 All right. Welcome back everybody. I hope you had a good one We'll we'll resume with maybe left off. Okay The last point that we looked at was of What happens in worship? Okay, let's just take a look at the three points that we We learned in the last session. Okay, what happens when we worship God? Worship transforms and changes us. We become like the one we worship Amen If that doesn't motivate us to become more like Jesus, then I don't know what will like And in worship we experience God's presence and Finally worship empowers us to rule and reign Amen Do you all have any questions, sorry, I did not ask I did not have time to ask your for questions We were you all able to follow the last section of Everything that we learned any thoughts Any questions, okay, I guess not okay All right, then let's just continue now Okay, we are in page 23 of chapter 5 page 23 of chapter 5 and this section is called worshipping God in difficult times Worshiping God in difficult times We've already touched a couple of these examples in the previous chapters when we studied about praise But let's just look at one or two examples from this. Okay Worshiping God in difficult times Some 34 verse 1 says I will bless the Lord at all times His praise shall continually be in my mouth Right, I will bless the Lord at all times and There are certain Translations that says or different languages that say I will bless the Lord in all seasons Right without giving a break. Will I bless him? Will I praise him? man There's a couple of examples that's mentioned in the notes of Worshiping God in difficult times of people who worship God in difficult times. The first one there is The father of faith himself, right? That's Abraham We go to Genesis chapter 22, right? Let's go to Genesis chapter 22 Okay, I'll just read a few scriptures for us I'll read from verse 1 Genesis chapter 22. Please follow along with me. It says Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him Abraham Here I am here reply Then God said take your son your only son Isaac Whom you love and go to the region of Moriah Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I will tell you about Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance He said to his servants stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there We will worship and then we will come back to you Can we will worship and then we will come back to you, right? I Don't want to go through that entire chapter and I'm assuming that we all know what what actually went went on, right? Why is it worshipping him in difficult times and why is Abraham as given as an example? Why what would your reason be? Like why is Abraham's Life used as an example of Why he worshipped during difficult times? What do you think? I think his personal walk with God was more strong So that he even in difficult times he was able to trust God completely, right? Okay. Yeah, thanks John. Yeah Okay, what is he was I think he was offering his own son Like As an act of obedience so that that is an act of worship towards God Yeah Okay Thank you. Yeah, right. Yep. Okay. What is What is can you tell about his journey? Anybody actually, you know, I'm just asking the question. So this Isaac He received from God like nearly waiting for 25 years And now God is asking him to sacrifice Right. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Rosalind. Yes. Yeah, that's another valid point, isn't it? Absolute dependence on God. Yeah Okay, so you see it's uh, Abraham is about 75 years old when God calls him out that's in Genesis chapter 12, right? Uh, and then at this point in Genesis 21, that is the chapter that talks about the birth of Isaac right, so the the a the The timeline gap is approximately 25 years. That's what the historians claim history claims, right? It's about 25 years. So Abraham was 100. Sarah was 90. Uh, right Now, um, let me just share um Screen just to give us an idea of Abraham's journey. Okay Yeah, I hope we all can see the screen, right? This is just to give an idea of Abraham's journey. So this is the place of origin Abraham's place of origin Okay, or or you are okay Uh, this is the place God calls him out of it is and it's mentioned in Genesis 12 onwards, right? When God just starts a new race or by himself through this man Abraham He makes a covenant with him, right? And although he doesn't directly say in the first four first four verses that he's going to have a son And a lineage and a descendants and whatnot. There isn't there is an implication. There is a hint. Okay, but this whole journey And and like we just saw that, you know, he waited for 25 years right Now a lot can happen in 25 years, isn't it? I think a lot has happened in a year and a half Uh, this And just think about the things that that can happen in 25 years two decades and a half Okay, two decades and a half. Okay. Look his journey. He travels, you know, just through this red line here goes to this place and you know Comes back to this place and he comes to this place called Shechem and Bethel And this place called Moriah that we just read in the bible In Genesis 22 goes down south to Hebron Bershpa and