Growing through Worship

Worship is an Essential part of Christianity

Worship is more than just a time filler to wait until the late people get to church for the sermon

Too many people are missing out on some of what God wants to do in their lives becasue they forsake praise and Worship

Our relationship with God is more than just an intellectual experience

The praise and Worship part of our service is not for our entertainment

There may be some breakthroughs that you simply will never get, until you learn to enter into worship

In order to Worship properly, our focus needs to be taken off of ourselves, and place on HIM

Worship music is a wonderful way to do this

2 Kings 3:1–18 NKJV

1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 15 But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ 17 For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ 18 And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

2 Kings 3:1–19 NKJV

1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 15 But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ 17 For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ 18 And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19 Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

2 Kings 3:1–10 NKJV

1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”

Worship First

King Jehoram and Jehoshaphat were facing serious problems

Jehoram - son of Ahab, was an evil king

Jehoshaphat, was a good king, but he chose a bad friend

bad company corrupts good character

this would cost him much - his own son followed after their ways

Jehoshaphat had joined with Jehoram to fight against their common enemy, Moab

But they chose a bad plan and ended up in the desert with no water for their horses and troops - they were in big trouble

By the time they reached the enemy, or the enemy reached them, they and their horses would be too weak to fight, while the enemies were still fresh

Do you Cry out at God, or to God?

There was an interesting difference between them in how they saw their situation:

Jehoram, began crying out at God, blaming God for their situation

“ God has led us out here to be delivered to Moab...”

This sometimes is evidence of people’s awareness of sin and guilt

they were already expecting punishment for their unrepentant sins, and so they see negative circumstances as God’s wrath

Jehoshaphat was in the same situation, but had a different response

Instead of blaming God, he said “isn’t there a prophet of the Lord we can seek the Lord by?”

When people have a right relationship with God, they know their sins are forgiven

they don’t see negative circumstances as God trying to harm them, but rather as the enemy being the enemy, and so, they run to GOD

Elisha, the Servant

Elisha, who poured water on the hands of Elijah

Elisha was a great servant

If you want to be great in the kingdom, Jesus said you should be servant of all

Elisha had been a great follower of Elijah and this is what he was known most for

So, Elisha came, at Jehoshaphat’s request

He mentioned to the Jehoram, that except for Elisha, he would not have even noticed or acknowledged Him

I think there are a good many people in the world now, who don’t even know that they are benefiting from Godly associations

a good many wicked people have gotten to go on to another chance becasue of a praying grandmother

a good many people in this country enjoy great prosperity because of the faith of our forefathers

Bring me a musician

Isn’t this a strange request?

It would seem there was an urgency

Yet, Elisha understood, that if they were to seek God, they must do so in worship and with praise

This was not to entertain the kings

Something happens in the supernatural when we worship from our heart

Demons can’t stand Godly worship music: (David and Saul)

Worshiping doe snot make God more powerful, but it does prepare us to receive

We activate our spiritual gifts through faith, worship helps activate our faith - try it!

It prepares our spirit to hear and discern from the Holy Spirit

Jesus said that God seeks people to worship in Spirit and in Truth

When the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him (vs. 15)

It was during this time of worship that God’s presence was manifest

This implies that without this, Elisha would not have understood what to do

He might have guessed, but that is all it would have been

there are a good many people guessing about God today becasue they are too lazy or too prideful to stop and worship Him and wait for Him.

It is during that worship that Elisha received his Word

When we take the focus off of ourselves and put it on Jesus - even in our crisis (share story)

Jehoshaphat leaned something here- He would send out worshippers ahead of the army later on,when he was greatly outnumbered, and the Lord fought his battles

David and Solomon understood this, employing musicians to minister in the temple and tabernacles.

If you really want to experience supernatural breakthroughs in your life, learn to Worship

Luke 4:25–26 NKJV

25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

There were many widows in Israel during the days of Elijah -

Likewise there are many people here in America with bibles and churches, while the great revivals are happening in other countries -

There is going to be a lot of Worship in heaven also

Revelation 4:9–11 NKJV

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

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Revelation 5:11–14 NKJV

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

Lets begin a new level of Worship here at City of God church

Lets begin a new level of worship daily in our individual lives

jehoshaphat sending out worshippers