I Heard an Old, Old Story (3)

Shout to the Lord

Good Morning Church! Welcome to part 3 of a 5 part series titled I Heard an Old, Old Story. This series is a study of just a few of the hymns and songs we love. If you would, please open you Bibles to Psalm 100

In the Bible, the Hebrew word translated as “worship” is shachah and literally means the act of bowing down. The Greek word proskuneō, rendered as “worship,” means “to encounter God and praise Him.” Both of these words appear to define worship as an activity or an action. However, an accurate depiction of biblical worship extends beyond mere activity. One theologian summarized a better and more comprehensive definition of worship in this statement: “Worship is the reverential response of creation to the all-encompassing magnificence of God”. It is our physical and emotional reverent response our Creator… it is a call to serve the Lord with gladness that is so much more than a spiritual obligation.… it is an opportunity to express our gratitude and gladness in response to God's goodness for all that He has done… past, present, and future. It is an ongoing testimony of our relationship with Christ and it invites the presence of God Almighty to dwell among us.

But, why do we worship through music?

What is it about music that draws us toward worship?

Music is a medium that enables us to offer praise to God almighty by providing a structure and language for the believer to express gratitude and adoration… Have you ever tried to pray and couldn’t find the words??? Maybe as you were praying you realized that your prayer sounded like a broken record… repeating the same words over and over…

Music when used in worship, creates a pathway for God’s people to openly participate in communion with Him....

Communion by definition is “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.”… but on a more basic level music helps God’s people connect with Him in a meaningful way.

If you are able, would you please stand with me and honor Our Father as we read from His Word in Psalm 100… Psalm 100, A psalm of thanksgiving.

Psalm 100 CSB

Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his—his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.

Let us pray...

My Jesus… my savior… Lord there is none like you! Father, today we enter into your presence in hopeful anticipation for what you are about to reveal to your people. Father today, I ask that you would use this message of worship to draw us closer to you. Lord, remove me from your sermon so that your words and your lesson are what’s heard here today. Father, prepare our hearts and our minds to receive your Word. Lord, we love you and we ask all of this in the mighty name of Jesus,

Amen.

One of the blessings that preaching at various churches provides me is the wide variety of praise and worship music that I have the opportunity to listen to. From the classic hymns like Amazing grace… Be thou My Vision… and When I survey the Wondrous Cross to the modern worship songs like 10,000 reasons… This is Amazing Grace… and Forever....

By a show of hands, how many of you have a favorite worship song? What is it about that worship song that makes it your favorite? Is it a song that you can relate to in some deep and meaningful way? or is it because it shifts your focus off of you and onto the One in whom our salvation lies?

Most people have an absolute favorite hymn or song...I don’t have one favorite… I have a lot of favorites, but when I think about worship songs… this song is a special one for me… Right before I met Christy, I think I was right around 20 years old and had just started my career in EMS and one day I saw this commercial on TV announcing the world's most incredible collection of the christian songs available… and for the low low price of 14.99 you got the first 2 CDs in the collection and then they would send you a new CD once a month until you cancelled or your credit card expired… which ever one happened first… This amazing collection was called Songs for Worship, and it was something I couldn’t live without… I immediately picked up my Nokia brick phone… which I still believe was one of the most amazing phones ever invented!!! and I called the 800 number to order my very own copy of this collection. It was one of the best irresponsible decisions I ever made!!! I ended up with something like 18 volumes of these CDs, but I had no idea how much some of those songs would mean to me 25 years later… One of my favorite songs on the collection says this;

“My Jesus, my Savior. Lord, there is none like You. All of my days, I want to praise. The wonders of Your mighty love. My comfort, my shelter. Tower of refuge and strength. Let every breath, all that I am. Never cease to worship You. Shout to the Lord. All the earth, let us sing. Power and majesty, praise to the King. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name. I sing for joy at the work of Your hands. Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in You

Nothing compares to the promise I have in you.… Nothing

Christian, there is nothing that this world has to offer that can come even remotely close to the promises that we have in Jesus.… That’s why we shout our praise to Him.

