Guidance to PRAISE and WORSHIP!
(Psa 100:1 KJV) A Psalm of praise.
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. :5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Verse 4 “bless’ this Hebrew word is “berak” a act of worship to God. It has the meaning to kneel.
Worship has the ideal of adoration, admiration and intense love.
Hallelujah = Praise Jehovah
I. There is an order in Praise ad Worship.
(Psa 95:1 KJV) O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. :2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Notice the order of things.
1. Come before Him with singing-make a joyful noise.
2. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, courts with praise.
3. Then, worship and bow down.
II. Praise and Worship touches our Spirit, Soul and Body.
1. We were created with a spirit, soul and body
2. We use our entire being to worship God
A. Spirit
(John 4:23 KJV) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
1. Remember, you are a spirit, you were created in the image of God. God is a spirit. You must worship Him in spirit and in truth. You have a soul, and when your soul ad spirit agree, your body will respond
B. Soul
When we make up our minds and choose to enter into praise then our soul gets involved.
1. Praise begins in the soul realm. The soul is made up of the will of man, the mind and the emotions.
a. That’s why we need to have God renew our minds.
(Rom 12:2 KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
C: Body
(Rom 12:1 KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
1. Your body is good not bad, it’s the house of the Holy Spirit.
(1 Cor 6:19 KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
(1 Cor 6:20 KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
III. Praise and Worship demands we use our heart not our head.
A. Head worship verses Heart Worship
B. Heart worship is the resulted of the recreated spirit.
C. Out of that right standing or relationship that begins in the spirit then the soul gets involved.
D. Then our mind, the emotions, the will of man.
E. Our minds need to renewed. They need a Holy Spirit transformation.
(Mat 26:41 KJV) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
1. When we worship God, God the creator, the Spirit of God renews and changes our minds and opens our spirit.
2. Will we connect with the Father through our spirit or will we allow our feelings to lead us???
3.Our emotions are to fully expressed and released in order and decency according to God’s Word-But they must be released.
4. The body gives expression. In fact, He commands us to express ourselves and in so doing he’s really inviting us to enjoy Him. God enjoys us enjoying Him.
IV. Praise and Worship honors God not man.
A. We do not express these ways to be seen of men.
1. We want God to see them.
B. Some people are afraid of what others may think.
1. They are consumed with the fear of man.
(Gal 1:10 KJV) For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
(Col 4:12 KJV) Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
(Acts 5:29 KJV) Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
(1 Sam 15:22 KJV) And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
(John 14:15 KJV) If ye love me, keep my commandments.
(John 14:23 KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
V. Praise and Worship is faith in action.
A. Remember that God has commanded us to praise Him. It’s not a suggestion.
B. So if we please God we must use faith. Praise is faith in action.
C. Praise is not a cure all.
D. It is not a formula to manipulate God. It is a lifestyle of the believer.
E. As we lift Him up our faith begins to magnify Him and our problems begin looking smaller and smaller.
(1 Pet 2:9 KJV) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
(1 Pet 2:10 KJV) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
It is something we live everyday. Our application of daily praise in faith will cause the word to produce in our lies. Praise is faith in action. Faith and works together produces life.
(Acts 16:25 KJV) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
- Praise is an act of faith. Paul decided to let his faith go in praise and worship.
- We decide to agree with God’s Word.
- We decide to give thanks in all things.
Our decision to agree with the Word will always produce fruit, whether, in worship service or on your job, In your home or wherever you are. You must have faith to please God.
VI. Singing
There are 575 scriptures admonishing us to sing. More on singing than speaking.
The first reference in the Word to singing as worship to God was the result of the deliverance of God’s people through the Red Sea.
(Exo 15:1 KJV) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. (Exo 15:2 KJV) The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exo 15:3 KJV) The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. (Exo 15:4 KJV) Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. (Exo 15:5 KJV) The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. (Exo 15:6 KJV) Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. (Exo 15:7 KJV) And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. (Exo 15:8 KJV) And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. (Exo 15:9 KJV) The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. (Exo 15:10 KJV) Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
(Exo 15:11 KJV) Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exo 15:12 KJV) Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. (Exo 15:13 KJV) Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. (Exo 15:14 KJV) The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
(Exo 15:15 KJV) Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. (Exo 15:16 KJV) Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. (Exo 15:17 KJV) Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. (Exo 15:18 KJV) The LORD shall reign forever and ever. (Exo 15:19 KJV) For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
A. God choose this as the first time to mention praise because of the law of first appearance-the first time something appears in the bible is important and has special meanings.
1. The people were filled with praise because He triumphed gloriously,
2. I will prepare Him a habitation.
3. This song declares God is Lord over our lives.
4. When we submit to Jesus' lordship, we'll give him our worship.
5. It is possible to be so active in the service of Christ as to forget to love him.
6. The word worship is a shortened form of the old word worthship, which means showing God the worth he holds in your life.
7. Fellowship with a holy God will produce holy living.
8. Some people think Sunday is Funday.
WHAT IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST!
The church is not:
* An ark for the saving of a select few.
* A ferryboat to take effortless passengers to the shores of heaven.
* A life insurance company, with no obligation on policyholders accepts the payment of a small annual premium.
* A social set, welcoming certain people and excluding others from its fellowship.
* A Sunday pleasure club for the providing of pleasant occupation on the day of rest.
THE CHURCH IS:
* A lifeboat for the rescue of sin-wrecked and perishing souls.
* A family, in which love and service are expected from each member to each member.
* An organized community, with constant activities and continual growth and development.
* A company of believers who have found the one way of life and obey the one Lord of life.
* A union of those who love for the benefit of those who suffer.
* A center of social worship, in which the spiritual life of each is helped by the spiritual life of his fellow.
• The representative, Ambassadors -- the "body" -- of Jesus Christ on the earth, reflecting his spirit and controlled by his will AND DOING HIS WORK!.
PART OF THE CHURCH IS ALREADY IN HEAVEN, EACH PASSING OF A BELIEVER IT GROWS IN HEAVEN AND WITH EVERY CONVERSION IT GROWS ON EARTH.
LET US ENTER INTO HIS PRESENCE AND WORHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH TODAY!
