WORSHIPContains some copied materials; Based on #705 & #722
Hallelujah.
Praise Him.
It’s the same in every language.
We’re talking about worship today…
How When and Why
…We are to worship…
So firstly the HOW…
Ephesians 5:17-21 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
(18) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
(19) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
(20) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
(21) Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Understanding what the will of the Lord is… It is God’s will that we worship…
So, firstly, what is worship?
HOW are we to worship?
What does Biblical worship look like? HOW are we to worship our God?
1. SPIRITUAL FULLNESSVerse 18…Be filled with the Spirit…
Fulness Richness Abundance
Col. 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
There’s spiritual life…
“Worship” speaks of worthship.WORSHIP ascribes worth to God.You count Him valuable.
Worthy – is the Lamb…
There’s a richness. A fullness.
Mary, Lazarus’s sister, was a worshipper. She went all-out, no holding back. There was a fullness to her worship. It filled the place where she worshipped.
John 12:3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus,
and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
There was…FulnessRichnessAbundance
As we worship we will know...A fillingAn outpouringAn anointing.
Be as Mary.
It was...Costly worship.Others considered it wasteful.Mary’s act of worship cost her something (10 months wages).
We can know…A FulnessA Joyfulness
And we’re talking about what’s real, not artificial.
As it’s been said, “Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy.”
In our worship we can know a spiritual fullness.
Also, our worship is to have…
2. SPIRITUAL SONGS
Verse 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…
The songs that we are to sing are spiritual songs.
Our worship is founded on truth.
God is seeking true worshippers…
John 4:23-24 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.
Our worship must have…Spirit and Truth.A Solid Bible basis.
We can learn as we worship.We are singing truths.We are singing doctrine.
James 5:13…Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
3. SAVED HEARTS
Verse 19…Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
This worship that we know and love is heart changing.
Our motive is not to move the flesh but it is to see hearts moved.
Col. 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Is your heart healthy? We can know… Peace in our heart Melody in our heart God tunes our heart
The Lord Jesus did not come “to enhance your life”. But He has come to change lives and hearts, to seek and to save the lost.
We cam know a spiritual fullness, spiritual songs, and they spring from saved hearts.
He grants us real salvation.A heart transformed by His grace.
Peter said – to Simon…
Acts 8:21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
His heart was not right.
Our Lord told how… of some…
Matthew 15:8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Does worship spring from your heart?
We can truly know… Hearts filled. Heart saved.
We have reason for a rejoicing of the heart… Why? We have been saved…
Saved, “out of the snare of the devil” 2 Timothy 2:25-26.
A young man came to an evangelist, and he said, "What do I have to do to be saved?" And the evangelist said, "You're too late." And the young man was very upset. He promised to do anything.
The evangelist said, "You're too late. Your salvation was secured hundreds and hundreds of years ago on the cross. There's nothing you can do, to save yourself. Just receive Christ as your Saviour. And then Jesus Who is up in heaven will accept you, and you will be saved, through His merits, and His works."
True worship springs from the heart. From such a heart. A heart saved by grace.
And we can know this great melody of God’s Grace.
We know a praise and thankfulness for His grace.
Is there Grace within your heart?
Do you know the saving Grace of Jesus?
We have seen that our worship springs from a spiritual fullness, as we are filled with the Spirit. The songs that we sing are spiritual songs, and we worship in spirit and in truth.
And our worship comes from saved hearts, as we are singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord.
Now, consider this:
WHEN are we to worship?
Verse 20 of our text says,
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Is it something we just do when we gather together in a meeting?
No. It’s ALWAYS.
Worship is meant to be a total life reality, not limited by time and space… by location or procedures…
Acts 17:28For in him we live, and move, and have our being…
By faith we receiveBy faith we enter in…
And we know His grace in our hearts.
Our worship is not man-centred –Not centred on man and his needs...
It’s not about having a certain atmosphere, as if we have to have a certain emotional experience…
Rather, the scriptural focus of worship is… To glorify God To give Him glory.
When David was delivered from his enemies and from the hand of Saul, he sang, "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield,
and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised." (2 Samuel 22:2-4).
What if I don’t feel like it? What if I am having a hard day?
… Giving thanks always for all things…Praise Him – EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT…
When you’re tired.When you’re flagging.
Praise Him any way.
Praise Him all the more.Yet more, and more.
Praise Him when you’re flat – when you feel like complaining.
The Word speaks of… The sacrifice of praise…
You may be going through great testing…
You may be asking, what am I going to do? You may be going through what seems like hell on earth…
Tell your soul what to do.Tell your soul to Praise Him…Tell your soul to give Him glory.
Psalm 42:5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
YET will I praise Him…
It’s all the more reason for praise…
WHEN are we to worship?
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: - In the good times and the bad times – his praise SHALL CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.
Now, consider this, really the bottom line of it all:
WHY are we to worship?
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; It’s unto the Lord.
It is unto Him.Unto Him.
For Him.Because of Him.It is To Him…All glory and praise is due.
And our awesome God wants His church to praise Him!
It is to His praise and glory.
