Sunday Morning Sermon Series - Pastor Jeff Shipley (Date:11/28/2021)

True Worship Is an Internal Sacrifice

Tell me you did. Now, I don't have a worship meter for your life. God didn't give me that skill. Only you can answer that. But you know, I have seen people go, run around the aisles, and they're not worshipping God.

I've also seen people stand there in a reverence, and they're not worshipping God. It's not based upon what you're doing on the outside, it's what's going on on the inside. Ask yourself this question.

Are you truly worshipping God? It says here in verse 2,. Now, are you troubled by our worship time? Are you troubled by our worship time? I have five bass players in this church. It seems like every dude that I know from the 80s can play the bass guitar.

But for three weeks, there's been no bass guitar over here. Why? We need the bass guitar. Without the bass guitar, you don't get that funk up in there. You know what I mean? You don't get that bass face rocking, you know?

We need the bass guitar to worship God. Aiden, I cannot believe how good on drums you've gotten in the last few months. I mean, dude, you're a stud, right? Miss Carla, I mean, she walks on water. Everything she does is perfect, right?

I think it's Brother Andrew's fault. If he would pick different songs, I could worship a little bit better sometimes. You know what I mean? Come on, come on, y 'all. You know what I'm talking about. You know, if he would just listen to K-Love and those songs on K-Love that just kind of make you go, you know, when you're driving the car because you're thinking about your mama who passed away, or you're thinking that was your song in some sort of nostalgic moment in the past.

You know what I'm talking about. See, that's what most Christians are looking for in worship time. They're looking for things that emotionally spark or move them rather than them serving and worshiping God.

Worship is not about how you feel. It's not about how you perform. It's about what you are speaking to God in reverence and in worship. And here's something about worship. I have learned this in my own life, okay?

Worship costs you something. It will. It will cost you something. It'll cost you your comfort. It'll cost you your desires. It'll cost you something. But for you to give God worship, something that is worthy of Him, it must by default cost you something.

If you're just sitting there like a bump on a log, is everybody hot in here? It looks like an old southern, somebody do something. But if you are not giving something, you ain't worshiping. Now look at this, verse 3.

When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all of Jerusalem with him. So a baby's born, and Herod is bothered by this? We've got to understand something about King Herod. And once again, and I even put some historical non-Christian historians quotes on the back here for you guys to go study.

But let me tell you something about Herod real quick. He was not a Jew, he was an Edomite, okay? He was kind of the next door neighbor of the Jew, okay? And when Rome took over Palestine, when Rome took over Palestine for a second there, they installed him as the vassal king of that area.

So his job was basically this. His job was to keep everybody calm and cool, and to collect the taxes and send it to Rome. That's what he did. But Herod was called Herod the Great because of this. In 20 BC, when he'd first come on to the throne, the first thing he started redoing is he started rebuilding the temple complex there in Jerusalem.

And so everybody, sorry guys, everybody was so excited. They were so pumped up because they were getting that old temple back. And if they could just get that temple back, well then gosh gee, they could really start worshiping God then.

If we just had a better sanctuary, or a better preacher, good luck. If you just could find something, that little niche, we could worship God better. Here's something else about Herod. He had his wife killed.

He had his mother-in-law killed, which I know, that makes sense. But he had three of his sons killed. His three oldest boys, he had them killed. And you know why? Because he was so paranoid that they would somehow remove him from power, that he had them killed.

Guys, let me ask you a question. What is it in your life that is so dear to you, that you will sacrifice everything for instead of submitting to God? I know parents who are Christians, who are literally laying their children on the altar of sacrifice to the culture of this world, rather than leading them to Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest forms of worship you can have is with your family. Do you pray together as a family? And men, let me talk to you just for a second. If you feel awkward praying with your wife, I get it.

