“Practicing the Presence of God”
Learning to Live a Lifestyle of Worship
1. Introduction
Romans 12:1:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye a.) present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your b.) reasonable c.) service (of worship).” (KJV)
Our First Ministry – Worship
Worship: Greek – Proskuneo (pros-koo-neh'-o), “to kiss toward.”
4352 proskuneo (pros-koo-neh'-o) – from 4314 and a probable derivative of 2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):--worship.
Worship: Hebrew – Shachah (shaw-khaw’), “to prostrate”; “to bow down”.
7812 shachah (shaw-khaw') – a primitive root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially reflexive, in homage to royalty or God); bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.
Worship is an open act of humility and intimacy with the Lord. Individual and corporate worship brings a manifestation of the presence and glory of God in the midst of His people.
2. The WAYS of Practicing His Presence
a. By seeking a deeper knowledge of the One Whom we worship
Prayer – 1Thessalonians 5:17
4336 proseuchomai (pros-yoo'-khom-ahee) to pray to God, to make supplication, to worship, pray earnestly for, etc.
Ascribing the proper worth to God
Ascribing the proper worth to God requires a deep and vital relationship with Him, spending time with Him, learning of Him, His ways and His character.
Fact vs. Emotion
Though God created us with the ability to experience a wide range of emotions, and though we may often times find ourselves responding emotionally during worship, our worship must be based upon fact, not emotion. Many of us have experienced times when Satan has used our emotions against us. So if we don't know the facts, we need to get into God's Word to find out what He says about Himself, because we cannot worship what we do not know.
Our holiness vs. God's holiness
Our worship will only be as deep as our understanding of the fearful distance between our holiness, and God's holiness. We need to see God for who He is, and see ourselves for who we are and then respond accordingly.
A Scriptural example of this is found in Isaiah 6:1
It is evident that Isaiah indeed caught a glimpse of the fearfuldistance between his holiness and God’s holiness when he saw that awesome vision of God, seated upon His throne, high and lifted up, the train of His robe filling the temple, he said, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
b. By humbling ourselves and subordinating our wills to the will of the Father
Worship must be on God's terms, not ours. We must declare that His desires, His priorities, His word and His presence be exalted in our lives and in our times of worship. We must get away from the prevailing “consumer mentality” that reigns in most churches whereby our attendance is based upon what we can get out it.
Isaiah 2:3 says, "Many peoples shall come and say: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
Isaiah 66:2 says, "All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word.”
We must live our lives in submission
Matthew 26:39 - The greatest act of submission EVER
We must decide to live our lives in submission to the Holy Spirit and to the word of God. Matthew 26:39 says of Jesus, "And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt'."
c. By making room for God in our lives
“I'm having a tea-party, Daddy”
I heard a story about a minister who was away from his family for an extended time. He called home to check on his 5-year old daughter and said, "What are you doing honey?" She said, "I'm having a tea-party Daddy". He said, "Well, would you set a place for me, so we could pretend like I'm there?" She said, "I already did, Daddy. I set 5 places for you, 'cause I didn't know where you'd rather sit".
A place for Him in our homes?
Have we set a place for Him in our homes? Is there an altar there for Him, or is it so cluttered with the busy-ness of daily living that there's just no room?
A place for Him in our hearts?
Have we set a place for Him on the throne of our hearts? Or, when He tries to come in, does He find it cluttered with all the other things that vie for our devotion?
d. By making room for God in our Worship Services
Is there REALLY a place for Him in our meetings?
Is He the center of our affection, attention and agenda?
Our agenda vs. God’s agenda
Are our worship services so cluttered with our agendas, there's little room left over for God and what He might want to accomplish?
The “Holy Hush”
Is the extent of the room we’ve made for God in our meetings that “Holy Hush” - that brief moment between the fast songs and the slow songs?
e. By worshiping in private
Private worship = Public worship
The key that opens the door to an expressive time of corporate worship is a deep, intimate time of private worship. We must allow our private passion to crash in on our public gatherings. If we're not worshiping in our own private times of devotion, chances are that we won't feel the freedom to worship Him in public either.
