to the disciples and saying, “Let’s go boys. It’s time to do God’s will.” Only God can give you a circumcised heart. Maybe God needs to give you a new heart. That is what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 31. God will give his people a new heart. Only you can protect it and give it.

Follow Jesus

If you’d like to respond to this message or learn more about following Jesus, please reach out.