Worship Fit for a King
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus.
Introduction:
I want to talk to you today about worship, but I want to do so by tying into the Passport to Adventure children’s program. I want us to consider a king in the OT that the children did not study this summer.
As we heard in the drama this morning, God was not pleased with Israel’s desire for a human king, but he granted their wish anyway. Saul, the first king of Israel, turned out to be a great disappointment, but he was followed by David, a man after God’s own heart. Solomon, the third king, squandered enormous potential, and at his death the nation was divided. The northern kingdom of Israel, consisting of ten tribes, lasted 200 years before the Assyrians wiped them off the map. They had nineteen kings, all of whom were wicked. The southern Kingdom of Judah, consisting of two tribes, lasted about 340 years before Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar defeated them. They had twenty kings in total, seven or eight of which were good.
The king I want us to consider today is Jehoshaphat, the fourth king of Judah and one of the good ones. He began his reign 60 years after the death of Solomon at the age of 35 and he reigned for 25 years. Two of his famous contemporaries were Ahab and Jezebel, who ruled in the northern kingdom while Jehoshaphat ruled in the south. He was also contemporary with the great prophet of God, Elijah.
Jehoshaphat was a good king, but he was not perfectly good, of course. His worst error was that he made political alliances with ungodly kings around him, particularly with Ahab. He even arranged a marriage between his son and Ahab’s daughter. That wicked daughter, Athaliah, eventually became Queen and almost succeeded in wiping out the Davidic dynasty. What we can learn from this is that even those who are committed believers can make serious mistakes with long-term repercussions.
Today I want to focus on just one event in the reign of Jehoshaphat, found in the 20th chapter of 2 Chronicles. As the chapter opens, we find that the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites have come to make war on Jehoshaphat. These enemies had a vast army that was poised to strike on the borders of Judah. Verse 3 tells us that “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people came together to seek help from the Lord.” Would that we would face every crisis that way! Then we read that Jehoshaphat himself stood up in the temple and prayed a beautiful prayer of dependence upon God. The final statement in his prayer reveals both the weakness and the strength of God’s people: “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” In themselves they were hopeless, but they knew where to go for help.
Then God spoke through a man named Jahaziel, who said, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (verse 15) Then he went on to promise them, “You will not have to fight this battle; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” (verse 17)
Now let me ask you, “What would your response have been to such a declaration?” I’m afraid mine might have been, “Fine, I’m glad for God’s help, but give me a weapon, pass the ammunition, show me plan B in case this doesn’t work out.”
But look at Jehoshaphat’s response in verse 18: “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.” I would like to suggest that this is the most appropriate response possible.
Worship, singing, and praise is fit for a good king to offer.
This story indicates that worship is appropriate before, during, and after a battle. In verse 21 we see that Jehoshaphat used worship to prepare for battle. It says that “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’” Worship and praise bolster one’s faith and focus one’s attention on the Lord, rather than on one’s problems.
Worship also strengthens in battle. Verse 22 says, “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” God responded to the worship of His people and as they worshiped, God acted. In fact, He didn’t require the men of Judah to fight at all. Instead, their enemies just spontaneously started slaughtering one another, and all the Israelites had to do was watch the carnage and then carry off the plunder. Verse 25 indicates there was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it all!
Worship is also the appropriate response after battle. When they had finished carrying off the enormous plunder, it says the people assembled in the Valley of Beracah, “where they praised the Lord.” “Then, led by Jehoshaphat, they returned joyfully to Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets.” (verse 27) What a worship service that must have been! I suspect there was lots of handclapping, foot-stomping, and probably even some dancing, but I imagine there was also a period of solemn singing. A wide variety of musical expression can be worshipful, depending upon the circumstances.
Now my contention this morning is that worship is fit for a king. It was fit for a good king like Jehoshaphat to offer. It is also fit for the greatest King.
Worship, singing, and praise is fit for the King of Kings to receive.
The King of Kings is One our children did study about at the end of the summer. Turn with me to the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, where we’re going to see that worship, singing, and praise is the number one occupation of all those in heaven.
In chapter 4 we see that angelic beings worship Him. (By the way, the term “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” is used of both God the Father and of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation. They are indistinguishable in respect to the worship they deserve). The angelic beings are represented here in chapter 4 by four living creatures—each different, yet each having six wings and covered with eyes all around. It says in verse 8 that “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Next, we notice in verse 10 that twenty four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. Most Bible scholars believe these twenty-four elders represent the godly leaders of both Israel and the Church. There were twelve tribes in Israel and twelve Apostles in the Church. They lay their crowns before the throne and cry, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
In chapter 5 the four living creatures and the twenty four elders direct their worship particularly to the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 9 we read, “And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
Then all the angelic hosts, numbering ten thousand times ten thousand, join in the singing:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise.”
Finally, all the redeemed join in the worship. It says in verse 13: “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”
The worship, singing, and praise in heaven continue in chapters 7 and 19, but time does not permit us to examine these incredible songs. They are sung, of course, only by those who have acknowledged Jesus as Lord here in this life, for the Bible makes perfectly clear that only those who acknowledge Him in this life will be acknowledged by Him in the next.
Finally, this morning, I would like to suggest that…
Worship, singing and praise is our highest priority now.
If God honored worship in the past, and if it will be our eternal occupation in heaven, does it not stand to reason that it constitutes our highest priority now? There are literally dozens of passages in both OT and NT which exhort the believer to worship. One that we will be examining in some detail in a few weeks is Romans 12:1-2. You will recall that I preached on Romans 11 just before my sabbatical, and as soon as we finish Philippians we will be returning to the book of Romans. The first verse we will confront is familiar to most of you. In the NIV it reads: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
This verse indicates that worship is not just spiritual or mental but demands that the whole of us, including our physical bodies, be rendered to God as a sacrifice. It has to do with far more than the way we do church; it involves the way we think, how we speak, how we behave, and how we respond to the culture in which we live. Look at the next verse: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Still the epitome of worship occurs when believers, who have offered their bodies as holy sacrifices, and who have refused to conform to the pattern of this world, gather to voice their sincere honor and praise to God in song. We have grown here at First Free in our understanding of corporate worship. In our early years we struggled; we sang about God, but we didn’t often sing to Him or allow ourselves much freedom in worship. Terry Martin taught us a lot about offering praise to God as a gift. This year our lay worship leaders have helped us continue our journey toward becoming less self-conscious and more conscious of the One we are worshiping. And now we have called a new worship pastor we believe has been gifted by God to help us grow even further.
We want our worship to be excellent because it is not for us—it is for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the audience and He is eminently worthy.
We are seriously considering taking every fifth Sunday, i.e., the last Sunday of any month which has five Sundays, and devoting it exclusively to worship, singing, and praise—no sermon as such, but plenty of Scripture reading, prayer, and perhaps communion. I’m looking forward to trying that.
I close by reminding you that there is a lot of phony worship today, and there always has been. The prophets in the OT and the Apostles in the NT warned repeatedly about those who have a form of godliness but no power. There are many who go through the motions of worship. They kneel, they sing lustily, they pray, they listen to sermons, and they admire the stained-glass crosses, but their hearts are far from God. They have never acknowledged their sinful condition or come to Jesus for the cleansing he offers through His death on the Cross. Friend, if that describes you, today is the best possible time to confess your sin to God and receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But He is first the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Let’s bow before Him in prayer, and then we will continue to adore Him in song.
DATE: September 3, 1995
Tags:
Worship
Singing
Praise