Kardashian then he and there's a season where he goes to Egypt because of Famine and then when he comes back, he came he comes back rich That's one headache. And then the other headache was that he came back with Hagar Okay from Egypt So all of this right is happening in 25 years Okay, I'll stop the screen sharing there just one second. Okay So just when you just think through his his life in 25 years of of just waiting for the promise to come through It was definitely not easy right and just keeping aside everything that you know that happened in his life that through the process um, but one of the things that he Abraham does is he was also known as the man of altars and like I've mentioned before You know, we study on the life of Abraham in in in the final year worship ministry as man of altars that He was man of worship where he continually Reminded himself. He built an altar. He worshipped. He's sir. He surrendered before the Lord and Right and that was just a And It's a beautiful act of faith That the Bible records so worshiping him in in in difficult times And to go through something and waiting on him waiting on God for 25 years Um, it's easy for us to just read about it because we have the Bible now as the yeah Okay, Abraham waited for 25 years, you know, and yeah, you know, he went through this and whatnot but waiting on the promise For 25 years and finally receiving it and then God asking him to Uh, you know, God testing him to Uh, you know sacrifice his son his only son It's amazing. You're only son whom you love Uh, this is John 3 16 written all over it, isn't it? Um And Abraham obeyed And Abraham was willing to go the distance until God steps in Right So that's His life kind of reflects psalms chapter 34 verse 1. I will bless the Lord at all times in every season I will bless him Right, uh, I want us to go to psalms 137 psalm 137 It's not in the notes, but just bear with me psalm 137 Okay Are you all there? Yeah, psalm 137 Okay Here it starts off by saying By the rivers of Babylon We sat and wept When we remembered Zion Another translation might have when we remembered Jerusalem There on the poplars it's a tree okay on the poplar trees we hung our harps For there our captors asked us for songs Our tormentors demanded songs of joy They said sing us one of the songs of Zion Verse four How can we sing the songs of the Lord? While in a foreign land Okay Talk about difficult times. This is one of the most hideous and the most terrible things in the history of Israel Okay Babylon the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler back then And they had already invaded Judah and Israel Jerusalem in particular with the tribe of Judah Well, it's a southern part of it, right? They were there for They've been there for a while. They've been, you know troubling the king To pay taxes Okay, and they obliged for a certain time And then the king says I don't want to pay taxes anymore. I don't want to do this anymore, you know Have you ever been in a position where the enemy just pushes you and pushes you and pushes you And you're like, you know what? I can't do this anymore. It doesn't matter what I'm going through I just can't do this anymore, right? It was to that extreme the kingdom of Babylon pushed the people the Jewish people The people of Jerusalem to that extent they said, you know what? We're not going to pay taxes anymore. Do what you want to do And king Nebuchadnezzar gets angry and that he destroys the temple and they take The people of Judah the Jews into into captivity the people of praise into captivity Okay Babylon was it was a superpower of back then. Okay, just again, you know I keep saying to put yourself in their shoes but imagine just being Chased out of your own country. We when we look at the situation in Afghanistan and people just Wanting to flee their country because of the terror that they are that they are being put through and that they are facing or they are scared of We are very thankful to be in our own country. You know But most of them are not But that's that's exactly what's happening here because of the superpower Babylon was what Rome was going to be right. It was a superpower They have taken the people out of their land And it is at the rivers of Babylon They said They hung their instruments on the tree their harps on the tree they said They wept and wept and wept when they remembered Zion A place their place of worship And it did not end there their tormentors, you know, it's almost like They were making fun of them Like, you know, like, hey, you know, I just I just like hey come on go on and sing sing your song of praise Go on Go on sing one of your songs of Zion sing one of those songs that you sing to your god. Sorry Go on one go on and sing go on and worship you know in a very In a very teasing way And and look at their response. They verse four How Can we sing the songs of the lord? While in a foreign land While in a strange land the other translation says how can we sing How can we sing the song of the lord? During this troubled times How can we sing and praise him during this season? That I don't see any breakthrough. I'm waiting