Heb.13:15 5 Wonders of Worship

Intro: The Writer of Hebrews has spent 121/2 Chapters building a Case for the Superiority of JC over the Traditions of Judiasm

A)He has eloquently explained how Jesus has opened up the door to the Holy of Holies { Established a New & Living way }

B) He Pointed out How all the aspects of the Old tradition of Worship in Judaism were merely shadows but Christ is the REAL DEAL

1) They were in sufficient shadows & pictures that couldn’t make us clean & pure but were meant to Pt. Us to the one who can & does

C)Therefore: v.15 By Him JESUS : Because of Who Christ is & all that He has done for us / let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

When the Bible talks about the Christian bearing fruit it is usually seen in 3 ways Lives – How we live / Labor – How we Work

A)Our Lips – How we worship : Listen to what David the Psalmist wrote about bearing that fruit of Worship / Fruit of our Lips Psa. 92

¹ It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

² To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,

And Your faithfulness every night,

² The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,

He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the LORD

Shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age;

They shall be fresh and flourishing,

B)Those who plant themselves in house of Lord, for the purpose of offering praise to the Lord will be like palm tree – Dessert

1) Palm trees stand tall in the sunshine – found in hot weather

C) Ceder trees in Contrast they thrive in the Mountains & forest / where the climate can change drastically – snow & cold

D)The point is that the person who Plants himself in the house of the Lord for the purpose of GIVING THANKS singing praises & declaring His lovingkindness in the morning, And faithfulness every night,

E) Those people would flourish & bear fruit in every season even in their Old age !!!!

1) But those who Choose not to do that – well they will be lacking in Fruit and they will get Parched

There is an interesting Picture of this found in Zech. 14 that Describes an event that will take place during the Millennium – after 2^nd coming

A)It is there that the Lord is going to extend an invitation to everyone living on the earth – those 1,000 yrs to come up to Jerusalem to worship

B) Everyone is invited to come but it is not Mandatory – but listen to what the Lord says of those who don’t come to worship the King

¹⁷And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.

C) The Lord says of those who don’t come up to worship – who don’t take the time to be involved who don’t see the importance of entering in

1) They are going to be Dry – No Rain

In this we can see a PRESENT DAY PRINCIPLE that we should apply to our lives

A)In these days, we who are a part of the Kingdom, have an opportunity to come regularly to worship our king.

B)We don’t have to. We can choose to do so. But those who decline the invitation will experience real dry times spiritually./

1) There will be a Barrenness in our lives / Just ask Michal

C) The scene takes place in 2 Sam. 6:12 David is bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem – great Processional /-

1) He and the people are excited because the Ark represented the Presence of God among His People.

D) And Because David wanted all the attention to be on the Lord He took off His Royal Robes – wearing Common garments

1) He was Dressed like everyone else – Everyone was Dancing /the Musicians were Playing – every 6 paces – Offer a Sacrifice

E)Danced w/ all His Might – Celebrating God for His Presence His Goodness – Everyone was rejoicing : accept for one – David’s Wife Michal

1) She is watching David from the Palace Dancing in his common clothes and She is Disgusted – by the way he was dressed & how acting .

Why wasn’t she there? The indication that we get from the text is she was too Proud – much too dignified to Worship like that

A)When David comes home she gives him a piece of her mind – How could you act that way – Look so common

B) David responds I will be even more humble than that in order to give Glory & attention to God

C) That section ends w/ these solemn words - ²³Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

D) She was barren until the day that she died – Maybe it was because She didn’t want to have anything to do w/ David anymore or vice versa

E) Or maybe Because Of her lack of Worship the Lord closed up her womb 1) APPLICATION: Those who do NOT VALUE worship, who say that there is no need to make worship a PRIORITY,

F) those who make fun of what we do as we lift our hands and voices to our Lord, and clap to the Lord, will like Michal become barren./ Dry/

Because I want You & I as individuals & as a Fellowship to be like Palm trees Like Cedars in Lebanon –Bearing fruit into old age

A)I want us to consider FIVE WONDERS OF WORSHIP, 5 reasons why we should be those who are given to worshipping the Lord

B) The first reason that we worship is simply because worship DELIGHTS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER : THAT is why we worship.

