About Our Worship February 28, 2010
Feb 28, 2010
John Moore
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” - - Romans 1:18-21
It would seem that all people are naturally inclined to some form of religion (even atheism is a form of religion), but most people fail to worship God as Creator. Yet the universe which has been created by God can be seen by everyone, making Him known to all. In spite of that, man’s sinfulness and ego have driven him away from true worship to idolatry.
In their idolatry, apostate humanity suppresses truth and exchange God’s glory for an image made in the form of created beings like themselves, or worse – like birds and four-footed animals and creeping things (Rom. 8:24-32). Men reject what nature (general revelation) shows about God as our transcendent Judge and Creator and then transfer their worship to unworthy objects. This in turn leads to drastic moral decline and misery.
God will not permit men to entirely suppress their sense of God and of His judgment. There is always some sense of accountability - a conscience that makes men aware of their guilt and condemns them. And so, although fallen man does not know how to reconcile their guilt before God, they nonetheless are given uncomfortable inklings of the judgment they cannot avoid. Only the gospel of Christ can give peace to men in this condition.
Today, Pastor Drew continues his sermon series on Genesis with the six days of creation (Genesis 1:3-31). In those six days, light was given, water and earth were divided, plants, animals, and finally man was created. The magnificent wonder of all God created reveals God’s majesty and draws us to glorify Him.
Our closing hymn, All Creatures of Our God and King, by Francis of Assisi (1225), helps us respond to God with praise and alleluias. Giovanni Bernardone, the real name for Francis of Assisi, lived a humble, devout life characterized by a forgiving spirit and absolute trust in God. At the age of 25, Bernardone left his life as a soldier, renounced his inherited wealth, and determined to live his life humbly, in imitation of the selfless life of Christ.
Throughout his life, Bernardone loved music and encouraged singing in his monastery. He wrote more than 60 hymns, and his beautiful hymn, All Creatures of Our God and King, has endured for centuries. This hymn has become one of the most loved and familiar hymns in the Church today. Won’t you praise God with us this morning for His many blessings and for the wonders of His creation?
“All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and sing, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam: O praise Him, O praise Him! Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia!”
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