Worship in Songland: Know the the One for Whom You Write
Praise that Pleases the Lord
Worship that Pleases the Lord
Turning to the Lord
“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.” - A.W. Tozer
We Worship With:
The Head
The Heart
The Hands
In the Studio - Why it's important what we do in praise and worship
Of David
Psalm 22:3-5
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
"It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men." - C.S. Lewis
The Hands (You’re Body in Worship)
"Our entire being is fashioned as an instrument of praise. Just as a master violin
maker designs an instrument to produce maximum aesthetic results, so God
tailor-made our bodies, souls and spirits to work together in consonance to produce
pleasing expressions of praise and worship. When we use body language to express
praise, that which is internal becomes visible."
"A Heart For Worship" by Lamar Boschman
Praise that pleases the Lord
Clapping
Shouting for Joy
Singing
Playing Instruments
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” —Victor Hugo
Dancing
CELEBRATION!!!
This is praise.
Of the Sons of Korah
Psalm 47:1-9
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
Of David
Psalm 30:1-12
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord , be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
Worship that Pleases the Lord
Bowing
"The first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews expressed this by their posture
and not alone by their word. For they prostrated themselves before God. “O come, let
us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” They did not come
with an easy familiarity into the presence of God, but were aware of his greatness and
majesty, and came with a sense of privilege to His house."
"Worship in Ancient Israel" p. 257
H.H. Rowley
Kneeling
Prostrating
“At the very least, they can be persuaded 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. It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” - Screwtape speaking to Wormwood in C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters
Humbling Ourselves
Lifting Hands in Surrender
Holy of Holies before the awesomess and Majesty of God
I’m more focused on the glory (kabod) of God than who or what’s going on around me.
Intimacy (people act like if they don’t post something on Instagram, the life event isn’t validated or didn’t happen. This destroys the secret life and intimacy with Jesus and people that you love. Turn these moments instead to worship of God to testify to his life of blessing and deliverance Matthew 6; Revelation 12)
Getting off the phone - destroys intimacy with spouse, children, world around you. We are more irritable
Exchange
Crying out to God
“If this fails, you must fall back on a subtler misdirection of his intention. Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves. Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills. When they meant to ask Him for charity, let them, instead, start trying to manufacture charitable feelings for themselves and not notice that this is what they are doing. When they meant to pray for courage, let them really be trying to feel brave. When they say they are praying for forgiveness, let them be trying to feel forgiven. Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feeling; and never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired, at the moment.” - Screwtape speaking to Wormwood in C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters
Of David
Psalm 145:14-21
The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Turning to the Lord
“The purpose of this Christian society called “the church” is first to glorify God by our worship. We do not go to church just to hear a sermon. We go to church to worship God.” —Billy Graham
It’s not a matter of culture, it’s a matter of freedom
2 Corinthians 3:15-18
Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
The cross of Jesus and his Resurrection Give us access to this freedom. Repent and believe the good news for the forgiveness of your sins today!
Second City Church - Worship In Songland - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2019