All right, let's get after it. This is go time. I've spent all week preparing for next week's message, which I'm excited about. I'm like, okay, but it's this week. We gotta dial in here because there's a truth that's easy to assume we all get, but if we just assume it and don't really understand it or it's not rooted, it won't change our lives. And it is life changing truth. So I want to dial in today. And we're spending five weeks on worship. Cause it's a big deal. We gotta get it right. And this is kind of guided by five questions. Last week, Michael started us off with just what is worship like? Let's. Let's define that. Next week we're gonna get into, how does God want to be worshiped? Like, that's a question maybe we not asked. But when we look at scriptures, how does God desire to be worshiped? From us, we're getting that. Then we're gonna ask, what should our individual worship look like? And then we're gonna ask, what should a corporate worship look like as a church family? But today the question is, does God deserve our worship? And be like, well, yes, short message, let's pray. But maybe it's more helpful to us. Why does God deserve our worship? Because if we do just assume, like, well, yeah, of course he does. And we don't really understand why God is deserving of our worship. That truth is not going to really take roots in our heart to lead to life change. So we want to understand why does God deserve our worship? And again, not to oversell it, but this is absolutely essential. I think it's why we're taking five weeks to really pour into this. We have to get worship right. And hopefully you feel the weightiness to it. Now, you might not. And the reason why you might not is because when we talk about worship in our culture and kind of set up, what tends to come to mind? Singing. Yeah, music. Like, that's what we tend to connect with worship. And that can be very preferential, like whether you like this style or that style or whatever you want to do. So it can seem like not a big deal, but it's an extremely big deal. Now, you know, worship is more than singing. Now when I say that, I also want to caution that it's certainly not less than singing. Like, I don't want to say, well, worship so much more than singing. It's kind of undermining giving corporate praise to God because we're commanded to do that. And several times, like, it's a repeated command. So it is a big deal to give praise to God. But worship is so much more than just doing that. Worship is all of life. Like how you live, how you handle money, how you handle your calendar, how you treat people, how you prioritize life. Everything is worship. And everybody worships. Like, nobody gets a pass of saying, like, well, that's not me you worship. You worship something or someone. Maybe you worship yourself. But there's something in your life that you're kind of ascribing worth and value or supreme worth and supreme value, too, in the way that you live and the decisions that you make. Everybody worships. Nobody gets a pass from that. The question is, are you worshiping God? Or let me say this way, the question might be this, are you worshiping God correctly? Because we tend to just think in two categories. Like, you either believe in God or you don't. Or you either worship God or you don't. And if I believe in God, then I worship God. But if I don't believe in God, then I don't worship. Like, those are just, like. We oversimplify just those two categories. But there's a third category that I think is more applicable to this group and that are people that attempt to worship God but do it wrongly, fail at it. In fact, there's a lot of passages that address this in Scripture. Here's a few of them. This is Jesus talking to the Pharisees. He says, you hypocrites, never off to a good start. When that's how it goes. It says, well, did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they what, Worship me. So it's like you are worshiping me and you are honoring me with what you say. Like, check you're doing that. But your hearts are far from me. So it's not that they weren't worshiping, but Jesus critiques their worship and he's not happy with it. Here's one. In the Old Testament, there's a lot in the Old Testament it says, I hate or I despise your feast, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies, even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings. So they are making offerings. I will not accept them. And the peace offerings of your fattened animals. Now, if you remember, we looked at Malachi for a while where the critique was, you're giving me. You're sick. You're sick. Cheap animals. Like, that's not honoring. He's like, no, you got the fat ones. Like, you picked the right ones. I still hate it. Says, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs to the melody of your harps. I will not listen. So it's not that they weren't acknowledging God. It's not that they weren't worshiping God, but God has a real problem with their worship. He's like, I don't want it. What is that to us? What if that's you? What if he's like, man, you got some killer music. I hate it. Right? You got some really generous people. I'm sick of it. Like, I don't want anything to do with it. And I despise your worship. I despise your gatherings. We gotta get this right. We have to get worship right. So let me color in correct a little bit. What does it mean to worship correctly? Or at least 40,000 foot? Like, what's