Unhindered Praise. Thanksgiving: Yadah: To Give Praise, thanks, to cast out

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1 1 Unhindered Praise Thanksgiving is huge for us. It forces you to focus on the things that are positive. It forces you to dwell on exactly the thing that scripture tells us to dwell on. What is pure right and holy. Philippians 4:8 (NASB) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. Have you ever met someone who always sees the negative in everything? Are they happy? Do you ever think I wish I could be just like them... No. Have you met people who can thank God in the hardest situations? No matter what is going on they are positive and in constant thanksgiving for God. Those are the people we find ourselves asking man I wish I could be like them. They are happy. Ever wonder why? This makes or breaks us. We must understand the principle of thanksgiving. But yet it can be so unnatural for us to give thanks, especially when we are hurting or in need. The reality is, Thanksgiving on the outside is a really excited time for everyone. But on the inside of a lot of us, it can be the most difficult and depressing time of the year. For some of you, this year the Holidays were difficult because maybe this was the first year without a loved one. Maybe your family fell apart this year and the people you usually would spend this time with, they weren t with you. Maybe you had a really difficult year whether it be health, finances, jobs, whatever. It can be a tough time for people. What happens to us when life get s difficult, is the first thing to go is thanksgiving. We feel like now I have an excuse to not be thankful, and many of us take it even further and blame God for the difficulties we have been experiencing. Instead of thankful, we start our prayers with frustration. Why God, why can t you just provide for me, why can t you just heal me, why can t you just.. What we don t understand is it is the actual thanksgiving part of our relationship with Christ that heals us, that gives us provision, wisdom, joy, whatever it is that you are seeking out. Thanksgiving is the very thing that would save you. Phil 4:4-5 (NASB) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. He s saying even when times get tough, give you requests to God. It doesn t say THEN give thanksgiving, it says WITH thanksgiving. After this is when it says to dwell on the good things. Thanksgiving: Yadah: To Give Praise, thanks, to cast out What I want to do today is look at what Thanksgiving has to do with Worship, primarily worship at church on a Sunday Morning. And to do that, I want to look at a worship service that took place in scripture, a story in Luke 19. This is the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the donkey, and people are just going crazy. They are realizing that the true one and only Messiah is right in front of them. These people are screaming their heads off, throwing palm branches and even taking off their clothes and throwing them on the ground so the donkey didn t have to walk on the dirt. Now, I am in no way advocating you taking off your clothes during a worship service! But this just shows you the excitement and unhindered worship that was taking place when Jesus rode into that town. The palm branches was symbolic as something they would do when a warrior would return from a successful battle or a king would come to take his Kingdom.

2 2 But think about this. Do you think everyone in that crowd had a great life and had received everything they needed from Jesus? I guarantee you many of those people were having a bad day, week, or year. But it didn t matter one bit. So what drove them to get to this place and worship Jesus? They saw something bigger than themselves, and they came and bowed and worshipped before their savior. Sometime we have a hard time looking outside of our circumstances, getting over yesterday or what we are facing tomorrow. And yet, this whole idea of the coming of the Messiah, this was prophesied thousands of years ago. Since Adam and Eve there has been this promise of a deliverer, so for hundreds and hundreds of years people had been anticipated this day. Generations after generations had heard and spread the news that this exact day was coming, and these people realized wow, we are the generation that is actually going to get to see him. So they are going nuts. All their problems, issues, insecurities were out the door, because they got to be in his presence. In our life it can be so easy to look at our lives and be so focused on it, but we have to remember there is a much bigger picture here. You have only been alive for a few years, some more than others. There have been a lot of things that have taken place up until this time, and there may be a lot of things that happen after this. Sometimes we have to just get out of our little world, and that is what these people are doing. They are not only seeing Christ today, but they are reflecting on the hundreds of years before them and the significance of the years to follow. And they worship in a pretty crazy way. Really, this is kind of what we want church to be. We have a place where we can escape our tiny little lives for a couple hours, maybe even escape our kids for a couple of hours, and worship someone bigger than us. Luke 19:36-37 (NASB) As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! Psalm 118:24-29 (NASB): This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever Now before Jesus gets there, what is he doing on the Journey? He is performing miracles. He heals Bartimaeus. Now he was a local guy and I am sure many people knew him, man he s been blind forever, and now he can see!. Then Jesus come upon a guy who is dead. Not only is he dead, he has been dead for days. And the people are mourning and told Jesus that he was too late and had he only come 3 days ago Jesus says its never too late, and he raises him up. They watched a man who was dead walk out of his grave. The place had to have been going nuts. Now Jesus already had the reputation of performing all of these miracles, but as he is coming in Jerusalem he is doing these things with crowds of people following him. So let s set up this worship service that we see here in Luke. Luke 19:30-34 (NASB) Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? say, The Lord needs it. Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, Why are you untying the colt? They replied, The Lord needs it. Now if you pay attention, this passage really gives you a peek into the heart of Christ. It s been said that a King would never ride a donkey, a demeaning animal. I mean can you imagine a king on the front lines

