Worship Pt1- What is the essence and art of Worship

Worship

David, God and People

Psalm 96, Psalm 100, Revelation 5:12 Isaiah 1:13-15,

The Essence and Art of Worship

OPENING Prayer–

Father we come to you this morning worshiping Jesus. Father this morning we ask for your mercy on us as our worship has grown so self centered. We have made worship about what you do for us instead of ascribing to you your majesty, the awe and wonder you deserve. Father Restore to us the Awe of who you are. Bring our hearts to worship every moment of every day. Lead us to live lives that are a blessing to you as you have already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Reform our hearts and minds to worship you with the worship you desire and you are worthy of.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight today Father. I pray all of this In the mighty and holy and abundant Name of Jesus. AMEN

If I have not had a chance to meet you;

 My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship. 

If you have a copy of the Bible in either electronic version or the actual book kind -

Open it to Psalm 96 today as we Our teaching series for may on Worship!  Our prayer over this series had been Through the very words of what God we would discover the hidden Jewel of worship in following Jesus and that discovery would move us into a deeper live of worship in our personal life and corporately as we gather together in groups large and small.

SPEAK and WELCOME UNBELIEVERS – NON FOLLOWERS And THOSE who struggle in their faith –

You may have never been to a worship gathering or you haven’t been in a really long time because this whole Idea of worshiping God that your not sure actually exists doesn't make any sense to you. Or worship in your life has become dry an dull and meaningless. Let me just Say that we are really glad you are connecting with us.

Engagement –

You Ever lost anything and didn’t know you lost it? Let me give you an example. Someone asked me the other day if I had any box tape. you know the tape that you use to close boxed when you moving. that 2 in clear stuff. I know we have a large supply of that somewhere in the house but let me tell you for the life of me I could not find it nor could I remember where I put that stuff.

Let me ask this, Have you ever lost something, knew you lost it, couldn’t find it and figured out how to make due without it? Let me give you and example. You ever lost a set of keys and you had enough spares that you could re assemble what you needed and you could go on without it. Like your car came with Two key fabs and you lost one and so you took the the one your husband used and it all works but it slightly less convenient when he wants to drive the car. but other than that not too bad.

TENSION

I think in a lot of ways a lot of us have lost the original set of Keys to what is worship and we are seemingly getting along fine without it.

I don't believe we are. I believe we are missing a vital part of our life line. WE are missing a vital part of our relationship with God - I believe that it very well may be the life blood of the believer is FULL worship and we have figured out a way to live without the fullness of it. And in doing so we are dying in our faith and in the place God has in our life.

A W Tozer in His second volume titled “The Attributes of God” in the forward of that book writhes these words and I happen to agree with Him totally. This was written of Him in the early 1960 and it has only become more of a reality in the last 50 years. This missing vital link in our lives of worship has had a damaging effect on our faith. Listen to what AW Tozer wrote.

“I don’t suppose there is ever a time in the history of the world when we needed a restored knowledge of God more than we need it now. Bible-believing Christians have made great gains in the last forty years or so.

We have more Bibles now than we’ve ever had—the Bible is a best-seller. We have more Bible schools than we’ve ever had, ever in the history of the world. Millions of tons of gospel literature are being poured out all the time. There are more missions now than we know what to do with. And evangelism is riding very, very high at the present time. And more people go to church now, believe it or not, than ever went to church before.

Now all that has something in its favor, there’s no doubt about it. But you know, a man can learn at the end of the year how his business stands by balancing off his losses with his gains. And while he may have some gains, if he has too many losses he’ll be out of business the next year.

Many of the gospel churches have made some gains over the last years, but we’ve also suffered one great central loss: our lofty concept of God. Christianity rises like an eagle and flies over the top of all the mountain peaks of all the religions of the world, chiefly because of her lofty concept of God, given to us in divine revelation and by the coming of the Son of God to take human flesh and dwell among us.

Christianity, the great Church, has for centuries lived on the character of God. She’s preached God, she’s prayed to God, she’s declared God, she’s honored God, she’s elevated God, she’s witnessed to God—the Triune God. But in recent times there has been a loss suffered. We’ve suffered the loss of that high concept of God, and the concept of God handled by the average gospel church now is so low as to be unworthy of God and a disgrace to the Church.

It is by neglect, degenerate error and spiritual blindness that some are saying God is their “pardner” or “the man upstairs.” One Christian college put out a booklet called “Christ Is My Quarterback”—He always calls the right play. And a certain businessman was quoted as saying, “God’s a good fellow and I like Him.” There isn’t a Muslim alive in the world who would stoop to calling God a “good fellow.”

There isn’t a Jew, at least no Jew who believes in his religion, that would ever dare to refer that way to the great Yahweh, the One with the incommunicable name. They talk about God respectfully and reverently. But in the gospel churches, God is a “quarterback” and a “good fellow.” I sometimes feel like walking out on a lot that passes for Christianity. They talk about prayer as “going into a huddle with God,” as if God is the coach or the quarterback or something; they all gather around, God gives the signal and away they go. What preposterous abomination!

When the Romans sacrificed a sow on the altar in Jerusalem, they didn’t commit anything more frightful than when we drag the holy, holy, holy God down and turn Him into a cheap Santa Claus that we can use to get what we want.

