What Comes Into Our Minds When We Think About God

In one paragraph

On January 10, 2016, the pastor walked First B through the theme of worship, tracing the word through Matthew's gospel and into John 4. The central question was simple: what does it actually mean to worship God, and are we doing it? The sermon drew on A.W. Tozer's "The Knowledge of the Holy" alongside the biblical text to press that question. the pastor opened by noting that when most people in...

Read together

1. Matthew 2:2 wise men asking where the king of the Jews was born, saying they came to worship him
2. Matthew 2:8 Herod telling the wise men to search diligently and bring word so he too could worship
3. Matthew 2:11 wise men entering the house, falling down and worshiping Jesus, offering gifts
4. Matthew 2:12 wise men warned in a dream not to return to Herod, departing another way
5. Matthew 4:1-4 Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness, tempted after forty days of fasting, answering that man shall not live by bread alone
6. Matthew 4:5-7 devil taking Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, Jesus answering you shall not put the Lord your God to the test
7. Matthew 4:8-11 devil showing Jesus all kingdoms and offering them if He would worship him, Jesus commanding Satan to be gone and quoting worship the Lord your God and serve only Him
8. James 4:7 resist the devil and he will flee from you, cited after Jesus resisted Satan with scripture
9. Psalm 19:1-3 the heavens declare the glory of God, day after day they utter speech, no language where it cannot be heard
10. Matthew 8:2-3 a leper kneeling before Jesus saying if you will you can make me clean, Jesus touching him and healing him
11. Matthew 9:18 a ruler kneeling before Jesus saying his daughter had just died, asking Jesus to come and lay his hand on her
12. Matthew 15:25 a woman kneeling before Jesus saying lord help me
13. Matthew 14:28-33 Peter walking on water, sinking, crying out lord save me, Jesus reaching out, those in the boat worshiping and saying truly you are the Son of God
14. Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus teaching on confronting a sinning brother, process of going alone then with witnesses then to the church
15. Matthew 18:18-20 whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven, where two or three are gathered Jesus is in their midst
16. Matthew 18:23-35 parable of the king settling accounts, servant forgiven great debt refusing to forgive a fellow servant, warning about forgiving from the heart
17. Matthew 20:20-21 mother of James and John kneeling before Jesus asking for her sons to sit at his right and left
18. John 4:19-24 Samaritan woman at the well asking about worship on the mountain versus Jerusalem, Jesus teaching that true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth
19. Matthew 28:9 after the resurrection Jesus meeting the disciples, them taking hold of his feet and worshiping him
20. Matthew 28:17-20 disciples worshiping though some doubted, Jesus giving the great commission based on all authority given to him
21. 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, cited when urging forsaking sin
22. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 words of institution over bread and cup at the Lord's Supper, this is my body and this is the new covenant in my blood

Talk about it

1. Tozer wrote that what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. What do you think that says about the connection between our view of God and the way we actually live?
2. The sermon described three responses to Jesus in the wise men passage: seeking worship, false worship like Herod's, and true worship. Where do you see those three responses showing up in people around you, or even in yourself?
3. Pastor talked about the word 'obeisance' and how it is rooted in the idea of obedience, and he said that if you really worship God it is not just about singing songs but about doing what you know He wants. How does that land with you? Where is the gap hardest to close in your own life?
4. When the leper and the ruler both came to Jesus with needs they could do nothing about themselves, their petition was itself an act of worship. Is there a situation in your life right now where coming to God in prayer is the most honest act of worship you could offer?
5. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the Father is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, meaning to live like they say they believe. What would it look like practically for your week to line up with what you sang or prayed on Sunday morning?