the. What's the big thing of getting this right? You could say this way. Are we worshiping God above all things? Because that's. That's the first commandment. Like, you're not gonna have any other gods before me, right? You're like, well, it's not like I believe in you, God and Zeus. And I kind of like Zeus better than you. Like, no. But he also says you can't serve two masters. You can't serve both God and money. It's like, what the. There's other gods, there's other passions, there's other things in your life you're more devoted to. And God's saying, I need to be priority number one. Last week, we gave a definition of worship. If you missed it, write it down. Cause it's gonna guide us throughout our series. But we said that worship is delighting in and displaying the worth of God above all things. Delighting in and displaying the worth of God above all things. And all those words matter. Like, you have to both delight in and display the worth of God. Like, if you. You're just displaying the worth of God, but you don't really delight in him. That's the critique of the Pharisees. You honor me with your lips. Like, everybody heard that, but your heart's far from me. Like, that's offensive to God. Or if we delight in God internally, but we never express it, we never display it. That's offensive to God. Like, you just kind of private. You can't express your praise to me. And if it's not above all Things that's offensive to God. If it's like, God, I love you, just not as much as this, this or that. Like, then that's offensive to God. So the worship of God is delighting in and displaying the value of God or the worth of God above all things. Above all things. So here's the question. Do you think God deserves that? I mean, really. I know you know the church answer, but it's kind of like quietly search your heart above all things. Like, maybe I'll articulate some things you might be feeling like God, why isn't just enough that I love you? Why do I have to love you most? Why do I have to love you more than my kids and my spouse? Right? Because you said, anybody who loves father or mother or son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Really? Can't you just be happy that you're in my top five? Right? Why do you gotta be number one? Well, why can't I just love you among other people that I love? And, you know, it's like a kid, like, who's your favorite kid? And you're like, I love you all the same. And then you're like, that one. Why can't. Why does God, like, have to be number one? And does he deserve that? Does he deserve that? That's a word that gets used a lot in our culture. Deserve? You deserve a vacation. You deserve respect. You deserve the promotion. Right? Or it's your right. You have a right to healthcare, you have a right to education. You have a right to whatever. Like. Or you're owed this. People owe you this. You're owed to be treated a certain way. Like, we think we deserve these things. Well, does God deserve your worship? Is he owed worship from people? Does he have a right to be worshiped by all people of all cultures of all places, at all times? Like, is that owed him? Do you think that you owe God worship, loyalty, obedience, respect, honor, and maybe you've just never thought of it that way. There is a. You can read it another time. But there's a story. It's in Luke 17. It's an account of 10 lepers that Jesus is walking by, and they cry out to Jesus, master, they call him, and they want to be healed. And Jesus tells them, go and show yourselves to the priest. Like, this is. This is your path to healing. And they go in faith. They go, they obey what Jesus says. And as they go, all of them are healed of their leprosy. But one of them turns back to Jesus and praises God and falls at his feet and worships. And the other nine go, and Jesus says, didn't I heal ten of you? Where are the other nine? And my concern is that we could drift into being a church that's more like the 9 than the 1. It's not that we don't believe in Jesus. We acknowledge Jesus, we acknowledge him as master. It's just we want things from him more than we want to honor him. Like, we come to Jesus because we believe in Jesus and have faith in Jesus. Just help me do what I want to do. But we're really not the church like the one who comes back and it's just giving praise to God. And it's interesting when that one comes back to give praise to God. Jesus says, your faith has made you well. It's like, wait a minute, your faith has made you well. You already made him well. He's not talking about being made well from leprosy. He's talking about salvation. There's a connection between worship and salvation. We got to get it right. We got to understand what it really means to worship God and to grow as worshipers. It's about growing our view of God and coming to an understanding that he is owed worship. It's his right and he deserves it. We need to have a bigger view of God and who he is. So maybe when it comes to worship. Let me phrase the question like this. Are you okay with the size of God? Like, I'm not asking if you believe in him or not, but are you okay with the size of God, the power of God, the bigness of God, the sovereignty of God? Like he's over everything, the things you like, the things you don't like, the good stuff, the hard stuff. Like he's in control of it all and it's all about Him. Everything is about him, for him and for his glory. Are you okay with that? Let me go a little