These 4

1) Shout With A Heart of Worship

The heart of worship is our heart.… It is the position of our heart. I have said this before, and I’ll say it again and again… not everything that is called worship is actually worship. It has been a problem nearly since the beginning of our time here on earth… In Genesis 3 Cain and Abel both brought sacrifices to the Father, one was accepted and the other rejected… Why would God accept an act of worship through sacrifice from one person and not another??? Abel brought a gift to the Lord from his heart. Cain brought a gift out of requirement… Cain’s problem (besides jealousy, stubbornness, and murderous rage) was that he lacked a proper theology of worship. Cain brought an unacceptable sacrifice to the Lord and demanded that the Lord be pleased. The sacrifice wasn’t about the gift… It was about the heart of the giver… When we come to the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, we need to prepare our hearts for worship.

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:21-24,

John 4:21–24 CSB

“Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”

The essence of worship isn’t about all of the “good things that we have done… it’s about the position of our heart and our mind… Ephesians 5:17-20 says

Ephesians 5:17–20 CSB

So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

When our heart is not in the right place, how can we honestly expect to connect with God or with others? Our heart must be in a position where we are willing to receive the truth and respond… Delighting in Jesus and expressing praise to him for the true things the Scriptures teach us about who he is and what he has accomplished for us. It is, then, “all about” Jesus, not us. It involves us, but we’re at the periphery. He’s at the center. He’s the focus.

Matt Redman, a well known song writer and worship leader was attending a church in Watford, England. During his time there, the preaching pastor determined that there was something wrong with the worship in the church… that the worship services were going spiritually flat and that the church members were just going through the motions.… He saw that the heart of their worship was off and needed fixed. So the pastor got rid of the sound system and the worship band for a season… The pastor had decided that in order for his congregation to find their way back to a heart of worship was to strip everything else away. Redman said that “During this season, the pastor challenged the congregation to be participants in worship, not consumers. To come ready to engage with God for themselves, from the heart, not just watch with their eyes. He wanted them to come as worshipers, not as concert-goers.” From that experience he wrote, in my opinion, one of the most amazing worship songs of the 90’s.

He wrote, “when the music fades, All is stripped away And I simply come. Longing just to bring something that's of worth, that will bless Your heart. I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself, is not what You have required. You search much deeper within, through the ways things appear, You're looking into my heart… I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it’s all about you… Its all about you.... Jesus”

Redman’s pastor realized that what was going on with worship in his church. He realized that there was a heart issue and knew that that issue had to be addressed in order for worship to resume in a real and meaningful way

Psalm 100:4

Psalm 100:4 CSB

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.

The public act of thanksgiving starts with a heart that acknowledges what God has done in the past... What He is doing in the present… and relies on His faithfulness for our future. When we enter God's presence with a heart of thanksgiving and praise, we come prepared to express gratitude… and In Christ, we have an abundance of reasons to give thanks… we give Him thanks for His love and for family… we give Him thanks for our church and the extended family that God has provided through it… we give Him thanks for His mercy and His grace… We thank Him for providing for our needs… we thank Him for His protection… We thank Him for His sacrifice on the cross… We thank Him for our salvation, which only comes through the Blood of Jesus… and we thank Him for so much more… By focusing on gratitude, we are encouraged to worship, even in the middle of personal trials, as we are drawn near to God with a sincere and grateful heart.

#1, We Shout with a Heart of Worship

2. Shout with Joy

Worship begins with shouts of joy… J.I Packer said that Joy is a condition that is experienced, but is more than a feeling: it is primarily a state of mind...

The first step in worship was to prepare our hearts… the second step is to prepare our minds… Joy is a choice. It is not an accident, it doesn’t just fall randomly on certain individuals… You must choose Joy… And the secret of joy is found in no longer chasing after our own will, but in simply committing ourselves to God’s way, chasing after His will… and in the process we will find both peace and joy.

Joy, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary (1913 edition) “the passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; pleasurable feelings or emotions caused by success, good fortune, and the like, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire.

The word joy is used 245 times in the New International version of the Bible... 399 times if you include the word rejoice, which is the verb form of joy. And it is one of 9 fruits of the spirit.

Of those times that joy or joyful were used, they were used with worship in approximately 30 verses… lets look at just a few...

Psalm 27:6

Psalm 27:6 CSB

Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Psalm 32:11

Psalm 32:11 CSB

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Psalm 33:3

Psalm 33:3 CSB

Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.

Psalm 47:1

Psalm 47:1 CSB

Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry.

Psalm 66:1-2

Psalm 66:1–2 CSB

Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God! Sing about the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.

