Teach Us How to Worship — Shane Idleman

Let's get into the message, and I don't want to what's hard for me is last week. We had a very powerful service. You know people are still Emailing us and that they've been really just changed and transformed by the power of God and that work that message as you know was on Worship right.

Are you a seeker or are you? Skeptic and that just really begin to minister to not only to my own heart. But to many different people who are here and what I want to do is Give part two of that message before jumping into Matthew because a lot of people were left saying okay.

I'm motivated Shane. How do we worship. Show me how we worship that so that's the title of this message. Teach us how to worship, and I actually had some emails this week on Practical application. What is it?

What is exactly does that look like? So I wanted to bring this to you and say this is how we worship according to God's Word. But I need to put in a big disclaimer there because I'm not going to teach you how to worship.

God does that through the power of the Holy Spirit as we surrender our lives to that if we would just follow that last song I Surrender all. I wouldn't even need to give a sermon. We could just sing that song have a time of prayer and go home.

I Surrender all so all worship is is you're connecting with God. It's a heart of worship and last week where we left off off was on this point of worship. And I talked about how worship heals. Worship awakens.

Worship can set people free as we worship God. But as I look around and I see the drought in California. I think it parallels the drought and many souls in churches today. They're dead to the things of God.

They're dead to worship. And we don't have this heart of worship and the the the you know. We're starving for water. The world is starving for God. American church. American churches are starving for God.

Worships dead. It's dry formalism. And as I said before we're not standing in line at the DMV. We're in a powerful worship service. We're not in a cemetery. We're in a powerful worship service. We're worshiping God.

I hope. So we have to remember that and all often worship would proceed healing. People would be healed as they worship God. As they cried out to God. The woman who fell down and said my daughter's vexed with the devil.

Would you come and heal her. She worshipped him. The man who was possessed by a legion of demons came and he worshipped him. This is the synagogue official who lost his daughter. She died. He came and he worshipped him.

So worship often proceeds healing. Worship often proceeds breakthroughs. When we come and we worship God, that's when change takes place. So it begs the question when was the last time you truly worship God?

When was the last time I'm not talking about just putting on music on the radio. I'm not even talking about being here at this service. That's not necessarily worshiping God. Sometimes that's going through the motions.

I'm just going through the motions isn't what this is what Christians do. I'm just going through the motions. So that's where we left off last week. If you weren't here I would encourage you go home listen to that message on worship.

And then this part two will make sense because now that we're inspired to worship. How do we worship? And I'm just going to talk about three points that I think will be very applicable and they are. Step on your toe points.

It's yeah, of course, right. What do we often say if you don't like what I'm saying? It's because you need to hear what I'm saying and many people if you want to foster. I'm just I'm just I'm not talking to everybody.

I'm talking to the few who truly want to turn the life around and begin worshiping God. Have a deep prayer life a deep steady life. What does that look like? Let's talk about the first thing. The first thing has to be submission.

Submission to the Work of the Spirit

Submission to the work of the Spirit. Submission to God leads to Direction leads to worship leads to the filling of the Spirit as we submit our lives to God now I empty myself now I can be filled with the Spirit of God now I can worship him.

So without this missing element of submission, it's very hard to worship God. And I like what Paul said in Romans likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we don't know what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

If people don't understand give her sometimes you not know what to pray for your situation so difficult life is so challenging. I don't know what to pray for Lord. I'm at loss. I'm at a loss for words.

I don't know what's going on here, but the Spirit in us resides in us is crying all the father. He's praying he's interceding because he knows he knows what our prayer needs are and he's groaning. He's crying out to God as it were through us to answer these prayers.

And this is an amazing concept that this Holy Spirit of God resides in a believer. Your Jesus said when I leave it's good for me to leave because when I leave the Comforter the paracletus is going to come and he's going to be inside of you.

It's like wow, how does that work? So this is what happens with worship. We either quench and we grieve the Spirit of God or we surrender ourselves and allow him to the Spirit to flow freely. I'm not talking about weirdness, right?

I've clarified that many times before I'm talking about a powerful spiritual life a life of worship to where you come out of that that prayer closet a different man a different woman because worship has transformed your life.