on him. I don't know what to do Nothing seems to be coming going right You know, I'm depressed. I'm going through depression and anxiety I don't know what uh tomorrow holds for me. I don't know where But my tomorrow's provisions are going to come from How can I sing his praise? But I'm going through this so that's what we do. Isn't it sometimes or most of the times is we associate Our praise and our worship to a place or to a season That's what they're doing. How can we sing the songs of the lord in a strange land? It was it was a weird time It was a different it was a difficult time. It was a difficult season strange season. They are not in their own land And and we do that many times, isn't it? is Be associate worship I will worship only if this person is leading worship I will only worship and in the church I will only worship when I'm going when I'm happy and when I'm full of joy When everything is going right when you know when I have the job. I want I will worship when I have Uh, etc. Etc. Etc. Isn't it? That's exactly what the enemy also wants us to do is he wants to silence us And he want he kind of mocks us is like, you know, you know doing this to during this difficult time. Can you sing? But an encouragement here for us is that we can learn from this passage is that Like we see in Psalm 34, uh, I will bless the lord at all times in every season in every Phase of my life be the low or the highs There is an invitation to praise right because this is guys. This is really a dark moment It's one of the second dark moments in the history of israel the first time If you remember is in first Samuel chapter four when the ark of the covenant gets captured Right the ark of the covenant gets captured by the philistines Okay, so there it was the ark of the covenant and here it is the people of the covenant that's taken into captivity you know that That's stopping them from praising but Yeah, that's one. That's another example an encouragement that you you and I can take. Uh, you know is is doesn't matter which Season that we are in which times uh, we go through our worship cannot be limited cannot be associated to a place like Zion to To uh, to a season to a good season that we go through But I pray that we will be encouraged, uh, you know To not stop from singing Amen, uh, you know, this is not to say that the difficult times Uh, you know changes it suddenly overnight becomes and what not it can you never know God is a god of impossibilities Right, what worship does during these difficult times is it makes the time possible Right, it just makes it It just makes it possible for you to go through it gives you a strength for that day for that moment For you for you to endure Okay, that phase of life Okay, and we see that in in the life of david as given in as mentioned in the notes and paul and silas Right, uh, we we've seen that example In the power of praise in the previous chapters Right guys, so, uh, just some of the summary points there in the notes page 23 is Our worship of god is not based on our emotions feelings Right being in a happy mood and what not Worship is a choice that we make And and that becomes a sacrifice because worship involves sacrifice When we choose to worship god in difficult circumstances, we elevate the truth about our circumstance Right when we choose when we make that choice to worship God in difficult circumstance We elevate the truth about our circumstance When we worship god we invite his rule and reign that changes the very atmosphere of our difficult circumstances Okay, um guys, um I just don't want this to be like a theory class. Okay, where I give you these points and you know It's like, okay, you understand it in your head I said, yeah, okay, you know, we worship it's worship is a choice. It involves sacrifice, you know, logically it makes sense Uh, I would hope But I just I don't want it to remain there Right, I mean as it is with every other class and whatnot But more so with praise and worship because I think there is a tendency because of the popularity of the subject Uh for us to become over familiar of the power of praise and worship Right. So to all the 20 people in the class Just let it not be theory. Just let it not be some bullet points That you have uh, just a knowledge. Okay, you know, so and so so and so when we worship him. Yeah, he invites us to rule and reign No, uh, let it sink in Okay All right, so, uh, that is worshiping him in difficult times Um And two scriptures as mentioned at the bottom of page 23 is Uh, just a reminder for us that we need to worship god only Because idolatry is spiritual adultery Okay Idolatry in the natural Right adultery in the natural is what idolatry in the spiritual is Okay So just a few key takeaways in the next page Uh is worship is the recognition of who god is Worship is reverence for god. It's communion with god and our response to an encounter with him And the father is seeking true worshipers worship changes us And we can worship god in difficult circumstances And it is the holy spirit in us that abides in us who will empower us To worship him in difficult times. Amit are you guys with me so far? Yes I'm at the chat Great. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thanks. Okay. Um, let's go to the next section now The hindering attitudes in worship hindering attitudes in worship All right The first point mentioned there is pride The greatest hindrance in worship The greatest hindrance in worship is the attitude of being proud of pride The essence of worship is our humility Sometimes we are more concerned about the opinions of others than we are about the lord's opinion Never do anything because others are looking at you And never refrain from anything because others are looking at you It doesn't really matter There's a few scriptures that I want us to dwell into and just see Okay pride. It's mentioned there is the greatest hindrance in worship. Like can we go to isiah chapter 14, please isiah chapter 14 I'm sure we've read this many times, but let's go there Okay, isiah chapter 14 I will read from verse 12 to 15. Okay Isiah 14 12 onwards It says how you have fallen from heaven O morning star Son of the dawn You have been cast down to the earth You who once laid low the nations You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven I will raise my throne above the stars of god I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly On the utmost heights of the sacred mountain I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high Verse 15 But you are brought down to the grave to the depths of the pit One of the first worship leaders had serious issues with the humility and submission isn't it He said in his heart I will ascend to heaven I will make myself like the most high Let's go to Ezekiel quickly Also on the way Let's just keep a finger on Daniel, but yeah, we we go to Ezekiel first. Okay Ezekiel chapter 28 Ezekiel chapter 28 Verse 14 onwards Okay Ezekiel chapter 28 was 14 onwards It says you were anointed as a guardian cherub For so I ordained you You were on the holy mount of god. You walked among the fury stones You were blameless in your ways from the days you were created from the day you were created Till wickedness was found in you Verse 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty And you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth. I made a spectacle of you before kings Okay, it's amazing how pride is always associated with the fall Right, there was a lesson in moral science in seventh standard or something pride has a fall in my school days Pride is always followed by a fall and like we did with that in the scriptures. Okay Let's quickly go to the book of Proverbs. Actually, we'll skip Daniel You guys with me, right? You hope you don't mind reading these scriptures Okay, let's go to the book of Proverbs. We'll we'll first look at Proverbs chapter 16 First and then we'll also go to Proverbs chapter six later. Okay First we go to Proverbs chapter 16 verse 18 Proverbs 16 verse 18 Okay, can someone read that for us, please Pride goes before destruction a hotty spirit before a fall Yeah, pride goes before destruction. That means destruction is followed by pride And a hotty spirit before a fall Thank you, Linda. Okay. Um, and then now let's go to Proverbs chapter six Okay, Proverbs chapter six verse 16 to 19 Can can someone read that for us, please Proverbs chapter six was 16 onwards to 19 There are six things which the Lord hates A seven which are a abomination to him Hotty eyes lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood A heart that devises wicked plans Feed that runs rapidly to evil A false witness who utters lies And one who spreads strife among brothers Thanks John Okay, the six things the Lord hates Okay This is the Lord, okay, and Have you ever played this game or you know have been in a circle Where you say, okay. Hey, what do you like and what you don't like? Have you ever played this game? Right, and then we go in a circle and you know, every individual says, okay I like so and so and I I hate this. I I don't like this at all, right? There's some kind of an attention there, right? And then you what you don't like this And then if they use the word I hate this move you hate this movie. How can you hate it? It's amazing things, right? This is just not another individual. This is not a list of Six things the Lord hates Seven that are an abomination to him That are detestable The first thing on the list Is pride hotty eyes, which is translated as pride the first thing That just absolutely disgusts God Uh, I just want to read for us something from this book. Uh Uh, please bear with me because this is absolutely been Wrecking my heart. Okay, by the way, this this book is called humility The beauty of holiness is by Andrew Murray I think I I'm not sure if I shared this but it's called the humility the beauty of holiness by Andrew Murray It's a must read. It's a very small book About 80 pages or something. That's it. But Um Okay, um, I just want to read something for us. Uh, just please bear with me. Okay And please please be attention So pride Or the loss of this humility is the root of every sin and evil It was when the now fallen angels began to look upon themselves with self complacency