Priorities For The New Year 2015-Worship Must Be A Priority

Worship Must Be A Priority

Date:15, February 2015
Series: Priorities For The New Year 2015

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:1-7:3 

Scripture Reading

Let us rise to our feet and read 2 Chronicles 7:1-3

7 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

² And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.
³ And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

This is the word of God. Thanks be to the LORD. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text this morning ....  Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.

Introduction

Today is sermon #2 in a series of messages titled “Christian Priorities For The New Year 2015”. Last week we examined the fact that “Love Must Be A Priority”

Without love, nothing else that we consider will be profitable. We saw that we must First “Love the Lord with all of our heart, soul mind and strength” Secondly we examined the fact that we are to “Love our neighbour as we love ourselves” Today we will see the fact that “Worship Must Be A Priority”

You have heard stories about “back in the good old days” and how God moved in the past. Stories about revivals that lasted for weeks, brush arbours, spirit filled meetings where God moved in a mighty way. Services where families were restored, backsliders were reclaimed and the town drunk was saved.

I heard someone say that when Billy Sunday would go into town the liquor stores would automatically close up shop. Most of the traditional churches or denominations  in our day gather 3 or 4 times a week, go through the motions, sing a few songs, pray a few prayers and preach a couple of sermons and go home. We don’t hear those stories much anymore as long as we don't involve the Holy Spirit. Even today in our spirit filled churches God is repeating that...
 
Some of you may already thinking about what you are going to do this afternoon or dreading the return to work tomorrow morning... We have lost sight of why we are here. It is not about us. We are here to worship God! The problem is that most people are asking the question “What can God do for me? Instead of what can I do for God?"

I can tell you what you can do for Him, give Him what he deserves, Worship!

Let's Examine The Background 

The Israelites had been in exile for around 70 years. God brought them back to their country. Now it was time for them to build the temple, serve and worship Him.

In chapter 6 we find Solomon’s sermon and his prayer of dedication. In chapter 7 we find God’s response to the events of chapter 6.

Sermon:

We find in VV.1-3 some elements that we must have in our church. Without these essentials we might as well close the doors and go to the house.Verse 1 gives us the most important aspect of any church, The Presence of the Lord.

I. The Presence Of The Lord

V.1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

A. The Request For His Presence - “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying”

What was his prayer? 2 Chronicles 6:19-21 Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: 20 That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. 21 Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.

This temple was not built with the intentions of becoming a hangout for the people of Israel. It was not a place to gather to have a good time or so that Jerusalem could have the best world cup cricket team in the church league.

This was a place built for the Glory of the Lord. This was a place for his people to make supplication to him and to worship and praise him throughout the ages.That should be the goal of every local church in our day as well. It is unbelievable how far we have gone from the original intent of the local church.

Solomon requested the presence of the Lord and God showed up. We have the same power and opportunity today.

B. The Requirement For His Presence

Just because Solomon requested the presence of the Lord was not a guarantee that He would come.We can’t just assume that every time we come into this building that God is here.

Jesus addressed this in His words to the church at Ephesus. Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

It is sad to say but I believe this has happened to many of our churches today. I have visited some churches where I wonder why the people even got out of bed.- “if some people really had an encounter with God it would scare them to death”

How did these people experience the power of the Lord? Not because the temple was extravagant and beautiful (and it was both) God appeared because of the fact that it was their intention to glorify God.

God is not going to be with us because we have a large number of people, not because we have a beautiful building, not because we give to missions, not because we have an outreach program or any other thing that we do. God will bless us with his presence because we are a church Centered on Christ and because we are a people ready to worship Him!

C. The Revelation Of His Presence

When Solomon ended his prayer, “fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house”

This proved the LORD heard the prayers of Solomon and the people and He accepted the temple. He came in his glory, and filled it.

This is not the first or the last time that this happened. It also happened when Moses dedicated the tabernacle in the desert - Leviticus 9:24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

In the book titled "EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE: God's Keys For Abundant Marriage & Family Life" Robert and Angeline Tucker writes

God’s purpose is to bring tremendous revival in these last days that He might manifest His glorious nature and character through His people. God has ordained an order for all that He created. When that order is established, His glory settles in the midst of the situation.