So the first area requires submission you have to say Lord. I don't have it and I want it or I want a deeper life. I want to know you in the power of your resurrection. I want to know you in the fellowship of your suffering.

I can sing that song Lord. I surrender all but how many people in their heart are going. Yeah, right. Right. Let's be honest I Surrender all yeah, no way. Uh-uh. Then why sing it? I think they call the word for that called hypocrite.

We have we have to be willing to and I'm only saying that because you guys you can take this. This is truth that I surrender all that's the life of a disciple in the Bible surrendering their entire life.

Everything is his my attitude is his. I can't carry bitterness and judgmentalism and arrogance I can't carry any of that. I have to submit and surrender everything to him. I surrender all Lord I empty myself.

Will you fill me with your spirit Lord because I can't get through life without you. So to start to worship God and to have that life of worship teaches how to worship starts with submission. I Gave the analogy in the first service.

It's hard to find analogies for this area. But as you submit to God It's like those big five-gallon water jugs. You've seen those right from sparklets a lot of people put it under the fault the faucet and they turn on the faucet for one Second.

Oh, that's enough. I'm good. Well, I can't you don't even have water. Sure. I do. Look I just wiggle you see that little tiny bit of water in that Jug, I'm good. I Don't have to change anything. I don't have to alter anything.

I don't have to repent of anything. I just I just I'm good I've got this little bit of water. Where some of us need to turn on the faucet and let it run let it keep Flowing into the vessel. Not only that let it come out of the vessel.

Let it keep. I need to sit under actually move out of the way water pitcher. Let me sit underneath that fountain because I'm a leaky vessel. I'm a leaky vessel. I have to sit underneath the fountain of life every day because my vessel is leaky.

DL Moody said that I can't take credit. He said that we are leaky vessels and we have to sit underneath the fountain of life every day. Do you understand that the world? contaminates us sin contaminates us if we don't sit underneath the fountain of life and get Worship in and get the Word of God in and get prayer in that.

We will be pulled away from God. Because we're not a neutral being. Just stand right here and I can just you know, we're pulled one way or the other. We're either pulled towards worship of God or we're pulled towards the worship of this world.

We can't serve both masters so it begins and ends with submission and Then from there the first point I want to talk with you briefly on is prioritizing. If you want do I'm just going to talk to those who want a lifestyle of worship.

They want a deep and powerful prayer life. They want to come out of there worshiping God filled with the Spirit of God. They've had a strong time of prayer and in his word. I'm talking to you. That's who I'm talking to you.

Prioritizing Time With God

Now you've got to prioritize it. You have to we try to prioritize everything else. Don't we? Whatever's on our calendar. It's what we want to do. I'll prioritize the golf game. I'll prioritize this movie.

I'll prioritize this. I'll prioritize that everything's prioritized. Why we schedule what's important to us? So you have to schedule time in with God. It should be the first thing on your calendar. BAM right here wherever that time is and I'm not going to get Legalistic, you know morning evening whatever it is, whatever you can give God your freshest energy.

Your freshest strength when you're at your peak give him your best whenever that is for most people. It's early in the morning. Give him that Prior it has to be a priority and what the devil wants to get us away from the source of life so he's gonna do everything he can to get you out from underneath that Living water that we're receiving and that's why we hear this more than anything else when I talk about this topic, but Shane I'm too busy.

Right, I'm too busy. Shane what's not a prioritize priority then we prioritize everything else. How many people tonight are going to go home and do this? From 7 o 'clock to 7 30 to 8 to 8 30 to 9 to 9 30 to 10 o 'clock 10 30, maybe 11.

I'm getting tired. I'm too busy. I don't have any time. No, you're not too busy. Your priorities are all jacked up. I'm gonna get home my wife's gonna say don't say that either right. We have time. We just don't prioritize it and the enemy knows if you're a believer.

I believe you're you're a believer. You're a child of God. He's gonna do whatever he can to distract you. Do you wonder why we're so distracted on? My phone. I can have an app for this and an app for that.

And the Greek and the Hebrew and in linear. What does this guy say in this commentary that commentary the New American Standard and the NIV and the ESV in the New King James? All at the click of a button.

Everything right there. But we're too busy. Our blessing has become our curse. So you've got a fight for your time like a soldier fights for battle. Everything is coming against your time. Time is ticking.