Christianity has lost its dignity. And we’ll never get it back unless we know the dignified Holy God, who rides on the wings of the wind and makes the clouds His chariots. We have lost the concept of majesty and the art of worship.

I got a letter from my good friend Stacy Woods, who was until recently head of InterVarsity. And he said this in the closing lines of his letter: “The church is getting away from worship. I wonder if it is because we are getting away from God.” I think he’s right and I believe that is the answer.

And then our religion has lost its inwardness. For Christianity, if it’s anything, is an inward religion. Jesus said that we are to worship in spirit and in truth. And yet we’ve lost it because we have lost the concept of deity that makes it possible. Even though we’ve hung onto our Scofield Bible and still believe in the seven main doctrines of the fundamental faith, we’ve lost the awe, the wonder, the fear and the delight. Why? Because we’ve lost God, or at least we’ve lost our high and lofty concept of God—the only concept of God that He honors.”

So The Question that we really need to ask is “WHAT IS WORSHIP”

There is lots of conversations today about styles - Traditional vs contemporaneity - Electric vs acoustic. Projectors, lighting, smoke machines and what not.

Most people I know are somewhat critical of that and there are others that think all of that is critically necessary - Those that criticism are leaning to the heart issues of worship saying” the art doeskin matter its all about the heart” while those that are supportive say “its all about the Art - so the heart can be stimulated.

Here is the Deal - Art and Heart are not biblically exclusive of one another. But when the Heart is Set on God and bringing to Him glory and ascribing to Him His supreme worth, True worship is not dependent on outside stimulus.

Both art and heart aid each other when our hearts are turned to bringing God honor and Glory.

In face true heart worship will give Rise to new levels of Art in worship which will have tremendous significance in the experience of worship.

The reality this Heart issue brings is a question? DO we love God above all else? Do we love God above the quality of the singing. the beauty of the stage? the intonation of the singing?

Deuteronomy 6:5–7 NASB95

5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

DO we approach worship with the right Heart?

Some people think that worship is singing songs with a leader or out of a hymnal or with a worship band!

That is not worship -

Some believe that worship is a certain mood or a particular feeling that is caused by some external force. The quality of the music, the worshipfulness of the worship leader, the tingle of the Spirit.

That is not worship - In fact I believe we have turned worship into some of those things and we have been led astray by the desire to have the experience of worship rather than worship itself.

Worship is Active -

Worship is declarative -

Worship is responsive to God and no one and nothing else!

Worship is our Actively and purposefully responding to God where we declare to our selves and each other and the world around us His Worth! and Not just his worth in comparison to other things but His supreme Worth.

The Word worship in the original form really said “ to attribute or declare WORTH of something or someone”

So when we Worship God what we sould be doing is Declaring His wirth to our selves, each other and the world.

WHY - Well becasue He is WORTHY - Reality is He is the ONLY one worthy of our worship.

TRUTH

Lets look at our text

Psalm 96 NASB95

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. 3 Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; Bring an offering and come into His courts. 9 Worship the Lord in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; 12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy 13 Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.

This is the heart cry of the Psalmist and He writes Psalm 96 - Worship YHWY because of who He is and what HE Does and Give Glory to His name.

We are worshiping GOD when we declare to Him the glory that is due HIM and His name.

Listen to what will be happening for ever and ever from the in the heavens as New Testament will tell us.

Revelation 5:11–14 NASB95

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Let this text and the truth of the picture it paints in our life collide with us this morning.

So if worship is declaring to our selves, others around us and to the word the Worth, The supreme worth of God -

SO What is the Essence of Worship? In other words - What is the unchanging Nature of Worship? What is basic real feature of Worship? What is the TRUE substance of worship?

The TRUE substance, the TRUE nature of worship the Central Essence of Worship is Celebrating GOD! When we enter into True WORSHIP we celebrate Him, We Praise Him, We sound HIS praises, We boast in HIM and in Him alone.

We celebrate Him is when, as we begin in prayer, we allow the music to tune our hearts to His.

We Celebrate Him when we join in with each other as ONE voice and sing loudly His praises.

We Celebrate Him when we boast in His name to the benefit of His people.

We Celebrate Him when everything we do in service to Him, on Sunday morning during worship or any day during the week when we serve others when all of the Parts of His body in His service fit together as ONE to a common end.

We celebrate Him when we give to Him and the work if His kingdom generously and serve Him with integrity.

We Celebrate Him when we enjoy the gift of music and participate in it with oneness to declare His glory.

We Celebrate Him as we anticipate hearing and and gladly receive His word and willingly let it change us by the power of His spirit into the image of Jesus.

We celebrate Him when we begin a new believer on the path of following Jesus and witness them crucified with Jesus and raised to walk in the Newness of life from the waters of baptism.

We celebrate Him when we remember Jesus as we share in His table and in communion are nourished and drawn together in unity.

We Celebrate Him when we declare the liturgy of the Gospel in explicit terms all can understand.

and So a Sunday Morning Worship Gathering is a celebration of God -

The Psalmist declare this truth to us in psalm 100

Psalm 100:1–5 NASB95

1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

BACKGROUND

UNPACKING

APPLICATION

IMAGINE and INSPIRATION

The GOSPEL