Praise and Worship

(Acts 2:12-16) Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 

“Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 

These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.

Why We Worship the Way We Do

Because God asked for us to.  

When you're God, you get to make the decisions.

(Psalm 150:1-6) 

Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath 

praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.

Because praise is my purpose.  

For His purpose, we are created.

(1 Peter 2:9) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

For who He is.

(Psalm 145:3) Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

For what He has done. 

He who has been forgiven much.  Loves much.

(Luke 19:37-40 MSG) The whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed... Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!” But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”

Because worship changes everything.  

Pardon our noise.  

It's the sound of freedom!  

Worship is a glorious exchange.  

God becomes bigger and our problems become smaller.  

(Psalm 18:3 NLT) I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.

(Ezekiel 46:9 NLT) But when the people come in through the north gateway to worship the LORD during the religious festivals, they must leave by the south gateway. And those who entered through the south gateway must leave by the north gateway. 

They must never leave by the same gateway they came in, but must always use the opposite gateway.

In Spirit and In Truth

(John 4:23 NLT) But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

1. Worship is based on a choice not a feeling.

(Habakkuk 3:17-18) Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

2. We worship with everything we have.

(2 Samuel 24:24) “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

(Mark 12:30) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

3.Worship expecting God to respond.  

God inhabits the praise of His people. 

(James 4:8 NLT) Come close to God and God will come close to you.

Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/praise-and-worship

Big Idea

In this week’s message, Pastor Chris teaches that we are made to praise and worship God, as described in the book of Psalms. 

Worship is a choice we make, not a feeling, and it should be part of our everyday lives. 

We should praise God with everything we have and with the expectation that He will respond. That way, we are living out our purpose by giving God the praise He desires and deserves. 

We honor God by doing what He asks, even when we don’t fully understand. We also worship God for who He is and what He has done for us. 

Worshippers take on the characteristics of what they worship, and when we give God our worship above anything else, it changes us to be more like Him.

Discussion Questions

· Read Ezekiel 46:9. Discuss this verse and “the glorious exchange” – where, through the power of worship, a problem grows smaller as our God becomes bigger. Share an experience where spending time in worship changed how you responded to an issue in your life. 

· Share some practical ways to incorporate worship into your daily routine. 

· We learned that worshippers take on the characteristics of what they worship. Where have you seen this happen in your life? What areas do you want to change so that you will become more like Christ through the act of worship?

Prayer Focus

This week, begin your daily prayer time by playing a familiar worship song and singing along. Then, thank God for all the blessings in your life and praise His name. Each day in your prayers, present a different reason why you love and appreciate Him.

Next Step

Encourage your members to use worship music as part of their time with God. Challenge them to also listen to worship music throughout the day – in the car, at their desk, in place of TV – as a step forward in making worship a lifestyle for them. Suggest music options to them, such as a local Christian radio station, a Sirius/XM station, the new Highlands Worship CD, and the Highlands playlist on Spotify. 

All scripture is from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.