Okay? I know some of you are like, well, I don't feel it. Yes, you do. Okay, relax. Slow down. If you feel awkward, it doesn't make you a poopoo head. It doesn't make you a loser. It just means you're doing something new outside of the norm, and you're breaking down that bondage or that jail that's keeping you and your family hemmed in.

Go ahead and break through. Guys, don't worry about how you feel. Faith has nothing to do with feelings. Pray anyways. Guys, come to a place where you are worshiping God no matter what the sacrifice. Number two, I want to ask you this question.

Are you testifying about God's Word? I want everyone right now, first name only, I want everyone right now to mention the first name of an individual that you have witnessed to in the last 48 hours. Go.

That was so awesome. You couldn't have planned that any better. The only thing, if it had been crickets, that would have been better. Who have you witnessed to in the last 48 hours? Okay. Read with me.

Testifying to Christ by Living Out the Faith

Verse 4, Matthew chapter 2. So when he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. Guys, it's not enough to have knowledge. Guys, I'm telling you, and listen old fat pastor on this one.

You living out your faith will give the credence for you to be able to speak your faith. Okay? People should know that you are a Christian by just the difference that you have against the culture of the world.

How close do you look, act, and dress to the world? Some of you little girls in here. I'm worried about the circulation of your lower body. I'm serious, man. And I've had a couple of chats with some of you.

And if you're going to wear them breeches, make sure you wear a shirt a little bit longer. Okay? Or I'm going to have an old woman come over and smack you. Do you look, act, talk, dress just like the world?

Is there any difference between you and the world? Now, if you're a Christian and you have so assimilated with the world that you can't tell a difference, I promise you the peace of God is going to escape you.

You're going to be one of those Christians that are in constant conflict within their own lives because God is calling you and convicting you and you are resisting it. Ladies and gentlemen, testify about Jesus Christ.

And here's the first thing you've got to do. Live out your life. It's not enough just to have the knowledge. There's got to be a have a life. Look, Herod the Great knew enough to go ask the pastors about this guy named Messiah.

So now check this out. Herod's sitting there. These three Jewish guys walk up and they say, hey, where's the king of the Jews? Herod's like, what? That's me. And they said, oh, no, no, man, he's been prophesied for 700 years.

What? Someone go get me a pastor. So he comes and he gets all the scribes and all the knowledgeable people about the Old Testament and they say, he asked this question, where's this king of the Jews going to be born so I can go worship him?

And here's what they said. They quote Micah chapter 5 verse 2. And it says this, Bethlehem, Bethlehem, you are small among the clans of Judah, yet one will come from you to be the ruler over Israel for me.

His origin is from an antiquity from eternity. Now here's what's really cool. Think about this for a second. If I was to tell you in the 2024 election, the next president of the United States would come from Meridian, Mississippi, or Bucksnort, Tennessee.

Yeah, nowadays. Or better yet, Fraser, okay? You'd be like, what? Guys, they were expecting the king to come from Jerusalem, to be of royal lineage blood, to come in power and overthrow the Roman government.

And here was the savior of the world being born in a barn in the outskirts of Jerusalem, in the dregs of Jerusalem. And so Herod said, ah, he's to be born in Bethlehem. Okay, well here's what we're going to do.

You guys go find him, and when you find him, come on back and tell me where he is, so I can march down there and worship him too. Guys, in testifying about Christ, your life has got to manifest a certain level of legitimacy in how you are to be able to speak the word of God.

How many of y 'all ever love watching television preachers? Carlos, really? Dude, you need to get a girlfriend. I mean, how many of y 'all sit there and go, Rod Parsley's on! Let's rush home! Forget the game, boys!

You know? Some of you, and we have a very young church, but some of you older folks, did you enjoy watching Billy Graham? I did too. I mean, I watched him later on, I wasn't a Christian or alive back then, but I actually go online and watch some of his own shows.