Psalm 71:23

Psalm 71:23 CSB

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you because you have redeemed me.

Psalm 95:1

Psalm 95 CSB

Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!

And again in Psalm 100:1-2

Psalm 100:1–2 CSB

Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Joyful worship is an invitation for all to experience the Lord's presence. The call to serve the Lord with gladness indicates that worship is not just a spiritual obligation but an opportunity to express genuine joy. It is through verses like these that we can begin to bring joyful hearts to corporate worship, knowing that our gratitude and gladness are rightful responses to God's goodness.

As I started this section, I said that Worship begins with shouts of joy … And I know what some of you were thinking… There is no way that worship can always start with shouts of joy...

What about when we loose someone we love… or when I loose my job… or I was in a wreck and totaled my car… or when I can’t pay my bills and my power gets shut off???

How am I supposed to start worship with shouts of joy when all of these bad things happen???

In Acts 16:25-34, Paul and Silas were being held in a Roman prison… Listen to what their shouts of Joy did in their moment of distress...

Acts 16:25–34 CSB

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.

Paul and Silas’s shout of celebration in a time of darkness not only freed them but also led others to salvation. When we celebrate the Lord passionately, even in tough times, we can be a beacon of hope for those around us, demonstrating the power of joy in Christ to change lives.

Christian, even in the midst of the trials we are bound to face in the course of our lives, worship begins with shouts of joy… we are called to enter in to worship with gladness, not as a ritual obligation but as a joyful celebration of God's presence. In our moments of deep, deep sorrow, He is there. In our moments of fear, He is there… In our moments of frustration and anger, He is there… We come to Him with shouts of joy because even in the toughest, most painful moments of our lives, He is there and whether you realize it or not… He is carrying you through that moment. In Isaiah 46:3-4 the prophet is comparing the little “g” gods of Babylon to the God of Israel when he says this;

Isaiah 46:3–4 CSB

“Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you.”

No matter what you are going through in your life, God is there to carry you and we can be assured that though “weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.”

Psalm 30:5 CSB

Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.

#2 We shout with joy

3. Shout without Inhibition

Worship without inhibition involves expressing praise and reverence for God without reservation, fear, or self-consciousness. It's about allowing one's heart to be fully engaged in worship, regardless of external constraints or internal doubts… in other words, Uninhibited worship is a willingness to be authentic in one's expression of praise, being free from the fear of worrying about how others might perceive it. 

I remember the very first time I felt the freedom to praise and worship the Lord without inhibition. I attended a conference and the main speaker stood in front of a large group of us and explained that as the worship music started, he was going to turn off the lights in the auditorium so that no one was paying any attention to the person next to them and that their focus would be solely on God… Being raised catholic and then converting to Baptist, I had never learned to raise my hands in worship… I was told that I was to sit or stand and not be a distraction for anyone else… The problem with this way of thinking is that you never truly feel free to worship in the way that your heart desires… whether that is on your knees, bowing in reverence, or raising your hands to the Lord in awe of all that he has done and will do...

When that speaker turned off the lights, the light of Christ illuminated the darkness as hands that had never come out of their pockets during worship were unshackled and for the first time were lifted in the air in worship and praise.

In 2 Samuel 6:14-15, King David danced and sang like a teenager in their room dancing singing karaoke with their stereo playing music as loud as it can go… not caring how they look or sound.

2 Samuel 6:14–15 CSB

David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod. He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of the trumpet.

This passage shows us a man so engaged in worshipping God that nothing else matters. Others, namely his wife Michal, disapproved of his behavior, calling him vulgar. But David didn’t apologize for his passion, responding, “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this” (2 Samuel 21-22). He knew the power of fully embracing the act of giving glory to God.

David's uninhibited dance and joyful shouts as the ark returned to Jerusalem demonstrate a heart engaged in worship without restraint. Christian, this simple act of worship can and should encourage us to set aside our inhibitions and embrace a free, authentic expression reflecting our love for God.

The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery has this to say about worship...

Worship is first and foremost a verb, an action. It is motivated by a desire to honor God. The Bible includes a wide range of physical movement and expression in its images of worship, including bowing down, lifting hands, clapping hands, dancing, processions and singing.

In 1 Chronicles 16 David gives instructions to Asaph on how to praise the lord… In this passage David lists worship actions that he believed brought honor and glory to God… The worship actions include...

