THE ROLE OF EMOTION IN WORSHIP

THE ROLE OF EMOTION IN WORSHIP

Text: Various.

Delivered on: October 1, 2006. Streetsboro.

Introduction.

1. Have you ever had anyone say to you, “There is no emotion in the worship services of the church of Christ.”

2. It is a common observation.

3. It is an observation that I made when I first started attending worship services with Jennifer when we were dating.

4. Is that an accurate statement?

5. More important than that; What is the role of emotion in worship?

Body.

1. The Importance of Emotion in Worship?
   
   

   1. The two extremes.

      1. Some feel that emotion is the most important part of worship.

      2. Some feel that there is no place for emotion in worship.

      3. The truth, as we will see, lies somewhere in between these two.
         
         

   2. Let it be said, if there is no emotion in our worship, then it is not pleasing to God.

      1. We are to worship God in Spirit and Truth. John 4:24. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

         1. This passage does not say, “in the Spirit” but “in spirit.”

         2. It is referring to worshiping God in the right frame of mind.

         3. It is not enough to worship in truth alone.

      2. Jesus said that it is not enough to just go through the motions. Matthew 15:8. 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
         
         

2. The Place of Emotion in Worship.
   
   

   1. We must remember that God is the audience in worship.

      1. God is the one who receives worship.

      2. He is seeking worship from true worshipers. John 4:23. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

      3. God has established how He desires to be worshiped. In truth.

      4. The primary purpose of worship is not to “whip up” the worshiper into an emotional frenzy.

         1. Some churches do just that.

         2. Their whole worship service is designed to stir up emotion.

         3. Some now call their worship services celebrations.

         4. This is a distortion of worship.

      5. The primary purpose of worship is to please God and give Him joy.
         
         

   2. The emotion of the worshiper should come from two sources.

      1. Knowing that one is worshiping God in spirit and truth and pleasing Him should give the worshiper joy.

      2. The acts being performed in worship should bring emotions with them.

         1. Sermons.

         2. The Lord’s Supper.

         3. Songs.

         4. Prayer.

         5. Giving.

         6. Each of these acts should bring forth emotion.
            
            

   3. However, we must remember that “Having an emotional experience” is not the purpose of worship.

      1. Rather heart-felt emotion is a side effect of proper worship.

      2. It comes when the worshiper focus his/her thought on what is being said or done and realizes its significance and importance to them.

      3. A lack of emotion occurs when we just go through the motions. When we do this, we are not worshiping in spirit.
         
         

   4. So, what about the charge, “There is no emotion in your worship service.”

      1. This may or may not be true.

      2. It depends upon the worshiper.

      3. However, even if others are not focusing on what is being done and, as a result, their worship is very shallow and meaningless to them, that doesn’t mean that you can’t worship with emotion.

      4. Perhaps we need to stop worrying about how other people are worshiping and focus on our own worship to God.
         
         

   5. One last thing…

      1. God desires that all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40. Let all things be done decently and in order.

      2. Emotion cannot be allowed to “take over” a service.

      3. Remember, our worship is governed by our intellect. Emotion is a side-effect.
         
         

3. The Kinds of Emotions in Worship.
   
   

   1. Knowing that we are pleasing God should give us great joy.

      1. God seeks true worshipers to worship Him.

      2. It should give us joy to be able to give something back to God.

      3. He is worthy. Revelation 4:1-11 ¹ After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." ² Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. ³ And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. ⁶ Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" ⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ¹¹ "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."
         
         

   2. The Lord’s Supper.

      1. Ought to cause us grief.

         1. It is to be done as a memorial to Jesus’ death.

         2. Sometimes, worship gives us emotions that are unpleasant.

         3. It should be unpleasant. We need to be reminded of the consequences of sin.

         4. How do you think Abraham felt when he went to worship in Genesis 22:5? Genesis 22:5. And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."

      2. Ought to cause us to be grateful.

         1. John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

         2. Matthew 26:26-28. ²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." ²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
            
            

   3. Sermons.

      1. Can cause a number of emotions depending on the topic.

      2. Joy. Acts 8:39. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

      3. Worldly sorrow.

         1. Matthew 19:21-22 ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

         2. 2 Corinthians 7:10. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

      4. Sorrow. Acts 2:37. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

      5. Anger??? Acts 7:54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

      6. Gratefulness.
         
         

   4. Prayers.

      1. Gratefulness. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

      2. Sorrow. For sin.

      3. Concern. For the lost. For the ill.
         
         

   5. Giving.

      1. Joy. 2 Corinthians 9:7. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

      2. Thankfulness for the ability to give.

I used to gripe about the job of doing household chores

But thanks to television news I don't gripe anymore

In every land and country there are people in despair

So now all of my household chores I do with loving care

The dishes and the pots and pans I do on aching feet

I gladly do because it means we have enough to eat

The sheets I change the beds I make no longer do I dread

Because of this it means that we sleep in a nice warm bed

Vacuuming and dusting scrubbing dirty floors and walls

Means there's a roof above my head so I don't mind at all

And then there's dirty laundry endless baskets to attack

But that just means my family has enough clothes on their back

That's why I'm thankful for housework, I'm blessed abunduntly

Compared to others in the world I see on my tv