The Thieves of Prayer

John 4:21–24 KJV 1900

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.

I. Principles of Biblical Worship

A. For the Christian there is no greater joy than to worship God and to feel God’s presence.

1. It is spiritually fulfilling to enter God’s presence through worship.

2. Feeling God’s presence strengthens and reinforces our love for God.

B. Worship is a vital element in our relationship with God.

1. Without consistent offering of worship to God our walk with God will become empty and cold.

2. Worship should be a time of spiritual refreshing and communion with God.

3. The purpose of the worship service, is to allow for the moving of the Holy Ghost and to prepare our hearts for the preaching of the word of God.

i. We come to church to worship God!

ii. Out church services should be a time of spiritual renewal and refreshing!

C. Worship is meant to be a free expression from the heart, yet it still must be controlled and ordered by divine authority.

1. There are Biblical laws and principles that govern our worship, these laws and principles dictate what is acceptable and pleasing to God.

2. We have to worship God from our heart, but we must do it within the parameters of Biblical authority and order.

D. God’s instructions for acceptable worship are explicitly explained in His word.

1. We must follow the teaching of the Bible in our worship.

2. Never should we participate in non-Biblical worship, nor should we ever incorporate non-Biblical worship in our services.

E. True worship consists of the following elements.

1. True worship is giving unto God, not only receiving from God.

i. In true worship we give ourselves unreservedly to God, we are completely yielding ourselves to the Holy Ghost!

2. True worship is offering unto God, not asking of God.

i. We should come into the house of God offering the sacrifice of praise.

ii. It should be our desire to give honor and glory to God.

3. True worship is blessing God with our praise and not just seeking to be blessed.

Psalm 34:1 KJV 1900

1 I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

i. The purpose of worship, is not to see what we can get from God, but it is to offer ourselves to God.

ii. We must have the proper attitude about worship, we must understand that is a time of offering praise, honor, and glory unto God.

iii. Worship is a time of giving of ourselves unto God!

F. Those who worship God, must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

1. Worship must come from the heart and must be done in sincerity.

i. No amount of physical expression can replace sincerity, nor can it negate the necessity of sincerity.

2. Our worship must conform to the principles of worship given in the Word of God.

G. It is important that we learn, understand, and practice worship that is Biblical and acceptable to God.

1. We must offer our worship in the manner that is ordained in the Scriptures.

II. The effect and results of true worship:

A. In true worship God is gratified and glorified:

1. God finds pleasure in our sincere and heartfelt worship.

i. When man worships God of His own free will it is pleasing to God!

ii. God delights in those who choose to worship Him rather than choosing to give themselves to the things of the world.

2. God aggressively pursues our fellowship, our worship is a response to God!

i. God desires to have a communion with man, and God seeks holy men to build friendships with.

ii. When we worship, we are seeking fellowship and communion with God.

3. God initiates fellowship with man by stirring the heart! (or knocking at our heart’s door.)

Revelation 3:20 KJV 1900

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

i. Our worship is a response to God’s calling and stirring of our heart!

4. God finds great pleasure in our offering of sacrificial praises.

Hebrews 13:15–16 KJV 1900

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

5. In our worship, pleasing God should be our primary objective and supreme desire!

i. True and sincere worship will achieve that desire, for in worship God is gratified and glorified!

6. Worship is a direct ministry from our heart and soul unto the Lord.

i. Worship is an individual expression of love and appreciation to God!

B. In true and sincere worship, the worshiper will be edified and strengthened.

1. Worship is a mutual exchange between God and the worshiper.

i. We begin to seek God by offering thanksgiving and praise to Him.

ii. Through our thanksgiving and praise we are lifted above the cares of this life and in the presence of God!

a. Worship must be more than our response to what God is doing, it must be an expression of our love and appreciation for God.

b. True worship is giving thanks to God.

2. In worship God lifts us out of our carnal world of problems and limitations and into the spiritual realm.

i. When we worship, the Spirit of God enables us to overcome things that would normally bind our spirit and depress our emotions.

a. As we worship Go, He imparts strength, courage, and faith to us.

b. As we allow God’s Spirit to move in us, He begins to lift us above the obstacles we face, and the things that oppose us, and gives us victory!

3. Several times in the Old Testament, when sacrifices were offered to God, God sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice.

1 Kings 18:38 KJV 1900

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1 Chronicles 21:26 KJV 1900

26 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

2 Chronicles 7:1 KJV 1900

1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

i. When the fire fell from heaven, it showed that God was pleased and that He had accepted their sacrifice.

a. The fire that cam from heaven, also confirmed to them that they were serving the true God!

b. In the case of 1 Kings 18:38 it was a specific sign of who the true God was, as opposed to a false God.

4. If we will offer a sacrifice of praise unto the Lord, He will answer us by pouring out the Holy Ghost on us!

i. When we worship, God will bless us and let us know that we are pleasing and acceptable to Him!

ii. When we worship, God will continue the work that He is doing in our life, through the moving of the Holy Ghost in our lives.

iii. God brings spiritual change and growth to our lives by the working of the Holy Ghost in our hearts!

iv. The moving of the Holy Ghost in our lives will burn out the impurities of a contaminated carnal life!

v. The Holy Ghost will purge us of the evil desires that try to dominate us.

vi. The Holy Ghost will strengthen our human spirit.

a. Notice that when people reached out to God in sincerity God would send visible fire and consumer their sacrifices.

b. When you reach the New Testament you find that not only does God consume the sacrifice, but you realize that you are the sacrifice that He is consuming!

Acts 2:1–4 KJV 1900

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.