Teach us to number our days. Prioritizing we've got to put first things first if not now when We'll go sit in line and watch a movie for two hours, but we have no time for God. It's because our heart is sick and it needs spiritual resuscitation so you've got to prioritize it and I believe that a Disconnect from the source of life is the number one cause of depression and discouragement.

I Notice how I didn't say is always the case. I said, I believe that when you separate yourself From God from that source of life. That is one of the number one contributors the contributors to depression and discouragement.

Why. Because you're disconnected from the source of life. Ask any addict how they feel caught in between knowing they want God. But the pole that the dick is pulling. I've talked to him all the time that they're they're miserable they're disconnected from that source of life.

People are coming to church. They'll come to church tomorrow throughout our landscape and they'll leave. They're no different when they arrive. They're disconnected from that that source of life. They get home.

Nothing changes. You've got to stay connected to that source of life. The enemy wants to disconnect you from that and me. All these things are simple, but they're not easy. Everything I'm going to talk about is simple, but it's not easy.

And I said many this is nothing new under the Sun if It's new. It's not true. And if it's true, it's not new. You've heard that saying right? We've talked about all this before but sometimes we've got our you know.

Our cages have got to be rattled. You've got to rattle my cage. Yeah, I'm gonna rattle your cage. So you open the door come out. Prioritizing we put first things first always. We have time for our favorite movies.

We have time for the favorite shows all these different things. The last time I checked not too many people miss a Super Bowl had four hours set aside on a Sunday. No problem. Oh, I could just I could take that one on many different directions and we wonder why we're not hungry for the things of God.

Think about that. They spend four million dollars for 30 seconds to grab your attention during the Super Bowl you don't think there's some influence there four million for 30 seconds. Why is that as a man thinketh in his heart?

So is he they want your attention? They want you to be and move your priorities over to them. The whole battles for influence and for priorities. So if you want a heart of worship You've got to prioritize your life.

It has to be it has to be. Actually, let me make a statement here. It's on my calendar. Do you realize that my worship time? My time with God is on my calendar. Every single day their seasons people get sick.

This comes up. There's you can't I'm not talking about that. But for the majority, it's on my wife knows first thing in the morning. It's on my calendar from here on out. Hopefully for a while. It's on my everything revolves around him see when everything revolves around Christ everything else takes a second a Second seat a seat in the back then Christ is my priority.

Then everything else is scheduled around him doesn't mean I have to work and pay the bills doesn't mean you have to do this and you Know all these different things, but that's my priority. He is so everything is centered around that and there's a wonderful words.

You guys need to learn. It's in the dictionary. It's under n And it's followed by the letter. Oh No. No, I'm over committed. No, I can't do that. No, I can't go there. No, I can't do that. Not a hermit living out in the desert, right?

You understand that but everybody's inundated. Everybody's too busy. Nobody has a day off. No, we can take a Sabbath. We're all too busy all this stuff. That's supposed to make our life very easy has made our life very difficult.

So I tell people often take a media fast. You're not going to die without Facebook. You're not gonna die without Twitter, you're not gonna die without looking at this computer screen wonder what's going on the news.

It's very healthy sometimes to reprioritize your day and seek God. Here's a question. I didn't present the first service, but present now how much time do you spend in Facebook versus God's book? How many how much time do you spend on YouTube versus in the Word of God in prayer?

Don't raise your hands. This is take this ask ourselves this question because if we have all this time see it's really not about time. It's about prioritizing our time. So priority has to be number one.

It has to be a priority and I don't have a lot of time. But in the first service, I went over a little bit more practical application. But in order to make it a priority in my life, how did I do that?

Well, I already have there's worship. I know I'm gonna put on in the morning. I've got the Bible already ready. I've got it marked. I've got it, you know, so I know I get up in the morning. There's a plan a lot of people just get up and they're like, let's see.

Where's where should I start? Matthew. I don't know. I read that. Yes. I don't even know where to start Ezekiel. Hope it's not as boring as the bread. Yeah, I don't forget it. Right. Are you just too much?

Well, what 1 ,500 pages? We're even start. I don't even understand this thing. That's what people say. Right, well a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step in the right direction. You have the Word of God you open up Matthew you have a piece of paper Lord.

