John Lloyd - Worship
/Strengthen Your Core Series
Worship: Giving God the Honor He Deserves
August 4, 2019
Pastor John Lloyd
Our physical bodies are made up of several core muscles. If kept in shape through exercise, they will function properly. God’s goal for followers is to make us more like Jesus. This happens when we think like Jesus, CORE beliefs, act like Jesus, CORE practices and be like Jesus, CORE virtues. We need to exercise our CORE in order to glorify God. The journey of becoming like Jesus begins by thinking like Jesus. When we start thinking like Jesus, we are well on our way to becoming like Jesus. Today, we will ask the question, “How can I honor God in the way He deserves?” Worship Him!
Psalm 95:1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Matthew 4:10Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Key Idea: I worship God for who He is and what He has done for me.
Definition: Worship is attributing worth to something or someone.
The spiritual discipline of publicly and privately worshiping God is one of the means He has given us to receive grace to grow in Christlikeness. Worship is the first spiritual discipline that helps key beliefs to move from my head to my heart. Randy Frazee
How can I honor God in the way He deserves?
I. Worship is ______________ on and ________________ to God.
Worship comes from the Saxon word weorthscype, which later became worthship. To worship God is to ascribe the proper worth to God.
95:1. He has offered salvation to us. 95:2. Everything we have is due to His blessing. 95:3. He is great and above all other gods. 95:4-5. His creation is breathtaking. 95:6 He is our maker… we are His creation
95:7 He desires for us to be His people and our Shepherd.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. John 4:23
Things that enliven our worship and start revival in our hearts: (from the Welsh revival which started from the youth). Evan Roberts
1. Put away any unconfessed sin. Psalm 66:18
2. Put away any doubtful habit. I Corinthians 6:12
3. Obey the Holy Spirit promptly. Acts 5:32
4. Confess Christ publicly. Romans 1:16
Takeaway: Live throughout this week as an heir to the kingdom, listening for His voice and obeying His Word.
II. Worship God ____________ and _____________________.
A commitment to worship God is a vow to be bold and unashamed of our love and devotion to him. We worship God for who He is and what He has done for us.
A. Worship through our ____________ of praise.
Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.
Exodus 15:11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
20Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Describing the modern culture, “they worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship.” Lord help us to cultivate the discipline of worship.” Donald Whitney Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
B. Worship through our daily _______________.
Daniel 6:5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
C. Worship through our ________________________.
Acts 16:23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24Having received
this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns and the prisoners were listening to them,
If worship does not change us, it has not been worship. If worship does not propel us into a greater obedience, it has not been worship. Richard Foster
Takeaway: I am not ashamed for others to know that I worship God.
III. Worship together in ___________________.
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Take Away: I commit to worship God with the songs I sing, the words I speak and the way I live my life. Dong this habitually will surely lead me closer to the great and gracious God of the universe. Psalm 95:1-2
Revelation 5:9 “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Which one of these are easy to declare with certainty? Which are more challenging and why?
____I thank God daily for who he is and what he is doing in my life.
____I attend religious services and worship with other believers each week.
____I give God the credit for all that I am and all that I possess.
____I am not ashamed for others to know that I worship God.
Spiritual Growth Questions for August 4, 2019
(Take one question each day for your daily devotions.) How can I honor God in the way He deserves?
1. Read Psalm 95:1-7. What does the passage tell us about how and why we should worship God?
2. Read Daniel 6:1-27. What effect did Daniel’s bold worship have on the unbelieving King Darius? In what ways do you think our modern-day worship could have that same effect?
3. Read Matthew 23:1-28. With what behaviors and attitudes of the Pharisees did Jesus take issue? (Hint: Jesus introduces each one with “woe to you.”)
4. Read Acts 16:16-35. Why do you think God desires that we worship him when we are in a difficult situation? When was the last time you worshiped God when it might not have immediately made sense to do so?
5. Read Colossians 3:1-17. According to the apostle Paul, what was the centerpiece of New Testament worship? What attitudes and actions constituted proper worship?
Discussion Questions:
6. As a group, make a list of different ways that worship can be expressed to God.
7. What about God’s character compels you to give him your worship?
8. Discuss which worship song lyrics best describe your feelings about God?
9. In what diverse ways do you see your fellow group members expressing worship to God?
10. In what ways can worship become a heartless ritual?
11. What can we learn from Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees? How do we keep ourselves from making the same mistake?
12. What has God done in your life that produced a desire to worship Him?
(Questions drawn from Randy Frazee’s Think, Act and Be like Jesus and Believe Study Guide)