20.2.2011 Scriptures: Ephesians 5: 15- 20; Psalms 95 and 150. Psalm 69 30- 32
Intro: This is the 2nd of 3 talks on ‘The marks of a healthy church‘. 2 weeks ago I spoke about fellowship and the important roll we each have to welcome one another and all who the Lord brings to us at CPAC and in our daily lives. To forgive those who let us down and to share with one another especially with those of the household of faith and with those in need. Acts 2: 42 is our model, The 3000 believers after the day of Pentecost experience ‘devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers.’
Today we are going to think about another very important mark of a healthy church WORSHIP: the praise that pleases God.
Open with story of my visit to Massey Uni Friday night student prayer service. How inspiring the Spirit-filled singing was and how I was moved to sing a spiritual song which unbeknown to me fitted in with what they were learning about.
(A) Why should we praise God?
1. We are commanded to praise God Psalm 150:1 says ‘Praise ye the Lord’ Once we have become a follower of Jesus our supreme duty and joy is to worship the Lord. In the psalms which is the Bibles song book constantly the writer calls himself to praise the Lord both alone and with other worshippers in the synagogue and in the Teple in Jerusalem. Psalm 122 says, “I was glad when they said to me ‘ Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
2. The Westminister Confession, a renowned patern of Christian learning has the question, ‘What is the supreme duty of man? And the patern answer is, The supreme duty of man is to praise and enjoy God forever.’
3. Entering in to the worship of Almighty God is good for us. Good worship refreshes us and restores us to be the best we can be. ..to be like Jesus who Luke 10 tells us ‘rejoiced in the spirit’ and told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. “ The Father seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.”
4. Psalm 69: 30- 32 says, ’”I will praise the name of God with a song I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than sacrificing an ox.”
(B) How can we worship God?
1. The ideal answer is we are to worship God with all our being everywhere all our lives. Certainly we are drawn into worship when all is going well and we see a beautiful sea or sky or forest or garden, mountain, lake or river. Our paradise land of the long white cloud calls us to acknowledge our creator and worship Him.
2. But more focused worship takes place when we come together as believers in Christ to acknowledge the Lord and to thank Him and sing to Him with songs of praise.
3. Sometimes people say they can’t worship in song because they are not emotional. But the psalms call us to worship not just when we feel like it. David and the other writers call themsleves into worship by saying, “I will praise the Lord because he is worthy” and ‘Praise the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” (Ps 103) So we praise God with all our being spirit and soul and heart and mind and will.
4. Our bodies are important also in worship and we must be free to worship by sitting or kneeling or lying on the floor or standing; by clapping or raising or hands. The Bible says ,‘W here the Spirit is there is freedom’, freedom to make a joyful noise to the Lord and freedom to dance before the Lord. Romans 12 says ‘present your bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord.’ It takes faith to reach out to God with our bodies by raising our hands etc but God blesses you as you honour His presence by faith. David said, “My heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.’
( C) The dynamics of worship: What happens when we praise God?
1. We draw near to God through thanksgiving and praise. Ps 100 pictures us entering His gates with thanksgiving. Thanking God for our creation and His blessings to us is always a great way to begin to enter into the city of God’s presence. Then we come into his closer presence with praise. We thank God for what He has done but we praise and worship God for who he is and the wonder of his nature and person.
2. The Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people ( Ps 22:3) The experience of entering the throne room of heaven like John in Revelations 4 is much to be desired.
3. When we worship in the Spirit the hosts of heaven( the angels) join in to assist us. The sense of angels around us and behind us helping us to worship as they worship the Father and Jesus is something we should believe for and encourage.
4. When we worship in Spirit and in truth we are not only caught up into heaven we can from there call down heaven’s unlimited resources to meet the needs of earth. “on earth as in heaven” Jesus taught us to pray.
5. In worship we apprehend the manifest presence of God and sense the smile of God. People experience physical sensations; we are restored to who we are as spiritual beings in physical bodies.(Mal 4:2) We are filled with the Spirit.(Eph 5:18)
6. People can be healed in worship…. Pains go; depressions lift and prayers are answered.
7. The heavenly hosts work for us to win spiritual battles and set people free.
8. We stand on the mountain with Jesus as he is transfigured and we are transformed from glory to glory as we see his glory.(see 2 Cor 3: 16- 18; Heb 12: 2- 3)
9. We experience an open heaven like Jacobs ladder and Jesus baptism(Gen 28; John 1:51; Luke 3:21-22)
(D) Our job at church is to be an embassy of Heaven for all who come in.
1. 1 Cor 14;25 says that when we as a church move in the spirit and worship then unbelievers will bow down before God and worshiphim, declaring, “God is really among you.” This happened to some friends of mine who came to a worship service in Christchurch. They were highly trained musical people and when they heard the harmonious singing in the Spirit they said, “Did you know you were singing in 40 part harmony?” Wow!
2. Praise and worship release the resources of heaven for the needs of earth.
3. We apprehend the holiness of God and are changed.
4. The very atmosphere around is changed around us. Eg The House of prayer in India and in the Wales retreat centre. Some people object to lavish praise to Jesus… see Luke 19: 37- 40. We must uphold WORSHIP as a key value of CPAC.
Response: Ps 150 ‘Praise the Lord!…. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!’
We sing Hillsong song with chorus inspired by Psalm 150.
