I. WHAT ARE PRAISE AND WORSHIP?

A. Praise - Often, praise and thanksgiving go hand-in-hand. Thanksgiving arises from our desire to show appreciation for the goodness of God and the gifts He bestows upon us. Praise stems from the desire to love and extol God for Who He Is, rather than what He does.

 

B. Worship - In the Hebrew language, it means to "bow yourself down in adoring contemplation of God". Worship involves devotion, reverence, adoration, respect, and honor.

 

II. IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD? YES!!!!!!

A. The Importance of Praise:

 

1. This is how we come into His presence.

 

Psalm 100:4- Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

 

2. God inhabits the praise of His people.

 

Psalm 22:3- But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

 

3. It is pleasing to God.

 

Psalm 69:30-31- I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull, Which has horns and hooves.

 

4. God requires it as our sacrifice to Him.

 

Hebrews 13:15- Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

 

B. The Importance of Worship:

 

1. The Word of God expresses God's desire for us to worship Him .

 

Psalm 45:11- So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him.

 

Psalm 86:9- All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name.

 

Psalm 95:6- Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

 

2. Satan realized and valued the importance of worship. When he tempted Jesus, he endeavored to get Jesus to worship him in exchange for the kingdoms of the world.

 

Matthew 4:8-10- Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

 

Luke 4:5-8- Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

 

III. WHY DO WE PRAISE THE LORD?

A. It is a command.

 

(Psalm 81:1-5- Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, A law of the God of Jacob. This He established in Joseph as a testimony, When He went throughout the land of Egypt, Where I heard a language I did not understand.

 

B. It is beautiful.

 

Psalm 33:1- Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.

 

C. It is pleasant.

 

Psalm 135:3- Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.

 

D. It is good.

 

Psalm 54:6- I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.

 

Psalm 92:1- It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

 

E. God is worthy.

 

Psalm 18:3- I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

 

Psalm 48:1- Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.

 

F. It assures us of the abiding presence of the Lord.

 

Psalm 89:15- Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.

 

G. We were created for this purpose.

 

Psalm 102:18- This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

IV. WHAT DOES PRAISE ACCOMPLISH?

A. Opens a line of communication.

 

Psalm 68:32-33- Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.

 

B. Purification.

 

Proverbs 27:21- The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is valued by what others say of him.

 

Proverbs 17:3- The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.

 

C. Glorifies the Lord.

 

Psalm 50:23- Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God."

 

D. Deliverance.

 

Psalm 42:5- Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

 

E. Healing.

 

Psalm 42:11- Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

V. HOW ARE WE TO WORSHIP THE LORD?

A. In Spirit

 

John 4:20-24- "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

 

True worship of God could not begin until after Christ's sacrificial death (His hour) because it removed the barrier our sin imposed. Where we worship is less important than our attitude. Our heart and mind must be right for our worship to be most productive. Form and ceremony are of little significance. Being sincere, transparent and open to God are much more important. "God is Spirit" and we have to worship Him in our spirit, not in our flesh.

 

Philippians 3:3- For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

 

B. In Truth.(See John 4:24 above)

 

John 8:32- "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

John 17:17- "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

 

God's word is truth and we are sanctified by it. Jesus prays that His disciples (and that includes all believers) be "sanctified", i.e., "set apart," or "consecrated" for the ministry of truth through the word of God.

 

C. In the Beauty of Holiness.

 

1 Chronicles 16:29- Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

 

Psalm 29:2- Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

 

Psalm 96:9- Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

 

D. In the Fear of the Lord.

 

Psalm 5:7- But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12- "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

 

These requirements still exist for all of us. Note that active verbs are used here: to fear, to walk, to love and they are what God requires of us. He requires us to act on His Word. This is a call to commitment with emphasis on God's expectations of His people.

VI. WHEN DO WE PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD?

A. Continually.

 

Psalm 71:6- By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You.

 

Psalm 35:28- And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.

 

Psalm 34:1- I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

 

B. Day-By-Day.

 

2 Chronicles 30:21- So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing to the LORD, accompanied by loud instruments.

 

C. In Everything.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18- in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

Giving thanks in all things and circumstances doesn't mean that all things are good. Rather, we, as Christians, are charged with giving thanks because we have confidence that no matter what happens we know "...that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, NKJV)

 

Ephesians 5:19-20- speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

VII. IN WHAT WAYS CAN WE PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD?

A. In Song.

 

Psalm 28:7- The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

 

Psalm 40:3- He has put a new song in my mouth; Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

 

1. In the Spirit.

 

John 4:24- "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

 

2. With understanding.

 

1 Corinthians 14:14-15- For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

 

B. In the Dance.

 

Psalm 150:4- Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

 

C. On the Instruments.

 

Psalm 33:2- Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

 

Psalm 150:3-5- Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

 

These verses tell us how we are to worship our God. Not with voices only as some denominations tech but with a variety of instruments. Obviously, the religious music of ancient Israel was both loud and rhythmic and was an important part of both Old Testament and New Testament worship. The same should be true in the church today.

 

D. By Lifting our Hands.

 

Psalm 63:3-4- Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

 

Psalm 134:2- Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.

 

E. By Clapping our Hands.

 

Psalm 47:1- Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

 

VIII. WHERE ARE WE TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD?

A. In our Home.

 

Psalm 42:8- The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me; A prayer to the God of my life.

 

Psalm 149:5- Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds.

 

B. In the Assembly.

 

Psalm 22:22- I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

 

Psalm 35:18- I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.

 

Psalm 111:1- Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

 

C. In the Presence of Non-Believers.

 

Psalm 40:3- He has put a new song in my mouth; Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

 

Psalm 126:2- Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

 

Acts 2:46-47 - So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

 

IX. WHO ARE SOME BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF WORSHIPPERS?

A. Joshua

 

Joshua 5:14- So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"

 

B. Gideon

 

Judges 7:15- And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand."

 

C. David

 

2 Samuel 12:20- So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.

 

D. Israel

 

2 Chronicles 7:3- When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever."

 

Nehemiah 8:6- And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

 

God desires the praises of His people. When we learn to praise God, we take our eyes off ourselves and our praises usher us into His presence. Only in His presence can we worship Him. The people of God are a spiritual house whose purpose is to show forth the praises of God .

 

1 Pet 2:9- But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;..........