Text: Psalm 5:1-12, Title: Personal Worship, Date/Place: NRBC, 12/14/08, AM
A. Opening illustration: Tell about Lew’s comments about Jesus only making disciples of those who want to be discipled, A man walked up to a vending machine, put in a coin, pressed the buttons labeled, “coffee, double cream, sugar.” No cup appeared, but the nozzles went into action sending forth coffee, cream and sugar. After the proper amounts had gone down the drain, the machine turned off. “Now that’s real automation,” said the man. “This thing even drinks it for you.” That is just how some people want their faith. They want to make a deposit, put in some money and let the rest be taken care of automatically. tell a personal story of meeting with God in private worship—riding down the road and hearing, “Jesus led me all the waaaayyyy.”
B. Background to passage: Again this is a psalm of David, but we are not given a context. But David here pens a prayer that is going to God while others around him assail him and ignore God. David is home, it is early in the morning, and is later going the temple, but he is spending time with God. He is having a private time of worship. We tend to relegate worship to a couple of hours on a Sunday, but this is not so. We should have times of personal worship between us and God; and David tells us how and gives an example.
C. Main thought: David gives us two principles, then makes three requests as an example
A. Worship is daily, early, and intentional (v. 1-3)
1. After a two-verse plea for God to hear his prayer, David tells the Lord that He will hear David’s voice in the mornings. And later we see that he is going to the temple for worship, and so there are some implications that we can draw from this truth. Times of worship are a daily practice, for everything you do is worship. Early in the morning is the best time for worship for several reasons: your mind is freshest in the morning, it is the quietest part of the day, it is biblical, it is logical, it is Christ-like, and it demonstrates loyalty, dependence, and love of God Himself over other things. Lastly, David is very serious and intentional about his prayer
2. Romans 12:1-2, Ps 63:1-2, Pro 8:17, Isa 26:9, Mark 1:35,
3. Illustration: Dear God, So far today, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy or grumpy, selfish, or over indulgent..... but, in a few minutes, I’m going to get out of bed. And from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot more help.... Athletic teams never gather after the event to prepare for it, Keep working at your daily devotional plan for 21 days. By then it should become a habit
4. We must retrain our minds to think about each day, each action, each thought as being a worship event before God. We don’t worship three times a week, we worship every moment of our day. This is the reason that we exist. From drinking your morning coffee with thankfulness, to shouting out a song in the car by yourself, to filling out paperwork with excellence and integrity, to dealing with difficult people with grace, all can be done with Christ in our minds and the goal of bringing glory to him. But starting off the day with Him is crucial to being used of God to magnify His value and worth. So if you don’t have a daily time with God early, commit to it now. Get a plan, a place, a time, get up 15 minutes earlier than usual, pic a bible book, or devotional book, a notepad, and ask God to give you a desire, meet you there, and help you do it. And be flexible, Rome was not built in a day. Get someone to help you. Set reminders up all around. Shave, shower, get dressed first, to avoid sleepiness.
B. Worship is based on character and relationship (v. 3-6)
1. Another principle that David gives us is that worship is not based on a church or particular ritual, but upon the relationship that David has with God. Notice that he calls Him “my God and my King.” It is also based on the character of God, who He really is. David goes on to list several traits of God. Most of these describe His holiness and inability to tolerate evil of those who profligate it. Evil doesn’t even stop by for a visit. The character of God is also the basis of our worship. All His perfections and excellencies are worthy of worship, especially holiness. It is the reason for our greatest problem and also for our greatest solution.
2. John 14:6, 1 Tim 2:5, Mt 5:48, Ps 18:30, Deut 32:4, 1 Sam 16:7,
3. Illustration: The honor that I have of Erika is based on my relationship to her as her husband, but it is also based on her impeccable character as a faithful, loving, diligent, and Christ-centered wife, their relationship to me as pastor, shepherd to sheep and sheep to shepherd is also based on both character and relationship, Over Memorial Day weekend the WWII based series Band of Brothers played. Close to the end the historical character Major Winters says something like “When we began this war these men obeyed me because they were commanded to. Now they obey me because they trust me.” The men learned that they could depend on the faithfulness of their commanding officer, and their actions showed it.