or self dependency That they were led to disobedience Okay, self complacency. It's amazing that self dependence can lead to disobedience Um, that's what led that's what happened there and were cast down from the light of heaven into outer darkness Okay Even so it was When the serpent breathed the poison of his pride The desire to be as god Into the hearts of our first parents That they too Fell from their high estate into all the wretchedness in which man is now sunk It's amazing what he says that He breathed the serpent breathed the poison of his pride The desire to be as god because that's what he said, isn't it? So he tells eve, isn't it? It's like, uh, you know god tells you not to eat of this food because he knows that if you eat you will become like Him you see the lies of the devil, isn't it? That was his pride That was his poison uh Just to continue in heaven and earth pride Self-exaltation is the gate and the birth and the curse of hell Okay, if Yeah, I just kind of stopped there But it's just I can read the whole thing chapter, but I don't want to do that but But I think that's uh That's enough warning for us about pride and it's danger, isn't it? It's the origin of pride is the devil But the origin and the source of all humility is jesus Right we become like the one we worship We got to be careful with whom we worship, isn't it? man So that's one of the first hindering attitudes, uh in worship Uh pride will just absolutely wreck havoc in your life If you have a condescending attitude like I am better than you and you know, I'm better than everybody else I can do better etc. Etc. Etc God resists the proud isn't it in james chapter 4 6 he resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble Amen, god gives grace to the humble Because he sees himself when somebody humbles uh, all right, let's go on another hindering attitude so Uh, if if the first point is in check, we don't really have to worry about the rest of the remaining points The two three four because everything else is kind of birthed out of that place But however the second hindering attitude in worship is irreverence We do not rever God's nature We expect his blessings to be showered on us without any sacrifice investment of prayer or humble repentance on our part There's absolutely no regard for his presence. That's just another attitude again. It's birthed out of pride, isn't it? Self dependence or self complacency. I don't need the Lord. I don't need his goodness Uh, you know, when I want I want without any investment in prayer and whatnot That's irreverence And when we saw in the in the previous earlier in this chapter is one of the things about worship is worship is reverence for God And if that is missing then hey, what are you doing? right Um, and the third point there is spectatorism Sometimes okay congregations tend to watch guilty Wait, sometimes congregations tend to watch the worship team then to be participators in worship themselves We are all commanded to worship Right, um, we are commanded to participate. Uh, we are all commanded to shout for joy as the bible says We are all commanded to lift our hands in worship We are all commanded to bow bow down before the king of kings and the lord of lords Isn't it? Uh, we are called to involve Right. Um, there was this one encouraging story. I heard long back. Okay, so There there is a breed. I don't know which breed of dogs, but they are used for hunting Okay hunting dogs. They're called as hunting dogs Um, so when their master, you know, just wherever the hunting is legal. Okay, not talking about illegal stuff Wherever the hunting is legal When they go duck hunting or whatever when the master shoots the duck Or can't find the prey was looking for the prey. He sends his two hunting dogs Like he they normally have two hunting dogs and they would search and search and search and when one of the Dogs finds the prey He'll just point towards that direction of the prey and just holds its position Okay, it points its nose in the direction or the face or the head and it holds its position like a statue And the second dog Immediately copies the first dog that actually found the prey Okay, so it's just imitating so, you know It knows it believes that this this dog has found something that I haven't And then the master comes and you know takes position because so It's most of the times You know It's like that for us in worship and why I would use that as an example to encourage us Encourage us is there will be times in worship when we come together and we gather For whatever reason there will be another individual who will recognize the presence of Jesus and you might not feel anything feel right But it's okay, you know you to trust that individual say hey that individual that person is recognizing something in this room That I am not But I am going to do that anyways. I'm going to lift my hands anyways If I'm not feeling or whatnot Right, so that is just one example to break that barrier of being a spectator is recognizing Okay, that individual someone else knows that he is here So I'm going to acknowledge that and participate in it until you find