Class Lesson March 18, 2012

Hey Gang,

We continue this week in our series on worship, we have talked about what it means to be spiritual: to thirst for God, to reach out to God in despair and to find our confidence in God. Last week we looked at what it means to pray – to call on God: to talk with God, to learn from God, and to be obedient to God. This week we look at worship as being a celebration of life – how should we celebrate? To celebrate is to praise, to rejoice, to be excited for the experience. 


Is there anything today that causes this level of excitement?

The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show

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Think about things we celebrate, ways we celebrate, and ways we celebrate God?


Every Sunday should be a celebration and holiday! Worship reminds us of the PAST - what God has done. Worship centers us on the PRESENT - what God is doing now. Worship also gives us hope for the FUTURE - what God will do soon.

Read 2 Samuel 6:5 and 14-16 and consider why celebration in worship might make some people uncomfortable?

• Celebration makes us uncomfortable, why? Because it’s not religious to have fun when the world is suffering all around us. However, worship and celebration are natural consequences of living with an openness and appreciation of God's presence in our lives.
• In worship there is prayer, repentance, forgiveness, education, sacrament, and sharing. But there is also "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Amen!", "Hallelujah!" and "Maranatha!". There is sorrow for sin and for the plight of others, but there is also celebration for what God has done and is doing. A congregation that doesn't rejoice in praise is simply not in worship.

"Loving God means rejoicing in God, being eager to think of and pray to God. It means being glad to be in God's presence and to be with God alone. It means not grieving God, but rejoicing in God simply because it is God who is involved, and because we are permitted to know and have God, and to speak with and live with God." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer


 

I. WORSHIP IS A CELEBRATION OF GOD – PSALM 92:1-4

A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.
1 It is good to praise Yahweh, to sing praise to Your name, Most High, 2 to declare Your faithful love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, 3 with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre. 4 For You have made me rejoice, LORD, by what You have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hands.



Did the psalmist view praising God as a duty or a delight? What happens when you praise God despite sorrow or stress? How do we worship well rather than just going through the motions?



What worship is not? Worship is not:

1. Contemporary or traditional - a matter of personal preference.

2. Liturgical or spontaneous - it is not a matter of order.

3. For Sunday morning or Saturday evening - it is not a matter of schedule.



What is worship? Worship is:


1. A life of conversation with God.

• God speaks, we respond, God responds, we respond again. Worship involves listening, looking, tasting, feeling, and smelling. We breathe in the presence of God wherever we are. We inhale the memories of His faithful acts in the past. Just as we suffocate for lack of air, worship suffocates for lack of attentiveness to God's presence and faithfulness.

2. Our response to who God is.

• As we meditate on God's nature and character through prayer and study, the Holy Spirit reveals who God is more and more fully. As we experience who God is and what He is like, we give Him more worth in our lives. The more we come to understand who God is, the more we desire to open our lives up to the change that He desires in us. Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It is in this way that true worship is transformational. Perhaps the clearest image of such conversion in worship is found in Isaiah 6:1-8.

3. Our response to what God has done.

• Paul wrote, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your act of spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1). Throughout the Scriptures, God's people are constantly recalling God's acts of salvation. In fact, all of Scripture may be seen as a retelling of how God has reached out to save his lost children, and how He desires them to live in Him and with Him.

4. The experience of the greatness of God.

• It is an encounter with the God who is with us. Such encounters are not limited to clocks and calendars, pianos and guitars, or dramas and dancing. We worship wherever and whenever we experience the living Christ.

When does worship happen? Worship happens:


1. When we see and appreciate the beauty of God in nature.

2. When we hear and appreciate the innocent laughter of children.

3. When we feel and appreciate the warmth of morning sun.

4. When we taste and appreciate the provision of food.

5. When we smell and appreciate the beauty of the seasons.

6. When our conscience is brought to life by thoughts of God's holiness.

7. When we grasp a deeper understanding of who God is.

8. When we grow in compassion for others from knowing God's love for us.

9. When we surrender our desires to the will of God.





How did the psalmist celebrate God’s greatness?

• With praise, singing, musical instruments, and shouts of joy.
• The psalmist said it was “good” to praise or celebrate God.
• The psalmist named qualities of God (faithful love, faithfulness, works of Your hands).
• Meaningful worship comes in a variety of forms.

 

Our lesson wanted us to think about what or whom we are so crazy about that we gush over them whenever we get a chance to talk about them. – Kid or grandkids, your spouse, your favorite football team, how about God?


