NCD
Inspiring Worship Service
Scripture: Rev. 4:9-11
9 Whenever the living
creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever
and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him
who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast
their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You uare worthy, O Lord, To
receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all
things, And by Your will they exist and were
created.”[1]
Introduction: Tell me, describe to me, give me a word that
describes the feelings or emotions of what it would be like to worship,
directly in the presence of God?
Unworthy, awesome, excited, Love and peace
When we come into this house to meet with God do we experience
some of the same emotions, feelings or thoughts?
The hour and place
of prayer and the services of public worship the child should be taught to
regard as sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in
attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened.
{Child Guidance 539.3}
Inspire
1.
To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence. 2. To fill with noble or reverent emotion; exalt; hymns that inspire the congregation. 3. To stimulate to creativity or
action.
Every church has worship services but does every church have
inspiring worship services? And if yes
to what degree?
What inspires you to come to this house and worship God? Is it
the songs that we sing? Is it the scriptures that are read? Is it the praises that are told? Is it the truth that is preached or the
sermons we listen to? Or perhaps is it the offerings we give?
Does our worship inspire you to a dept that you have to tell
someone of the awesomeness of being in Gods presences?
Does our worship inspire you to make changes in your life?
When you have left this place what brings you fulfillment
knowing that you have been in the presences of God?
When I first became a Christian the Lord put a burning desire
within me to worship the Lord and to share the gospel. I had no fear to share what God had done for
me and every time the church door were opened I was there!
Early on I found a ministry that was well suited for my
spiritual gifts; I managed a gospel group, “The Signs of the Times.” I remember one Friday evening we were
ministering at a street mission in Rockford IL. The Seventh Street Mission. 7th street was known for all the
gangs, prostitutes and junkies that lived or worked on that street. It definitely was not a place you wanted to
be alone after the sun went down.
Every Friday evening the mission would open her doors to all the
street people. The mission would
minister to them and then feed them.
This night that we were there our group sang some songs and then I preached
a simple salvation message. When I made
a call for people to come forward to accept Jesus, many of these people found
their way forward. They came forward
broken, hurting and all messed up. They
came just as they were.
The presence of God seemed to be thick in that little storefront
mission. People were moved to make
things right with God and with one another.
The closing song that the group sang was “Holy Ground.” As we sang the chorus, “we are standing on
Holy Ground, and I know that there are angels all around,” as we sang that
chorus the Lord must have impressed on my mind the story of Moses. Remember when Moses approached the burning
bush and the Lord told him to take off his shoes for the ground in which he is
standing on is Holy Ground. Well when
they sang that chorus I felt the need to remove my shoes. No sooner than I did I looked over and there
was a young man who had been living on the streets, addicted to drugs and
alcohol, kick off his shoes and fell to his knees in worship to the Almighty
God.
How much more wonderful will it be when we get to stand in the
presence of God. In the fullness of His glory, worshiping Him with the angels
and the 24 elders. Does that thought
inspire you or excite you to move closer to Jesus?
I am not advocating emotional worship rather Inspiring
Worship.
I.
Inspiring Worship
begins in the Heart of every Believer.
A. Inspiring worship is
to come from the heart of every believer.
If you ever want to draw near to an inspired
believer all you have to do is read through the Psalms.
Psalms
84 The
Blessedness of Dwelling in the House of God
Vs. 6 As they pass through the
Valley of Baca, They make
it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.
The Valley of Baca (“balsam tree”) was
apparently a waterless place that became a place of springs. The rains
would cover the arid valley with pools of water, a vivid picture
of God’s blessings on the faithful pilgrims.
We are like this
dry desert place before entering into His presence. And when we do the Holy Spirit fills us, and waters us, and makes
us alive and green again.
The Psalmists
understood inspiring worship.
Vs. 11 The Lord
will give grace and glory; No good thing
will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
B. Inspiring worship
has the elements of praise and prayer, Blessings and devotion, offering and
sacrifice.
Inspiring worship is not about the style of
music whether it is traditional, contemporary or southern Gospel.
Inspiring worship is not about what instruments
that are used in the worship service.
Worship is at the heart of every true believer. And it is so clear as we continue to read
through the Psalms.
Psalms
92:1-6 Praise
and worship the Lord with all you have.
