Worship

What is Revival?

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Recently we have heard reports of revival at Asbury College where students have been praying, worshiping, repenting, and lingering in God’s presence for about two weeks. People were hearing about it on social media and traveling from all over the country to experience God, in an atmosphere of hunger, faith, worship, and repentance.

Much has been written about the subject of revival, though we don’t find the word mentioned in Scripture. We do however see the theme of the activity of God working in to revive, renew and restore His people. The Scripture does use the word revive and it is something that the saints of old pleaded for in prayer.

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again. Psalm 85:6 ESV

The Hebrew word translated to revive in English is ḥāyāh and its used 283 times in Scripture. It’s meaning to save, sustain, spare, or restore life. It is used by God to describe his saving or restoring work in the Prophet Isaiah:

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 ESV

Dr. Martyn-Loyd Jones defines this unusual activity that he called revival in his book titled Revival. He wrote:

Revival is “a period of unusual blessing and activity in the life of the Christian church….The essence of revival is that the Holy Spirit comes down upon a number of people together, upon a whole church, upon a number of churches, districts, or perhaps a whole country. That is what is meant by revival”. Martyn-Lloyd, Jones, Revival page 99-100.

“A revival by definition is the mighty act of God and it is a sovereign act of God.” Martyn-Lloyd Jones, Revival, Pg. 112

Revival is a gracious and sovereign work that the Holy Spirit brings into the lives of God’s people. It is usually accompanied by a heightened awareness of God’s presence and of our need for him, repentance, a return to Scripture, and fervent and extended prayer. It’s a time when God gets the attention of His people and stirs the hearts of His people to seek His face. It’s a time when the people of God respond to God’s goodness and worth by adjusting their lives to God’s will and ways.

When Moses prayed to the Lord asking God to show him His glory, God answered and caused His goodness to pass by him. God proclaimed His name to Moses and the glory and goodness that Moses experienced led to a deeper knowledge of God (Exodus 33-34). Martyn-Lloyd Jones connects that narrative to what God does in the lives of His people in revival. He wrote:

“The supreme blessing that comes to the Church in a time of revival is this deeper knowledge of God in his goodness towards us.”Martyn-Lloyd Jones, Revival, Pg. 227

Jonathan Edwards wrote about the effects of revival during the great awakening that he was instrumental in:

“This work soon made a glorious alteration in the town. So that in the Spring and Summer following it seemed, that is to say, the town, seemed to be full of the presence of God. It never was so full of love nor so full of joy and yet so full of distress as it was then. There were remarkable tokens of God’s presence in almost every house. It was a time of joy in families on account of salvation being brought to them. Parents rejoicing over their children as newborn, husbands over their wives and wives over their husbands. The doings of God were then seen in His sanctuary. God’s day was a delight and His tabernacles were amiable. Our public assemblies were then beautiful. The congregation was alive in God’s service. Everyone earnestly intent on the public worship. Every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth. The assembly in general were from time to time in tears while the Word was preached. Some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbors.”

Jonathan Edwards: Works, London 1840, Vol I, p. 348.

That sure does sound like the effects of revival to me.

How can we participate in revival?

1. Turn the Lord in repentance acknowledging the sin that has kept you from sweet communion with Him.

Repeatedly in Scripture God calls his people to return to Him both in the old and new covenant. Here are two examples from both:

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Joel 2:12-13 ESV

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 2:15-20 ESV

2. Linger in the word of God until your heart is warmed by its truth and beauty and act upon what the Lord is calling you to do.

Read Nehemiah chapter 9 and see the beautiful repentant response of the Israelites after hearing the Torah read to them. And being convicted of their sin, they confessed their sins to the Lord who is a “God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Nehemiah 9:17 ESV).

3. Wait on the Lord in prayer.

Let’s Worship Together

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Today the CDC gave some pleasant news that many will be excited to hear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated “that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t need to wear face masks or social distance at gatherings of any size”.

For many Christians who haven’t been gathering for in-person worship services that means it time to go back church! As I was reading through my bible reading plan this morning I came a across a passage that stood out to me in Psalm 122.

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Psalm 122:1 ESV

Gladness In Going To Corporate Worship

This verse points to the annual pilgrimage that that the Jews would make to Jerusalem while also highlighting the joy of corporate worship. David was one whose love and affection for God led him to great delight in worshiping God privately and publicly. When he was called to corporate worship, just the thought of it made him glad and he was eager to attend. Matthew Henry commented from this passage that:

“Those that rejoice in God will rejoice in calls and opportunities to wait upon him.”

