Humans Judge the Lord?
The sermon emphasizes the importance of worshiping God as He designed, rather than according to human preference or psychology.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that God created humanity to worship Him, and that sin disrupted this natural inclination, leading to a loss of perfect fellowship with the Creator. He points out that while people instinctively seek to worship, they often choose what to worship based on personal preference, effectively judging God's intentions. This tendency has given rise to a blend of psychology and humanism masquerading as religion, where individuals elevate themselves above divine authority. Tozer asserts that true worship cannot occur without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who restores the rightful place of worship in the hearts of believers.
Text
It is a fact that God made us to worship Him, and if we had not fallen with Adam and Eve, worship would have been the most natural thing for us. Sinning was not the natural thing for Adam and Eve, but they disobeyed and fell, losing their privilege of perfect fellowship with God, the Creator. Sin is the unnatural thing; it was never intended by God to be our nature. Men and women who are out of fellowship with God, the Creator, still have an instinct towards some practice of worship. In most of our "civilized" circles, the practice of picking out what we like to worship and rejecting what we do not like is widespread.
This has opened up an entire new field for applied psychology and humanism under a variety of religious disguises.
Thus men and women set themselves as judges of what the Lord has said-and so they stand with pride and judge the Lord. In the Bible, God takes the matter of worship out of the hands of men and puts it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to worship God without the impartation of the Holy Spirit!
Sermon Outline
- The Natural State of Worship
- The Unnatural State of Sin
- The Human Tendency to Judge God
- The Role of the Holy Spirit in Worship
- Picking and choosing what to worship
- The role of applied psychology and humanism
- It is impossible to worship God without the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“It is impossible to worship God without the impartation of the Holy Spirit!” — A.W. Tozer
“Sin is the unnatural thing; it was never intended by God to be our nature.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must recognize our natural state as created to worship God and seek to restore this relationship through the Holy Spirit.
- We must be careful not to let humanism or applied psychology influence our understanding of worship and lead us away from God's design.
- We must seek the impartation of the Holy Spirit to enable us to worship God properly.