3 3 riding a little donkey? It s also been said that he had to ride the donkey because he was poor, but that s not the case here at all. See, anytime throughout history that you see a King riding a donkey, the donkey was a sign of peace and humility. Him riding a donkey wasn t a degrading thing, it was another way for him to communicate who he really was. Was he the Messiah King? Absolutely. But he wanted everyone who saw him to know that he rode into that town not with fierceness and hostility towards the enemy, but that he was a humble and peaceful leader. Not only did he ride a donkey, he rode a baby donkey! This was also another fulfillment of scripture, Zack 9:9 (NASB), 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. So Jesus stops at this one place and sends them ahead to the town. So these people go into the city and tell everyone what Jesus has been doing. Imagine this, you are just at the market and your friends and people you know are running towards you telling you they just saw a guy healed and another raised from the dead, and the dude who did these things is coming this way and will be here any minute. That s why this place is so fired up, because this moment is the fulfillment of the scriptures. That s why Jesus sent them ahead, so that they would be waiting for him when he arrived. Worship: The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. Worship is to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission When is the last time you laughed uncontrollably? Many of us have been in a situation where it s inappropriate to laugh. I remember growing up my mom s angry face was just funny to me, and I couldn t help but laugh. But man, doesn t it feel good to just let that feeling fly sometimes? Many of us cry, some of us may pee a little. For some of us it has been far too long since we did that. When we are in that situation where we can laugh unhindered, most of the time there is something about the environment that we are in that is common in each situation. How about crying? Do you ever have a lot going on in your heart, and you really struggle with it. Until you are either by yourself or you talk to the right person, and you just cry uncontrollably? Then when you are done crying, you just feel better about the situation? In some cases, crying can just be good for our soul, and we do this when the environment has something going on. Another example of this is sports fans. I ll give you two scenarios that I experienced. In 2011, I was at my brother s house watching the Cardinals play game 6 of the world Series. David Freeze stepped up to the plate after one of the craziest games I have ever seen, and hits walk-off homerun. This was my reaction to this.crazy Fast forward just a few months. I am at my girlfriends house (soon to be wife) watching the Kentucky Wildcats play Kansas for the national championship game. This family couldn t care less about sports. We are all sitting around watching some sappy movie, and I ve got my phone in my lap watching this game. Kentucky hits a shot in the final minute to seal the win. This was my reaction to this GOOD SHOT.

4 4 Why were these reactions different? What was going on inside was exactly the same. The difference was the environment at my brothers was acceptable of that expression of what was happening inside. My future in-laws? Not so much. We naturally tend to adhere to the people around us. We don t want to do anything that would cause them to look at us funny or think we are weirdos. So what do we do in those situations? Nothing. But let s look back at this story in Luke. The people again for cheering and screaming and jumping and waving and throwing branches and clothes and truly worshipping Christ unhindered. But was everyone super happy about the way they were behaving? No! In fact, the Pharisees were telling them to knock it off and stop praising him. Now, wouldn t that have been fun? To be in that crowd, knowing the people around you are mad at you, and they are trying to get you to be quiet. But you are surrounded by other who are praising with you. So they are going be quiet be quiet and you turn around and say screw you, I am going to praise even louder, for I know that this is right, this my God and my messiah and I am not going to be quiet. How many of you feel something in worship, but there is a little voice telling you Don t sing too loud, someone might hear you, Don t clap, you will be the only one, Don t raise that hand, you are just drawing attention to yourself. Now, I am not condemning you, but there are many times I stand on this stage with a worship team and the Spirit is moving in this room, and most of you look like you are watching this worship service on your phone at your future in laws. But these people, they ignore those words and thoughts from the enemy. So the Pharisees turn to Jesus and tell him to tell his people to pipe down, and look what he says. Luke 19:39-40 (NASB) 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples! 40 I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. Because He is God. He is humble, but he knows everything he has brought to the world. He knows his significance, and he says even if the people I created stop worshipping me, the rocks I created will continue to worship. And you know what is interesting about this phrase. Not long after this day, Jesus was nailed to a cross surrounded by many of the same people who stood there and praised him a few days before. But here at the cross they were silent, and did not praise and worship him. And what happened when he died? Matthew 27:51(NASB) The earth shook, the rocks split Isn t that interesting? You see, God doesn t need you to worship him. God is God whether you believe it or acknowledge it or not. He says even when every person is silent, the world he created will continue worshipping him. I hope I haven t communicated this incorrectly as your worship pastor. If our team up here keeps encouraging you to participate in worship, it s not for because God needs it, it s because he deserves it. Have you ever had a relationship with someone where all they care about is what you can do for them? And if you haven t don t something for them lately, they don t seem to stay in contact? We call those What have you done for me lately relationships. Tell me, do you like to spend time with those people? Do you enjoy doing things for them when they have this attitude? Then why would Christ be any different? Unhindered Praise is not a what have you done for me lately experience. It s a thank you for everything you have done experience. And if you are having trouble thinking of things he has done, I ve got a great book for you to read!

