connecting

Spirit-Filled Worship
The Spirit-Filled Life
Phil Schaefer
7/26/09

 

Key Scripture: The Book of Psalms

I. What is Spirit-filled worship?

  • Styles of worship change over time, our attitudes about it change. When I think about worship, my mind immediately goes to the book of Psalms.
    • Psalms is the worship book of the Bible.
    • It is the heart of the scriptures. It is two and a half times longer than the next largest book.
    • It contains the longest chapter in the Bible- Psalms 119, with 176 verses.
    • And the shortest chapter- Psalms 117, which calls all mankind to one thing- “Praise the Lord, all ye nations. Extol Him, all peoples.
    • Psalms tells us…how…when…and where to worship, who to worship…who should worship…and why we should worship.
  • Worship is first and foremost, a community activity, a corporate activity.
    • Though the Psalms a have many personalized chapters, they are written for the nation of Israel to sing as a people. It is a songbook for Israel.
      • “For Paul, the gathered church was first of all a worshipping community, and the key to their worship was the presence of the Holy Spirit.” (Gordon Gee- God’s Empowering Presence)
      • Ps. 22:3- …”yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” or “You inhabit the praises of Israel.”
      • Heb. Enthroned= You sit down; dwell; remain; settle; marry; inhabit= make to keep house; remain; return
      • When they praised God, He settled and dwelled among them.

               e.   It involves me with others. It is the corporate “I”.

  • Ps. 18, 23- “I love you O Lord, my strength.’ It is the people of

of God worshipping as one.
     C.   Worship is the power of God’s presence in the power of the gospel; it is seeking    God in all things by His word and by His Spirit.

  1. Worship is missional.

1. It is a wholehearted gathering, calling the whole world to the wholehearted worship of God.
            2. When we allow worship to be what it was meant to be, it is the means for incomplete and broken people to find completion and wholeness in God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
            3. Worship is when the gathered people of God declare God’s greatness, His lovingkindness, His faithfulness, His mercies, His compassions, His heart, His wisdom, His rules. It is a recognition of all that He is.
            4. Worship is missional because it is for all those outside of faith in Christ as well as those in the faith.

    1. I Cor. 14:24-25  “If an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all. The secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”
    2. Many times I have heard from outsiders who have said, “When you were singing those songs, I felt a presence, I felt something. Was that God?” or “I knew you had something that I did not, but I want to know what you have.”
  1. Phil. 3:3 is a perfect summary of Spirit-led worship.

1.  We are the covenant people of God who do 3 things:
                   a. We worship by the Spirit of God ( it is Spirit-led)
                   b. We glory in Christ Jesus ( it is Christ-centered)
                   c. We put no confidence in our goodness or badness. (it is flesh-submitting.)
            2.  Eugene Peterson  - “One of the afflictions of pastoral work has been to listen with a straight face, to all the reasons people give for not going to church;

  • “My mother made me go when I was little.”
  • “There are too many hypocrites in the church.”
  • “It’s the only day I have to sleep in.”

The excuses were boring and unimaginative. He said, “Far more interesting than the excuses are the reasons for why people go to worship on Sundays.”

  • Ps. 122- (read all) a psalm of a person who decides to go to church and worship God. verse 1- “ I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord…”

F.  Worship can not be forced or enforced.
            1. The nature of worship is within you, it can’t be forced.

  • For a short time we try to force our kids, or courters, or reluctant spouses, but it doesn’t last,

            2.  God has no need to be drumming up worshippers., or business, or customers, or followers. He doesn’t need worship for His ego. He is not disappointed if we don’t show up. Worship within the Trinity is always going on. The question is, Are you going to be in on it or not?
            3. John 4:23- “but the hour is coming and now is here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (for the right reasons, with the right perspective, for who He is.) for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.” He is not begging, He is recruiting.

III. Why do we worship?

       A. Worship gives us a workable structure for life.

  • It nurtures our need to be in relationship with God.
  • It centers our attention on the decisions of God. It sets foundational realities: God created us, redeemed us, provides for us.
  • It orients us. Like binoculars. If we look through the wrong end it is like  looking at life through our circumstances, God looks smaller and far away. You’ve got to focus and turn it around to see God with greater clarity. He is much nearer.

