Sunday Morning Worship Service

grab your Bibles get your Bibles your phones or if you're like Moses grab your tablets and we're going to go to 2 Samuel chapter number 23 and as you're turning there I want to give honor to all of our leadership our pastor our Bishop uh Pastor Anthony all those who uh lead and feed we are so uh appreciative and privileged we're privileged with some of the greatest leadership in all the world right here at this church and if you believe that why don't you clap your hands and give your leadership great honor today amen we want to say we're praying uh for sister Tina Watson she lost her sister this week we're praying for her and her family that the Lord would give her peace that passes all understanding and we're so thankful for the body of Christ that knows how to lift up those who are hurting and those who are who are aching we're so thankful for the comfort of the body of Christ today 2 Samuel chapter number 23 we're going to read one verse here one verse here and we'll jump right into it and you'll see here where we're going 2 Samuel chapter number 23 verse number one now these be the last words of David David the son of Jesse said and the man who was raised up on high the anointed of the god of Jacob look at this last part how he describes himself the sweet psalmist of Israel the sweet psalmist of Israel the son of Jesse the servant of God and the sweet psalmist I want to preach to you today with your help and the help of the Lord the death of the sweet psalmist the death of the sweet psalmist you can put your Bibles down and again would you lift up your hands and uh lift up your voice and let's pray and ask the Lord to help us today with his word father we are so thankful so thankful for your spirit that is here today we're so thankful for the the body of Christ that is gathered here today in Your Name Lord we're so thankful for the ministry that has gone forth today the ministry that is taking place all over our campus but right here in this room let your word go forth and I pray that it be an encouraging word a a word of refreshing to your people and help us God to be good ground that the seed of the word can bring forth a harvest in our life in Jesus name we pray and everyone said amen would you clap your hands again unto Jesus today I wish somebody would do it like youve yet to do it today come on can you give him a great praise a great God God deserves a great praise today Hallelujah you can be seated in the name of the Lord the death of the sweet psalmist there may not be another character in The Bible quite as intriguing as David we finished uh this past this last Friday our sermon series at Elevate student Chapel here at ACS uh we we preached and taught about the life of David and I finished with this sermon and I'm going to share with you today but we've been on this journey that's actually an adventure studying the life of David there there may not have been anybody else in the Old Testament quite as gifted as David and many who know anything about David would probably the first thing that they would say is here's what I know about David uh he was the one who fought the giant goath David and Goliath is what I know about him or perhaps you think about his great failure with bath Sheba however there's more to the life in the story of David and I I feel like the writer of Hebrews this morning when he says I do not have time to tell about Gideon baric Samson jeepa David Samuel and the prophets it would it would take us weeks and months uh to even scratch the surface of the life of David but in our text this morning we are we are given the last words of David this this is the uh the final saying of David and we have a few chapters preceding it that in that even that follow this that this is what David says at the end of his life look at how he describes himself the son of Jesse the man who is raised up on high the anointed of the god of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel he was a son he said I want you to label me I want you to identify me by a couple of things here that first of all I was a son I was the son of Jesse a nobody I didn't come from I didn't come from great wealth or privilege I was just a Shepherd boy I come from a a family that shepherded uh all kinds of of flocks and I got to oversee uh all of the sheep and then I I'm I'm I'm the the anointed of the god of Jacob I serve the people of God that I was their King I was the one that God chose to lead his people that I went from uh leading my father's flock to now I've LED God's flock as the king of Israel and the last thing that he says is the sweet psalmist of Israel notice that David does not include his extraordinary exploits and Endeavors there isn't a mention of killing lions bears and Giants there isn't a word written about his lead leadership of a Nation or the reign of his throne but I want us to notice what he said about himself that he was the sweet somus of Israel here are the last words of God's man a man that others said that a man after God's Own Heart David wanted to be remembered as a psalmist one who had a song in his heart and a praise on his lips he didn't want to be remembered as the Giant Killer he wanted to be remembered as a worshipper he didn't uh he didn't want to be known as a warrior he wanted to be known as a worshipper Israel didn't just lose a mighty warrior or a giant killer that day but Israel lost a worshipper and you'll see if you read the rest of the Old Testament after the life of David uh there