WORSHIP
Finding God’s Will PART 2:
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:11
God’s Will is that We Worship Him.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Psalms 149:4
“GOD’S WILL” = WHAT GOD WANTS
The most common prayer request is that folks want to “find God’s will for my life”. Fortunately we already know man of the keys to finding what God wants, because He’s already told us. So… what does God want? What present would God like us to give Him? Just as a bride and groom are PLEASED to receive the thing they ALREADY told you they want (with a registry or gift list), why not understand God’s gift list.
Remember the movie “What Women Want”? The male lead could suddenly hear women’s thoughts, giving him insights. For some unexplainable reason, he could suddenly hear what women were thinking, and for the first time began to have insight into their feelings and emotions.
What if you could HEAR God’s thoughts***? Figure out the inside track on what God Wants. Then give it to Him.
(oooo, that would be just like having a … Bible 😉 that was FULL of God’s thoughts.
TO KNOW GOD’S WILL it helps to know what God LIKES It’d be like picking a gift card for God. Coffee? Clothes? Tech? Hmmmm, what would God like? What is “His Will”?
What is this thing, …”GOD’S WILL” that poeple are so intent on finding? In my experience, it is the most common prayer request: “I want to find God’s will”
Is it…
What GOD wants?
What YOU want?
The best choice for your next step or path?
What right thing he wants that we will be content with?
To answer this question, we could save alot of time by understanding God, so we would know what kinds of things he WANTS. (His will). And what He already told us He wants.
He grieves.
The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:6
He is wants to be loved
You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God Exodus 20:5
He is compassionate
“For the LORD will vindicate His people,
And will have compassion on His servants, Deuteronomy 32:36
He gets angry
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel Judges 2:20
He loves
Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, 1 Kings 10:9
He rejoices.
Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. 1 Chronicles 16:27
He is pleased.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people*** He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Psalms 149:4
*** It is this last part of His character that we are exploring here.
WHAT MAKE GOD’S FACE LIGHT UP? When we Praise Him.
פָּ֭נֶיךָ הָאֵ֣ר בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝לַמְּדֵ֗נִי אֶת־חֻקֶּֽיךָ׃
What makes God’s face light up, what gift would he like to receive? The underlined part above is a sort of mis-translation, the Hebrew actually says:
May your face light up in Your servant, and teach me Your laws.
If you are a parent, you know what that means “for your face to light up in your chld”, pride in him or her succeeding as you hoped.
TO BE PRAISED: We were made to praise Him, that was always the plan.
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6
A parent wants to be close to their children, to (honestly) be valued by them. God created us to Praise Him. Sound self-centered. No, it’s the best thing for us.
11 The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion! Psalms 147:11-12
God seeks out worshippers. THAT;S WHAT HE WANTS… THAT’S HIS “WILL”
23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. John 4:23
WHAT IS WORSHIP?
Worship is not a style of music. The scriptures have not musical notes
Worship is not for your benefit - it is for GOD’S benefit.
It is ancient
It starts with Adam’s grandson, Enosh
God’s taste in music - WHOLEHEARTED, Soft, loud, fast soft, minor key, major key, ANY of it… just WHOLE HEARTED
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, Isaiah 29:13
Worship is not PART of your life. It IS your life, the heartbeat of your life
ALL DAY
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the LORD is to be praised. Psalms 113:3
How to do this? At all different times throught the day say / pray…
Lord, i am grateful for ___.
Lord, a good thing about you is ____ (that’s praise / worship)
more ? ____
ALL TIMES (regardless of the mood or circumstances)
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice. Psalms 34:1-2
TOGEHTER in congregation
3 O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together. Psalms 34:3
In your work
WORHSHIP IS TRANSFORMATIVE
I think people that ask and pray to know God’s will are sincdere. But you cant want to know God’s
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
Let’s complete the thought, as Paul does: WE FIND GOD’S WILL TOGEHTER
… so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:5
An interesting insight:
Dafna brought up that the relationship between these Hebrew words:
CHAZAN: the חזן = the CHAZAN = the cantor / singer in a service
CHAZON: חזון = CHAZON = “vision, prophecy, revelation”
Workship, and the revealing of God’s will in revelation are SO CLOSELY RELATED!