In Acts 2:47 the church at Jerusalem was “praising God and having favour with all the people.”
There is POWER in praise.
We read how Paul and Silas praised, even though they’d just been beaten up…
God’s Glory was what they paid attention to.
They were praising Him, in their pain, in their discomfort, in the dungeon at midnight. Their attention was on giving God the
honour. Their joy was not in their surroundings or
their circumstances.
Real praise is God-centred.
Worship is designed for Him.
And it will do us good too.
We get the soul-deep benefit from it.
One of the fundamental reasons you were created – is to PRAISE Him…
To give Him pleasure and praise:
Rev 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive GLORY and honour and power:
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Praise him…In… Joyfulness Gladness, and Thankfulness.
Why are we to worship?
Psalm 147:1 – It is a command -Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
It is right and beautiful, the fitting thing for you to do…
Our MOTIVATION is God’s pleasure – based on and driven by – FAITH, NOT FEELINGS.
We live in a Self-dependent, Self-focused, Self-centred world, where humanistic philosophies abound…
And the church has gravitated this way…
Our motivation must be the glory of God.
Our attitude to praising God is not meant to be fickle and changeable… Dependent on how we feel.
No, it’s not based on how we feel, or when we get the inclination…
Whatsoever we do…Give Him GloryGive Him Glory.
Our Reason for Praise is Who He is, our Saviour, our Redeemer, our All in All…
True praise celebrates the worth and the value of GOD. It is not dependent upon how we feel.
Psalm 103:1-2Bless the LORD, O my soul: and ALL that is within me < the totality of my being > , BLESS HIS HOLY NAME. (2) Bless the LORD, O MY SOUL, and forget not all his benefits.
Forget not all His benefits…
We ought to praise the Lord… For our salvation That our names are written down in
Heaven That we have His help when trouble
comes.
Worship and praise is not so much about the music or the sensation... It is centred upon our Lord. It is your response to Him.
It is… The adoration of the sacred The experience of God The fear of God.
The Book of Psalms is a book of praise songs.
Read the Psalms and you will want to join David in praising the Lord.
In Psalm 63:3 David says “…my lips shall praise thee.”
In Psalm 107:21 he says, “Oh that men would praise the Lord!”
(No slide)In Psalm 74:21 he says, “…let the poor and needy praise thy name.”
(no slide)Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of his people. It means that He is enthroned,
He dwells there… God is tangibly present…
In Psalm 119:164 he says, “Seven times a day do I praise thee.”
To praise the Lord is to bring Him… Adoration Reverence Glory
When I see folks coming to Christ, committing their lives to Christ… why shouldn’t I praise the Lord?
Do you know the Spirit’s filling? The spiritual fullness?Do you know the great joy to worship God in Spirit and in truth, spiritual songs?Do you know the reality of a saved heart?
Then it’s time to praise the Lord…
DECIDE to PRAISE HIM!
Psalm 9:1-2
I WILL praise thee, O Lord, WITH MY WHOLE HEART; I WILL show forth all thy marvelous works,
I WILL BE GLAD and REJOICE in thee: I WILL SING PRAISE to THY NAME, O THOU MOST HIGH.
How long has it been since you praised the Lord?
How long has it been since you sat down and realised what you have?
PRAISE HIM with your whole heart…
Psalm 146:1-2Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
(2) While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Praise the Lord for the Blessed Bible and the freedom to read it.For a fellowship to serve Him inFor a heart to love Him more.
Glory to God! His mercy endureth forever."Hallelujah! His mercy endureth forever." Forever, and ever, and ever.
Like one preacher has said, we have good reason to praise the Lord… Because…
When kingdoms have crumbled for the last time, His mercy endureth forever.
When dictators have waged their wicked battles for the last time, His mercy endureth forever.
When the stars have fallen like untimely figs from a tree shaken by the wind, His mercy endureth forever.
When the sun refuses to shine and the moon has turned as black as sackcloth of hair, His mercy endureth forever.
When people shall die no more and cemeteries shall not dot the horizon, His mercy endureth forever.
When shoulders shall never stoop, nor brows wrinkle, nor faces become furrowed, His mercy endureth forever.
When all of us awake in His likeness to live forever around His throne, His mercy endureth forever.
Blessed be God! His mercy endureth forever! (Hyles)
A quick recap…
WORSHIP. How. When. Why.
HOW are we to praise?
Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord
Know the SPIRITUAL FULLNESSSing the SPIRITUAL SONGSSing out from SAVED HEARTS
WHEN are we to praise?
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
May your worship be a total life reality, unlimited.By the whenever and whatever.Praise Him anyway.
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise SHALL CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.
Praise Him.
WHY are we to praise?
Give Him Glory.
It is His will. Be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. It’s His will. His command.
Psalm 107:21Oh that men would praise the Lord!
Psalm 9:1-2I WILL praise thee, O Lord, WITH MY WHOLE HEART; I WILL show forth all thy marvelous works,
Psalm 146:1Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Blessed be God! His mercy endureth forever!
Isaiah 64:7 reads…There is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.
Will you? Will YOU… TAKE HOLD OF GOD.
Praise Him.
Halleluyah.