2 Samuel 6:12 ff
In 2 Samuel 6:12 and following, what David did as he danced with abandon before the ark of the Lord as it was brought back to the city of David, was the same thing that he had done for so many years on the back side of the pasture, where no one could see him but God and the sheep.
f. By deciding, every day, to live the yielded, crucified life
Romans 12:1
We must offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, every single day. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service of worship.”
Habakkuk 3:17&18
Our lives should be lived continually exalting the Lord, blessing Him and praising Him, no matter what our circumstances might be. Habakkuk 3:17&18 says, “Though the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation”.
God-centered vs. Self-centered Worship
Suppose I decided that, because I didn't like the song that the worship team was doing, I was going to hold my breath. You see how the one thing is totally unrelated to the other? But we often withhold our worship from God, for some totally unrelated issue. We tend toward making the worship service self-centered instead of God-centered.
There are many times when as a Worship Leader or musician, things aren’t going just right on the platform. Technical problems, miscommunications, distractions, etc., but we cannot allow those things to prevent us from worshiping the Lord and blessing His Name, because above and beyond everything else, He deserves it.
So after a service, if I say that worship wasn't very good this morning, it was probably because I let something distract me from giving praise and glory and honor to the King of all creation.
g. By a passionate display of heartfelt gratitude
The Earth and fullness thereof could not contain the list of reasons, but here's a start . . .
For the sacrifice He made for us on the cross; for making a way for us to come boldly before the throne of God; for delivering us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light; for healing us; for the daily provision of all our needs, for that breath you just breathed . . . the list just goes on and on forever.
Psalm 79:13 says, "Then we, Your people, the ones You love and care for, will thank You over and over and over. We'll tell everyone we meet how wonderful You are, how praiseworthy You are!”
1 Samuel 2:1-10 is Hannah's prayer of praise to God for giving her Samuel, the son whom she had prayed for. In this prayer she said, "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance".
Matthew 15:8&9 (How NOT to do it)
In Matthew 15:8&9, Jesus says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote". If we're merely paying lip service to God, not feeling any sense of admiring awe or astonished wonder, we're not worshiping.
3. The BENEFITS of Practicing His Presence
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”
You see? Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped. It is not God who is changed when we glorify Him. As we proclaim His excellent greatness, we are changed. As we draw close to God in worship, it allows Him to work deep in our lives to change us into the likeness of His Son.
Isaiah 6:6&7
Worship is where the fire of God's altar can be applied to points of failure in our lives. Isaiah 6:6&7 says, "Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth, and said: 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven'".
Luke 7:36
Even as the woman, who in Luke 7:36, broke open the alabaster jar of expensive perfume to anoint Jesus' feet, we too must "break open our alabaster jars" in acts of extravagant worship in the presence of the Most High God. I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that, as she was worshiping Him, Jesus turned to her and said, "Your sins are forgiven". It doesn't say anywhere that she had even asked Him to forgive her. There is a place of intimacy where we're so close to the heart of God that, often, we don't even have to ask for anything. But nevertheless, unspoken requests are granted, and we are transformed.
b. Renewed Sense of Purpose
Isaiah 6
Isaiah emerged from that heavenly Throne room as a man of vision, direction, strength and mission. He was made able to stand his ground in life, only after being swept off his feet by God.
Focus
Worshiping God helps us readjust our focus when we begin to lose sight of His will for our lives.
Inspiration
Several years ago, I was privileged to be a part of The Call - DC. I believe that hundreds of thousands of lives have a renewed sense of calling and purpose since we met together in Washington, DC. Why? Because we set aside our agendas, and we worshiped the Lord. We cried out to Him, and He heard and answered our cries.
c. Renewed Sense of His Indwelling Power
Power to do Exploits
Professor Robert E. Webber says that for years, the church has emphasized evangelism, teaching, fellowship, missions and service to society to the neglect of the very source of its power - WORSHIP. The work done by a worshiper has eternal impact. We have so many vital things that we're doing, but we must be careful not to come unplugged from the source of the Power to function.
Power to Overcome
The one thing that made Israel different than all other nations was that God's presence dwelled with them. And the one thing that is going to set you apart, and cause you to have the greatest power and impact for His kingdom, will be because His presence dwells in your life through worship.
