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.

When Your Setback Seems Irreversible

SETBACK: A loss of progress, a defeat in a plan, or a reversal of good fortune.  

Anything that sets you back. 

What do you do when your setback seems irreversible and permanent.

Job lost everything in a day including his wealth, family, and health.  

Job 30:26-27 (NIRV)  I hoped good things would happen, but something evil came. 

I looked for light, but all I saw was darkness. 

My insides are always churning. 

Nothing but days of suffering are ahead of me. 

These are the five things that Job did T.R.U.S.T.

Tell God exactly how you feel.

1. When God listens to you,He wants you to be honest. 

2. God can handle any emotions that you have because He gave them to you. 

3. You are made in the image and likeness of God, and you have emotions because God has them. 

4. God never wants you to fake an emotion. 

5. Because you believe in God, You can complain Him.  


Who does an Atheist complain too? 


If you complain to God, that proves that you believe there is a God. 

6. What frustrations have you never talked to God about? God can handle it.   

Refuse to become bitter.  

1. Bitterness is saying that you don't trust your God.  

It proves that you're not seeing the big picture. 

2. Will you love God and trust Him no matter what happens?

3. You are not promised a perfect life on earth. 

4. Your faith will be tested. A untested faith is no faith at all. 

5. Life is not always good, but God is. 

Our brains are not big enough to understand our pain. 

6. How do you trust God when your heart is breaking? 

How do you keep your eyes on God when they are filled with tears?

7. The antidote to bitterness is praise. 

It is focusing on God and not your problems. 

8. You can build your life upon these principles even when you don't understand.   

a. God will never stop loving you. 

b. God has a plan for your life. 

c. God cares about every detail of your life.

d. God is in control of things even when you don't understand it. 

e. God will protect you. 

9. Bitterness will only hurt you.  Resist bitterness. 

10. Both bitterness or happiness are choices. 

You have a choice of one or the other. 


Which one do you want  happiness or bitterness?

Unite with other people who will help you to focus on God. 

1. God never intends for you to go through life on your own during...

a. Sorrow

b. Pain

c. Loss

2. Our natural response to pain is to withdraw from others. You need to grow closer to...

a. Church small groups

b. Weekend worship

3. Pain is a great equalizer.  Both rich and poor experience it. 

4. Never use evil to escape pain. (drugs, affairs, etc...) 

5. Increase the amount of time that you spend with God's people. 

6. What do you ask God for in a set back. 

a. Wisdom for a clear perspective. 

b. Strength to overcome your pain. 

7. Worship relaxes you and is good for you. 

a. It will extend your life.  

b. You'll remember that God is bigger than your problem. 

Surrender your future to God.

1. Beware of bad advice. 

2. Trust reveals itself in pain. 

3. Worry is the warning life that your faith is weak.

Trust Jesus for every detail of your comeback. 

1. What is in the gutter of your life that one little spark would burn your house down?

2. Pray for others before yourself.  When Job prayed first for others, God doubled what He lost. 

Message by Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
https://saddleback.com/visit/locations/onlinecampus?autoplay=true  

Where is heaven when I hurt

How many of you have a trait of forgetfulness? Do you ever forget things like car keys, cell phones, pens, glasses, and T. V. remote controls?  

The average adult loses an average of 4 things a month. It's amazing what we do to recover what we lose.  

What do you do when you lose something that you feel can't be replaced?  Jobs, marriages, purpose, and dreams?

Have you heard about a man who lost everything named Job?  Your worse day and Job's worse day is miles apart. 

Job 1:6-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

6 One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.

7 “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

8 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? 

He is the finest man in all the earth. 

He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. 

He fears God and stays away from evil.”

9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God.

10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. 

You have made him prosper in everything he does. 

Look how rich he is! 

11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

12 “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. 

“Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” 

So Satan left the Lord’s presence.   

Job eventually loses His camels, sheep, family, and health. 

Did you notice whom volunteered Job for this test?  

It was God.   

Did you noticed why He was volunteered?  

Job was pleasing to God.   

1. When suffering hits us, we sometimes ask why?   

It is the first question that we ask, but it's the hardest to answer.  It's how the devil keeps us in the here and now.  

Our life makes sense without pain, but pain happens unwelcomed and unannounced. 

About Job, there is a heavenly conversation between Satan and God, but Job knew nothing of it.  

Satan wants us to blame God in our pain,  leave the Church, and get stuck in the moment.  

Job's pain was a test.  God gave permission, but God gave the parameters too.  God didn't cause it, but He allowed it.     

    

Job 17:9 (NLT)

9 The righteous keep moving forward,
    and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

God may allow bad things into our lives, but God can take bad things and use them for good (Romans 8:28). 

The better question is not why, but God who are you when I am suffering?  Is God still good?  God gave Job the okay to ask such questions.  

Sometimes life is messy, and we go through seasons of doubt.  Tell God. I don't understand it, but I'm trusting you in it anyway. 

Job 2:11-13 (NLT)

11 When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. 

Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. 

12 When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. 

Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. 

13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. 

No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.  

2. We suffer from the words of others in our pain.   

It's important not to avoid people in their pain.  Job's friends were at their best when they kept their mouths shut.  We might mean well, but they were mean when they spoke.

Job suffered with the silence of God, and suffered with the words from his friends.  People say some of the dumbest things. People try to compare their pain to your pain.  It just hurts.  It minimizes another's pain. 

Sometimes we seek comfort in people which only God can provide.  God's Holy Spirit is call the Comforter.  God is called the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).  

His friends said that Job's trouble was connected to his sin.  Jesus's disciples did this too in John chapter 9 about a man born blind, and Jesus's refuted it. 

Isn't it human nature to try to attach blame.  Jesus told His disciples that the blind man's suffering was for the glory of God.  

Isaiah 50:4 (NKJV)

4 “The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear

To hear as the learned.  

God, please give us the tongue of the learned.  Say to those in pain.  I have no idea what you are going through.  

What I lack in words.  I just trust them to the Lord.  Healing comes when you step into someone else's pain, and lift up their burden.  

Some of you need to take doubt and negativity and kick it all out. Jesus did this in healing Jarius' daughter in Luke 8:54. 

When you say what God says, it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), so it is planted deep within you.  God can teach you how to minister to others.  

3. Transform your pain into praise. 

Job 1:21  (NLT)

21 He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
    and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
    and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

How could Job praise the Lord in His pain?  Job was saying in the verse above that I'm a steward of all I had, and I'm not an owner of it.  What God has given to us is still God's during our stewardship.  We hold all that we have in open hands.   

What is our response to what God has entrusted to us?  It must be worship.  The way I feel and the way I believe are not always the same.  

We must believe in the character and nature of our God's goodness even in the darkness of our pain. Even when pain's noise barks into our ears.      

Job 42:10 (NKJV)

10 And the Lord [a]restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 

Your ending can be better than your beginning.  Job never lost his 10 kids.  They were living in the presence of God.  God doubled them by giving him 10 more kids on earth.  

Can you reach a place in the middle of your suffering where you can say?  I can't recover it, but God can redeem it.  

Can you say in your suffering? "God, though you slay me, yet I will trust you!"  When we walk through tragedy if we look into heaven,it changes us. 

God Himself chose suffering for His Son, Jesus, when He placed the fate of the world upon Him. 

Isaiah 53:5 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

You and I will never go, where our Lord and Savior hasn't already been. Jesus is here now and anything can happen.  

Tell Him, Lord Jesus, forgive my sin. Take my life and be my Lord and Savior. Only you can save me.  You're the only one who can.  

Notes taken from Mike Haman, Healing Place Church, teaching on loss.