What's the difference? Now, I'm not a big fan of Billy Graham's theology on some certain area, but I've got to give him this. The man lived out what he believed. The man lived out what he believed. It's amazing to me how much validity you can have in testifying for Christ if you don't just have the knowledge, but you're actually obeying the knowledge that you do have.

Can I say that to you one more time? That you're actually obeying the knowledge that you have. Guys, if you're feeling like you're not close to God and you feel like you need to learn more, okay, that's good.

But let me ask you a question. Are you already obeying what you already know? Because more knowledge isn't going to help you. Obedience will. Third thing. Are you searching? Look here in verse 8. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child.

Not the baby. The young child, and when we have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship with him. Let me ask you a question. How many of y 'all got tired of searching? You know what I'm talking about.

You know God's convicting or calling you to do something and you put in a little effort and then you got bored and just said forget it and went right back to where you were before. Has that ever happened to any of y 'all?

Okay, just me. All right. So it just happened. Oh, it did happen to you. You know what I mean? God's convicting you, calling you to obey and do something, and you do put an effort in. But only for a little bit.

Guys, understand in searching, let's look at these three guys. Actually, it wasn't three guys. It was probably about 40 to 50 of these people. But we always think it's three guys because of the three gifts that were given.

But it was probably 40 to 50 people. But let's look at this group of folks. They searched diligently before they had confirmation, meaning that they did not have King Herod or religious leaders or the government validate Bethlehem as the birthplace of Messiah or anything else.

They simply went on what the Word of God had prophesied and they came to a conclusion by seeing a supernatural event, i .e., the star, that this must be a fulfillment of the prophecy. And then they went and they started moving and working and they did something about the position where you're in.

You know one of the things that drives me crazy about my own Christian life? How complacent I get and how quickly it happens. You know what I mean? I mean, maybe I shouldn't say this so you all will fire me as your pastor, but man, I'm, God, lazy sometimes.

God convicts me of something and instead of doing something about it, I'm in that kind of groove, you know? I mean, it's not like I'm out running around killing people. You know what I mean? And I get complacent.

And here's what I think or I used to think years ago. God, do something for me. Give me the desire to change. Hmm. Maybe we need to quit looking for desire and start looking for the destination. In other words, maybe that we build desire, maybe we build consistency by not going on how we feel or which way the wind is blowing, but put our faces in the adversity, put our faces towards what is hard, not by based on our emotions, but based upon the call of God in simple obedience.

And then when that obedience is fulfilled in that small step, then we move on to the next. It's funny. Not Ava. What's the youngest one's name? Naomi. I can't remember. She's a hillbilly or something.

She got this from the Matusik side of the family. But anyway, she's got that hillbilly teeth, you know. But she's so stinking cute. And she was doing this a few months ago. She was like, you know how they do?

And their little heads are doing this, you know. And then you say, what are you doing? And they go, and it's mostly gum, you know. But she's like, oh, they're so cute, the little fat cheeks. And then she started doing this.

You know, she was on her belly. It was kind of like a seesaw, you know. And she would just kind of move around with her hands. Then, but it was so funny because her back legs got the message of motivation.

Because she would sit up and her back legs would start moving, but she refused to move her hands. And so she was like bent in half and her little legs were going like this. And she would go, and she would get frustrated because she knows she wanted to go that way.

And it was like that little cartoon, you know. Everything on the backside is at full speed and the hands are just locked up. She was brake torquing, right? Then, she figured out this. Well, I don't need my legs.

I'm just going to use my arms. And she started inchworming across the floor. Well, I'd only seen my grandchildren about once every two or three months. Sorry. No, that's not true. It was like within one week, she, what's her name?

Rachel brought her over to the house and she put Naomi down and it looked like speedy stinking Gonzales, man. I mean, I think I actually heard her go, Arriba! And she was like, I mean, hands and feet moving together.

