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What does a Christian family look like? While many aspects will vary from family to family, there should be at least one constant virtue that appears in all Christian families: they are families that worship God. While all of life is worship in a sense, there are particular times of dedicated worship in three settings; privately, as a family, and corporately with the gathered church. A godly father is to be a role model of worship and must be diligent to impress on his children - with the help of the Holy Spirit - the importance and privilege of true heartfelt worship in each setting.

When we think of "worship" what do we think of? Often we think of singing and music. Music is certainly a way in which we worship God, but we make a serious mistake if we equate worship and music. On Sunday morning we do not worship first, then have preaching. Preaching itself is an act of worship, both for the congregation and the preacher.

If you will just stand. Let's pray and I'd like to read some Scripture. If you have a Bible. If you would turn to Second Corinthians chapter 9. I'm going to actually begin in the prior chapter the last verse, Second Corinthians Chapter 8 verse 24.  "Or foreshow ye to them, And before the churches the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf. For as touching them ministering to the Saints It is superfluous for me to write to you for I know the forwardness of your mind for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia that Achaia was ready a year ago and your zeal has provoked very many yet have I sent the Brethren lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this be half that as I said you may be ready, less happily if they of Macedonia come with me and find you unprepared, we that we say not ye, should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the Brethren that they would go before you unto you and make-up beforehand your bounty whereof you had noticed before that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty and not of covetousness.  But this I say 'he which soweth sparingly show reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.' Every man according as he purposes in his heart so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you that ye always having all sufficiency and all things may abound to every good work as it is written. 'He hath dispersed abroad, He hath given to the poor, His righteousness remaineth forever'. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food and multiply your seeds sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness being enriched in everything to all bountifulness which causes through us thanksgiving to God for the administration of the service not only supplieth the want of the Saints but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God, while by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection under the gospel of Christ and for your liberal distribution unto them and unto all men and by prayer for you which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift".  Would you pray with me? "Father would you open this text to us this morning. I pray that you would come, that you would send your Holy

Worship and Spiritual Warfare - Part 1 by Don Hart. Since the fall, man has been "defined by his enemies" which means, you know a man by who he is enemies with. God has given us a specific design for how He is to be worshipped. The devil has declared war on God's worship. The priorities of the church are to worship God and make disciples. We are called to spiritual warfare. We must treasure the freedom and opportunity to worship God and we must get it right. We must have a commitment to serving God. He takes it very seriously. Preaching, prayer, singing, the reading of the word, worship through giving, the Lord's supper, baptism. It is all important. It is life or death. We have an enemy that, in our own strength, we cannot hope to defeat. The devil persuaded Adam, who did not have a sin cursed mind, to join his rebellion against God. This is how persuasive our enemy is. God could have left us there. But He did not.

The Psalms give us an incredible breadth of expression of crying out to God, both in times of happiness and pain. Along with this great breadth, comes a marvelous depth that makes this inspired hymn-book a handbook for the Christian to better understand what it means to truly worship God. In Psalm 27 David gives us a powerful look at what true, heartfelt worship looks like. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would like to ask for you to open your Bibles to Psalm Chapter 27, and I'd like to read this psalm from the first verse to the last. Psalm 27. There are four divisions in this psalm. The first is his confidence in God in Verses 1-3: > "A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident." And then he speaks of his desire for one thing in verses 4 through 6: > "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord." And then he cried out with his voice in a prayer, Verses 7-12: > "Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also on me, and answer me. When you said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek.' Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have arisen against me, and such as breathe out violence."</

Humans are made to worship God. That is the great purpose for which mankind was made, to glorify and enjoy God forever in worship. In Heaven, God is perfectly worshipped by the angels and those who have gone on before us. However, when the church meets together, and when we worship in our families and privately, we join that heavenly band in worship of our glorious God. And that is what worship should be, a small taste of heaven on earth.

Is your family worship time truly worship? The truth is that God would rather have no worship rather than false, hypocritical worship (Mal. 1:10). God requires his creation to worship him, but he does not need it - it is a privilege and a joy that he calls us into and it is a wonderful gift to worship him in the home. But has the worship in our homes become cold, lifeless worship with the heart separated from the outward actions? Love for God is the cure for empty worship. Cultivate this in your heart and life and lead your family in love to worship God.

If the worship of God is the most important thing in life, the corresponding question of "How does God require us to worship him?" must necessarily be asked. The historic, Reformed answer to that question has been formulated as what is known as the Regulative Principle of Worship. This principle, derived from the Reformation maxim of Sola Scriptura, is laid out and defended in the Reformed confessions of faith. The Regulative Principle in contrast to the commonplace Normative Principle, affirms that God alone has the right to determine what is acceptable in worship and how the church should conduct itself in its gathered meetings.

For nearly 1900 years, the question "Should we sing the Psalms?" would have never been asked. From the beginning, the Christian church set the Psalms to tunes suitable for singing, especially congregational singing. In the last 100 years Psalmody has declined and virtually disappeared in many denominations. Today there is an apparent renewed interest in singing these ancient, inspired songs. But why should we sing the Psalms? Is there a biblical command or example to sing the Psalms? Dr. Joel Beeke demonstrates that the Bible assumes and commands the singing of Psalms, not just by Israel under the Old Covenant, but by the church in the New Covenant.

Session 3, will take up questions such as What is the proper place of music in worship? Does the devil have all the good music? Contemporary or traditional music: who cares? Is one’s musical preference all that matters? Do our music choices indicate that we are worshiping Christ or ourselves?