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Improving Our Worship

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Introduction

• To worship God acceptably and to improve our worship we must recognize that God is high and holy

• We must also consider that he is worthy of our praise and adoration

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Ps. 104:1

• Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

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Ps. 104:24

• O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

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Ps. 104:31

• The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works

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Ps. 104:33

• I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

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Ps. 104:34

• Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

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1. Prepare for worship

• John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Christ

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Lk. 3:4

• And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

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• Too often we do not make the proper preparation

• Saturday night?• Prepare on Saturday night for

worship on the first day of the week

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2. Plan the worship

• 1 Cor. 14:33• “For God is not the author of

confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

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• This does not mean “shaking up the order” which might lead to chaos

• Plan the songs, prayers, sermons, giving, etc.

• Don’t let us worship by rote

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• Rote = doing it without understanding or thought

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3. Participate in worship

• Planning is key to the effective work of the church

• There is also personal responsibility

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1 Cor. 11:28

• But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

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• We are used to being entertained in our society today

• We may tend to view worship in the same way

• We may become observers rather than participating as we should

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• Worship is not entertainment• It is not a stage performance for

the audience• While the church must plan the

worship – each Christian must take an active part

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• Worship was not designed to compete with television

• It is not a spectator sport

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4. Know the purpose of worship

• Worship is to glorify God – to exalt God and to please him --- this is true but there is more

• WORSHIP IS DESIGNED TO BENEFIT THE WORSHIPER!

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• NOTE – We tend to become like what we admire

• Our goal as Christians should be to become more Godlike – more Christ like

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• This is what worship does – we learn to worship and to show reverence toward God – we become more godly

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• “It is not that God needs our worship, but rather that we need to worship God”

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Ps. 50:12

• If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

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• We do not watch some else worship to become like God

• We do not perform to become like him

• We are not entertained to become like him

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• We only grow more like God as we are personally involved in singing, praying, studying, eating the Lord’s supper and giving

• To know the purpose of worship shows us why we should not forsake the assembly

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5. Create an appetite for worship

• Mt. 5:6• “Blessed are they which do

hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

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Ps. 117

• O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

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• There are many opportunities for us to develop worldly habits

• Television, magazines, books, etc., constantly present to us the standards the world lives by

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Conclusion

• Christians must not neglect the opportunities to develop our spiritual appetites

• One of these great opportunities is meeting together to worship God