Yardley United Methodist Church
Feb 8 - True Worship
  • The Voice of God is Calling
  • This Little Light Of Mine

      • Isaiah 58:1–12NRSVUE

      • Matthew 5:13–20NRSVUE

      • Isaiah 58:1–12NRSVUE

      • Matthew 5:13–20NRSVUE

      • Isaiah 58:1–12NRSVUE

      • Matthew 5:13–20NRSVUE

  • True Worship: Reflecting the Character of God

    Scripture: Isaiah 58:1–12; Matthew 5:13–20; 1 Corinthians 2:10–16

    Introduction
    We often mistake religious activity for spiritual reality. We attend services and perform rituals, assuming these alone please God. However, the scriptures reveal that true worship transcends mere rituals and instead focuses on embodying the character of God through selflessness, love, and moral integrity. True worship is demonstrated through our actions and character, aligning our lives with God's values.
    Let us examine how God calls us from empty hypocrisy to a Spirit-filled life that repairs the brokenness around us.

    I. Exposing the Hypocrisy of Empty Rituals (Isaiah 58:1–5)

    We begin with a divine indictment. God commands the prophet to "Shout out; do not hold back!" and "Announce to my people their rebellion". The tragedy is that the people do not look rebellious on the outside.
    They seem pious: "day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways." They act "as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness", and "they ask of me righteous judgments. "They cover all their wickedness with a profession of religion a profession of religion. “But, we are religious people.”
    The Complaint: The people are frustrated. They ask, "Why do we fast, but you do not see?" They feel they have humbled themselves enough, yet God does not notice.
    The Verdict: God rejects their worship because their hearts remain unchanged. He answers, "Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers." Their fasting is not true devotion to God: you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. They are devoted to their own sense of comfort.
    Transition: God does not want a performance; He wants a relationship that changes how they/we treat our neighbors. If our worship does not soften our hearts toward others, such worship/fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.

    II. The Fast God Chooses: Active Compassion (Isaiah 58:6–12)

    So, what does genuine worship look like? It is not about sackcloth and ashes, the performance of outward signs. Is not this the fast that I choose: to intervene in the suffering of others? (Inward faith)
    Breaking Chains: True worship is to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free. We must stop the pointing of the finger assigning blame, speaking evil, or the assigning others to do the compassionate work for us.
    Practical Mercy: It is to share our bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into our house. When we see the naked, to cover them and not to hide ourself from those close to us, it is to satisfy and heal the needs of the afflicted.
    The Promise of Restoration: When we live this way, God promises a dramatic transformation, “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.” You will be like a watered garden, whose waters never fail. Ultimately, you shall be called a repairer of the breach, a restorer of streets, a home to live in peace.
    Transition: When we live out these Godly principles of justice and mercy, we cease to be isolated individuals and become agents of redemption in the wider world.
    Jesus describes this influence using two powerful metaphors.

    III. Identity and Influence: Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13–16)

    Jesus tells us, "You are the salt of the earth".
    Preservation: Jesus calls his disciples to arrest corruption and prevent moral decay in their world
    Purity: And we are warned: "if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?" Salt being mixed with various inedible/impure substances and becomes useless. Believers who fail to actively resist corruption become useless as agents of Redemption.
    Here, I want to be clear: your value to God does not not change; through Jesus Christ, God gave his life for you. It is in devaluing yourself that your usefulness toward redemption is cut off.
    Jesus also declares, "You are the light of the world".
    Visibility: A city built on a hill cannot be hid. God’s design is that it gives light to all in the house/world.
    Glory: We must let our light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. This is not self-promotion; it is ensuring that by seeing your good works, others may be moved to love and serve God likewise.
    Transition: Being salt and light is not about inventing a new morality, but about fulfilling God's eternal standard.

    IV. A Greater Righteousness (Matthew 5:17–20)

    Jesus clarifies that this call to mercy and justice is rooted in Scripture. He says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill".
    Deepening the Law: Jesus came to establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning. rather, Christ makes clear that he is not contradicting the law He calls for a righteousness that reaches into the deep places of our souls.
    The Requirement: He warns "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The scribes had performed the outward ritual, but Jesus demands inward transformation. "Whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
    Transition: This standard—exceeding the Pharisees, repairing breaches, becoming light—feels impossible for the "natural man." We cannot do this through human willpower. We need divine empowerment.

    V. Empowered by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10–16)

    Paul explains that we cannot understand or live out God's ways on our own. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them.
    Divine Revelation: God has revealed to us through the Spirit the deep things of God. The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
    A New Spirit: Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts God gives us.
    The Mind of Christ: Because we have the Spirit post-Pentecost, we have the mind of Christ. This means we have the capacity to discern all things and understand the whole plan of Gospel salvation. This no secret ritual to waiting to discovered and perform. It is the Spirit of Christ that empowers us to live the “fast” Isaiah described and the "righteousness" Jesus commanded.
    Conclusion
    True worship is not just singing hymns or fasting for show. It is having the mind of Christ to see the world as God sees it. It is letting our light rise to shine in the darkness by loosing the bonds of injustice and acting as salt to preserve all that if good and right.
    Let us not be those who seek God day after day all the while ignoring our neighbor. Let us instead be the repairers of the breach, knowing that the the Lord is your rear guard.

      • Isaiah 58:1–5NRSVUE

      • Matthew 5:17–20NRSVUE

      • 1 Corinthians 2:10–16NRSVUE

  • Hosanna
  • Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow
  • Mighty To Save
Yardley United Methodist Church
office@yardleyumc.org
(215) 493-3345
https://www.yardleyumc.org
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