there is there is a dir of worship that takes place after the life of David uh except for for Solomon praying after he builds the temple and offering all the sacrifices that's really all we find of Solomon worshiping and then you see a little bit of worship in Hezekiah and a little bit of worship and Revival and restoration under Josiah but after that if you just read the story of of Israel and Judah from the split and all the things that take place you only find them worshiping under trees in the high places they've brought in the worship of Baal they've brought in the worship of Pagan Idols they they they they they waffle back and forth from serving Yahweh to serving all these Pagan idols and so when David dies Israel loses a worshipper when when when David dies Israel lost true worship with him think about that he said I don't want to be known as a warrior I want to be known as a worshipper I I don't want to be known for my my military Savvy I want to be known that I was the sweet psalmist of Israel my goodness and if you look if you go read the book of Psalms there some of our favorite our favorite chapters in all the Bible we could quote several Psalms today and I guarantee it was David who pinned the one that you love whether it's Psalm 23 or Psalm 150 out of 100 and 50 chapters of songs and prayers and Psalms that we have it is it is noted that David is uh is credited for writing at least 75 of the Psalms in the Book of Psalms think about that think about that 75 of the Psalms can be attributed to David you want to talk about people sampling songs and stealing songs and copying songs nobody there has not been any more copyright infringement upon any artist or writer more than David I mean we sing songs today I guarantee they pulled it from the Psalms uh we we have the Psalms in poems today we have we have the Psalms in history today and great literature today everybody quotes the Psalms and even in the New Testament there are at least 69 word for word references to the Psalms think about that Alexander McLaren a great Bible commentator said this and I quote the temple was built and built again and built again but for 20 years now not one stone of that so sacred and so stately structure has stood upon another the very foundations have been raised out swn with salt and forever lost but the Psalms of David shine to this day with a greater Splendor than on the first day they were first sung and long after the foundation of the whole Earth shall have been plowed up and removed from their place David's Psalms will be sounding out because there was one thing that David wanted to be known as and that was to be a worshipper there was one thing that David wanted to leave behind the Legacy that I hope you stick with is that I was not just a great warrior but first and foremost I was a worshipper I I don't want to be known as a giant killer I want to be somebody who's known about getting in the presence of Jesus and worshiping him come on somebody I wonder if somebody says I want my legacy to be not that I was a king or a president or a great or a great Governor or a politician I want to be known as a worshipper I don't want to be known as a great preacher I don't want to be known as a great teacher but let it be said of me that I was a worshipper come on somebody I wonder if somebody wants to be known as a worshipper today I wonder if somebody says let me be a worshipper oh David's desire was for the house of the Lord and he wanted to worship he acquired the materials he made the blueprints for the temple to be built he never could build it but he said if I can't build it let me prepare the Next Generation for worship I may not be there but I want you to know I'm believing that worship is going to take place long after I die can I tell you worship is not a song worship is not a place but worship is the spirit of your heart and Jesus said one of these days the father is looking for somebody who will worship Him in spirit and in truth are there any true worshippers here today is there any true worshippers here today that I have the spirit but I also have the truth somebody say amen he was the most thankful man in the Old Testament if not in all the Bible David was guilty of many sins but if there is anything that David was truly guilty of that he was a worshipper if he wasn't slinging a sword he was taking a pen and writing down words to his God woo he might have not have had a sling in his hand but he had a song on his lips come on somebody we don't just need to confine worship to this building we need to be worshippers everywhere we go we need to be worshippers when we're outside we need to be worshippers on the job we need to be worshippers in our home come on somebody help me today I'm telling you we got to be worshippers we don't just turn it on and turn it off we've got to be worshippers all the time David ate drank and slept and breathed the things of God dreamed of God's house Desiring just to be an if I could just be the Usher the one who opens the doors to God's house David wasn't perfect but he worshiped you don't have to have it all together to be a worshipper that's right that's right come on you don't have to be a perfect you don't have to be a perfect man or a w a perfect woman to be a person after God's Own Heart you just have to worship him you know what the difference between David and Saul was is is that when Saul fell all he cared about was wondering what the people thought about him but when David Fell he said I've sinned before God and you