Worthy to Worship

Worthy to Worship
August 4, 2014
Psalm 150:6  "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

Sin separates us from the Lord.  Our hearts are ugly and even the smallest of sins committed on a daily basis are enough to cast us into the lake of fire to spend eternity in Hell.  Harsh as it sounds, you and I are not worthy of anything in the sight of the Lord.  No amount of good works will overcome the sin in our lives.  The only way to the Heavenly Gates is through the blood-work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  This presents a question in my mind, then, regarding our praise and worship of the Almighty King of Heaven.  Can our sins be such that the Lord does not want to hear our praises?  Can our hearts be so blackened that we shouldn't even bother with praising the Father Above?

We all have thought, at one point in our lives, that the Lord couldn't hear our prayers.  Regardless of its truthfulness, we all have believed the Lord must not hear us at times, blocking our prayers because of our sin.  Clearly the Lord can't hear us, we speculate.  But just because He doesn't answer in the manner we expect doesn't mean He cannot hear our prayers.  The same is true with our praise.  He can hear it---all of it, despite the sins committed this week.  No man is worthy enough to praise the Lord perfectly.  Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the Lord's expectations.  Even the most righteous man is not good enough for the Perfect One.  It still takes the blood of Jesus to allow the most righteous of men to be in the Lord's presence.  So, if the Lord expects and hears the praise of one, He expects and hears the praise of everyone who is willing.  He wants it from everyone or else He will command the rocks to perform the task.

Regardless of your sin the mere act of praise requires faith in the Lord, a belief in Him who is All Powerful, and an acknowledgment that He is to be praised.  If you can utter an ounce of praise, then it is worth uttering.  In order to praise Him, you already understand who He is and that he is worthy of praise, which is an act of confession all its own.  So, if you've ever been to church and thought the Lord didn't want to hear you worship Him because of the sins you committed this past week, think again.  If you are really insecure about it, confess those sins and praise Him anyway, regardless of how you feel inside.  He deserves praise even when you deserve punishment.  If you can acknowledge that He deserves praise, that's good enough to praise Him.  Truly, forgiveness can be found in the act of praise, especially since the act of praise requires a confession of His greatness in comparison to your weakness.  He is worthy to be worshiped and you are worthy enough to worship Him.

There is one instance, though, when the Lord suggests your act of worship would sound a little sweeter to His ears.  The Bible says when you bring a gift to the Lord and remember your brother has something against you, go first and be reconciled with your brother, then bring the Lord your gift.  Being angry with your brother is just as sinful as committing murder (look it up).  Your life should be an act of praise, constantly.  But if you sin, it does not preclude you from worshiping Him, it only makes it more important.  The Bible is clear, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."  Make sure it is praise, though, and not just lip service.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Ps 18:3, Ps 145:3, Matt 5:21-24, Luke 17:7-10, Luke 19:38-40