Help me show me the Spirit help me understand these things as you're going you write down questions. You look them up. It becomes a passion of yours then you're into Mark and then Matthew Mark Luke and John and Acts and Romans and then you get Into some deep theological issues in Romans.

Write down your questions on election on these things and seek them out get a good study Bible you make it a priority you're ready for the day. If you just sit down it just I mean who goes to work and has no idea what they're going to do.

Nobody hopefully you go to work. You know what you're going to do. There's a plan the same thing with the Word of God. We have to prioritize it and then when it's a priority it becomes important and then when it's important it gets done.

And with that you have to have the motivation to do that the next point preparation. Preparation teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. So once you prioritize now, you've got to prepare teach us to number our days.

The Bible says listen, your days are going boom. But do you know you're dying? You're not getting you're not getting younger. Well, the kids are getting a little bit old, you know, they're growing but certain age I think around 30 your body starts declining.

Most of us are dying. My little daughter is going to turn nine that I remember her crawling like it was last week. With where's time going teach us to number our days. It's almost like we should have this big clock in our living room.

Oh one day left Shane you're halfway through your life number our days and it reminds you. I've got a number my days. Everything is vitally important how I conduct myself how I spend my time teach us to number our days.

It becomes Preparation we prepare because one thing to prioritize, but if you're not prepared, you'll fall flat on your face. And what happens in this area of preparation is three things work against you the world.

The flesh and the devil are all against you in this area of preparation as you're preparing. They're unpreparing you. Right. What is it? What is the the world does the world influences us away from God?

Right away from God influences away from let's talk about those four million Dollars in 30 seconds to those commercials pull us closer to God or further away. I mean what that the world just pulls it just by nature.

They can't help themselves. They pull us away from God because we love it and we get pulled away from God. So you have that distraction and then we have the flesh what the flesh does. It's our carnal nature.

The flesh makes excuses. I'm too tired. The Bible's boring. I've got lots to do the flesh doesn't like to be in submission to the Word of God. I'll tell you that right now the flesh loves to be God. So the world pulls the flesh makes excuses and the devil comes in and throws in tons of distractions.

All those things are working against us. So to be forewarned is to be for armed. I'm forewarning you so you can go into this for armed. You can beat you. I mean how many people come into spiritual battle unprepared and untrained?

It's like enemy. Take your best shot. Here I am. I've no spiritual disciplines enemy. Take your best shot. And we're not ready for what happens. On this issue of preparation. I'm going to say something here that there's really hinges this whole thing hinges on this point.

Holiness and Preparation for Worship

The number one hindrance, I believe to a life of worship is not having a right heart. Psalms 96 9 worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. You see a life set apart for God and worship go hand in hand.

Holiness complements worship where worldly fights it. What I mean by that is if if we're filling our mind with a bunch of junk all week. How are we supposed to get up and worship God in the morning? If you're feeding on death, how are you gonna have spiritual life in the morning?

This is just practical application. We've talked about many times before out of the abundance of your heart. Your mouth will speak and your feet will walk. What I mean is what I'm putting in to myself, right?

What I'm putting in throughout the week is going to come out in my actions. And this is why I go against entertainment a lot because we're putting in all this junk and we wonder why we have no passion for the things of God.

We go to bed with these shows on reality shows CSI Miami and and all the desperate housewives and I don't even know if those are playing. I like till the first congregation I need to go and make a list of what movies are out or TV programs are still on and what aren't.

But my point is think about that's what you're feeding your mind at night. And you're gonna get up and want to worship God. Uh-uh. Nope. It doesn't work that way. You can't put in darkness and expect this power of the gospel to motivate you in the morning.

There's a gentleman recently. I prayed for after a service and I could tell he was just really distraught. He said he's having nightmares. Nightmares all the time and he just can't sleep and I was praying for him and I usually don't do this.

But I knew right away. So what are you putting in your mind? And he kind of looked down. He listens to the dark gothic music. Very demonic very satanic at its core and you wonder why you're having nightmares.

Well, I don't. I mean, let's start there. You see how this works. So I can't worship God because I'm loving this the things in the world. I can't worship God because I'm filling my mind with the things of the world.