5 5 Unhindered Praise is not about begging God to bless you, forgive you, or save you. He has already done all of those things if you are a believer in Christ. It is a response to a sacrifice and a relationship that we have but we don t deserve. Unhindered Praise is not about whether or not we know the song or like the style of music. It s about allowing the words we are singing to be true in your heart, and to believe them as we sing him praises. When I got the call to ministry, I was told if you want people to disagree with you, be a worship pastor. Every decision you make is wrong according to half the congregation. The song choices, lights, images, fog machines, etc. none of that matters. It s what is going on inside of you that matters. Unhindered Praise is not about what you can get out of it, although there are some incredible benefits for you if you allow yourself to worship in this way. Praise changes the Spiritual Climate When you re in a bad mood, begin praising God. You ll be amazed at how the atmosphere changes. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they praised God and an earthquake freed them Acts (NIV) 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone s chains came loose. Praise reminds you of God s presence in your life. In Psalm 22:1 (NIV), David wrote, 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. [b] Had God really forsaken David? No, but that s how David felt. If you re walking with God, He won t forsake you. Praise reminds you that God is near. It Gives us Clarity for difficult decisions. Eph 5: (NIV) Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord s will is be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have found that when I am going through a hard time or difficult situations, If I remember to give thanks first and really think first and give God thanks for everything he has done in my life, by the end of my prayers I can t even remember what it was that I was needing. You ever done that? Giving thanks really puts our situations into perspective, when we truly realize everything that God has done for us.

6 6 A worship leader is not someone who can play an instrument and carry a tune, that is called a music leader. And I tell my team weekly we are not here to lead music. That is why if you come to me and say you have a passion for worship, you are on this team before I ever here you play a note or sing a tune. Because a worship leader is someone who understands the power of worship and praise and thanksgiving in their own lives, and they desperately desire for you to experience that as well. And Christ models this for us perfectly. Luke 19:41-42 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, If you had only known on this day what would bring you peace The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.because you did not recognize the time of God s coming to you. He wept for those who did not give him praise, for they didn t know what peace he could have brought to their lives, and take advantage of this worship service to recognize the love God has for them. God doesn t need your praise. He is still going to be God. But he wants so badly for you to experience His love and provision, that it breaks his heart when we miss out and recognize his power in our own lives. Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Unhindered Praise and Worship is not something only reserved for Sunday morning. Sunday Morning Worship is not a place to leave what is really going on outside and forget about it for a couple hours. Sunday Morning worship is a place to bring all of that stuff with you, and lay it at the foot of the cross. It s a place to remind yourself of all that Christ has done for you, and that he has already won the battles you are trying to fight yourself today. And Sunday Morning Worship is a place to do that along side other believers who are here to encourage you, not look down on your for expressing what is truly going on inside that heart of yours. It s ok to raise your hands in this church. It s ok to clap and sing your heart out, it s ok to come to the foot of the cross and kneel, it s ok to stay sitting when everyone else is standing, it s ok to just sit and be quiet. Sunday Worship is not forced group participation. Matt 15:8-9 (AMP) So by this you have invalidated the word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect] for the sake of your tradition 7 You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders), This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me What is worship? John 4:23 (AMP) 23 But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. Spirit: The outward action reflecting and inward devotion to God. It our hearts overflow of love, joy, hope, dependence, trust, and thanksgiving towards God expressed outwardly to him. Not just singing and clapping hands. Art, dance, poetry, work, Giving, love, choices we make, the words we use, and how we treat people Truth: What we offer is in response to the word of God. Psalm 119:160 (NIV) All your words are true. True worship is the outpouring of our spirit towards God, in response to the truth of God. There are a lot fo things in this world that we could worship, but there is nothing in our lives more worthy of our worship, than our God. So let s do that right now