Worship
Course: The Higher Calling to Worship
Lesson 6
Lesson Title: Joy the characteristic of worship
Lesson Goal: …that the student will understand the joy of the Lord is essential to worship.
Text: '...you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory', 1
Peter 1:8.
· A Spirit-filled person is a joyful person. New methods of evangelism are not the great need of the church. The great need is for worshippers who will bring the joy of knowing Jesus.
Why is it that the
majority of believers are not joyful? It
is because they have not gone up to worship.
· The joy of the Lord is the joy of knowing Jesus.
It is the barometer that measures the depth of our relationship with Him.
Joy measures our individual Christian experience, Philippians 4:4.
Joy measures the moving of the Holy Spirit in the local church, Psalm 16:11.
Joy is a greater evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit than
speaking in tongues.
Joy will be lost when we stop seeking after the Lord.
When we stop seeking after Christ then we will not have the joy of the Lord.
Introductory Illustration: Revivals are characterised by grieve and joy:
· Grieve through an awareness of sin and the need of forgiveness.
· Joy through forgiveness and a new relationship with the Lord.
The Welsh revival: Tears of joy
One very
worldly person was instantly saved on
'…I have wept a pool of tears where I have been sitting, and they were the gladdest tears I ever knew.'
He went on to say 'You all know me; you know for whom I have fought; but I am changing sides tonight, to fight on the side of Jesus'.
Taken from Eifon Evans, The Welsh
Revival of 1904', 1969, p.118.
Main Points:
1.
Joyless
Christians do not attract others to Christ.
a) There can be no worship without joy, Psalm
27:6.
Worshippers are characterised by joy, Psalm 126:1-2.
b) There can be no ministry without joy.
David knew that joy is essential in
being able to minister, Psalm 51:12.
David needed joy to teach the ways of
the Lord, Psalm 51-13.
The ministry of David came out of joyful worship, Psalm 51:14-15.
2. All that we do must be done an offering of joy to the Lord, Worship will minister 'heartily', which literally means 'from the soul'. Colossians 3:23.
a) Only joyful giving is an act of worship, 2 Corinthians 9:7.
b) Witnessing must always be with joy.
Evangelising with joy will attract people to Christ.
Worshippers will always talk about Jesus, Luke 6:45.
The life of worship is being filed with the word of Christ, Eph. 5:18-20.
3. Joy must be seen at every level of our worship
a) Joy in believing, the first step to worship, 1 Thessalonians 1:6;
The joy of salvation, Isaiah 12:3.
b) The joy in going up to worship, Isaiah 51:11.
Seeking first the
c) The joy in thanksgiving and praise, Psalm 100.
Entering through the gates and into the courts of worship.
d) The joy in giving all, Romans 12:1.
The joy of Hanna in offering her son, 1 Samuel 2:1.
e) The joy in the Holy Spirit anointing, Isaiah 61:3.
The disciples were anointed with the oil of gladness all the day, Acts 2:46.
f)
The joy in being united with
Christ in suffering shame for the Lord.
Rejoicing in persecution out of love for the Lord,
Acts 5:40-42.
g)
The joy in being united with
Christ in God's eternal plan and purpose.
Worshipping on the level of angels who always see the glory of God, Luke 15:10, Luke 10:17-22.
h) The joy of worship in heaven, 1 Thessalonians 2:19.
Worshipping in eternity, the hope of every believer.
Summary:
We must have the joy of the Lord…
1. …to attract others to Christ and to minister.
2. …to do all things heartily in worship. Giving must be with cheerfulness. Effective witnessing must be with joy.
3. …in every level of worship. The Lord’s people should be characterised by great joy.
What should the student do?
1) Desire to worship the Lord with joy.
2) Minister to others with the joy of a right relationship with the Lord.
3) Do all things joyfully.
4) Witness with joy so that people will be attracted to the Lord.
5) Seek to go higher in worshipping with joy
Textbook
- The Higher Calling to Worship