him Right, you can get it Let's move on the fourth attitude That hinders in worship is sentimentalism when the music means more to the worshiper than the message of the song Overly familiar songs are in danger of becoming sentimental for us Okay, self-explanatory there, okay When we give more this is actually more important for us musicians. It's uh, it's a huge influence. If I should say, okay It's a huge dilemma even for me, you know, it's um It's it's to look beyond music. It's it's to look beyond You know Just the songs and just to capture that heart of worship as like the song says, right Um, the heart of worship is what when the music fades away and everything is stripped away And I simply come before his presence Right, uh, so that's putting aside sentimentalism Uh And paying me a lip service. This is uh in connection with spectatorism Okay, just singing, uh, you know It's not really engaging with what uh with what is being sung and whatnot, right? That can happen, isn't it guys? right, um Classic example is uh, what's that? You have turned my morning into dancing You can uh, that song, you know, you have turned my morning into dancing. It's amazing how people will just stand and sing that song It's a not turn or not dance. Okay. Yes. Yes. I know it says you You're singing but it's just doing not doing what the song is asking you to do Uh, just paying me a lip service and whatnot Fear of manipulation fear of being controlled by the worship leader I don't want to do what he tells me to do I will do what I want to do Uh All right, and then finally resisting change We have never done it this way before that's the court, you know We will do what we have done for hundreds of years and I don't like change Sometimes there is the fear of change um And our god is creative god, right? I can work in so many different ways, right? In every generation Every time god has moved there's been a release of a different sound Right every decade every every generation has seen a different sound Being open to the change and resisting change will always Uh, you know, there will always be an exchange of unpleasantries They will always cause friction between generations and between the leaders in the church and whatnot, but uh, just being open for change Uh, you know being open for creativity and um and being open Uh in creating an atmosphere and a culture of failure meaning You try this out if you fail it's okay But you're at least not resisting it. It's like, you know When the drums were first introduced in the church it was a devil's instrument elliptic guitar right, uh, but now, uh, you know the times have changed, isn't it so Um, let's be open. Uh, you know, let's not put god in a box. Uh, let's not put worship in a box And say this is how we worship. This is the methods that we will follow nothing else and what okay So these are the seven hindering attitudes in worship That we need to be careful in in our personal lives in our own lives All right Any questions guys anything you want to add? I see the guys Christians don't tell lies They just go to church and sing them. Yeah aw tells your christian don't tell lies. You just go to church and sing them. Yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah Right. Okay. Anything anything you guys would like to add or say I just wanted to know your thoughts on this Uh, like there was a statement, uh Where it said in worship knowledge becomes experience right So, yeah, um, can you elaborate more on that? Sure sure. Yeah, see again Um So we have all this, uh, you know knowledge we've learned You know, like worship is recognizing who god is worship is reverence God worship is communion with god and worship is a response to our encounter with god and so on and so forth, right? And we have all this knowledge saying worship changes us in worship We experience the presence of god in worship. We are empowered to rule and reign Uh worship is a lifestyle and whatnot, right? So all we have all of this knowledge uh Well, you take all of this knowledge And as a result of humility you come before him and say, uh, you know I worship you in everything that I do you acknowledge him You know, you you allow god to transform you you allow god to change you you allow him You know to pour his grace over and empower you So and you're just putting all of this theory that you know this knowledge into practice So when when that happens you begin to experience him you begin to actually see the fruits Of what you know of all the things that you know, it's where the seeds kind of start growing Right, you know, and you keep nurturing the seed until you see the tree grow and you see the fruits You nurture them with prayer by spending time with him and what not so Yeah, I mean that's my understanding of it Okay, okay. Thank you. Thank you All right class, uh, maybe if there's no uh, no other questions or thoughts that you'd like to share We'll stop here and uh, we'll resume next week Okay, thank you all so much for joining in god bless you all have a wonderful day and Yeah, put into practice the knowledge of praising worship Right. See you everybody. Take care. Bye. Bye