INTRODUCTION THREE KEYS To Unlock Worship Hillcrest Chapel: committed to glorifying and enjoying God

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INTRODUCTION THREE KEYSTo Unlock
WorshipHillcrest Chapel committed to
glorifying and enjoying God forever.
(Enjoying and Glorifying)
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Three Key Words of Worship--integral factors in
our response to God

• a. The word worship illustrates the
  awe-factor.
• b. The word praise illustrates the
  active factor.
• c. The word thanksgiving illustrates the
  appreciation factor.

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The first key word is Worship What does it mean?

• Definition
  
• In the Hebrew language it means to bow down, to
  prostrate oneself in honor of God. This act is
  done before a superior or ruler. (See Ezra in
  Neh. 86.)
• In the Greek language worship means to give
  reverence and can stress the feeling of awe or
  devotion--Acts 1722-23.

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What will enable us to have this awe?

• If we are going to worship God, we must know Him
  personally, through Jesus Christ, and then study
  His attributes, His character, and His majesty.
• Worship will not come from one who has an
  immature and inaccurate view of God.
• If our concept of God is small our worship
  will be small.

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How big of a list can we come up with to describe
our God?

• Praise Him for the following attributes
• His majesty--Ps. 961,6 Is. 2414.
• His glory--Ps. 1385 Ez. 312.
• His excellency--Ps. 14813 Ex. 157.
• His greatness--Ps. 1453 I Chron. 1625.
• His holiness--Ex. 1511 Is. 63.
• His wisdom--Dan. 220 Ps. 10424.
• His power--Ps. 2113.
• His goodness--Ps. 1078 1181 1361.
• His mercy--Ps. 891 1181 1361.
• His loving-kindness and truth--Ps. 633.

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• Praise Him for these attributes
• His salvation--Ps. 1846 Is. 3510 6110.
• His wonderful works--Ps. 266-7 1502.
• His comfort--Ps. 234 11976 8617.
• His justice--Ps. 1011 I John 19 Ps. 1188.
• His counsel--Ps. 167 Jer. 3219.
• His pardon of sins--Ps. 1031-3 Hos. 142.
• His healing--Ps. 1033.
• His constant preservation--Ps. 716-8 1166.
• His deliverance--Ps. 401-3 1246.
• His protection--Ps. 287 5917.
• His answers to prayer--Ps. 286-7 11821.

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What does true worship look like then? Psalm
951-6

• It has a verbal expressionvv. 1-5.
• It has a physical expression as we kneel or bow
  before Him. v. 6--"Let us worship and bow down
  in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our
  maker"--Psalm 956.
• A.W. Tozer writes"Today our hearts may leap
  with the happy cry 'Abba Father, my Lord and my
  God!' Tomorrow we may kneel with delighted
  trembling to admire and adore the high and lofty
  one that inhabiteth eternity."

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The second key word is PraiseWhat does it mean?

• Definition To give glory to
  God in a demonstrative
  way, to celebrate,
  or boast.
  
• Praise is an active verb
• describing what we do.
• Description
• It is the action factor. It tells us, if we
  are going to respond to God in a mature way, then
  we will show an outward and active expression of
  our praise and our love for Him.

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What will bring us to this praise?

• First, there must be two types of preparation
• Heart Preparation Ps. 167-11"I will praise
  the Lord, who counsels me even at night my heart
  instructs me. 8 I have set the Lord always
  before me. Because he is at my right hand, I
  will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is
  glad and my tongue rejoices my body also will
  rest secure"
• Content Preparation Col. 316"Let the word of
  Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and
  admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you
  sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
  gratitude in your hearts to God."

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What will bring us to this praise? (contd)

• Second, as a by-product of
  heart preparation, appropriate
  outward praise responses
  will follow.
• Expressions will not need to be forced.
• They will be an overflow of the heart.

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As they are appropriate, and when they reflect
our heart, we may praise God

• Through raising of handsPs. 1412 633-5
• Through kneelingPs. 956-7 Eph. 314-15
• Through singingPs. 7122-23 343
• Through clapping of handsPs. 471
• Through giving generouslyPs. 968
• Through the Lords TableI Cor. 1117-34
• Through dancingII Sam. 616 Ps. 1493 1504
• Praise is not silent it is active and vocal.
  In worship we can stand in awe and
  silence, but praise will be active.

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The third key word is Thanksgiving
What does it mean?

• Definition
  
• This word means to
  express appreciation.
• Description
• We call it the
  "appreciation factor."

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How do we go about doing this?

• a) Recall. Recall the way God has worked in
  our individual lives.
• b) Retain. By journal writing, prayer diary,
  writing out a spiritual history.
• c) Review. Gods redemption as well as His
  provision in creation, e.g., Psalms Rom.
  120.
• d) Retell. Writing, speaking, or singing
  your own psalms of appreciation to God.
• Summary These were the practices of David, a
  man after Gods own heart.

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Why is it necessary we give thanksgiving to God?

• Scripture is filled with exhortations and
  examples of thanksgiving--Ps. 6930 136 Phil.
  46-7 I Thess. 516-18 Eph. 520 Ps. 1004 I
  Chron. 164 Ps. 1477 304 9212 1061
  1361-3, etc.
• It is a primary element in our mental and
  spiritual health, and a good measure of how we
  are doing spiritually--Rom. 121.

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Application of thanksgiving
This leads us to several questions about
thanksgiving

• Do we really believe God is the Source
  of everything? (See James 127.)
• When was the last time we thanked Him for
• a) The smiles of our children
• b) The heat in our homes
• c) The refreshment of water
• d) The weather
• e) The paycheck
• f) The groceries
• g) The hug from a mate, child, or friend
• When was the last time we thanked God for our
  salvation?

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The three key words illustrated--Rev. 59-14.The
Ultimate Worship Service

• 9 And they sang a new song "You are worthy
  to take the scroll and to open its seals, because
  you were slain, and with your blood you purchased
  men for God from every tribe and language and
  people and nation. 10 You have made them to be
  a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they
  will reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked and
  heard the voice of many angels, numbering
  thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times
  ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the
  living creatures and the elders.

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• 12 In a loud voice they sang 'Worthy is the
  lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth
  and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and
  praise!' 13 Then I heard every creature in
  heaven and on earth and under the earth and on
  the sea, and all that is in them, singing 'To
  him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be
  praise and honor and glory and power, for ever
  and ever!' 14 The four living creatures said,
  'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped.

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Does the scene in Revelation 59-14 sound spooky,
or wonderful? Our answer to that question may
be revealing about how ready we are for eternity!
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Three observations about "thanksgiving, praise,
worship" from Revelation 59-14.

• 1) Thanksgiving. Heavenly worship of God
  includes acts of remembrance--vv. 9-10.
• 2) Praise. True worship involves active praise.
  It is vocal, not quiet (v. 9-- ...and they
  encircled the throne... v. 12--...in a loud
  voice they sang...).
• 3) Worship. Heavenly participants are moved with
  awe at the attributes, character and majesty of
  God. v. 14--The four living creatures said,
  Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped.

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Conclusion

• A. God is on the throne--vv. 11,13.
• 1. He is worthy of the central place.
• 2. He is the audience.
• 3. He is the receiver of power, wealth, wisdom,
  strength, honor, glory and praise.
• B. We are His priests--v. 10.
  You have made them to be a kingdom and
  priests to serve our God.
• We are here to
• 1. Show appreciation through our thanksgiving.
• 2. Out of the overflow of our heart express
  active praise.
• 3. Respond with awe in worship.