We see this principle illustrated in Exodus chapters 25-30,where God meticulously outlined for Moses the pattern for a tabernacle in the wilderness. These plans for building the tabernacle were followed explicitly, as is recorded in Exodus 36-40. We see what followed: “So Moses finished the work, then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:33b-34). When everything was set into order according to the pattern God had given, then the glory of God was manifested in the tabernacle.

About 450 years later, God gave David a pattern for the temple to be built in Jerusalem, along with an expanded order of worship. When everything was completed, including the order for the priests and Levites to worship the Lord as one voice and one symphony of instruments, “then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God” (II Chronicles 5:13-14). Again, once everything was done in God’s order, He filled the house with His glory.

Before Jesus’ ascension, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4-5). They had a ten day prayer meeting in the upper room (Acts 1:13-14). Certainly during that prayer meeting many things must have been set into God’s order in that house. Surely all the disciples were repenting because they had forsaken Jesus at His trial. Peter must have humbled himself for his denial of Christ. James and John must certainly have had a change of heart about who should be the greatest.

Act 2:1 tells us, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” God had done a work to establish them according to His pattern. Then they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and the whole house was filled with the glory of God.

God wants to fill the church with His glory in this day. He wants to fill our households with His glory, but we must be built up according to the pattern which He has established for us. The church will not come together in God’s order unless individual families become established in the way God ordained.

He has a definite pattern for marriage and family life. Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” God reveals to each member of the family his or her place of responsibility. As each one embraces God’s purpose and receives grace to function that way in daily life, God will then fill that household with His glory.

Why is it that we don’t hear of spirit filled, lie changing, barn burner services anymore. It is because we have changed because God doesn’t. - Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not ... and in Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

God will do the same for our church. When we are here with the right heart and the right motives he will reveal his presence in a mighty way. Many people talk about the heroes of the faith and what power they had in their lives. Adrian Rogers a baptist preacher once said God was with Noah, God was with Moses, God was with Elijah, God was with King David. We have it better than they did, GOD IS IN US!

Once we enter the presence of the Lord we will experience the power of the Lord.

II. The Power Of The Lord

v2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.

Once again this in not only found in this event, it happened on several other occasions. - 2 Chronicles 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

Notice that even the priests could not even minister as a result of their awe and reverence to the glory of the Lord.We can’t begin to imagine the things we will experience in our lives as a result of the power of God.

A great story is told of D.L Moody 

Ill. In June 1871 a great burden came upon two older ladies in his congregation to pray for him. These two ladies became very obvious to Moody as they sat on the front pew and prayed as he preached. When he enquired about their praying they informed him that he needed the power of the Spirit.

At first Moody could satisfy himself that he was ok. But the persistence of these ladies led him to meet and pray with them. They poured out their hearts asking God to fill His servant with His Spirit. From that day a deep hunger and prayer gripped Moody. By October he was in agony of soul as he prayed and sought God for the promised gift. At times he would roll on the floor in agony and in tears with this singular prayer to experience the Holy Ghost. Shortly after this while passing through New York on his way to Britain the second time God heard his prayer. As he walked the streets his will bent before God, the power of the Lord fell upon him, the Lord drew near and revealed Himself to His servant. Moody rushed to a friend’s house and asked for a room and to be left alone. Hour after hour he bathed in the presence of God. So strong was this that he cried out to God to stay His hand lest he die. He was filled with the joy of the Lord. When he left that house it was in the power of the Spirit. 
 
Rev. Moody did not have anything that we can’t experience. We too can feel the power of God so real that it will get to a point where we wonder if we can handle it!

One thing we can take away from the story of D.L Moody is the fact that we must realize that something is missing and then be willing to do what is needed to make the proper changes to our life. We have seen that once we enter the presence of the Lord we will experience the power of the Lord. What comes next? Praise, which is what this message is all about.