Power to Impart Life
The impartation of LIFE does not come as a result of our programs; LIFE comes as a result of the Presence of God.
d. Release of His Anointing
Anointing to break the yoke
Worship releases God's anointing to break the yokes of bondage, oppression, infirmity, doubt and fear.
Anointing to release His attributes
As we declare His attributes during praise and worship, i.e. our Healer, our Provider, our Peace etc., He brings those attributes to bear on our present circumstance.
Anointing to change the “atmosphere”
Paul and Silas, after being thrown into a dungeon prison - despite their suffering - began to praise and worship God, and in response to that, God shook the prison with an earthquake, and the chains fell off of every prisoner there.
e. Release of Revival
John 12:32
Jesus said in John 12:32, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself". When we lift up His Name in worship, there will be a gathering or drawing of people. This "drawing" comes from the presence of the living God who dwells in, and is enthroned upon the praise and worship of His people – this, according to Psalm 22:3.
Revelation of ministry strategies
As the glory of the Lord begins to manifest in ever increasing measure in our lives, and in our gatherings, He will also reveal to us the divine strategies we will need in order to minister to the people that will come flooding into our gatherings in the coming days. If we will abandon ourselves to Him in our worship, He will give us divine power and those divine strategies to be prepared for this final revival.
f. Victory
The Puritans believed that every problem that surfaced in their society had, at its roots, a breakdown in worship.
In the Old Testament, judgment would come upon Israel whenever that nation broke its covenant vows, worshiped false gods, and allowed injustice and violence to destroy the shalom, or well-being, that should have prevailed within the whole of that society.
Judges 2:12-15 says, "They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They chased after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD. 13 They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. 14 This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to marauders who stole their possessions. He sold them to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. 15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, bringing them defeat, just as he promised. And the people were very distressed”. When Israel’s worship was corrupted by deceit, greed and false motives, defeat was sure to follow.
However, when Israel's worship was performed genuinely and properly, the Lord granted them victory over their enemies.
2 Chronicles 20 (The story of King Jehoshephat). I believe that this is proof that as you sing and listen to the right kind of music, there will be battles that you will never have to fight. You will walk in victory over your enemies. However, if you sing and listen to the wrong kinds of music, you're setting yourself up to have to fight some pretty ugly battles in your mind and heart.
4. The (perceived) COSTS of Practicing His Presence
a. Dignity
David - as he danced before the ark of God's Presence with abandon. King David threw off his royal robes of dignity. And later told his wife that he would "become even more undignified than this, yet be held in honor because of it".
b. Pride
Isaiah - as he saw the train of God's glory filling the temple, he lost all pride.
c. Future
Abraham - as he was willing to sacrifice Isaac (in Genesis 22:1-19), and the future that went with him. But God richly rewarded Abraham's obedience.
d. Agenda
Abraham - I dare say that this worship service (in Genesis 22:1-19) was unlike any worship service he was used to. Hereafter, I believe that Abraham would never have to doubt the fact that God had his very best interest at heart.
e. Treasure
Mary Magdalene - as she broke open the alabaster jar containing the oil that cost her a year's wages, in order to anoint Jesus. And in the process was forgiven of her sins.
f. Position
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego (who had been in charge of the province of Babylon) - as they were thrown into the fire for not bowing to the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. However, they were later promoted to an even higher rank.
So we see that there may be some "perceived" costs with regard to abandoned worship, however, in every single case, there is a profound reward that comes from it.
f. The CONCLUSION of Practicing the Presence of God
Remember, Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (KJV)
It is a SACRIFICE of praise. YOUR life cost Him HIS life, and so your worship is part of the reward for His suffering.
David, in IISamuel 24:24b said, “Neither will I offer burnt-offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing”. He knew that to offer anything of heartfelt value to the Lord, it had to involve a sacrifice.
We need to live our lives with a constant awareness of the unfathomable goodness of God, and to have a thought life and behavior that reflects that awareness.
Living a lifestyle of worship will undoubtedly have a profound impact on your life as well as the lives of every person you come into contact with. It will provoke them to desire God in the same way YOU do.
