Lifestyle of Praise and Worship lesson 1

God's children are called to a lifestyle of praise and worship!

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John 4:20  "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  21  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem , worship the Father.  22  "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  23  "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.  24  "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Samaritans were Jews who had mixed with other nations and left the roots of serving God exclusively.   It all started by worshiping a golden calf instead of returning to worship at the temple in Jerusalem .  This woman was also an outcast of her own society she had been married 7 times and was now living with a man she was not married to.  Jesus unveiled the revelation of a Spirit to spirit connection with God restored.  The Samaritans worshiped on the mountain and the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem .  Jesus said  change has come!  True worshipers will worship God the Father in spirit and in truth.  There is a spiritual help wanted ad.  The Father is seeking worshipers!   Those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.  Notice the Father was not seeking the worship itself, He is looking for the worshiper!   Adam and Eve sinned and broke the spirit to Spirit connection.  Jesus came and via the cross purchasing the Spirit to spirit connection.  Genuine salvation will bring the believer to live in  a lifestyle of worship and praise.

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  17  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Here in Colossians we find the definition of a lifestyle of worship.  Worship is much more than what you do for an hour on Sundays and Wednesdays.  God calls His children to a mindset of the kingdom of God .  Jesus Himself said it!  Seek first the kingdom of God … Believers are called to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly.  Worship is a pursuit of God.  So many elements of worship are listed here in this passage.  Knowing the word.  Our fellowship should be centered on sharing the word with one anther, admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.  The divine influence of God should be leading the way in this lifestyle of worship.  What happens when the children of God get sold out to verse 17.  Whatever we do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  Yes a lifestyle of praise and worship.    

Psalm 100:1  Make a joyful shout to the LORD , all you lands!  2  Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  3  Know that the LORD , He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  4  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  5  For the LOR D is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Make a joyful shout to the LORD !  Make a joyful shout to the LORD !  Yes, I know I repeated the line!  It is time to put a praise in our mouth and worship the LORD !   We are called out to serve the LORD with gladness.  Come before His presence with singing.  There is a divine order we have been called to.  Even on our way to assemble for worship we should come with thanksgiving.  We when call on Him we should come with thanksgiving.  Come with a praise on your lips and thanksgiving in your hear.  We belong to God we can always bless His name!  Praise and worship is a lifestyle and a mindset we can live in!

The testimony of people in worship:

Mark 7:26  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  27  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  28  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  29  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  30  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

This woman reached out in faith and the end result was the deliverance of her daughter.  This Greek the Syro-Phoenician woman was not Jewish yet her faith in Jesus brought her to pursuit of Jesus.  Notice she called Him Lord.  Although not Jewish her faith caused her to receive from Jesus even before His ministry was turned to that direction.  Her faith hasten the goodness of God to her household.  Lets take a look at this testimony in Matthew.   

Matthew 15:22  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of D avid! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  23  But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  24  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ."  25  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  26  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  27  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  28  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

More details come to light in Matthew.  The woman came calling out for the covenant right “O Lord, Son of D avid.”  She was coming under false pretenses as if she was Jewish.  If we are going to worship God properly we must never come under false pretenses.  In the presence of God you can be real!  The disciples did not understand what was going on and wanted to send her away.  When she heard the words of Jesus she lost her desire for pretense.  She humble herself and worshiped Him!  We the believer do well to humble ourselves and worship Him!  Jesus said it is not good to give the children’s bread to the dogs.  In faith she cried out even the dogs get the crumbs from the masters’ table.  Very few times did Jesus call peoples faith great; here is one of them! 

As I studied these passages of this woman God spoke to me telling me I was missing parts of the truth found in her testimony.  1^st the Spirit spoke to me the bread that was sought was the deliverance of her daughter.  Our bread can be the deliverance of our children.  2^nd we are not the dogs outside of covenant.  We have the Spirit in our hearts where by we cry out “Abba Father”  The children’s bread belongs to us because we are the children!  Say it in worship, “the bread belongs to me; I am a child of God.”.   Worship is putting your mouth in agreement with the word of God.

STAN D ING ON THE PROMISES

Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain:
Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior;

Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see, Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall, List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.