LESSON 16

 

Worshipping God’s Way

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Many of us have worshipped God our own way.  We are going to learn how to worship God His way.  We are going to stop doing what we do, just because that is what everyone else does.  We are going to start doing as the scriptures teach us, so we can please God.

 

Before we can worship God His way, we need to look at what the Bible teaches us about worshipping Him.

 

1 Chr. 16:23  Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

 

God requires everyone in the earth to sing to Him day after day.  This verse is not a suggestion.  It is a command.

 

Psa. 91:1-6  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, [He is] my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.   Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, [and] from the noisome pestilence.   He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler.   Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day;  [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday.

 

Only the person who dwells in the presence of the Lord can receive this promise.

 

Psa. 32:11  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all [ye that are] upright in heart.

 

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This verse doesn’t say to shout when you feel like it.  It just says to shout.  It is a command.

 

Psa. 47:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

 

We have a hard time shouting because we are still trying to do it our way, not God's way. Our pride still stands in the way.  We don't do it with all our heart, soul, and strength.

 

Mark 12:30    And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.

 

The word love is an absolute commitment of your will to act on the truth.  Therefore act on the truth with all of your strength.

 

Heb. 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

 

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Paul is saying to resist sin with all of your strength.

 

If someone says they love the Lord and don't act on the truth, they are a liar.  If they just occasionally act on truth when they feel like it they are just a ‘Cain’. 

 

You act on the truth with all of your strength.  Every time you worship God you must do it with all of your strength.

 

We wonder why we aren't getting the breakthrough.  You can do what everyone else is doing and not get the breakthroughs, because you are doing it like Cain and not like Abel. 

 

Psa. 150  Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.   Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.  Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.   Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

 

The Bible tells us to play instruments skillfully before the Lord in worship.  That means we must practice so we can play skillfully.

 

We are also commanded to dance.  It comes down to the question, are you dancing because others are, or are you dancing to please God?  It doesn't matter how you feel.  You must act to please the Lord.

 

Most of us are extremely selfish in our worship.  We do it how we want and to what intensity we feel like, for the purpose of what we get out of it.  Instead, we should worship for what HE gets out of it.  We should worship to minister to the Lord.

 

Right action without right motive is not acceptable before God.

 

1Sam. 15:22b  Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.

 

It is more than right action.  It is right motive.  If we do not worship God His way, with a right motive, we will not walk in strength and victory in our lives.

 

Psa. 149:6-7   [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people.

 

Psa. 119:48  My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

 

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A Hebrew word for praise, Yadah, means to extend your arms fully, almost violently.

 

Psa. 95:6  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

 

The word ‘worship’ here means to lay prostrate.  The Bible commands us to bow down and kneel before the Lord.  Something happens when we bow or kneel before the Lord and publicly humble ourselves. 

 

Jam. 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up

 

Psa. 46:10  Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

 

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At times we need to just be still before the Lord.

 

Psa. 34:1 - 3   I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear [thereof], and be glad.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

 

The word ‘bless’ here means to kneel.  The word ‘praise’ here means to sing hymns.

 

The word ‘boast’ here means to act clamorously foolish.  The word clamorous means to shout loudly or make a great noise.  You are to rave about God at ALL TIMES.

 

There is a time to be still and quiet, and there is a time to be loud.  The key is obedience.

 

Psa. 118:24  This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.   

 

The word ‘rejoice’ here means to leap and spin under violent emotion. 

 

There is a war between the spirit of religion and the spirit of Christ.  The religious spirit says to harden your heart to the Word.  It tells you that you don't have to do it God's way, that you can do it your own way.  The choice is this.  Will you be like Cain and do it your way?  Or will you be like Abel and do it God's way?

In Review:

1.  Describe God’s way of worship?  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.  What is God looking for in those who worship Him?  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.  What is the right motive for worship unto God?  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.  Complete this sentence. 

Right _______________ without right _______________ is not acceptable before God.

 

 

5.  Define the Hebrew word, Yadah.  ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

6.  Define worship.  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7.  Define boast (referring to Psalms 34:3).  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8.  Define rejoice (referring to Psalms 118:24).

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