The Mandate and Motive of Worship

REFLECTION QUOTES

“The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”

~Thomas Merton (1915-1968), American writer, mystic and monk

“[S]in contains an element of servitude,—that in the very act of transgressing the law of God there is a reflex action of the human will upon itself, whereby it becomes less able than before to keep that law. Sin is the suicidal action of the human will. It destroys the power to do right, which is man’s true freedom….

“Sin is the slow, and sure, and eternal suicide of a human will.”

~W. G. T. Shedd, 19th century American Presbyterian theologian

“The Kingdom must be advanced not merely extensively, but also intensively. The Church must seek to conquer not merely every man for Christ, but also the whole of man.”

~J. Gresham Machen, American Presbyterian theologian
in “The Princeton Theological Review” (1913)

“God desires our greatest good. But what greater good is there in the universe than God himself? So, if God is truly to love us, he must give us himself. But merely giving us of himself is only the first step in the expression of his affection for sinners. He must work to elicit from our hearts rapturous praise and superlative delight because, as Lewis said, ‘all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise.’ That’s the way God made us. We can’t help but praise and rejoice in what we most enjoy. The enjoyment itself is stunted and hindered if it is never expressed in joyful celebration.”

~Sam Storms, contemporary American theologian

“There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious.”

~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in The Last Battle

SERMON PASSAGE

Psalm 117

1 Praise the Lord, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!
2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting.
Praise the Lord!

John 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Revelation 5

9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”