Title: Power of Worship
Theme: To show that when we worship the atmosphere changes.
Text: Psalms 34:1 - 10
Opening Scripture
Psalms 34:1-10 A Psalm of David When He Pretended Madness Before Abimelech, Who Drove Him Away, and He Departed. 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. (4) I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. (5) They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. (6) This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. (7) The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. (8) Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (9) Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. (10) The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
Introduction
David in Achish with the King of Gath (Abimelech)
1Sa 21:10-15 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. (11) And the servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: 'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands'?" (12) Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. (13) So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. (14) Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? (15) Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?"
What a low place that David had gotten to. David the one who killed Goliath. Remember Goliath the enemy of Israel. Who challenged Israel for 40 days in the valley of Elah. Calling out for a “warrior” to face him. Israel shook in fear until David shows up and defeats the giant. This propels him into the kingdom. David marries the daughter of Saul, Micah. David becomes a commander in the Sauls army. Everything is going great until David’s fame becomes more pronounced that the fame of Saul. “Saul has killed his thousands but David had killed his ten thousands.” This caused Saul to become David and set off a chain of events where Saul would purse to kill David.
So here in Psalms 34 David finds himself at a low place. One could say at the lowest of places. He finds himself in the enemies camp, the Philistines, running from the King of Israel. He finds himself pretending to be mad to protect himself. He finds himself at the mercy of the very people whom he had defeated in the valley.
Wow! Just let that sink in. There had to be some questions that began to crop up. Maybe in some doubt that was wanting to creep in. But this is where I believe David wrote this Psalm. When the enemy was trying to place thoughts of doubts and question where is God when things are going bad. David has something swell up in his spirit. David remembered those moments as a shepherd boy as he felt the presence of God. David was remined that it was God who defeated Goliath and not him. God guided the rock to knock down the giant. It was God who has been there. Then he begin to proclaim and write down this psalm.
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;
(3) Oh, magnify the LORD with me, (make God big, make God bigger than your problems, that is what true praise and worship is) And let us exalt (to lift up to rise up) His name together.
(4) I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
(6) This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. (8) Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him
You need to get a hold of this for you self David says. Oh, taste and see. You need to let your senses get involved. I cannot truly describe this for myself, you need to taste Him for yourself. You need to see Him for yourself.
So in the middle of David’s problem, he began to remind himself of who God is. Maybe this is what Habakkuk meant in:
Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (19) The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
To me I believe that is when we begin to worship God is when things shift. Not when things are right or we have it all together but when we worship things shift. Worship is part of our DNA. It is who we are and built into us as a follower of Christ. We worship.
Worship is “Encountering God in reverence and humility. It is connecting with the creator and understanding that we have been given is greater than what we can ever give. Worship can have a posture of bowing down. Standing. Clapping. Being still. Silence.”
Why worship?
I. Worship will bring in the presence of God – 2 Samuel 6
Here David ushers in the ark back to Jerusalem. This time he does it differently after his first failed attempt. This time he leads the processional with worship. He does not leave it up to someone else. David worshiped before the Lord.
David tried the ceremonial way. He tried all the pomp and circumstances. He tried to proper way. But something got ahold of him and he remembered that the presence of the Lord was coming back to the city.
The Bible said that David danced before the Lord. In the eyes of his wife he was improper and made a spectacle of himself. In the eyes of David and the Lord he let go and focused on the Lord. Guess what, the presence of the Lord came back to the city.
When you have been in his presence you want more. You don’t like the void. You don’t like the emptiness. I encourage you to worship (any way you can) until you get into His presence and “taste and see that the Lord is good”.
What if this morning you did not care what people thought and you worshiped. What if you just said, 2 Samuel 6:22 “And I will be even more undignified than this,”
II. Worship will break the chains and set the captives free – Acts 16
This is what happened in Acts 16. You know the story. Paul and Silas found themselves captive and controlled. They could not leave. They were chained. They were beaten. They were wore down. But the enemy could not take their praise.
At midnight they began to sing. I don’t know who began the song. I don’t even know if they were on key. All I know is that there was a praise that began to fill that jail cell.
They did not wait until they got out. They did not wait until everything was good. They said in the middle of this madness I will praise the Lord. He has been too good to me. I will praise Him.
Somebody ought to stand to your feet this morning and say. The chains maybe holding me. I feel captive in my situation but I will praise the Lord. Addiction maybe setting at the door.
Then the prison doors will open. The chains will fall.
III. Worship will help us go through the unknown – Joshua 3
In Joshua 3 Israel finds themselves at a place they had never been before. In a land that they had never entered. Yet God was leading them. Joshua’s advice to them was, “stay focused on the ark.” In other words just keep worshiping God.
IV. Worship will get us out of our wilderness (or sustain us while we are in it) – Psalms 63
(This is from a studies I did many years ago, not sure about the source)
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Psalms 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
A. Judah means praise.
1. In dry and empty places we are in the dessert of
praise.
2. There are times when we don’t feel saved.
3. Times when we don’t feel close to God.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
B. There are time we desire to see God do something among his people.
1. We wonder if God will move like he used too.
2. We think God has left us.
C. The key is in Judah. Praise.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
***************Implies loudness******************
1. Praise God anyway.
2. Give the sacrifice of praise.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
D. God will flood us with his glory and turn around our despondency when we praise.
E. Remember what God has done.
6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
F. God will fight for us while we praise him.
9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
1. It is as if the angels who normally praise are released to go and fight for us when we take their place in praise.
2. We free up heavenly forces when we praise.
V. Worship will give us the power to overcome the enemy – 2 Chronicles 20
2 Chronicles 17 'You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you." 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
I like that, position yourself. Position means to get ready. To be prepared. How? In worship. So that you can see what God is doing.
When we worship, we position ourselves so we can see what God is doing. So that we can know that when it happens it will be God.
Conclusion
Some of you today need to put yourself in the right posture. You need to bow your head and worship. You need to get alone with God and worship. Maybe you got walls that need to fall and you need to worship loud.
Maybe you are in prison and you need to worship.