Praise and worship the Lord with all your
heart.
Psalms
95:1-7
C. David was a true
worshiper of God.
Why was David considered to be a man after
Gods own heart? David knew God and God
knew David.
Psalms 29:1-
Psalms 103:1-4
It is only by the inspiration of the Lord
directed at the heart of the believer that can compose a song such as
these.
What is the Lord inspiring your heart to do?
II.
Inspiring worship
begins in the home.
A. Not only does Inspiring
worship begin in the heart of every true believer it also begins in the
home.
Deut.
6:5-7 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I
command you today shall be in your heart. 7You shall teach
them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your
house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when
you rise up.
Inspiring worship doesn’t begin on the
Sabbath it begins on the first day of the week and follows through the week and
into the Sabbath. If our hearts are not
prepared to meet with Jesus before we walk through the church doors its hard to
receive the Godly blessings that God intends for us. That’s not to say God can’t bless me if I haven’t spent time
praying for Sabbath Worship. But I tell
you the truth the blessing are much greater when the soul is prepared to meet
with Jesus.
Not only will the Sabbath become a Joy it
will become an awesome experience.
But seven day without prayer, seven days
without communion with God makes one WEAK.
Before I work on a sermon I always pray that
God will give me a sermon that we all need to hear. Next I ask Him to prepare the hearts of every believer to receive
the message. I pray this each day as I
sit down to work on my sermons.
Day by day as we commune with God we should
be praying for our Sabbath worship. Lord prepare my heart to meet you!
The
work of sanctification begins in the home. Those who are Christians in the home
will be Christians in the church and in the world. There are many who do not
grow in grace because they fail of cultivating home religion. {Child Guidence 481.3}
Inspiring worship begins in the home.
III.
Inspiring worship is
void of Formalism.
A. One of the greatest
struggles that Jesus faced as He tried to draw humanity to Himself was
formalism. The Jewish leaders, the
Pharisees and other religious sects made it so hard for people to know the one
true God.
In Matt 23:27 Jesus speaking to the
Pharisees, calls them “white washed tombs…full of dead men’s bones.” He called
them “hypocrites,” just going through the motions, play acting, nothing from
the heart.
In Matt 15:17 He claimed they were “without
understanding.”
Formalism focuses on the external rather
than the heart.
Formalism places supreme importance on
rituals, ceremonies, forms and tradition that overshadow the worship of the
heart and spirit.
The Pharisees made so hard for people to
know God by setting up so many rules and regulations that no one could keep.
For example, through tradition the Jews were
not to eat unless they washed their hands.
This tradition (Rabbinic, not Mosaic) was an elaborate washing ritual
involving not only one’s hands but also cups, pitchers, and kettles (Mark
7:3-4).
Another example was the Sabbath day journey. A Sabbath day journey could only consist of
an hour walk on the Sabbath, any more would be considered Sabbath breaking.
Yet another rule was cannot heal on the
Sabbath.
Still today orthodox Jews will not turn
their lights on or off on the Sabbath.
Jesus say’s…
Matt. 15:8,9
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But
their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as
doctrines the Commandments of men.’ ”
These
words are still sounding. They contain truth which is universal, which is a
light to all believers and a condemnation to all unbelievers. But they were
particularly fitted to the Jewish nation. The religious services of the Jews had degenerated from
spiritual worship to a mere formalism. "In vain do they worship
me," said Christ, "teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men." The proud lovers of pleasure were so fully engrossed with their own
ambitious expectations and desires that they had no relish for the words of the
great Teacher. He did not encourage their worldly projects; he never flattered
them or praised their smartness; and his words were not pleasant to their
world-bound souls. {RH, May 18, 1897
par. 9}
B. Let us not fall into
the same legalistic trap. Jesus offers
something better than cold formalism.
He offers us the indwelling of the Spirit. Jesus invites us to much more than a “form of godliness but
denying its power.” He offers Himself.
That is why true worship is in Spirit and
truth.
IV.
Inspiring worship is
worship in Spirit and in Truth
A. Spirit and truth,
Jesus said in the book of John…
John
4:23,24 23 But the hour is
coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and truth; Not on a certain mountain. Not in a particular temple, from the
heart. Beginning in the home, void of
formalism and in Spirit and truth.
for the Father is seeking such to worship
Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth.”
