Worship Him - 2 There are two reasons to worship God. The first is because He is the Creator. The second is because He is our Redeemer. As we study worship, we need to keep these thoughts in 0ur minds. With that said, today I am going to venture into the hornet's nest of HOW to worship the Lord. But before we begin we need to invoke some wisdom from Paul the apostle. Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 1 Corinthians 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. Romans 14:18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. With that, let us take up where we left off last time. David danced before the Lord. Deuteronomy 12:12 Gods people were instructed to rejoice before the Lord. They were instructed to eat before the Lord from time to time. In their worship they were to read the words of the scriptures. Israelites were to bring sacrifices (offerings) when they came before the Lord on many occasion Let's just do a quick survey of some of the texts having to do with worship. 2 Samuel 6:5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. Ps 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Ps 98:4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. 5 Sing to the LORD with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm, 6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King. Psa 27:6 "And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD." Psa 47 "Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 2 For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. 3 He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet. 4 He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, The LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. 9 The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted." Ps 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Ps 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, 3 On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. 4 For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. Psa 96:1-2 "Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day." 1 Chr 16:8-9 "Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! {9} Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!" Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel. 24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; 25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; Ezra 10:1 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. Lam 2:19 "Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him For the life of your young children, Who faint from hunger at the head of every street." And perhaps one of the best texts on worship and the reason for it: Ps 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. Maybe a summary would be helpful. Singing is found at least 55 times in the Psalms alone. Almost 20 times in the book of Isaiah. Prayer is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. Shouting in mentioned or encouraged over 30 times in the Bible. Getting uncomfortable yet? Music is mentioned over 15 times in connection with worship. Lifting of the hands is mentioned 6 times and three of those times it is a command. 2 Chron 6:12 When Solomon prayed he lifted his hands to heaven Ezra 9:5 Ezra lifted his hands when he prayed. You may want to ask me right now, "Pastor, just what are you trying to prove?" Since you asked, let me answer you. What do all the things that we have mentioned so far have in common? Would anyone care to guess? JOY is the most common factor. The worship of God is not about asking. It is not about being sad. It is not about following rituals. It is about the joy of being a child of the King! And it would seem to me, that as soon as you begin telling people how they have to worship it ceases to really be worship. As soon as we begin doing something in worship because that is the way that we are supposed to worship, and lose the joy of worshipping our God from the heart, we are no longer worshipping. Let's look at the life of Christ for a moment, and consider two pictures of worship. Picture for me if you will the temple before Jesus cleansed it. The priests were going about the ceremonies that I am sure they considered to be worship. Sacrifices were being made, Prayers were being repeated, perhaps so rapidly that they could not be understood. There was a cacophony of sounds being made my man and animal alike. Then Jesus cleansed the temple. And as he taught, probably in the courtyard where the women could be also, the spontaneous sounds of singing came from the voices of happy children. What a difference! Yet the powers in charge did not consider that worship because it was not the rituals that they were accustomed to performing. Don't get me wrong. I am not against rituals, for they can be comforting. They can be a basis of worship. But just getting it done is not the object. The purpose is to connect emotionally with God. Now some of you want me to be more specific. Where are you trying to take this church? I just want us to learn to remember Rev 14:6-7 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth; to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people; {7} saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."" To the woman at the well Jesus said John 4:22 "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." I pray that we will learn to worship God in spirit and in truth. How does that happen? That is different for different people. When I am deeply moved sometimes I am unable even to say AMEN. Others rejoice more freely. Some may raise their hands in praise as children to a loving father. Others clap with joy at God's goodness. Some worship in singing. We could go on. But all must be subjected to the principles found in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14: All things must be done decently and in order. I close with 2 things. First, back to the beginning of our study today. 1 Corinthians 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. Romans 14:18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. We must resist the urge to control how others relate to God. Second. Worship will be part of a Christian's experience. No ifs ands or buts. So let us ask the Spirit to guide us into the joy of worship in our church. 1. I desire to worship my Creator Redeemer in Spirit and in truth. 2. I recognize that others may express themselves differently from the way I do, and I rejoice that they are worshipping our God. 3. I will be praying that the Spirit of God will lead us into a deeper spirit of worship as we meet together. hour of HIS judgment is come.