We see in David the heart of a true worshipper. His thoughts, words, affections and actions were centered on God. His entire life was saturated with worship of God. We too are wired for lives of worship. Eugene Peterson pointed out that worship “overflows the Sunday-morning hour and permeates the days of the week”.

After a long season with many people being socially distanced over the last year and many are feeling an ache and longing from not gathering corporately in worship. I can’t help but notice how timely this little verse is right now. Yet for some it may be a challenge to have a “glad” response to the call to corporate worship in-person. Perhaps the fear of being around other people holds them back. Or for others perhaps spiritual atrophy and indifference has set in. The habit of not being present has been replaced by other habits. It’s time get out of the spiritual rut and get connected once again by being present in the corporate assembly, pouring out your hearts to the Lord in song and hearing the song of faith sung by other saints near you.

Let Us Go To The House Of The Lord

Matthew Henry also said

“It is the will of God that we should worship him in concert, that many should join together to wait upon him in public ordinances. We ought to worship God in our own houses, but that is not enough; we must go into the house of the Lord, to pay our homage to him there, and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.”

Since Jesus came saints no longer need to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for worship (see John 4:21-24). We can worship God anywhere personally and we can worship God anywhere corporately. The people of God who make up the Church are now the Temple of God (Ephesians 2:19-22). We are the dwelling place of God. God dwells in each of us and He dwells among us as we gather together corporately.

“Christians who sing this recognize that in their gathered worship they are carrying out the task of the temple, and their Davidic king (Jesus) is present with them (1Peter 2:4-5;Eph.2:19-22). -C. John Collins

So let’s arrive early this Sunday and come with an eager expectation for God to show up. Let’s sing with gusto to God together, let’s listen to His word together, let’s testify of His work in our lives together and be present to encourage our brothers and sisters. Let’s go to the house of the Lord.

Another verse in this Psalm is particularly timely.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!”Psalm 122:6 ESV

Currently there is an uproar of violence in Israel among the Palestinian militants and the Israelis military, which has been occurring for the past 4 days. Over 100 people have died in Gaza and 7 people others. There hasn’t been this level of violence since 2014 and there concern that this could become a full scale war.

Prayer for Jerusalem

Father, as Jerusalem is currently in turmoil with a violent uproar, we pray now for your peace to be within this special city. We pray that Jesus Messiah would be welcomed as the Prince of Peace and that you would graciously bring your kingdom of reign there, filling it with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Let the Gospel of peace bring healing to the broken relationships between Palestinians & Jews. We pray for wisdom and guidance of the leaders to skillfully and effectively lead through this time well that many lives would be spared from death in war. .

Here are two melodies with different musical genres put to Psalm 122 that I think you enjoy.

Psalm 122 Desert Spring Church

Psalm 122 StreetLights

Spiritual Amnesia

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“They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,” Psalm 106:21 ESV

How could a person forget the Lord who has done so much to bring rescue to their life? Spiritual amnesia was an issue with the Israelites hundreds of years ago and it is still an issue with God’s people today. To remember the Lord one must be intentional about recounting His works, reviewing His word and relooking at His character. We all need daily reminders of who God is, what God has done and what God has said. If we are not careful it won’t take long for a you and I to coast into spiritual forgetfulness & indifference. When we forget God, His word and His works then we tend to make the same mistakes the Israelites made. When we forget God we tend to tempt him rather then trust Him. We tend to complain about Him and to Him rather than cry out to Him for help. We tend to rebel against His commands rather than jofullly obey God. And we tend to create idols to worship rather than giving our adoration & allegiance to the one Savior who is worthy of our worship!

Reflections On Psalm 33

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Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. Psalm 33:1-3 ESV

The Psalmist calls the God’s people to exuberant expressions of worship using verbs like; shout for joy, praise, give thanks, make melody, sing and play skillfully. Loud shouts of joy accompanied by musical instruments are appropriate expressions of praise unto God. This describes the lively & enthusiastic expression of worship that you might see at some churches with modern worship music. Or you may see this kind of passion expressed at a football game. If people can shout joyfully & passionately at a sporting event for their team, then we ought to be able to get that excited & expressive about our great God. The Psalmist says it is fitting for the upright to praise the Lord in this way. When you go shopping for a new shirt or pair pants, you look for something that fits you well and if you find a good fit of you buy it and wear it. Like a well-fitting shirt, pair of pants, shoes or outfit, it is fitting for the saints who have been redeemed by God to praise & worship God extravagantly.

