Four Principles of Worship
Theme: To show the importance of worship
Text: Psalms 34:3
Text: Psalms 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Introduction
We are gathered here together in this place for a reason. WE know today is Sunday. We know today is a special day. Yet all across this nation people are doing just as we are doing. Does that make them a Christian church? No. Does it make them honor God? No. So what are some “non-negotiable” that we must hold to.
I mean what are the basics. We see Christ as the center. God’s worship to be true and infallible. The reality of Heaven and Hell. Christ virgin birth, life, death and resurrection.
I believe that one non-negotiable is worship. Yet what is worship?
Worship is not tempered by my cultural background.
Worship is not a box that we pull out
Worship is not a preference but a truth
Worship is not a conviction but a reason for our creation
Worship is not soul winning or good music or the quality of preaching, or the building we gather in. All this is irrelevant in proportion to worship. This is why he made it very clear from the beginning that “You shall not have any other Gods before me”. In other words God supercedes everything. Nothing comes before God.
Worship is the window to growth in our lives. A dead worship is a dead life.
I. Worship is Magnifying God “make God big”
The first principle of worship that we must understand is that worship is “magnifying” God. So what does it mean to magnify God?
It means “to make big, to intensify, to enlarge, to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect”. You have all seen a magnifying glass. It is used to make things larger so that you can see the better. If you get to close with the object it covers up the whole thing.
Understand this is what it means to magnify God. It is to make him bigger than ourselves and our problem
II. Worship is Unique
The second principle of worship is that “Worship is Unique” To magnify God that is
unique. Honestly it is different and to some it is foreign.
Remember John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only ‘begotten’
son.” That word begotten means unique. It means the only one of its kind. There is no
other like it. There is no compromise. There is no room for another. Christ is our
worship. We can’t serve two masters.
So let us stop here and ask two questions: Am I magnifying God? Is our worship unique?
There is one person who is the center of our worship and his name is Jesus?
III. Worship is Unity
The third principle of worship is that “Worship is Unity”. “O magnify the Lord with me” We have got to get this concept to continue to be a church that worships God. If we are going to say that we worship God then there must be unity. Without unity there is not worship. I mean can you imagine the Lord coming down into the church and looking around and saying, “Ewe look at this, she hates here, he hates the pastor,” Look oh I just love it. No! God forbid.
As a church to worship we must be in unity. Just as we came yesterday. We could not have done what we done yesterday without unity.
IV. Worship is a Trumpet Call
“and let us exalt his name together”. This cannot be read with out any emotion. As you read it something stirs up in your spirit. You almost want to yell it. Yell “And let us exalt his name together”. It is as a trumpet call. A call to worship. A call to unity a call to purpose.
Exalt-to raise up, to lift up, to put above
What are some things that we expect when we worship?
1. The presence of the Lord to be present
2. Our heats to be touched
3. Our minds to be touched
4. Lifting of hands
5. Singing
6. Prayer
Conclusion
Are you truly worshiping? Have you worshiped today? Oh not because you sang. But today has you God became so big that you no longer see your problems? Has he become so unique that you no longer see yourself? Is your worship so strong that it breaks the spirit of disunity and makes you want to apologize to that one who has been offended or has offended you? Oh are you ready to yell out of your spirit “let us exalt his name together”
I think we just need to magnify the Lord in spite of our problems.
