Lesson 1: Worship

A. PSALM 100 (AMPLIFIED)

Shout your love to God, all people of the earth,

Worship the Lord, with gladness,

Come into His presence with singing.

Realize the LORD is God who made you,

You are not a self-made person.

We are the people of God,

We are His sheep living in His pasture.

We enter into His presence with thanksgiving.

We enter His courts with grateful praise

We bless His holy name.

For the LORD God is good,

His mercy is everlasting,

His truth will last to the end of time.

B. WORDS OF WORSHIP FROM PSALM 100

1. Shout your love/joyful noise: We are to be enthusiastic and wholehearted in worship. Give God nothing less than your all, in all you do, in all ways.

2. Worship the LORD/serve the LORD: worship is giving the worthship to God that is due to Him.

3. Singing/music is the window of the soul. What’s in the heart comes out of the mouth.

4. Thanksgiving/gratitude is the least remembered of all virtues. Your character is a reflection of the appreciation you have to God and others for what they do for you.

5. Praise/magnify. Lifting up God in your eyes, and in the estimation of those who hear you.

6. Bless the Lord. The word “bless” means to add value to the one you bless. We can add nothing to God, but when we “bless” Him, we add value to Him in our eyes.

C. CHOOSING A WORSHIP/CHURCH

1. Americans have traditionally in the past chosen a church based on:

· Doctrine.

· The name of the church.

· The denomination.

2. Now Americans choose a church (the way it is).

· The style of worship: function.

· The quality of ministry: form.

· Belief that influences lifestyle: doctrine.

3. People choose a church like they choose a car. Why? Do we choose a car because:

a. Prestige.

b. Economy.

c. Service.

d. Tradition.

e. What it says to others.

What Made Us Work?

· The 1700s agriculture.

· The 1800s production/Industrial Revolution.

· The 1950s onward, a consumer culture.

4. Worship is like a car to get us from where we are to where we want to go, i.e., to God.

· Mercedes Benz – sophisticated, liturgical high church.

· VW Beatle – simple house church.

· Van – family oriented.

· SUV – activity, program, recreation.

· Chevy, Ford – simple wood churches with steeples.

· Convertible sports coupe – contemporary, praise worship.

· Motorcycle – church on the edge.

D. KINDS OF WORSHIP CHURCHES

Type

Spiritual Gift

Person

Evangelistic

Evangelism & Prophecy

Adrian Rogers

Bible Expositional

Teaching

MacArthur/Stanley

The Renewal

Exhortation

Jerry Falwell

The Body Life

Mercy showing

Yonggi Cho

The Liturgical

Helps

Schuller

The Congregational

Shepherding

Small church

E. BRINGING WORSHIP HOME

“Hypocrites honor me with their lips and make

a big show of saying the right thing,

but their heart isn’t in their worship.

They act like they are worshipping Me,

but they are just putting on a show.

They replace My commandment with a farce.

They use Me as a facade.

They teach whatever suits their fancy.

Following the latest fads, not My commands”

(Mark 7:6-7, Amplified).

1. The core of worship can never change, it’s exalting God in our life.

2. There’s a growing thirst for God in our life, “That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10).

3. There’s a growing thirst for worship. The unsaved are attracted by the mystery.

4. Christians are becoming more spontaneous in worship. This is atmospheric worship.

5. Worship is a two-way street. To touch God, and be touched by Him.

6. Worship must involve the total person, i.e., the intellect, emotion and will.

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord,

I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.

For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.