"Worship: Get in the Game"

2 Samuel 6:12-23 & Psalm 100:1-5
September 26, 2004
Jeff French

Studying the Bible:

Before you read 2 Samuel 6:12-23, it is important to know a little background on the Ark of Covenant. The Ark was a symbol of God’s presence, and it had been in the hands of a foreign nation for quite some time. Here we see God’s chosen people in possession of the ark once again and the response of the king of Israel as the ark makes its way to their capital.

Read 2 Samuel 6:12-19 and answer the following questions:

What words would you use to describe King David’s worship in these verses?

 

What would a person need to engage to worship like David in a genuine way?

Where do you sometimes hold back in your worship of God?

 

Can you think of somewhere outside of the Christian faith you freely express your thoughts and emotions passionately?

 

How could you bring some aspect of that freedom into your worship of God?

 

Look back at 2 Samuel 6:12-19 again and read Psalm 100:1-5. Then answer these questions.

What is David’s worship centered upon?

What pattern do you see in Psalm 100 that shows the same focus?

 

How can our focus on God motivate and direct our actions in worship?

 

Now read 2 Samuel 6:20-23 and answer these questions.
Why was David’s wife Michal unhappy with his fervent display of worship?

Why doesn’t her disapproval stop David from worshipping this way?

How can the opinions and presence of others keep someone from fervent worship?

What would it take to overcome those barriers?

 

Message Outline:

I. Worship should engage us completely

II. Worship should find its origins in God Himself

III. Worship should not be limited by others

Action Points:

• Identify the personal limits you have placed on worship
• Reflect on God’s character and His actions in your life
• Take the risk to go beyond those boundaries because of God’s goodness
• Notice the fulfillment that comes through "engaged worship"
  

Quotes to Consider:

"Worship is seeing what God is worth and giving him what He’s worth." pastor Tim Keller

"I’m not saying that when you come to church you need to give each other high fives or do cartwheels down the aisle, but worship is a time of anticipation and expectation. We come together because all week God has been knocking homeruns and scoring touchdowns in our lives. Worship is a time to celebrate what God has done for us." professor Rod Cooper

"In order for us to worship, our mind, will, and emotions have to be moved." pastor Tim Keller

"Earlier in this century, someone claimed that we work at our play and play at our work. Today the confusion has deepened: we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship." author and professor Leland Ryken

"Life has value only when it has something valuable as its object."
philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

"If we haven’t learned to be worshippers, it doesn’t really matter how well we do anything else." author Erwin Lutzer

"Until you stop coming to worship as if you have to see God, you’ll never know what the Psalmist is talking about. He says it ought to be your delight to come up into Papa’s face and enjoy his presence. It presupposes a relationship that makes you want to be there." musician and pastor Richard Allen Farmer