I heard of Christian man from Africa who was visiting a traditional church in the U.S. During the sermon this man would give a strong “amen” and “hallelujah” periodically. His expressions of worship were much more enthusiastic than the church that he was visiting. After a while one of the deacons in this church he was annoyed by his expressions and approached him in the pew where he was sitting, requesting that he quiet down. The man replied “sir I am just praising the Lord” and the deacons replied promptly with “we do not praise the Lord here”. Sadly this is true for many churches they “do not praise the Lord” in way that the bible exhorts God’s people to. Let’s look at how the psalmist exhorts us to praise and worship God.

How are we to worship?

· V1-Joyfully. Joy & rejoicing should be basic characteristics in our worship because we love & treasure God. Charles Spurgeon said “Joy is the soul of praise”. Our rejoicing in the Lord in worship reveals that He is our Treasure, He is our Hope & He is our God. A joyful worshipper brings glory to the God who has made the worshipper glad, by His mighty works (Psalm 92:4).
· Those who have been made righteous by faith in Christ ought to be the most joyful & extravagant worshippers on the planet.
· V1b-Praise God for who He is and what He has done20130225-010311.jpg
· V2a-Give thanks to God for what He has done
· V2b-Make melody to Him
· V3a-Sing to Him a new song
· V3b-Play skillfully for Him
· V3b-Shout loud & joyfully to Him
· V8-Fear the Lord & Stand in awe of Him

God’s Word is Right & True

For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:4-9 ESV

The 1st reason that David gives to praise God for the Word of the Lord. “The word of the Lord is upright” and by it He made the heaven & the host of heaven. The very first thing we are told about God in Scripture is that He speaks and He made everything with His Word. His Word is powerful (Psalm 29, Hebrews 4:12) and by it God not only created all that is but currently sustains all that is by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Is. 40:8 ESV) and “My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 ESV). David who was a man after God’s own heart loved & treasured greatly the word of God. The longest Psalm and chapter in the bible is an expression is an expression of His love for the word of God (Psalm 119). Those who worship God in “spirit & truth” love God’s word and take heed to it. The word of God gives us many reasons to worship God and it fuels the passionate praise of the true worshipper. In the NT Paul exhorted the Colossians to “let the word of Christ dwell richly” in them teaching and admonishing one another in psalms hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16).

God’s Work is Faithful, Righteous, Just & Good20130225-010406.jpg

…all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord

Psalm 33:4-5 ESV

God’s creative work & governing work are faithful. He didn’t just wind up the world like a clock and let it go. God has been faithfully governing and caring for His creation as a Faithful Creator. And the work that he has begun in us He certainly will be faithful to complete (Philippians 1:6) and he is currently working in His people to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God is working to bring about His will on the earth. “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (Psalm 103:6). God loves righteousness & justice which are also the foundation of His throne. Everything God does is right, just & good. Never has God comprised His righteousness or justice. The earth is filled with the goodness of God. God’s goodness is displayed in the even the little details of life on earth. Through the sunrise with birds chirping, through the rain that nourishes the ground, plants and animals. David said “For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”(Psalm 92:4). He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. (Psalm 111:4 ESV)

God’s Will Prevails

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 33:10-12 ESV
God frustrates & nullifies the plans of the peoples but His plans stand firm. Why do the nations rage & plot in vain? The Lord sits in the Heavens and laughs (Psalm 2). This is what the Apostles quoted in reference to the Jewish rulers plotting against Jesus and having Him crucified. (Acts 4) If you want to read more on glorious biblical truth see Isaiah 40-46. Isaiah 40:8 says that God’s words stand forever. What God has said will come to pass. This is a humbling & comforting truth. It is humbling because it directs us to align our wills & plans with what he has revealed in His word and trust in what He has in store for our lives. Our times are in his hand (Psalm 31:15). This is why James exhorts us to have say “if the Lord wills” over our plans (James 4:13-14), because we can make plans but ultimately we are not in control. God is! He is the Alpha & Omega, Beginning & the End and knows the future holds. This should be comforting for us because God’s plans are very good (Jeremiah 29:11). God is worshipped in Heaven for this very reason. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Rev. 4:11 (ESV). The book of Revelation does a glorious job of revealing Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is Sovereign over human history.