I mean, she actually crawled by me and went, and I mean, she just was rocking, man. Guys, I identify with that so much in my spiritual life sometimes. Man, that's part of me back here is wanting to go 100 miles an hour, but I don't want to give up that sin or I don't want to give up that issue or I don't want to submit to that call and man, I'm brake locked in because I want to do what I want to do.

And then, God will say, here, son, let me help you a little bit. And I'll fall down and I'll cry like a little girl. God will pick me up and shake me so my hands and feet are dangling and put me back on the floor.

Try again, boy. And then I finally get it and I'm moving and I'm, hey, man, this is great. And it's a funny thing about us. Now she's got to learn to stand and pull herself up. Now she's got to learn to walk.

Now she's got to learn to run. Now she's got to learn to sprint. Then when she gets older, for you young people, you have to learn how to walk again when you get older. Because trust me, when you start getting out of chairs and your legs go, no, not today, you still got to get up.

You know? You still got to get up. Guys, are you diligently searching for Christ? Understand, it's going to take a lot of mess ups and failures to get there. If you are too hard on yourself where you believe the grace of God for everyone else but you don't believe it to you, you're going to be apathetic and say, why bother?

I'm going to fail anyways. Let me quit trying. I encourage you today. Don't do that. Seek diligently. And then the last thing is this. Obey. Obey. So it says here in the next verse, actually in verse 12, God warms the magi from the east.

He says, man, do not go back to Herod. Go back home. And they obeyed and they went home. Now the king, the government, had said, you come on back here and talk to me. And if you noticed in the dialogue there in the verses up, they didn't say no and they didn't say yes.

They didn't say anything. King said, you come on back here. Alright, see you later. And they were out. God said, do not go back to them. Go home in your own way. Yesterday, we had a funeral. I hate the word funeral.

We had a memorial service for Brother Charles Newton. Sat right about there. Annabette's here this morning. I love you, Annabette. Buried her husband on a Saturday. Here with her family to worship on a Sunday.

Charles, for those of you that don't know, man, he had kind of a rough road to hoe there in his life. Now, I mean, I don't mean he was a godless heathen. I mean, he just had a lot of things come at him.

One of the things, though, about Charles is he could be as stubborn as an Arkansas draft mule. I mean, argue you to a standstill. And he and I once were having a conversation. He was like, well, I don't believe that.

I'm like, well, Charles, you know, you need to, come on, man, let's talk about it. And just would not do it. About a year later, maybe it was even longer, he came up to me one Sunday after communion and said, you know what?

You were right. You were right. And he started doing this thing that we talked about. Guys, when was your last disobedience to God? When's the last time you got on the internet and looked at something you weren't supposed to, boys?

I know a lot of y 'all looking at your wristwatch. I get it. It's not that long ago. How many of you ladies, when's the last time you gossiped about somebody? Guys, it's not just the acts of commission that we do, but it's also the disobedience of omission.

How many of you came in here today expecting to get fed instead of ministering to someone? In other words, your insecurities or your laziness, instead of reaching out to people and asking them where they are in their spiritual life, you were content to walk in, sit in your chair, in your pew, talk to the people you know, feel comfortable, think about how hot it is in here, or how long this preacher is going to preach so you can go home.

Instead of finding intentionally a person in here that you did not know and finding out what they needed in their spiritual life to minister to them. Think about that for a second. Guys, how obedient are you?

How obedient are you? I've learned this about obedience in Christ. I'm going to let you in on a secret. It stinks. I hate it. I know I'm not supposed to say that maybe. I hate it. Because Pastor Jeff does not want to be obedient to God.

I don't. Maybe I should, but I don't. I didn't want to be here this morning. I want to be shooting a buck. You know? I mean, I haven't been out in the woods yet this year. Of course, I can't get an invite from anybody.

Hey, Marty. That's not true. He has. But, guys, how obedient are you? How many of you all know Mercedes struggles this morning? Am I embarrassing you? Okay. I mean, she's pregnant, so right away, she's crazy.

