Why I don't have Joyful Worship
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Recap from this morning
Recap from this morning
The pattern of joyful worship in the Bible:
I. You hear of God
II. You Believe God
III. You watch Him Work
IV. You have joyful worship to God
The wise men “heard” of the prophecy concerning Jesus “it was written by the prophet...”
They believed the prophecy (exemplified in their coming to Jerusalem looking for Jesus)
They rejoiced with exceeding great joy when they saw the star...
They brought joyful worship to the manger to our Savior
Remember, worship is more than just singing:
a.) Abraham’s form of worship was to build an alter and give a sacrifice
b.) Joshua’s form of worship was prayer to God (Joshua 5:14)
c.) Hannah and Elkanah’s form of worship was going to the temple (I Samuel 1)
d.) Giving glory to God and bringing an offering is a form of worship (I Chron. 16:29)
e.) Nehemiah and the people worshipped by praying to God with their faces to the ground (Nehemiah 8:6)
f.) Job fell down upon the ground and worshipped (Job 1:20)
This morning we simply spoke through the pattern of joyful worship in the Bible...
This evening: Why I don’t have joyful worship?
Have you lost your joy over watching God work?
The Bible commands us to joyful worship...
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness:
Come before his presence with singing.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:
Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp;
With the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet
Make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
For praise is comely for the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with harp:
Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song;
Play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the Lord is right;
And all his works are done in truth.
The truth is...
Either God’s not working or we’ve lost our joy over it...
Our question for this evening… “Why is my worship not joyful?”
You say:
“I’m just going through the motions.”
“I’m in a slump.”
“I’m doing the actions, but my heart isn’t in it.”
# 1 - this is not a sustainable place to be…
Think about it:
We rank among “wealthy” people throughout the world
We live in freedom
We are going to Heaven
We don’t lack food, water or clothes
Since God has been so good to us, why wouldn’t we have joyful worship to God?
You need to get your joy back in worship…
Now, why might we not have joy in our worship?
1. Because our Desired Results don’t line up with God’s
1. Because our Desired Results don’t line up with God’s
a.) Jonah’s call
1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
We know Jonah was a prophet because:
25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
So at some point, Jonah forsook his way for God’s way...
At some point he chose to forsake a secular career to follow God’s calling on his life...
b.) Jonah’s rebellion
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
We know God sent the storm
Then the whale
and eventually lead Jonah back to the shores of Nineveh
c.) Jonah’s message
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Result:
the people of Nineveh believed God
they proclaimed a fast
They put on sackloth
Every one of them
They all cried “mightily to God”
They turned every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Praise God!
Hallelujah!
Glory to God!
What did Jonah do?
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
But Jonah directly watched:
The calling of God
The power of God
The directing of God
The mercy of God
The work of God
Yet he wished he was dead?
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Why?
Because Jonah knew God was merciful and would forgive them
2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Jonah preferred judgement over mercy...
Jonah resented God’s character...
He KNEW WHO God was and WHAT He was about...
But Jonah wanted something different from God...
God asked Jonah, “Doest thou well to be angry?”
Think about it:
Jonah prayed his best prayer when he was in the worst place… inside the whale’s belly
He prayed his worst prayer when he was in the best place… after a national revival from an 8-word sermon
Jonah did not want things to go that way...
He was not okay with God using him the way He did...
When we are content with the results, we can have joy while we worship and serve God…
When the results don’t end up like we expect or hope, our joy gets stolen from us…
Because our Desired Results Don’t Line up with God’s
2. Because We’re Too Busy Being Jealous Over Someone Else’s Victory
2. Because We’re Too Busy Being Jealous Over Someone Else’s Victory
a.) There were two sons (though one typically gets the attention)
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
b.) Both were given their inheritance
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
c.) The youngest wasted it all
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
d.) Then he came home
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Praise God!
Hallelujah!
Glory to God!
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
Just workin in the field and heard music and dancing...
Vs. 26 - he asks the servant what’s going on...
Vs. 27 - hears the report that his brother has returned safe and sound and their father killed the fatted calf in celebration
Look at what he does in response:
a.) He became angry and isolated himself
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
b.) He became jealous and believed the results were unfair
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
“I did right, he did wrong and he gets a party.”
c.) He lost sight of the big picture
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
3. Because Our Pride Leaves no Room for Worship (Pharisees)
3. Because Our Pride Leaves no Room for Worship (Pharisees)
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
a.) They could not have joyful worship because of their pride
They wanted the glory
They wanted the spotlight
They wanted their positions, fancy clothes and money
Jesus was doing miracles, healing people and taking their crowd from Him...
Think of what they missed out on because of their pride?
They had the opportunity to joyfully worship the Savior in the flesh...
To learn from Jesus
To watch His miracles
To serve beside Him
Yet their pride stole their joyful worship and caused them to miss out on something amazing...
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
All three groups believed something different should have taken place
We’re not joyful in our worship when we disagree with God’s outcome…
Example: Much like it is easy to have a good spirit when our parents do what we want… But when they don’t, it’s much more difficult to have the right spirit…
When we allow emotions like anger in Jonah, jealousy in the prodigal’s brothers or pride in the Pharisees, you can’t share God’s vision and you can’t have a joyful worship…
We lose our “amen”…
We lose our song…
We lose our zeal and joy in the things of God…
Are you angry over the way God has worked?
Are you jealous over treatment of someone else?
Are you lifted up in pride?