-Give Praise -Proclaim his name -Sing to him -Remember the wonders he has done -Declare his glory among the nations -Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength -Give thanks to the Lord -Cry out “Save us, God our Savior”

Everything David thought, felt and did was motivated by a desire to give glory to his Heavenly Father. For him, worship was a natural reflex, and in a way, as vital as breathing.

When we stop being afraid of what others think about us as we worship, we become free to engage in true worship with the only one who matters

*Note: there is a line between engaging in true worship and drawing attention to yourself and as a result, distracting others from worship...

#3 We Shout without Inhibition

4) Shout in Hopeful Anticipation

Imagine being an Israelite walking around the walls of Jericho on the 7th day at the end of the 7th trip around the wall… Following the orders of Joshua, not really knowing what to expect, you lift your head to heaven and you shout in hopeful anticipation for what God is about to do.… and the walls come crumbling down… you had heard stories and seen God’s provision and now you are putting that faith into action as you look forward to God’s promises being fulfilled.

Isaiah 35:1-6 is a prophesy of things to look to with hopeful anticipation including prophesies about the coming messiah

Isaiah 35:1–6 CSB

The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a wildflower. It will blossom abundantly and will also rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, steady the shaking knees! Say to the cowardly: “Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God’s retribution is coming; he will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

These were verses that the Old Testament Jews prayed for and looked forward with hopeful anticipation… but many missed it

When we shout with hopeful anticipation, it means that as we worship, we focus on what is to come and believe with certainty that it will happen... Anticipation isn't just about passively waiting; it's about actively preparing for the future, worshiping and living in a way that reflects the kingdom values that we await. As believers, we look to the heavens with hopeful anticipation as we await the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ… but we also worship and praise God for what he has in store for us in eternity which is far better than we can ever hope or imagine...

That’s how I picture the apostle John worshiping after his Revelation on Patmos. Revelation 19:6-7 says

Revelation 19:6–7 CSB

Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself.

The multitude shouts in worship, proclaiming the marriage of the Lamb.

Do you remember what it was like when you were a kid and it was the night before your birthday or the night before Christmas and you were so excited that you almost shook with excitement??? Similarly, as Christians, we worship in the hope of Christ’s return. Just as the Israelites awaited their Savior with hope and anticipation, we join in that same fervent expectation through our worship. Scriptures like Romans 8:24-25 remind us that our hope is not in vain...

Romans 8:24–25 CSB

Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

as we wait for God's promises to be revealed in fullness. Our anticipatory worship connects us to that deep longing for divine fulfillment.

#4 We shout in Hopeful Anticipation

As the praise team comes forward… I want to close with this thought

When we gather for worship, we should leave changed, with a fresh revelation of God for who He truly is – holy, good, merciful and loving.

Christian, worship is not merely a ritual but a heart-felt expression of gratitude and joy that acknowledges God's eternal goodness and faithfulness to His people. Understanding and embracing the call to worship can transform how we engage with God both personally and corporately… and this can ultimately lead us to a deeper sense of joy, belonging, and purpose in their spiritual lives.

True worship flows from a heart filled with gratitude. It recognizes God's goodness and allows us to respond with a heart positioned for worship, shouting out to God with joy... no matter what season of life we are in ....no matter who is around us or where we are… patiently… joyfully… worshiping the Lord in hopeful anticipation of whats to come...

Shout to the Lord. All the earth, let us sing. Power and majesty, praise to the King. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name. I sing for joy at the work of Your hands. Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in You

As we pray, I just want to remind you that the altar is here for anyone who needs to leave something at the foot of Jesus. The altar is not a one time use item, it is always open to those who need it. If you know of Jesus, but don’t know him personally as your Lord and savior…  I’d love to talk with you about Him and His love, mercy, and grace…  I don’t claim to know all the answers, but I know that if you ask, we can find them together.

Let Us Pray,

Heavenly Father, We thank you for this message and for the honor of being in your presence here today. Lord, the apostles once asked you to teach them to pray and today, I ask that you would teach us to worship in a way that brings glory and honor to you. Lord remind us that worship is something that we are to do continuously and not just at church on Sunday… Draw us close to you not only today, but everyday!! We love you lord and we ask all of this in the might name of Jesus… Amen