bit further. What about God being all about God? That God is for his own glory? Does that bother you? That he is for the praise of his own glory that one gets people like that one can bother people a little bit. Like, I don't know if I like because it sounds so selfish, so self centered. Like, worship me, I need to be number one. Praise me. Like, put me first. Don't like your mom more than me. Like me, right? That can seem like, is that what God's like? And does that bother you to think that God is passionate about his own glory? Because we seem to be okay when we talk about how we need to be all About God. We, when there's this assumption that God is all about us, that seems fair. That's like this trade off kind of tit for tat. Like, yeah, I'll make my life about you because you made your life about me. But that's not true. God is for God and God is for his own glory. But that can bother some people. In fact, what we're diving into today, what we're talking about, it tends to either push people away from Christianity or introduce them to the real thing. So for some of you, this may be your last Sunday here. And for others of you that maybe have been coming for a long time, this may be your first Sunday really worshiping. But this is what we have to get and understand. This may not be like a message you like, oh, that wasn't that great. Wasn't that funny? I don't care. But the content of this message needs to shape the culture of our church. Are we good? Okay. And if we're not careful, or let me put this way, if we're not ruthlessly biblical, we can slip into man centered Christianity. And it's subtle. You pay attention, you'll see it. But it's just about us and our future and our ambitions and our goals and whatever prospers us. And it's Christian because we'll still talk about Jesus, we'll still talk about God, but kind of God exists to serve man. And really our hopes and ambitions are the highest thing. And God's kind of there in our corner for, for, for us. And any theology that makes man bigger and God smaller is a bad theology. It's idolatry. It's subtle, but it's idolatry. Because there should be no other gods before him, including ourselves, right? Because it's interesting. It's like we try to put ourselves on the same plane as God instead of or even above God. And I don't say I don't believe in him, I love him and I'm super hopeful that he does all that I ask him to do. But he exists for me. And it's the subtle Christian idolatry. We need to repent of it. But if we're going to worship right, we got to get God right. We've got to come to terms with the priority, the importance and the value of God above all things. So let's take a look. I had in my notes a quick look, but I crossed out quick, be honest. Let's take a look in the scriptures about how God is for his own glory and then why or address why people might have a problem with that. Maybe you're one of them. I would just say lean in, like, listen to the whole message, and then why is it not only true? Like, whether you like it or not, why is it not only true, but also why should you like it and why is it good news? So we're going to give you a lot of Bible. We're going to go fast and just write it down, look it up later, make sure you record the references, because we're taking a big, whole Bible. Look at this. It's not just in one place, it's all over the place. And if you feel like, man, that's just too much Bible today. I want you to know that when it comes to this issue, I stopped short. Like, there was a whole lot of other scripture we could give to kind of support this, but it's all over the place. But I want you to see it. So you guys ready to get after it? All right. God creates for his own glory. This is Isaiah 43, 6, 7. My sons, or bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth. Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, God elects Israel for his own glory. Jeremiah 13:11. I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory. Isaiah 49, 3. You are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified. God saves Israel from Egypt for his own glory. Psalm 106, 7 and 8. Our fathers. And he goes on, who rebelled against God by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. God restrains his anger for his own glory. It's Isaiah 48, 9, 11. For my name's sake I defer my anger. For the sake of my praise, I restrain it for you. For you. He goes on to say, for my own sake, for my own sake. Like, I'm going to repeat that so you don't miss it. For my own sake I do it. For how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. Ezekiel 20:14, I acted. He's talking about in the wilderness with the Israelites. For the sake of my name that it should be, that it should not be profaned in the sight of nations. God sends his son into the world for his own glory. Romans 15, 8, 9. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs and in order for the Gentile. In order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. That's why I came like that. He's going to receive glory from the Gentiles. Philippians 2, 9, 11. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. So that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. You guys get this. Let's keep going. God sends Jesus to the cross for his own glory. So Isaiah 43:25. I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake. So how does God bring about the blotting out of our transgressions? Sending Christ to the cross? Why did he do that? For his own sake. For his own sake. He sent Jesus. This is John 12:27, 28. Jesus is praying. He says, now is my soul troubled. What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. That's what this is about. Glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven. I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. It's going to happen. What's going to happen? His glory. That's what's going to happen. 2nd Corinthians 5:15. Christ died for all that. Those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him, who for their sake died and was raised again. Our life is going to be about him. Christ returns for the glory of God. 2nd Thessalonians 1:10 he comes on that day, the day of Christ's return, to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed. He predestines people for the glory of God. Ephesians 1:5, 6. He predestined us for the adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace. He's about God's glory. Are we getting that? We need some more. All right. God created all things for his glory. Psalm 19:1. The heavens declare what? The glory of God. Guys are more excited about money than returns. I'm just saying that right now. Romans 11:36. For him, for from him and through him, and to him are all things. To Him Be glory forever. Amen. Colossians 1:16. For by him all things were created, including you, in all things, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. Let's pick up the pace a little bit. This is 1st Samuel 12, 20 and 22. After the people sinfully asked for a king, Samuel says, do not be afraid. He goes on to say this, for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake. Thus says the Lord God, it is not for your sake, O House of Israel, that I'm about to act, bringing you back from exile, but for the sake of my holy name, I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, and the nations will know that I am the lord. That's Ezekiel 36. So you'll see a phrase if you, especially in the Old Testament, this like a reoccurring phrase over and over and over again. So that they know. So that they will know. So that they will know that I'm the Lord. So they'll know that I'm like, Everything that God has done has this purpose of, you don't know and you need to know. And what you need to know is, I'm that guy. I'm God, I'm him. I'm the one worthy of worship. And all that he's doing is going to bring about the knowledge of God everywhere. Whoever serves, let him serve as one who serves in the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified. It's 1st Peter 4:11, Father, this is in John 17, Father, I desire that they also whom you have given to me, may be with me where I am to see my glory. That's Jesus prayer request. I want them to see my glory. And then in Habakkuk 2:14, he says, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. How many of you guys have ever been out to sea? It's a lot of water, isn't there? Yeah. In fact, that kind of sums it up. What is the sea? It's water. That's the image that he's given. Like, you ever been out to the ocean? It's like water everywhere. We know what's going to happen on this earth. God's glory everywhere. It's going to be everywhere. Like, everybody's going to see it. God is about his own glory. Now, why might people have a hard time with that? Why? People bristle to the idea that God is about his own glory. What's the pushback for that? It sounds selfish. It sounds really self centered. Like you need to be about me. Praise me, worship me, make me number one. Like, to think that God is for God. Like that sounds selfish, self centered. Like, can you imagine if one of us talked like that? Like, come and drink from the waters of Jake and you will never be thirsty again. It's ridiculous. They build my life on the rock of Jake so when the storms come, you're going to be fine. Like, that's ridiculous. You ever see the moon, the stars in the sky? You know what they're talking about me. Like, we can't talk like that. In fact, when we talk like that, it's sinful. But he ain't us. Like he can talk like that. Not only can he talk like that, he should talk like that. He's God. If you build your life on him, he is the rock. If you drink from him, you won't thirst again. The stars are talking about him, not you. Like, it's fitting God can talk like that. He should like, talk like that. So the, so the real question is, why do people have a problem with God acting like God? Right, of course. That he can talk like he's God. He made it. He has the right to say that. So, so why do we bristle or push back when God talks like or acts like God? Remember what the lie was back in the Garden of Eden? It's in Genesis, chapter three. But the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like what? You'll be like God, knowing good from evil. You don't, you don't have to serve God, obey God, submit to God, worship God. You need to upgrade. You need to like, you can be on the same level as God. Why's it got to be all about God? Why has God got to be number one? Why don't you just get your eyes open more? Why don't you get on the same level as God? How'd that work out? Not good. See, we want to be God. And maybe you wouldn't come out and say it like that. But if you don't want to be God, you don't want there to be a God. I don't want somebody telling me what's right or wrong. I decide what's right or wrong. I don't want somebody to tell me what life is about. I decide what