         B.  Do we worship by faith or by feelings?

  • Too often we don’t feel like worshipping God and we say, ‘It would be dishonest of me to worship when I don’t feel like it. I would be a hypocrite.’
  • But the psalms say; ‘I don’t care if you feel like it or not, or how you feel at all. God is worthy of your praise, so praise Him!’
  • Feelings are great liars. If we worshipped only when we felt like it, we might worship very little.
  • Feelings and faith do not go hand in hand. They are at a tug of war. Are you going to trust your feelings, or are you going to trust your God?

          C.  Worship is not about what we get out of it, it is what we give to God.

  • We say, ‘worship wasn’t very good this morning.’ What are we basing that on? That is nothing more than an assessment of song selection and how I felt. It is narcissistic worship, me- centered worship, not real worship.
  • Real worship is about who God is and what I ascribe to Him.
  • We should ask not ourselves ‘Was it good?’ but ‘Did I worship God?’
  • Ps. 29:1- “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”- Ascribe= give=come =bring… Heavenly beings=you sons of God= you sons of might
  • Did you or did you not give to the Lord glory?

III. When should you worship?

          A. He is always here- whether I realize it or not.

  • Ps. 139-  “Where should I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.”
  • Learn the principle of the manifest presence of God and the hidden presence of God, and it will change your whole view of reality. read When the Lights Go Out by Graham Cooke.

          B.  When I have sinned. - When I am so aware of my sin that it is killing me.

  • Ps. 40:12- “For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.”
  • Ps. 40:16- “but may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

          C. When I am dry and faint. I am called to worship God in that very condition.

  • Ps. 63:1- “O God you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
  • Ps. 63:2- “so I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”
  • PS. 63:3- “because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”

          D. When my heart is full of sighing.

  • Ps. 5:1- “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing (groaning).”
  • Ps. 5:7- “But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house;”
  • Ps. 5:11- “ but let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.”

          E.  When I’m brokenhearted, afflicted, fearful. 

  • Ps. 34: 1- “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes it’s boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!”
  • Verse 18-19- “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

       F.  When my enemies are too much for me.
    1.Ps. 3:1-3 O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him. But you, O Lord, you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”
           G.  In intercessory worship- worship on the behalf of another.

  • Ps. 22:1,8,18,22- This is  prophetic worship; a Messianic Psalm quoting the words of Jesus during his passion and death.

            H.  Worship is a corporate declaration: that God is for you, and we are for you

  • Ps. 20 :1-5  -“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble…” May God do this for you…May the Lord do that for you… When he does, we will rejoice with you.

             I.  “I can’t worship because it would make me a hypocrite.”

  • As a follower of Jesus it’s when you don’t worship that you become a hypocrite.
  • It’s when you think, “I’m not worthy to worship God” that you become a hypocrite, because it’s never about your worthiness (or our worthiness).
  • It is always and only about His worthiness.

    III. The Composite Picture in Psalms
           A. There are 150 Psalms. What you see is 150 people and each one is living a Psalm.

  • This one is fearful & and so she worships.
  • This one is wrestling with sin & so she worships.
  • This one is anxious & so she worships.
  • This one is dry& so he worships.
  • This one is overwhelmed & so he worships.
  • This one has a bad marriage & so he worships.
  • This one has a life dominating sin & so she worships.
  • This one is wrestling with sexual issues& so he worships.
  • This one is prospering & so he worships.

 

 

IV. Worship is about God’s Redeeming Love

       A. Ps. 145 (all) verse  8- 9  “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made…”
       B. It is full of emotion and yet not about emotion:

  • God met my need and so I worship
  • God gave us a child and so w worship
  • God made provision for us and so we worship

 

Discussion Questions:

According to John 4:23, what is God looking? What does it mean to you to worship in Spirit and in truth?

According to Phil. 3:3, what are the three characteristics of worship that the church is to offer God?

What are some of the hindrances to worship on a personal level? What keeps you from worshipping?

Why does God tell us to worship Him in times of personal weakness and struggle? Give a personal example when you have experienced this.