The Voice of Worship: Don't Sweat the Technique
[powerpress] Last week we spoke about the priority of moving from a place of simply knowing about Jesus to engaging God on a consistent basis. This week we will speak about the dynamics through which we glorify Jesus in the midst of life's battles and victories, developing a practice of worship with which God said He is pleased.
The Battle Rounds (II Chron. 20:1-30)
Life as we know it is a fight of faith. It can be a battle to maintain your peace and your joy - to walk in right relationship with Jesus and others. It is also a battle to be able to excel in the workplace, in school, or in your pursuits while maintaining God's kingdom priorities. God has given us weapons with which we can win these battles, and the one with which we need to begin is worship. Worship magnifies God in life's battles - over your circumstances, struggles, and fears. It invites God to intervene in your situation.
Why do we begin each celebration service with music and song?
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5 NIV)
The manner in which we approach God is important as it honors Him for who He is as much as what He's done. It postures our hearts in humility, thankfulness, and faith when we remember not only his grandeur, but also His great love for us expressed in Jesus.
It is natural that we give God thank offerings when He has done something for us. However, it can be difficult at times with the weight of life to come to Jesus with that type of attitude. God knows this and has instructed us how to deal with moments like these.
This is a segment from a psalm of Asaph. He and Heman were appointed by King David from the Levitical (priestly) tribe to be musicians who led the people in worship at the temple of the Lord (I Chronicles 6:31-53).
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son. When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you. “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you: Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.” (Psalm 50:14-23 NIV)
The victory begins in silent meditation as we reflect and stand on the truth of God's word.
“Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him. Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” ― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
Silent Meditation is put into effect as we give God a sacrifice of praise for: 1) the unchanging nature of who He is, and 2) as an act of faith, because we know that His trustworthiness in the past gives us every indication of His character in the future. Jesus is not formulaic. It may not be the same way that He brings about the necessary (not always desired) provision or miracle each time, but He will do it. We have no right to think otherwise.
Religion is passive regarding the affairs of life; relationship is aggressive pursuing the promises of God (I Thess. 5:18) Religion can be cold and isolating; relationship is both personal and communal.
Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 149:1-9 NIV)
When you praise God individually, you are making moves to deepen your intimacy with Jesus. When you worship corporately, you are obeying God's instructions and receiving the benefit of being encouraged by - literally feeding off the strength of - other people's faith.
Through the writers of Scripture, the Holy Spirit has also given instruction revealing the importance of how you worship. We call these the live rounds.
The Live Rounds (Technique, How)
Worship is not just a frame of mind or a condition of the heart. It is also something that is to be expressed. The manner in which you worship can be both attractive to God and freeing to your soul.
Religion is merely academic; relationship is employing that knowledge. Worship involves an all-encompassing adoration of Jesus. There are several postures of worship which the Bible describes which are important in your relating to God.
How low can you go? Standing (Solomon dedicating the temple in I Kings 8:22)
Sitting (David in II Samuel 7:18)
Kneeling - stilling our souls and orienting ourselves in submission to Jesus For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. (Ephesians 3:14, 15 NIV)
Bowing (Matthew 2:11) - humbling ourselves in reverence and honor before Jesus
Laying Prostrate (Deuteronomy 9:25; I Kings 18:36-39; Matthew 5:3) - acknowledging the glory of God and our complete dependency on Him. It is saying, "We are undone and desperate before you."
"At the very least, they can be persuaded to that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls." -CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters - Letter 4
Though the worldview constructed by Darwinian evolution absent of the acknowledgment of God would suggest that we are merely animals and beasts of instinct, the Bible reveals that we are so much more. Out of all of God's creation, humanity is the unique image-bearer of God, full of intellect, reasoning ability, an eternal soul, and, through the Holy Spirit, self-control. God has also designed us to have our hearts and minds intimately connected with the movements and expressions that proceed from our bodies. Worship brings this into clear view, being an outward expression of the inward condition of the heart. It is the visible demonstration of the Holy Spirit's secret work within the soul of a man, woman, or child.