C) Nothing delights me more than when my kids come up to me and plant a big kiss on me or climb up on my lap.- Big Hug

1) You parents know the feeling. There is NOTHING that delights you more than to be kissed and embraced by your Kids

D) Our Heavenly father feels the same way about His kids NOTE: Did you know that the NT Greek word for worship means just that.

1) It is the word proskuneo {pros-koo-neh'-o}. It means to turn towards and kiss. It is an act of intimacy.

WORSHIP is the primary purpose of the Church.

A)The Bible tells us that the Church exists for three main reasons:

1.) Evangelism or Outreach – Go into all the world Preaching Gospel & making Disciples

B) We are called to be salt and light to a world that is decaying in darkness and that we might bring to this lost world the good news concerning JC

1) So that is one of the reasons that we exist / but it is not the Main reason

2.) Edification / INREACH (Eph. 4) Church exist as a Body of Believers who’s purpose is to build each other up thru the word of God –

C) So that we as a Body are becoming Mature / Stable / growing in the Lord growing in Ministry

1) So we exist to Build each other up – But that is not the Main reason

The third Purpose of the Church is Exaltation or UPREACH

A) Now this is the primary reason for the existence of the Church the EXALTATION of the Lord.

Colossians 1:16 all things were created by him, and for him:)

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

B) We The Body of Christ..... This body of believers.... exists for His pleasure.

1)And The primary way to PLEASE our Lord is to worship & praise Him.

C) Sometimes we make the mistake of Looking at Worship as a means to an end – Warm up for the Bible study { prepare my heart }

1) Or if I praise God – He will do such & such for me –

D) Now Worship Know Doubt prepares our heart to receive the Word / worship – in worship we bear fruit

1) But worship is not the means to an end – Worshipping God is the end

That is what it is all about !!!

Psalm 22:3 God inhabits the praises of HIS PEOPLE.

INHABIT = Enthroned.

A)Every time that we praise Him were are erecting a throne that He comes and sits upon.

B) Jesus said in Jn 4 That true worshippers are those who worship the Lord in Spirit & in truth – father is seeking such to worship Him

1) When I am sensing distance between me and the Lord, rather me hunting high and low for Him, I need only start to worship the Lord.

C) And the result is that HE seeks ME.

D) He comes and inhabits my praises of Him. I might not know why there is this distance between me and the Lord, or how I “lost” Him.

1) But it is very easy for Him to seek me and find me. God is LOOKING for individuals, for churches who will worship Him.

E) So the first reason why we worship : Primary one – it delights our Father and He deserves it – He Is worthy of all Praise Glory & honor.

But Worship not only DELIGHTS our Heavenly Father, but 2ndly it also DEVELOPS our fellowship within the Body of Christ.

A)When we come together I often think of all the different types of people who call this their Church family

B) Educated & Non Educated : People from different Ethic backgrounds / economic backgrounds / family backgrounds – how brought up

1) But all of that gets put aside in Jesus & it is seen the most when we close our eyes & lift our voices in worship

C) When people get together and say: “We are here to worship the Lord and express our love for Him,” there is an interesting thing that happens.

1) There is this unity & this togetherness that Happens that is so very sweet

There is a Neat example of this in 2 Chron. 5 turn there .

2 Chronicles 5:13- ¹³ It came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were AS ONE TO MAKE ONE SOUND to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying:

“For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,”and the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

D) What is it that brought them into oneness? They came together to acknowledge the goodness of the Lord. – God Showed up in a big way

1) Acts 13 Ministered to the Lord in Worship – Spirit Spoke

So Worship exists for the DELIGHT of our Heavenly father, it DEVELOPS unity w/in the Body of Christ, 3rdly it DEFEATS our foe.

A)WHO is our foe? Satan. Adversary the Devil – the Devil hates the sound of Worship

B)There are certain sounds that absolutely irritate me. The sound of a dentists drill. The sound of finger nails running down a black board.

1) The sound of thrash metal music / Certain sounds are just painful to the ears.

C) The same thing is true of our adversary. One sound he hates more than any is the sound of God’s people singing praise. Why is that ?

What was Satan before he fell? He was a worship leader.

A)He was not only THE worship leader, his body was a worshipping instrument. (Ezekiel 28)

B) He led the hosts of heaven in worship for billions of years until one day he decided that he wanted to be Worshipped like God.

1) Because of that the enemy was cast out of heaven and lost his position.

