Getting Even Series - Worship

Matt 21:8-9, 15-16

A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'

Hosanna in the highest!"

15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant 16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"

And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read,  (Ps 8:2)

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  

Luke 19:39-40

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

Worship is critical to our Getting Even

The enemy would have us believe worship is optional

• ·         Too many make worship about entertainment
• ·         We have reduced it to a physical activity
• ·         Or an emotional response
  • o   We do worship by how we feel, or by our personality

First and foremost, Worship is a Spiritual Activity

• ·         Strengthens and stretches our spirit
• ·         It opens the door into the spiritual realm – spirit to Spirit
• ·         It connects us to our purpose – We were created to worship

John 4:23.  God is seeking worshipers – to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth

            The devil is seeking worshipers, too

                        See it clearly in the temptation of Jesus

Also see it clearly in the Book of Revelations:

            Central to the end-time battle is ‘will the people worship the beast and his image

                        Or will the people worship God?’

I know we think of that battle as being during the Great Tribulation

            But that is the issue:  Will we worship in tribulation?

There is a resistance to worship…

            In my body, and in my soul…

Worship is a discipline

Worship puts our bodies and souls into their proper place

• ·         Present your bodies… Rom 12:1
• ·        
  • o   Don’t let our emotions determine our praise
  • ·         True worship teaches me to subdue my will – what I want

To give God what He wants

Worship is a spiritual exercise that strengthens me

Must learn consistency in worship

            Not like Israel in the wilderness…

                        Worship turns to murmuring when desires not met

Worship restores my soul

• ·         The way I remind myself of the Faithfulness of God
• ·         The way I remind myself of the Promises of God
• ·         The way I cast all of my cares on Him and release the pressures
• ·         The way I deal with my Doubt & Disappointment

Worship refreshes me:  Acts 3:19 …times of refreshing shall come from His presence

• ·         Causes my faith to surge – I begin to believe…
• ·         Opens a flow of inspiration and motivation and creativity

Worship changes my view from being linear

            I begin to look up, instead of sideways…

The view from worship puts things in the right perspective

            It makes God bigger (magnified) and the problem smaller

            I stop focusing on the pain and start focusing on the promise

As I look up, I begin to move up

Worship brings us into the presence of God

                        Some things cannot enter into the presence of God

1 Sam 16:14-16, 23.  The demonic is driven from our midst

Worship releases the Word from the Lord – 1 Kings 3:12-15

We must be conscious to guard a strong atmosphere of worship here at AGF

The greatest power we have is the sound that we make

• ·         Sound of agreement with one another – symphony
• ·         Sound of agreement with God
• ·         Or the sound of Babel; it stops what’s in our imagination from becoming reality

Sing the right songs

If we don’t, the rocks will

The Spirit of God is measuring worshipers

Rev 11:1-2

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.

2 types of Worshipers:

• ·         Those who abide in the inner court
• ·         Those outside the place of intimacy