II. WORSHIP IS A CELEBRATION OF GOD’S WORKS – PSALM 92:5-9

5 How magnificent are Your works, LORD, how profound Your thoughts! 6 A stupid person does not know, a fool does not understand this: 7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be eternally destroyed. 8 But You, LORD, are exalted forever. 9 For indeed, LORD, Your enemies— indeed, Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.



How can the concerns of this day-to-day life find their proper places in a life of praise?

                                         Life & Death Celebrations

Life:  

• The life of the Christian is a life of joy. Too many Christians, however, believe that smiling, laughing, and celebrating are improper. Consider the image that comes to mind when you hear the word "pious." You tend to think of tight-collared, somber-faced pilgrims, right?
• The life of Jesus' disciples is one of celebration. Even though we live in a world full of darkness-suffering in which we often participate-we live with the confidence that God has overcome the darkness. Jesus told his disciples, "In this world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world."

Death: 

• When dealing with death, can we celebrate? How is it possible to celebrate in such a sad time of loss? We can celebrate because we know the mystery of the cross. In His dying, Jesus swallowed up death's power over us. It is no longer a scary unknown, but a conquered enemy.
• We celebrate, even in our suffering, because we know the God who is with us. "Joy and laughter are the gifts of living in the presence of God and trusting that tomorrow is not worth worrying about."

God is good and the life He gives us is good. 

So, what is there to celebrate?

1. There is beauty to celebrate.

2. There is love to celebrate.

3. There is answer to prayer to celebrate.

4. There are victories to celebrate.

5. There are changed lives to celebrate.

6. There is a wonderful future to celebrate.



Read Deuteronomy 14:23-27. How might such Biblical celebration challenge your attitude toward having a good time?


23 You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God. 24 But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the LORD your God has blessed you, 25 then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses. 26 You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family. 27 Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.





Does Philippians 4:4-7 have anything to say to you about celebration?


4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

God's people are those whose lives are bordered on one side by a memory of God's acts and the other by hope in God's promises, and who along with whatever else is happening are able to say, at the center, we are one happy people. 


Of all the people on earth, God's people have the most reason to party.




Why is it foolish to ignore or openly rebel against God? Why do some do it anyway?

• Those who ignore God might seem to escape punishment, or perhaps even thrive (they sprout like grass) for a season of time. We can see examples of this all around us. But in the end, they are eternally destroyed.

III. WORSHIP IS A CELEBRATION OF DOING RIGHT – PSALM 92:10-15

10 You have lifted up my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with oil. 11 My eyes look down on my enemies; my ears hear evildoers when they attack me. 12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. 13 Planted in the house of the LORD, they thrive in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, 15 to declare: “The LORD is just; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”



How have you found living for God to be more delightful as you’ve aged? What’s harder about it?



How did the psalmist describe benefits of worship? (Don’t limit worship to gathering on Sunday morning; include such actions as waking each morning and thanking God for the day.) For you personally, what are benefits of worship? Why do it even if it didn’t benefit you?

• God lifted up my horn shows strength comes from God. Anointed with oil refers to God’s favor. His eyes look down on his enemies means he had confidence when under attack. He would thrive like a palm tree and a cedar tree.
• Righteous people thrive like a palm tree and cedar tree. Trees grow slowly but are much more sturdy and permanent than grass. (v. 7)
• Sample benefits of worship: shows what God is like; lifts us when down; encourages not just us but others; equips for challenges; strengthens relationships with God and believers; changes lives for better; ingrains truth within us; music.

Conclusion:

List words (positive and negative) that describe worship today. Is “joyful” one of the words on your list? What changes in your attitude or habit could you pursue to make worship joyful?

• Samples: meaningful, habitual, enthusiastic, routine, ordinary, passionate, fervent, wholehearted, halfhearted, unifying, dividing, loving.
• Our worship can be joyful when we focus on God. Worship can be delight, not duty. When we worship, we focus on God’s loving purposes.
• List practical strategies for worship. (Examples: be thankful for blessings, look for ways God is changing lives, sing, recall worship is a freedom, be open to new worship experiences, more)

                                                     Prayer of Commitment

Lord, I celebrate not only what You have done for me, but I also celebrate You for Yourself. Amen

Be in prayer this week as we continue in our series on worship and as you consider what it means to really celebrate life.

 
I hope you have had a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

 
In His Love,

David & Susan