AIDS TO WORSHIP
Psalm 42:1
Introduction
Today, we will wrap up our series THE DYNAMICS OF WORSHIP
Thus far we have looked at
• What Worship is
• What God is like (13 Characteristics)
• Why Corporate Worship is Important
This morning, as we strive to give God our best in worship, we should use whatever means are appropriate to help us
I want us to look at 7 suggestions that can AID us in our Worship to the Lord
Read Psalm 42:1 / Pray
God has created human beings to worship…as expressed in our Psalm today…our soul should pant for God
Trans: There are some things that can Aid our worship,
1. MEDITATION
Taking time to quiet ourselves and to begin to think on God and His goodness will help us to prepare our hearts for worship
This preparation should begin on Monday and should continue through to Sunday morning
Everyone of us should have a time of daily reflection or meditation on God and His Word as we seek Him every day in our quiet/devotion time
• Prov 8:34 “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching DAILY at my doors, waiting at my doorway”
• Luk 9:23 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross DAILY and follow me”
Turn to Psa 63:1-4 (read) …you want a passage to meditate on…this is one of them
I have never been a user of drugs…but I can imagine what it is like to need a FIX…this verse says David was hurting so bad he needed a FIX from God
A FIX to worship Him and draw closer to Him
Our minds are so polluted with the things of the world – it can be hard to come in and worship God if we are thinking on or meditating on wrong things
• Phil 4:8 (NLT) “dear brothers and sisters, one final things. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise”
Meditating and thinking on the right things will AID our worship to the Lord
Trans: The second suggestion is…
2. CONFESSION
The person who truly understands the glory of God will realize his need for confession and cleansing
• Isa 6:6-7 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
God desires worship from those who have a clean heart
David said in Psa 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me”
Turn to 1 John 1:7-10
3. MUSIC
How many of you really like music? There just seems to be something about music that says YES to our soul
But it is the right kind of music that says YES to our worshipping the Lord
The use of hymns, praise songs, and musical instruments help to AID our worship
I don’t know how the Church of Christ get around this verse – they don’t use instruments in worship
Turn to Psalm 150
Paul commands us in Eph 5:18-19 “Don’t be drunk with wine…instead be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts”
Again Paul says in Col 3:16 “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
Music is to be used to AID in our worship to the LORD
Trans: however, I believe God desires of us as worshippers to have…
4. ORDERLINESS
Our worship should not be haphazard or disorganized
It should be done in an orderly fashion…shouldn’t look like some form of chaos
God is a God of order…that is part of His character in Who He is…
Turn to 1 Cor 14:26-40
5. PRAYER
Openly talking to God helps us to focus our minds on the things of God
Talking to Him makes us conscious of His presence
Turn to 1 Tim 2:1-8
• Heb 4:16 “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most”
6. GIVING
By our gifts of tithes and offerings we express gratitude to God in a tangible way
We acknowledge His ownership of all that we possess, and we show that we are trusting Him to provide our needs
• Matt 6:31-32 “So don’t worry about these things saying, What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs”
• Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back
Turn to 2 Cor 9:6-15
7. BIBLE STUDY
Preaching and teaching are major ingredients of true worship.
Whether it be from the pulpit, in a Sunday school class, in a bible study, or during your quiet time
The instruction of the Word of God helps to equip us to be better worshippers of God
Our teaching must be the Scriptures alone which is the only means for equipping believers for life and godliness
Turn to 2 Tim 3:16-17
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Tim 4:2 “Preach the Word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.”
A church gathering of worship will include the teaching and preaching of the Word of God as a major component of true worship
CONCLUSION
As we have seen over the past several weeks, God desires true worshippers who worship Him in Spirit and Truth
We have seen there must be a balance of both for true worship to take place
Today, hopefully we’ve seen some things that will be AIDS TO WORSHIP including:
1. Meditation
2. Confession
3. Music
4. Orderliness
5. Prayer
6. Giving
7. Bible Study
God has provided us the perfect model for true biblical worship so that we can worship in a manner pleasing to Him
Let us follow this course and worship God with great passion
Let us convey to the world around us that we are His disciples…taking up His cross and following Him every day
Close with an exhortation from Heb 12:28-29
Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.
Pray
