MATTHEW 5:1–6 – Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE CALL TO WORSHIP. When we read or hear the words “call to worship” what comes into our minds? A couple of things. First, we are being summoned to an act of reverence and adoration away from ourselves to focus on the worship of God. A second thing that might happen is a portion of scripture is preparing us for such worship, and more than likely from the Psalms – the greatest worship book of all time.
In today’s scripture, I want us to consider the opening of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, and particularly, this portion known as “The Beatitudes” as the essential preparation to answer any call to worship. Why is that so? Because it reveals what is not only necessary for acceptable worship, but what is also the chief virtue in the Christian life necessary for any spiritual growth. That virtue? Humility as defined by being poor in spirit, mourning over sin, being meek, and hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which is a hungering and thirsting for Christ. So, with that, let’s apply it as an essential call to worship.
Humility is the chief virtue and necessity for two reasons. First, worship of the One True God isn’t based on environments we create, the music we prefer, or anything else from us. Worship occurs when God makes Himself known to us; when we are in the Presence of God and know it. The prophet Isaiah gives us the great promise of God looking upon us or fellowshipping with us that always leads to worship because of the type of people He will look upon – humble – Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:1-2).
The second reason why humility is necessary for worship is because it alone takes our eyes off what hinders worship – ourselves, and takes us to focus on the One we worship. We see this in what is known as “Mary’s Song” or the Magnificat in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel – And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name (Luke 1:46-49). Where is humble Mary’s attention? Away from herself as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior. Such self-denying worship only comes through humility and that virtue, friends, is “other worldly” and only produced by a submission to the work of the Spirit of God to develop it. And then, only then, may we answer the call to worship of our glorious God.
PRAYER: “Father, make me soft clay in Your Hands to shape me into a vehicle of true worship.”
QUOTE: “Worship is rooted in humility and humility is developed when we see God as He really is and us as we really are.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim