Ben Furman Most middle class Americans tend to worship their work; work at their play and play at their worship.
A small boy was watching a parade come through his city one day. His only problem was that he stood on the wrong side of a six-foot high fence. He could only see the parade through a tiny knothole in the fence. He saw only what was directly in front of him at any given time. Consequently, it was a volatile experience for him. When the lions came by, it was scary.When the clowns came by, it was funny. When the band came by, it was exciting. Then, something happened to him that gave him all new perspective. A man walked up to the boy and hoisted him up onto his shoulder, so that he sat above the fence and could see the panorama of the parade. It was only at that point that the young boy understood what a parade was really all about.
I believe our worship experience is supposed to do what that man did to the boy. Through worship, we gain a new perspective; we begin to see the “big picture,” and look at the panorama of life through God’s eyes. We are reminded of His sovereignty & control over all things, and in this process — an eternal perspective and understanding come to us.
In Hebrews 13:10-15, we learn the importance of praise & worship to our Christian experience. The sequence of verses covers the Old Testament sacrifice of animals (vs. 11); the New Testament sacrifice of Jesus Christ (vs. 12); then, we are encouraged to offer up a new kind of sacrifice to God in this new day and age. It is referred to as the “sacrifice of praise.”
The passage does NOT say we no longer need to prepare sacrifices for our church services. On the contrary, we are to continue to offer up a sacrifice constantly before God. However, the sacrifice has changed. The central act of a corporate church service is to offer up a sacrifice of praise. Further, the writer of Hebrews describes how our praise is to be offered:
- Continually (vs. 15a) Not just weekly or monthly.
- Sacrificially (vs. 15b) Not just when we feel like it.
- Audibly (vs. 15c) Not just an internal, but an external act.
The Result of Authentic Worship
- The Presence of God (Psalm 22:3)
- Conviction & Direction (Psalm 40:3; Acts 13:2-3)
- Deliverance (Psalm 32:7; 2 Chronicles 20:18-22)
- The Power of God (Acts 16:25-26)
- Sensitivity to His Voice (1 Samuel 3:1-11)
- Perspective On Life (Psalm 73:16-17)
My Time With God
- Preparation Time
Worship is not a text, but a context; it is not an isolated experience in life, but a series of life experiences.
List below how your worship experiences affects (or not) your…
- Personal Life
- Family Life
- Church Life
- Business Life
- Other
- Waiting Time
Worship is, in part, listening to what God might say to us, through music, through words, through fellowship. It is also our response to what He speaks. Worship has occurred when life responds with an openness to how God could change our lives.
During your waiting time, let God…
- Love You
“God, I feel your presence & love today, especially in the area of..”
- Search You
“God, you have permission to reveal any misdirected worship in my life.”
- Show You
“God, is there anything You want to show me about Yourself to deepen my worship of You today?”
- Confession Time
“Jesus said…It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'”
The entire message of the Gospels is related to this attitude. I think the emphasis can be condensed into a single phrase: “What we worship determines what we become.” If we worship material possessions, we will tend to grow more materialistic. If we worship self, we will become more selfish. That is why Christ continually tried to direct people’s worship.
Confess the things that you have been prone to worship that displaces God from His rightful position in your life & ministry…
- Bible Time
We can never pray out of God’s will when we pray God’s Word.
Read Isaiah 6:1-8 slowly a couple of times.
Close your eyes & allow a main truth to surface in your heart.
Pray the Scripture & allow God to minister to you.
- Meditation Time
After praying the Scripture, write down the thoughts that God has impressed upon your mind.
- Intercession Time – Praying for Others
Begin this time with a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving for the people of whom you will now intercede.
Name Request
- Petition Time – Praying for Yourself
How to Petition God Properly
- Begin by taking time to adore Him. Sing through Psalm 103 & declare the qualities God possesses.
- Be personal & intimate in your worship.
- Pray “Thy will be done,” in those areas where you need to allow God to assume His Lordship in your life.
Prayer Requests
- Application Time
The smallest obedient act is better than the greatest intention.
- What is the main thing that God has impressed on me today?
- What am I going to do about it?
Steps to Take in my Obedience to God this Week
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
My Goal: To implement the above in the next 7 days.
- Faith Time
Faith is our positive response to what God has said. Spend a few moments praying, through your eyes of faith. Tell God the positive things you see happening because of His Lordship and your acceptance of that Lordship. Visualize yourself as one of God’s children seated on His lap, loving Him intimately with your words & thoughts. Embrace Him. How does He respond? Someone once said: “Those who are wise consider how God responds to their worship.”
- Praise & Thanksgiving Time
Praise God by Recognizing WHO HE IS
Thank God by Recognizing WHAT HE HAS DONE
This Week’s Memory Verse: Hebrews 13:13-15
This Week’s Time Alone With God
Monday – This lesson.
Tuesday – Today, journal your thoughts about your personal worship experience. To get you started, try responding to the following questions…
Q: Describe your own experience of worship. Be honest; do not write what it ought to be, but what it is, right now. Is it consistent? Is it a routine; cold; sterile? Do you sing? Are you intimate with God? Are you good at expressing your love to Him?
Q: How has worship affected your perspective on life? On your difficult days? On your view of God?
Q: Now, write out how your worship experience will look in the future, by faith. Jot down your beliefs about its place in your family life. Your workplace. Your ministry. How central of an act is it to you?
Wednesday – At the beginning of the week, you were given a list of the divine results of authentic worship. For the purpose of meditation & application, jot down how you have (or have not) experienced these results in your personal worship experience:
1.) The Presence of God (Psalm 22:3)
2.) Conviction & Direction (Psalm 40:3; Acts 13:2-3)
3.) Deliverance (Psalm 32:7; 2 Chronicles 20:18-22)
4.) The Power of God (Acts 16:25-26)
5.) Sensitivity to His Voice (1 Samuel 3:1-11)
6.) Perspective on Life (Psalm 73:16-17)
Thursday – Earlier in the week, we read & prayed the Scripture in Isaiah 6:1-8. What an incredible worship experience Isaiah had! In the text, we see a sequence of stages that a person typically goes through as they grow in worship. It’s a step-by-step process that deepens a person from one phase to another, leading up to an obedient response to God in the end. The process of worship looks like this:
- A Revelation of God (vs. 1-2)
- A Realization of His Holiness (vs. 3-4)
- A Recognition of your Sinfulness (vs. 5)
- A Renewal of Your Perspective (vs. 6-7)
- A Response of Your Lifestyle (vs. 8)
Reflect on each of these stages of worship. Which of them has God brought you through?
Which of them are you experiencing now?
Pray about taking a step forward. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in fresh ways and in new dimensions of His character, so that your life will be a response to your worship of Him.
Friday – Earlier, we looked at Psalm 103. This psalm declares several qualities of God, in a worshipful manner. It is a hymn that adores & blesses the Lord in its lyric.
Take a moment and jot down those qualities of God’s character that you see in Psalm 103. Then, pray these back to the Lord in worship, adding your own observations to the list, and making personal application to the declarations of God’s person.