Lifestyle of Praise and Worship lesson 4

The lifestyle of praise and worship open the door to the supernatural.

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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."

This has been our theme verse in this four week series.  We are indeed connected to God Spirit to spirit because of Jesus.  The Father is seeking the worshiper!  We have been brought into the kingdom of God to worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

Hebrews 13:10  We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11  For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.  12  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.  13  Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  14  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.  15  Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

We have an altar; Jesus came full of grace and truth.  From this altar we have a right to worship.  Jesus died outside the camp so you and I could be brought in.  Coming to the altar of grace should give us the perspective of the kingdom of God .  This world is not our home we are looking for the city whose builder and maker is God.  Because of these truths let us offer the sacrifice of praise.  Let praise and worship of God be the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

You have purpose!  It is a God ordained purpose.  You are chosen, a royal priesthood, a hold nation, you are His own special people!  The purpose is for you to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Put the praise in your mouth, put the sacrifice of praise into your mouth, do it!

Psalm 145:1  I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.  2  Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.  3  Great is the LORD , and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.  4  One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.  5  I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.  6  Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.  7  They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.  8  The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.  9  The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.  10  All Your works shall praise You, O LORD , And Your saints shall bless You.  11  They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power,  12  To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

Psalm 145 is a great place to learn to praise and worship.  Open the word and put it in your mouth.  Declare it line by line.  Go ahead shout it as we have learned we should.

Psalm 150:1  Praise the LORD ! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!  2  Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!  3  Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!  4  Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!  5  Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!  6  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD . Praise the LORD !

Do you have breath; this call is for you to come and worship and praise Him!  Remember one of the words in the Greek for praise: to rant, to rave, to shout and be clamorously foolish before Him. 

Acts 16:16  Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.  17  This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation."  18  And this she did for many days. But Paul , greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour.  19  But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.  20  And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;

Testimony time: Paul and Silas lived a lifestyle of praise and worship.  Paul   cast the demon out of this slave girl and it brought him and Silas into the courtroom.

Acts 16:21  "and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."  22  Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.  23  And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.  24  Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.  25  But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

The crowd testified against them  the magistrates had their clothes tore off and beat them with many stripes.  Then they threw them in jail with a strict command to the jailer keep these two men secure.  Think of it, stripes on their back in the deepest part of the jail with shackles on their feet.  Human nature might complain “Oh God  why are you doing this to me.  I was serving you and obeying you and now look I’m beaten with stripes on my back…  Paul and Silas did not lean on their human natures.  They knew they were new creations in Christ and allowed that new creation to dictate their actions.  At midnight Paul and Silas begin to pray and sing hymns, and now they had the attention of all the prisoners.  When the bad stuff happens and you have praise and worship in your mouth you will have the attention of those who are in bondage!

Acts 16:26  Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.  27  And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.  28  But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, " Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."  29  Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  30  And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and they got a SUDDENLY!  An earthquake that was so precise it broke open the prison doors and everyone’s chains were loosed.  It time for the church to surrender to praise and worship; oh that every chain and bondage will be broken as the saints worship!  God gave Paul a word to speak to the jailer “ D o yourself no harm, for we are all here.”  Paul and Silas worshiping brought the warden to his knees asking how to be saved.  Could a lifestyle of praise and worship bring people to you begging to know the way to salvation? 

Acts 16:31  So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."  32  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  33  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.  34  Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul and Silas now preach Jesus Christ and the jailer and his whole family was saved.  What if Paul and Silas had complained instead of praying and singing hymns?  What will happen when we trade in our complaint for a lifestyle of praise and worship?  It will open the door to the supernatural.  God needs our cooperation to perform His works.  Those living a lifestyle of praise and worship open the door to God’s will performed.

JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY

I have found His grace is all complete, He supplieth every need; While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet, I am free, yes, free indeed.

Refrain:
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Oh, the half has never yet been told.

I have found the pleasure I once craved, It is joy and peace within; What a wondrous blessing, I am saved From the awful gulf of sin.

I have found that hope so bright and clear, Living in the realm of grace; Oh, the Savior’s presence is so near, I can see His smiling face.

I have found the joy no tongue can tell, How its waves of glory roll;
It is like a great o’erflowing well, Springing up within my soul.