know what he did he washed his face and he worshiped can I tell you you might have made mistakes you may have had a bad week this week you may have said some stuff you may have done some stuff but can I tell you you need to get in the presence of Jesus and Learn To Worship come on somebody we got to get in here and worship it's not based upon how I feel it's not based upon my mood can I tell you he's worthy of worship come on it's not because I'm perfect it's because he's perfect and a perfect savior deserves my imperfect worship I wish somebody would do it right now I wonder if somebody said I don't have it all together but I'm going to worship him I had a bad week but he's still worthy I may have messed up but I'm still I'm still going to give him pray I wish somebody would do it right now I wish somebody clap their hands lift up their I want to be a worshiper come on a church without worship is a church without life we need some Davids around here who say I'll Worship the Lord at all times his praise shall be upon my lips all the days of my life oh magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name come on I'm not talking about rights and rituals I'm not talking about wrote liturgies I'm talking about somebody who says I'm going to give him the praise I'm going to give him my worship that's not in my notes but I feel the Lord helping me right now when that woman came in right before Jesus was about to die she came in and she brought an alabaster box full of ointment right there and she said it's not worth anything because he's worth everything I'll give him what I've got oh my God I I'll give him what I've got because he's worthy I'm not giving it to him because I'm worthy I'm giving it to him because he's worthy come on it might be imperfect but I'm going to worship him it might be out a key but I'm going to worship him I might not be the most talented but I'm going to worship Him and there was one by the name of Judas who said you know we could have done with that we could have spent all of this is doing something else but Jesus said she did it unto me can I tell you we could be doing a lot of other things today but we're here to worship [Music] Him someone say amen I feel the Holy Ghost today there's something that H there's something happens when we start worshiping there's something there's something that starts toen happen when we start worshiping David was a worshipper and his reputation as a wor as a worshipper went before him when Saul was vexed with an evil spirit he said I need a man to soothe me I need a song to soothe me David hadn't killed one giant yet but somebody a servant of Saul said I know of a man he's out in the fields right now somewhere just struming his harp right now I I know he's he he doesn't he you don't know him but can I tell you he's a worshipper I know you don't know him and he might not look the part and he might not sound the part but you know it will help drive away those evil spirits is somebody with a song on their lips and so they went and brought David just a little Shepherd boy and they said David can you play can you play something can you sing something and all of a sudden he who is vexed with an evil spirit all of a sudden worship flowed into there and evil spirits couldn't stay any longer can I tell you a song will do more than a thousand swords can I tell you you might be fighting an evil spirit you don't need a sword of the spirit you need a song in the Spirit come on you know what would drive some of these negative evil spirits that we're fighting today is if we would worship you know what would drive away jealousy worship you know what would drive away Envy worship evil spirits can't stay where there's true worship but but I'm going to tell you something if worship and a song can drive away Spirits there are some type of songs and some type of entertainment that invites them now I love music I love all kinds of music but let me tell you something there are some things I don't listen to there are some things that I don't watch there are some places I don't go that's why I don't go to The Honky Tong that's why I don't go to the bar why because they are invite why do you think they call liquor Spirits there oh I feel the Holy Ghost right now come on some of us you know what we need to do we need to sanctify some of our playlists some of us need to sanctify our iPods and our iPhones oh you're not going to help me preach now let me tell you something if a song can drive away Spirits there can be some songs that invite spirits there might be some things you listen to that invite your old way of living there might be some songs and some places that invite all kinds of old lust and Fe I wish somebody was helping me right now come on Chad am I talking right right now there's just some things I can't listen to why because there's within my heart a Melody Jesus Whispers sweet and L there's some things that will drive away spirits and you're wondering oh I wish the pastor would pray for me I wish that certain Elder would pray for me what you need to do is get a song in your heart what you need to do is start worshiping the I wish somebody was helping me right now I'm telling you you need to worship your way out of trouble you need to worship your way out of bad spirits you need to praise your way out of some junk someone say Amen get me a man get me a man who can sing and he'd sing you know what he invited he sang those songs those evil spirits went away then let me just prove my point one more time is