Worship
Course: The Higher Calling to Worship (1)
Introductory Lesson 2
Lesson Title: Worship in trials
Text: 2 Corinthians 8:2, ‘How that in a great
trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded
unto the riches of their liberality.’
Introduction:
The Bible
describes the whole of the Christian life in terms of worship.
·
We
are to walk in love – this is described as a sweet smelling fragrance
(worship). Ephesians 5:2, 'And walk in love, as Christ
also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweet smelling savour.'
·
We
are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (worship). Romans 12:1 ‘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.’
·
Paul saw the gifts of the Philippians as worship to
the Lord. Philippians
Introductory Illustration: The
God is
the great illustrator. It is not a
coincidence that
Personal Story:
When my
wife and I were in
There is
no life at the
It is not
a coincidence that the place of worship is near to the lowest point on the
surface of the earth.
God
beautifies the worshipper in the ‘beauty of holiness’.
We must
always go up to worship. It is a choice. We can remain in the
Main Points
1.
The
deepest sorrow is able to lift the believer to great heights of worship. The greatest trials have inspired the greatest
worship, 1 Peter 1:7-8.
Hymn Story: ‘It is well, it is well with my soul’
Horatio G
Spafford wrote the hymn ‘When peace, like a river’
after experiencing two major disasters in his life.
(1) He was financially ruined by
the
(2) But the greatest tragedy was
when his four daughters drowned after their ship collided crossing the
His wife Anna sent a telegram
following the disaster with the words, “Saved alone.”
Spafford visited the place where his
daughters drowned and then wrote the words of this hymn.
When
peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is
well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though
Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin,
oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me,
be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But,
Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
And
Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
·
Spafford’s hymn testifies to his faith that despite
personal tragedy the word of the Lord is certain ‘it shall be well with you’.
Psalm
128:2 ‘Blessed is
every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt
eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well
with thee.’
2.
The
hardest trials are able to beautify the believer for worship. The book of Psalms
This is the great book of worship in the
Bible but the Psalms are often very negative.
Question: Why
is worship in the Psalms mixed with so much sorrow and so many difficulties?
The answer has to be that these
circumstances led the Psalmist to the great heights of worship.
Consider Psalm 40.
1-3 ‘I waited patiently for the
LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon
a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my
mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and
shall trust in the LORD.
David
says he waited patiently to deliver him.
Literally ‘with waiting he waited’
He was in
a horrible pit for a long time.
Then the
Lord lifted him and put him in a secure place.
Then he
rejoiced with a new song.
The new song came after waiting in the
trial.
The Psalmist then rises to the heights
of worship from the depths of oppression.
Psalm 40:13-16 ‘Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O
LORD, make haste to help me. Let them be
ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them
be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. Let them be desolate for a reward of their
shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. Let
all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy
salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.’
The end
result was glorifying the Lord.
3.
The
deepest poverty is able to produce worship that is of great value.
Worship
out of poverty.
Consider the giving of the poor widow (Luke
21:1-4).
Widow - The experiences of life had removed
the obstacles to worship.
The rich – the love of the world removed the
desire to worship.
The widow gave a small amount but she gave
all.
The rich gave huge amounts of money out of
their abundance.
They were fulfilling their duty.
Worship does not hold back but gives
everything to God.
The widow’s small gift was a sweet smelling
fragrance (worship).
Summary:
The
1)
The
deepest sorrow is able to lift the believer to great heights of worship.
2)
The
hardest trials are able to beautify the believer for worship.
3)
The
deepest poverty is able to produce worship that is of great value.
Textbook
- The Higher Calling to Worship