God Watches Over His People

The Lord looks down from heaven;20130225-002116.jpg
he sees all the children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:13-19 ESV

Nothing gets past God; He sees all and knows all. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the good and the evil“(Proverbs 15:3). One day he repay those who practice evil and in righteousness He will judge the earth (Acts 17:31). His eyes are on the righteous and His ears are open to hear their prayers (Psalm 34:16). Everything the child of God faces in this life is Father-filtered. Nothing comes our way unless it is first permitted by God. Saints we can rest assured that our God is mighty to save, He is able save and he will deliver us but even if he doesn’t we will not worship any other god (Daniel 3:17-18).
Charles Spurgeon unpacked verse 19 well saying “The Lord’s hand goes with his eye; he sovereignly preserves those whom he graciously observes. Rescues and restorations hedge about the lives of the saints; death cannot touch them till the King signs his warrant and gives him leave, and even then his touch is not so much mortal as immortal; he doth not so much kill us as kill our mortality.”

One great delight I have as a father is taking my son Carson to the playground. I get much 20130225-002628.jpgdelight from seeing him enjoy the playground and unleash his boyhood. Because my son is about 18 months old I keep a close watch on him and filter what he is doing and where he is at. I do my best to protect him from harm and give him my help when needed. I do lovely watch over my son but my watching over him is imperfect because I’m imperfect and limited to what I can do. The Almighty God our Father keeps a perfect watch over you and me and He knows what is best for us and filters everything that comes our way. God is sovereign over creation, in history and in your life. You can trust Him at all times and rest assured that He is in control.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:20-22 ESV

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Here is the link to the sermon I preached on Psalm 33:

http://citychurchintl.org/connect-with-cci/english-sermons/

Here is a new song titled Sovereign by Chris Tomlin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4y5tJp6IgU

Reflections on Psalm 145

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Psalm 145 is a chapter that I have found myself going back to over and over. What is it about this Psalm that has kept me coming back time and time again? This Psalm has been fuel to my worship of God. And I think I know why. The Psalm describes who God is, what He does & how we should respond in worship. The focus of worship is God & when a worship song or portion of Scripture magnifies the person & work of God it moves the heart of the worshipper to sing to & delight in God. As a worship leader I found myself stirred to praise & worship God from this passage of Scripture. As a preacher I’ve wanted to preach & teach on this passage but I’ve had difficulty ordering an outline of the Psalm until recently. This is what I came up with and I hope it is helpful to you:

Who God is:20130223-014745.jpg
He is God-V1
He is King-V1
He is great-V3
He is gracious-V8
He is merciful-V8
He is slow to anger-V8
He is loving-8
He is good-V9
He is faithful-V13
He is kind-V13
He is righteous-V17
He is near-V18

What God does:
He upholds all who are falling-V14
He raises up those who are bowed down-V14
He gives food-V15
He satisfies the desire of every living thing-V16
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him-V19
He hears their cry-V19
He saves those who fear Him-V19
He preserves those who love Him-V20
He destroys the wicked-V20

What should we do:
We should extol Him-V120130223-015358.jpg
We should daily bless His name-V2
We should daily praise Him-V2
We should greatly praise Him-V3
We should commend His works to the next generation-V4
We should declare His mighty acts to the next generationV4
We should meditate on the splendor of His majesty-V5
We should meditate on His wonderful works-V5
We should speak of the might of His awesome deeds-V6
We should declare His greatness-V6
We should pour for the the fame of His abundant goodness-V7
We should sing aloud of His righteousness-V7
We should give thanks to Him-V10
We should speak of the glory of His Kingdom-V11
We should tell of His power-V11
We should make known the His mighty deeds-V12
We should make known Glorious splendor of His Kingdom-V12
We should speak the praise of The Lord-V21
We should bless His name forever-V21

 

Reflections on Psalm 8

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20130223-004921.jpgO Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9 ESV)

When we consider the greatness & glory of God in creation it is baffling that He would think of us. And think of us some much that we couldn’t keep count of the number of thoughts He has for us (Psalm 139:17-18). Great is God’s majesty & splendor and great are the number of His thoughts toward us and great is His love towards us. Though God is holy and dwells on high yet He is humble and stoops down to meet us where we are at with His loving care & guidance.
Our God is glorious & gracious, holy & humble, powerful & personal, mighty & merciful, great & gentle, majestic & meek…
Behold Him, stand in awe of who He is and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