III. The Praise Of The Lord

A. The Motive Of Their Praise 

 v3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement

Why did they bow down and praise God? Because they were in His presence and because they witnessed His amazing power. There are several examples of people bowing in the presence of the Lord:-

1. The wise men fell down and worshipped – Matthew 2
2. The woman with the issue of blood fell down before him trembling - Mark 5
3. Jairus fell down at Jesus feet when he asked him to heal his daughter – Luke 8
4. Saul fell down trembling and astonished when he met Jesus on Damascus Road- Acts 9
5. Unclean spirits even fell down before him - Mark 3:11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
6. John fell down to worship Him – Rev 22:8
7. Eventually all will fall down before him. - Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

There is something about being in His presence that brings us to our knees. Going back to our text we find another motive of their praise to God - For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.That alone should be enough reason for us to stay on our faces before God for eternity.
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Mercy is defined as not receiving a punishment or consequence that is deserved. Praise God for his mercy! Oh how we should praise Him for His mercy!!

B. The Method Of Their Praise

v3b they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD

These people were in a place of true worship. They were humble and in communion with God. Let’s break down the words that the KJV uses to describe their actions.

Worship – {H} (shâchâh - shaw-khaw') - to depress, that is, prostrate: - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence

Praise – {H} (yâdâh - yaw-daw') To hold out the hand; revere with extended hands;


I am not here to tell you HOW to worship, but I am here to say that you MUST worship!

There are many ways that people express their worship… But I will say that if you are going to truly worship God it must be done with Him as your only focus.

These people that we have read about today experienced true worship. I have a heartfelt desire to experience the same thing each and every time we enter this place.

Some Useful Hints to lead the Worship Service

1. Be ready to start on time.
2. Try to avoid all distractions, time delays, and unneeded noise. Seek to lead the people into God’s presence.
3. Start with songs of praise, then lead into songs of worship. Make sure the praise songs are fast and seek to bring everyone into joy.
4. Announce the name of the first song before you start it. For a short service it would be good to sing about 3 praise songs and about 2 to 3 worship songs, for about 20 to 30 minutes of singing. For a longer service it would be good to sing about 4 praise songs and about 3 to 4 worship songs, for perhaps 30 to 40 minutes of singing. Do not go beyond your requested time for the worship service unless: 
a) you are confident that the anointing is flowing and that you can lead the people further into the presence of God; and b) you have the permission of the pastor.
5. Do not sing too loud into the microphone. The song leader should not be singing a “solo,” but should be helping all the people to sing together to the Lord. When you start a song or are leading a part that the people do not know well, then sing loud enough to lead clearly. But when everyone is singing together well the song leader should back away from the microphone to allow the corporate worship to carry the flow.
6. Do not stop too often between songs. It is best to go smoothly from song to song to encourage a developing flow. If the people’s hearts have become prepared for a time of spontaneous expression, then lead them into wholehearted spontaneous praise or worship.
7. Organize your song list in advance. Make copies for yourself, each of the musicians, and for the overhead projection. Write down the name and key of each song. Make sure that the musicians have the list early enough to get the practice that they need.
8. If you feel led by the Spirit to sing a different song that what is on the list, then try to be sensitive to follow the Holy Spirit but make sure that your musicians are skilled enough to follow you.
9. Try to use the songs in the church’s song list. It is good if you can teach one new song, but make sure the musicians know it and the overhead is prepared. If it is a praise song that most of the people do not know then teach it at the beginning of the praise. If it is a worship song that most of the people do not know, have the congregation sit down for a few minutes as you teach it at the beginning of the worship section of the song service. Try to only use one song each service that is not well known, never more than two songs that are not well known

Invitation And The Final Challenge

Do you desire to enter into the presence of God every time you come to church? Do you seek the power of God in your life and in our church? Do you have a yearning to praise God for all that he has done? As we begin this New Year 2015, we have to realize that like love, “Worship Must Be A Priority” 

May the Lord give us such a vision of His high calling for us to live in Zion, that we will not be content with allowing any mixture to remain in our lives and ministries. Let us pray with David, “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.”

May we each become men and women after God’s own heart who can abide in the spiritual worship of David’s Tabernacle! For as we learn to abide in this spiritual experience, we will find our ministries to be anointed from the overflow of our meetings with God. We will declare like the Psalmist, “I have been anointed with fresh oil.” Then, like David, we will also be able to lead many others into anointed music and worship.