5 Worship-Quenching Attitudes
As I studied Ephesians 1:7-14 for a recent message, Blood-Bought and Sealed, the Spirit showed me Five attitudes of the heart that will choke out a heart of worship.
1. Ingratitude – It’s far too easy to view blessings from based on what we should be receiving materially rather than what God has promised and delivered in the “heavenly places” (Eph 1:3). When we have this mindset, we take for granted the glorious blessings that are ours in Christ. This ungrateful heart brings bitterness and does not cultivate a heart of worship. Paul’s writing Ephesians while in prison (3:1, 4:1, 6:20), and yet he can begin his letter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” He understood and was grateful for all of the spiritual blessings that were his, although his external circumstances were difficult.
2. A cheapening of Grace – A grand hindrance from living as an instrument of praise is a cheapening of God’s grace. The power of the blood of Christ demonstrates the riches of God’s grace, which covered the “cost” of our bondage and bring forgiveness for our trespasses (Eph 1:7-8). However, some people diminish the value of God’s grace with a “He’ll forgive me” mindset. This “I can sin and then ‘repent’” attitude tramples upon God’s grace. “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? By no means!” (Rom 6:1-2). God’s grace is of infinite worth driving us to worship. An attitude that cheapens God’s grace quenches worship.
3. Allowing past bondage prevent present worship – In Christ, you have been redeemed from the bondage of sin (Rom 6:6-7), death (Rom 8:2), Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15), and the Law (Rom 7:4-6) and delivered from the wrath of God (Rom 5:9). In Christ you have been forgiven! Yet, some of us live as if this were not the case. We believe that Jesus had died for us, but still back in our minds we feel like we still must earn God’s love or acceptance. So we feel chained by our past sin. But there is nothing you can do to free you from your guilt. Jesus has done that through his blood. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, remember that you have been redeemed and forgiven (Eph 1:7). God’s grace has been lavished upon you. Don’t let your past bondage prevent present worship.
4. Despair over the struggles of this life (personal, local, global) – It’s easy to despair when we here of Christians being arrested for their faith. It’s easy to despair when we hear of suicide bombings. It’s easy to despair when our country is in the midst of a financial crisis and jobs are lacking but bills are increasing. It’s easy to despair when we read statistics of sex trafficking, statistics of child abuse, statistics of families breaking down. It’s easy to despair when we watch the news at night. Although it seems our world is unraveling, we must trust God’s sovereignty that he will unite things under Christ (Eph 1:9-10). When the fullness of time comes, amidst the great hurts and pains of this life, God will redeem those who are His and execute judgment on those who reject. He will unite all things under Christ. So do not let despair quench your worship. Hope in God, for He is sovereign.
5. Unbelief – Nowhere in the Scripture does the Spirit come into the lives of Believers in a “quiet” way. When the Spirit comes, he comes in power! He comes to change your life by giving you a new one in regeneration. He comes to seal you with a sure hope. He comes to enliven godly affections that stir your heart to worship. But where there is unbelief, the Spirit is not present and there is no heart to worship God because there is no Spirit within. Unbelief is a deadly venom that will prevent a heart of worship. But when we have heard the gospel and believed in Christ, the Spirit has sealed us securing our salvation and giving us a heart of worship (Eph 1:13-14).
Our God is worthy of all worship so let us be unquenchable worshipers of Him, to the praise of His glorious grace!
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
First Corinthians 15:3-11
The 7 Last Words of Jesus
1. Luke 23:34 – And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
2. Luke 23:42-43 – And [the thief] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
3. John 19:26-27 – When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
4. Matthew 27:46 – And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
5. John 19:28 – After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
6. John 19:30 – When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
7. Luke 23:46 – Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus’ Senses at the Cross
In Puritan fashion, William Gouge’s comments on Hebrews 12:2 talks about how Jesus’ crucifixion ”offended” all of His senses. There “offended” was…
His Hearing, by crying, “Crucify him, Crucify him.”
His sight, with scoffing and scorning gestures.
His smell, with the noisome place of Golgotha.
His taste, with vinegar, gall, and Myrrh.
His feeling, with thorns on his head; boxes and blows on his cheeks; filthy spittle on his face; piercing his hands and feet.
These he endured along with the wrath of the Father and the sin of humanity to be the Author and Perecter of our faith - “…who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the righte hand of the throne of God.” Let us set our eyes on Jesus!
When the merciful Father saw that we were being oppressed through the Law, that we were being held under a curse and that we could not be liberated from it by anything, he sent his Son into the world, heaped all the sins of all me upon him, and said to him: “Be Peter the denier; Paul the persecutor, blasphemer, and assaulter; David the Adulterer; the sinner who ate the apple in Paradise; the thief on the cross. In short, be the person of all me, the one who has committed the sins of all men. And see to it that you pay and make satisfaction for them.” Now the Law comes and says: “I find him a sinner, who takes upon himself the sins of all me. I do not see any other sins than those in him. Therefore let him die on the cross!” And so it attacks him and kills him. By this deed the whole world is purged and expiated from all sins, and thus it is set free from death and from every evil.
– Martin Luther on Galatians 3:13
Quoted by Timothy George in, “The Atonement in Martin Luther’s Theology,” The Glory of the Atonement (274-275)