that Saul not one chapter later he hears somebody singing David has killed his tens of [Music] thousands sounds good and saw his thousands what did you hear what they're singing and guess what it invited guess what he invited into his heart what David oh my Lord have mercy right now what David drove away by singing somebody else sang about David and a spirit of jealousy Came Upon Saul woo God have mercy if you listen to me let me just say this right here right now I hope this is okay and I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings but when we come in here to worship and it's not your favorite song this is not a concert for you this is a worship service for him and what you need to do is get rid of your attitude and realize we're not here for you in the first place we are here for him and I'm going to worship whether it's fast I'm going to worship him whether it's slow I'm going to worship him whether it's loud or soft why because he's [Music] worthy someone say amen he worshiped and he could soothe the soul of others but he could also worship and sing and soothe his own life perhaps second to job nobody in the Old Testament suffered quite like David for a man who accomplished muched he suffered much but despite his suffering David worshiped no longer did he have to sing for others who suffered but he'd have to learn how to sing for himself you can go through the through the book of Psalms and you can find where he is singing and he is worshiping and he is praising when a jealous bloodthirsty King was chasing him David worshiped when his own son was coming against him David woried when David had to stay with the Philistines he worshiped when someone stabbed him in the back David worshiped when David was in the wilderness needing shelter he worshiped when he was hiding out in the cave for fear of his life hanging out with the discontented the broken the rejected guess what David did he worshiped when David sinned against God and lost an infant to death guess what he did he worshiped I'll magnify the Lord in the good times and I'll praise him in the bad times come on is there anybody you got a bad report somebody got a bad report from the doctor you know what you need to do you need to worship things might not be going right in your life you know what you need to do you don't need a pout you need a praise come on somebody hear me right now I'm telling you you need to learn how to Worship in the bad times you need to learn how to worship when things aren't going your way and let me tell you this is not just white fields of lies all the time there are times when it's the shadow of death but I know the Lord the shepherd is with me and I'll fear no evil I know he's going to lead me but side still I'm talking about Worship in the bad times I can I I said it last time I preached I'm so sorry that I I I tell the same stories but I just remember hearing mom sing I remember Mom turned on records and tapes and we grew up with music all the time in our house Mom couldn't mom couldn't drive down the road without a CD playing am I right we have all you all don't remember this we had CD cases distracted driving my foot you haven't seen distracted till you trying to find that John P key CD try to find that Andre Crouch CD trying to find come on somebody you know what I'm talking about I I remember not too long ago when Mom was still living in Bloomington and we we were going to we showing up to her house we were knocking on the door we she and we I know she's here the car is here we're knocking on the door and there is something pounding on the inside I mean my Lord have mercy and I fin this bold enough to open up the door myself and there is music pounding throughout the house why because Mom realizes there are some things you can worship your way out of there are some things you can sing your way come on I wonder if somebody realizes it doesn't have to be in tune it doesn't have to be pretty but I'm gonna get I'm gonna I'm gonna Soothe My Soul with a song I want to be a sweet psalmist you know it would help us if we had stop criticizing if we'd stop being negative if we would watch the words that we say and start getting a song on our [Music] lips someone say Amen oh he worshiped while suffering but he also worshiped in prosperity David could worship in the bad times but he also knew how to Worship in the good times poverty has killed its thousands and prosperity has killed its tens of thousands I've seen it happen a million times over my lifetime there are some who will only show up when it's trouble ahead there are some who will only pray when there's trouble but as soon as things are smooth don't I I remember Co do y'all remember that shut down all of a sudden everybody's worried about the second coming it's like y'all I have been coming to church for years I hadn't seen you and now I listen I understand understand fear gets us worked up but let me tell you something fear is a terrible motivator for commitment I can't wait till we have church again I can't wait till we have church again I'm like okay okay me too me too and then all of a sudden 21 comes around and 22 comes around and 23 comes around and 24 comes around and I hadn't seen them yet can I tell you you need to learn how to praise him and worship him in the bad times and you also need to learn how to worship Him in the good times you need to worship oh come on somebody you need to learn how to worship him when you're healed you need to learn how to worship him when you're sick and when you're