What does it mean to worship Him in spirit and truth?
Ephesians 4:8,9 give us a clue.
Eph. 5:8,9
8 For you were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness,
righteousness, and truth),
We understand to worship God in truth is to
worship the source of all truth. I can
stand in awe and be inspired as the Spirit of truth opens His word up to us and
inspires me to live holy. Or inspires
me to write a sermon or a book or compose a song or to help someone in
need. It’s all about Jesus in me, moving
me to work for His glory.
John
15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I
shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of
Me
John
16:13-15 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you
into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell
you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what
is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the
Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine
and declare it to you.
1 John
4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears
us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
B. Peace and
righteousness and love should fill the heart of every believer in Christ. Let
the leaven of truth work by its sanctifying power in your life. Truth is a working element.
It leads us on to aggressive warfare, not against our brethren, but against
satanic agencies. The battle in which we are called to fight is not a warfare
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places. Do not think that you are doing God's work by warring against one
another. This work is done to the shame of those who claim to believe the
truth. {RH, November 5, 1901 par. 1}
In these last days the Spirit of truth will
inspire Christians in many different and mighty ways.
Acts
2:17-21
V.
Inspiring Worship
and Reverent Conduct in the House of God
A. I can’t preach on
worship without mentioning conduct in the house of God.
Inspiring worship is closely related to our
conduct and behavior in the house of God. Because our conduct and behavior
stems from the condition of the heart.
Every Sabbath morning (at 9:00 AM those who
come to) I pray for our services, pray for Gods presences to be with us in this
sanctuary. And I believe God honors
that prayer.
If we entered into this place knowing that
we are in the presence of the Lord how would we conduct ourselves?
If we knew that we are in the presence of
God…
Would we act any different?
Would we be on our best behavior?
Would our children be kept in check?
Would our dress be our best?
We have clear council regarding our conduct
while in the house of God. While in the
presence of our Creator, Savior and Lord.
(5 Testimonies Chap. 56)
(Messages to Young People, Chap. 86, Pg.
266)
B. How did the
Israelites revere the sanctuary knowing that God was there dwelling with them?
Everyone was allowed in the inner court,
only the priests were allowed in the Holy Place and only the High Priest was
allowed into the Most Holy Place and that was but once a year. It was very reverent.
Before they could enter into the sanctuary
they were to be sanctified and washed in the laver.
Any priest that served in an improper way
was dealt with by God Himself.
Now I ask, who are
the equivalents of the priests today?
1
Peter 2:9 But you are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people
As priests we are to enter into this house
with the same respect and reverence that the priests of old did.
C. What happens if we
desecrate the sanctuary?
What happens if we treat his place of worship common?
What would happen if we treated this
sanctuary like any other hall or theater?
1
Samuel 2:12-17
We have an example in the lives of Hophni
and Phinehas
Remember inspiring
worship begins in the home. Eli lost control of his
priestly sons. They went so far as to take for
themselves the choice meat of
the sacrificial animals which rightfully belonged to the Lord as His offering. The Lord despised this conduct.
But it continued and the Lord will only tolerate this conduct for so
long.
1
Samuel 2:22-25 Eli’s boys were also committing fornication.
Eli tried to correct them but it was too
late.
1
Samuel 2:27-31God condemns Eli’s son’s
29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice
and My offering which I have commanded in
My dwelling place, and
honor your sons more than
Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the
offerings of Israel My people?’
God say’s he will cut off Eli’s arm
and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in
your house.
1
Samuel 2:33,34 God demands the lives of Hophni and Phinehas
Conclusion:
Inspiring worship begins in the heart of every believer.
Inspiring worship begins in the home.
Inspiring worship is void of formalism.
Inspiring worship is worship in Spirit and truth.
Inspiring worship is Reverent conduct in the house God
True inspiration can only come from God. If our hearts are prepared we will receive
blessings. The Sabbath will be a
Joy. But we have to be willing to stand
in the light of the Spirit of truth.
Willing to examine ourselves as we try to measure up to the righteousness
of Christ.
If we are right with Christ our worship will be inspiring. Inspired to leave this place to serve God
and one another.
Hymn # 8 We Gather Together
Hymn # 249 Praise Him! Praise
Him!