Worship: A Pillar of the Church

Worship

A Pillar of the Church.  

The other three pillars include Connect, Grow, Go. The other three pillars need to flow out of the Pillar of Worship.

Sermon by Pastor Aaron Jozwiak of Red Village Church on January 10, 2016.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 42 and 43

Book Two

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

42 As a deer pants for flowing streams,

    so pants my soul for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God,

    for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food

    day and night,

while they say to me all the day long,

    “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember,

    as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

    and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

    a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation 6 and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;

    therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

    from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep

    at the roar of your waterfalls;

all your breakers and your waves

    have gone over me.

8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

    and at night his song is with me,

    a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God, my rock:

    “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

    because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,

    my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me all the day long,

    “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation and my God.

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth
43 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
    against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
    deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.

Psalms 42 and 43 may have been one book, and one song.  Psalm 42:5 and Psalm 43:11 appear to be similar to the chorus.

Main Points

1. Worship comes from longing (affections).
2. Worship has enemies.
3. Worship must be intentional.

1. Worship Comes from Longing

Worship comes from our heart's longing (affections or passion).  Where your heart is, is where your treasure is (Luke 12:34).  See Psalm 42:1-2,5,11;Psalm 43:5.

Worship is something we should want to do.  Is it the duty of the deer to drink from the stream?  Is the deer forced to drink?  Without drinking, the deer would die!  It's life is dependent upon the water.

Worship is something we can only properly do in response to who God is.  

2. Worship has Enemies

We don't always worship God or long for God.  

The outside world promotes self worship. The outside world is an adversary and is taunting the Psalmist (Psalm 43:1).

Our hearts can be the enemy of worship.  Our hearts...

• are prone to wander.  
• can be filled with sorrow (Psalm 42:3).  
• have inner turmoil, anxiety, fear, worry.
• have discouragement from unending difficulty.  The opposite of a flowing stream is a crushing waterfall (Psalm 42;7).
• can doubt God.  The world doubts God. See Psalm 42:9 and Psalm 43:2.  Jesus asked why He is rejected (Matthew 27:46).  These questions can be a part of worship.

3. Worship must be Intentional

Worship can be spontaneous.  Don't let your thoughts and emotions run wild.  Intentionally remember to worship (Psalm 42:4).  We need to remember and remind ourselves who God is and what He has done (Psalm 42:5&11).  Intentionally speak the good news into our heart.  Difficulties should lead us to go to God's alter (Psalm 43:4).

How do We Intentionally Worship?

Individually, we fast and pray.  We should worship God consider how amazing God is and His creation.

Corporately, we connect with each other, growing with each other, and going where the world is hurting and broken. We must tell them!

Don't wait for spontaneous worship to occur.  We are to deliberately worship God every day.

Prayer: Matthew 6:5-14

Sermon by Pastor Brandon Ryan of Red Village Church on 01-03-2016.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 6:5-14

The Lord's Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

12 and forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.

Intro

This section of the Bible is commonly labeled "The Lord's Prayer".  However, it should be called "The Disciples Prayer", since the prayer was meant for His disciples.  The goal of this message is to enrich your prayer life.  Prayer is a part of worship, and Prayer should honor God.

Some people may be used to adding something similar to the following phrase of "The Lord's Prayer":  For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

That line of text is not part of the scriptures, but was added to later manuscripts.  There is nothing theologically wrong with adding the phrase to "The Lord's Prayer".  However, it is not part of the text being discussed.

Main Points

Three areas of prayer to address in this passage.

1. Sound heart - spiritual center, attitude, and motivation
2. Sound theology
3. Sound content

Having a sound heart gives you sound theology gives you sound content in your prayers.

1. Sound Heart

Review Matthew 6:5-6.  

In Jesus' time, Jews would  pray two to three times per day.  Some people, such as the Pharisees, wanted to show their piety by praying these prayers in public.  Not all prayer is meant to be behind closed doors in a storeroom.  Jesus' prayer in John 17 is a public prayer.  When you pray behind closed doors, it's between you and God, no one else.  Have a sound heart while praying with proper motivation.

Do you want to pray for a $1 million for yourself to use, or for the church to use for the purchase of a building that the congregation needs.

2. Sound Theology

Review Matthew 6:7-8.  Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  R.C. Sproul says any of us would grovel to God if Here were in our presence.  God is not our pal or genie. Don't just ask for wishes. 

Why pray?

• Jesus prayed frequently.  Follow His example.
• The Bible tells us to pray.
• Prayer changes us.

3. Sound Content

Review Matthew 6:9-13.

Verse 9 - God deserves our respect, and we're adopted by the Father.

Verse 10 - Spread the gospel, and follow God's commands.

Verse 11 - Pray for our daily needs and the needs of others.  As Pastor Brandon says, "Pray as if it depends upon God, and work as if it depends upon us."

Verse 12 - We're already justified.  We need to drag our sin into the light.

Verse 13 - Satan is powerful, but God is much more powerful.

Unanswered Prayer

• God does not always answer prayer the way we want to.  
• Sometimes the answer is a temporary no, and the issue is timing on our part or God's.
• Sometimes the answer is a permanent no.  God knows what is best for us, let him make the decisions.

ACTS

Adoration - Praise God from whom all blessing flow. (Psalm 150)

Confession - Confess and turn away from sin, knowing you're forgiven in Christ. (1 John 1:9)

Thanksgiving - Thank God for the many blessing in your life. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

Supplication - Bring your requests before God (1 Timothy 2, 1-2)

God wants to hear our imperfect prayers!  There is power in prayer, don't forget that.  We all forget how powerful prayer can be, including the Israelites.