healed come on we need to learn how to worship him when there's nothing in the cupboard and we also need to worship him when our cupboards are filled come on somebody don't let Prosperity steal your worship when David has peace all around him I'm drawing too close and when David had peace all around him when he was finally ascended to be king over all of Israel there were three things he wanted to do he said get the ark get the ark let's build a tabernacle and let me show some kindness to somebody because he knew that in the good times he was not going to forget what God had done for him in in the bad times that's so he wanted the presence of God that the other difference between Saul and David is this Saul never wanted the ark but David did David said I'm a king that's fine but I'm nothing without the one who made me a king I need the presence of God if I'm going to rain I need something to go along with me I am empty come on I'm I'm just I'm just a figurehead without him I I need something more than just a title in a position I want his presence and they said let's go get the ark and they went and got the ark and you know what David did when he got the ark he said Here Comes the Lord I'm going to worship before him I'm going to dance before him and I'm going to stop and I'm going to sacrifice then we're going to go a little further and I'm going to Worship the Lord and I'm going to dance and then we're going to sacrifice and then you know what I'm going to do I'm going to keep up he worshiped all the way back to Jerusalem can I tell you don't let poverty steal your worship but also don't let Prosperity steal your worship come on would you stand to your feet too many there are some listen to me now there are some you wonder why trouble stays with you it's because if God remove the trouble you'd quit Paul said I have been given a thorn in my flesh what it was he doesn't say don't try to surmise don't try to guess there's a reason why he didn't tell us because he wants us to relate to him and he said ' I sought the Lord three times to remove it but the answer was no because if I remove that in your life your ego and your pride would look what I've done look what I see look what I can do and the Lord said I'm not going to remove the thorn what I'm going to do is give you more grace you don't need less Thorn you need more Grace oh God have mercy you're not hearing me if why why do I go through this why do I have this why do I have this struggle why do I have that because it keeps you praying it keeps you worshiping it keeps you submitted it keeps you humble we talking about worship today how do you want to be remembered would you hear a lot thought about Legacy athletes in their legacy politicians in their legacy entertainers and their legacy what's your legacy going to David on his deathbed the last words of God's [Music] man I'm the son of Jesse he was just a farmer and I was just a run of the family and I like watching those [Music] sheep but God called me out of the sheep folds so I can be his King God didn't just randomly choose me because I was handsome some smart privileged no he found me worshiping when no one else was around I could have let that lion and I could have let that bear take my dad's sheep no one would have known but me but God would know and so I was faithful I'm also the sweet psalmist of Israel Solomon don't don't don't don't put on my on my on my my Tombstone that I was a great warrior don't don't tell anybody I killed a giant let them know that I was a worshipper that I was obsessed with my God I wasn't perfect I committed many crimes and sins but I worshiped what do you want your legacy to be I want to be known as the greatest athlete I want to be known as the greatest preacher I want to be known as the biggest Giver I want to be known as fill in the [Music] blank but does anybody want to be known as a worshipper you see here are the qualifications of a worshipper you just got to do it you don't have to have a degree you don't have to have any training you don't have to you don't have to have go go and go and uh learn it somewhere all he's looking for is somebody to worship him I wonder if somebody would slip up their hand right now and I wonder if somebody would say I want to be a worshipper I want to be a worshipper to worship him is to live it's it's all that I need come on is there anybody who wants to be a worshipper I wonder if there' be a dad who said I want my kids to remember me as a worshipper I want my w I want to show my wife that I'm a worshipper I wonder if there's a mom and a wife who says you know what I want my kids to know me as I want to be remembered as a worshipper that I worshiped him in spirit and in truth that I worshiped him that church and I woried him in the car and I worshiped him at home I was a worshipper come on somebody is there anybody who'll say that's what I want my legacy to be I want to be a worshipper I want to be I want to be obsessed with him I got one desire my desire is to know him and to love him I want his presence more than I want anything else come on I want him I want his glory I want his spirit I want to be a worshiper come on is there anybody who'll say today's the day I'm making up my mind that I'm going to be a worshiper that's what I want to be remembered as come on take all the titles and the positions all the accolades of this world they will pass away but I want to be forever known as they were worshipper a worshiper of Jesus Christ a worshipper of Jesus [Music] Christ [Music]