my life is about. It's my world, right? I make the rules. I make the decisions. I decide for me. Like, that's the language of our day. Like, I rule me and I decide right or wrong. I decide what's true or not true. I decide what my life is about. I get it to make all. Like, I'm in charge. Like, we just do the same thing Adam and Eve did. I don't have to serve you. I don't have to listen to you. I don't have to obey you. I don't have to bow to you. I don't have to worship you. Or if there is a God, we want him to be all about us. So, okay, yes, God exists, but he serves me. He obeys me. He's after my hopes and my dreams, and he wants to fulfill my desires and make my life great. And his name's still Jesus. It's just he kind of comes down here and we come up here and it's idolatry and we need to kill it. We need to confess it, we need to repent of it. It's tricky. We got to know the real God. Like, you can't. You can't worship a God that you made up. Isaiah mocks people that are making idols. It's kind of humorous. He says, you cut down a tree, with half of it you make a fire and cook your food. And with other half of it, you carve a God and you bow down and worship to it. What skill must you have to know which half of the log is a God and. And which half is not? Like, he's mocking people. Like, you can't make your own God. It's idolatry. And you can't make your own God. Like, well, my God does this. And my God would never say that. And my God's like this. He's not real. We got to know the God of the Bible as He reveals himself to us. And you can't be like, my God would never say that. Well, God said it. So I don't know who you're worshiping, but this is who we're about. You got to know the real God. Everything exists for Him. He made the rules. It's his world. He's sovereign over everything. He commands it. He doesn't need your permission. He doesn't care if you like it or don't like it. He's in the driver's seat. It's his world. If you don't like it, make your own world. Oh, you can't. You're stuck. Like, he's God. You just Deal with it. He's God, and he is deserving and worthy of our worship. It's owed him. He's jealous for it. Does that throw you off? They think God is a jealous God. It's a famous account. You can see it on YouTube. Oprah's given a testimony of her kind of walking away from orthodox Christianity, hearing a preacher talk about God being a jealous God because you're kind of like, jealous. That doesn't sound right. I don't want to serve a jealous God. Why is he jealous? There's multiple texts, but here's one of them. This is Exodus 34:14. For you shall worship no other God. For the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. He's jealous when it comes to our worship. You don't get to worship another God. I'm God. I'm deserving of worship. And he's not jealous in an envious way, like, oh, I wish I had their car. I wish I looked more like that person. I wish I should. Like, he's not jealous in an envious way. He's jealous in a creator way, like, no, you're mine. I made you. I made you for me. So I want what I. What I made for myself. That's why I made it. Like, there's a. There's your you belong to me type of jealousy. It's the same kind of jealousy a spouse should appropriately feel for their other spouse like a husband should feel for his wife. Like, you made a covenant to me. There's certain kind of affection in marriage. That's mine. And if you go and give that to somebody else, I'm jealous, and I should be jealous because it belongs to me. God looks at all of creation and says, mine, I made it. It's for me. It belongs to me. That can be hard, hard to grasp. God deserves our worship, and we can't be giving it to lesser things. We can't. We can't be giving it to lesser things, thinking that that's going to fulfill me and satisfy me. When we're more devoted to lesser things, we're more passionate about lesser things. We're more committed to lesser things when we get more excited about lesser things. Do you not think God sees that? Do you not think that God's offended by that? We can't be giving it to lesser things. And doing so is the root of all our problems. Guys, sin is essentially a worship problem. I mean, Paul talks about it in Romans 3 when it says, we all fail to glorify God as we should. We sin and we fail to honor him as we should. In fact, in chapter one of Romans, he talks about this exchange, that we exchange the Creator for the created. Like, we get more excited about the created than the Creator. Right? Just sunsets. I love sunsets. Aren't sunsets awesome? It's like, yeah. And they're saying something, saying about the glory of God. We never get past the sunset to the Maker. And we get so obsessed with things, created things, we miss the one who made it. And that kind of distortion in our worship in Romans chapter one, it talks about a spiral. Like it's just deeper and deeper depravity. Like it starts when our worship is off and our worship is off, our life gets off and our life gets off. Society, society gets off. When society gets. It's just a mess. And do you get to the ends of Romans Chapter one? It's like people aren't just doing the wrong things, they're celebrating the wrong things. Like, they're just so crazy, lost. Where did that start? You're not. You're not glorifying God as you should. You're looking for satisfaction in the wrong things. You're looking for peace in the wrong things. You're looking for security in the wrong things. You're looking for those things to deliver what they can't deliver. It's a problem. But listen, everyone's going to worship. Or let me dial it in more because we already established everybody worship something. Everybody's going to worship God. How many knees bow? Right? How many tongues confess? Yeah. Everybody is going to glorify God forever. You will either glorify the wrath of God in hell or the grace. Grace of God in heaven. But God deserves worship and he will collect. He's not going to fail in the accomplishment of the purpose of his creation of his own glory. God deserves worship and he will collect. It's part of the restoration of all things. Like, to bring things back into order. And what's the proper order? God being worshiped by creation. In fact, Psalm 147 says this. Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God. For it is a pleasant. It is pleasant. And a song of praise is what it's fitting. He's saying, like, yeah, like, you praising God makes sense. Like, that's right. That's how things should be. The created, giving praise and honor to the Creator. Like that's what makes sense. So not in kind of a underhanded rebuke kind of way, but just like, really, let's think about it kind of Way it's like, who are you to hold back worship from God? Like, really, who do you think you are not to worship God? Who are you to think that your life is about you? You didn't make you. You didn't decide to be born. You didn't give yourself life. Why would you conclude that it's about you? Why would you even talk like it's your life for you to decide whatever you want to do? Do you know how offensive that might be? Not might be. You know how offensive that is? The one who made you for his glory and his purpose. And who are you to worship God when things are going well and not when things aren't going well? Do you know what that communicates? This Me, Jesus. God. Still using Jesus, right? Christian adultery. Because God, I love you when you're doing what I want you to do and giving me the life that I want to have. But when not, then I'm mad at you. God is deserving of our worship no matter what's going on in your life. Here's a verse that'll wreck you. This is in Job, chapter one. Right after Job's life just got blown up. It says, then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground, and what worshiped? And he said, naked I came in from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. No matter what's going on in your life, He. He's God. He is worthy of worship all the time. It's not based on your experiences. Here's a passage doesn't get read a lot. This is Romans, chapter nine. He says, but who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder? Why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction in order to make known the riches of his glory? For vessels of mercy which he has prepared beforehand for glory? It's like, who are you to talk back to God? Like, you don't like what's going on in your life right now? Like, just to be really clear, here's what Paul is saying. Clay potter. Right, Clay potter. And he's like, you're complaining. Like, who are you? Who are you to be like, I don't like that you made me like, you can't speak. Like, can I be a little less clay, maybe? How can you, like. You have no grounds for this. He's God. And God will do whatever he wants to do. And everything that he does, he does for his glory. You okay with that? Why is it good news, though? Because that's true whether you like it or not. Why should you like it? Why is it good news? We can go to a lot of passages, but let me. Let me take you to one that's familiar. This is Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness. What's that last line? For his namesake. Isn't this good news? The scripture. I shall not want. I'm lie down in green pastures. That's good. He leads me beside still waters. I need that. He restores my soul. Yes, please. He leads me in passive righteousness. Yes. All the things that I want and are good for me. And he's doing it. Why? For his name's sake. For his name's sake. So here's what we need to get church, okay? So if you checked out or tuned out, or if you're just mad about this truth, like, lean in. You need to hear this. Our good and God's glory are not at odds. They're connected. They're connected. If God is not about the promotion of God to us, then he is withholding from us the greatest enjoyment we would ever experience. If God is not about promoting himself to us, to say, like, prioritize me, come to me. All who are thirsty, run after me. If he's not shouting that message to us, then he is withholding fulfillment from us. He is withholding joy from us. He's withholding security and contentment and meaning and purpose from us. Church, listen to me. God seeks our worship. Not so he will be happy. He seeks our worship so that we will be happy. Whether you worship God or not, he's okay. He's God and he's not dependent on you. And whether you worship now or don't guess what you're eventually going to do. Worship. Because every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. And you can bow or you can bow. Those are your options. But he will be worshiped. But the advocacy of the priority of God in our life, he's not doing that so that he will be happy. Like he's missing something. He does that so that we will be happy. And fulfilled because we only find our fulfillment in Him. Guys, people are starving for God and