But, well, she's a female and pregnant, so she's crazy, right? Go make me a sandwich. Guys, how many of you peoples know where she at? Guys, be obedient. Last thing, look at yourself in the picture of Herod the Great, the three wise men.

Look at yourself as in the scribes of the Pharisees that were asked the question, where are you this morning? Number one, are you Herod the Great? You hate everything about God. You hate everything about Jesus.

Everything is foolishness. Maybe you're here, some of you, because your parents forced you to be here or your wife nagged you to be here. And you cannot stand being in this place. Maybe you're like Herod.

Number two, and I think this applies to most of us, maybe you're like the scribes who answered Herod the Great's question. They wanted to have a Bible study. They knew the answers. They knew the answers, but they weren't obeying anything.

They knew where Messiah was born. But guys that lived a month away's walk showed up and went there and the guys that were six miles away and who knew all the answers stayed where they were at. Maybe some of us in this room are so focused on our comfort, we are compromised instead of committed.

Number three, last one. I want to be like the guys that came. Now here's the thing, and this is the last thing I'm going to say to you. Music people, you should come up. Here's the last thing I'm going to say to you.

If you want to be like the wise men, listen to me, Christianity is going to cost you everything. I know some people say, well Christianity will cost you something. That's not true. That's not Christianity, that's religion.

Being a follower of Christ will cost you your life. And I know that goes against what every other, not every other, but a bunch of other churches and preachers are saying. But Scripture is very clear.

If you love anything else more than Christ, you're worshiping it instead of Christ. If you are not doing what God said to do, but instead focusing on what you want to do, you're not being obedient. And that's when you get burned.

And man, I tell you what, it can leave scars. Trust me. But if you're willing to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and you think it's simply just a prayer, you're out of your mind. Luke 9 says, If any man wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me daily.

Now, some of you in this room might be struggling with little alcohol issues. Yeah. In other words, you want to have a good time. You want to take the edge off the world. Guys, let me tell you something.

That alcohol will take your rear end farther than you ever intended to go, keep you longer than you intended to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay. Do not play with that garbage. Now, I'm not saying there ain't nothing wrong with a beer.

I'm not saying that. But if you are doing that daily and it is the thing you are using to cope with the stress, I have a word for you. You are an alcoholic. And I don't care what WebMD tells you. I'm telling you, if you are using alcohol to fix your issues, you are an alcoholic.

And you best quit playing with it. Pooh, listen. Some of you in here are satisfied because you are hooked up with someone who makes you feel worthy. Man or woman? Man or woman? Guys, that relationship is going to jack you up.

And here's the fun part. It will jack your children up as well. Guys, please. Don't look to emotions and don't look to people to find the peace of God that can only be found in submission to Jesus Christ.

Last thing. And please listen to me on this. It is not a prayer, a church, or a religion that saves your soul from hell. And I know you've heard me say this now for almost 20 years. I saw one of our older church members here at the funeral yesterday.

And every time I see her, my heart is spurned to preach. Because I believe there are people who are in rebellion towards God and yet justify that rebellion by a sense of the nostalgic belief that their prayer that they prayed 60 years ago still is going to get them into heaven.

I hurt for some of y 'all. I am concerned for some of y 'all. Because you are basing your salvation on an emotional moment rather than the blood of Jesus Christ. That your faith, even after decades, is still a mile wide for all the world to see yet still only an inch deep.

Guys, if you are a child of God, you will be chastened. You will be convicted. And you will come to a place of maturing in Christ or you will go home. You cannot live in open rebellion towards God year after year, decade after decade and not see the judgment of God in your life.

If you don't question that, you have lost your mind. People, please, I beg you. I beg you by the mercies of God. Search diligently. Search diligently. If everything in your life is a controversy of your feelings towards your faith, guys, you need to reexamine where you are with Christ.

Hebrews 9 .27 says this, and I think about this every time we bury a saint. It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this comes judgment.