A throwback sermon preached on September 30, 2014.
TEXT
John 4:19-24
(19) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. (20) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (21) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (22) Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
INTRODUCTION
Unless you follow closely the world of professional golf you might never hear the name “Harvey Penick.”
Harvey Penick was a well-respected golf instructor who invested his life in teaching men and women how to play their best game of golf. He taught children, amateurs, collegians, professionals, and even duffers.
He also wrote a book entitled: Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. It is from those pages that I want direct your attention:
When my student Betsy Rawls was in a playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open championship, I sent her a one-sentence telegram.
It said:
“Take Dead Aim!”
Betsy won the playoff.
For golfers who might not understand Texas talk, let me put the advice in the telegram a different way: Once you address the golf ball, hitting it has got to be the most important thing in your life at that moment. Shut out all thoughts other than picking out a target and taking dead aim it.
This is a good way to calm a case of nerves.
Everybody gets nervous on the first tee, whether it’s Betsy Rawls in a playoff for the Open or a high handicapper teeing off at the club in a $2 Nassau with friends.
Instead of worrying about making a fool of yourself in front of a crowd of 4 or 40,000, forget about how your swing may look and concentrate instead on where you want the ball to go. Pretty is as pretty does.
I would approach my college players before a match and tell them the same thing: Take dead aim.
This is a wonderful thought to keep in mind all the way around the course, not just on the first tee. Take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head, and swing away.[1]
The Lord is searching for true worshippers to live their lives in worship to Him.
And tonight I want to address this topic, take aim, and swing away.
KEYPOINTS
- Cares of Life.
It’s easy to get sidetracked from a life of worship.
Luke 8:14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
Mark 4:19, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”
The word rendered “cares” denotes in the original “distracting anxieties,” which, as it were, “cut a man in sunder.”[2]
Life has a way of getting away from us sometimes, grabbing the bit, and running in its own direction.
We are people of purpose who need to grab the reins and live, and worship, on purpose.
The worship of the Lord Jesus Christ should be so much a part of your life that no decision is made without that in mind.
Ask yourself the question:
How does this magnify God?
Is the Lord pleased by my choice?
I know bills are high, work is a struggle, and the devil wants to fill your mind so full of fear and second-guessing that you might find it difficult to even focus on God long enough for a season of prayer, but I would admonish you to
“Take Dead Aim!”
Find that prayer closet, sing that song of praise, let all your focus turn to Jesus and worship Him.
- True worship begins in the spirit.
The “mind,” the “soul,” the “heart.” They shall worship God with a sincere “mind;” with the simple offering of gratitude and prayer; with a desire to glorify him, and without external pomp and splendor.[3]
The mind has to be sincere in its approach to God, void of showmanship, or entertainment.
God’s pleasure in you is not increased by the litany of complex verbiage exiting your mouth, but by the simple thanksgiving and prayer.
And, also, it is the presence of the sincere life that is governed by God’s Holy Spirit impacting and influencing your rational soul.
We focus our mind on the Lord and then
“Take Dead Aim!”
- True worship is truthful.
To be true in your worship is to stand before God as you really are, and not in some fashion of fakery.
It is the life of authenticity and vulnerability.
It is you being the real you.
It is you opening up the most true part of yourself to God, focusing on Him, and then
“Take Dead Aim!”
CLOSE
David and Michal.
Woman at the well.
[1] Penick, Harvey. (1992). Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. Simon & Schuster. Page 45.
[2] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Mark 4:19.
[3] Albert Barnes
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 