they don't know it. They're hungry and they're just feeding on things to try to satisfy their soul that was made for God. And like, maybe sex will do it, or maybe money will do it, or maybe success will do it, or maybe notoriety will do it, or maybe recognition will do it, or maybe a larger bank account will do it, or maybe this car will do it, or maybe this relationship will do it, or maybe getting out of this relationship will do it and they're just eating and eating and eating and never satisfied. It's like because you're made for God and He will fulfill Guys, here's why us being all about God is good for us. You were made by God for God, and will only be satisfied in God. Here's some passages we've looked at before. Psalm 16:11 you make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 84 for a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of God. Wicked John 15 if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments. Abide in his love. These things I've spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. I'm here for your joy, and it's found here. This is Paul talking in Philippians. For to me is to live is Christ, and to die is gain. For I am to live in the flesh. That means fruitful label for me. Yet which shall I choose? I cannot tell. I'm hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be the Christ. Why? Why? For that is far better. Far better. Paul's torn. He's like, I don't know what to do. If I live, then I get to keep ministering and proclaiming the good news of Christ. And if I die, I get to actually be with Christ. Well, for your sake, I hope I live, because I got a lot to say. But for my sake I'd rather just actually be with him, because it's far better. He says this in chapter three Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in Greek It's a stronger word that we won't say in church in order that I may gain Christ. It's like it's all loss compared to what Christ, that he's the prize and he's the treasure. Think of it like this, guys. God has owed worship from you, and you will find fulfillment in giving it to Him. God has owed worship from you, and you will find fulfillment in giving it to Him. And in the next three weeks, we're going to look more at how our worship should be expressed, because it's like, okay, I get it. God deserves worship. How do I give it to Him? How am I supposed to actually give worship to God? We're gonna get really practical on the directions on how to do that. But if you have the right directions but no gas in the tank, you're not going anywhere. And the gas in the tank for our worship is understanding the greatness of God. Because if we tell you how to worship God, but you don't want to, what good is that? We got to want God. We got to treasure God. We need to be passionate about God. We need the gas in our tank of understanding the glory and majesty and the greatness of our God. He's better than everything. And you know where that's most powerfully, uniquely displayed? It's not a creation. When he just speaks things into existence. It's not when you see the reality of God in Jesus Christ, when he tells the wind and waves just to stop. It's not in the burning sun and stars throughout our solar system that are saying something, saying the glory of God. You know where it's most powerfully and uniquely displayed? The cross. Who is like our God, that the one who speaks worlds into existence would step into one and die as an expression of his love for us. What kind of grace are we dealing with? What kind of mercy and patience are we dealing with? Who is this God who at any moment of pain could have come down and brought justice upon his accusers, but endured and then just gets up out of a grave? Who is our God? How powerful and wonderful and awesome is he? And as we take communion and we look at a cracker that represents his body that was hung on a cross for us, some juice that symbolizes his blood that was shed for us? Be in awe of God. And if you're not in awe of God, don't take it, because that's what this is about. Behold your God. Every time we partake of communion, we're declaring something about our God. He's saying something to us. He's saying, my grace is greater than your sin. I am a God who loves you and pursues you. I am a God who is is bringing order back to all things. I'm a God who beats death. I'm a God that you need to come to and believe in and trust in and find satisfaction in. And if you don't say amen to those things, then you don't get it. But here's what's true. We so often I say, me too. Like, we so often love lesser things, don't we? We get excited about lesser things. We show greater devotion to lesser things and let's own it. It's idolatry and we need God to want God. Would we pray together that God would wake us up to see the majesty of our God? That we would love him as he deserves? Amen. Father, I pray that you would indeed give us pause as we look at a cracker and juice and listen to what you're saying in those symbols. And when we hear what you're saying and those symbols set our hearts on fire for your you. That we would treasure you beyond the foolish things of this world. And by your spirit, you would make us a people. They get way more excited about your return than the return of money. And our hearts will just burn for you. We would treasure you. We want you. And to want you, we need you. So, Father, give us spiritual sight this morning. We pray this in your name. Amen.