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Why I love the Psalms

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20130223-001524.jpgSince I have become a Christian I have found great comfort & encouragement in the book of Psalms, just as many other saints have over the centuries. Often I have felt like the psalmists have articulated in words what I’ve felt when facing adversity. There are many prayers I’ve used that have seemed to be just right for me in my circumstance. The book of Psalms has helped teach me how to praise & worship God, by magnifying who God is and what He does, which has been fuel to my passion for worshipping God. Not only have the psalms taught me to worship God in the difficult times but they have taught me to trust God always. David was a mighty warrior who fought & won many battles in hand to hand combat but he also fought the fight of faith, trusting God when it was hard to see past his trials. This what he said kept him going “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13,NKJV). Great expressions of trust in God are saturated throughout the pages of the Psalms & I have been greatly helped in my fight of faith by the influence of the Psalms. I have also been taught a great deal about repentance & how fight sin in my own life. Psalm 51 & 32 God has used in my life to teach me how to repent when I have found myself with a guilty conscience. The book of Psalms is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. For some reason the Holy Spirit chose use the psalms more than any other Old Testament book to communicate His message. Certainly the Holy Spirit still uses these previous passages of Scripture to strengthen faith of the saints, comfort them in their trials & lead them into sweet communion with the Father.

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The Gospel & Our Worship

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How does or should the gospel influence our worship?

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The gospel powerfully transforms selfish broken sinners into passionate worshippers of the living God. The forgiveness that a person experiences through the gospel leads to a deep gratitude & affection towards the God of all grace . This certainly is true of the sinful woman in Luke 7. This woman has been forgiven by the Lord of much sinfulness and she loved much in return. The gospel’s impact on her lead her to an extravagant expression of worship. She affectionately & unreservedly poured out her life savings on Jesus. She valued Jesus more than any earthly treasure and her actions displayed that.
Through the gospel of Jesus Christ people experience not only forgiveness of sins but a removal of the guilt of that sin. God deeply cleanses the guilt of sin through the powerful blood of Jesus “so that we can worship the living God” (Hebrews 9:14 NLT). Oh what a privilege & joy it is to be forgiven and cleaned
so that we might worship God. This is what David expressed in Psalm 32 after experiencing the forgiveness from God. David was celebrating gospel truth that fueled his worship of God. The Apostle Paul in explaining the gospel in the book of Romans quotes David from Psalm 32, to highlight the gospel truth of forgiveness of sin through faith. David is one of the greatest worshippers of the Old Testament and the gospel truth which fueled his worship ought to fuel our worship much more. Much more has been revealed and given to us through the new covenant. We have a new and living way to approach God, through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:20). We can come to God boldly with a clear conscience because of the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19, 22).
This is one way the gospel influences our worship.

Why Worship Matters

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Why does worship matter? It matters because God created mankind for His own glory (Is. 43:7) and worship is the means that we give God the glory He is due. If the chief end and purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever then worship is absolutely necessary, for through worship we not only glorify God but we get to enjoy Him and become captivated by His majesty, splendor, greatness, beauty, glory, grace and love… Living in this broken world with injustice, greed, murder, immorality, deceit and evil it is so refreshing and delightful to focus in through worship on our God who is Holy, Just, Loving, True, Righteous, Pure and Faithful. It is the best thing for mankind to worship God. Those who don’t worship The Lord will something else, which is called are idols or gods. David wrote that those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow (Psalm 16:4). Idolaters set themselves up for the worst heart break when they give their highest allegiance and affection to something else rather than God. God knows that He is the only one worthy and trustworthy of all our affection and allegiance. He is perfect. He will never let us down. He will always be faithful, just and true. Those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength will not be in any way disappointed or heartbroken. Actually they find their highest joy and satisfaction worshiping and loving God (Psalm 16:11). Worship matters because it brings God glory and it is for our own good that we worship Him.

We know that worship matters because Satan tempted the Son of God to bow down and worship him. But Jesus standing firm in His allegiance to the Father quoted Scripture saying “You shall worship The Lord your God and Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:7-10). The spiritual battle for worship in these last days seems to be intensifying according to the book of Revelation (13:15-18). Those who don’t worship the image of the beast will be killed and those who don’t receive the mark of the beast won’t be able to buy, sell or trade. Those who are true worshippers of God now will resist the temptations of the evil one to worship anything else.
Worship matters because it is what we Saints will be doing for all eternity and it is what taking place in Heaven right now. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). When the glory of God covers the earth like the waters cover the sea and all the earth worships God then we will see the fullness of the the kingdom of God and will of God done on earth as it is in Heaven. Worship matters because is manifests the kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. The book of Revelation gives us some glorious snapshots of the extravagant worship that is taking place around the throne of God (Rev. 4-5).
The closer we get to God and the more clearly we see Him the deeper and more extravagant our worship will be. The deeper and more extravagant our worship becomes the more others will see The worthiness of the God we worship. Or as Edmund Clowney said “When we worship God as we ought that’s when the nations listen”.