Holy Habits are like sails
- If your sails aren’t set, you’ll miss what God is doing and the things he intended to do in your life
TRANSITION:, we’re looking at the Sail of Worship
- Worship is a weird word (adore,respect, honor, celebrat
3 Types Of Worship
- Worship of Lament
If you’ve lost a family member, you KNOW what that sense of loss does
- Loss brings grief
- Grief leaves a hole in your heart
- There is pain as a result of that hole and it won’t stay empty
- God gave us lament to redeem our grief
- Lament is the act of laying our grief before God
- Lament is declaring that God is sovereign over pain, evil
- Lament is committing ourselves to God through the pain
- Lament is declaring our faith that God SEES me, FEELS what I feel, and CARES about it
- Lament gives Hope where there was Despair, Repentance in the place of Sin with Repentance,, Healing in the place of Injury, Forgiveness where there was pain and Justice in the place of Vengeance
- Worship sets us free from the evil Satan sent to enslave us
Ps 13:1-6 “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? 2 How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.”
Worship of Celebration
When we think of this kind of worship, sports is the most common place
- Worship reminds me where my blessings come from and who the credit goes to
- They worship when they acknowledge that GOOD TIMES belong to God as much as they bad times and both belong to God
Ps 136:1-14 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithfulness love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever. 4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever. 5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever. 6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever. 7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights— His faithful love endures forever. 8 the sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever. 9 and the moon and stars to rule the night. His faithful love endures forever. 10 Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever. 11 He brought Israel out of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever. 12 He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm. His faithful love endures forever. 13 Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever. 14 He led Israel safely through, His faithful love endures forever.”
- Worship of Celebration comes from a heart of Gratitude, Recognition of Grace in our lives, acknowledges that I come from, and live for, God
- Worship is recognizing that God is worthy of rearranging my life around
Worship of Adoration
Worship is acknowledging that something/someone is worth giving my life to
- I felt a glimpse of this the first time I held my kids
- I sense this when I’m in front of a beautiful piece of art
Ps 145:1-10 “I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness. The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you.”
Worship of Adoration helps to remind me that I’m not the center of the universe
- Worship places my attention on the One who is
- Worship gives me perspective when I’m overwhelmed, reminds me that there’s a bigger story than my story
- Worship re-centers me and brings me back to my North Star, God
- Worship brings perspective
APPLICATION:
If you feel grief:
- Name the loss that has caused this grief
- Declare that God is more powerful than the strength of this pain
- Call on God for rescue from grief, asking him to redeem your pain and move you toward justice, mercy and humility
If you feel a sense of accomplishment, gratitude, feeling blessed:
- Tell you God you know where these blessing come from
- Commit to using your blessings in a way that most respects His role in your life
- Call on God to show you where Pride may be creeping in and allow Worship to reassign your worth onto God’s Grace
If you feel disconnected from God or overwhelmed:
- Tell God what’s happening in your life and how you feel.
- Let God know you know he’s there, he’s good and he’s at work in your life
- Ask God to speak to your heart and guide your steps.
- Ask him to lead you in the direction he wants for your life.
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Application Questions
1. What stood out to you from this message and why?
2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?