4. I know that it is clique’ but it is not about religion, but about relationship. It is not about checking off your spiritual checklist of thing that “good Christians” do. Private worship is about doing what God wants every human being to do, make much of Him, communicate with Him, commune with Him. And that only happens through the death and resurrection and repentance and faith toward Christ so that one is born again. And this is why those that are not born again, or follow other religions cannot give acceptable worship to God, because it only comes through Christ. We kneel or stand in worship not because we are not of those whom have hated God and pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and are now good enough to approach God. We have been chosen, loved, and pulled up out of the miry clay and given righteousness. God has given us holiness by which we can stand in front of an absolutely holy, consuming fire kind of God. This also serves as a warning to those that practice evil, God will not tolerate your rebellion forever! His justice will be swift and complete.
C. Worship and supplication are linked (v. 7-12)
* So in His practice of daily worship based on the character of God and his relationship with Him, David heads to the temple for worship, and asks God for a few things.
1. Guidance: because he desires to live to please God. David has learned to give up his own way, agenda, and plans, laying them all down at the feet of the Master for approval. Hudson Taylor said that if God leads us into difficult circumstances, He will give much guidance. James tells us to ask when we need wisdom. Some of us are like the preacher who was on a diet and prayed as he drove to work- "Now, Lord if it is your Will for me not to have any donuts this morning You make sure there are no parking places in front of the donut shop." And he later said, "I ate the donuts because there were two places right up front on only my 8th trip around the block." We need to make sure we don’t play the game of making God’s guidance fit what we want rather than seeing if what we want actually fits His plans. David gives no conditions or exceptions to that leadership, but his desire is be walk in the clearly lit path of God’s righteousness, and is satisfied in that. Do you truly want to please God? Do you ever ask for His will in any kind of specific way?
2. Judgment: David doesn’t have any personal vendettas against these enemies, except for the fact that they dishonor his God. So in a way David is zealous for the vindication of God’s glory. And so he begs God to pronounce their guilt, let them fall, and cast them out. Why? For they have rebelled (and continued to rebel). And this is the only remedy for those who persist in living for their own glory rather than God’s, except for repentance. If you are living primarily for self, please repent and turn to Christ for salvation, that He may save you from the wrath to come. And if you do know Christ and are living for Him…would to God that we would be so focused on the glory of God that when someone wreaks havoc on our lives, we first ask God to vindicate His own name. Is God’s reputation that important to us that we would seek to vindicate it, or have Him vindicate it each time it is imperiled?
3. Blessing: truth, more than final request. Note that he states as a truth that God will bless the righteous. And so in reality what he asks God for is joy. In the midst of the seeming triumph of the enemy, let your people rejoice. David asks as a gift, joy. Make that your prayer today, knowing that God will bless, in fact remind yourself constantly that everything we receive short of annihilation is grace, and rejoice in it. These people are the ones who place (present tense) their trust in God, are defended (imperfect tense, keep on defending) by God, and love God’s name (fame, reputation, being, person). Do these characters reflect your life? Are you now, and do you constantly trust Christ for eternity and for everything else? Does God make a habit of defending you? And do you love His Name? Do you keep His commands? Do you value Him and His fame above family, work, above possessions and prestige, above sex or relationships, above health and/or life itself? If so God is blessing you and will continue to bless you, and my hope, Jesus’ hope, and David’s hope is that you will live life on shouting for joy grounds!
A. Closing illustration: A. W. Tozer, Christian Publications, 1964, p. 90 Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven. David Brainerd said to Jonathan Edwards once: "I do not go to heaven to be advanced but to give honor to God. It is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I have a high or low seat there, but to live and please and glorify God.... My heaven is to please God and glorify Him, and give all to Him, and to be wholly devoted to His glory.
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
