1. HallelujahHallelujah Psalm 113

2. Hallelujah Question: What is on our minds as we come to church on Sundays?

3. Hallelujah Do we have this word written on our hearts as come to meet God: Worship

4. Hallelujah Let ’ s think about “ worship ”. –The “ worship ” team leads worship. –A Sunday morning at church is called “ worship service ”, or “ service ” in short. –What do we do during a service? And more …

5. Hallelujah What is at the heart of all that we do on any given Sunday morning? Worship = Worth + ship “ Give back to God His due worth ” BUT HOW???????

6. Hallelujah Summing up in the title for the message: הַלְלוּ - יָהּ Hallelu jah “ Praise Yahweh(the LORD) ”

7. Hallelujah Nearly a third of the passages on praising the LORD occurs in Psalms. A majority of the passages are imperative summons to praise. The word is used in the mouths of those going to charismatic churches. B U T...

8. Hallelujah What exactly is the significance of this profound word in the context of worship – four aspects: N. A. M. E. Name AttributeModesty Empowerment

9. Hallelujah One, we PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD in worship (vv. 1-3). Question: does the LORD have a name – or names? Possible examples: –Yahweh Jireh (Gen. 22:14) –Yahweh Nissi (Exod. 17:15-16) –Yahweh Rofeka (Exod. 15:22-26) –Yaweh Shalom (Judg. 6:24)

10. Hallelujah Yet when Moses asked about the name of God, he received this answer (Exod. 3:14): I AM THAT I AM … I AM has sent me to you... Practically, God said to him, “ My Name is not the point! ” We may need names, BUT NOT GOD. We can only DESCRIBE what He does in history.

11. Hallelujah So, what does it mean to “ praise the Name of the LORD ” in worship? We proclaim the deeds of the LORD through ALL THAT WE DO!! The moment we enter the sanctuary, we are telling others what God does. Examples? Healing, words of encouragement, …

12. Hallelujah So, who are we do the praising? “ Praise, O servants of the LORD ” (v. 1) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, A holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of … (1Pet. 2:9-10) That is us!!!

13. Hallelujah Do we have choice NOT to praise the LORD in worship – and in daily living? NOT A CHANCE!! From this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun … (vv. 2-3) This means that we MUST ALWAYS BE SENSITIVE towards the LORD because WE CANNOT STOP!! Example: tuning into the right radio channel. LET ’ S GET TUNED IN TO PRAISE THE LORD ALWAYS!!

14. Two, we PRAISE THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE LORD in worship (v. 3), i.e., WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE DOES. Example, creation: These are all creations of the LORD – and we see them EVERYDAY AND EVERYWHERE in our lives! This is “ omnipotence ”, meaning He is all-powerful! Hallelujah

15. “ From the rising of the sun to …” (v. 3): “ Worship is messy ” – Rodney Do you know that –There are 6,912 known living languages in the world? –China has over 56 ethnic groups; Africa, several thousand? On ANY SUNDAY MORNING – in different time zones – “ the servants of the LORD ” praise in different languages. Messy? Yes, but wonderful. Oasis is a living demonstration of such wonder. demonstration.: Jn. 3:16 in Chinese, Taiwanese, Cantonese, English, Afrikaans, German, and Hebrew Separately and altogether!!!

16. Hallelujah We serve the LORD OF OMNIPOTENCE AND DIVERSITY!! His unlimited creativity allows us to APPRECIATE His wonder and greatness!!! Meanwhile, we witness amazing unity in all the diversity, through creation, nations, languages – and US!!! THE LORD IS GREAT. LET ’ S PRAISE HIM IN OUR DIFFERENCES!!!

17. Hallelujah Three, we PRAISE THE MODESTY OF THE LORD in worship – or HUMILITY (vv. 4-6). Question: humanly speaking, is greatness, glory compatible with modesty, humility? Examples: Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Roman Caesars, Hitler, Mussolini, Eastman Kodak, Howard Hughes, …

18. Hallelujah Yet this is the LORD we praise: The question “ Who is like the LORD our God ” is really rhetorical, because the descriptions clearly say “ No ” : Who dwells on high (v. 5b) Vs Who humbles Himself to behold … (v. 6) Glory (vv. 4, 5); + Modesty/Humility (v. 6) LORD

19. Hallelujah We often praise more on the greatness/glory of the LORD – but modesty?? His modesty speaks of HIS DETAILED CARE, “ the things that are in the heaven …” (v. 6): nothing can get away from His loving care. Right? “ How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them …” (Ps. 139:17-18)

20. Hallelujah Yet the ultimate modesty/humility of the LORD is culminated in Jesus What is a manger like? In a nutshell, “ It stinks! ” But that is where Jesus was born!! THE LORD IS MODEST/HUMBLE. LET US PRAISE HIM FOR HIS DETAILED, LOVING CARE!!

21. Hallelujah Four, we PRAISE THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE LORD in worship (vv. 7-9). The movie Pretty Woman. A prostitute was turned into an elegant lady. God ’ s care for the poor and needy is a prominent them in Psalms (e.g. Ps. 9:18, 72:12). But …

22. Hallelujah His way of helping them is very different – HE DOES NOT LET THEM REMAIN IN NEED. Raise (v. 7) Lift (v. 8) Seat (v. 8b) Poor and needyBarren woman

23. Hallelujah Note two things: –It is NOT OF ONE ’ S OWN EFFORT. –They need to GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE. Does this ring the bell? We are able to praise the LORD in worship because –He DRAWS US OUT FIRST (Eph. 2:8-9)!! –He EMPOWERS US WITH THE PRIVILEGE (Jn. 1:12)!!! Again, do have the right not to praise? No!!! THE LORD HAS DONE IT ALL, LET US PRAISE HIM FOR THE NEW IDENTITY IN WORSHIP.

24. Hallelujah הַלְלוּ - יָהּ