All these things that we fill our mind with it pull us away from God. So that's where preparation comes in a holy life. Sets up a powerful worship service. EM bound said a holy life is the only preparation for prayer and worship.

Men do not love holy praying because they do not love holy living. You catch that they go hand in hand a Holy life set apart for God wants to worship and a life that's worshiping wants to live a holy life.

You Can't you can't separate those two. Getting a carnal Christian to worship is like trying to get a politician to tell the truth. Think about that getting a carnal Christian to worship is like telling a politician to tell the truth.

Why is that. Car they don't want to worship God. They love the carnality. They don't want to worship God. So I can't talk about Prioritizing and preparing and all these things. If we're not living a life that glorifies God they go together.

You see the Connection there. It's a connection that can't be broken. Now, of course a carnal Christian can't worship and a politician can tell the truth if the heart is changed. It's all an issue with the heart.

The heart has changed has to change. Men would pray better if they live better and men would worship better if they live better. But that sink in for a minute men would pray better and women would pray better if they live better and men would worship Better if they live better.

Everything continue is contingent upon this point. Robert Murray McShaney, he died at 29 years old. He was one of Scotland's most anointed preachers. He said a man is who he is on his knees before God and nothing more.

You catch that a man or woman is who he is on his knees before God and nothing more. I don't want to care about. I don't want to hear about your PhD. I don't want to hear about your six-figure income.

I don't want to hear about all these things. I want to know are you on your knees? Praying out crying out to Almighty God. That's how you change your life. That's how you get recourse and direction for your life.

Knowing the will of God by this a man is who he is on his knees before God and nothing more. Think about that. Realize that's who we really are. That's who we really are when it comes to our relationship with God if we don't have time for him.

We don't have time for worship. We could come to church a couple times. You know, I know I've got to do that. I own a Bible. I mean, that's what good people do. But if we're not truly worshiping him. If we're not truly worshiping him and on our knees, that's who we really are.

And it brings me to the next next point on this the gratification of the flesh and the fullness of the Spirit. Do not go hand-in-hand. We must spend much time on our knees before God if we are going to continue in the power of the Holy Spirit.

All right, Tori said that and many people probably say all shame. That's boring. That's this that's hard. Yeah, that's right. Anything in life worth having is hard and difficult. Let me tell you the truth, okay?

But God blesses obedient souls. God wants those. God searches. The Bible says that he looks to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to him.

But what else the enemy goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The enemy goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and God's Spirit goes to and fro throughout the whole earth to Find himself strong on those whose hearts are loyal to him.

I've asked that question before so who finds you if the Spirit of God goes to and fro looking throughout the whole earth and the enemy goes about as a roaring lion and one of The other is going to find you.

There's not some little quiet little cave. You're gonna hide in where nobody can see you one or the other. That's why this point of worship is so important. A few a few quick things on removing worship blockers.

Removing Worship Blockers

I think I needed to get this point across a lot of people when on this issue of holiness. On this issue of holiness, we've got to remove worship blockers what I call our pollutants. They're pollutants in our lives that prevent holy heartfelt worship.

The Bible talks about lifting up holy hands and rejoicing to God. Does it not reach well. Let me give you a few scriptures ascribe to the Lord the glory. Do his name worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Psalms 29. Psalms 96 6 or 95 6. Oh come let us worship him and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. Psalm 99 exalt the Lord our God worship at his footstool. Holy is he holy is our God. Holy is our God and you're singing that holy is our God.

You're worshiping him. That's powerful. But what happens is we can't rejoice because a lot of us hold what I call pollutants in our heart spiritual pride bitterness. Anger resentment unforgiveness all these things that the Bible says turn from.

He's not just saying that as a suggestion. These things prohibit heartfelt worship if I'm holding all these things bitterness into my life and unforgiveness. And anger and all these things God saying you can't worship me in the beauty of holiness.

You've got to remove these pollutants from your life. And that's one of the areas another one is relationships. Right, especially young adults a lot of relationships will draw you farther away from God.

So you have to ask the question is this person is this relationship drawing me closer to Christ or pulling me farther away? What direction are they taking you? What direction is relationship leading you?