Just as surely as postures position our hearts properly before God, actions communicate the same reverence, rejoicing and delight, with liberating effects for the worshiper. People often make judgments about how someone else is worshiping before the Lord. You need not do this. We need to play to an audience of one. It is about the heart. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)
Psalm 95 has traditionally been called the veniti (which in Latin means "O Come!" because of the Psalm's opening call to worship) and explains outward expressions that coincide with biblical worship. Throughout the history of the Christian Church, it has been utilized as a standard to tell us what worship is:
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” (Psalm 95:1-11 NIV)
Singing - practical adoration
Shouting - can be cathartic and magnifying
Playing Instruments - for the delight of God's heart
"I wish to see all arts, principally music, in the service of Him who gave and created them. Music is a fair and glorious gift of God. I would not for the world forego my humble share of music. Singers are never sorrowful, but are merry, and smile through their troubles in song. Music makes people kinder, gentler, more staid and reasonable. I am strongly persuaded that after theology there is no art than can be placed on a level with music; for besides theology, music is the only gift capable of affording peace and joy of the heart…the devil flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God." -Martin Luther
Several people express concern over people falling into emotionalism in worship experiences. A question would be, "Does not the God who made your emotions not want you to emote to Him?" Another concern that people have is the idea of worship turning into a performance. People seem to have no trouble at a sporting event, concert, or other party where they are expressing their joy or sorrow over the subject or object of focus. This is to be our celebration service, where we are rejoicing in who Jesus is and all that He has done for us. Your adoration should begin privately and continue with friends, as in a wedding or other celebration. We will continue this discussion in a couple of weeks.
Clapping - gives a means of celebration You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12 NIV)
God has designed things in such a way as to receive glory from all of His creation. Sin is simply the momentary marring and muffling of that exaltation. All of creation is meant to give God praise. If the trees, etc., are clapping and bursting forth in song, how much more should we be!
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalm 96:11-13 NIV)
This is why nature so enraptured romantics like Thoreau, Emerson, John Keats, and Walt Whitman. Though described as an agnostic pragmatist committed to metaphysical naturalism, even Harvard educated professor George Santayana, known for his quote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," also said:
“The earth has music for those who listen.” ― George Santayana
All of creation is meant to give honor to God, and it is why Jesus said: When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:37-40 NIV)
It is also why contemporary songwriters have penned songs with lyrics such as "Ain't gonna let no rock out praise me!" These are things that God encourages privately, but also when we are together.
Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150:1-6 NIV)
Dancing - liberates your soul
Leaping - allows you to emote with joy to God (II Samuel 6:16 discussed last week)
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced. (Psalm 63:1-11 NIV)
Prophesying - coming into a place of faith and agreement with God's Word. It is here that we are often empowered and commissioned for the work of God (I Samuel 10:1-9; Acts 13:1-3).
Lifting Hands - a sign of surrender and an appeal for aid (like a child crying out for its parent - Exodus 178-16; I Timothy 2:8)
The fruit of true biblical worship is an increasing submission to the Lordship, the leadership, of Jesus in your life.
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:41-46 NIV)
The writer of Hebrews goes on to say: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15 NIV)
All true biblical worship must begin and end with the worship of the Father through the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:21-26 NIV)
It is only true worship when through it, your mind, body, heart, and soul are being transformed to lift Jesus to the foremost pursuit of your life. Worship is only fully realized in a community where the many varied attributes of God are manifest and shared through a corporate, ideally multicultural experience. The cross of Jesus makes a way for us to leave our sin, preferences, and presuppositions behind, allowing the rightful King to be exalted on His throne. Let's enter into fully devoted worship to see Jesus glorified and our lives and those in this city transformed.
Second City Church- The Voice of Worship Sermon Series 2014