Title: ?4 Determinations for Divine Worship? Script: Ps. 9: 1-2 (read entire verse)
Type: Expos. Where: GNBC 1-16-02
Intro: I recently read an article in a journal that quoted Dr. John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. In this article on worship, Piper was quoted as saying: ?Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn?t.? Far from putting missions down, Piper is holding forth the supreme importance of worship ? both now and forever. ?Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. Worship abides forever. Do you realize the Scriptures give guidance as to how we are to worship God? God invites us to worship Him, but there are four determinations found in today?s passage that each of us are to make.
Prop: Taking Ps. 9:1-2 as our example, we will notice 4 determinations each Christian must make for divine worship.
BG: 1. Ps. 9 is a Psalm of Praise to God for His deliverance. Is a Psalm of King David?s.
2. I have called these ?determinations?, four choices of the will David states when worships.
3. Please note there are no age restrictions to these determinations. Young and old alike.
Prop: Let us examine the four determinations of King David that each Christian should also adopt in his worship of the Lord.
I. 1st Determination: I am to Give Thanks in My Worship of God!
A. Thankfulness to God is a Choice of the Will
1. It is Essential to Worship that the Christian comes to the Lord with Thankfulness
a. Each one of us has a choice to make each day. We can choose to live this day thankful in light of God?s mercy towards us, or we can choose to live ungrateful and bitter lives.
b. Ungrateful individuals are incomplete in their ability to worship God.
2. At times need holy determination to face Foe and Bless the Lord in the Face of the Enemy
a. bg ? Psalm 9 is in many ways a Ps. of praise and thanksgiving to God for giving David victory over his enemies and the enemies of his country. .
b. Illust- Is there someone causing you great conflict? Unreasonable, profane, nit-picking, etc. Get under your skin. Praise God in the midst for what doing in your life.
B. The Psalmist Calls for Whole-hearted Thankfulness.
1. Whole-hearted thankfulness is to encompass the total man/woman
a. ?with all my heart? ? ?all the powers of his mind, heart and soul are focused in taking part in the worship of God.?
b. If we are going to praise God acceptably we are to praise Him not only with our lips but also with our hearts and our whole beings.
2. Whole-hearted thankfulness is understood in light of the Person of God.
Illust- A.W. Tozer: great CMA pastor: ?In my opinion the great single need of the moment is that light-hearted superficial religionists be struck down with a vision of God high and lifted up, with His train filling the temple, for the holy art of worship seems to have passed away like the Shekinah glory of the tabernacle.?
C. Applic: Are you a thankful Christian? Answer should be unanimous ?Yes!?.
II. 2nd Determination: I am to Tell of God?s Wonders!
A. Modern Christians need to Realize Worship is to be Participatory.
1. We are to enjoy every opportunity to worship
a. Worship is not to be passive! It is to be participatory. Illust- Going to worship is not to be like watching t.v. T.V. is a passive mode of entertainment. The seeker-sensitive model of worship which has inundated modern American evangelicalism is rarely any different than watching one?s favorite television program. (No commitment to a local fellowship, no discipline, appeals to the most common and base level of selfish and self-centered spirituality which leads to fat and sassy, lazy believers unwilling and unable to impact world for Christ.)
b. Illust- Do you and I tell of God?s wonders when He answers prayers in marvelous way? (Lk. 19:40 ? Don?t stifle praise or very rocks will cry out!)
B. It is Natural for Individuals to Tell of God?s Wonders when they have been blessed by Him.
1.
Illust: It is natural for us to rejoice and tell others when we have received something good from the Lord. IN Lk. 15 ? 3 parables about something lost that is later found: Lost sheep (1 of 100), lost coin (1 of 10), lost son (1 of 2). In each case the individual: shepherd, woman, father of the prodigal, rejoices when that which was lost is found. Invite friends and neighbors to ?rejoice? with them. (v.6, 9, 23). Others too: Matthew, Zacceus, etc.
2.
a. Illust- Jonathan Edwards ? famous leader of America?s Great Awakening in the early-mid 1700s stated: ?God?s overriding purpose and priority is the display and furtherance of His own glory.? You see, when we tell of His wonders we are joining Him in this.
b. How do I practically do this? Share Biblical truth with others. Share personal testimony of how Christ has worked in your life. (Live in a culture is becoming more and more opposed to propositional/exclusivistic truth, yet no one seems to be willing to argue w/ one?s experience. Share what Christ has done!