C) And his PLAN everyday is to get men to worship him either directly or indirectly by NOT WORSHIPPING God .

1) So when we come in here like we did today & lift up our hearts & voices in worship – His plan in our lives is foiled – He is defeated

D) But the Flip side of that is when we don’t worship / our lack of really worshipping God – He gets excited

1) moves us one step closer to his plan being carried out in our Lives /

Seductress plan foiled – Kiss of the Wife / Worship the word

E) THAT is why worship helps us DEFEAT our foe./ It foils His Plan of seeking to get us to indirectly worship Him – by not worshipping God

1) It is the ULTIMATE STAB IN THE HEART TO HIM

So Worship DELIGHTS our Heavenly Father, DEVELOPS unity in the Body of Christ, DEFEATS our adversary, & it DETHRONES our flesh.

A) In the O.T. the word Shakha is used for Worship 97 times / seen on 97 different occasions & that word means to Bow down

1) To Lay Prostrate / to bend / to stoop

B) The idea is showing Humility in the Presence of God / It is declaring in our Hearts that He is the CENTER OF ATTENTION

1) Many Scriptures that bear this out Psa. 95: 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

C) Now if You Think about it /the very act of Worship Announces the Absence of Self Absorption & Self Centeredness

1)When we are truly worshipping the Lord we are not Preoccupied w/ ourselves / Our focus is not on us it is on Him

D)In Worship we are Preoccupied w/ God – there is no other – No one else in the room – All that Matters is Him !!!!!!

This is the reason I believe why many people don’t get involved in Worship / They are self-Absorbed

A) For some people it is so foreign for them to take the focus off of themselves / It is more comfortable for them to be the center of attention

William Temple the Arch Bishop of Canterbury in the 1940’s hit the nail on the head when he declared True Worship is the most selfless emotion our nature is capable of & is therefore the Chief Remedy for Self Centeredness which is the original sin & the source of all sin!!!!

B) The very act of Worship DETHRONES OUR FLESH because it enthrones the Lord –

That is why worship is so difficult personally and corporately. Your flesh hates it.

A)“I’m note going to lift MY hands. I’m not going to sing out expressively. That’s just not me.”

B)NOTE: God did NOT save you to keep you the way that you are. He saved you to make you what you are NOT in your flesh. So he says:

Psalm 47:1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. (KJV)

Ps. 134 :1 Behold, bless the LORD, All you servants of the LORD, Who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.

C) Now we learn from this that God desires that our worship would be expressive to Him

1) Clap / stand / Bow / shout / lift up our hands – Let God be glorified whole body is involved

C) Heart Mind Soul / Flesh – Surrendered to God – Excited about God

1) World series game – Yea – clap clap my team won !!!!!

Son scores game winning touch down

Guys we haven’t won the World series / we have won the World / Jesus conquered Sin & death / Worth being excited about

The psalmist was correct in Psalm 115 when he said you become like the person or thing that you worship.

4-8 Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.⁵ They cannot talk, though they have mouths,or see, though they have eyes

!⁶ They cannot hear with their ears,or smell with their noses,⁷or feel with their hands, or walk with their feet, or utter sounds with their throats!

⁸ And those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

A)But the other side of the coin is also true. Those that worship the true and the living God become more like Him. MARY JN.12

B) Judas Protested – for the Poor

1) Judas was saying: “Do something practical, be pragmatic.”

D) BUT - as Mary worshipped Jesus her hair began to take on the fragrance of Jesus.

1) That is what happens personally and corporately. When you worship Jesus, you begin to take upon the character of Jesus.

D) Your flesh begins to fade and the life of Christ begins to shine.

Lastly, worship DECLARES our faith. You’ve seen this happen at the Harvest Crusades,/ Calvary Crusades & here in our fellowship.

A)That’s what happened on the day of Pentecost. As the disciples began to glorify God the people began to ask: “What’s going on up there?”

B) Worship made the people on the street curious and inquisitive concerning the faith.{ H.S. fellowship – saved afterwards – it was the worship}

1) Worship is very evangelistic

Psalm 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God;

Many will see {IT}and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

C)You see, the world can moralize and philosophize. But what they can’t understand is a people like you worshipping the Lord.

1) They want to know “what is going on here.” Worship is Contagious

How much do you value worship ? God values it a lot !!!