And there's a famous saying says I'd rather be lonely going up than have company going to hell. Right. As much as we don't want to admit this. Relationships can pull us away from God or they can push us to him.

So when it comes this area of worship young adults, especially you have to think about are these people in your life? Truly truly wanting what's best for you and truly pushing you in the right direction or they pulling you in the wrong direction.

Because to worship God you've got to remove these pollutants. And of course we've talked about activities do they build me up or pull me down. Things I'm doing in my life. Are they building up? Are they fostering worship or are they pulling me away from God?

Like this isn't rocket science. This is real easy stuff. We've just got to be motivated to do it. Now I want to talk about a topic here on this issue of hindrances. I know I've got a lot under this point of preparation.

Spiritual Pride as a Hindrance to Worship

But the next thing I've noticed a lot is spiritual pride prevents worship. Spiritual pride prevents worship. You realize that a lot of people prideful people you can't see it very easily. Can you? It's all hidden here.

You don't know somebody that deals with spiritual pride very easily. It takes a little a little time to get to know them. But humility is a process so we must submit to the hammer of God and allow it to break us.

That's how you truly worship God is you allow this pride to come in contact with the Holy Righteous God and the pride is shattered and the pride is crushed and now because of humility now I can worship God.

But many people come up and one good indication indications, they don't like this message. Spiritual prideful people do not like these types of messages do that. They do not like to be challenged because they think they're perfect.

They think they've got it down. They've been studying for years. They know all about God. You don't need to question me. I'm not questioning. I'm just saying what the Bible says. If humility is your greatest asset then pride is going to be your greatest liability.

You realize that humility is your greatest asset. When it comes to worshiping God, but pride will be is your greatest liability. Pride will pull you away from God pride says I know what's best. I'm right.

I'm not gonna release unforgiveness. I'm not gonna release bitterness and you know, this is might be a word for some people in this room. How long are you gonna keep fighting God? Worship him. Many people just come in just as ridges when they got here just as upset as when they got here.

Just as critical as when they got here. They heard the Word of God. So they leave feeling convicted like therapy. Oh, I heard it, but I'm not going to submit to the obedience to it. So they leave year in and year out coming to church and never changing because the heart doesn't break because spiritual pride is there.

Well, he doesn't know my story. He doesn't know what I went through. He doesn't know this. No, God doesn't care about any of that. He wants us to come and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that in due time.

He will exalt us. We could do a whole sermon on spiritual pride and how that is an affront to God and his holiness. So you have to remove that that that worship blocker. And we see it come in all the time.

Don't we with spiritual pride? I know it's best. I'm not gonna you know worship God. I'll do it my own setting in my own way. Who's this young whippersnapper? Tell me what to do. I'm not. I'm just saying God's Word demands that we humble ourselves.

And I want to talk briefly on this point. A lot of people ask sometimes a quick note about posture, you know. People are like well, why are people raising their hands or why are they sitting there? Why are they doing this?

Well, what really boils down to this our inward attitude becomes an outward expression. That's all worship is. Worship is an inward attitude that becomes an outward expression. So somebody might get a little excited and say Lord you saved me.

I'm thankful for that or they might sit in their seat and sing amazing grace or sing these songs. I surrender surrendering in their heart because they're in a posture of brokenness. They're in a posture of humility.

They might sit there and just contemplate the works of God. They might stand there and just be an honest presence. You don't have to do this or do that or do this, but the posture often does reflect our heart.

That's why sometimes I joke and people got upset at me, but it's not worshiping God doing this wonder what time is worship over. That's not worshiping. God. That's somebody who wants worship dance. I mean, I've spoken a lot of different churches.

You guys do not know how blessed we are here. We're here with this kind of worship. I've seen dead legalistic ritualistic worship throughout the United States. They're not worshiping God. They're going through the motions.

So it has nothing really about what do you do this or do that because people can jump up and down and go look at porn tonight. What happened there? You know worshiping God however, the posture does reveal our heart and I see a lot before we were watching people are just like Texting on their phone you do you do you realize this is a worship service not the line for the DMV?

Really? I mean if you think about it Now some people might not like contemporary like the old hymns wonderful go home and put on the old hymns great. But you got to worship him somehow. The posture has to resemble the heart.