C. Applic:
III. 3rd Determination: I am to be Glad and Exult in Thee!
A. The Christian is to Exalt in the Lord as a part of Divine Worship
1. What does it mean to exult in the Lord?
a. exult ? from Heb. ?alas?- verb describes an emotional response of the righteous. (Who can remember the 1980 Winter Olympics when ragtag US men?s hockey team upset Soviet Union? Then, later on, after the gold medal round, when Old Glory was raised, anyone American watching was overcome w/response of exultation! If that is response to a game, what should be our response when we come to worship our Savior?!
b. Piper: ?There is no higher activity for created beings that worship. Worship is not a means to anything else. We don?t primarily worship at church to grow our numbers, to make people feel better about themselves, to teach believers, or evangelize the lost. We worship to actively cherish and savor the glory of God.?
2. Are you exulting in the Lord?
a. Illust- Eric Alexander: ?It is a mark of spiritual barrenness in the church when Christians come to worship to fulfill a duty rather than to satisfy an appetite.?
b. Or have you grown barren and dry? Does worship, does fellowship in the body of Christ seem dull and boring? Would you rather be somewhere else doing something else?
B. We Can Exult in the Lord Because We have a Perfect Worship Leader. .
1. Do you realize that as Christians we already have a Perfect worship leader?
a. Illust- Some Christians feel have to have certain type of charismatic person to lead worship in such a way if really going to ?get into the Spirit?. No, sorry, as good of a worship leader as Jim Mays is, he?s not the One Who I am talking about.
b. Nay, Christ alone is our true worship leader! He stands before us as we life our praise to the Father. In Him we are allowed thru the Spirit to participate in Christ?s ongoing communion with the Father. This is not only true because as the perfect sacrifice bought our redemption thru His blood, but also because as Heb. 7:25 states: ?He always lives to make intercession for us.?
2. Jesus Christ takes our Sacrifice of Worship and Places it before the Father.
a. Illust- As Ron Man (p.35) has stated A sort of ?Protestant transubstantiation? takes place as our feeble expressions of worship are taken up by Christ and transformed by Him into a perfect offering of praise to the Father.?
C. Applic:
IV. 4th Determination: I will sing Praise to Thy Name!
A.
1. Choosing to Sing Praise to the Lord is a Determination of the Will.
a. Illust: Let me ask you, what did King David say he would do? ?Sing Praise to Thy Name!? Not mumble, not boycott, not look around, sing!
b. David loved to sing, most conservative scholars agree David wrote ½ of the Psalms, they were songs he would play on the harp.
2.
a. Singing characterizes Christian people. Singing often an expression of worship, praise, joy. Who else has more to rejoice the heart than the Christian?
B. An Attitude of Praise and Adoration is an Affront to the Enemy.
1. Praise and Worship brings forth a divine release from that which oppresses.
a. Illust- I Sam.16:14 ? ?Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him.? Whenever this evil spirit?s influence would come upon king, go into fits, don?t know if fear, or depression, etc. Regardless one of the members of the court tells the king he needs good, melodious, music. Enters a young shepherd boy who was skilled on the harp (David). Whenever Saul troubled, David would play hard and evil spirits leave.
b. Illust- Applic- If you or loved one is struggling with depression, fears, anxieties, you might want to attempt to find out what type of music he/she listening to. I am not about to propose is a cure all, but certainly if there are demonically/spiritually inspired problems, dark music will only cause individual to do more poorly. Rather, play encouraging, and uplifting Christian music.
2. Praising God in Song brings joy and happiness while lifting our burdens.
a. Illust- Talking to a friend recently. Had been through several very difficult situations. Drained and rung-out. Before knew it, as was sitting still, began to sing: ?Jesus, all for Jesus?! Felt release from the anxiety.
b. Illust- I can never hear or sing ?To God Be the Glory? but what I don?t automatically think of Stevie Rutherford. Stevie had a tough life growing up in East Belfast, never traveled, school to 15 when left to work in shipyards. Yet Stevie was most joyful man I think I have ever known. Constantly humming or singing a hymn or chorus, laughing all the time. First time I preached in EBM after end of service, deafening and majestic organ postlude. When finished heard squeaky, off-pitch Ulster-Scotch accent ring out of the silence: ?Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!? I thought someone had let a madman loose in the place. Years later, when my friend Jim Rea received his MA from ancient & prestigious (stuffy) Westminster College, Oxford, there in attendance was Stevie along with a few other folks from the congregation. After candidates received diplomas, various Anglican and college dignitaries spoke, after massive choir sung. This formal service was closed with ?To God be the Glory? on chapel?s massive pipe-organ! (People who knew him: ?Don?t Stevie, don?t!? Like a balloon being filled with air. Finally, poof! PTL! PTL! Stevie didn?t care what anyone else thought, he was going to praise the Lord and sing out! How about you and me?
